Immortality and Cultivation: I Have Three Times the Lifespan

Chapter 88 Complete Decline

Pushing open the slightly worn door of the courtyard, he carefully examined the place where he had lived for several years for the first time in the darkness of night.

Then he turned and disappeared into the sparse shadows of the marketplace.

The streets of the port market under the moonlight were eerily deserted.

Compared to the bustling and prosperous scene when he first arrived, filled with scattered cultivators and lined with shops, the place now can only be described as desolate.

There were few people around, and those who did pass by were mostly fishermen and farmers dressed in the low-grade clothing of the Lu family, or ordinary people who served these cultivators and hurried along.

The shops that once lined both sides of the street are now mostly empty, with only five or six remaining, and business is dismal.

The shelves were mostly stocked with low-grade and mid-grade first-tier talismans, inferior magical artifacts, and common pills. The variety was limited and the quality was ordinary.

Want to acquire higher-level resources?

The only way is to go to the internal exchange meetings held regularly on the core island of the Lu family.

But that threshold is only open to senior fishermen and farmers in the Lu family. Outsiders like him, who have already terminated their contracts, can't even get close to the door.

"Fellow Daoist Yang? Could it be Fellow Daoist Yang?" A somewhat familiar voice sounded, tinged with uncertainty.

Yang Changsheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw a somewhat familiar middle-aged figure standing behind a stall selling low-grade talisman paper, spirit ink, and cinnabar on the street.

It was that calm and collected talisman master in blue robes from back then.

After several years, he looked much older, his cultivation level still at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining. At over ninety years old, his blood and qi began to decline rapidly, and there was an indelible melancholy between his brows.

When I was seventeen, I was exploring this port market for the first time. They were selling talismans here, and more than ten years later, it's still the same.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, it's been a long time."

Yang Changsheng stopped and cupped his hands in greeting.

He did not conceal his whereabouts, and at this moment his aura was concealed as if he were an ordinary person. The fact that the talisman master surnamed Liu could recognize him was purely based on his eyesight.

"It really is Fellow Daoist Yang! Judging from your demeanor... hmm, could it be... you've broken through?"

The talisman master surnamed Liu took a few steps closer and examined the object carefully by the moonlight. His eyes immediately revealed surprise and a hint of barely perceptible envy.

When this handsome young fisherman inquired about the price of talismans, he was only at the second level of Qi Refining cultivation and dressed simply.

Now, about eleven years have passed, and he still looks young and youthful, with an even more refined temperament. He has also become a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and is not far from the later stage.

"I've made some progress by sheer luck," Yang Changsheng replied calmly, without denying it.

"Congratulations! Fellow Daoist's talent... is truly remarkable!"

The talisman master surnamed Liu sincerely praised him, then looked around at the desolate scene and lowered his voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist, are you... getting ready to leave?"

"Yes, this is no longer a place to stay." Yang Changsheng nodded.

"A wise move! An old bone like mine is too weak to walk anymore... My fellow Daoists all went to New Town, and I heard they're doing very well."

The talisman master surnamed Liu was filled with mixed emotions and bitterness.

Nowadays, the number of cultivators in Biyue Lake has decreased sharply, with most of them having moved away, making it difficult to even gather enough people for a proper exchange meeting.

With his mediocre mid-level talisman mastery stagnating and his age exceeding ninety, his path to enlightenment was hopeless, and his fate would be no different wherever he went.

The old talisman master's words were filled with a deep sense of loneliness and helplessness, clearly depicting the era when the port market had come to a complete end.

"Is the new market town Qianxue Market Town?" Yang Changsheng asked.

"Exactly!"

When Liu, whose surname was Fu, mentioned this, his spirits lifted slightly. He said, "That place is incredible now! The spiritual energy is several times denser than here, and there are shops everywhere. I heard that even second-tier pills and magic weapons are not rare! There are many opportunities, but... the competition is also extremely fierce."

