Cultivating Underground - Chapter 28

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈

Chapter 28

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Once he had made his decision, there was no reason to delay.

Yi Hyeon first laid out his seven storage pouches on the floor.

Their internal spaces varied in size.

The smallest was only about the size of a single room, while the one he had recently bought at Chwiun Market and the one Wi Mun-do had used were large enough to hold an entire warehouse.

'That works out nicely. I can put the three Stone-Honey Peach trees in the largest one.'

First, Yi Hyeon gathered the things already inside his storage pouches into one place: spirit stones, talismans, pill bottles, books, records of spells and cultivation arts, the formation stones of the Ninefire Flame-Storing Formation, the bronze alchemy furnace, the Earthspade Sword, clothing, and food.

Then he entered Spirit Field No. 1-1.

'I should be able to move them without killing them... right?'

Spirit beasts and spirit insects needed special containers, such as spirit beast pouches and spirit insect pouches, but plants were different.

He had often moved spirit plants in storage pouches while working at Cheongha Valley.

The spirit plants he had used to establish these fields had come from Cheongha Valley in his storage pouches in the first place. There was no doubt that putting spirit plants inside would not kill them.

The problem was how long they could remain there.

Yi Hyeon had once seen Cheongha Rice and Fasting Pills lose a considerable amount of spiritual qi after spending many years in storage.

Time flowed far more slowly inside a storage pouch than outside, almost as though it had stopped, but it had not stopped completely.

That was why cultivators transported valuable spirit plants in jade cases containing spirit soil and spirit liquid suited to their attributes. They also applied restrictions and attached talismans to prevent medicinal potency from leaking out.

But Yi Hyeon had no special jade cases, and he had far too many spirit plants to move.

'I'll take as much of the roots and surrounding soil as possible, then quickly build Underground Hideout No. 2 and replant them. That should prevent any major problems.'

Yi Hyeon went around Spirit Fields No. 1-1 through No. 1-5, putting the plants into his storage pouches.

Whenever he spotted a Fuzzbee along the way, he put it into a spirit insect pouch.

The more he worked, the better he became at it.

He used the Earth-Sensing Spell and Qi-Observing Spell at the same time to check where the roots extended, then used the Soil-Turning Spell to separate the earth around several plants into a large clod.

Rrrumble.

Each time a clod more than a jang across slowly rose with dozens of spirit plants growing in it, Yi Hyeon opened a storage pouch.

Light spread out, and the huge clod vanished without a trace.

“Good.”

Yi Hyeon repeated the process.

...

Spirit Field No. 1-6.

Yi Hyeon first harvested the ripe lotus seeds separately.

Then he put the Yinwater Lotuses' flowers and leaves into a storage pouch, along with the mud tangled with their roots and even part of the pond he had made with the Spirit Rain Spell.

...

Spirit Field No. 1-7.

The three Stone-Honey Peach trees had spread their branches sideways beneath the low ceiling.

Yi Hyeon picked only the ripe fruit, leaving the young peaches on the branches.

Then he pruned the branches that were long enough to get in the way of moving the trees. Since he might be able to propagate them from cuttings later, he wrapped the cut ends in wet cloth and tied the branches into a separate bundle.

...

A long while later.

Three enormous clods of earth, each containing a tree's entire root system, lay in the middle of the spirit field.

Yi Hyeon opened his largest storage pouch and enveloped the Stone-Honey Peach trees in light, putting them inside one by one.

“Phew... Done. Now there's just you lot.”

Bzz-bzz.

Perhaps because of all the commotion, the remaining Fuzzbees were darting around Yi Hyeon in a frenzy.

He took out a spirit insect pouch and caught every last one.

Next, he packed up the equipment and tools.

He took the paper, timber, metal fittings, and tools stored in the warehouse. He also dismantled and packed the automatic watering device's bronze pipes, water tank, and shaft. He left nothing behind, including the records from his spirit field inspections, the wooden board carved with his homemade status panel, and the household items he had used for so long.

