Before winter gave way to spring, a great snow swept through Jinyun Valley. Overnight, the mountains and plains were covered in a blanket of white, with snow already deep enough to cover one’s insteps.

However, the area within the Gold Cloud remained completely unaffected, its streets and alleys bustling with activity.

The Market’s liveliness didn’t diminish after the auction; it actually grew.

After all, a stable and peaceful hub held an unparalleled attraction for many risk-averse Cultivators. And Jinyun Valley, with its zero-tolerance policy toward Tribulation Cultivators, naturally became the top choice for many.

Even numerous Loose Cultivators traveled from far and wide to settle here.

As for Chen Che, he used the excuse of going into seclusion for seven days.

He made a trip back to Earth Element Star to get the invitation letters for the Four Great Daoist Schools from Old Li. According to Old Li, he could use any of the letters to enroll directly in a Daoist School next year, skipping the entrance exams.

"Have you decided which Daoist School to choose?"

Old Li, who had already become the deputy head of teaching, asked while sipping his tea.

"Zhurong Daoist School."

Chen Che had made his choice long ago.

"Actually, I was also going to recommend Zhurong Daoist School to you."

Li Xiaoshuang took out his phone and gave him a string of numbers:

"The Four Great Daoist Schools aren’t that different, so it’s the same no matter which one you go to."

"My older sister is a professor at Zhurong Daoist School, and she’s also the head of the Alchemy Department. If you go there, she can look after you. In the future, whether you’re looking for a job or taking the exams for a position in an Immortal Sect, she can give you some guidance!"

"Thank you, Teacher Li."

Chen Che was very grateful. "Tonight, I’ll treat you to a foot massage..."

"You’re still a student, how do you know so much?"

Li Xiaoshuang’s eyes widened. He casually set up a Silent Barrier in the office and said with a grin, "You can treat me after you graduate from the Daoist School. It won’t be too late then."

With only half a year left before the entrance exams, all of his classmates were concentrating on their final review. Even Zong Yudao had begun to meditate and cultivate, and Lin Yi no longer had time to hang out. Everyone was too tense to spare even a moment.

Chen Che, who had already been accepted early, felt none of that pressure.

During this time, he even attended two big drinking parties. One was to congratulate Master Wu on his successful breakthrough to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. During the party, Wu Rui also raised a glass of juice to congratulate him on his guaranteed admission to Zhurong Daoist School.

The other party was thrown by Zeng Buke. Zeng Buke had secretly opened a Magic Artifact Store, piggybacking off the Ouyi Subsidiary Company’s resources. He’d invited Chen Che over to ask for his patronage, and Chen Che naturally agreed in a heartbeat.

...

After he finished with all these matters, Chen Che finally returned to Yunzhou.

He accompanied Meng Qingxuan on a walk out of Jinyun Valley.

As far as the eye could see, bustling shops and street stalls filled the Market, stretching to the horizon. The clamor of voices was everywhere.

"Mr. Che, there are even mortals in the Market now."

Holding the Celestial Secret Umbrella to block the falling snow, Meng Qingxuan noticed a few mortals standing rooted to the spot, their faces filled with astonishment as they gaped at their surroundings.

"There will only be more of them in the future."

Chen Che saw them too.

During the major construction earlier, he had already eliminated the miasma outside the valley. Now, the mortals from outside the valley could freely set foot in this market, a place they once regarded as a ’fairyland’.

It wasn’t just people from Changshan County at the foot of the mountain.

There were also plenty of mortals who had come from several nearby counties, driving oxcarts.

The arrival of mortals also added a touch of worldly life to the Market.

"Look, don’t these look like a pair?"

At an elderly mortal’s stall, Meng Qingxuan bought two sugar figurines and handed one, shaped like a young girl, over to him:

"Here, have a sugar figurine!"

’This young lady, it seems, has always had a special fondness for mortal things.’

