《Supreme Emperor of Mist》


 Glossary

    Glossary


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    First Volume Synopsis: For the author''s story recall and reader''s fun reading.


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    Qin Lan, the third young master of the Qin Household, was a gentleman with multiple positive qualities. Unfortunately, he wasn''t as talented in cultivation due to an injury while he was younger. (Foreshadowing for future content)


    -


    In Fu-Rong Town, four prominent households control half of the day to daymerce. The Qin House was the biggest and also the most preferred amongst the four. The main business involves in Pharmaceutical and Medicine and known to be fair in prices and business ethics.


    -


    The second family amongst the four prominent households is Jiao House, led by the notorious Jiao Cheng. The Jiao House''s main businesses include cksmithing, smoking parlor, and whorehouses. But that was only in public. In fact, they''re active between Fu-Rong Town and Su-Hang Town with their extortion, gambling den, and human trafficking business.


    -


    Chu Family was the third of four prominent households. They''re active in the Security Escort industry, Farming, and Mining. Led by their patriarch Chu Rongye. The family is filled with hot-blooded and honest individuals.


    -


    Last but not least, the Hu Family. The beloved youngdy of the Hu Family, Hu Jia, is also Qin Lan''s love interest in the future story and his official wife.


    -


    Qin Lan remembered his past when he was crippled by an expert cultivator while they''re causing trouble to the Qin Household. In his previous reincarnation, he was the mentor and foster father of the first Supreme Emperor. The first reincarnation is also the sect founder of Kuangshan Lu Sect, the creator of Eight Department of Treasures, and the first to regte the three realms of cultivation.


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    == == == == ==


    Precelestial Realm


    => Flesh Refining Layer - Bone Reconstruction Layer - Spiritual Root Creation Layer


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    Pericelestial Realm


    => Inner Core (Neidan) Layer - Outer Core (Waidan) Layer - Nascent Soul (Yuanying) Layer


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    Postcelestial Realm


    => Quasi Immortal Layer - Half Immortal Layer - Celestial Immortal Layer


    == == == == ==


    -


    == == == == ==


    Eight Departments / Treasure Master


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    => The Department of Medicine and Herbs (People)


    => The Department of Talisman and Amulets (Exhaustible)(Talisman = Offense / Amulet = Defence)


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    => The Department of Protective Treasures (Wearable)


    => The Department of Offensive Treasures (Usable)


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    => The Department of Heaven''s Blessing (Applicable)


    => The Department of Earth''s Blessing (Mendable)


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    => The Department of Peace (Stable)


    => The Department of Turbulence (Unstable)


    == == == == ==


    -


    == == == == ==


    Sect


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    Cloud Plucking Sect (Zaiyun-Men)


    -> One of the three forces around the current story map


    -> Tasked with the responsibility for five towns and one city


    -> Reporting directly to the Country of Wu


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    Ice Maiden Temple (Bingxian-Miao)


    -> One of the three forces around the current story map


    -> Tasked with the responsibility of oneke, four towns, and one city


    -> Reporting directly to the Country of Shu


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    Thunder-Roaring Pce (Leihao-Gong)


    -> One of the three forces around the current story map (strongest)


    -> Tasked with the responsibility of five mountain, five towns, and one city


    -> Reporting directly to the Country of Wei


    == == == == ==


    -


    Lu Yi (Xiao-Ke) and Lu Qing Yun (Xiao-Yun) end up as an official student of the Kuangshan Lu Sect. Taught Heaven Firmament Art and the Clear Cloud Lotus Art the former andtter.


    -


    Added Huo Zunjie into the party into a team of three servants/disciples. Introduction to unique body constitution.


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    Increase the dialog storyline between Qin Lan and Hu Jia.

 Chapter 1: Qin Lan (1)

    Chapter 1: Qin Lan (1)


    "Good morning, young master Qin Lan,"


    "Good morning, third young master,"


    "Third little lord,"


    Qin Lan randomly bought some groceries to show his support to their local businesses and returned to their Qin Family Manor.


    "Xiao Ke, bring the fish and chicken back to the kitchen and tell them to prepare a pot of herbal soup for grandfather when hees back. I''ll return to our own courtyard for now." the fifteen years old youth instructed his attendant as he made his way somewhere else.


    Qin Lan walked across the hallway leading to a specific private courtyard, with a facial expression and attitude of an educated schr. On his left chest hides a folded paper fan, and on his waistbelt, a pouch and an heirloom dagger.


    He had a somewhat unexined obsession in clothing with Sky-blue color, hence the three-colored blue attire. The sleeves on both sides had a hidden pocket within, allowing him to brings out random stuff at casual times.


    "Father, Lan-Er is back," Qin Lan cupped his hands together and greeted the stone forest in the middle of the private courtyard. He did not continue, but instead, left after he''s done paying his respect.


    Close to half an hour after Qin Lan''s departure, a head peeked out of the stone forest, staring at where Qin Lan stood earlier.


    "En," the mysterious individual Qin Lan called as the father humph and gone.


    ...


    ...


    Back to his own room, Qin Lan seated cross-legged on a meditation mat as he takes a Flesh Foundation Pill to kickstart his cultivation process.


    With both of his hands ced adjacent to one another, the natural spiritual energy around him was aroused. It was like how atmospheric moisture was condensed into droplets of dew on a misty morning.


    This is also the first step for a mortal to train and be a cultivator.


    There are three Layers altogether in the Precelestial Realm, starting with Flesh Refining Layer. It was followed with the Bone Reconstruction Layer next and peaked at the Spiritual Root Creation Layer.


    There were 9 levels in eachyer, starting from the first to the ninth.


    An obstacle is often met during the introduction, middle, andte-stage. Hence, a rank title is often used on a cultivator to describe their overall achievement.


    A half-Step is used on cultivators that are yet to enter the minimal threshold of the specific realm. And for those remained in between, they''re known as Lower-Layer or Upper-Layer cultivator. Lower-Layer stands for those between level 2 till 4, and for the upperyer, 6 to 8.


    The 5th level, or the Middle-Attaintment rank, is where most of the cultivators assembled. Above the Middle-Attaintment rank is the Full-Completion, where one is ready to tackle the wall separating between the lower and upperyers.


    But the path of cultivation does not stop here.


    It was believed that there was an entirely new realm after the Precelestial Realm, known as Pericelestial out there.


    ...


    ...


    A single Flesh Foundation Pill is sufficient only for an hour worth of cultivation. Although the price for a pill like this wasn''t astronomical, they''re still counted as precious resources that only the wealthy could afford.


    But even the best resources does not guarantee their efficiency when used.


    Qin Lan''s absorption rate can be said to be lower even whenpared to the average non-cultivator. Even after the application of the Flesh Foundation Pill, he''s barely able to achieve what amoner achieved without using one.


    Unwilling to give up, Qin Lan took the second Flesh Foundation Pill and continued.


    The struggle only ended after he exhausted his pouch of five Flesh Foundation Pills. The sky was darkened when Qin Lan stepped out of his room.


    Not far from his ce, Xiao-Ke is asleep on the guest pavilion. If the front of the servant is a wooden tray with food that''s no longer piping hot.


    But to Qin Lan, it wasn''t something new. He haughtily sits across the sleeping Xiao-Ke and grabbed one hardened bun. Putting in more force onto his jaw, he forcefully pulled a bitesize apart and soften it with a sip of water before continuing to munch the food.


    The chopsticks went over to the cold dishes and served inside Qin Lan''s mouth. And in less than an incense worth of time, the young master finished his meal and returned to his room.


    "Third Young Master!" Xiao-Ke knocked at the door after a while. He seems very apologetic for sleeping throughout his master''s eating time. Worst of all, the food has already cold to the point they''re hard and tough to chew when his young master is eating it.


    "Xiao-Ke, make me a pot of tea, would you?" Qin Lan smiled. The hint of grease that still remained by the side of his lips made Qin Lan look fun and approachable.


    "Immediately!" Xiao-Ke went out and return with a pot of hot water, which he poured into a teapot. A cup of tea is quickly served to Qin Lan without any trouble in between.


    "Third young master, old master handed me this pouch a little while ago." Xiao-Ke pulled a medicinal pouch out from his inner pocket and handed it to his master.


    There wasn''t much inside the pouch, except for a few Flesh Foundation Pills and some coins used for day to day transaction. It wasn''t significant, but the money within is enough for him to purchase a few more Flesh Foundation Pills if he needs them.


    "Old master mentioned that there will be a batch of new medicinal herbsing into our Qin Family Pharmacy tonight. There might be some good herbs in them?" Xiao-Ke said.


    "If that''s the case, let us go to the pharmacy now. They must be moving the goods right now." Qin Lan left his seat and allowed Xiao-Ke to put on a much thicker jacket over him. They left the manor without further ado.


    The street is no longer that busypared to when it was in the morning.


    Except for a few food stalls selling noodles and some elders practicing a martial art, there are not many people loitering along the street. It takes them a while to reach the pharmacy. But the moment they arrive, both of them were shocked by what''s happening here.


    Two of the servants from the Qin Family lies on the ground with a pool of blood. Ringing sound from swords shing can be heard further inside the Qin Family Pharmacy.


    "Ma - Ma - Master! Are we getting robbed?" Xiao-Ke stuttered. Although he cultivates, his achievement in both martial arts and cultivation is far below Qin Lan.


    "Might be. Quickly go back to the manor and bring some help here. I''ll go inside and check what exactly is happening." Qin Lan pushed Xiao-Ke back into the alley they just came from and extends his hand to the sword on the ground.


    "Old Meng, Old Tian, sorry for not being able toe here on time." Qin Lan gently shuts the eyes of the two dead servants and sneaked inside the Qin Family Pharmacy.


    "Third Young Master, please be careful!" Xiao-Ke whispered and turned around. He started to run like he''s escaping for his life back to the Qin Family Manor.


    "Weird... If they''re thieves, why is the pharmacy so clean? Shouldn''t it be ransacked for precious herbs?" Qin Lan made his way further into the pharmacy. The condition of the pharmacy is just too weird in his view.


    First of all, this is a pharmacy and not a jewelry store.


    Secondly, there''s no reason for Old Meng and Old Tian to stand outside and tried to confront their enemy with swords in hand. They''re both doctors and not fighters.


    Entering further inside the store, Qin Lan came into a small courtyard where the servants of their Qin Family lives. Two factions of people are fighting against one another and can be said to be in a stalemate.


    "Old Han! I''ll protect you! Bring Xiao Yun with you and return to the Qin Family Manor for help!" the pharmacy''s head of security braved himself and decided to break out of this unexpected situation. If they continue to fight like this, they''ll be decimated even before their help arrives.


    "I understand!" Old Han answered. He grabbed the hand of the girl named Xiao Yun and quickly made their way to where Qin Lan just came in.


    "Leave the key to the storeroom here!" the leader of the other faction shouted. A hint of Spiritual energy became visible on his body as he attacked.


    "Rainbow Palm! You''re Kun Ning, the follower of the Jiao Family third master!" the head of security immediately recognized the identity of their enemies from a single move of his.


    His im made other assants stopped fighting. They''re looking at each other, afraid to continue.


    "What are all of you worried about? As long we killed all of them, nobody will know that the Jiao Family is behind all this!" Kun Ning pulled the ck piece of clothing away and revealed his ugly face. The wound from having his mouth slit opened is evident in his hardly attractive appearance.


    The two factions of people came together with their own people and prepared to fight to their death. Old Han, who stands close to the exit of the courtyard, quickly escaped and left the building without bringing Xiao Yun along.


    From how fast is his legs, you can hardly believe that he''s elderly in his middle sixties.


    But a screamed can be heard not long after Old Han left. The scream indirectly tells them that there''s no way out unless a miracle happened.


    The facial expression of those servants from the Qin Family gets bitter as time passed. Except for the head of security, not a single one of them are a cultivator. Even more unfortunate for them is he''s a mere first level Flesh Refining Layer cultivator.


    And across them, Kun Ning is a Flesh Refining Cultivator in the second level. Although it was just a level of difference, the gap was as wide as a hill.


    "Everyone, if we survived this, I''ll call all of you brothers for life. Now let us fight and repay our master''s kindness and care for these years!" the security leader said.


    "Go and look for the little girl. The key is in her hand." Kun Ning pointed at one of his aplices and had him search for Xiao Yun. The guy smirked because this is the opportunity he''s waiting for.


    But before his mind managed to wander further away from how he''s going to strip Xiao Yun naked, a de stabs through his heart.


    Qin Lan made his grand entrance confidently without a drop of blood smeared on his sky-blue schrly attire.


    "I would like to see what kind of confidence Jiao Family just ate to attack our Qin Family Pharmacy." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 2: Qin Lan (2)

    Chapter 2: Qin Lan (2)


    House of Jiao.


    Like the Qins, they''re also a family that''s rooted deep in this Fu-Rong Town. With close to 500 people in their household, their influence in this town cannot be underestimated.


    The family first started humbly under their patriarch, Jiao Cheng, who is a Half-Step cultivator in his Bone Reconstruction Layer. With that height of cultivation at that time, Jiao Cheng can be said to be one of the few top fighters at the county-level.


    He''s respectable, but at the same time, vicious to the point both friends and enemies will tremble if they get into his ugly side. The household performs best when ites to shady deals, extortion, and human trafficking.


    ...


    ...


    "Third Young Master!" Qin Lan''s arrival made the head of security felt speechless for a moment. But he felt calmer because someone that could efficiently lead everyone present has finally arrived.


    With Xiao-Ke nowhere to be seen, there''s a small hope for them. Perhaps help will arrive sooner than they think.


    "Do enlighten me, Kun Ning. What kind of herbs here in our lowly pharmacy managed to catch the attention of your prideful master? I dare to say that except for a few stalk of spiritual herbs here, we have nothing precious here." Qin Lan said.


    "Heh, the third young master of the Qin. Why would you think I''ll answer your question? Be it my master''s intention or mine, we''ll kill everyone here today before escaping. Your arrival would only make this even more entertaining." Kun Ning stares intensely at Qin Lan.


    There are less than ten steps between Qin Lan and Kun Ning. The atmosphere in this courtyard was so quiet, to the point their nervous heartbeat can be heard clearly.


    "Xiu!" Kun Ning made a punch forward, firing a bolt from a hidden crossbow strapped on his wrist. The sneak attack gave the head of security a shock as he shifted his gaze quickly to where Qin Lan stands.


    "Young... Eh?" he was about to warn his young lord, but it seems that Qin Lan was a step faster than Kun Ning with his sneaky tricks.


    Qin Lan throws the sword in hand towards Kun Ning and unsheaths the heirloom dagger on his waistbelt. A slight amount of Spiritual Energy is all he needs to activate the protective inscription on his trinket.


    Rainbow Palm Kun Ning''s gaze followed Qin Lan as thetter moves closer to his position. The Spiritual Energy on his palm remained fierce as he waits for the perfect opportunity tond an attack at Qin Lan''s body.


    "Three steps more," he whispered to himself.


    "Urgh! - You!!!" but that distraction of a moving pouch of golden coins ended up as a problem when the Head of Security delivered a strike on his left armpit.


    Blood immediately gushed out from the wound as Kun Ning turns his attention to the Head of Security.


    "I''ll kill you first!" he screamed. More Spiritual Energy is exhausted as he tried to stop the bleeding.


    While at the same time, the servants move forward and engaged with the opposing force. The female workers grabbed pebbles and fist-sized rocks to throw at their enemies, while the men struggled to stop them from spreading out.


    But even with an advantage in numbers, the servant of the Qin Family could hardly stop their enemies from doing what they want. A few assants managed to slips through the line of defense and storm into the group of females as they started to ravage their bodies without remorse.


    "Hahaha, nice body and breast you got there!" the assants were immediately aroused as he strips one of the female naked. Although he did not continue with his heinous deed, that woman has undoubtedly had her heart scarred for the rest of her life.


    "Ah! Help me!" another woman screamed. The assant fondled her milky white body as his other hand tightened the de on the woman''s neck. Tears fall from both of her eyes as she started to lost hope in her survival.


    Suddenly, the assant froze and copsed onto the ground.


    A warm jacket covered the remaining modesty of the woman as Qin Lan made his way to another assant.


    "Thank you, young master," the woman stays where she was as she stares at her savior.


    "Big sister Qi, please set the stack of straws on fire and fan the mes using this. I''ll make sure of your safety while you''re doing what I ordered." Qin Lan sheathed the dagger back and picked up another sword nearby.


    The female servant immediately does what she was ordered. With Qin Lan''s fan in her hand, she lit a few embers on the straws and started to fan the fire.


    Smoke rises and immediately acts like a fire rm that caught the attention of the people nearby the pharmacy. As the straw burns, the situation in the courtyard also started to get suffocating with smoke blowing everywhere.


    ...


    ...


    "Old master! Something happened at the pharmacy! Old Meng and Old Tian are dead!" Xiao-Ke banged the door into the Qin Family Hall without showing any respect to those insides.


    "Preposterous! How dare a servant randomly shout nonsense without asking for permission to speak first?" one of the elders of their Qin Household ps his chair as he shifts his sight at the door.


    As for the patriarch, he made a nod to the family butler standing near the door.


    The door was opened, with Xiao-Ke rolled inside the Qin Family Hall nervously. He quickly kneeled before the five decisionmakers of the Qin Household and repeated what he had just said.


    "Our pharmacy is under attack. Old Meng and Old Tian are dead." Xiao-Ke said.


    "Absurd! Who has the power to do that inside Fu-Rong Town?" the third elder ps the tter with a teacup at Xiao-Ke and caused a tooth of his to fall out.


    "But! It''s true! It''s true! The third young master is there too! This lowly servant dare not to lie!" Xiao-Ke knocked his head on the ground, afraid that the third elder will continue to punish him.


    "Old master, there''s smoke blowing out from the direction of our pharmacy," the family butler whispered softly by his master''s ear.


    "Hmm..." Qin Tian took a nce at the four elders in front of him.


    "Our discussion ends here today. Let us continue tomorrow," Qin Tian said.


    "How can we stop in the middle of a discussion about allocating the resources to the younger generation?" the first elder tried to stop Qin Tian from leaving.


    "IF I SAY THE DISCUSSION ENDS TODAY, IT ENDS HERE TODAY!" Qin Tian raised his voice slightly, with the strength of a Full-Completion Cultivator in Bone Reconstruction Layer explodes outward.


    The patriarch calmly left the family hall, with his butler and Xiao-Ke following behind him.


    The second and fourth elder left without saying anything else. But the facial expression of the first and third elder is turning uglier from frustration.


    ...


    ...


    Looking at the billowing smoke, the expert outside of the pharmacy also started to feel unease. It was supposed to be an easy mission for his people.


    He made his way quickly into the pharmacy like a ghost.


    "Get rid of the fire and kill all of them!" Kun Ning shouts. The unexpected changes caught him by surprise as nothing went along like how he imagined.


    (It was supposed to be a quick mission!)


    Kun Ning frantically throws a few palms strike outward, and one managed tond beautifully on the waist of the Head of Security. The window of opportunity was grabbed quickly by him to deliver another attack.


    Blood flows from all orifice on the head of the security leader as Kun Ning''s Rainbow Palm pped on the back of his head.


    "Leader!!!" the remaining guards for the pharmacy called, but none of them dare to take a step forward. Their battle also quickly entered the conclusion with only two assants left from their original number of eight people.


    "Boss, let''s leave." they retreated slightly. But before they managed to slips away from the courtyard, their head flew and rolled on the ground.


    "We should go," the expert that effortlessly dispose of the two hired assants spoke. Kun Ning turned around and ready to leave, but not before he took his final nce at Qin Lan. He''s imprinting Qin Lan''s facial features clearly into his mind to make sure he''ll return today''s favor.


    "You''re Qin Lan?" the expert asked.


    "Yes," Qin Lan stabilized his posture as he answered the expert''s question. The sword in his hand shook as he prepares for an unexpected thing to happen.


    "What a coincidence. My hirer said that he''ll pay me 10,000 gold coins more if I crippled your foundation." the expert''s word carried a hint of danger to Qin Lan''s mind. He raised both hands immediately before his head to receive a possible blow.


    But instead, the expert attacked with two of his fingers, mimicking the tip of a sword. His blow punctured through the skin where Qin Lan''s navel is and destroys his possibility to form a golden core.


    The thin, gaseousyer of Spiritual Energy evaporates from Qin Lan''s fragile cultivating foundation. With this, he''s no longer able to cultivate nor refine his body.


    Qin Lan falls onto the ground. Even the faintest hint of Spiritual Energy can no longer be felt surrounding him. From this moment, he was a cripple when ites to cultivation.


    "Young master!" Xiao Yun, who''s hiding where Qin Lan hides earlier, came out and made her way to Qin Lan.


    The expert was going to deliver a p at Xiao Yun when she came into his reach. But as he was going to execute what was in his mind, Qin Lan struggled and pulled Xiao Yun down on the floor using thest bit of his strength. Additionally, he pointed the heirloom dagger at the expert.


    "N - N - No..." the hand that holds the shivered. Even a knife is too heavy to him now, after he was crippled.


    "Fine, I guess I''ll let you keep thatst bit of dignity as a man. Heh!" the expert turned and left with a chuckle.


    The situation inside the courtyard quieted down once again, without anyone dare to make a sound. Only the cracking sound from the burning straws can be heard.


    Until...


    The patriarch of the Qin Household arrived.


    Staring at his beloved third grandson lying on the ground, Qin Tian howled in anger.


    "QIN LAN!!!"


    But at the same time, the door to a deeper consciousness within Qin Lan''s mind is unlocked.

 Chapter 3: Changshen Dew

    Chapter 3: Changshen Dew


    "Praise the Sect Leader!"


    "An eternity of glory and respect to the Sect Leader!"


    "Our Kuangshan is truly blessed to be the ce Lu Sect established their foothold."


    Million of praises are heard daily across this piece of vast mountain prefecture of Kuangshan.


    For what reason?


    It is because the number one sect of the continent, the Lu Sect, is established at this ce. Some called it the Kuang-Lu Sect, Mist Sect, or even the Lan-Lu Sect. But at the end of the day, only one single word is all they need to stand out from the others.


    Lu Sect, written in the word of "Dew."


    Although the Sect Leader wasn''t the strongest cultivator at that time, he was the most respectable one. He held the title "Supreme Emperor''s teacher" at that time, along with other unworthy titles like "Grandmaster of cultivation," "father of the Supreme Continent," and so on.


    The Kuangshan was also said to be baptized by him from the first stalk of grass. All the way to the river, mountains, canyons, mist, and the air. The effort took no less than a thousand years and close to twenty-five generations of disciples.


    His name is Qin Lan.


    But no matter how glorious is the Lu Sect, no one is capable of withstanding the corrosion of time. Be it the Lu Sect, Kuangshan, or even the first Supreme Emperor.


    It was said that the legacy of this ce and the continent,st for 30,000 years before everything turned into ashes and restarted elsewhere.


    ...


    ...


    Qin Lan struggled to open his eyes the moment he came back to his sense. Feeling like he''s been having a long slumbering dream, his body is now too weak for him to even lift a finger.


    But his hearing was as sharp as he remembered.


    "He''s now a cripple. I suggest that we''ll keep him away from the public and let him live inside the manor until he passed away. I believe he has not many days to live anyway." the voice of the third elder came into his ears.


    (This old fool still hates me that much because I did not save his fourth grandson''s life. How can I help him when both of us are almost bitten to death by that Jade Snow Tiger?)


    "Where is Qin Yuan?" the patriarch asked. He was the eldest amongst all of them, and are also the blood-rted siblings to the four other elders.


    And out of his four sons, two died in the fight to protect the Fu-Rong Town, with the youngest, Qin Xuan, is currently an elder of a sect nearby.


    Qin Yuan was the third son of the patriarch, Qin Tian. But because of a tragic incident that happened fifteen years ago, he''s now under house arrest and only allowed to move around the Qin Family Manor.


    He fathered two sons and a daughter.


    Qin Fan, neen, and Qin Chan, seventeen. Both of them was a favorite disciple of a respective elder like their fourth uncle, As for Qin Lan, he was the youngest amongst the three siblings, fifteen years old.


    "The third master is still hiding inside the stone forest and did not take a step out. We''re unable to convince him toe here." the butler answered Qin Tian''s question without any excitement nor disappointment in his tone.


    "Ai..." Qin Tian rubbed his hand on his forehead.


    "Second brother, what do you think?" with his hand still on his face, Qin Tian asked for the first elder''s opinion.


    "In my opinion, the suggestion made by the fourth brother is so far the most usible option we have. I believe all of us know that Lan-Er is not a cultivator quality. Instead of continuing to waste the resources enough for five disciples, why not we use it to train five more potential cultivators?" the first elder said.


    (Yes, why not!)


    Qin Lan wished that he couldugh right now. But he prevented himself from doing what he''s thinking.


    (What about I stop taking the coins grandfather gives me daily, so you could use them when you''re visiting the brothel and spread your seeds further out of our Fu-Rong Town?)


    As for the second and fourth elder, they''re not interested in giving out any opinion.


    (Third Granduncle and Fifth Grandaunt are still angry at the family for ignoring their family many years ago...)


    The discussion between them was heading nowhere. Ending without finding a method to solve this issue, Qin Tian waved his hand outward to signals the end of their meeting today.


    "All of you may leave." Qin Tian ordered.


    "Servant understands," the servants bowed or kneeled as they excused themselves from the Qin Family Hall. Returning to the back of the hall, Qin Tian arrives at the room where Qin Lan is lying on the bed.


    "Lan-Er... My Lan-Er... Your grandfather is useless. I''ve let you suffer again like ten years ago when you and your fourth cousin about to be mauled to death by the Jade Snow Tiger..." Qin Tian adjusted the nket slightly as he whispered.


    "Grandfather..." Qin Lan''s voice brings a little light back to Qin Tian''s gloomy mood.


    "Lan-Er?" Qin Tian immediately checks the pulse of his grandson. After noticing that his grandson is somewhat malnourished, Qin Tian immediately ordered the butler to prepare something light for the stomach for Qin Lan.


    "How many days have I slept?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Two weeks."


    "What? Two weeks?" Qin Lan cannot believe it. But at the same time, while he felt surprised, fragmented memories seems to be slowly appearing inside of his mind and assimted with his current thought.


