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Thousands of li away from Qingsha Bay, there was a medium-to-large-scale market built by the riverside, known as the "Heluo Market."
The overseer of this market was none other than the Xinyue Merchant Association of the Jing Kingdom Merchant Alliance.
A few days later.
In the highest pavilion of Heluo Market.
Several high-ranking members of the Xinyue Merchant Association gathered, the atmosphere heavy and tense.
Seated at the head of the group was a silver-bearded man with an intense gaze, his aura emanating a distinct wave of core power. He was clearly a Fake Dan cultivator.
"Guest Elder Fang, what insights do you have on the death of Vice President Kou Sen?"
The gazes of the gathered high-ranking members fell upon a burly, purple-faced man in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, who was deep in thought.
This man was none other than Fang Zhong, who had crossed the border into the Jing Kingdom along with Lan Chang'an.
"President Le, I suspect this incident is related to Lan Chang'an!"
Fang Zhong's words shocked everyone.
"Lan Chang'an alone? Impossible!"
"Kou Sen was one of the strongest in the late Foundation Establishment stage. He possessed third-rank talismans and other trump cards, enough to hold his own even against a Fake Dan cultivator."
"Even if a Fake Dan cultivator were to kill Kou Sen, it would take a great deal of effort and would definitely cause a commotion."
"Though Lan Chang'an is strong, with his cautious nature as a 'Turtle Talisman Master,' he would never risk his life in a head-to-head confrontation."
The guild's upper echelon all shook their heads in disagreement.
"Guest Elder Fang, what grounds do you have for suspecting Lan Chang'an?" the silver-bearded president asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Firstly, it’s my intuition."
Fang Zhong paused, his eyes sharp. "Back on the inter-kingdom spirit ship from Jiuchen Merchant Association, we were neighbors for two months, and I was completely deceived by him. This shows that Lan Chang'an is exceptionally good at hiding his true self."
"Secondly, in the Xia Family territory, besides the clan head Xia Hongyu, Lan Chang'an is the only one strong enough to threaten Vice President Kou. The others couldn't possibly endanger him."
Hearing Fang Zhong’s reasoning, a few of the guild's senior members seemed thoughtful, showing slight signs of wavering.
Perhaps Lan Chang'an couldn't have acted alone, but if the Wufu Merchant Association had other hidden hands, it was a possibility.
At that moment, the silver-bearded president at the head of the group took out a milky-white jade pendant with a faint glow and closed his eyes for two breaths.
"According to the latest intelligence from the Xia Family, during the time of Kou Sen’s death, Lan Chang'an never left Qingsha Bay. Many people saw him, and he didn’t step off Autumnwind Isle at all up to the day the intelligence was gathered."
The silver-bearded president glanced coolly at Fang Zhong.
A high-ranking guild member shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist Fang, maybe there’s some personal grudge between you and Lan Chang'an, but don't let it cloud your judgment." ℞
"I... don't!"
Under the skeptical gazes of everyone, Fang Zhong's face flushed, yet he had no rebuttal.
He gritted his teeth in frustration. Could it really be just his own delusion?
Years ago, when Lan Chang'an's identity was exposed, Fang Zhong was deeply shocked.
Hailing from the Liang Kingdom, Fang Zhong had long heard the inspiring tale of Lan Chang'an, a late-bloomer who reached Foundation Establishment despite his advanced age.
Later, he investigated Lan Chang'an’s background in detail and increasingly felt that this man was far from ordinary.
Not to mention, given Lan Chang'an’s talent and age, reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage was no small feat.
They had lived side by side for two months, and he had completely concealed his true cultivation from a peer-level sect elite—something no ordinary person could achieve.
"With Vice President Kou gone, we’ve lost a significant martial strength in our campaign against the Wufu Merchant Association."
"In my opinion, we don’t need to rely on petty tricks anymore. Instead, we should increase our support for the Xin Family and apply pressure from inside and out by leveraging our advantage in Fake Dan cultivators..."
As the other high-ranking members discussed, Fang Zhong had lost interest.
Despite the intelligence clearing Lan Chang'an of suspicion as the culprit, he couldn't shake the feeling that Lan Chang'an was somehow involved.
He sighed deeply. Unfortunately, no one would believe him.
...
Half a month later.
Autumnwind Isle residence, inside the medicine chamber.
Xia Wenyue was dressed in a light blue cloud-patterned gown, her snow-white complexion delicate as a painting, her slender waist like a willow branch. The usual shadows of illness in her brows had mostly faded, replaced by a subtle anticipation.
Today was the day Lan Chang'an would help her again by using his power to warm and dispel the cold within her body.
The warmth of Master Lan’s magical power gave her an indescribable sense of comfort—clear, gentle, and refreshingly soothing.
This treatment had steadily improved her condition, giving her hope that she might one day shed the shackles of her frail health.
After a while, Lan Chang'an entered the chamber, dressed in a white robe.
"Master Lan."
She greeted him softly, lying down on the bed in a serene, obedient manner.
But this time, Lan Chang'an didn’t immediately start the treatment.
"In previous sessions, I only removed the surface layer of cold poison. Now, to address the root cause, I will need to use up my own vital energy, which will impact my own cultivation and progression."
Lan Chang'an spoke calmly.
"Master Lan, if there’s anything Wenyue can do, I will comply without hesitation."
They had already made a prior arrangement, and Xia Wenyue knew that Lan Chang'an wouldn’t help her without expecting something in return.
In fact, if he asked for nothing, it would be more cause for concern.
Master Lan had once told her that free gifts were often the most costly.
"I don’t need you to serve me for life like a slave. Just take a heart demon oath and agree to fulfill one request."
Lan Chang'an smiled faintly.