Chen Che didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he took the sugar figurine anyway.

"Valley Master Chen!"

Just then, a familiar voice came from the side. Turning to look, he saw a middle-aged man with a weather-beaten face. It was the Liu Family’s Patriarch, Liu Yuanqing. Behind him were several half-grown children, who were looking at him nervously while bowing in greeting.

Chen Che glanced down and saw that the stall in front of the man was laid out with some strange and curious items.

"You’re the great Patriarch, and you’re running a stall here? How are things at Wild Pigeon Mountain?"

"Thank you for your concern, Valley Master."

Liu Yuanqing saw Meng Qingxuan and also called out, "Lady of the Valley," before saying obsequiously:

"Most of Wild Pigeon Mountain has been cleared for cultivation, and many areas have been planted with Spirit Plants. Today, I brought the clan’s younger generation to see the world and to sell off these trinkets on the side."

"Oh?"

Chen Che walked up to the stall.

The stall was quite large, filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items and some old artifacts. He swept his Divine Sense over them but didn’t find anything particularly rare. Only a strange piece of beast hide made his gaze pause for a moment.

’The hide of a Foundation Establishment Great Demon. A pity it’s only palm-sized, barely enough to make a Heart-Protecting Mirror.’

This was to be expected, though. Ever since the auctions started, most of the rare or High-Tier items were sent to the auction house first. Thus, the probability of finding a hidden gem in the Market was getting smaller and smaller.

Meng Qingxuan, however, spent half a Spirit Stone to buy a crystal ornament from him.

"Hm?"

After a lap around the Market, just as they were about to return to the valley, Chen Che’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"What is it?"

Meng Qingxuan looked over in confusion but saw nothing.

"I saw some relatives..."

Chen Che smiled and turned to leave.

"That person... he looks so much like Chen Che?"

In a corner of the Market, Chen Shan stood on his tiptoes.

In front of him were several sacks of Spirit Rice, and beside them were a few bound chickens and ducks with straw stuck into their feathers.

Mrs. Fang of the Chen Clan was wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket, shivering from the cold, her breath forming white clouds. Nearby, Chen Jiang sat cross-legged, flipping through a Daoist Book and muttering to himself. Just after selling a bag of Spirit Rice, Chen Shan caught sight of a figure in his peripheral vision and couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

"Where?"

The other two suddenly raised their heads and looked around.

But they saw nothing.

"I saw him passing by with a woman just now. The woman was as beautiful as a celestial fairy, and she was even holding an umbrella to shield him from the snow. But in the blink of an eye, they were gone."

Chen Shan swallowed, then paused for a moment:

"If he’s still alive, then his fields..."

Chen Che had been ’missing’ for nearly a year.

Even the house he used to live in had collapsed.

Especially after August, when news spread that Jinyun Valley’s gates were wide open, looking at Chen Jiang, the only one in the family who could practice Cultivation, they couldn’t resist their greed. They ended up ’borrowing’ those few acres of idle, weed-choked paddy fields.

After the autumn harvest, they immediately planted soybeans. Just a moment ago, they were even planning to plant Spirit Valley at the start of the new year.

Although having more fields meant handing over more Spirit Rice to Jinyun Valley, it also meant they could keep more for themselves!

But if Chen Che came back...

"Pah! Pah! Pah!"

Mrs. Fang of the Chen Clan came to her senses and slapped Chen Shan. "You must have been seeing things. If he were still alive and knew you’d taken his fields, he would have burned your house down long ago..."

"Mother is right!"

Chen Jiang retracted his gaze and, while burying his head back in his book, chimed in:

"All the paddy fields at the foot of the mountain belong to Jinyun Valley. If any were left to waste, the Valley Master would surely be displeased. I’ll be able to break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer by next year’s autumn harvest at the latest. Even if he comes back, we don’t have to be afraid."

"Dad, Mom, these fields... we can just plant them boldly and without worry!"