    Suddenly, Qin Lan felt that a lifetime''s worth of experience returned to his mind like it was locked away for an eternity.


    "Is there something wrong?" Qin Tian asked.


    "Nothing, grandfather. It just I remembered there''s something I forget to do. Perhaps, I can aplish it this time as I''ll have more time staying in the house." Qin Lan replied to his grandfather.


    "En. Just stay in the manor for now. Your grandfather will not give up until I found a way to allow you to cultivates again. You won''t be like this for long!" Qin Tian said.


    "I''ll go and issue a request for... Ahem! Ahem!"


    **Cough**


    Qin Tian coughed out a mouthful of blood as the butler returned to the room with a wooden tray and a bowl of soup on top.


    "Master!" he put the tray aside and quickly fed a medicinal pill to Qin Tian. Looking at his master nervously, Qin Lan had the urge to sigh about his helplessness.


    "If I could still sense some Spiritual Energy, I''ll be able to help grandfather. But now, I guess everything has to wait until I prepared everything I need to restart everything."


    "How can my reincarnation gets worst each time I awaken?" Qin Lan quietly sighs without letting the two notice what he was doing.


    ...


    ...


    Qin Lan suggested that he return to his own courtyard the next morning. And with Xiao Yun added to the list of servants attending Qin Lan in person, Qin Tian could felt much more at ease.


    But what happened next puzzled both Xiao Yun and Xiao-Ke.


    Qin Lan ordered Xiao-Ke to move him outside of the room every day for a whole week without fail. From how they see it, their young master developed a liking to stay covered in the misty morning.


    And they practically have no idea about what their young master is trying to do.


    "Ai... If it wasn''t because both of their cultivation is too weak, my recovery process would be even faster than this." Qin Lan, who''s now with part of the memory fragment of the Lu Sect founder in his mind, sighed.


    In his hand was a pill bottle with a few ingredients inside that could be formed into a precious medicine as long he put enough effort to keep it going.


    Seven days is what he needs to concoct this bottle of precious elixir known as "Lu Sect Changshen Dew." But in terms of effectiveness, This seven-day brew barely reaches a-hundredth fragment of what it is supposed to be.


    "Broken spirit root, cracked bone foundation, flesh curse. And now, a destroyed core. The body of this reincarnation is much worstpared to when I am still the Sect Leader of Kuangshan Lu Sect." Qin Lan inspects his own body by feeling his own pulse.


    "Furthermore, the ingredients that used to create the Lu Sect Changshen Dew is either extinct or had its medicinal effect thinned to a mere grass on the forest path... And a suitable condition to recreate the mist of Kuangshan is no longer exist..."


    "Ai..." Qin Lan shook his head.


    "I guess two years is quite a rush for me to return to the world of cultivation," he said.


    **Drips**


    A drop of the Lu Sect Changshen Dew is finally formed within the pill bottle. An aroma of three flowers and six herbs struggles to seeps outside of the bottle to search for the path of escape.


    But with a quick lift of his hand, Qin Lan poured the drop of Changshen Dew into his mouth and savored the taste he missed for an unknown number of years.


    "Not bad... Although it was just a hint of the vor, it is better than none." Qin Lan smiled. The vor of the elixir started to turn into warm energy with a gentle but powerful force as it repairs the wound caused by the flesh curse.


    The effect onlysts for a little more than five minutes, but these five minutes were more beneficial than resting and cultivating for a whole month.


    "Three more... Three more drops, and I''ll be able to restart my cultivation, starting with the Kuangshan Lu Sect''s Mistral Foundation Art!" Qin Lan''s eyes revealed a hint of confidence as he customized a cultivation path that''s unique to him alone.

 Chapter 4: Recovery

    Chapter 4: Recovery


    Mistral Foundation Art.


    It was hailed as the most precious cultivation art during Kuangshan Lu Sect''s glorious era. It came in the form of three chapters, the Mistral Flesh Diagram, the Bone Structure Diagram, and the Spiritual Root Path Diagram.


    Not only the art itself is easy to cultivate and understand, but its also widely distributed amongst the residents of Kuangshan Mountain Prefecture for free.


    "All I wish is to grant those with family a chance to live together, across nine generations in the same ce." Qin Lan said. With the first Supreme Emperor standing by his side as he made his decision, millions of copies of the cultivation art made their way to themoners, who benefitted the most.


    Of course, that was because of his baptism on the Mountain Prefecture of Kuangshan.


    The foundation art followed the rule of three. Starting with the Origin, to the Source, and then the Base. A calm and untainted ce with thick mist was the best when ites to practicing this art.


    That was the origin chapter.


    Nextes the Source, or a holding container. Mist without shape and form might seem nonexistent, but in fact, the richest and gentlest form of spiritual energy. The rule of Source allowed everything to act as the body that condenses them further until it''s initial form changed.


    From Dispersing to Converging.


    From Vapor to Liquid.


    And from Formless to a Foundation Base.


    ...


    ...


    A hint of Spiritual Energy gathered in between Qin Lan''s two fingers that hold the pill bottle. Weak and fragile as it could be in the eyes of an outsider, the condition of these two strands of spiritual force is, in fact, most suitable to promote the condensation process.


    "Young master! We have fish and prawns today!" Xiao Yun returned from the kitchen after leaving the private courtyard early in the morning. And judging her from the smear of charcoal ash on her face, Qin Lan can urately guess how her morning went.


    "En. Coincidently, I''m looking forward to some seafood dishes today. Go wash your face and get Xiao-Ke. He should be cleaning my room right now," Qin Lan said with a face full of smiles.


    "Servant understands. I''ll be on my way immediately." Xiao Yun rubbed her cheek and noticed the greyish ash sticking on her hand. Embarrassed, she left quickly after giving Qin Lan a light bow.


    "Young master, did you see Xiao Yun''s face? She looked like she just fell head-on into the pile of charcoal ashes." Xiao-Ke came to his young master''s side and pushed the wheelchair Qin Lan is seated on towards their dining table.


    "Xiao-Ke, if you keep talking like this, it will take you another decade to get someone suitable to get married. Have you tried to take a look at yourself before you talk about others?" Qin Lan added.


    "What''s wrong with me? I didn''t have anything to do with the charcoal... Ah! A spiderweb on my head! It must be from when I''m cleaning the bookshelf!" Xiao-Ke patted his own head a few times, afraid that there''s a spider is lingering in between his hair.


    Qin Lan smiled. He closed his eyes and leaned fully on the chair as he enjoyed the feeling of serenity while they''re on their way to the dining table.


    The food was already nicely presented on the table when Qin Lan and Xiao-Ke entered. Five dishes altogether, from fish to prawn, meat to two types of vegetables. Qin Tian even personally instructed the kitchen to not restrict Qin Lan from ordering his favorite dishes.


    "Young master, let Xiao Yun peel a prawn for you." the girl extends her chopsticks out for a prawn and begin to peel the shells off before she gently ced half of it into Qin Lan''s mouth. Little did she know that Qin Lan is now much better, notably after he consumes the drop of Changshen Dew.


    Even with the memories of two lifetimes worth in his mind, Qin Lan still believes that one should enjoy while he still can. The scene before him reminds him about his days with the first Supreme Emperor, who he adopted while he traverses across thend that eventually bes the Mountain Prefecture of Kuangshan.


    The only difference is instead of getting feed with the meat, that brat is smart enough to eat them up, leaving his foster father with only the tail or the head of the prawn.


    "Xiao-Ke, remember to go out to the pharmacy and collect the same ingredients again. We might need it more frequently in the uing week." Qin Lan instructed him.


    "Servant understands." Xiao-Ke immediately answered. He''s puzzled by his young master''s weird request, but since his mind is pretty simple, he did not question the uses of these things Qin Lan asked for.


    But as long as the Qin Family Pharmacy could afford it, it won''t be a problem for him to even bring everything back.


    ...


    ...


    "Look at that cripple." two passersby mocked as they looked at Qin Lan. The scene where Xiao Yun was feeding him with a spoonful of food made them somewhat jealous and feeling unfair.


    "Big brother, since that guy is crippled now, won''t the Flesh Foundation Pill that was supposed to be distributed goes to us? We''re also the eldest amongst our generation." Qin Hu said.


    "Grandfather already promised that we''ll be getting ten pills a week. Just make sure that you put an effort in your cultivation so we''ll not lose to the same generation of youngsters in our Fu-Rong Town." Qin Huang, the elder brother from another mother, said.


    "As for that cripple... He won''t be able to even walk anymore, so why to bother ourselves to his level?" he chuckled.


    A few others from the same generation also walked past the passageway that capable of overseeing the dining table within this private courtyard. Some of them seem unintentional, but most came with a hint of mocking the owner of this courtyard.


    A retarded father and a cripple son. That''s what they said.


    Such kind of life continues for the second, third, and very quickly, a month passed. During this period of a month, Qin Tian did not even visit Qin Lan once. There are only a few words asionally, with some silver coins for Xiao-Ke to spend on Qin Lan.


    Qin Lan is seated at the back of his own little garden once again, just like how it was for an entire month. The pill bottle in his hand has now lost itsyer of a glossy finish. Two indents are clearly imprinted on the bottle, which was caused by the contact with his spiritual energy.


    Both of his eyes remained closed. Using his mind eye to sense his surrounding, Qin Lan guided the collected mist surrounding him into the pill bottle as the condensation process kickstart. The process continued until another drop of Changshen Dew is finally formed inside the container.


    "Finally..." Qin Lan shook the pill bottle slightly and poured its content into his mouth.


    The drop of Changshen Dew rolled and left the bottle to enter Qin Lan''s mouth. A warm force appeared gently within his body, recovering most of his motor ability. A healthier color also returned to Qin Lan''s feature, making him seem gifted and dazzling.


    He struggled to stand. The pill bottle that no longer capable of withstanding the task of condensing the Changshen Dew finally shattered into pieces as Qin Lan extent some strength in his hand.


    Lingering around his wheelchair, Qin Lan tried to capture the feeling of walking once more. More of the muscle strength returned to his four limbs as he inhaled a mouthful of air into his lungs.


    "Mistral Flesh Diagram! Recing imperfection with nothingness, recovering longevity with spiritual energy!" the air with the morning mist converges and moves straight to where his navel is located. As for the remaining breath without use, he exhaled it out to take in another inhaling breath.


    The riddance of Flesh Curse due to having his body mauled by the Jade Snow Tiger when he''s younger finally brought out Qin Lan''s cultivating potential. Although it was unfortunate that he''s now a person with a destroyed core, cultivation is still possible.


    All he needs is to follow a different path of cultivation, such as body tempering, spirit tempering, or searching for core recement treasure.


    Coincident or not, the Mistral Flesh Diagram his first reincarnation created is thebination of all three. And the only problem he''s facing is theck of resources and opportunity to convert his abode into a perfect cultivation dwelling.


    Qin Lan continued with the inhale and exhale exercise. Almost an incense worth of timeter, the morning mist that was cultivated painstakingly by him using a month is finally exhausted by the time he''s done.


    "I guess it''s time for us to move on to the next stage..." Qin Lan returned to his wheelchair and closed both of his eyes. Not too long after that, Xiao-Ke came to the garden to push his young master back into the dining hall.


    He didn''t notice the changes in his master''s rosyplexion. But instead, he discovered the broken pill bottle on the ground.


    "I''ll have to remember to bring another bottle back for young masterter," Xiao-Ke whispered to himself.


    Qin Lan controlled himself fromughing because that whisper is too loud.


    "Count yourself lucky to have me as your master, Xiao-Ke..."

 Chapter 5: Sneaking Out

    Chapter 5: Sneaking Out


    Nighttime.


    Xiao-Ke repeated what he''s been doing as always. After making sure that he cleaned his young master and aiding him with his sleepwear, the loyal servant returned to his bed in a secluded corner and prepared to rest.


    But instead of calling it a rest, it is more urate to say that he started his meditation. Each and every servant of the Qin Family Household was given a single Flesh Foundation Pill weekly for them to advance their own cultivation.


    And just like his loyal servant, Qin Lan cultivates at his own pace. The morning mist that hepressed around his navel area is now slowly released to a part of his body.


    "The essence of Mistral Foundation Art!"


    "Creating a perfect foundation through the purest form of mist. Condensing vapor into liquid, with the body as the container."


    "With the Mistral Flesh Diagram, create a wless body anew!"


    Qin Lan''s whispered in his mind while allowing the morning mist to prates the deepest part of his flesh. The Mistral Flesh Diagram inside his mind shoots out from between his eyebrows as it gently ovepped his body spiritually.


    (Shoulders! - Feet! - Left chest! - Right leg! - Nape! - Jaw! - Waist! - Navel! - Groin!)


    A total of nine imperfection appeared on his body, even after the body is renewed by taking in four drops of Changshen Dew. Of course, there''s nothing much for him toin about because even the healthiest person would have at least two imperfections.


    It''s due to the Mistral Flesh Diagram point of focus.


    Just like how some flower has five petals, and some have over a hundred. wlessness sometimes does note from perfection alone, but the reason behind it. A pill bottle can be made into a hundred shapes, but in the end, wlessness equals how well it could retain the medicinal effect.


    That''s also why Mistral Foundation Art was hailed and praised as the most precious cultivation art in the peak of its glory.


    The mist gently bombarded both of his feet as it reshapes them evenly. Such a process is even more detailed than how a sculptor creating his piece of marvelous work.


    "Uhh..." suddenly, Xiao-Ke released a voice of difort. His cultivation that is too weak to be mentioned seems to encounter an obstacle. Instead of absorbing most of the medicinal effect into his body, they''re spreading out at a faster pace.


    "It looks like a symptom like this is not his first." Qin Lan went through the curtain covering Xiao-Ke''s bed unobtrusively and ced his index finger between the servant''s eyebrow.


    A strand of Spiritual Energy then burrowed through Xiao-Ke''s skin to unblock two blood channels with residue from an external injury.


    With the two unblock channels, spiritual energy evidently flow smoother than before. Xiao-Ke''s condition returned to normal almost instantly after Qin Lan''s treatment.


    "I wonder what kind of cultivation technique he''s learning..." Qin Lan shook his head as he returned to his bed once more, allowing the morning mist to continue shaping his body ordingly.


    While deep inside his mind, he''s still studying the phenomenon that urred on Xiao-Ke''s body.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master! I had a breakthrough!" Xiao-Ke said. This fellow who has his strength lingered around the half-step of Flesh Refining Layer finally managed to stand firm on the first level.


    "Congrattion." Qin Lan smiled. It is impossible to not advance after what he had donest night. With two blood channels now open nicely, it won''t take Xiao-Ke too long to reach the second level.


    "Young master, I''ll push you to the garden right now." Xiao-Ke knows that even if he advanced, he''s still a servant for the Qin Family Household. There''s still work that needs to be done.


    "Good. Then apany me for the morning. You can consolidate your cultivation while I enjoy the morning mist." Qin Lan added.


    Xiao-Ke nodded. He would be a fool if he did not grab this opportunity to cultivate. The chances to continue blinded his sense of observation as Xiao-Ke sat down on a nearby rock and cupped his palm before his navel.


    A surge of Spiritual Energy then slowly flow towards the center between his hand. It then creates a thin strand of Spiritual Energy with higher concentration as it entered his body through the navel part.


    The concept of this cultivation art is rather fundamental since it was created to be used bymoners. The topic covered by these primary techniques is often diluted with various paths, as there was no limitation on its copyright.


    Therefore, Xiao-Ke''s undeniable luck to serve a young master like Qin Lan brought him an inexplicable fate.


    It wasn''t challenging for this mentor of a Supreme Emperor to recognized the path of Xiao-Ke''s cultivation art. Since it was both an internal and external flesh tempering technique, this cultivation art is likely something rted to the Yang Path.


    Cultivation of the Yang Path tends to focus their attention on strengthening their body. Hence cultivating in the morning, while the sun is at its gentlest and purest, would yield Xiao-Ke more benefit than what he thinks.


    The young master and servant duo cultivate at their own pace without shing with one another. But when Xiao-Ke finally decides to call an end to his morning effort, Qin Lan had already finished what he''s going to do.


    He had absorbed the morning mist clean once again.


    "Five more days, and I should be able to move around freely. By that time, I''ll be able to collect more useful cultivation resources to use on myself." Qin Lan speaks in his mind while enjoying what he''s been given so far.


    The end of the week came quickly, and it has been close to seven weeks from the night he was crippled by the mysterious expert likely hired by the House of Jiao.


    But until now, he''s still clueless about the reason House of Jiao willing to pay such a hefty sum just to cripple him.


    ...


    ...


    "Whoosh!" a burst of wind blows from within his body as Qin Lan''s cultivation finally returned. His clothing was thoroughly torn apart from that vtile and sharp wind, causing him to be stark naked as he stands by the side of his bed.


    "I''ve finally regained my ability to cultivate." Qin Lan smiled. The image of the Mistral Flesh Diagram appeared inside his mind as it shows him eight ws instead of nine.


    There''s also a reason why Qin Lan started the flesh sculpting process from his feet first.


    Foundation.


    To a human body, a foundation starts from its ability to stand firm.


    As a teacher of the first Supreme Emperor, Qin Lan''s opinion towards the word "cultivation" is undoubtedly more biased towards his lifelong effort, the Mistral Foundation Art.


    Although he''s now still considered a cripple, Qin Lan believes that there will be a day where he made those looking down on him to p their own face.


    (So what if I cannot solidify my Jindan in this Precelestial Realm? I''ll show everyone again that even without a Jindan, the path of cultivation will not be restrained)


    (Let''s start from the bottom once again, with this)


    Qin Lan grabs the opportunity while nobody is going to disturb him to consolidate his cultivation. As he moves, each step he took created a mirage of his previous action. And when he strikes, each strike of his forms ayer of thin fog.


    "wing at emptiness as it wasn''t,"


    "Sweeping fog merely with a simple thought,"


    "shing a mountain without a sword,"


    "Punching through a fortification without disturbing a block."


    Qin Lan''s movement gets more and more fluid as he reminiscence the time he used to create and develop this martial art. Four styles of melee fighting cramped into one, and from one extended into many.


    (This era shall witness the return of the Kuangshan Lu Sect''s legacy once again!)


    ...


    ...


    A figure secretly left the Qin Family Manor without being caught by any of the patrolling servants.


    This figure effortlessly leaped across the wall of the six-seven meter separating the town and the outside. And once he was outside, he opened a piece of a map drawn on animal skin and searched for a destination.


    "Mountain with snow on the west, the forest of two colors ovepped in between... That''s the entrance to Western Demon Forest." the figure whispered.


    With only an heirloom dagger and Blood Clotting Pills, the figure entered the dangerous Western Demon Forest daringly. The strength of a Flesh Refining Layer fueled his guts further as he took another leap across the thick foliage.


    ...


    "Come back here!" a piece of pebble is flicked onto the escaping white marten as Qin Lan catching up to his prey. The rock eventually missed the target by a pretty wide gap but still managed to create an opportunity for Qin Lan.


    His w reaches the white marten under its ribs as two of his fingers injected some spiritual energy out.


    "Heart Puncturing Needle!"


    A needle slightly thicker than an acupuncture needle extends three inches out from Qin Lan''s finger as it robbed the lifeforce out from the white marten. This technique of his not only demonstrated how deep is his mastery of Kuangshan Lu Sect''s martial art but also it''s mysteriousness.


    Killing without shedding blood.


    Robbing life without pain.


    Butchering without a hint.


    ughtering without an intent.


    (That should be enough for tonight...)


    Qin Lan stored the game in his rucksack as he made his way back to the Fu-Rong Town.

 Chapter 6: Cooking in Home

    Chapter 6: Cooking in Home


    Qin Lan quietly pushed open the door to his room as he sneaks inside.


    His servant, Xiao-Ke, is still sleeping soundly in the corner of his room because Qin Lan has tapped on his rxing acupoint. Not only Xiao-Ke would fall asleep until sunrise, but he''ll be energetic and lively in the morning due to Qin Lan''s interference.


    After writing down a few tools and ingredients he might need, Qin Lan returned to his bed. Although he hated the thought of not being able to clean himself before rest, he eventually gives in to keep his recovery a secret from anyone else for now.


    One of his main concerns is because the real culprit behind him getting crippled might be from the Qin Family Household.


    Honestly, he hated to even think about it, as bloodline is always thicker than water. But if that''s true, he''s nothing like a dimming oilmp, who''s unable to decide anything.


    ...


    ...


    "Ah!!! What a great rest I had! Let''s get our young master some hot water to wash him... Eh?" Xiao-Ke stretched both of his arms as he approaches his young master''s bed. But looking at the piece of paper with words written on it, he decided to go for that first.


    "Xiao-Ke, young master..."


    "Something... Knife... Medicine."


    "Rest, writing... Something."


    "I''ll have to go out and find Xiao Yun to read this for me," Xiao-Ke grabbed the rest of the paper and quickly dashed towards Xiao Yun''s room to had her read the content.


    (I forget that this guy''s head is made of straws! How can I even think that he''ll be able to read what I wrote?)


    Qin Lan is speechless. But as he tried to shift his body to a side, a pill container lost its bnce and rolled down until it was stopped by Qin Lan''s tired body.


    He reaches his hand to the pill container and brings it back to his eye level. It seems that this guy has some conscience inside him, to spend some of the money the patriarch gives him to purchase a pill container of higher quality.


    Thinking about how Xiao-Ke usually behaves, it was easy to discern the extent of his honesty. And it won''t be weird at all to find out a stash of money somewhere inside of this room.


    He then tossed the pill container away from the bed. The bottle had a few somersaults action as it sat on the only table inside this room. Qin Lan continues to sleep that he''s been longing for without bothering Xiao-Ke, who returned half an incense stick of timeter.


    But honestly said, his efficiency is surprising.


    The mere half incense stick of time was all Xiao-Ke need to collect everything back to Qin Lan''s room. Although they can be considered messy, it was quite aplete one.


    "I should leave quietly without waking young master up. Let me write him a note so I can go to the garden and continue to consolidate my cultivation." Xiao-Ke took a brush up and started to write a few words on the stack of paper.


    About three hourster, Qin Lan wakes up energetic. Although he missed his regr mist-taking session, his mood can be said to be better than before due to being able to start cultivating. And with the Mistral Flesh Diagram turning his body into a spiritual energy container, the effectiveness of his method does not lose to those in the Jindan consolidating path.


    Qin Lan chuckled as he looked at the stack of tools he requested. While on the table, it was stuffed full of apanying ingredients used to enhance the properties of the medicinal pill he''s going to concoct.


    But a piece of paper with chicken scratchings caught his attention.


    (Young Master, I''ll be ughtering the wild at the back garden)


    "This servant... He should just speak instead of writing everything wrong. What is with the ughtering the wild word? Are you a bandit? And where''s the dot and hook in these few letters?" Qin Lan has the tendency to p his own face after reading the message.


    And what was seen cannot be undone. These kinds of memory would torment a person endlessly.


    "I should start by forcing him to learn how to read and write. It would be a disgrace if the servant of a Supreme Emperor''s mentor to be inefficient in the four arts."


    Qin Lan crumbled the piece of paper into a ball and used it as a firestarter on a charcoal stove. He then ced a pot made from y on top of the medium me as he began to make an incision on the six dead martens.


    The blood that flows into the pot warmed up quickly as Qin Lan crushed some pepper-like herbs and added the heart of a golden-yellowish flower. Then, some other menial herbs for cooking are added to enhance its vor.


    But this pot of bloodstock is not for consumption purposes.


    To a human being, consuming a mouthful of this would send them into the toilet continuously for ten times. But to the nts in his private garden, it is the most magnificent fertilizer that could enhance their growth and ability in gathering more mist and consolidating them further.


    Now thickened like gruel, Qin Lan has no other choice but to use his hand and start shaping them into sphere balls. The overall process took close to an hour toplete, which cleared a third of the ingredients he ordered.


    He then cleaned his hand before getting ready for the next in his list.


    Using the heirloom dagger without feeling remorseful, Qin Lan cut the carcass open as he removes the gut and bones. They were kept aside to be throwter. As for the flesh, Qin Lan skinned them carefully to remove the pungent fat.


    The hide is then pulled and sewn using some string to be tied on a drying rack. Since there are only six white martens, Qin Lan estimated that he''ll be able to create a total of twelve demonic amulets at most.


    Furthermore, the requirement to prepare the amulets is vexatious.


    Not only the ink used to draw the demonic diagram is have to be fresh, but there are also a few other requirements that have to be fulfilled before he could start.


    A sufficient Spiritual Energy is the first, followed by time and ce. One also has to learn and be fluent with the demonic inscriptionnguage as well, before they could start. But they''ll also have to has the correct material for the inscription to start.


    Of course, nothing could beat the reward if the requirement is fulfilled.


    With the white marten''s skin as the material, there are two kinds of demonic amulets to be made.


    The Escaping Amulet, and Running Amulet.


    With nothing else to do with his yesterday''s game, there''s only one more thing to be done. The pot made of y was removed and ced aside to be usedter.


    Qin Lan rummages the ck garment he wore yesterday and reached for the content inside a pocket. When he pulled his hand out, there was a stalk of trimmed branches holding two citrus fruits.


    They''re known as the Demonic Blood Orange, the main ingredient to concoct Flesh Foundation Pill. There are close to a hundred types of recipes to produce this pill, and the majority of them require the Demonic blood Orange toplete the process.


    Only less than ten recipes are either deviated or improvised.


    And they''re all originated from an ancestor.


    Qin Lan.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master, I''vee with dinner as you requested." both Xiao Yun and Xiao-Ke are standing outside with trays of food in their hand.


    "En. Come in." Qin Lan answered. He''s still seated in the wheelchair made especially for him since the day he was crippled.


    But as the door was pushed open, another unexpected visitor is standing right in between the two servants. Qin Tian made his way straight to his beloved grandson after the door was opened while leaving Xiao Yun and Xiao-Ke to prepare the table.


    "Grandfather didn''te to visit you almost for the entire month. I hope you''re not angry with me," Qin Tian said. He ced two of his fingers on Qin Lan''s wrist to check on his pulse before transferring some spiritual energy to soothes his grandson''s limbs.


    Qin Lan didn''t decline his grandfather''s kind offer.


