Chapter 42: My Stomach is Very Good

Chapter 42: My Stomach is Very Good

Two months later, with less than ten days until the auction.

The flow of people in Bamboo Leaf Mountain had surged, reaching an unprecedented level of fervor.

The business at Mu Family's Spirit Talisman Shop was booming, and the two apprentices, Mu Shan, and Mu Ershun, were overwhelmed with work.

As a result, the Mu Family sent two more family members to assist.

On this day, Li Ergou also came to Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

“Dad, Second Mother.”

Mu Ershun saw father with a big belly, he excitedly waved his hand, rushing out of the shop.

Having been in the market town for many years, Mu Ershun had only gone back once halfway through and hadn't seen his father for a long time.

“Such a big man, can't you be a bit more steady!”

Li Ergou scolded with a stern face. Beside him was a tall, beautiful woman in a palace dress, his second wife Mu Caiwei, who had inferior spiritual roots and was at the second layer of Qi Refinement.

“Brother Changqing, Ershun hasn't seen his father for a long time.” Mu Caiwei smiled sweetly, holding her husband's arm.

Mu Ershun scratched his head, chuckling foolishly, not daring to look directly at his beautiful second mother, who wasn't much older than himself.

He respectfully welcomed his father and stepmother into the reception room at the back of the first floor.

“Big Brother.”

“Changqing, Sister-in-law.”

Soon, Lan Chang'an came downstairs to entertain Li Ergou.

“Ah, Big Brother, you’re still the same, cultivating the wood-based Eternal Youth Technique, you have hardly aged over the years.” Li Ergou now looked middle-aged, with a fat face and a body twice the size of Mu Caiwei.

“The Eternal Youth Technique is slow to cultivate ah, and one must have a good mindset, maintain health, and abstain from desires to delay aging.” Lan Chang'an said without blushing or skipping a beat.

Li Ergou hadn’t planned to come to the market town, but he heard that Zhao Siyao and Lin Yi were arriving soon, so he came over. He also wanted to see his son and broaden his horizons.

The two talked about things within the family and then about cultivation.

“Alas, I’ve been stuck at the sixth layer of Qi-Refining stage for five or six years now and still haven't broken through.”

Li Ergou sighed.

Lan Chang'an could see that Li Ergou had been stuck at the peak of the sixth layer of the Qi-Refining stage for a long time.

This was a bottleneck. Most Qi-Refining practitioners couldn't overcome it in their lifetime.

To break through, one had to either grind for years or use breakthrough pills to increase the probability.

Neither method guaranteed success.

A life-or-death breakthrough was also unrealistic for Li Ergou.

“You had a smooth journey in the past few years; taking some time to settle and slowly polish a bit isn't a bad thing. Wait for a Bottleneck-Breaking Pill in the future.” Lan Chang'an smiled.

“Bottleneck-Breaking Pill? Too difficult! The breakthrough pill, I don't know how many cultivators in the family are lining up for it. Some have even earned merits on the front lines; how can I compare...” Li Ergou was self-aware.

Breakthrough pills were scarce and expensive, rarely sold on the market.

Li Ergou had no special skills, at best working part-time as a spiritual planter to support his family, lacking the financial means to vie for a breakthrough pill.

Two days later.

Zhao Siyao and Lin Yi arrived at Bamboo Leaf Mountain and found Mu’s Spirit Talisman Shop.

In the reception room at the back of the shop.

The four immortal seedlings from Hengshui Prefecture gathered again after twenty years.

Compared to their last reunion at Jin Yun Valley, the four had not changed much.

Li Ergou looked wealthier, his small eyes now more shrewd.

Lin Yi, dressed in a loose robe, appeared calm and steady, his mustache longer.

Zhao Siyao, in a flowing fairy dress, was as beautiful as a painting, cold as a fairy, without a hint of mortal smoke.Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates

This was the eldest daughter of the Mu Family from Feiyue Lake.

Zhao Siyao was surprised, looking at Lan Chang'an with a strange gaze.

Could it be that he was the type to live off a woman?

“Brother Lan, is this true?” Li Ergou was stunned, the eldest daughter of the Mu Family being the dream of many young men in the family.

“I don’t spread rumors or gossip.” Lan Chang'an directly denied it.

Mu Xiuyun might have mistaken Zhao Siyao for a ‘love rival’ and deliberately came to show their closeness.

Usually, when outsiders are around, Mu Xiuyun is actually quite reserved and subtle.

Seeing the disbelief on their faces, he smiled helplessly, “Actually, my stomach is very good.”

...

That night, Lan Chang'an treated them to a spiritual food banquet in the market town.

Lin Yi and Zhao Siyao, preparing for the auction, stayed in the market town’s inn.

With three days until the auction, all the inns in Bamboo Leaf Mountain were full and had collectively raised their prices.

“Are you participating in this auction?” Back at the shop’s second floor, Mu Xiuyun entered Lan Chang'an’s room, full of gentle charm.

“Yes.” Lan Chang'an answered without hesitation.

Among the leaked auction items, there was something he had to buy.

“Our Mu Family received an invitation and can enjoy VIP treatment. Would you like to join us then?” Mu Xiuyun’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Okay.” Lan Chang'an thought it would be safer to attend with the Mu Family, as offending someone at the auction could mean having the Mu Family’s protection.

Mu Xiuyun was delighted, her brows containing love.

Her delicate, beautiful face blushed slightly as she softly said, “Lan Lang, I’m not going upstairs tonight...”

Whoosh!

A fragrance filled the room, extinguishing the lights.

...

Three days later, on the day of the auction.

Bamboo Leaf Mountain was bustling, with lights occasionally flashing in the sky, accompanied by the rise and fall of magical weapons and flying beasts.

Sometimes, a powerful figure in the Foundation Establishment Realm would appear, their immense spiritual pressure causing nearby cultivators to retreat.

At Mu Family's Spirit Talisman Shop.

Several high-ranking members of the Mu Family came to inspect, nodding frequently.

Mu Renlong of the Foundation Establishment Realm and family head Mu Maode came to Bamboo Leaf Mountain for the auction and took the opportunity to visit the talisman shop.

“Father, Lan Chang'an is attending the auction with us.” Mu Xiuyun, in a plain dress, stood gracefully like jade beside Lan Chang'an.

“No problem.”

Mu Maode, dressed in a blue robe with an elegant demeanor and graying temples, stroked his beard and smiled, his gaze sweeping over the two.

Suddenly, Mu Maode’s expression changed, his sharp gaze falling on Lan Chang'an.

“Maode, what’s wrong?”

Mu Renlong, in a black robe, looked over and noticed Mu Maode’s unpleasant expression.

Mu Renlong glanced at Mu Xiuyun, whose snowy skin was flushed and whose figure was captivating.

It suddenly dawned on him.

The current Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Mu Family smiled, his hawk-like eyes showing a hint of approval towards Lan Chang'an.

(End of Chapter)