...

The next day.

With every sign of his long stay and every man-made object gone, Underground Hideout No. 1 had become an empty shell.

Yi Hyeon used every detection method at his disposal as he went through the entire hideout, checking for remaining traces. Anything he found, he either packed or removed.

At last, he returned to the space he had used as his living quarters.

He lay down for a moment in his usual place.

The cold surface pressed against his back.

If he closed his eyes, he felt as though he might hear water dripping from the tank, leaves rustling, and the beating wings of Fuzzbees.

“...”

Yi Hyeon sat up.

“I just need to make Underground Hideout No. 2 even better.”

He formed hand seals with both hands, and the Soil-Turning Spell spread throughout the hideout.

Rrrrrumble.

The chambers that had existed for hundreds of years filled with earth and stone. The ventilation shafts and passages closed one after another.

Once the final cavern was completely buried, even the Earth-Sensing Spell showed nothing but layers of earth that seemed never to have held anything at all.

“Goodbye.”

* * *

Twenty days later.

A place 65,000 li south of Underground Hideout No. 1 in a straight line.

A faint salty smell mingled with the wind.

Shhk.

Yi Hyeon's body slowly came to a stop as he slid down a mountainside.

He got up, sat on a rock, and looked south.

A blue horizon stretched before him.

“The sea.”

It was the first time he had seen a proper sea since coming to this world.

The endless blue and the salty smell in the air were much as he remembered from his past life.

But the horizon before him seemed unusually distant, and the scale of the fortified cities and ports along the coast was hard to compare with anything he had seen in his past life.

Yi Hyeon took out the mortal maps he had bought along the way.

After leaving the Untaek Kingdom, he had crossed the borders of mortal kingdoms four times to reach the southern tip of the Haereung Kingdom. Even by the cultivation world's borders, he should already have left the Gon Kingdom, a fourth-rank cultivation kingdom.

He did not know which cultivation kingdom the Haereung Kingdom belonged to, but he had no particular intention of finding out. Once he crossed the strait before him, he would be leaving that cultivation kingdom too.

“Let's cross the sea as well.”

One of the Cheongun Sect cultivators he had killed might have had a powerful senior in the sect backing them. He wanted to go farther away if possible, somewhere he could live with peace of mind.

...

Haemun City, at the southern tip of the Haereung Kingdom.

Outside the city walls, broad public roads branched in several directions. Carts drawn by oxen and horses streamed toward the harbor without end.

Silk, porcelain, timber, and medicinal ingredients were piled high on the carts. Those coming from the harbor carried dried fish, salt, enormous seashells, and exotic spices, giving off a mix of fishy and pungent smells.

Beyond them, hundreds of masts filled the harbor like a forest without leaves.

Before entering the city, Yi Hyeon used the Seven Aspects Disguise Art.

He lowered his eyelids slightly and made the corners of his mouth droop. He darkened his complexion as though his skin had been tanned by the sun, then attached a beard he had prepared in advance.

He stooped a little and shortened his stride.

He also hid his seven storage pouches in separate places beneath his clothes and inside his broad belt.

Finally, he pushed the Spirit-Hiding Spell and Qi-Concealing Spell to their limits.

...

The sights inside Haemun City were unfamiliar.

There were merchants with bronze-colored skin, sailors with white cloth wrapped around their heads, and foreigners with pale eyes.

Dialects that were hard to understand passed back and forth in the shops.

Yi Hyeon spent several shichen walking through the streets, getting used to the unfamiliar accents and commonly used words.

...

The harbor lay at the end of the main road.

Dozens of piers stretched far out into the sea. Boats were constantly arriving and departing, from small fishing vessels to enormous sailing ships that looked capable of carrying hundreds of people.

Workers carried huge pieces of timber and jars on their backs as they crossed the gangplanks. The stone paving rumbled whenever a loaded cart passed.

“Looking for a ship to the Haeo Kingdom?”