Xia Wenyue’s eyes flashed with surprise. Curing her ailment might require him to spend over a decade of his energy—an enormous cost.
She had been prepared to dedicate herself to him, willing to serve him for a lifetime.
After all, Master Lan was handsome as jade and otherworldly in temperament; she felt no aversion to the idea.
"Please speak plainly, Master Lan," Xia Wenyue said, sitting up with a respectful expression.
If a Foundation Establishment cultivator filled several storage pouches with a million pounds of iron ore, even with weight-reducing formations, they wouldn’t be able to fly.
Moreover, it would drastically slow down travel speed.
"Liu Immortal, unidentified cultivators spotted ahead."
A canyon appeared in view, prompting the convoy to slow down as guards surrounded it, ready for anything.
"Hmph! How brazen, openly ambushing a Snow Fox Merchant Association convoy."
Inside the central, ornate carriage, an elder in green robes snorted coldly, his voice rumbling like thunder through the sky.
This green-robed elder was the Fake Dan cultivator tasked with protecting the convoy.
Ahead, six or seven figures with bronze masks emerged from the clouds.
Though they were outnumbered, each was at least in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and the leader emitted the unmistakable aura of a Fake Dan cultivator, fearlessly matching their opponent’s pressure.
The Liu Immortal in the carriage felt an uneasy chill run down his spine, as if a powerful spiritual sense had scanned him.
Realizing the enemy lacked a clear advantage yet boldly ambushed them, he sensed things might not go well.
Just as a bloody battle seemed imminent, the six or seven figures in the lead seemed to receive a command and reluctantly retreated.
It left everyone feeling baffled by the anticlimactic retreat.
In the valley below, within a dense forest.
A Core Formation female cultivator with flowing purple hair and a proud, curvaceous figure stood gracefully, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.
She had been watching the convoy, but suddenly her expression turned grim, feeling a bone-chilling aura rising from beneath her feet.
It was the aura of a Great Demon at the Core Formation level, potentially stronger than her.
"Snow Fox Merchant Association, it seems, has earned the favor and protection of a third-rank Great Demon."
Fu Xuemei remained expressionless, deciding not to attack.
A third-rank monster concealed underground was staring at her, creating a standoff.
Due to the layers of rock between them and the isolation of the demon’s demonic aura, her spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate to see its appearance.
After a while, the monster finally withdrew.
"The elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association, Elder Huang, promised to provide information on how to revive my ‘Huang Dragon Beast’ in exchange for my help in this mission," Fu Xuemei sighed in relief.
According to the agreement, she wasn’t supposed to fight a Core Formation expert, only to kill or severely injure the lead Fake Dan cultivator.
She hadn’t joined the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association, but this was a one-time collaboration.
To recruit her formally, they would have to bring her Huang Dragon Beast back to life.
Unfortunately, even the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association, renowned for beast-taming, had no solution for this.
Luckily, Elder Huang of the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association claimed to know a way to revive the Huang Dragon Beast.
...
Several hundred zhang beneath the rock layers.
A layer of earth-yellow light enveloped a man and a rat.
The fully-grown Earth Burrowing Rat was about two zhang long and could serve as a mount, though it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the Profound Water Turtle.
The rat burrowed through the earth in jerky movements that would make an ordinary cultivator dizzy.
"Repaying my first favor to the Snow Fox Merchant Association turned out to be quite easy."
"I didn’t expect that the Ten Thousand Beasts Merchant Association would invite Fu Xuemei for this..."
Lan Chang'an was slightly surprised but not shocked.
Over the years, due to the ongoing war, many cultivators from the Liang Kingdom had migrated to Jing Kingdom.
There were few Core Formation cultivators among them, and Fu Xuemei was one of the rare ones.
Back then, the collapse of the Huanglong Mountain had the silent approval of the Flame Departing Palace. Naturally, Fu Xuemei wouldn’t remain in the Liang Kingdom to help the sects fend off the invasion of the Golden Sun Sect faction.
Having cultivated in the Jing Kingdom for over a decade, Lan Chang'an had heard rumors.
It was said that several large merchant guilds had tried to recruit Fu Xuemei, but none had succeeded.
Lan Chang'an’s past grudges with Fu Xuemei had long been resolved.
He wasn’t particularly concerned about her reappearance.
As the war dragged on, it was likely that more familiar faces from Liang Kingdom would cross his path.
After safely escorting the Snow Fox Merchant Association's convoy to its destination, Lan Chang'an began his journey back.
On his return, he stopped by the Cloudsmoke Immortal City and collected his reward of third-rank beast pills from the Snow Fox Merchant Association's branch.
...
Back on Autumnwind Isle, Lan Chang'an dedicated part of his time to cultivation and occasionally guided Xia Wenyue in her training.
Her previous cultivation method had no specific attribute, making it easy to transition to the "Ancient Sealed Ice Scroll."
With this new cold attribute technique, Xia Wenyue’s cultivation speed increased significantly.
Lan Chang'an estimated her speed now surpassed that of an ordinary earth spiritual root.
Not only that, but her cold-based magical power and the potency of her spells were stronger than described in the "Ancient Sealed Ice Scroll."
"Truly worthy of an innate Dao Physique, a favored child of the Great Dao."
Lan Chang'an couldn’t help but feel a hint of envy, even a tinge of bitterness.
Not only was her cultivation speed extraordinary, but her magical power and abilities were further enhanced by her special constitution, putting her strength beyond others at the same level.
It was enough to drive anyone to frustration.
If Xia Wenyue were fortunate, her future potential would be unimaginable.
There might come a day when Lan Chang'an himself would need to rely on her support.
...
In the blink of an eye, a year and a half passed.
While Xia Wenyue made rapid progress, Lan Chang'an hadn’t been idle.
After cultivating at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment for fifteen years, he finally advanced another level.