"In the past, rogue cultivators, without outstanding skills or powerful backers, could only struggle on the outskirts and earn a meager amount of spirit stones. A mid-grade puppeteer like Fellow Daoist Yang, if he could craft some good items, might be able to gain a foothold in the inner region."

"Fellow Daoist, you think too highly of me... I only possess a little bit of skill."

Yang Changsheng remained humble, showing no delight at the other party's flattery, and was well aware of his own limitations.

Without the income from refining waste pills, his rate of earning spirit stones is that of a normal mid-grade puppeteer, barely enough to cover his cultivation expenses.

The talisman master surnamed Liu smiled, paused, and lowered his voice even further, saying with a hint of warning, "However, fellow Daoist, please be very careful on your journey! Markets are relocating, and trade routes are just opening; the roads may not be safe."

"Especially the section from the Black Sand River to the Red Water Ferry, I've heard it's been quite unsettled lately, with frequent raids by cultivators, and even groups of late-stage Qi Refining experts specifically targeting migrating prey. The Lu family's patrols are too far away to reach it. My belongings aren't worth much, so it's safer to blend in with the group. Fellow Daoist, you're traveling alone, so please be extremely cautious!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Liu."

Yang Changsheng felt a chill run down his spine; this intelligence was very important.

He chose Lujiagang Port Market because it was safe and low-risk; now that he's relocating, the biggest variable is the journey itself.

"Take care, fellow Daoist. If we happen to meet again in Qianxue Market, I hope you will look after me!"

Liu Fushi solemnly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, offering his sincere blessings.

Having been rooted in the port city for decades, it's time for him to get married, have children, and raise his descendants. Perhaps someone will be able to continue the hope of building the foundation road.

He was over ninety years old and in excellent health, in the prime of his life. Even if he couldn't marry a female cultivator specializing in Qi cultivation, he could still take in more than a dozen wives as an ordinary person.

"Take care, and see you later."

Yang Changsheng returned the greeting, said no more, and turned to walk towards the edge of the market.

The talisman master surnamed Liu watched the young man's tall figure disappear into the night, then looked at his deserted stall and sighed deeply.

The path to immortality is incredibly cruel; those who cannot keep up will only fall into the abyss.

Yang Changsheng did not leave the market area directly, but went to Tongchentang, one of the few remaining shops.

The old shopkeeper was still sitting behind the counter, drowsy, but the wrinkles on his face were deeper and his breath was becoming increasingly weak.

Yang Changsheng did not reveal his true appearance, but used a pre-prepared disguise to sell several aged medicinal herbs he had cultivated.

Throughout the entire process, a subtle, almost imperceptible understanding seemed to flash in the old shopkeeper's cloudy eyes.

But in the end, he said nothing and simply completed the transaction in silence.

After leaving Tongchen Hall, Yang Changsheng's savings had barely returned to a little over 1,900 yuan. As for the mid-grade puppet in his hand, he did not plan to sell it for the time being.

The next day, after completing the lease termination procedures, packing everything up, and retrieving his deposit of seventy-two spirit stones, he went to the ferry at Biyue Lake.

Over the past ten years, he has only left the Bishuihu area once, but he is not unfamiliar with it because he had planned to leave long ago.

The once bustling ferry crossing at Bishuihu Port Market has receded like the tide, leaving only a sense of desolation.

The only place still operating airships beside the ferry crossing is that lonely wooden house.

Yang Changsheng walked in. The air was filled with the smell of old wood and a faint fishy smell, mixed with dampness.

Behind the wooden hut's counter, an old monk with gray hair and beard, and droopy eyelids, was dozing off in a dilapidated rattan chair, his gray robe faded from washing.

Noticing someone enter, he lazily raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze sweeping over Yang Changsheng's simple blue cloth robe before closing them again.

"Where to?"

The old monk's voice had a heavy nasal tone, conveying a sense of weariness from having seen through the ways of the world.