    As his body now resembles a spiritual energy container, what Qin Tian is trying to do now is undoubtedly beneficial to Qin Lan. That''s even more, considering that the spiritual energy of a Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator in fullpletion is purer and better by multiple folds.


    "Your grandson dare not to me grandfather for all his effort. The matter of Qin Household should alwayse first before anything else," Qin Lan replied. He knows the internal conflict between the elders, like the back of his hand, and also how tricky it was to maintain the bnce.


    "En. Let us not talk about these kinds of subjects at the dining table. I''ve juste back from a meeting with the Su-Hang Town''s Mayor. And look at what your grandfather found." Qin Tian opened the box of exquisite sewing to reveal its content.


    It was a stalk of a red flower with a seed pod still intact. But on the seed pod, there were only three seeds in total.


    "It''s actually a stalk of Fiery Pear Flower?" Qin Lan smiled.


    "What a coincidence."

 Chapter 7: Caught

    Chapter 7: Caught


    He sneaked outside of the Qin Family Manor once again, this time, with two rucksacks instead of one. But even with two backpacks, his target is no longer the White Marten Beast.


    Six pieces of leather hides are basically more than enough for him to practice his demonic inscriptionnguage. What he''s looking forward to the most right now is three kinds of medicinal herbs that couldpliment the Fiery Pear Flower Qin Tian gave him.


    Just like the Demonic Blood Orange, the Fiery Pear Flower is categorized as a primary ingredient in concocting a rarer cultivation pill, named Litong Pill.


    Only three of these pills can be made in a single batch, as each one required the medicinal essence within the seed to congeal into a pellet form.


    One Litong Pill is equivalent to taking three Flesh Foundation Pills to cultivate for an hour. Additionally, the Litong Pill also carries a hint of flesh restoration energy that''s beneficial to the body. While it was more effective if taken after turning into a pill, the unprocessed version still yields the effect of two foundation pill''s worth of cultivating result and flesh restoration energy.


    "Six-leaves Sage, often grown in damper ce like springs and puddle of water."


    "Purple Silk Grass. Found often near the corpses of dead demons."


    "Moonbell Flower, a product of Moonfruit Tree."


    Qin Lan tried to retrieve the names, appearances, and habitat of the medicinal herbs he''s searching for from his mind. The first two choices of herbs were much easy to procure due to howmon they are, but thest one is somewhat difficult.


    That''s because a Moonfruit Tree is also the nest for Amber Snake Demon.


    (One - Two - Three - Four. Four adult Amber Snake Demon in total. That means there are around sixteen Amber Snake inside of this nest)


    Qin Lan tossed some sulfur powder around him as a precaution.


    **Hop!**


    Qin Lan made a great leap towards the upper half of the tree and gently sliced off a few stalks of the blooming Moonbell Flower. As it was quite a dull task, he kept his persistence and continue another dozen times before he filled a backpack with the flower.


    "Did the fruit just turn ripe?" Qin Lan stared at the Moonfruit Tree that''s somewhat trimmed by him as the free ofbor cost gardener. A fruit that was hidden close to its trunk is now fully exposed to an outsider''s view.


    Although the Moonfruit has no medicinal value nor miraculous effect, it was known for the sweet taste simr to bee''s honey when ripen.


    And he remembered that this fruit used to be his and his grandfather''s favorite.


    "I guess I''ll pluck it and bring it back to grandfather," Qin Lan made another jump towards the tree to grab the fruit. But then, trouble finally arises from behind the fruit.


    A young Amber Snake Demon just had to decide toe out and slithers around. The hint of sulfur scattered around the tree only made it more furious. It immediately unleashed a strike at the moving silhouette the moment it came close to its attacking range.


    **Shua!!**


    The jaw with two sharp, protruding fangs was getting close to a warm, blood-filled wrist.


    But at the same time, a dagger came from the top of its head, stabbing through its skull. The Amber Snake Demon was nailed on the body of the tree without knowing how easy it lost its life.


    The slightmotion and undtion in spiritual energy awaken the fifteen remaining Amber Snake Demons nesting within the Moonfruit Tree. At a sh, fifteen additional branches jump out from the tree itself, making the Moonfruit Tree hideous to look at.


    **Pluck!**


    Qin Lan snatched the Moonfruit as he retrieved his heirloom dagger and left without looking back. Even the corpse of the Amber Snake Demon is left ignored, as it was not as precious as his own life.


    But his action garnered more hatred from the fifteen Amber Snake Demon, particrly the four adults, which are likely the parents. Amongst them, one has a deeper amber-colored skinpared to the other three.


    **Shua...**


    It nudged the dead Amber Snake Demon''s corpse a few times. Seemingly satisfied with the cold and motionless body, it swallowed the corpse whole before howling in a low frequency.


    **Zzz...**


    The sound that hardly discernable through human ears spreads around, transforming the Western Demon Forest into a death zone out of sudden.


    (D*mn! I really poked the wrong nest this time. Who could have guessed that there''s a matured demon inside of that nest?)


    Qin Lan hastens up his collection process as he moves around in a zig-zag pattern. The remaining two types of medicinal herbs were quickly found as he was getting closer to the edge of the forest.


    But at the same time, the danger ising even faster.


    The Amber Snake Demon''s howl rmed the entire outer forest to search for intruders. By the time Qin Lan reaches the wall of foliage separating the forest and the outside, it was already swarming with demons and beasts.


    "Yellowtail Fox Demon, second-level Flesh Refining!"


    "Violet Legged Spider Demon, second-level Flesh Refining!"


    "ck Haired Rodent Demon, first-level Flesh Refining!"


    (What level exactly is that mature Amber Snake Demon? To be able tomand so many proper cultivating beasts?)


    Qin Lan is somewhat disturbed mentally. It seems that his quick decision to escape ends up as a wiser choice that saved his life once again. And amongst the three demons guarding the foliage walls, the ck Haired Rodent Demon is his best option to scythe across.


    And although he''s yet to fill both of his backpacks to the brim, leaving the forest first would be the wisest thing for him to do now.


    He flicked a stone at the demon, simr to how he hunted the White Marten. With his right hand curved into the shape of a w, Qin Lan''s counterattack struck the ck Haired Rodent Demon urately with yet another martial style from the Kuangshan Lu Sect''s martial art.


    "Heart Digging Stroke!"


    The ck Haired Rodent Demon rolled on the ground without giving out any further response.


    (I should go)


    Qin Lan grabbed the corpse and left through a wider gap between the foliage. The sound of the demon beast roaring and howling still can be heard even after he was a few miles away from the forest.


    Back to the Qin Family Manor again, Qin Lan changed.


    He returned to being a cripple again and listened to the disdainful words from other cousins while slowly inhaling the morning mist without failure. Now with the fertilizer added to the nts to enhance their growth, it won''t take too long for the morning mist to enveloped his private garden with a thickyer of fog.


    Qin Lan returned to his room once he had his lunch assisted by Xiao Yun.


    The table in the middle of his room is filled with random medicinal herbs once more as he ordered Xiao-Ke to collect. But today, this dull servant actually failed to notice the bottle of pills he purposely left on the table.


    Removing the cork that keeps the medicinal potency from escaping, Qin Lan scanned the content inside of the bottle.


    (Not even a single pill is missing. This Xiao-Ke... Should I say he''s stupid or in honest?)


    Qin Lan chuckled. Xiao-Ke''s behavior is no different from his student that he adopted a reincarnation ago. But sometimes, being too honest is not beneficial, especially if they''re living in a household with three factions holding a knife on each other''s throat.


    (It would be best if I keep things as a secret from Xiao-Ke for now. Letting the world know about my recovery will only collect more hatred and rmed those hidden behind the curtain wishing for my grandfather''s fall)


    (Well, I guess I won''t be courteous to myself. I''ll reward you handsomely next time, Xiao-Ke. For now, let your young master strengthen his own foundation first)


    The bottle of ten Flesh Foundation Pills he concocted using the two Demonic Blood Orange was poured into his mouth and swallowed like candies. As his body is now no different from a Spiritual Energy Container, there is no reason for him to be so reserved when ites to digesting the pills!


    Whates next is concocting the Litong Pill. As concocting this medicinal pill will smear his appearance slightly in the process, Qin Lan removes the long robe he''s wearing, along with his top.


    "Six-leaves Sage, often grown in damper ce like springs and puddle of water."


    "Purple Silk Grass. Found often near the corpses of dead demons."


    "Moonbell Flower, a product of Moonfruit Tree."


    (Six-Leaves Sage shall be crush and boiled before dried. Purple Silk Grass, remove the stem and keep the des. Moonbell Flower, only petals, no others!)


    (Three gentle Yin topensate the Yang. Three herbs for three seeds. The pod as the mold and the fiery petals as the cap. Litong Pill, congeal!)


    The medicinal fragrance of the freshly made Litong Pill quickly spread outwards until it was close to leaving his room. But as Qin Lan was so concerned with his own safety, he inhaled a deep breath to pull the fragrance back.


    "Ah... Worthy of being called an upper-ss cultivation pill. Even the pill fragrance isparable to a day worth of my morning breathing session." Qin Lan smiled.


    But then, the door to his room was pushed open without knocking, as Xiao Yun entered in a rush.


    "Xiao! - Xiao Yun!" Qin Lan was caught standing by the side of the table. Although he wasn''t stark naked to the extent of a pervert, he was still caught by surprise!


    "Young master, you''re naked."


    "No - no - no."


    "You''re standing..."


    "No, not this either..."


    "Ah! Yes! Xiao-Ke is getting bullied by the people from the third elder''s courtyard!" Xiao Yun stuttered and was emotionally challenged for a while before she remembered what she was going to say.

 Chapter 8: Family Get Together

    Chapter 8: Family Get Together


    Xiao Yun pushed the now calmer Qin Lan as both of them made their way over to the private courtyard belonged to the third elder''s branch of families. Because she was exerting some energy to push the wheelchair as they''re moving forward, a thinyer of blush can be seen on both of her cheeks.


    Furthermore, she was still slightly affected by the embarrassment earlier.


    As a servant, it is forbidden for her to develop a romantic feeling towards her young master. Putting the gossip aside, those that were married into the family this way usually have a lower social statuspared to the others.


    But any forbidden thought is bound to be broken eventually.


    "Oh my heaven... How can our young master look so dashing just now? That medicine fragrance... Is he a pill master in secret? But I remember that he was crippled by that bad expert that day..." Xiao Yun''s mind kept running around wildly as they made their way towards the third elder''s courtyard.


    "Xiao Yun," Qin Lan''s call wakes her up from her daydreaming.


    "Ah?" her wandering soul finally returned to her petite, demure body.


    "We have to turn left here, not straight." Qin Lan said.


    "Y - Yes!" she quickly turned the wheelchair towards the left and continued. Close to ten minutester, both of them entered a much morevish courtyard with plenty of golden decorations.


    "Move aside! The third young master is here!" Xiao Yun''s words made the other servants moved aside and opened a path for both of them to move forward.


    "Young master..." Xiao-Ke was bleeding on his forehead, cracked lips, and nose. But all those injuries did not stop him from greeting his respected young master.


    "What is the problem here?" Qin Lan questioned. He stuffed a Blood Clotting Pill into Xiao-Ke''s mouth as he used that opportunity to adjust the wheelchair slightly.


    Xiao-Ke is still clueless about what he just swallowed. But the warm sensation that came from his stomach has started to help him to recover his strength and wounds while his young master questioned the servants.


    "Reporting to the third young master. The fight started just now because somebody mentioned something about him having it easy for working with a cripple." someone answered while hiding amongst the crowd.


    "Ah! So, from what you mean, a cripple like me has less work for him to do, correct?" Qin Lan, who''s still acting like he was a cripple, decided to give these groups of the servant a lesson they will never forget.


    "We dare not to speak ill of the third young master." they bowed before Qin Lan, afraid that he will be angered. But inside their heart, none of those present here has a hint of respect towards Qin Lan, due to immobility to walk by himself.


    "It''s been quite long that I am getting holed up inside our family''s private courtyard. What about we have a bet here?" Qin Lan struggles to reach his hand inside his sleeve''s pocket and took a bottle of medicinal pill out. If there was a reward for acting, perhaps those gifts would have all been won by him already.


    "There are fifty Flesh Foundation Pills inside here. For those that managed to push me around this courtyard once, I''ll reward you with a pill until there''s no more. What do all of you say?" Qin Lan shook the bottle to show his generosity.


    The servants looked at one another, and even before the count of an incense stick of time started, more than half of them had queued and ready to push Qin Lan forward.


    "One by one. I''m looking forward to your performance." Qin Lan smiled. And nobody felt a shiver that coursed through their body, except Xiao-Ke and Xiao Yun.


    ...


    ...


    "What is happening there? They''re so lively," Qin Huang and Qin Hu returned to their family''s courtyard to found out that all of their servants are gathering around the core garden for some entertainment.


    It is even more puzzling to them when close to ten servants have copsed on the ground catching their breath like they just escaped from getting chased by a tiger.


    "This is disappointing. To think that the servant that our Qin Household is so weak. Even Xiao Yun could push me from my courtyard to here without losing her breath." Qin Lan shows an expression of disappointment as he remained seated in the wheelchair.


    "Next!" he said. The sixteenth servant merely pushed him ten steps further before he fell down onto the ground. Worst of all, he even vomited what he ate this morning from using too much force when pushing the wheelchair.


    "Third brother," both Qin Huang and Qin Hu greets Qin Lan. Although they''re all at the same age, Qin Lan''s status as the third to be born into the family has a higher social standingpared to them.


    Especially to Qin Huang, who''s mother is still working as an entertainer at a nearby teahouse because his father forced himself on her fifteen years ago.


    Although there''s no follow up after his father''s "good deed," his animalistic act can be said to be simr to the idiom "kicking the monk aside after the ceremonial rites." The woman whom his father disgraced and sullied still ends up on the street working to feed herself.


    "Ah, sixth and seventh brother, it''s been quite long we''vest met. I believe both of you are healthy as always. Next!" Qin Lan greeted both of them as he ousted the seventeenth challenger.


    "Sixth brother is curious. What is my beloved third brother doing here?" Qin Huang inquired.


    "Well, the servants got caught into a small fight because they''reparing about who gets it easier while serving a cripple like me. So we''re now having a friendlypetition to see who can push me around the courtyard."


    "But looks like none of them is better than my little Xiao Yun here. She just pushed me from my courtyard till here without even a bead of sweat is rolling down." Qin Lan''s hand shivered as he tried to stuff the bottle of Flesh Foundation Pills into her hand.


    "Stand up! What a group of disgraceful monkeys you are!" Qin Hu''s short fuse was ignited after he listened to what Qin Lan said. How can not even a single person manage to push Qin Lan around their courtyard?


    "Xiao-Ke, push me around while I chat with my siblings here, would you?" Qin Lan revealed a tired and disappointed expression as he invited his so-called siblings to have a talk with him as they appreciate the scenery.


    "Sixth brother, seventh brother, please forgive your third brother for not able to walk side by side with both of you as we appreciate the lotus pond and koi river." Qin Lan''s polite and well-mannered speech brought them into his flow as they start.


    Xiao Yun remained where she stands earlier as the group of female servants came to her side immediately.


    "Big sister Yun!"


    "Elder sister."


    "Yun sis."


    Her status amongst the female servants was elevated from a few words of Qin Lan. With that bottle of fifty Flesh Foundation Pills in her hand, her name echoed even louder amongst the male servants.


    "Why can''t I see how beautiful is sister Yun before this? Look at her rosy cheek and ample breast line... I''ll go to the mountain and ughter the entire pack of wolves just to impress her," one of the male servants said.


    "Keep dreaming. You can''t even kill a fish properly." another servant added.


    "Do you think she''s interested in me before this? She was standing behind me all the time as we''re making the breakfast this morning."


    "Bah! That''s because you''re hogging two fire stoves and left nothing for us to use! Can''t you try to use your pee to look at your own face before you talk?"


    "Both of you are like coal pointing at charcoalpeting who''s darker. There are no differences."


    "And you? Pot saying kettle is ck."


    ...


    ...


    "From what I''ve seen, our third brother is recovering very well. Eldest grandfather must be delighted if he sees the three of us walking side by side now," Qin Huang said.


    "It was thanks to our fellow brother''s good wish. I''ve heard from grandfather yesterday that the annual hunting festival is going to start next month. Are both of you ready for it?" Qin Lan acted like he''s cared about their preparation for the uing festival.


    "Thank you for asking, the third brother. We''ll try our best with the fourth and fifth sister, and also the eighth brother to bring an excellent result back," Qin Hu replied. He wanted to made the sound of arrogance before this third brother but decided it wasn''t worth the effort.


    "What makes the siblings get together today?" a middle-ageddy in her forties appeared with two young maidens following her from behind.


    "Qin Lan, (Qin Huang, Qin Hu) pay their respect to the sixth aunt." they greeted thedy as she came closer to the three young masters.


    "Third brother, sixth brother, and seventh brother," the two maidens greeted their older and younger siblings of the same generation.


    "Fourth and fifth sisters are getting more beautiful." Qin Lan jokes.


    "Xiao Qin, Xiao Qi, apany your siblings for a moment while your mother meets with your grandfather." Qin Hua gracefully excused her as she left her daughters with the three boys.


    "If our fourth and fifth sisters don''t mind, please be a guest of our third elder''s courtyard and enjoy a cup of tea as we talk inside," said Qin Huang. There was a slight hint of lust from his eyes, eying at the sister''s pair of ample melons.


    -


    -


    -


    ---------- ---------- ----------


    (Author''s Recap: The first son and the second son of Qin Tian died early without offspring. His third son, Qin Yuan, has three children. Qin Fan, 19, Qin Chan, 17, both in the nearby sect, which will be introducedter, along with Qin Tian''s fourth son, Qin Xuan. Qin Xuan''s son is Qin Lin, the eighth and youngest of Qin Lan''s generation.


    Qin Long is the fifth in the parent''s generation, and also the only son of the third elder [Also note: The third elder don''t screw around, but his son, Qin Long, learned from the first elder, lolz] and father of Qin Huang and Qin Hu.


    Then it''s the first elder''s only daughter, Qin Hua, who is now being introduced, with her two daughters, the fourth and fifth of Qin Lan''s generation. Fellow readers also have to remember that the second and fourth elder''s family are disowned for some reason and will be introducedter in the story)


    ---------- ---------- ----------

 Chapter 9: Caught Again?

    Chapter 9: Caught Again?


    "Be straightforward to me, my fourth brother. What evil tricks you have in your mind this time? I am a very busy woman with two daughters waiting outside," said Qin Hua.


    "Look at this first before you decide to stay or leave." Qin Wen, the third elder of the Qin Family, said as he pushed a box closer to his fifth sister.


    "Four sets of Litong Pill? This must cost my fourth brother some effort and fortune to purchase. But I''m afraid that six hundred gold coins are hardly enough to convince a woman''s heart..." Qin Hua closed the lid and pushed the box back to her brother.


    "This is just a deposit. If you''re willing to help, having a box of Litong Pills each week will not be a problem at all." the third elder continued. From his manner of speech, the source of origin of his Litong Pill is not a mere puddle of water that could dry out.


    "Hmm... Looks like your fifth sister could use some help here. What is your condition?" Qin Hua asked. Her hand that was pushing the box away has now turned into pocketing it in her sleeve.


    "Simple. In this Annual Hunting Festival, I hope that both Xiao Qin and Xiao Qi can support Qin Hu to win first ce." the third elder said. His concern is understandable, but what piqued other''s curiosity is why Qin Hu, and not Qin Huang?


    (This old fogey... I can only pity that boy Qin Huang for being born with a courtesan mother. But that''s not my concern. As long as both of my daughters could cultivate with six Litong Pills weekly, it will further their chances of breaking through the Middle-Attainment Rank)


    (By that time, who cares if you like it or not. As long as both Qin Qin and Qin Qi entered the Cloud Plucking Sect, their future is assured, just like Qin Fan and Qin Chan!)


    "My fourth brother, helping Xiao Hu, is not a problem at all. But my daughters might not be as efficient as the boys because they yed with zither or brush for the whole day instead of swords and spears."


    "Furthermore, how can twosses provide such support with their flowery fingers?" Qin Hua continued with her words. Behind it was a hint of a sarcastic tone because to a flesh refining cultivator, having a body full of muscle or not is pointless.


    "My fifth sister, say what you want to say. Let''s stop to try and guess our intention behind our words." the third elder said.


    "I''ve heard about the reward for first ce this time from my husband." Qin Hua ced her palm gently on the table as she moved her body forward.


    **Foundation Advancement Pill?**


    Qin Hua whispered. What she said made the third elder''s expression changed slightly, but as they were a family, he finds it no point for him to get aggressive.


    "Two boxes. Not more." the third elder took another box of Litong Pills out from his inner pocket and ced it on the table.


    "Thank you, my beloved fourth brother. I''ll make sure that the girls know about it. Please excuse me as the girls are going to bete for their zither lesson soon." Qin Hua left her seat and made her way to the door.


    But before she steps outside of the room...


    "It is best to not underestimate an illegitimate son," she added and left.


    Her final words before leaving made the third elder somewhat unhappy.


    ...


    ...


    "Sister Qin, sister Qi, what about we have a chess game to entertain our third brother?" Qin Huang suggested.


    "A cup of tea would be fine. Both of us will need to maintain ourposure before the zither ss." Qin Qin, the elder between the sisters, rejected Qin Huang''s suggestion.


    "Zither ss, of course... Only with a tranquil mind can one enter the realm of one with music. Please forgive me for suggesting a game like chess. Servants! Bring over three pots of Western River Tea." Qin Huang said.


    His restrained disy of manner shows the maidens a hint of his reservedness.


    But in front of the two uninterested maidens, it would be pointless even if Qin Huang is a dragon amongst the men. Instead, the two of them paid more attention to Qin Lan, who seems indifferent towards both of them.


    "Brother and sisters. This is the high-quality Western River Tea Leaves from the Cloud Plucking Sect. I hope it would be good enough to satisfy your excellent tastebud." Qin Huang added as he raised the cup before everyone else.


    "En." the sisters nodded.


    "Good tea," Qin Lan said after a sip assisted by Xiao Yun.


    **Dok!**


    The seventh brother, Qin Hu, is the one that remained quiet. As a member of this house, these tea leaves are nothing extraordinary in his opinion.


    Their light conversation continued for slightly more than an incense stick of time. It was when Qin Hua came to the room the group disband and return to what they were supposed to do for the day.


    "Mother, what for the third elder ask for you today?" Qin Qi asked. When she''s with her mom and sister, her attitude of a difficult to approached youngdy was shed away. In fact,pared to her elder sister, Qin Qi can be said to be the talkative one, perhaps because she''s younger.


    "We''ll talk about it when we''re home. But both of you should hold this properly. Do not tell anyone that we came to the third elder''s private courtyard today, especially to your father when we''re home." Qin Hua warned both of them.


    "Ah!" Qin Qi gasped. Her curiosity made her opened the box to check its content. She was surprised by the six Litong Pills seated nicely inside the box.


    Meanwhile, back in the room, Qin Huang crushed the teacup in his hand using his strength of a third-level in Flesh Refining Layer. He was angered by the two girls'' indifferent attitude towards him.


    "Brother, why are you so fixated on the fourth and fifth sister? There are more than twenty female servants inside our courtyard, some with even bigger assets than them. Just choose a few of them to apany you at night." Qin Hu said.


    "Shut up," Qin Huang said.


    As for Qin Lan...


    "Young master, how can not a single servant can push your wheelchair? Is there something you didn''t tell us about?" Xiao-Ke asked. By now, his face is almost fully healed from those bruises and cuts.


    "If they don''t remove the wood used to stop the wheel, of course, it can''t move. Did you forget about this mechanism in case the wheelchair rolls on its own?" Qin Lan exined. But he did not go further to the part where he used the spiritual energy to strengthen his grip on the ground.


    "Heh, our young master is still the most amazing one. Let me go to the kitchen and bring some food back..." Xiao-Ke was going to say he will prepare some food, but Qin Lan interrupted.


    "Food your head. Go out and get something back for me. You''re not allowed to have lunch because you made me get out of my courtyard to save you." Qin Lan said.


    Xiao-Ke is slightly unhappy, but he still retrieves the paper in Qin Lan''s hand and rushes outside. Xiao Yun takeover the responsibility next as both of them are finally returned to the private courtyard once again.


    "Come in with me," Qin Lan said.


    "Yes, young master." Xiao Yun blushed as she answered her young master''s word. Her cheeks turned red from the embarrassment quickly as only both of them were inside the room.


    Qin Lan stands up from the wheelchair once the door is closed.


    (Oh my heaven... Please tell me that the young master is not going to do what I think he will... Would he be responsible for it? But... But I''ve seen him and know his secret. He will not let me go, not until I obediently listen to all his words)


    Many things went through Xiao Yun''s mind as she listened to Qin Lan''s approaching footsteps.


    "Xiao Yun!" but instead of being hugged from behind, Qin Lan''s word wakes her up from all her weird and wet fantasies.


    "Yes! Yes, young master." she turned around. After tidying her messy hair from pushing Qin Lan forth and back from the third elder''s courtyard, she''s finally calm again.


    "I hope you can understand my difficulty." Qin Lan said. Instead of returning to the table, he decided to have their conversation on the spot.


    "The main culprit behind hiring the expert to cripple my cultivation might be rted to someone close to me. But they have no idea that I have a great teacher behind me helping me to get my cultivation back," he added.


    "But brother Xiao-Ke is your loyal servant too. If he found out that he was thest one to know about your recovery... I''m afraid that brother Xiao-Ke is going to be angry and disappointed." Xiao Yun said.


    She knows that if it wasn''t because of today''s matter, Qin Lan''s secret might be still hidden from her.


    "I won''t have you keep this secret for too long. Just remember to cover it up for me whenever something happened. Can you do it?" Qin Lan asked. He was prepared to bring out something to bribe her if Xiao Yun rejected him.


    Plus, as he just found out, the shelf that''s likely belonged to him right on the wall is filled with random treasures. Even himself has no recollection of close to three-quarters of what was kept inside there.