Yi Hyeon stopped at the tout's shout.

“Is there a ship going to the Haeo Kingdom?”

“Of course. The Haeyeon sails tomorrow morning for Cheongjin Port in the Haeo Kingdom, across the strait. It takes about forty days.”

“That's quicker than I expected.”

“It's a narrow strait compared with the open ocean beyond, and the Haeyeon sails directly there without stopping at other ports. It can take more than three months in bad weather, but the winds have been good lately.”

The tout quickly looked over Yi Hyeon's clothes.

“The communal cabin costs two taels of silver. A second-class cabin shared by six people costs five taels. A private room is fifteen.”

“I'll take a private room.”

“You're in luck, sir. The Haeyeon is one of the largest and safest ships in all of Haemun City.”

Yi Hyeon followed the tout to a building on one side of the docks.

...

The Haeyeon was an enormous sailing ship, a hundred jang long.

Its hull was made of black timber, and it had no fewer than seven masts. A swallow with outstretched wings was carved on its bow.

Below deck were the cargo holds and crew quarters. The passengers' cabins were in a three-story structure at the stern.

'Hm?'

There were cultivators among the passengers waiting to depart.

An elderly person in robes and a young man stood on one side of the pier.

They gave off the auras of the fifth and third layers of the Qi Refining stage, respectively.

The elderly cultivator glanced around and briefly looked at Yi Hyeon.

“...”

But they soon turned away, apparently uninterested.

Judging by that reaction, the Spirit-Hiding Spell and Qi-Concealing Spell were working properly.

Yi Hyeon boarded the Haeyeon, keeping a suitable distance from the two cultivators.

...

The next morning.

Boom.

A great drum sounded through the harbor.

The sailors untied the ropes, and dozens of workers used long poles to push the ship away from the pier.

As the wind rose, the enormous folded sails opened one after another.

Whuump! Whump!

The white sails filled with wind.

The Haeyeon's hull slowly began to move.

Standing on deck, Yi Hyeon watched Haemun City recede.

Its high walls and hundreds of masts grew smaller and smaller. The voices of the people who had filled the harbor were swallowed by the waves and wind.

Yi Hyeon leaned against the railing and gazed at the endless water. Sunlit ripples glittered like tens of thousands of silver scales, and a salty breeze brushed his face.

White foam parted to either side of the hull, while several seabirds followed behind the ship.

Kreee.

Plip.

“...?”

A bird dropping aimed for Yi Hyeon's shoulder, but the Square-Inch Step passed down from Yu Baek-cheon, the Profound realm martial artist renowned throughout the Geonyang Kingdom, was not so easily defeated.

...

The morning of the fifteenth day.

A commotion broke out on one side of the deck.

“Look over there!”

“A whale!”

The passengers rushed to the railing. Yi Hyeon looked where they were pointing.

At first, he thought an island had risen from the sea.

But it was moving slowly.

Pshhhhh.

A thick jet of water shot high into the sky.

An enormous whale was passing some distance from the ship. Faint silver stripes ran across its dark blue back, and its body seemed to be more than fifty jang long.

'Why is it so huge?'

A moment later, two smaller whales surfaced beside it.

A sailor laughed.

“Silverback Whales! They're gentle creatures, so there's nothing to worry about!”

Relieved, the passengers watched the whales.

Yi Hyeon examined them with the Farsight Spell and Qi-Observing Spell.

He could sense a very faint trace of spiritual qi, but not enough to call them demonic beasts.

...

On the afternoon of the forty-fifth day after departure.

A port city came into view along the distant coast. Sailing ships of all sizes traveled through the waters before it, and the docks were packed with people.

Bwooooo.

The Haeyeon sounded its horn in a long blast to announce its arrival.

“Cheongjin Port!”

“We're finally here!”

The passengers gathered their belongings with relief.

...

Cheongjin Port, Haeo Kingdom.