    "Xiao Yun will make sure to keep this secret. The third young master can be at ease when ites to this," she replied. Although there''s still a question or two in her mind, Xiao Yun understands that knowing too much might be a bad thing for her. Hence, she believes that going with the flow would be best for now.


    "En. Good."


    "From tomorrow onwards,e and cultivate with both of us in the morning. I''ll teach you what my teacher allowed me to teach and help you to efficiently raise your cultivation." Qin Lan said. He noticed that there''s something special about her body.


    And the most transparent clue came from her cheek and neck alone, which somewhat arousing people the longer they stare at her.


    "Xiao Yun will follow the arrangement of the third young master. If there''s nothing, for now, I shall go and prepare some food for you," she said.


    "En. You may go," Qin Lan made his way back to the wheelchair he was sitting on.


    But once again, the door to his room was opened without people knocking. Xiao-Ke, with his crazy efficiency, has returned after hepleted everything Qin Lan asked him to do.


    "Y - Young master... You can stand?" Xiao-Ke dropped everything on the ground, including the living white marten that he''s struggling to keep obedient in his hand.


    (Can this stop? I was caught twice standing today!)


    Qin Lan sighed. Xiao Yun immediately closed the door after she noticed that Xiao-Ke has found out about it.

 Chapter 10: Taking Disciple

    Chapter 10: Taking Disciple


    "Young master... You''re standing again. Have you recovered?" Xiao-Ke headed straight to his young master''s side and gave his body, leg, and shoulder a pat to make sure he''s not dreaming.


    "I cannot believe that the old master''s medicine is so powerful... Does this means my young master no longer needs to use the wheelchair anymore?" Xiao-Ke is totally misunderstood.


    Instead of getting doubtful of Qin Lan, he was more than willing to convince himself that this miracle is made happen by the Fiery Pear Flower given by Qin Tian.


    "Xiao-Ke,e and have a seat first. Xiao Yun too. But make sure that you lock the door this time." Qin Lan held and moved Xiao-Ke over to a chair as he made him sit. Xiao Yun followed and took another seat.


    "Listen to me..." Qin Lan repeated what he told Xiao Yun once more while both of them patiently listened. Although he kept his real identity as a reincarnated person a secret, Qin Lan hardly leaves a w in between his story for them to be suspicious.


    In the morning the next day, the trio behaves regrly. But only Qin Lan knows that from today onward, their lives are going to undergo a qualitative change.


    ...


    ...


    "Listen carefully, Xiao Yun. From today onwards, you shall be given the surname (Lu/Dew) to memorialize the fact you''re now a member of the long lost Kuangshan Lu Sect." Qin Lan used the fresh blood from the white marten yesterday to write a sophisticated inscription on both of her arms.


    Once thest stroke of the demonic inscriptionnguage was drawn, the blood seeps inside Xiao Yun''s body. Ayer of crimson-red protectiveyer soon appeared before Xiao Yun''s undeveloped Golden Core located on a little lower of her navel.


    "You will receive the name (Lu Qing Yun, Azure Cloud) from the master of Kuangshan Lu Sect. Using the rights bestowed to me, I''ll transfer to you the first chapter of Clear Cloud Lotus Art to start preparing a stable cultivation foundation." Qin Lan said as he totally immersed himself in the act.


    "As for you, Xiao-Ke. You shall be given the same surname as well. From today onwards, you''ll be called (Lu Yi, Dew / Upright) of the Kuangshan Lu Sect. Using the same right that was bestowed to me, I''ll transfer to you the Heaven Firmament Art." Qin Lan repeated the same thing as he did on Xiao-Ke, and gave him a much proper name.


    Reading the content of the cultivation art for them to memorize, Qin Lan guided both of them as they started. It was also chosen on purpose because Qin Lan intended to create two proper foundations as he grooms both of them.


    He continued to monitor their progress as he brings the morning mist inside his body. As his body is now simr to a spiritual energy container, sucking in all the avable morning mist is nothing but a mere task for him.


    Out of a sudden, a hint of spiritual fluctuation within his body brings out a smile on his face.


    The sculpting process of perfecting his right leg has finallypleted, leaving only seven imperfections from the previous nine. Additionally, his overall physique now developed to the second-level of Flesh Refining Layer, which isparable to Kun Ning''s strength.


    But if they met, Qin Lan is confident that it won''t take him more than ten moves to defeat the so-called Rainbow Palm expert.


    As someone who''s already at the first-level of Flesh Refining Layer, Lu Yi''s adaptability can be said to be a level above Lu Qing Yun. Although Lu Qing Yun''sprehension is considerably fast, they''re merely half of what Lu Yi can do.


    The Spiritual Energy fluctuates around Lu Yi before they formed into needles pricking into his flesh. Impurities started to ooze outside of his body, a drop at a time as more and more Spiritual Energy was used.


    It was a painful process for Lu Yi. But for him to achieve the threshold of Middle-Attainment Rank before they passed 17 years old, such a measure is needed.


    Meanwhile, Lu Qing Yun''s cultivation feedback is more serene. But deep inside her mind, it was like getting entrapped in a maze of clouds without an exit.


    Between them, he would have to put in more effort on Lu Qing Yun because overusing her spiritual and mental strength could cause her mind to copse.


    "Clear your mind from other thoughts. Only a lotus with clear surroundings could you see further." Qin Lan whispered.


    "Do not rush, as there''s nothing behind you.


    Do not stop, as the exit is not before you.


    And do not give up because you''re still searching."


    The mantra he taught her has repeated over and over again. It takes her close to two-third of the incense stick of time to found her path once more.


    When Lu Qing Yun opened her eyes again, some of her doubt has been cleared. She started to grasp the meaning behind the three rows of mantra Qin Lan taught her.


    "We''re done for today. Let''s continue tomorrow." Qin Lan said. In his mind, adequate training is the best for both of them to start.


    ...


    ...


    "Again!" ady in her fifteenth years old shouted. Right before her is a group of fighters panting from fighting nonstop for close to two hours.


    She''s dressed in a body-hugging-attire that perfectly showcases all the goods on her body, top till the leg. Covering her from overexposing all her goods is a cloak made from a demon beast.


    "Lady Hu, why don''t we stop here today?" a female butler with the beauty matching up to this maiden stopped her from continuing.


    "No! There''s less than a month for the Annual Hunting Festival. Only by advancing to the third-level of Flesh Refining Layer can I be confident about winning the Foundation Advancement Pill." Lady Hu or Hu Jia replied.


    "Get up! Enough rest for all of you!" Hu Jia ignored what her female butler is going to say and continue to force the servants to spar against her.


    "Aii... Our youngdy''s temper is too fiery. If she kept behaving like this, until when our old master has to wait before she willingly gets married?" the female butler sighed while walking closer to a wounded servant near her.


    "Water Goddess Palm," she gave the servant a few ps on his body as she moves to another. It took her less than five minutes to aplish what Hu Jia was struggling to achieve.


    "Th - Thank you," the servants sat down quickly to direct the energy from her Water Goddess Palm to mend their external injuries.


    ...


    ...


    "Go back to rest. I''ll have to sneak outside of the Qin Family Manor to meet our teacher." Qin Lan ordered them to rest as he prepared to leave the manor secretly.


    "Servant understands." Lu Qing Yun excused herself as her room was located at the other end of the private courtyard. As for Lu Yi, he sat in a meditating position after swallowing a Flesh Foundation Pill.


    Qin Lan left his room through a window carefully and took the shortest route to the outside of the Qin Family Manor.


    With a cultivation achievement of second-level of Flesh Refining Layer, he''s capable of moving around the Fu-Rong Town with twice the speedpared to before.


    The wall separating the town from outside is no longer an obstacle to him as a few jumps are all he needs to reach the other side. He charged straight into the Western Demon Forest without a hint of hesitation disyed on his face.


    "That''s it. Time to get crazy while I take a small share of what you guys have." Qin Lan scattered some crumbles from a hardened dough all over the ground as he tossed the remaining further away with the corpse of the white marten he butchered this morning.


    He made a jump onto a nearby tree as he anticipated their reaction.


    Less than a minuteter, a swarm of insects came out from all opening of their nest as they attacked the irresistible treat scattered by Qin Lan. But little did they know that it was on purpose.


    Using the opportunity while the insects are digesting the food they''ve eaten, Qin Lan went to their nest as he unearths some of the soil. It was an attempt filled with gambling essence as the nest was built below the surface. Hence, it is harder for him to locate the treasure trove he desired.


    And frankly speaking, there are not many people who dare to mess with the nest of the Foul Essence Ants. Just like their name, those who were unlucky enough to be bitten by a Foul Essence Ant could put themselves at risk of hallucination and poisoned.


    They are also one of the few types of demon insects with a smaller poption. With a body of about the size of an infant''s head, a nest of Foul Essence Ants usually housed close to a hundred to two hundred of them.


    His first attempt resulted in a failure as Qin Lan failed to find the core of their nest.


    More food was scattered around the swarm of close to two hundred Foul Essence Ants. If Qin Lan still failed to unearth the spot he''s looking for, his effort for today will be for nothing.


    Luckily, heaven favors those with preparation.


    The part of the soil he was going to remove is exceptionally denser around here, which demanded Qin Lan and all of his strength.


    "Aargh!" he forcefully removes a part of the hardened soil that''s likely processed by the Foul Essence Ant''s bodily fluid and saliva. And Qin Lan wanted tough right at this moment.


    That''s because he was greeted by a pool of viscous liquid. But instead of looking ck and purple like the Foul Essence Ants, they came in a beautiful silver color, like it was a pool of liquid silver.


    "What luck! Even taking a few bottles of the essence here would be enough for me to get wealthy from selling the amulets!" Qin Lan chuckled.

 Chapter 11: Flesh Mending Pill (1)

    Chapter 11: Flesh Mending Pill (1)


    "Young master, good morning!" Lu Qing Yun came over to the foggy private garden belonged to Qin Lan. A few days have actually passed from the day Qin Lan found the Foul Essence Silver Ink.


    "En. Take your valuable time to cultivate first. We''ll talk about itter." Qin Lan said as he continues with his own practice over a piece of paper on the table.


    The foggy private garden grew clearer as time passed. That''s because Qin Lan''s breathing technique was getting smoother than before, therefore allowing him to inhale more air than before into his spiritual container body.


    But as his cultivation continues to grow, the amount of pure spiritual energy he needed also rises. Qin Lan estimates that without a thousand to two thousand Flesh Formation Pills, it would be difficult for him to advance into the third-level.


    Which is why he''s currently practicing his writing while he has nothing else to do.


    "Young master, I''vepleted a cycle of the Heaven Firmament Practice." Lu Yi came forward to Qin Lan''s side as he poured a cup of tea to his young master.


    Qin Lan continued with his Demonic Inscription Language for a little longer until Lu Qing Yun finished her cycle of Clear Cloud Lotus Art. The trio returned to Qin Lan''s room.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master, are you going to refine a pill?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "That''s correct. Our master taught me something about the pills for these few nights so we can afford to pay for our own pills." Qin Lan continued with his so-called me everything on the teacher trick.


    "Of course, part of the reason is due to our family''s background as a pharmaceutical business. Doing business with pills would be the best for now," he added.


    "Both of you will be my assistant for today." Qin Lan patiently guides both of them through the medicinal herbs and other ingredients, such as spices and seeds.


    Their attention soon moved to other apanying material, such as types of wood, cauldrons, and techniques.


    Close to an incense stick of timeter, Qin Lan started.


    "We''re going to concoct a batch of Flesh Mending Pill first. Follow my lead and do not get panic. It will be good training for both of you as it teaches both of you to maintain a calm and steady mindset and develops yourprehension." Qin Lan said.


    "Yes, third young master." both of them nodded and steeled their mentality as Qin Lan guides them throughout the process.


    "Qing Yun, twenty stalks of Sweet Dragon Grasses. After that, prepare the fresh Six-Leaves Sage ording to the same weight. I''ll need them before the medicine cauldron reaches the required temperature."


    "Lu Yi will ground the Fragrant Wood to dust along with the same weight of Gypsum Powder. Then start the fire after you''re done using coal. Remember, it''s mineral coal, not charcoal." Qin Lan instructed them on what to do while he prepares everything else.


    The situation inside of the room immediately turns havoc as it was the first time for both Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun. Qin Lan asionally reminded them of what to do next. Still, at the end of their preparation, two incense sticks of time had passed.


    He knows that a sect wasn''t built in a day or two.


    As the ancestor and also the progenitor of the Kuangshan Lu Sect, Qin Lan used a little over ten centuries to create the ideal Kuangshan Mountain Prefecture for the sake of cultivation. Disciples alone expand across twenty-five generations, which can only be achievable by a miracle.


    "Listen to me very carefully." Qin Lan started to teach them how to concoct pills of lower quality. And to begin, the Flesh Mending Pill is indeed the best optionpared to the trash quality Blood Clotting Pill.


    Such an opinion is ced on thetter was because there was no quality control is needed. As one of the few avable pills to tend injuries and wounds, the recipe for Blood Clotting Pill varied from one another. Some pharmacies might sell a much more potent version topare with other shops, but at the end of the day, it is just a mere 10 copper coins merchandise.


    Hence, there was no demand for improvement. The medication remained highly sought after, but that''s because there''s no other option is avable for themoners to choose from.


    That is also a reason why Qin Lan chose to concoct the Flesh Mending Pill instead. First of all, it was the best introductory pill for Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun to prepare with his guidance. And secondly, it''s because of the recipe of this medicinal pill.


    When the first reincarnation Qin Lan created this recipe, he was obsessed with everything that could happen in a life''s karmic cycle.


    By his own logic and the billions ofmoner''s life in Kuangshan Mountain Prefecture, Qin Lan studied the reason. Why couldn''t a medicinal pill that could cure all suffering exists?


    The answer he got is because there are more than one Laws that govern life. His studies gave birth to the understanding of Fate, Cycle, Karmic, Cause, and Flow.


    But still stubborn with his obsession, the first reincarnation Qin Lan created this Form he named Flesh Mending Pill to challenge the five governingws. It was a pill, but it was the origin as well.


    A recipe that neither the main norpliment.


    A recipe that neitherpetent nor ipetent.


    "ce the ingredient into the medicinal cauldron and increase the intensity of the mes."


    "Add the Fragrant Wood powder while Qing Yun stirs the concoction to its maturity. Adjust the me temperature two times lower now."


    "If you examined the concoction, you''ll notice some impurities. Removes them because they''ll affect the belly of the one taking the pill in the future." Qin Lan knows that there is much more for them to learn.


    The remaining ingredients are added into the medicine cauldron toplete the concocting process. While at the same time, Qin Lan guided them on the step of turning them into pellets.


    "Is this really what we''ve made?" Lu Yi had the urge to try one to see how good is the pill that took him so much effort. It was even more than what he usually does on behalf of his young master.


    "My Third Young Master, although you taught us about the preparation and process, you''ve yet to tell us about this Flesh Mending Pill''s effect." Lu Qing Yun said.


    "Yes, I wanted to know what''s the effect of the pill we made too," Lu Yi added.


    "Well, like how it was described in its name, this medicine we made is to help us recover faster. Although there''s no spiritual energy fluctuating inside the pill, that doesn''t mean it can''t be done."


    "When all of our pill making skills are better, I''ll show both of you what teacher taught me again." Qin Lan chuckled and hope that they''ll be satisfied with his answer.


    ...


    ...


    "Is the owner of the pharmacy is around?" a mysterious individual with an eye mask came into the Qin Family Pharmacy. His question somewhat puzzled the two guards on the door, but they did not make him waited too long.


    The second elder was coincidently in the pharmacy. Hence, the mysterious individual was invited into one of the private rooms for a discussion.


    This younger brother, I wonder what brings you here today?" Qin Kun, the second elder of the Qin Family, asked. And since Qin Kun''s knowledge in medicine is considered a few of the best in this Fu-Rong Town, he was the best person to consult about what this mysterious individual want.


    "I would like to sell some pills here and also purchase some ingredients," the mysterious individual brought out a total of ten medicinal bottles filled to the brim. There were fifty pellets within a bottle, totaling up to 500 pills.


    "Please excuse me for my rudeness," Qin Kun poured the content from one of the ten bottles out to inspect their quality. But the more he looks at them, the further his puzzled expression went.


    It was just a higher-quality pill simr to the Blood Clotting Pill, but twice the medicinal effectiveness. Each pellet resembles the others inside of the same bottle, presumably made from a single batch of concoction.


    Then, a poison test and vor taste are conducted before one of the pills in the examination was pped into powder form.


    "There''s little to no impurities!" Qin Kun is secretly admiring the skill of this mysterious individual seated across him, seeping on the cup of tea.


    "Is the ten bottles of medicinal pills here all concocted by sire? May I have the honor to ask for your name?" Qin Kun''s attitude changed. He presumes that the person before him should be the pill master that made them.


    "You can just address me as Pharmacist Lu." the mysterious individual answered simply. Based on how he''s dressed, Qin Kun could guess why.


    "What I''ve shown you here is called Flesh Mending Pill. It was one of the few medicinal pills that my teacher and I refined and created in our free time." the mysterious individual added.


    "Flesh Mending Pill, an excellent choice of its name!" Qin Kun poured the tray of medicinal pills back into its container as he praised the Pharmacist.


    "I''m looking forward to a long cooperation. Each pellet will be sold to the Qin Family Pharmacy for 10 copper coins and a set of Sweet Dragon Grass, Fragrant Wood, and Incense Flower."


    "As for your selling price, I hope you can think on behalf of themoners and sell them for a fair price." Pharmacist Lu did not forget to add hisst sentence to shows how much he cares about the less privileged individuals.


    "No problem, Pharmacist Lu. Our Qin Family Pharmacy is always well known for quality, value, and mutual understanding. Overcharging our clients and people that help to make this Fu-Rong Town running is not in our business policy." replied Qin Kun.


    "That''s great. I''ll be relying on you, Pharmacist Qin."


    Not too long after that, the mysterious individual left the Qin Family Pharmacy with threerge rucksacks filled with raw medicinal ingredients. There''s also an extra fifty pieces of silver coins in his waist pocket.


    "Third Granduncle, how harmonious if your attitude was like this when you''re in the family hall... Grandfather will be delighted if he sees it." Qin Lan moves like a gust of wind as he threaded across alleyways and houses until he''s back to the Qin Family Manor.

 Chapter 12: Flesh Mending Pill (2)

    Chapter 12: Flesh Mending Pill (2)


    At dawn, Lu Yi returned from the Qin Family Pharmacy with five kinds of medicinal herbs and spices required to concoct the Flesh Mending Pill.


    It was an eye-catching day for him because the pharmacy is literally swarming with people to purchase the "recently advertised" Flesh Mending Pill. Little did the staff and customers know that this guy in a servant uniform is, in fact, one of the three people who prepared it.


    Along with the three ingredients Qin Lan brought home, that''s a total of eight different medicinal ingredients.


    The facade of only asking for three was to give Qin Kun a blind impression that only three ingredients are required to concoct this medicinal pill. That''s because until now, the hidden culprit behind Qin Lan''s case is yet to be caught.


    But the current Qin Lan has a more important thing to do.


    Arranged nicely on the table are twelve pieces of leather made from the White Marten Demon, an ink tter with Foul Essence Ink, and a high-quality brush made from the hair of a demonic beast.


    Also, after practicing Heaven Firmament Art, Lu Yi''s temperament can be said to be much better. He calmly entered the room that was so quiet without creating too much of a noise that could disturb his young master.


    With a hand holding the end of his right, long sleeve, Qin Lan stretched his hand out to reach for the brush.


    Then, the tip of the brush is gently dipped into the puddle of Foul Essence Ink. An adequate amount of ink followed as he brings it over to the piece of the leather amulet for inscriptions.


    **Siii...**


    The moment the first strokends on top of the letter, the sound of corrosion between the ink, leather, and spiritual energy can be heard. The ink burned into the leather as Qin Lan tried his best toplete them in a single stroke.


    But before the final touch happened, the ink on the brush ran out. The corrosion quickly spreads across the entire piece of leather as it was quickly turned into a pile of burnt animal skin.


    "This..." Lu Yi ced the sacks of medicinal herbs aside and made his way closer to the table. He couldn''t believe what he had just witnessed.


    If somebody else tells him about this, he might simplyugh it off while questioning that person''s sanity. But today, seeing it on the spot made Lu Yi understands more.


    These oddities in this world cannot be described with words alone.


    "Calm down. I''m still learning and getting used to, so wasting a few of the leather amulets is normal. I''ll improve with the more practice I get." Qin Lan allowed Lu Qing Yun to wipe away the sweat on his forehead and neck.


    As she did that, a hint of lotus fragrance slowly came into Qin Lan''s sense, which seems to make him realized something important.


    "Qing Yun. Have anyone told you about your birth and how?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Hmm, I remembered that before I was sold to the Qin Family Manor, my family lives near a lotus pond. My dead parents used to be a farmer and sell lotus pods while he has some free time." Qing Yun tried to remember her life before she was sold as a servant to the Qin Family.


    In fact, not only Lu Qing Yun came to the Qin Family Manor this way. Even Lu Yi and half of the servants within this manor was adopted by the Qin Family since they''re young. One of the reasons behind this is because they could groom those with talent. Also, it could build up their loyalty to the family as they get older.


    "Then, do you have some birthmark like a lotus anywhere on your body?" Qin Lan''s next question brings blushes onto her face again. But for the first time, Lu Yi shows a different reaction.


    He remembered that once, he asked Lu Qing Yun about the Lotus-like birthmark located on the back of her right shoulder.


    "Y - Yes..." Lu Qing Yun lowered her head as she answered.


    "Then, be careful. Make sure that nobody sees your birthmark because there''s something hidden behind the origin of the birthmark. I''ll talk to our teacher about it in the future, and we''ll see what he can do for you." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Let us continue," Qin Lan picked the brush with his hand again and started with the second, third until thest piece of the leather amulet was consumed. At the end of his trial, only three managed to ovee the adversity and obstructions.


    "What kind of thing are these demonic amulets, young master? To think that only a quarter of them managed to ovee the trial of turning into ashes..." Lu Yi''s interest in the demonic amulets increased slightly. Perhaps it is due to the nature of the cultivation art he''s cultivating.


    Just like the Heaven Firmament Art, the demonic amulet also undergoes small qualitative changes as it was inscribed. It is also one of the cultivation world''s kinds of knowledge and profession to create a foundation for something.


    "Demonic Amulet is a kind of protective treasure. From life to travel, creating a safe zone to altering your surrounding, all is possible as long you''re capable of creating it." Qin Lan roughly describes the way a Demonic Amulet can be used.


    "To use them, just inserting your Spiritual Energy would do. But some of the Demonic Amulets requires a unique method to control, which we will learn more about itter." Qin Land held one of the three Demonic Amulets he made with two fingers and demonstrated.


    "Then, what kind of Demonic Amulet is this?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "Running Amulet. Having this amulet on our body allowed us to move three times faster for an hour. If it takes us three days without rest to the nearby Su-Hang Town, then with this Running Amulet, we''ll be able to reach within one day if we keep using it." Qin Lan smiled as he replied.


    "WHAT???" Both Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun lost control of their jaw due to the surprise.


    "But don''t forget, it is just for an hour. Also, don''t forget that we''re still using our own stamina as we move. So we''ll get tired more easily." Qin Lan returned to the wheelchair he''s been sitting on for quite some time.


    "What about the price?" Lu Qing Yun asked another question.


    "Around ten pieces of gold coins, if there''s a demand for it. This is a self-protection Demonic Amulet, after all." Qin Lan answered.


    Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun stare at each other. They were speechless, especially Lu Qing Yun, who''s rarely dealing with money because there''s no reason for her to do so. Even a noodle stall owner might have more conscience and greed towards the money inparison to the servants of the Qin Family.


    **Knock - Knock - Knock**


    The door into the room was knocked three times, signaling the arrival of a servant with instructions.


    "Who is this?" Qin Lan raised his voice to question the servant that came without a prior appointment. While at the same time, Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun quickly tidied the room so it won''t look like a mess as it was right now.


    "Answering to the third young master''s question, this is Xiao-Gong, the butler of the patriarch. Old master requested for your arrival over to his elder''s dining hall to enjoy a dinner together."


    "The patriarch reminded me to bring Xiao-Ke and Xiao Yun along." the butler politely introduced himself behind the door.


    "Ah, it''s Butler Gong. I''ll being out after Xiao-Ke and Xiao Yun help me get a change of cloth. Butler Gong, please wait for us," Qin Lan replied. He immediately went behind the changing curtain and changed while the other two is still cleaning up.


    After a while, all three of them came out. Xiao-Ke was pushing the wheelchair, while Xiao Yun is followed by the side.


    Nobody speaks on their way to the elders'' dining hall. But knowing what to expect, Qin Lan remained calm and collected until they''re finally inside the hall itself.


    Except for the upper echelon of the Qin Family, the six oldest youths from Qin Family also present. Other than that, there are two tables set aside near the master table, which is specifically prepared for honored guests.


    The two tables of guests finally made their appearance along with Qin Tian and other elders, after they''ve been waiting for close to an incense stick of time.


    "That''s the Hu Family and Chu Family!" Qin Huang was the first one to recognize the two groups of guests wearing their own distinctive family color. The Hu preferred red in their overall garment, while the Chu preferred violet.


    As for the Qin Family, their choice of color is either Sky-Blue like Qin Lan or a shade darker like Qin Tian''s depth blue.


    Only the Jiao Family is obsessed with green, but none of them are here today at this banquet.


    "Everyone, to your seat please," Qin Tian waved his hand as he shows where the members from Hu and Chu Families will be seating. The first and third elder are arranged together to a table, second elder and fourth elder likewise.


    Amongst the youngster''s generation, Qin Lan was the only one to be given special treatment, as he was arranged to be seated by Qin Tian''s side. He''s also the only one with two attendants apanying him because of his disability.


    "Lan-Er,e with grandfather. I''ll introduce you to the patriarch of the Hu Family, Hu Yong." Qin Tian waved his hand before Qin Lan and Xiao-Ke.


    "Brother Yong, please met my third grandson, Qin Lan." Qin Tian said.


    "Hahaha, brother Tian, I heard that your third grandson''s recovery is going very well. From the way he looked, he''s on the right track!" Hu Yongughed and extended his hand over to his granddaughter.