After disembarking, Yi Hyeon heard people speaking with a slightly different accent from the one in Haemun City. Still, it was not different enough to make conversation difficult. They also used the same writing system, so he could read most of the shop signs.

After passing through customs, Yi Hyeon bought a map.

He rented a room at an inn and immediately spread it on the floor.

The Haeo Kingdom was a mortal kingdom facing the Haereung Kingdom across the sea. To its south lay the Cheongno Kingdom, followed by the Namnyeo Kingdom.

“Hmm...”

Judging by the area shown on the map, this continent appeared narrower from north to south than the one he had left.

As Yi Hyeon rolled up the map, he looked at a storage pouch beside him. The pill bottles he had taken from the Cheongun Sect disciples suddenly came to mind.

'They aren't pills I'll use, and I don't even know what some of them are. Is there any point in keeping them? I'd be better off exchanging them for spirit stones.'

...

The next day.

Disguised as someone else, Yi Hyeon visited Cheongjin Market, some seventy li west of Cheongjin Port. He sold some of the pills there, then changed his appearance again two days later and headed to Osong Market.

After selling the remaining pills to several different shops in Osong Market, he had 670 low-grade spirit stones.

He unfolded a map of the cultivation world that he had bought there.

According to the map, the Haeo Kingdom lay within the territory of the Ram Kingdom, a fourth-rank cultivation kingdom. The Haereung Kingdom and the other kingdoms he had passed through across the sea were marked as belonging to the Chang Kingdom.

'So I've traveled from the Gon Kingdom through the Chang Kingdom and into the Ram Kingdom.'

Two cultivation kingdoms and a sea now lay between him and the Cheongun Sect. Having come this far, he could probably consider himself much safer.

'There's no reason to stay long where I sold the Cheongun Sect cultivators' pills. Shall I go a little farther south? I've got plenty of time anyway.'

* * *

About twenty days later.

Southern Ram Kingdom, 60,000 li south of Cheongjin Port.

The southern tip of the Namnyeo Kingdom.

Yi Hyeon stood on a cliff and gazed at the scene before him.

The sea again.

Each time the fierce waves struck the rocks below the cliff, white foam burst above the deep blue water.

Roooaaar.

After leaving Cheongjin Port, Yi Hyeon had traveled through the Haeo Kingdom and Cheongno Kingdom to reach the southern tip of the Namnyeo Kingdom. The Cheongno Kingdom had many waterbirds with blue feathers and vast reed beds. Since entering the Namnyeo Kingdom, he had often seen reddish hills and broad-leaved trees.

'How far have I come?'

Yi Hyeon laid several maps over one another and pointed to the location of Underground Hideout No. 1, where he had begun.

From there to Haemun City, 65,000 li.

Across the sea from Haemun City to Cheongjin Port, 30,000 li.

From Cheongjin Port to here, another 60,000 li or so.

“A total of 155,000 li...”

He had actually traveled farther, but that was the total straight-line distance he had covered southward.

'At this point, I should be able to forget about the Cheongun Sect and sleep easy. Shall I build Underground Hideout No. 2 around here? Whenever I feel cooped up, I can come out and look at the sea.'

'Before that... I should learn about the cultivation world in southern Namnyeo.'

Before choosing a location for Underground Hideout No. 2, he needed to check the nearby markets, cultivation forces, and spirit plants being traded. In particular, if he wanted to refine Barrier-Breaking Pills in large quantities, he had to find out whether the spirit plants in the formula could grow properly in underground spirit fields.

If any varieties could not be grown there, he would have to buy them at a market.

...

Half a month later.

Namae Market, southern Namnyeo Kingdom.

Yi Hyeon walked along a mountain path covered in thin mist.

Before entering the mountains, he had changed his face with the Seven Aspects Disguise Art.

He looked like a thin independent cultivator in his mid-forties.

At the end of the mountain path stood a sheer cliff. To an ordinary mortal, it would have looked like a dead end with no way forward.

When Yi Hyeon revealed the aura of the third layer of the Qi Refining stage, the mist before him parted to either side.

The scene he had taken for a cliff rippled like water, revealing the market entrance.

Two cultivators at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage stood at the entrance.

After listening to a brief explanation, Yi Hyeon entered the market.

Namae Market was larger than any cultivator market he had seen before.

'Wow...'

Even at a rough estimate, hundreds of cultivators were coming and going.

Three-story buildings and shops lined both sides of the road, while hundreds of stalls filled a broad open space.

He saw exotic goods.

The carcass of a demonic fish with pointed scales.

A pearl taken from a shellfish as large as a human head.

Dried underwater spirit herbs and coral rich in water qi.

Some stalls even sold small, living demonic fish in jars of water.

At the market's bookstore, Yi Hyeon bought a thin book titled 《A Brief Guide to Cultivation in Southern Ram》 and a map of the surrounding area.

The book briefly outlined the major cultivator markets, cultivation clans, and sea routes in the southern Ram Kingdom.

There were no large sects in the south.

Since decent spirit veins were rare, most of the Ram Kingdom's powerful sects and clans were based in the central and northern regions. The south was mainly home to Foundation Establishment clans occupying small spirit veins and groups of independent cultivators at the Qi Refining stage.

One name among them caught Yi Hyeon's attention.

「Azure Tide Merchant Alliance.

A merchant alliance formed by eight trading companies operating between the Namnyeo Kingdom and the southern archipelago. They jointly manage spirit ships and sea routes, primarily trading in spirit materials, alchemical pills, and demonic beast materials.

Fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators serve as Alliance Elders. All major and minor affairs of the alliance are decided by the Council of Elders.」

'Fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators...'

It was not a force Yi Hyeon could handle alone, but compared with the Ram Kingdom as a whole, it was merely a regional merchant alliance without a single Golden Core cultivator. As long as he hid his identity well, it would be easier to deal with than a major sect.

According to the book, the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance did not directly control Namae Market, but it had several shops and warehouses there. It also operated branches in other southern cultivator markets and mortal cities.

...

The center of Namae Market.

As Yi Hyeon walked along the street, he suddenly stopped.

Across the road stood a large shop bearing a pattern of blue waves.

「Azure Tide Pill Pavilion」

A wooden board in front listed the pills and medicines on sale.

Yi Hyeon's gaze stopped on one name.

「Tier 1 Bone-Tempering Powder.

One low-grade dose: 18 low-grade spirit stones.

One middle-grade dose: 30 low-grade spirit stones.」

'Bone-Tempering Powder?'

Bone-Tempering Powder was a spirit medicine that permanently strengthened a cultivator's bones in proportion to the medicinal power they absorbed.

And its main ingredient was...

'Bone-Rotting Flower.'

The look in Yi Hyeon's eyes changed.

He went straight into Azure Tide Pill Pavilion.

“Welcome.”

A young clerk in long blue robes approached.

The Azure Tide Merchant Alliance's wave emblem was embroidered on his sleeves.

“I came to look at your Bone-Tempering Powder.”

“You've come to the right place. Our Bone-Tempering Powder has an excellent reputation even in the southern archipelago. Are you a body cultivator, fellow cultivator?”

“No.”

“That doesn't matter. Stronger bones help you withstand the recoil from spells and external impacts. Even an ordinary cultivator can feel a clear effect from the first three or four doses.”

“How much difference is there between the low and middle grades?”

“The middle grade has about thirty percent more medicinal power than the low grade. It also contains fewer pill toxins. But if this is your first time taking it, the low grade will be quite enough.”

“How do you take it?”

“Dissolve it in spirit spring water and take it in portions over three days. If you take it all at once, your bones may ache and you may develop a fever.”

“I see.”

Yi Hyeon examined the Bone-Tempering Powder on display.

Each palm-sized packet bore a small sealing talisman.

He asked another question.

“Does the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance make this itself?”