    "This is my beloved granddaughter, Hu Jia. Jia-Er, I hope you''ll get along with Lan-Er. Feelings can be developed once both of you get married." Hu Yong''s word dropped a hint of what the elders are trying to arrange between them.


    "Greetings, Lady Hu," Qin Lan greets her while he''s still seated in the wheelchair. He knows that the issue behind this is not as simple as just a banquet.


    "Humph! How can I be arranged to marry a cripple? I don''t want to push him wherever he wanted to go!" Hu Jia immediately vents her dissatisfaction by throwing the gift her grandfather prepared at Qin Lan.


    But none of them noticed how smooth is Qin Lan''s hand movement that catches the box before itnded on his groin! They''re all anticipating what Qin Tian and Hu Yong would do after hearing what Hu Jia has just said!


    "Ahem." Qin Lan coughed once.


    "As you can see, Lady Hu, I have servants beside me for that. If I''ve really managed to marry a beautiful and charming wife like you, of course, I''ll be waiting for you by the bed so we can warm each other together."


    "We can leave pushing me around and eating to my servants." Qin Lan retorted.

 Chapter 13: Flesh Mending Pill (3)

    Chapter 13: Flesh Mending Pill (3)


    "Are you looking down on me because I''m a woman?" Hu Jia stares intensely at the seated Qin Lan. Her hand is slowly reaching to the whip hidden behind her cloak as she had the urge to struck Qin Lan down right on where he''s at.


    "Lady Hu, as a well-educated gentleman, and also one of the members of the prestigious Qin Family, how can I be looking down on you just because you''re a woman?" Qin Lan said. His way of describing himself first before he continues surprised everyone present in this Elders'' Hall.


    "I am merely describing how honored I would felt if I managed to bring a wife like Lady Hu Jia back to my sleeping chamber. Your beauty in red is like the maple leaves raining down onto my front yard, bringing fortune and delight to my family day after day."


    "Although I''m a cripple, I cherish my woman. Having her pushing my wheelchair hurts my heart. Furthermore, with someone as proud as Lady Hu Jia as my wife, how can I bear the me for not being able to satisfy her?" Qin Lan added.


    He mixed both praises and perverted thought into one logic as he made her speechless.


    "This... This..." Qin Lan''s shameless word of affection made her unable to continue. Half of her wanted to hide inside a hole from embarrassment, while the other half is somewhat feeling good from listening to what he just said.


    (Ah... This brat''s skill in picking updies is actually this strong. Perhaps even the birds perching on the tree wille to his shoulder voluntarily for a moment of his affection)


    Qin Tian rxed his hand that unconsciously formed into a fist. He turned his sight to Hu Yong, the patriarch of the Hu family, as both of them exchanged a smile and a nod.


    "I can''t be the only one to receive a gift. Xiao Yun, can you bring the box out for me?" Qin Lan ordered. Lu Qing Yun soon withdraws a box from the storage sack on the back of the wheelchair and handing it to her young master''s hand.


    "Miss Hu, please," Qin Lan opened the box with a set of three Running Amulets.


    "This..." Hu Jia was shocked by Qin Lan''s generosity of giving her three hard to obtain demonic amulets without a change of expression.


    One has to know that although both the demonic amulet and Flesh Foundation Pill roughly cost the same, thetter is much easier to get and affordable.


    "Humph!" Hu Jia epted the box with three demonic amulets and returned to her seat. Suddenly, Qin Lan noticed that a small curve appeared from the edge of her lips, exposing a hint of her smiling.


    "Grandfather..." Qin Lan nudged his grandfather''s sleeve.


    "Bring the dishes out! Serve a bottle of my treasured Six-Miles of Fragrance Wine to both patriarchs!" Qin Tianughed.


    ...


    ...


    "Lan-Er, thank you for solving this knot in your grandfather''s heart today." Qin Tian personally pushed Qin Lan back to the private courtyard after the banquet. Deep inside his heart, he felt happy that Qin Lan is bing more understanding than before. But at the same time, it wasn''t like Qin Lan became a different person.


    Perhaps using the word "matured" would sound better.


    "I won''t hide the truth from you. Actually, your grandfather heard that the patriarch of the Hu Family has a treasure known as Core Replenishing Liquid. That treasure is something their previous patriarch found by chance but has no reason to use it."


    Feeling bad for keeping his recovery a secret, Qin Lan gently released a sigh. Both of his servants found out about the change in their young master''s tone too, but remain silent as there is no reason for them to join their conversation.


    "Grandfather, I understand the importance of the Core Replenishing Liquid, but may I suggest an alternative?" Qin Lan wanted to try and change his grandfather''s mind, in case the price they''re paying end up bing too much to bear.


    Of course, it wasn''t because he''s reluctant about taking Hu Jia as his legitimate bride. That feisty woman does possess some quality that could make men drool when she''s lying on the bed. Furthermore, as someone who''s having his 2nd chance at life now, his view towards marriage can be sad to be much more thoughtful.


    His concern is mainly on how legit is the Core Replenishing Liquid, where even in his first reincarnation, he had only seen it once.


    "I''ll respect my grandson''s wish. If you''re not satisfied with Hu Jia, we''ll look for another miracle treasure that can help you regain your cultivation." Qin Tian is somewhat saddened, but he tried to keep it from showing on his face.


    "Oh! Do you know that something interesting came up to our pharmacy today? Your third granduncle met an amazing Pill Master today. His surname is Lu, which is quite special considering there''s nobody with this surname in our entire Fu-Rong Town."


    "He traded 500 of his own creation, called Flesh Mending Pill, in exchange for a mere 50 pieces of silver coins and three sacks of the medicinal herbs." Qin Tian shared the good news with his grandson as they''re approaching the private courtyard.


    "I''ve heard about it from Xiao-Ke too. But it should be impossible for the business to be booming just from the appearance of a new medicinal pill. Don''t tell me it can bring dead people back to life?"


    "impossible. If it does, then Xiao-Ke will let me know the moment he came back." Qin Lan acted like he''s puzzled by Qin Tian''s sentence.


    "Of course not." Qin Tian stopped pushing the wheelchair and grab a seat on a nearby piece of a boulder.


    "Coincidently, the people from Chu Family came and requested your third granduncle to save a person''s life, who turned up to be Chu Xiang." Qin Tian smiled as he mentioned the name [Chu Xiang] before his grandson.


    "Chu Xiang? The youngest of the Chu Family amongst father''s generation, also known as the Righteous Spear, Chu Xiang? Him?" Qin Lan made a guess.


    "Correct. And guess what your third granduncle do? He fed a Wound Mending Pill along with a Soul Consolidating Pill and Breath Preservation Pill to keep him from leaving this world. Then, he immediately helps Chu Xiang to digest the three pills faster, which ends up saving his life!" Qin Tian happily shared the news with Qin Lan, not knowing that in Qin Lan''s mind, he was thinking about something else.


    "Sss... Ahh..."


    "Soul Consolidating, a hundred pieces of gold coin each..."


    "Breath Preservation, two hundred pieces of gold coin each..."


    "Chu Xiang... Chu Xiang... You''re going to have a very smooth journey in your future cultivation." Qin Lan nodded sorrowly. He''s ming himself for not asking because only two of each of these pills is more than enough to rece the effect he get from taking four drops of Changshen Dew.


    "Let''s hope that this Pharmacist Lu will have some miraculous medicine that can help you recover your Golden Core again. Even if he wants the entire Qin Family Manor, I''ll transfer it to him without a need to think!" Qin Tian said.


    ...


    ...


    "My third young master, why are you looking so sorrowful?" Lu Qing Yun asked as she patiently cleaned her young master''s shoulder. Even if the fact about him able to walk and cultivate has been exposed, it does not change the fact that he''s still entitled to such treatment.


    "I was thinking about the karmic cycle of our life." Qin Lan answered.


    "Karmic? The cycle of our life?" Lu Qing Yun bends her head a little as she couldn''t understand Qin Lan''s words.


    "Let''s say that I nt a tree because I want to eat the fruit. But I can''t wait for ten years for it to grow. So while waiting, I went to the forest and captured a family of birds and grilled them to fill my stomach. This is what we call the start of a cycle," Qin Lan started to describe it simply.


    "But I left two of the bird eggs untouched. When they hatched and grow, the bird ends up as a pair of a rare breed of demon beast that then in love with the tree I watered painstakingly for ten years."


    "So we end up fighting." Qin Lan added.


    "And then?" Lu Qing Yun still patiently listened to Qin Lan.


    "If I won, that''s because my cause is a righteous one. Furthermore, I just destroyed the leftover karma of what I had done ten years ago."


    "But if I lose, that means my fruit of ten yearsbor will end up as a reward to them. So instead of enjoying my own fruit of effort and perseverance, I''ve actually paid it back with my life and ten years of effort." Qin Lan ends his story-telling here.


    "So, karma is bad?" Lu Qing Yun continued as she wipes the droplets of water from her young master''s shoulder and neck.


    "Not really. But one has to be responsible for the karma sowed."


    "Go back and rest or cultivate. We''ll continue with everything tomorrow." Qin Lan smiled as he returned to his sleeping chamber.


    "The Hu and Chu Family here is one thing, but grandfather is hiding another matter from me... Three weeks to go, and we''ll see what it has to do with the Annual Hunting Festival." Qin Lan shakes his head as he started to get a hold of what''s actually happening.

 Chapter 14: Private Room

    Chapter 14: Private Room


    "Finally done!" Lu Yi raised both his hands above his head to celebrates thepletion of his task. His few days of struggle with processing the medicinal herbs are finally over as he nced towards a corner with a wooden crate.


    In Qin Lan''s recipe, producing a pot of the Flesh Mending Pill''s concoction requires an even number or weight of eight different medicinal ingredients.


    Twenty stalks of Sweet Dragon Grasses - Six-Leaves Sage - Fragrant Wood - Gypsum Powder - Incense Flower - and three kinds of dried medicinal spices.


    Fifty pellets a pot is how much they could make in each batch, from firing to rolling the coagted concoction into a bite-size pill. And from Qin Lan''s previous exchange, 500 sets can also be tranted into 25 batches.


    This means Qin Lan had more than enough to produce 1,250 pills to be delivered to the Qin Family Pharmacy again.


    But what Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun never think about is the difficulties to maintain the same mentality throughout the entire pill-making process. Completing five batches at a go would only take a toll on their concentration, but when ites to ten, things changed.


    Making ten batches of pills at once exhausted them not only mentally but spiritually. Except for Qin Lan, the other two almost copsed on the spot from the sheer pressure itself.


    Lucky for both of them, abination of Flesh Mending Pill and Flesh Foundation Pill gave them a miraculous effect of soothing both mental and spiritual.


    "Young master, I''ll head to the kitchen to prepare some food first." Lu Qing Yun excused herself from Qin Lan''s room.


    "Lu Yi, you''ll tidy the room while I''m out." Qin Lan donned his humble and down to earth attire of pharmacist as he prepares to leave through the windows.


    "I''ll make sure it''s clean by the time you''re home, young master," he answered.


    And without further ado, Qin Lan left the Qin Family Manor through the backyard. Since it was the nearest exit from his private garden to the outside, the security is almost none existent.


    Qin Lan made his trip to the pharmacy without a hurry.


    ...


    ...


    "Hah... Hah..." a youngster about Qin Lan''s age was trying to catch his breath as he hides behind a useless wooden crate. Just as he was going to take a peek behind him, a kick came. The youngster''s head knocked on the wall, which almost took him out of consciousness.


    Housekeeper Kun, please have mercy... This lowly one promise that I''ll return what I''ve borrowed after I get the money." the youngster kneeled and begged with his head on the floor.


    "Can you even afford to pay me fifty silver coins? Too bad your sister killed herself before I can ravage her and toss her into the brothel. If not, you won''t need to suffer from all these treatments!" the one called Housekeeper Kun steps on the youngster''s head as he speaks.


    His words made the youngster tighten his fist, but for a chance of survival, he decided to keep this anger inside him for a little longer.


    (I''ll survive through this. Just you wait until I enter the Cloud Plucking Sect)


    The youngster grit his teeth and bear the humiliation while the one called Housekeeper Kun lowered his pants to pee on him.


    "Ahem! Messing with people''s dignity wasn''t an honorable act, especially in the early morning." Qin Lan adjusted the tone of his as he warned the bullies.


    (Eh? How can it be him?)


    Qin Lan was shocked by the identity of the bully and his two subordinates. He has no idea that fate would put them together once more at an alleyway right behind their Qin Family Manor.


    "Who are you? You better not mess with people like us." Kun Ning turned around and pointed his index finger at Qin Lan.


    "Just someone that hates to see injustice in the early morning. I don''t care what''s wrong between both of you, but hitting someone with three people is quite mean, don''t you think so?" Qin Lan answered.


    "You! I''ve been holding myself for quite some time. Since you seem strong, then let''s see if you have the power to back your words!" Kun Ning made a few steps forward and gathered his spiritual energy onto his right palm.


    "Rainbow Palm!" his hand emitted a mirage of a rainbow as he attacked.


    "Heh..." Qin Lan chuckled. The attack that looks impressive two months ago now seems to be nothing more than a move from a jester on the street show. Qin Lan effortlessly takes two steps aside to his right as he brings up his index finger.


    "Heart Puncturing Needle." Qin Lan used the same move as he did to the first White Marten Demon in Western Demon Forest. His blow that seems harmless punctured through the heart of Kun Ning''s palm at that single exchange, leaving him in pain the moment they shifted their position.


    "Ah - Ah - Aargh!!!" Kun Ning grabbed his right wrist as he cried in pain. He''s clueless about what had just happened, but he knows that this person before him is an expert!


    "You won''t be able to bully people anymore with that hand. Now get the hell off before I change my mind." Qin Lan warned.


    "Boss! Boss!" his two subordinates quickly drags Kun Ning and leave without leaving words of threat like they always do. As for the youngster, he''s too, speechless from witnessing what had just happened.


    "What''s your name? How can your cultivation of a second-level Flesh Refining Layer end up like this?" Qin Lan questioned the youngster about his age out of curiosity.


    "Huo Zunjie, that''s my name. I''m the only one who''s left from our family of four because we''ve offended someone we shouldn''t. The reason my cultivation worsened to this state is caused by those animals. They ambushed me when I''m fighting against an Amber Snake Demon." the youngster introduced himself.


    "Amber Snake Demon? The one with very dark skin that almost resembles the skin of a crystallized tree?" Qin Lan asked. If his suspicion is correct, then his choice to escapest time would be the smartest one he could have made.


    "Yes. It has a pair of hidden wings about two inches from the head and a bulging crown on the head," Huo Zunjie nodded.


    "That''s no longer a Demon Beast, but Demon Soldier. You''re considered lucky to leave with your life." Qin Lan said. He shook the bottle of pills before Huo Zunjie''s sight, urging him to open his hand to collect something Qin Lan is going to give him.


    "Sir, I''m grateful for your help, but please ignore this pitiful beggar. I am not worthy of any medicinal pills with my condition now." Huo Zunjie crawled two steps back until he''s obstructed by the wall. He hesitates because the current him is drenched with urine, dust, and wounds.


    "That''s why I''m giving you a pill. After taking it, I''ll be on my way, and you''ll be on yours. If fate brings us back again, I hope I''ll see a new Huo Zunjie and not the one that still lingered in sadness and hopelessness." Qin Lan said.


    "Thank you, kind cultivator... But I... I can no longer cultivate. My cultivation decreases the more I absorb the spiritual energy." Hun Zunjie held the Flesh Mending Pill with both hands as he added.


    "Have you heard the word [Not dying because you dare to die] before?" Qin Lan asked.


    "My education level is too shallow. I''m afraid that I have never heard about this sentence before." Huo Zunjie answered.


    Qin Lan smiled.


    "Since you dare to fight against the Amber Snake Demon Soldier before without worrying about your death, why are you worried about dying under its poison? If cultivation decreases, then all you need is to regain them back."


    "I''ll let youprehend my word on your own. If you couldn''t, then I guess that''s all your potential amounted to." Qin Lan chuckled and left Huo Zunjie there. But before he moves too far from him, he tossed a bottle of ten Flesh Foundation Pills onto the pitiful youngster''s head.


    "This!" Hun Zunjie picked the bottle up. After realizing that it was ten Flesh Foundation Pills, he immediately picked up his body and chased after Qin Lan. The only disappointment is his benefactor has long vanished from the alley they were at earlier.


    "Lord benefactor, I, Huo Zunjie, will not be defeated by a mere poison from the Amber Snake Demon. Please allow me to show my gratitude back to you in the future with my life." Huo Zunjie bowed towards where Qin Lan had left and returned to a broken hut nearby.


    ...


    ...


    "Pharmacist Lu!" Qin Kun personally came down from the upper floor the moment he heard about Qin Lan''s arrival. In his mind right now, this person is the most honored guest of the Qin Family.


    "Pharmacist Qin," Qin Lan politely greets his third grandfather without showing his emotion behind the mask.


    "Please,e in." Qin Kun immediately takes the lead as he escorted Qin Lan towards the guest room, which is now decorated with things and tools a Pill Master could use.


    "The room wasn''t like this thest time I came," Qin Lan said. He gently ces the wooden crate on the table before going through the books on the table.


    "Under my elder brother''s order, this room will now belong to Pharmacist Lu. If there''s anything you dislike, feel free to let me know, and I''ll have some servant to exchange them with something else immediately." Qin Kun slightly bowed and tried to clear the intention behind their action.


    "Oh? Qin Family Patriarch is too kind. This really makes this surname Lu feeling embarrassed for not bringing any gifts today." Qin Lan cupped his hand together and gently lowered his posture.


    "Pharmacist Lu, no need for such a gesture. Our Qin Family prepared this room just to show appreciation and gratitude on behalf of the people of Fu-Rong Town." Qin Kun followed what Qin Lan was doing, but lowering himself a little more than before.


    "I''ve brought twenty bottles of the Flesh Mending Pill here today. It should be enough to supply the town for a little while when I''m following my teacher on a road trip." Qin Lan understands the intention behind his grandfather and third granduncle.


    Thus, he quickly finds a reason to somewhat ept and rejected their proposal at the same time, to set aside the inconveniences that might happen in between.


    And by moving the topic to the Flesh Mending Pill instead of agreeing to ept their gesture, he could push this matter forward to the next one to two weeks. Or at least, until it was the day before the Annual Hunting Festival started to decide if he''s epting their goodwill.


    In fact, a thousand pills could barely supply a town''s consumption for a week. Qin Lan''s current step is just a move to keep their eagerness in control to cull all possible selfishness from appearing outside of his reach.


    "I believe that a thousand pills couldst for some time until Pharmacist Lu returns from his fortuitous road trip. If there''s any need to use this room by then, feel free toe inside our store using this set of keys," Qin Kun extends his palm out with a set of master-keys to enter the pharmacy.


    "Qin Family''s goodwill, I''ll temporarily ept them on behalf of my teacher." Qin Lan said as he epted the keys.

 Chapter 15: Demon Beast

    Chapter 15: Demon Beast


    "It''s been a week after my encounter with Lord benefactor. How I wish that he''ll continue to guide me in my cultivation..." Huo Zunjie''s cultivation is now down to thest bit of spiritual energy left inside of his body. He''s significantly weaker than before, but in terms of health, he''s now much better than a week ago.


    The miraculous pill his benefactor granted to him first connected his obstructed blood vessels, which help him to channel the spiritual energy much more efficiently. While at the same time, it also grants him an understanding of his cultivation.


    His word "Not Dying Because You Dare To Die" actually signifies the properties of the Amber Snake Demon''s poison within his body. Because the remnant of the poison in his body has contaminated his spiritual energy, they''re now no longer capable of withstanding the stress when used.


    That is also the reason why he''s getting weaker as he tries to consolidate his cultivation. Only by removing the corroded spiritual energy can he turn his body anew and restarting it all over again.


    And today was the seventh day.


    Huo Zunjie calmed his mind to prepare for what''sing next.


    Although he has little to no understanding of the character of his Lord benefactor, he believed that there is no reason for an expert to make a fool out of him. At most, he would just live as a man without a hint of cultivation.


    To themoners, cultivation wasn''t the most crucial subject in their concern, but its how to live their life without regrets.


    **Cough!**


    Huo Junzie coughed out the remaining few drops of the Amber Snake Demon''s poison. That also means he''s now like an empty vessel without a hint of spiritual energy at all. And without the nourishment, his body started to age at an unbelievable speed.


    Wrinkles appeared all over his body as if he turned from an 18 years old youthfuld into an elderly in his eighties.


    (I won''t lose... I won''t die from this... Stay conscious, stay... Con - Con - Conscious...)


    "Brother Huo! Brother Huo!" Huo Zunjie woke up on a bed the moment he opened his eyes. It was weird as hell to him.


    "Are you... Ma Ling?" he turned his gaze to the maiden that''s been repeating his name for a while now. She was his neighbor when his parents and older sister is still alive.


    "Yes. It''s me, Ling-Ling. My father and I found you unconscious inside your house, so we brought you over. Do you have a memory about what happened before you fainted?" she asked. At the same time, it is weird for this girl to have a red, cheeky blush on her face.


    Huo Zunjie shifted his gaze onto his body. He was somewhat surprised because he''s not an old, wrinkled man. Instead, he looked much healthier than before. But as he was not dressed right now, his thick and proud younger sibling is at full glory from showing off.


    It was like the arm of a young maiden. Not humongous, but irresistible.


    "Ah! I''m sorry, Ma Ling. I don''t know that I am not clothed..."


    ...


    ...


    Night.


    Three silhouette moves like the wind across the walls as they entered the Western Demon Forest.


    One of them scattered some crumbs made from the hardened bun all over the ground the moment they made their first stop. Then, another person, likely their leader, pointed in a direction that was drawn on their map.


    "Let''s go." the three of them vanished from their initial spot swiftly.


    "Young master... This movement art you teach us, how can it be so amazing? It was much faster than the one Qin Huang used while he''s sparring with the servants." Lu Yi asked as they move in between the trees and shrubs.


    "It might be due to the originality. What our teacher taught me is a preliminary portion of Thousand Miles Travel in a Step. While Qin Huang''s one is likely a battling movement step. Both of them are categorized as a movement art, but different." Qin Lan exined.


    "I sense a few demon beasts movement around us, young master..." Qing Yun joined their conversation.


    "Very good. Your Clear Cloud Lotus Art is getting more sensitive to your surroundings now." Qin Lan praised her.


    "It''s all thanks to young master and teacher''s kindness that I could have the cultivation of the first-Level Flesh Refining Layer. I will continue to practice hard to not bring shame to both of you..." Lu Qing Yun said.


    "Get rid of them! Each of you will take two targets! I''ll handle the remaining that will arriveter." Qin Lan pointed Lu Qing Yun to handle their left and Lu Yi to pay attention to their right. As for himself, he''ll stay on the spot and bear the brunt force of the demon beast''s attack.


    "ROAR!" two ck Haired Rodent Demons charges straight into Qin Lan''s direction. As the side with advantages of location, their attack could be described as simple without tricks.


    Qin Lan pulled a blunt iron rod out from his back as he gave the two rodent demons a beating they''ll never forget. As they were in a much deeper zonepared to where he usually moves around, keeping his spiritual energy at tiptop is the most important thing to do.


    Meanwhile, Lu Yi''s method of fighting is more than exciting.


    His Heaven allowed him to strengthen his skin and flesh to as hard as an iron te. But since his fighting skill isn''t as refined as Qin Lan, he resorted to the style of street fistfighting against two White Marten Demons.


    "Come here!" Lu Yi extends his w out as he grabbed one of the White Marten Demon on the neck and mmed it down on the ground. A rain of fist falls onto the pitiful demon beast like hailstorm immediately without leaving any mercy behind.


    "Sii..." the second White Demon Marten is shocked by the death of its fellowpanion. Frantically roaring to vent its anger, it attacked the moment Lu Yi revealed a tired expression.


    "Heart Digging Stroke!" without warning or preparation of his next move, Lu Yi''s w went straight onto the where the White Marten Demon''s ribs are located. His attack crushed its windpipe with a single strike, leaving the monster squirm on the ground for a moment before it sumbs to death.


    "Using barehand to fight felt the best!" Lu Yi said as he stuffed the two corpses into the rucksack on his back.


    As for Lu Qing Yun, her fighting style is much more refined.


    Armed with Qin Lan''s heirloom dagger in one hand, she swiftly attacks and defends against two Foul Essence Ants'' relentless attack without losing her pace. The Clear Cloud Lotus Art she practices further enhances her calmness, allowing her to control and assess the situation.


    "It''s not your chance yet." the heirloom dagger stabs into the jaw of a Foul Essence Ant swiftly the moment Lu Qing Yun noticed what it was trying to do. That attack gently opens a cut in between the ant''s head, leaving it slowly lost all motor ability soon.


    Her quick and decisive attack that killed a Foul Essence Ant frightens the others as they escape without looking back.


    Lu Qing Yun then went closer to her target and gave it a kick to make sure that it is dead before she stuffs the corpse into her rucksack as well.


    When both of them returned to Qin Lan''s side, the young master already hunted six ck Haired Rodent Demons all by himself.


    "Young Master, you''re too skillful... Lu Yi came forward and checked the rodent demons Qin Lan killed. With six more corpses added to their total, it came up to nine kills tonight.


    "We''ll spread out and search for medicinal nts as we get back. Let''s go." Qin Lan said. It will be a disadvantage to them if they leave the forest with too many loots at once. Putting weight aside, bringing too many things back sometimes doesn''t mean it''s profitable.


    The group found a small untouched tree with Demonic Blood Oranges soon, and after clearing two-third of what the tree has, they decided to call it a night. Then, two more unlucky Foul Essence Ant end up as a part of their collections as the trio gets closer to the outskirt of the forest.


    With eleven corpses and close to fifteen Demonic Blood Oranges, they left the woods without leaving too many tracks regarding their movement.


    ...


    ...


    "Young Master, the demon beast corpses are all cleaned and ready." Lu Qing Yun came back to Qin Lan''s room after she''s done handling the corpses.


    Thinking about a week ago when she''s still afraid of the monster''s corpses, Lu Qing Yun has the urge tough at herself for being so timid at that time.