“Yes. It's made by a Tier 1 alchemist belonging to our alliance.”

“Do you also sell the formula?”

“We don't sell the formula.”

The clerk shook his head firmly.

“Bone-Tempering Powder isn't exclusive to our alliance, but we only pass on the formula to our own alchemists or guest alchemists who have worked with us for a long time.”

“How does one become a guest alchemist?”

“You must prove that you're a Tier 1 alchemist and build trust by carrying out work for our alliance. You'll need to ask at General Affairs Pavilion for the details.”

Yi Hyeon nodded.

He had no intention of joining the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance right away, but he was pleased to have found a legitimate way to obtain a formula that used Bone-Rotting Flowers.

Once he had established Underground Hideout No. 2 and raised his cultivation enough, approaching them as a guest alchemist might be worth considering.

Yi Hyeon was about to ask whether Azure Tide Pill Pavilion bought Bone-Rotting Flowers, but he closed his mouth.

'Come to think of it, people here might not generally know that Bone-Rotting Flowers go into Bone-Tempering Powder.'

After leaving Azure Tide Pill Pavilion, he looked around the nearby shops and stalls.

...

The market's eastern stall area.

Dozens of flowerpots of various sizes stood beneath a black awning.

Each pot had a thin oiled-paper cover to contain poisonous powder. Inside grew spirit plants with layers of ivory petals.

'They're Bone-Rotting Flowers!'

Pretending he had never seen the plants before, Yi Hyeon crouched in front of the pots.

“What kind of spirit plant is this?”

“Bone-Rotting Flower.”

The middle-aged cultivator tending the stall answered.

“What is it used for?”

“It's an ingredient for Bone-Tempering Powder. If you grow it well, you can collect seeds too.”

'I see. So it is common knowledge here that Bone-Rotting Flowers go into Bone-Tempering Powder.'

“What's their medicinal age?”

“The small ones here are twelve years old. The large ones are thirty-one.”

“And the price?”

“One low-grade spirit stone for a twelve-year-old plant. Six for a thirty-one-year-old one.”

Yi Hyeon pretended to examine the pots closely. Their actual medicinal ages roughly matched what the seller had said.

“Did you grow them yourself?”

“They were grown in my family's spirit fields. Spirit plant growers who raise Bone-Rotting Flowers aren't rare around here.”

“They must be widely used.”

“The Azure Tide Merchant Alliance keeps making Bone-Tempering Powder, so there's a reliable market for them.”

The middle-aged cultivator pointed to a large pot beside them.

“If you're confident you can grow them well, buy a young one. Once its medicinal age passes a hundred years, the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance will pay a good price for it.”

“A hundred years...”

A peculiar look crossed Yi Hyeon's face.

A hundred years was no short time for a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage.

But if a family passed down its spirit fields and tended the plants across generations, it seemed possible to produce spirit plants a hundred years old.

'Then even if I put one or two of my Bone-Rotting Flowers up for sale, with their medicinal ages of over 160 years, people won't immediately question where they came from.'

Yi Hyeon got up and continued looking around. That was not the only stall selling Bone-Rotting Flowers.

At another spirit plant shop, plants with medicinal ages between forty and sixty years had been detoxified and put up for sale as medicinal ingredients.

...

Azure Tide Merchant Alliance's Spirit Materials Hall.

The hall was spacious.

Tables for purchasing spirit plants stood in a row on one side. On the other sat cultivators waiting for appraisals.

Wooden plaques on the wall listed the current buying prices for various spirit plants.

Yi Hyeon examined them one by one until he found the buying prices for Bone-Rotting Flowers near the bottom.

「Buying Prices for Bone-Rotting Flower Mother Plants.

Final appraisal depends on medicinal age and condition.

The following are rough guidelines for reference only.

Medicinal age of 100 years: 30 low-grade spirit stones.

Medicinal age of 200 years: 120 low-grade spirit stones.

Prices reduced for damaged roots or growing points, or insufficient medicinal potency.」