    "Let''s get to work." Qin Lan said. Lu Yi quickly went to the back of his young master''s residence to bring the three Foul Essence Ant''s corpses back as the first material for what Qin Lan is trying to do.


    "Listen properly." Qin Lan begins.


    He started their next lesson by introducing the importance of demon beast to humanity under the pretext of repeating what their teacher has taught him.


    [Yao / Beast]


    The word above differentiates them from the human.


    Unlike human cultivators, the Demon Beast tribe was born with minimal cultivation, which strengthens as they grow older. But in exchange for the strength, it hampers their ability to develop self-awareness.


    Also, there were too many parts of their body that are convertible into life-saving treasuresmonly used by the cultivators. From carapaces to bones and even leathers to their flesh, everything is usable.


    For example, the White Marten Demon, which is suitable to be made into either an Escaping or Running Amulet. Or the pool of Foul Essence Silver Ink made from the bodily fluid and saliva of the Foul Essence Ants.


    "Young Master, I think I understand. But what are we going to do with the body of the three Foul Essence Ant?" Lu Yi is curious but did not show too much interest in this topic.


    "Of course, I''m going to show you guys." Qin Lan chuckled.

 Chapter 16: Huo Zunjie (1)

    Chapter 16: Huo Zunjie (1)


    Treasure Master.


    It was the name of a profession that was unquestionably founded by Qin Lan during the most glorious era of his Kuangshan Lu Sect. Within this name alone hides eight different departments, which is believed to be the pinnacle of what humanity could do at that time.


    Of course, to say that he was the one that started this profession is an outrageous im. But Qin Lan is indeed the founder, as well the first person tobine them together to create a legacy during the peak of his era.


    => The Department of Medicine and Herbs


    => The Department of Talisman and Amulets


    -


    => The Department of Protective Treasures


    => The Department of Offensive Treasures


    -


    => The Department of Heaven''s Blessing


    => The Department of Earth''s Blessing


    -


    => The Department of Peace


    => The Department of Turbulence


    -


    Eight departments, somepliment with one another, while some against one another. But no matter how many years have passed or how the legacy has changed, they remained as eight departments, with the word "Ren" in the center.


    To bring up a few examples, the Changshen Dew is categorized as a part of teaching from the Department of Earth''s Blessing. A reason behind this is because it was brewed in nature, ordingly without disturbing any of the five governingws.


    Next will be the Flesh Mending Pill, who was a part of both the Department of Herb and Medicine and the Department of Earth''s Blessing, before and after processing.


    As for the three Foul Essence Ants in Lu Yi''s hand, they were categorized as a part of the Department of Turbulence when alive. But when dead, they were a part of the Department of Protective Treasures.


    "Why protective, and not offensive, young master?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "That''s due to their origin." Qin Lan smiled as he was happy with Lu Qing Yun asking further questions.


    "Always remember. Reptiles, Insects, Rodents came from the same cradle of the demon subdivision. Theyck the required true essence to be made into offensive treasures." Qin Lan answered.


    "But at the same time, those that categorized as a part of the Department of Offensive Treasures stays at that department, be it alive or dead. The reason behind this is due to their genus, family, order, division, and strength equivalent of a kingdom." Qin Lan''s following exnation made Lu Qing Yun unable to process the information swiftly.


    "We''ll be able to study further than this when our teacher came back. But for now, let me show you guys... And wake that loggerhead up." Qin Lan extends his arm towards where Lu Yi stands but noticed that he''s already fallen asleep.


    "Lu Yi, wake up!" Lu Qing Yun nudged him awake while the stars from his drowsiness still clouded him.


    "Are we done?" Lu Yi asked.


    "Just started. Pay attention," Lu Qing Yun moved aside and showed him their young master, who had his hand out waiting for the corpses.


    Qin Lan took the first Foul Essence Ant and started to dislocate all its joints. A small amount of spiritual energy is then injected inside to force a type of substance out from between the porous carapace, which is then collected aside.


    He continued the process three times, with each yielding a little more than before. The end results left the Foul Essence Ant corpse fragile and brittle. Even the flesh turned into something hard to chew.


    "You can throw them away now. The three corpses are now useless." Qin Lan said. He continued with the process while Lu Yi left the room to start smashing the corpse into bits.


    "Qing Yun, what''s next can be said to be the essence of protective treasures." Qin Lan signaled her toe closer, almost to the point she''s standing by his side like an obedient andpliant wife.


    "Remember, those with shells and carapaces can be made into essences metal. Those with leather and fur shall be turned into amulets. And those with a spine, scale, and fang shall be made into tools."


    "Essence Metal can be mixed together, as long as you''re capable of controlling theirposition. An Essence Metal remained as a liquid before tempering and hardened when it was fed with more spiritual energy. What you see here are three pots of impure Essence Metal that''s yet to be refined." Qin Lan pulled the three pot-like containers over as he shows them to Lu Qing Yun.


    Compared to the Foul Essence Silver Ink, the Essence Metal carries a color closer to a copper. A light hue of green sometimes appeared on the surface, which making the liquid seems a little odd.


    "Young Master, how do we go from here?" Lu Qing Yun somewhat lost confidence in herself before they even started.


    "We''ll remove the impurities first." Qin Lan reached for the first pot and started to stir the Essence Metal slowly as he throws out bits of unwanted impurities inside. It is usually hardened faster than the Essence Metal, which made the removal through a very gentle course of spiritual energy is possible.


    The green hue vanishes from the Copper-colored Essence Metal, leaving it with a brilliantly colored liquid.


    "It''s perfect now. Try to apply your spiritual energy at the Essence Metal. You should be able to feel it slowly getting harder until a piece of a proper ingot is formed." Qin Lan shows her how to adjust the spiritual energy in a proper way to develop an ingot of Essence Metal.


    A piece of a beautiful ingot about the size of a pill bottle appeared in between Qin Lan''s fingers as what he was teachingpleted. By the time he''s done, there''s only about four-fifth of Essence Metal Liquid is left.


    This means the three corpses themselves are merely enough to be made into five ingots at the most.


    Qin Lan left Lu Qing Yun to train on her own as he proceeds with skinning and preparing the White Marten Demon''s corpses and ck Haired Rodent Demon''s corpses. Two White Martens meant a total of four pieces of the amulet while seven ck Haired Rodent demons equal to twenty-one pieces.


    The White Demon''s end product can be made into either an Escaping or Running amulet. As for the ck Haired Rodent Demon, the choice is slightly different.


    They can be made into only one kind of amulet, called Drowsing Amulet. Unlike the Running or Escaping amulet, the Drowsing type is quite a popr amulet amongst the cultivators. It was considered an essential part of the preparation for a long journey.


    Lu Yi returned when Qin Lan was done with his part. Meanwhile, Lu Qing Yun is still struggling to create the third Essence Metal ingot from the pot of liquid Qin Lan extracted earlier.


    "Young Master, I noticed a weird guy that has been running around our back alley for thest two days. He looks like searching for somebody, but at the same time, dare not to approach our Qin Family Manor."


    "Should I go and investigate?" Lu Yi asked.


    "Then go and check what he''s trying to do around our ce. He might be somebody sent by the other families to keep an eye on us. We should pay some attention to insignificant matters like this because of the appearance of Flesh Mending Pills in our Qin Family Pharmacy." Qin Lan approved Lu Yi''s suggestion and allowed him to go check it out.


    Furthermore, it can be a good experience for him to evaluate his own ability.


    With Lu Yi is gone once again, Qin Lan prepared the tools to refine the Demonic Blood Oranges into Flesh Foundation Pills. A two-thirds portion from the tree itself equals twenty pairs of fruits or forty Demonic Blood Oranges.


    That means the total of fruits here are sufficient for Qin Lan to refine 200 Flesh Foundation Pills without trouble. And since the required secondary herbs are avable for him to pick and use, Qin Lan applied four different recipes to fully refine all of them into edible pills.


    "Young master, Qing Yun is... Done..." Lu Qing Yun hastily grabs the four Essence Metal Ingots she made to show her young master. But she was instead greeted with the sight of Qin Lan focusing on refining the pills.


    (How deep is the young master''s spiritual energy capacity to control four pill cauldrons at once?)


    Lu Qing Yun continues to study Qin Lan''s performance until themotion outside of their house surprised her.


    "What was that?" the sound of someone getting mmed onto the wall surprised Lu Qing Yun as she quickly made her way outside of the Qin Family Manor.


    It was not a challenge at all for her to thread and climb across the wall using the "Thousand Miles Travel in a Step" movement art.


    But the moment she noticed that a second-level Flesh Refining Cultivator is pressing Lu Yi''s face on the wall, Lu Qing Yun panicked.


    "Let him go!" she immediately lunge forward with the [Heart Digging Stroke] martial art and attacked the attacker. But with a difference of a full level between them, the attacker easily repelled her attack without letting Lu Yi off from his other hand.


    "Aargh..." Lu Qing Yun voice out her pain from a palm attack on her waist. The attacker''s martial prowess proof to be a little above both of them as he controlled both of them at ease.


    "You must be someone sent here to harm our young master! I''ll fight to the death against you! Heaven Firmament Art!" Lu Yi released the spiritual energy within his body out to enhance his physical strength after hearing Lu Qing Yun''s cry.


    The Heaven Firmament Art turned Lu Yi''s body intoparable to an iron te as he delivered a few punches out at the attacker''s chest.


    "Dok - Dok - Dok - Dok!" four fist attacknds perfectly on the left and right chest, but the attacker appeared to be unfazed nor hurt.


    "How - How can this be?" Lu Yi cannot believe what he just felt when punching this person. This person''s body was even more durable than his own, just like a block of iron.


    "How? Did you even ask who he is before you guys started to fight against each other?" Qin Lan made his appearance when the situation slowly gets out of control.


    "All of you should stop fighting," he said.


    "Huo Zunjie, your house should be nearby. Let''s get back there, and we''ll talk." Qin Lan said.


    "What? Young master know this guy?" both Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun were surprised. Huo Zunjie as well, because he has no recollection of knowing the person before him. But from the Spiritual Undtions that Qin Lan gave out, he knows that...


    Even ten of him would not be enough to intimidate this man.

 Chapter 17: Huo Zunjie (2)

    Chapter 17: Huo Zunjie (2)


    "This young master, have we met before?" Huo Zunjie paid all his attention to Qin Lan as they made their way over to his broken shack. His concern now is mainly towards Qin Lan''s intention to suggest speaking inside his ce, and not in the open.


    "Huo Zunjie, Huo Zunjie, you''re the one that told me your name on your own." Qin Lan smiled. Both of his hand was ced on his back as he walks without worry and concern. In between his fingers is a folded fan he used to bring along as his personal essory, which seems familiar to Huo Zunjie.


    "Where did I see that fan before?" he tried to remember but failed to do so as his memory about it is as hazy as fog in the early morning.


    "This is my humble abode. I hope it would not be a turnoff to our three fellow cultivators as it''s been too long since this ce has its first guest." Huo Zunjie used his clothing as a rag to wipe the dust and filth away as he prepared the table and chairs for Qin Lan, Lu Yi, and Lu Qing Yun.


    "There''s nothing to be embarrassed. A cultivator like us can even stay in a forest for days without a shower. So what is there to be mindful about regarding some dust?" Qin Lan moves a chair to his side using his thick spiritual energy and removes the filth without touching the chair personally.


    "Fellow cultivator''s control of spiritual energy surprises this junior. May I know the answer to the question I asked a while ago?" Huo Zunjie cupped his hands together as he speaks.


    "Not Dying Because You Dare To Die," Qin Lan repeated the sentence he once used to enlighten Huo Zunjie.


    "It seems that you''ve found the answer. Congrattions." Qin Lan added.


    **Hah???**


    Those hazy memories regarding Qin Lan as his Lord Benefactor came into his mind instantly. The way he speaks, his demeanor, the folded fan in his hand with a wooden crate, and that mask...


    "Lord Benefactor," Huo Zunjie kneeled down right in front of Qin Lan with a thump on the ground, shattering two pieces of tiles that have already been cracked a long time ago. This show''s how durable is his second-level Flesh Refining body.


    "Why are you kneeling when you''re before me? Did you not heard before that [Gold Piling Around a Man''s Knee''s Since Birth] idiom? A man shall only kneel to heaven, parents, teacher, and savior." Qin Lan extends his hand out to give him a tug up.


    But Huo Zunjie remained stubborn.


    "Lord Benefactor is my savior, so that''s normal that I''ve pledged whatever lifespan I have to serve you. I''m willing to be your horse or donkey to repay your kindness," Huo Zunjie added.


    "Then stand up." Qin Lan''s single sentence is as firm as standing mountain showered with spiritual energy.


    "Yes!" Huo Zunjie quickly returned to his feet. And at the same time, an unwanted visitor came into the house without knocking, which turned out to be Ma Ling, Huo Zunjie''s neighbor.


    Looking at how dirty is Huo Zunjie''s clothing, especially on his knees. Ma Ling quickly appeared and pointed at Qin Lan as she screamed.


    "Leave this house and leave Zunjie alone! I - I warn you, but my master is one of the elders in Cloud Plucking Sect. One word from me is all it takes to get all of you killed!" Ma Ling warned Qin Lan and hispanion.


    "Little sister, I thought Cloud Plucking Sect only ept those with the cultivation of above Middle-Attainment Rank as disciples. You hardly seem to be a first-level cultivator," Qin Lan said.


    "Ling-Ling, you''ve misunderstood. He''s my benefactor." Huo Zunjie held her shoulder without having the custom view of body-contact between a male and a female.


    (These pair of lovebirds...)


    Qin Lan wanted to chuckles, but he controlled himself.


    "You''re lying. This guy is about your age. How can he be your benefactor?" Ma Ling remained distrust towards all of them.


    "Little sister, it''s true. Shall we go out and let the men have their own conversation?" Lu Qing Yun steps forward to salvage this misunderstanding before it could get worst. She pulled the resisting Ma Ling out from the house before leaving the boys at their own once again.


    "Lord Benefactor..." Huo Zunjie patiently waits for Qin Lan to start speaking.


    "Just call me young master would do. I am the third of the young generation of the Qin Household, Qin Lan. These two are Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun. I''m sure all of you have met and exchanged greetings earlier." Qin Lan smiled as he introduced himself properly this time.


    "Brother Lu Yi, I''ve gone overboard just now. Please forgive this younger brother." Huo Zunjie cupped his hand together and asked for his forgiveness.


    "Hahaha, we''ll have another member from today onwards." Lu Yi made a few steps forward and patted Huo Zunjie''s shoulder.


    "Since you called me brother, then let us be brothers and take care of our young master together. Let''s forget whatever happened just now. But I will not willingly give up before I defeat you with my own hands. Better be ready because I''ll spar with you a lot!" Lu Yi said.


    "Zunjie will be waiting at any time if big brother wanted to spar." Huo Zunjiebeled himself as the younger one as he was just about Qin Lan''s age.


    "We''ll get into detail once our master came back, but the identity of Pharmacy Lu you''ve seen before is a secret. Remember to not expose this identity. If our master approved you, he''ll bestow you with a cultivation art that would be suitable for your physique." Qin Lan quickly voices out his concern before their conversation continued.


    "I''ll follow all arrangement as my young master wished." Huo Zunjie agreed.


    "For now, take these hundred pieces of silver coins and repair your house. It shall be our operating base in the future. Did Kun Ning came back?" Qin Lan tossed a coin bag at Huo Zunjie as he continued with his questions.


    "Kun Ning seems to be missing after that day. But even if he came back, I''ll be able to defeat him with my second-level Flesh Refining strength." Huo Zunjie answered.


    "But from the rumors I''ve heard, the third young master of Qin Family has turned into a cripple... Is that rumor false?" Huo Zunjie asked with a tone simr to whispering.


    "It''s true. But our teacher managed to salvage this situation and strengthen my base talent. If you''re willing to follow the righteous path, then it won''t be a problem for me to vouch for you to be a disciple of Kuangshan Lu Sect." Qin Lan took his mysterious teacher''s card out.


    "I''m willing. My life belonged to the young master." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Great. Take your time to cultivate. We''ll get in touch again tonight." Qin Lan ced the mask covering his face and left the building using the window. Only Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie came out through the front door.


    "Where''s one more person?" Ma Ling asked.


    "He left after he gave me some instructions in term of cultivation." Huo Zunjie answered her question as he turned his attention to Lu Qing Yun.


    "Elder sister Qing Yun. I''ve gone overboard just now. Please forgive this young brother for his ignorance." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Nevermind. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be leaving with Lu Yi." Lu Qing Yun nodded as she let go of Ma Ling''s hand. She gave her newly befriended sister a bottle of five Flesh Foundation Pills before she left as a gift as both of them left without asking for anything else.


    "It''s five Flesh Foundation Pills! Oh my god!" Ma Ling''s jaw dropped the moment she saw the content of the bottle.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master..." both of them stand before Qin Lan after they returned from the outside.


    "It''s alright. There''s nothing to be feeling shame about because Huo Zunjie''s cultivating talent is above the three of us even before we''ve met our teacher. But don''t worry." Qin Lan turned his wheelchair around and showed them what he was doing as he continues to speak.


    "Huo Zunjie''s is a talent that I found. And I am somewhat attracted to his honesty. Hence, I''ve decided to bring his matter up with our teacher when I met with him. As for both of you, just forgive him for offending both of you just now," Qin Lan smiled.


    "Is that something made from the Essence Metal, my third young master?" Lu Yi stares at the armlet decoration Qin Lan patiently mold using his spiritual energy. His action is if he''s ying with a dough made from silvery-colored y.


    But although it looked easy, this task was, in fact, the most challenging part of the process to produce a Protective Treasure. If it was not because of Qin Lan''s two lifetimes of experience, perhaps he would be bedridden from exhaustion for the sake of creating something of this size.


    It was also why there are hardly any treasures in themon market as the process to create one takes creativity, understanding, material, and spiritual energy.


    Unless it was a store established for two to three generations, no one would dare to involve themselves in the Department of Protective Treasures and Offensive Treasures.


    "Qing Yun," Qin Lan called Lu Qing Yun''s name after a while.


    "Yes, young master." Lu Qing Yun answered.


    "What are you doing? If you know that you''re injured, quickly take a Flesh Mending Pill and focus on healing that wound." Qin Lan added.


    "I - I understand..." Lu Qing Yun embarrassedly went to the shelf to collect a pill and left the room.

 Chapter 18: Preparation Before the Annual Hunting Festival

    Chapter 18: Preparation Before the Annual Hunting Festival


    Lu Yi was cultivating on his usual corner inside Qin Lan''s sleeping chamber. As for Qin Lan, he was still deeply engrossed with the piece of Essence Metal he''s trying to shape into an armlet decoration.


    Lu Qing Yun has returned to her room to tend to her physical injury that was caused by a single hit of Huo Zunjie''s palm attack.


    (Between the four of us, Qing Yun''s physique is the weakest, although her martialprehension is considered excellent. Lu Yi''s body is powerful, but unfortunately, too inexperienced and dull. Huo Zunjie''s physique is the greatest amongst us, but had his weakness as well...)


    (Three weeks... The time might be a little tight for me to refine enough Protective Treasures for each of us. I''ll have to find a way to make up for this before the Annual Hunting Festival start)


    Qin Lan whispered to himself as he kept up with his work.


    Whenever he started to feel a hint of exhaustion, he''ll swallow a Flesh Foundation Pill into his mouth to take advantage of the spiritual energy inside of that pill to recover his stamina. So far, half of the 200 Flesh Foundation Pills he concocted has been used up this way.


    That''s equivalent to 1,000 pieces of gold coins used to create a halfpleted armlet-type Protective Treasure.


    "Huh..." Qin Lan released the breath of stale, spoilt air that''s been held in for quite long. With a hand still holding on the armlet, Qin Lan made his way up over the roof to enjoy the beauty of the moon.


    (I wonder how advanced has this era be after the disappearance of the Kuangshan Mountain Prefecture? Is this ce still the same continent that I''m from originally?)


    Qin Lan sighed. His mncholy mood made him missed the pair of eyes watching at him stealthily inside of the stone garden in the core garden of this private courtyard.


    ...


    ...


    **Dok!**


    A hairpin made from precious Essence Metal stuck cleanly on Huo Zunjie''s door early in the morning, along with a piece of paper wrapped around it.


    The sound wakes Huo Zunjie from his cultivation. Putting on a piece of thicker robe, he opened his door to retrieves the hairpin and paper and then kept the door closed once again.


    == == == == ==


    Make your way to the Western Demon Forest tonight. Prepare your house to store the goods for the next seven days. Search for a trusted shop that''s capable of handling private dealings. Tell him/her the word "Protective and Offensive Treasures" to see how much they know.


    -


    Lu.


    == == == == ==


    Qin Lan''s letter of instructions to Huo Zunjie is simple and easy to understand.


    And when the sun finally sets, Huo Zunjie immediately left the Fu-Rong Town through a proper entry channel. He brought three backpacks just in case.


    "Here, brother Huo." Lu Yi greets Huo Zunjie the moment he caught him in his sight. The two then traveled into the forest and rejoined Lu Qing Yun as they followed a map to a specific location.


    "Our young master is going to a different ce to meet our teacher. Today, it''s our job to bring some corpses and medicinal herbs back." Lu Qing Yun said.


    "The location pinpointed on the map is a nest belonging to the Yellowtail Fox Demon. Our young master said that it would be great if we managed to bring back around three of them."


    "Also, for the next three days, we''ll be doing the same thing over and over again around three different demon nest." Lu Qing Yun passed on what Qin Lan mentioned to the two of them as they nodded and agreed with Qin Lan''s arrangement.


    "Contact! Four Foul Essence Ants!" Lu Qing Yun raised her hand and pointed at the exact ce they''re possiblying from.


    "Let''s do this!" the trio pulled their weapon out and prepared to fight.


    ...


    ...


    (Can''t believe that even an ancestor-ss Treasure Master like I am will have a day where I need to swallow 300 Flesh Foundation Pills to refine a single Protective Treasure)


    Qin Lan inspects the armlet of protection he made for ws. Although he''s confident with his own skills, being careful and attentive once in a while does not hurt. This is also true, as he was once highly respected for his niche reputation in all eight departments.


    It was an armlet with a brilliant copper hue. In terms of quality, this Protective Treasure is at least one grade to two grades above his heirloom dagger, which is also considered as a treasure.


    He injected a considerable amount of spiritual energy into the armlet next toplete the creation process. It was just like how a mortal quench the burning hot iron into a pool of water to finalize their creation.


    Light sparkles from the convergence of Qin Lan''s spiritual energy gave color and life to the armlet he made.


    There was no additional decoration at all except foryerings of hand-pulled, string-like pattern that made up the armlet''s design. Also, there is no reason to create too many pieces of equipment as their own improvement is going to out shadow the craft very soon.


    For Qin Lan, the realm of Precelestial is only a mere trial before the real path of cultivation begins.


    In Precelestial Realm, cultivation was divided into threeyers. Flesh Refining, Bone Reconstruction, and the Spiritual Root Creation. Eachyer is further divided into 9 levels with Introductionary, Middle-Attainment, and Full-Completion rank.


    Flesh Refining Layer is equivalent to tampering with one''s flesh for it to be suitable to withstand the force of the spiritual energy. Every single level of Flesh Refining achievement adds 10 years of lifespan to the cultivator to try to advance into the next stage.


    The Bone Reconstruction Layer is up next. Upon the sessful advancement to the introductory rank, a hundred years of lifespan is granted to the cultivator to start his cultivating path once more.


    At thisyer, each and every single level of the Bone Reconstruction Layer equals aplete Flesh Refining Layer itself. An entireyer of difference multiplied from 1 till 9. Also, cultivators at thisyer are granted the right of "Materializing Spiritual Energy," which gave them an extension of what they could reach.


    == == == == ==


    Ps: Qin Lan''s act of pulling the chair and sweeping it clean without touching it while he''s in Huo Zunjie''s house is an example of materializing. But it is less apparent and delicate because he''scking in spiritual energy inparison to a Bone Reconstruction Cultivator.


    == == == == ==


    (This would do to protect Qing Yun until we''re all epted into the Cloud Plucking Sect. If things went on smoothly for the next two weeks, then creating four more Offensive Treasures for each of us will not be an impossible task either. All I hope is that they''ll manage to do it without me)


    Qin Lan ced the beautiful armlet on the table and stored the remaining four pieces of Essence Metal Ingot into a lockable box. It''s been a while since he pays less attention to his own cultivation. As the gap between the second and third level of the Flesh Refining Layer is too wide for him to cover, Qin Lan previously decided to let it improve naturally.


    But he would be a fool if he''s not using this precious time after swallowing 300 Flesh Foundation Pill to push his own cultivation a little further. Even if the spiritual energy contained inside the pill has been long exhausted, the remnant of the medicinal value left behind is still beneficial to his physique.


    With his feet and right leg''s imperfection is now refined and sculpted by his Mistral Flesh Diagram, the next on his list was an unexpected part known as his groin. It somehow made him feel conflicted but delighted at the same time.


    "Perhaps, I should try to use it with my soon-to-be wife after it was [Perfected] to test its performance?" Qin Lan chuckled. The dirty thought of his cheered him up from feeling too dreary about life.


    But as his mind thought about Hu Jia, the same thing happened to her as well.


    "What is this sudden chill I was getting? It felt like somebody is aiming to sully my body as a man." Hu Jia retreated from where she stands as six servants gathered and destroyed the ground she was standing on earlier.


    "Young miss retreated!"


    "We... We won the bet!"


    "Young... Young miss actually retreated from her original spot! We''re going to - Ouch!"


    The servants were cheering in happiness but Hu Jia, being a sore loser, is unwilling to admit that she lost the bet with her servants. Added with Qin Lan''s sudden perverted thought that made her felt a sudden chill earlier, she decided to vent everything out by beating them ck and blue.


    "Missy, you can go back on your word like that..."


    "Aii... I think except for the young master of Qin Family, no families are going to ept our marriage proposal..." the female butler sighed.


    ...


    ...


    About three hours before the sunrise, Huo Zunjie returned to Fu-Rong Town through the main entrance. The guards that were friendly and familiar to him gave him a pat on his back to congratte him foring back before inspecting his backpack half-heartedly.


    "Thank you, brother Mu." Huo Zunjie cupped his hand towards the guard and left after showing his gesture.


    And the moment Huo Zunjie pushed the door to his repaired shack open, Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun is already inside waiting for a while.


    "Both elder brother and elder sister are too fast. Is this one of the movement art taught by the teacher?" Huo Zunjie ced the three rucksacks filled to the brim on the table and strike a light conversation with them.


    "The teacher taught our young master, and young master taught us." Lu Qing Yun answered. She took three corpses out of the bag and ced them inside a jar half-filled with water.


    Meanwhile, Lu Yi arranged the herbs ordingly on a few trays that he was going to bring them back.


    **Ding...**


    The chime of a bell echoed from the window that Qin Lan used before. Once thetches between the two panels are removed, an individual with a mask came in.


    "Young Master." all three of them greeted the expected visitor.


    "En," Qin Lan nodded.

 Chapter 19: Trap

    Chapter 19: Trap


    "Lu Yi and Qing Lan, both of you will go out and purchase some seasoning ingredients. We''ll be making some dried meat jerky from what we have here to prepare for our uing Annual Hunting Festival." Qin Lan flips a piece of paper to both of them as he looked at the herbs they gathered.


    "Ah, and bring Huo Zunjie along. I''m sure you remember that I ask you to search for someone good in dealing with private dealings regarding Protective and Offensive Treasures." Qin Lan pointed at Huo Zunjie, asking him to tag along with both of them.


    "Yes, young master. He''s excited the moment I told him I might have a business for him." Huo Zunjie added.


    "Good. Put this on your arm, Qing Yun. I''ve made this especially for you. But to make sure it fetched an excellent price for other things I''m going to sell in the future, make sure you be stubborn and unwilling to sell no matter what is the given price."


    "Do you understand?" Qin Lan asked.


    "I do," Lu Qing Yun lift the clothing on her shoulder up as she revealed her beautiful, white, and smoothdy arm as she slotted the armlet into her wrist. It matched perfectly with the thickness of her arm, just like heaven pairing them together.


    "Go, ande back quickly. We''ll have many things to do in these twelve days before the Annual Hunting Festival started." Qin Lan gestured and have all of them leave to aplish all the tasks he gave them.


    "We''ll be back early." Lu Yi said.


    (Now, let''s see what they brought back...)


    Qin Lan started to mess around with the goods they brought back from a night of hunting in a three people party. After looking at the content poured out from the nine rucksacks, Qin Lan chuckled.


    (Perhaps, it''s because I''m not around that they''re capable of expressing themselves without restraint)


    Qin Lan used some of his spiritual energy like a de and started to cut open the body of a Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast. His first incision starts from the closest artery located on the base of the neck.


    The blood released was collected in a wine jar. It has much more uses inparison to the blood of the White Marten Demon Beast. But to efficiently using them, close to ten other ingredients are required to bnce the value, which can only be said to be excessive.


    And based on Qin Lan''s understanding, the path of culinary, which used to be a part of the Department of Earth Blessing, has been lost. Whatever remained so fares mostly from themoner''s interest and some of the cultivator''s own research.


    With the blood cleared from the carcasses, Qin Lan proceeds with the butchering process to separates the flesh, bones, and innards. Only the tail and leather from the Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast is kept aside to be workedter.


    As for the teeth, fangs, and ws, they were all taken off and ready to be thrown into mes. But before that, Qin Lan breaks the skull of the Yellowtail Fox Demon opened to extract a pill-like stone from the brain of the beast.


    That''s what differentiates them from the demon subdivision.


    Only "Yao" with a demon core is qualified to be made into varieties of Offensive Treasures.


    If they were around when Qin Lan is preparing the materials, they might be surprised by his outstanding efficiency.


    ...


    ...


    "Big Sister Zhou Mei," Huo Zunjie led the way as they went into a shop located at a shady ce behind the town''s most luxurious inn. There was only an attendant working in this shop.


    This so-called Zhou Mei individual is in her seventeen years of age, barely entering the threshold as a first-level Flesh Refining Layer cultivator. But that was only a facade to those that know too little.


    That''s because half of this shop belonged to the Jiao Household. While another half belonged to a mysterious owner that randomly drops a few Protective or Offensive Treasures to be sold here.


    The reason why Huo Zunjie knows about this is that the person named Zhou Mei used to be a person equivalent to a half-sister of his. Although she hardly came to visit him after the death of his family members, Zhou Mei is still treating Huo Zunjie like a younger brother of hers.


    "Ah? The brat is finally bringing friends to me. I wonder who is so unlucky to be dragged by you around." Zhou Mei jokes. She came out from her corner and yed with Huo Zunjie''s messy hairstyle before stopping beside Lu Qing Yun.


    "Can you let big sister take a look at the armlet on your wrist?" Zhou Mei''s sharp gaze seems like it could prate through clothing, as she asked to be shown with the armlet.


    "I''m not selling it! I''ve told you, Zunjie, I just need to know how much this treasure cost!" Lu Qing Yun started with her act as ordered by her young master.


    "Rx, young sister. I love treasures, but that doesn''t mean our shop will force our customers to sell theirs. Would you mind allowing me to have a look at yours?" Zhou Mei asked.


    Her speech, gesture, and habit of fluttering around made the two boys feeling somewhat restless on their underpants. Even Lu Qing Yun is struggling to resist her charm as she speaks. Gently moving her hand and lifting the sleeve covering her arm, Lu Qing Yun allowed Zhou Mei to inspect the beautiful armlet made by her young master.


    "Oh, Heaven!" Zhou Mei gasped. She shows a hint of surprise as she studies the delicate and beautiful armlet on Lu Qing Yun''s shoulder.


    But at the same time, the trio failed to notice that there''s a meaning hidden behind her word. The elder that sleeping on the corner of the shop stops snoring after he heard Zhou Mei''s sentence.


    Simr to the grading system in cultivation, there exists a grading system that was used solely to determine the quality of treasures.


    Heaven and Earth, Huang and Xuan. (Huang means Royal Yellow, Xuan means Mysterious ck) The grading further separates into Half or Full Treasure, based on the quality of theirpletion.


    Although most of the treasures started out by being a Full Treasure, the degree of time used, protection, and damage depreciate their value as time past. Some of them also might be some relics unearthed from some ruins belonged to a sect. Hence, the grading of Half and Full Treasure exists.


    As for why they were graded into Xuan, Huang, Earth, and Heaven, it is due to the degree of perfection. Treasure is simr to human cultivation, which is divided into Precelestial and Pericelestial.


    A Mysterious Xuan treasure is capable of strengthening the cultivator''s ability twofold at most when used. Royal Huang treasures multiply the might of a cultivator by threefold, Earth treasures by fourfold, and Heavenly treasures by fivefold.


    "Sister Zhou Mei. Is this treasure expensive?" Lu Qing Yun asked with watery eyes. She revealed a hint of her body was being sullied to be given such a treasure in return.


    Such an immature act could hardly escape the eyes of the elder. But to Zhou Mei, she''s still somewhat inexperienced.


    "Little sister, it''s a piece of a very precious protective treasure. I dare to say that even if we used all our treasures inside this shop, it is still not enough to exchange with your armlet." Zhou Mei answered her question honestly.


    "I dare to say that it would fetch no less than 15,000 pieces of gold coins if my shop owner is here." Zhou Mei added.


    Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s jaw dropped. Fifteen pieces of gold coins are enough for them to eat until they''re bloated inside the inn right beside this store, but fifteen thousand gold coins? They have no idea about how much it would be.


    "Little sister, listen to this big sister''s advice and return the armlet to the owner. Or else, you might endanger yourself and also your family members just like my little brother Zunjie here..." Zhou Mei whispered beside her ears.


    "I will. I''ll return this immediately." Lu Qing Yun nodded. With nothing else to talk about, the trio excused themselves and left the store, leaving only Zhou Mei and the elder inside.


    "Close the store. Since one of them is your acquaintance, I''ll give them half a day of a chance to escape from the reach of Dragon Corps." the elder said.


    ...


    ...


    "Quickly go back to your house." Lu Yi pulled Lu Qing Yun''s arm with another hand holding the food ingredients they bought. They were moving quickly without noticing that there''s a needle-like hairpin stuck on one of the packagings.


    "Young master! I think we''re in..." Lu Yi was going to finish his sentence, but Qin Lan''s palm stopped all three of them from moving another step further into the house.


    "Trouble..." he whispered.


    "I know. That armlet is made to attract trouble." Qin Lan pushed all of them outside of the house as he leaves a piece of paper and an imitation armlet on the table. The packaging with the needle hairpin was also left inside of that house.


    "Let''s get back to the Qin Family Manor. Huo Zunjie, tell your woman that your house is sold to some other people. You''re now living as a working servant to the third young master of Qin Household." Qin Lan said as he walked without anything in his hand.


    "Young Master, what about those things we''ve hunted earlier? They''re all still inside the house." Lu Qing Yun said. She tried to remove the armlet from her arm but seems unable to do so.


    ...


    ...


    Night.


    "It''s a trap!"


    "Open the door! Wait, don''t touch that treasure! You fool, you''ll kill all of us..."


    "BOOM!!!" Huo Zunjie''s repaired shack explodes, creating a firework that caught the attention of everymoner and member of proud households established and rooted inside this Fu-Rong Town.

 Chapter 20: Decimating the Night Dragon Corps

    Chapter 20: Decimating the Night Dragon Corps


    "Young Master, the armlet..." Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "Heaven''s Strings, that''s what I called it. It is a Precelestial Realm''s Heaven-Grade, (Full) Protective Treasure." Qin Lan shared the name of this beautiful piece of Armlet-type treasure he made with Lu Qing Yun as they followed him into his sleeping chamber.


    "But... It''s too precious... Thedy from the Treasure Store said it''s worth no less than fifteen thousand pieces of gold coin." Lu Qing Yun lowered her head, feeling that she''s not qualified to wear such a treasure on the body of a servant.


    "If you, as a disciple of Kuangshan Lu Sect is not qualified, then who is? Should I get a wild dog randomly on the street and put the armlet on it instead?" Qin Lan chuckled. In his opinion, nobody worth putting on Heaven''s String more than Lu Qing Yun.


    Even Lu Yi, who''s also one with the same status and position,cks the right because he''s a man, not a girl. Putting on a female essory on Lu Yi''s rough arm would only depreciate the value of this Heaven''s String.


    "The house looks different when we''re going in just now... It feels dangerous and threatening." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Of course," Qin Lan replied.


    ...


    ...


    Two hours ago.


    Qin Lan noticed a small jewelry box thrown aside on the corner of Huo Zunjie''s sister''s room, which is now being used as storage to keep what they''ve been hunting.


    At first, it hardly catches his attention because of how old it is. But then, a hint of the remnant of spiritual energy made him changed his mind.


    It was simr to the spiritual undtion of the expert assant, who crippled his cultivation at that time. Although quite some time has passed, to Qin Lan, who has two lifetimes of experience, he wouldn''t be mistaken on a matter like this.


    This also meant Huo Zunjie, or perhaps his sister has some connections with the expert and Jiao Household before this.


    Qin Lan then removes the filth to inspect the room further. Although most of the hint rted to them is somehow destroyed, he still managed to catch a few clues that are left purely by ident.


    Multiple pieces of silver coins slotted by the side of her bed. There''s also an exquisite box that has been destroyed along with a burnt scroll made from treated bamboo strips. There''s also a needle hairpin, just like what he used tomunicate with Huo Zunjie earlier.


    (How can a family without a cultivation background possess an identity pin? Seven pieces of silver coins... Although it wasn''t much, at least it won''t leave Huo Zunjie starved and weakened like the day I rescue him...)


    (This means his sister is working behind the scene with the Jiao Household without informing her family. It''s likely either to support Huo Zunjie''s cultivation talent or his sister in someone with ambition in her mind)


    Qin Lan deduction was highly urate the moment he found a loose brick inside Huo Zunjie''s sister''s room. Once the brick is removed, a piece of letter of instruction is still hidden in there.


    == == == == ==


    Lure one of the Qin''s young masters out at night in the pretense of enjoying moonlight andpanionship. The Night Dragon Corps will take action.


    -


    50 pieces silver


    == == == == ==


    (It seems that the Jiao Household has been aiming to get rid of us one after another...)


    Qin Lan started to understand the reason behind the constant problem that happened in the Qin Household. With a poisonous thorn living this close to their house without anyone knowing, no wonder the Jiao''s is capable of nning a step or two ahead of them most of the time.


    Furthermore, Kun Ning''s appearance here to attack Huo Zunjie is likely because a part of their n has gone wrong. He''s likely abandoned by the Jiao''s and used as the scapegoat to cover their track regarding the Qin Pharmacy''s attack.


    With everything started to make sense to him, Qin Lan devised a n that could damage the grand operation of the Jiao Household. Since he already had the intention on how to deal with the buyer of Heaven''s Strings, all he needs is to adjust the lethality of their first meeting.


    (Perhaps the karmic cycle between us has been going on for quite some time...)


    Qin Lan chuckled. He turned his attention to the jar of Yellowtail Fox Demon blood, the parts that used to make offensive treasures, and so forth.


    (Five Governing Law of the World... Is a vicious being made from the convergence of Laws)


    He took a bottle of Flesh Foundation Pills out and emptied the content into his belly. A portion of the ingredients his followers collected today went into the jar of blood to create a concoction that likely kills a person in contact.


    The concoction was then poured into the pill bottles he carried along wherever he goes. A simple, makeshift weapon is then created without a hint of mercy from him is given.


    Qin Lan''s expression was as ugly as it could be. If there was a piece of a bronze mirror by his side, perhaps even he would be shocked by his own ruthless expression, filled with an indescribable hatred.


    Eight pill bottles with the murderous concoctions are ced in the north, south, east, and west direction in the house. The four remaining were hung on the beam supporting the roof, ordingly from Northeast clockwise to the Northwest.


    On each of them is a talisman with unknown uses, made by forcing the spiritual energy on the leather of the Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast to its readiness state.


    Then, Qin Lan gulped the next bottle of Flesh Foundation Pills to replenish his exhausted spiritual energy. A piece of Essence Metal ingot is taken out and used to recreate another Heaven''s Strings, which nothing more than a fake imitation.


    Qin Lan has moved whatever worthy of his attention back to the Qin Family Manor the moment the trio returned to the house.


    With a palm holding Lu Yi froming into his trap and ruin the bigger n behind this, Qin Lan suggested that they return to the manor.


    He slid a piece of paper below the imitation Heaven''s Strings as they''re getting ready to leave. Also, the sack of salt with that identity pin is left inside the house on purpose.


    Huo Zunjie went to Ma Ling''s house and informed her that the house has been sold. He followed the others and returned to the Qin Family Manor after that.


    ...


    ...


    "The house looks different when we''re going in just now... It feels dangerous and threatening." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Of course," Qin Lan replied. It was the present once again after Qin Lan finished calcting the perfection rate of his revenge n.


    "Tonight, Huo Zunjie will stay with me in the manor. Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun will go to the Western Demon Forest again to collect some resources." Qin Lan said.


    "Rest while you could. Zunjie, follow me to my private garden. I have a few questions to ask." Qin Lan said.


    Lu Yi instantly let go of his grip on the wheelchair and allowed Huo Zunjie to take over his position. The two of them slowly made their way to the hazy private garden beside Qin Lan''s shower chamber.


    "Zunjie, what kind of people are your dead parents and sister?" Qin Lan asked. Although his intuition tells him that Huo Zunjie was not rted to this, it was nothing wrong with him to be careful.


    "My father and mother are a pair of loving couple. They''re proud of their job as flower peddlers in this Fu-Rong Town. In this town, nobody dares to say that their skill in flower arrangement is better than my mother."


    "My father is straightforward. Although our family''s meager ie was barely able to support us, he never onceined. I remembered that once while I am sick, he risked his life to hunt a White Marten Demon home just to make sure I get all the nutrition I needed."


    "As for my sister, she''s not my parent''s biological daughter, but they love her like their own. She''s kind and gentle, but at the same time, cunning. I remember that she often followed big sister Zhou Mei around to earn some extra cash, saying that she wanted to leave this town." Huo Zunjie started to introduce his family member one after another.


    "So, that big sister Zhou Mei of yours, is she someone your elder sister trusted?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes." Huo Zunjie answered.


    "But I know that... There''s something between them that cannot be talked about." Huo Zunjie added.


    "Like what?" Qin Lan continued with his question.


    "Ensnaring married man and a wealthy man for their money. But in the end, I am not worthy of saying anything about it because whatever my sister did... End up as the Flesh Foundation Pill used to solidify my foundation." Huo Zunjie lowered his head.


    "Let''s hope that everything went on well tonight." Qin Lan said.


    (If you''re here to seek death, then it was due to your fate. Zhou Mei, let''s hope that you have a borderline in your actions...)


    ...


    ...


    "There! Inside that house!" a group of twelve skillful assassins sneaked into the neighborhood with a specially groomed demon insect. The insect behaves like a receptor seeking for a smell, which guides them urately to Huo Zunjie''s house without much trouble.


    One of them softly pushed the door open to inspect the house and its condition. After making sure that there''s nobody inside the house, he entered.


    "Captain, the treasure is on the table!" he whispered a little louder than he used to.


    "Everyone into the house. Beware of ambush!" the captain made his way inside and checked the two remaining rooms. With nothing suspicious found except some old pill bottles, he came to the table and pulled the paper out.


    == == == == ==


    This treasure is Heaven''s Strings. If you''re not prepared to pay, leave the Protective Treasure alone and get out.


    == == == == ==


    "Hahaha! Captain, do they think we''re stupid? Leave this treasure and return empty-handed?" another assassin came and took a peek at the letter.


    "Shut up. Inspect the house again properly and report all irregrities you''ve found." the captain said. The feeling of falling into a carefully devised trap made the captain hesitated.


    "Don''t you think that there are too many pill bottles inside this house, captain?" one of them said. Adding up the four on each side of the room and the ones on the beam, that''s eight bottles in total.


    "It''s a trap!" the captain said.


    "Immediately get the door open and leave! This kind of profound formation is far above our understanding!" the captain pushed one of his men to the door to open an escape route.


    A few of them started to release their spiritual energy in preparation to defend against a sneak attack. But not a single one person noticed the uniqueness behind this formation deployed by Qin Lan.


    At the Qin Family Manor, Qin Lan turned his sight towards the direction where Huo Zunjie''s house is located. While at the same time, teaching Huo Zunjie how to execute the "Thousand Miles Travel in a Step" movement art.


    "Wait! Keep your spiritual energy back into your body! Why the hell the door is not opening?" the captain lost his calmness. He felt like they''ve been dancing along on the culprit''s hand the moment he pulled the paper out.


    "Wait..." the captain noticed something else.


    When he pulled that paper, there was a sound of a pebble fallen onto a solid surface.


    "Look inside the treasure if there''s something in there!" he ordered.


    His order made one of his reckless subordinates reached out to the treasure and lifted it up. The Demon Core hid inside Heaven''s String has finally made its appearance.


    The spiritual energy inside this house run amok atst, which activated all the talisman on the bottles.


    Eight bottles of a corrosive substance used to melt corpses exploded and spread all across the house, melting their flesh as the twelve assassins cried in anguish. But their suffering did not end there.


    They weren''t the real target of Qin Lan''s corpse melting liquid.


    The real target is, in fact, the Demon Core that was processed and tempered by Qin Lan earlier.


    Two extremities collide, and then, an explosion happened.


    The twelve bodies with cultivation between second-level to third-level Flesh Refining Layer,bined with the processed Demon Core, created an explosionparable to a Full Completion Flesh cultivator.


    Fire lights up the night sky of the Fu-Rong Town, like a warning to each and every prominent family with dirty deeds in their hand.

 Chapter 21: Hu Jia (1)

    Chapter 21: Hu Jia (1)


    "What did you say?" the patriarch of Jiao Household pped the table into pieces as he received the bad news about the loss of the entire corps of Night Dragon Assassins.


    "Yes, patriarch... I''m worried that we really mess with somebody in Bone Reconstruction Layer this time..." his butler reported.


    "Pull back the eyes we''ve arranged around the Qin Household. The fewer people we have over there, the better it is for now." the patriarch said. To him, losing twelve mere Flesh Refining Cultivators is hardly significant in his eyes. But losing twelve men to do the dirty works on his behalf equals declines in profit.


    "Who is the one that requests the job to be done?" the patriarch continued with his question. With twelve men dead, he can''t let this supervisor leave without punishment.


    "It''s Mister Xu from the Treasure Store." the butler whispered beside the patriarch''s ear.


    "It''s him? Has he gone senile? If it wasn''t because he contributes greatly by crippling that third young master, I would have him killed by now!" the patriarch smashed one of the armrests on his chair as he continues to speak.


    "Take Mister Xu out from the list of orders. I''ll leave him aside to reduce the chances of our enemies finding our fault. This Fu-Rong Town will soon fall into my hand. We can''t have any mistakes right now." Jiao Cheng said.


    "I''ll make sure to deliver your order to Mister Xu personally. Patriarch doesn''t have to worry." the butler nodded and excused himself.


    ...


    ...


    Same time, Chu Household.


    "Where did the explosion happen?" the patriarch of Chu Household, Chu Rongye, asked.


    "In a house behind the Qin Family Manor. The family is on full alert right now because it happened so close to the residence of the third young master, Qin Lan." the butler whispered beside Chu Rongye.


    "Send someone to the Qin Family Manor tomorrow to show them our concern to Qin Lan. Even if that child is now a cripple, with Qin Tian''s ability, he might be able to turn this situation around."


    "Furthermore, they''re the ones that saved my Xiang-Er''s life." Chu Rongye said. He pushed a secret mechanism that linked to a secret door within his room. A few momentster, Chu Rongye returned with a golden pill bottle that holds a few drops of some liquid inside.


    "Inside this bottle is a treasured dew known as Changshen Dew. It was a naturally created treasure that formed a drop every ten years. Bring it over and present it to Qin Lan, and tell them to treat it as a gift from a friend." Chu Rongye handed the bottle to his butler unwillingly.


    But for the sake of his Chu Household''s safety, he has no other choice but to support the Qin Household for now.


    "Your servant will immediately deliver this Changshen Dew to the third young master personally."


    ...


    ...


    Also, at the same time, in the Hu Household.


    "Jia-Er pay her respect to grandfather." Hu Jia greets her grandfather the moment she came into his patriarch''s residence. The house was humbly built, with a pond in the middle to rear fishes that could calm its owner''s mood.


    On both the left and right entrances, bamboo is nted to cover the wallpletely, giving it the atmosphere of a bamboo forest.


    "Jia-Jia, your grandfather wants you to pay the Qin Household a visit tomorrow." Hu Yong said.


    "Grandfather! I am busy preparing for the uing Annual Hunting Festival two weekster! Why would you waste my time by calling me to go and find that cripple?" Hu Jia is unwilling to do as her grandfather wish and stomps the floor twice.


    "That''s because cripple or not, he''s bound to be the next patriarch of the Qin Household! Imagine your position in the family if you''re married to him!" Hu Yong said.


    "I''m not interested. I don''t want to get married. I will join the Cloud Plucking Sect in the next one and a half years and be a cultivator above your current achievement." Hu Jia said.


    "Thisss... Do you think that the cultivation of a person can be grown like a head of a vegetable? If it did, then your grandfather would have broken through the threshold between the ninth-level of the Bone Reconstruction Layer a long time ago." Hu Yong gently patted the head of his beloved granddaughter.


    "A woman should find a good man to marry. Only like this can you secure the resources to cultivate and achieve what you want." Hu Yong sighed.


    "I''m not going! Good night, grandfather!" Hu Jia angrily left the residence without even taking a nce at the gift Hu Yong prepared for Qin Lan.


    "Ai... This granddaughter of mine... I guess the Core Replenishing Liquid will have to wait for its turn to be delivered to Qin Lan''s hand. But will my decision be the correct one?" Hu Yong stares at the sky, asking if he was making the correct decision.


    ...


    ...


    Qin Lan''s residence.


    The explosion has answered his suspicion. It seems that the possibility of Jiao House is the culprit behind this is highly likely. Qin Lan returned to his wheelchair and waited for the people from the other elders to arrive, and it did.


    Qin Tian was the first toe, followed by the second elder, the fourth, and then the first and third. The five Bone Reconstruction cultivators then threaded across the walls leading outside of the Qin Lan''s residence to inspect the location where the explosion takes ce.


    "Instruct a few servants to stop people from leaving. I want them to check each and every household for their identities so we cane down to a conclusion." Qin Tian ordered.


    The servants of the Qin Household acted very quickly, even before the butler from Jiao Household could react ordingly. It forced him to personally silenced most of the dispensable members before bringing those indispensable ones away.


    The next morning, the Chu Household and Hu Household both sent a representative over to deliver their concern about Qin Lan''s safety. Although it was just a short visit with some gifts, their gesture was warmly received by the Qin Household.


    The Chus delivered a bottle of ten drops of the rare Changshen Dew, while the Hus delivered a box with hundred-year ginseng. But what surprised Qin Lan the most is that right now, his chair was pushed by someone he expected the least.


    "Lady Hu, you being here with me made my dull garden found its color once again, but it hurts my heart to get you to push my wheelchair." Qin Lan said as his head rested on the chairfortably.


    This is also the one and only time he had something toin about.


    Being unable to take advantage of Hu Jia''s arousing body by rubbing his head against her made him feel sad. He wished that the headrest was not there, to begin with.


    "Humph. I''m here because of my grandfather. Don''t think that I''ve fallen for you," Hu Jia replied.


    (As if... If you''re not fallen for me, then what the hell are you pushing my wheelchair now? Shouldn''t you just drop the gift and leave?)


    Qin Lan wanted to point his finger at her and speak out what''s in his mind, but he''s reluctant because the maiden that stands behind his somewhat suit his taste in a woman.


    "I''ve heard that Lady Hu is well trained in martial arts since young. What about we have a light spar with me? Without using any spiritual energy, of course. It might give you some inspiration and brings our rtionship closer." Qin Lan suggested.


    "You want to spar with me while sitting in a wheelchair? Don''t make meugh." Hu Jia pushed the wheelchair faster. In fact, she wanted to do that because slowly walking Qin Lan around the house bored her to death!


    "Lady Hu, please, do me a favor," Qin Lan cupped his hands together and begged.


    "Alright. Just this time." Hu Jia reluctantly epted. And from the back of Qin Lan, she''s now moved to facing him.


    (Atst... Look at how tight is that dress... Can my hand even grab the whole thing without leaving a gap in between?)


    Qin Lan almost drooled as he enjoyed his view at Hu Jia while she''s showing a few rounds of her usual fist, palm, and w practice. It was firm but bouncy at the same time. It was big but not overboard.


    "Lady Hu, if you may give me a stick, I have something I wanted to show you." Qin Lan suggested. He couldn''t believe that for the sake of touching a maiden like Hu Jia, he would have to degrade himself to the point of desperation!


    "Here, take this." Hu Jia went to the bamboo nearby and pulled a young branch off.


    "Careful, I''ll be slowly and considerate for you," Hu Jia smiled. So what if she''s tolerating this cripple if she can move her bones slightly while satisfying her grandfather''s wish.


    But Qin Lan''s first move surprised her.


    As she was going to extend her arm out with a long fist, Qin Lan''s bamboo stick nicely touched the inner part of her elbow. A single move from him is indirectly canceling her so-called Hu Family Long Fist from getting executed.


    "Is this a coincidence?" Hu Jia shows an expression of disbelief.


    "I''ve been disrespectful. I will not move if Lady Hu wanted to give me a p." Qin Lan closed his eyes and raised his head up for her to teach him a lesson.


    "Again!" Hu Jia made another step backward and prepared her stance. This time, she moved slightly faster than before and delivered a w attack at Qin Lan''s chest.


    But once again, Qin Lan''s bamboo stick stops her. This time, instead of the inner elbow, it was her wrist that was obstructed, making her attack missed by an inch.


    "This... This!" Hu Jia was happy and shocked at the same time.


    Who would have thought that having a slow spar with this cripple would show two of her ws this obviously?


    Smiling, Hu Jia decided to continue to have her fun. But Qin Lan''s preparation wasplete as well. He acted like his hand was too tired with the bamboo stick and rested his hand on the armrest.


    And when Hu Jia turned around, it was a beautiful hit that caught her unaware on her waist. Her body bends just a little from that ticklish poke, leaving her defenseless as she lost her bnce.


    And Qin Lan was "unlucky" enough to be just at where she''s falling, ended up being "squashed" by her voluptuous body as both of them fall onto the ground.

 Chapter 22: Hu Jia (2)

    Chapter 22: Hu Jia (2)


    "Brother Yong! What an honor for me to have you as our guest today! Please,e in!" Qin Tian came to the main entrance of his Qin Family Manor to personally attend to the Hu Patriarch.


    "Brother Tian is too kind. It is my fault for not educating my granddaughter properly from creating unnecessary trouble." Hu Yong revealed an expression of guilt as he walked side by side with Qin Tian.


    "Littless Hu Jia is a thoughtful one. Please do not me her foring here without telling you." Qin Tian is puzzled by Hu Yong''s sentence. But since the Hu Family made two visits just for the sake of his grandson, Qin Tian decides that it would be wise for him to ept their gesture and forgive all displeasure.


    After all, being able to obtain the support of the Hu Household is equals to adding a-quarter of strength to the Qin Family.


    The two elders made their first stop at Qin Lan''s private courtyard first, to show Qin Lan some consideration about his disability.


    But instead, they were greeted with apletely unexpected scene.


    One that made both elders grinned from one side of their cheeks to another.


    ...


    ...


    "Ah! This is so painful. Is this side a part of my martial ws as well?" Hu Jia removes the broken bamboo parts from where she''s going to ce her hands. While at the same time, she was unaware of Qin Lan''s mischievous pairs of hand that identally stays on her breast.


    (Woah... It was indeed the size of a Moonbell Fruit. How can a girl of her age grown so much at this part?)


    Qin Lan knows that it would be disrespectful for him to push her away. Furthermore, as the one with "difficulties" in his overall motor ability, Qin Lan trusts his intuition. He ced a little more of his strength on his fingers and made a soft "rub," which nicely circled the most sensitive part of Hu Jia''s breasts.


    "Ah!" the beautiful maiden finally realized that''s something wrong in their position. Her cleavage, although protected by a piece of clothing, is evidently sitting on Qin Lan''s mouth. Both of his weak hand is still struggling to get free. But under the weight of her body, all the effort is futile as it only ends up caressing her further.


    A lightning shock runs through Hu Jia''s mind at this time.


    "Should I p and castrate him for defiling my body? No, it''s my fault to crash into him..."


    "But... I don''t want to marry this cripple! But... He''s... He had..."


    "Why would he be a cripple? If he''s not disabled... I - I don''t mind..."


    Both love and hate intertwined in her mind, swaying her thoughts. She''s still hesitating about putting in some strength on both of her hands to lift her body aside.


    This embarrassing moment ends up getting witnessed by the two patriarchs when they came into the garden.


    "This..." Qin Tian and Hu Yong stare at one another. Using their cultivation strength of a Full Completion Rank of Bone Layer, they immediately left the scene without a sound.


    "Brother Tian, I don''t know... What to say..." Hu Yong smiled.


    "What is there need to say? It''s time for the youngsters. We''ll let them decide how they''ll go with it," Qin Tian nodded. In his mind, he''s praising Qin Lan for being able to tame a girl like Hu Jia.


    "My grandchild has grown to a fine man. Grandfather will make sure to find you the medicine that will return you to your cultivable state and also for the sake ofpleting your responsibility as a man." Qin Tian steeled his heart in regards to this matter.


    "Lady Hu, you... You smell nice... But I''m worried that I will not have the life to savor them..." Qin Lan continues with his act. His hands had already moved to Hu Jia''s waist and bum, still savoring all the advantages he could while acting like he''s started to get out of breath.


    "No! Wait!" Hu Jia immediately pushed herself up from squishing Qin Lan below her. It was at this moment she realized something else on her back.


    "Men! I need some people here!" Hu Jia summoned for some servants.


    Her voice caught both Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun''s attention as both of them came to the garden at the same time. It puzzled them as they''re looking at their young master lying down on the ground, with Hu Jia sitting on top of him.


    "Had the swan surrendered?" Lu Yi wanted to praise his young master on the spot.


    And just like this, their moment together finally ended with a small, lovely blunder. Even after a thousand yearster, it was still a memorable scene in both of their minds.


    ...


    ...


    There is only a week to go before the Annual Hunting Festival started.


    "Young Master," the trio returned from the midnight hunt in Western Demon Forest. Like before, each one of them carries a total of three rucksacks, making it nine sacks altogether.


    The twods then started to separate the product efficiently ording to their type. While Lu Qing Yun headed to the kitchen.


    As for Qin Lan, he remained holed inside his residence as he consolidates his foundation. It is estimated that he needs four more days to achieve a cultivation breakthrough if there''s nothing out of the ordinary is going on.


    But what surprised him the most is still Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun''s cultivation talent andprehension. Both of them are now a cultivator of second-level in Flesh Refining Layer, on par in strength with Huo Zunjie.


    "En. How''s your result today?" Qin Lan asked. There are three baskets of trash ced behind him, which he filled with the guts and other unused parts of the demon beast.


    "We''ve managed to capture a Fanged Demon Boar today. This fellow is quite a challenging opponent for us." Lu Yi said. Although the three of them are now on par with this second-level Flesh Refining demon, their physiques are still a lot weaker inparison to a demon beast.


    "Be satisfied with your current achievement for now. Able to hunt one with a team of three people is already amazing enough." Huo Zunjie grabbed Lu Yi''s shoulder.


    Based on what he knows, nobody would dare to capture a Fanged Demon Boar without the help of a third-level Flesh Refining Cultivator.


    "Let''s eat first." Lu Qing Yun returned with a pot of braised meat and vegetables she prepared before they left for the Western Demon Forest. Such an organized lifestyle has been her daily schedule for the whole month.


    "From tomorrow onwards, you guys don''t need to hunt anymore. We will have to register our name tomorrow and consolidate everything we have learned so far." Qin Lan said.


    "Our teacher has also given us his blessing and hope we will perform well in this Annual Hunting Festival. From what I heard, the winner of first ce will be rewarded with a Foundation Advancement Pill," he added.


    "Foundation Advancement Pill?" the three of them has little to none in term of basic knowledge. So far, what they know can be simply described asmon knowledge, except for what was taught by Qin Lan.


    Hence, when the name (Foundation Advancement Pill) came into their discussion, they did not show a hint of greed other people do.


    Furthermore, they know that being with Qin Lan equals innumerable wealth at any given time. That is also why no one between the three had a question when ites to precious treasure.


    "It was a pill that promises a guaranteed breakthrough to the next level. Only one can be taken in eachyer, and not more. And after taking this Foundation Advancement Pill to breakthrough, advancing through their subsequent level will be harder than usual." his exnation is as detailed as ever.


    "Then why do they still want to use it if there''s a negative side effect like this?" Huo Zunjie asked. Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun nodded as they were curious about the answer to the same question.


    "If you''re stuck in between the middle-Attainment Rank for years, would you risk it to advance into the sixth-level, enjoying a better benefit as an upperyer cultivator?"


    "If you''re stuck in between the border of Full-Attainment and Introductory into the Bone Reconstruction Layer, would you risk it?" Qin Lan answered their question with a question.


    "I will... I think?" Lu Yi scratched his head as he replied.


    "That''s because Lu Yi''s way of life is straightforward. Huo Zunjie''s path is more to perseverance and persistence. As for Qing Yun, her path is mild and calm, like a pond of lotus." Qin Lan exined to them their personality and the path of cultivation they might follow.


    "Would you risk it, young master?" Lu Qing Yun asked Qin Lan if he''ll take the chance if the Foundation Advancement Pill is presented before him.


    Qin Lanughed.


    "Why would I covet something that originated from our Kuangshan Lu Sect? With our teacher''s ability, put aside mere medicines like Foundation Advancement Pill, Even Realm Advancement Pill is possible if we really want it."


    "Mark my words." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 23: Jade Dragon Finger

    Chapter 23: Jade Dragon Finger


    =Registration Table for Annual Hunting Festival=


    -----Rules-----


    -> 3 - 5 people in a team.


    -> No personal attack is allowed in this seven days festival period.


    -> Iplete Demon Beast will not be counted into the pool results.


    -> Only those beasts in between the outer to the inner forest is counted.


    -> The end result of this festival will be evaluated impartially by the Qin, Jiao, Hu, and Chu Families, along with themittee of Fu-Rong Town.


    -----Rewards-----


    -> Winner: Foundation Advancement Pill / 3 Precelestial Realm''s Huang-Grade, (Full) Protective Treasures / 1 Precelestial Realm''s Huang-Grade, (Full) Offensive Treasure.


    -> Runner Up: 2 Precelestial Realm''s Huang-Grade, (Full) Protective Treasures / 1 Precelestial Realm''s Huang-Grade, (Full) Offensive Treasure.


    -> 2nd Runner Up: 1 Precelestial Realm''s Xuan-Grade, (Full) Protective Treasure / 1 Precelestial Realm''s Xuan-Grade, (Full) Offensive Treasure.


    -----Notice-----


    -> The Fu-Rong Townmittee reserve the right of ownership on all the corpses obtained from this Annual Hunting Festival.


    -> Each participant will have to leave a deposit of 1,000 pieces of gold coin to reserve a Qiankun Pouch.


    -> Cheating participants will be cklisted from this festival for life.


    -> Any participants caught cheating, instigating, and hindering thepetition andpetitors will be disqualified without trial.


    -> All teams will receive an equal provision ording to the number of members. You''re advised to prepare your own rations and lifesaving tools before the day of thepetition.


    =End=


    "We''re registering!" over a hundred participants quickly form a queue as they wrote down their details.


    Over 150 teams are registered in less than an incense stick of time. Since the registration table will only be open for two days, they''re worried that they missed the chance to register themselves after this.


    Soon, sixteen people dressed in purple attire came.


    "The people from Chu Household is here! That''s Chu Heng, Chu Yun, and Chu Qian!" the public weed their arrival with cheers as they make their way over to the registration table.


    "Three registration teams for the Chu Family, please!" Chu Xiang, their uncle, politely inform themittee staff of their decision.


    "Chu Heng Team, number 160. Chu Yun Team, number 161. Chu Qian Team, number 162," themittee staff of Fu-Rong Town announced what he''s written on the bamboo strips and announced it out loudly.


    "The Hu Household is here!" Hu Jia came with four attendants, two males, and two females. After keeping the bamboo strip numbered 163, she left without trying tomunicate with the others.


    Then, the members of the Qin Household came.


    "Qin Huang, Qin Hu, Qin Qin, and Qin Qi! The fourth to the seventh young masters and the youngdies are here! Don''t tell me that they''re going to register four teams?" the public made their guess.


    But when all of them are registered to a single team, it somewhat disappoints them because they''re expecting more from the number one household in this Fu-Rong Town. After taking away the number 164 bamboo strip, they also collectively left without spending too much time out in public.


    Qin Lan, apanied by Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie, came two incense sticks of timeter.


    "That''s the third young master of the Qin Household. It seems the rumor about him getting crippled is true!" the public whispered to one another after they noticed Qin Laning over in his wheelchair.


    "Qin Lan Team, number 200!" the Fu-Rong Town Committee staff announced the four members of Qin Lan''s team, which includes Qin Lan himself.


    ...


    ...


    "Lan-Er, did you register yourselves for the Annual Hunting Festival?" Qin Tian asked. About two hours ago, news regarding Qin Lan''s registration was spread across the entire Fu-Rong Town.


    But instead of getting respected, he was treated as aughingstock in the entire Fu-Rong Town. "A cripple wanted to lead the team topete for the Foundation Advancement Pill," they said.


    "Yes, grandfather. I''ve registered a team of four with Xiao-Ke, Xiao Yun, and my new servant name Huo Zunjie," Qin Lan nodded.


    "Their cultivation is too low, don''t you think? Thispetition is not a game. There might be a life-threatening danger if you proceed without proper preparations." Qin Tian said.


    Although he has the intention to persuade Qin Lan to cancel his registration, deep inside his heart, he''s feeling proud of his grandson for daring to challenge the impossible.


    "We can do it, grandfather. Trust me." Qin Lan held Qin Tian''s hand on his wrist and transferred a gentle amount of spiritual qi into his body.


    "This..." Qin Tian''s expression changed the moment he sensed the undtion of spiritual energy close to the third-level of Flesh Refininging from Qin Lan.


    "Grandfather, I''ll tell you in detail in the future, so please allow us to participate." Qin Lan whispered at his grandfather''s ear.


    "Hahaha... It seems that heaven is still standing on the side of our Qin Household," Qin Tian nodded.


    ...


    ...


    "Qing Yun, bring me the... Ah yes... They''re cultivating," Qin Lan raised his hand towards an empty spot, only to realized that nobody is inside his room at this moment.


    His three servants are currently cultivating at their own pace as they tried to consolidate their cultivation to its very peak. Although breaking through the third-level is impossible, it is still better for them to be a tad bit stronger than the second-levels out there.


    Furthermore, Qin Lan has taught all three of them a small part of the Kuangshan Lu Sect''s Martial Art to practice in their own free time.


    He teaches theds the "Mistral Projection Fist Art" since they preferred a boxing-style approach. As for Lu Qing Yun, Qin Lan instructed her personally on how to executes the art of "Rippling Wave Palm," which has three different methods of attack.


    He stood up from his seat. Walkingfortably to the holding shelf ced on the western side of his room, Qin Lan opened one of the drawers to withdraw a bottle of Flesh Foundation Pills.


    He then reached his hand to another drawer and grabbed a piece of ingot that resembled the Essence Metal.


    Unlike the Essence Metal that shines beautifully in a metallic copper-color, the Offense Metal ingot came in a greenish-milky hue, just like a piece of milky mchite.


    The process of extracting the Offense Metal is simr to the Essence Metal. But instead of the outer carapace and shell, it was collected from the marrow of the bone itself. This is what made the Offense Metal even rarerpared to the Essence Metal.


    Furthermore, since weapons tend to have a greater length of densitypared to protective gear, their production cost is also higher.


    Luckily, what he''s aiming for right now is not to make aplete but a halfpleted Offensive Treasure. In fact, he was only going to create a three finger-shaped offensive treasure to be given to the twods.


    One of his reason behind this decision is due to two deadly moves that existed within the Mistral Projection Fist Art. And as the creator of this exceptional martial art, it is only natural for him to know what was required to apply these deadly moves to hit harder.


    Of course, part of the reason behind him being skimpy in creating this Offensive Treasure is due to the limitation of Offense Metal they had. Qin Lan finds it hard to believe that after so many eras have passed, the bloodline of the demon beast has actually weakened and not strengthened.


    Although the process was simr, it was also different.


    Spiritual Energy has to be ignited to the highest degree when a Treasure Master is preparing to refine the Offence Metal into a shape he/she desired. This means that during the entire process, Qin Lan cannot be disturbed nor caught in a situation where he''s suffering from theck of Spiritual Energy to aplish his task.


    Not only the creation of an Offensive Treasure is much more challenging, but it''s also riskier.


    And in exchange for all these, the end product yields much more satisfaction and value inparison. Furthermore, an Offensive Treasure can be upgraded indefinitely, as long the skill of a Treasure Master is qualified enough to do so.


    That is also why Qin Lan decided to create two Half-Completed Offensive Treasure. But of course, he couldn''t guarantee the grade of his end product, as there is a big gap of unsurmountable might between Half-Completed and Completed Offensive Treasure.


    Qin Lan gulped the entire bottle of Flesh Foundation Pills as he concentrates his spiritual energy in between his palms. His action indirectly affected the Mistral Flesh Diagram within his body as the morning mist he gathered started to create ayer of fog around him.


    **Sii...**


    The moment the Offence Metal came into contact with his spiritual energy, part of the metal surface started to melt. The greenish milky mchite moves like the wax from a candle under Qin Lan''s spiritual guidance as he''s trying to mold the substance.


    One finger - Two fingers - Three fingers...


    Two sets of three-fingers Offensive Treasure soon appeared, waiting for Qin Lan to perfecting it. It was shaped ording to his distant memory surrounding a scaled demon beast. It was famed for its sharp ws that are capable of tearing apart Pericelestial treasures effortlessly.


    To make sure his design resembles what he had in mind, Qin Lan ced more effort, from its size to the indentation he made on purpose as decor.


    The three-fingers Offensive Treasure soon took over a split image of a male essory. After some consideration, Qin Lan decided to name it "Jade Dragon Fingers," a matching name to the two Precelestial Realm''s Huang-Grade, (Half) Offensive Treasures!


    "Hah... Finallypleted. But what is wrong with this spiritual energy undtion?" Qin Lan''s concentration took three hours away from him. As he was too tired after he refined the two Jade Dragon Fingers, Qin Lan failed to notice that his Mistral Flesh Diagram is running amok!


    Furthermore, the current sculpting process is focusing on his groin!

 Chapter 24: Calmness Before Storm

    Chapter 24: Calmness Before Storm


    Spiritual energy surrounding Qin Lan''s private courtyard is decreasing at lightning speed. The moment it all exhausted, the suction force focuses on the upper sky instead.


    Just like the morning mist, which condensable into a form of dew, the sky is also a plot of valuable area for whoever capable of harnessing them for benefit.


    The cloud was pulled together by a siphoning spiral that''s spun like a cone towards Qin Lan''s sleeping chamber. From a vapor phase to liquid, the cloud turned into droplets of concentrated spiritual energy as it falls on his building like a blessing from the earth.


    It was a majestic scene for those lucky enough to witness this sight.


    All the spiritual energy that was siphoned into the sleeping chamber converge around Qin Lan with him as the core. Impurities within his body were forced out from his physical body along with some ky bits through his "manhood."


    Those "ky bits" were what was left from his destroyed Golden Core that''s yet to exist.


    His "Spiritual Energy Containing" Physique continued to harness the concentrated spiritual energy like a supplement as it refines his body further. The feeling brought from the physical refinement creates a sense of euphoria within Qin Lan''s mind, as he takes his time to digest this enlightenment.


    (Although there are nine levels in eachyer of the Precelestial Realm, the gap between the first, fifth, and ninth stage was separated too far apart. This made the cultivation differences between them is evidently shown)


    (Luckily, the Mistral Flesh Diagram managed to identify the w and adjusted it ordingly to its own understanding of the Five Governing Law of the World)


    (One w equal to one stage, and nine made up the hurdle of a cultivator to advance. And by separating it into four primary ranks and five supporting ranks, the changes would also benefit the path of cultivation in the long run)


    Qin Lan closed his eyes to study the changes on his body as he jotted down each and every single word he had spoken. He also redraws a new guideline of Advancement for the Flesh Refining Layer, starting with the first-level.


    The [First-Level of Flesh Refining Layer] will be known as [Early Stage Flesh Refining Layer], followed with Third-Level as [Advance Stage Flesh Refining Layer.] The [Sixth-Level] will be the new minimal consideration which made Qin Lan decided to put this stage as the [Middle Stage Flesh Refining Layer.]


    Lastly, the [Ninth-Level] will also be known as the [Peak Stage] from now on. Using this new basis as the base guideline, it will be much more eptable than the usual 1st, 5th, and 9th level differences. It will also be much easier for the public and fellow cultivators to ept.


    It was somewhat simr to how Treasured and Offensive Treasure is graded, from Mysterious Xuan to Royal Huang to Earth to Heaven.


    An unusual golden light wrapped around Qin Lan''s body as theprehension ended. Although the third imperfection from the Mistral Flesh Diagram centered on his "Groin" part, that doesn''t mean only his private part received the makeover benefit.


    He''s now a full-fledge Third-Level cultivator of the Flesh Refining Layer, with a "Spiritual Energy Container" Physique. His body is now so sturdy that it wouldn''t be a problem at all for him to receive a direct blow from an opponent of his level without precaution.


    Furthermore, a much powerful physique means Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy capacity has also increased drastically. Storing thirty days'' worth of Morning Mist now wouldn''t be a problem to him.


    (I can''t believe that I''ve actually triggered an Earth Spiritual Blessing a little while earlier)


    Qin Lan left his meditation and started to collect as many raindrops that are still lingering on his roof. They will remain useful as long it is kept in a tightly sealed container.


    "Can wee in, young master?" Lu Qing Yun and Lu Yi knock on the door, asking for his permission to enter.


    "Of course. Come in, all of you." Qin Lan''s reply came from the inside, giving them permission to do so. Huo Zunjie also followed both of them afterward, as he was thest one to arrive.


    "Third-Level of Flesh Refining Layer! Did the exhaustion of spiritual energy around us urred due to our young master''s breakthrough?" Huo Zunjie guessed. As the one with the highest cultivation between Qin Lan''s three servants, his understanding is much better than the other two.


    "What happened earlier is indeed caused by me." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Also, I''ve interpreted a concern rted to our cultivation. So, from today onward, I''ll prepare to teach all three of you a mental cultivation technique that will refine the w in our physique."


    "But to start, the three of you will have to be at least a third-level Flesh Refining Cultivator first. So, to achieve that, do your best in this Annual Hunting Festival. It will be a challenging event for the three of you as I will remain low profile throughout the event." Qin Lan stated.


    "Young master, please rest assured. We''ll do our best for these seven days." Lu Yi hammered his chest as he shows his confidence.


    Qin Lan smiled as he gave them a nod of his own confidence. Just like Lu Yi, Qin Lan is confident with what he has drilled into his three servants.


    "Here, both of you should take one of this. It''s a Royal Huang-Grade Offensive Treasure known as Jade Dragon Fingers. With this, you''ll be able to execute three out of the seven avable moves from the Mistral Projection Fist Art more efficiently." Qin Lan tossed the Offensive Treasure he made onto Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie.


    "Yes! From now, I''ll have my own Offensive Treasure as well." Lu Yi immediately put the weapon on his right hand, covering him from his thumb to the index and middle finger.


    "Go back to cultivate." Qin Lan leaned on his wheelchair and shut his eyes. It was a perfect opportunity for him to rest his mind right now.


    ...


    ...


    Another part of memory when he was the Sect Leader of Kuangshan Lu Sect returned to him once again. It was like fragment after fragment, which was divided proportionately to gradually awaken his memory from a long slumber.


    Coming out from his humble residence, Qin Lan, now around his grandfather''s age, washed his face like usual as he put on his sect master robe and went out.


    "Good morning, sect master."


    "Long live to the sect master. May Kuanghan Lu Sect gloryst forever."


    The old and young disciples that are working right outside of his residence greeted Qin Lan the moment he stepped outside of his abode. Decorated on both his left and right are pots of Changxian Grass, which have the appearance of a sulent nt.


    Qin Lan pressed one of the tips as the Changxian Dew is squirted out from the nt. The blob of sweet dew then floated and entered the jade container on his waist.


    After repeating it ten to fifteen times, Qin Lan has finallypleted his chores. The jade bottle filled with Changxian Dew apanied Qin Lan as he descends from his mountain peak by standing on top of the cloud.


    Each time he traveled across a few miles down, Qin Lan will pour a few drops of the Changxian Dew on the flowers, trees, and water puddles gathered around his peak.


    And after descending a hundred miles from the mountain peak, Qin Lan finally reaches a sea of clouds covering everything his eyes can see. A pair of wings expand from the ball of cloud under his feet, which revealed itself to be a majestic albino bird, created a hole with a p of its wing.


    Both of them descends even more until he''s finally looking at a densely popted mountain prefecture bustling with the energy of life.


    His descent to this piece ofnd was immediately greeted with a coborated greeting of all the people living here.


    "Glory to the Kuangshan Lu Sect!"


    ...


    "You''ve woken, young master?" Lu Qing Yun''s voice was the first one to greet him as he gently opened his eyes. Qin Lan felt rejuvenated, although he has no idea how long he had been sleeping.


    "How long have I''ve been asleep for?" Qin Lan asked. Suddenly remembering what was happened in the past made him looking forward to his day.


    "For the entire night. It was the first time I see young master sleep with a smile on your face." Lu Qing Yun giggled while she answered Qin Lan.


    "That''s because I had a great dream. Can you prepare some water for me? I want to have a proper shower before we go out to have a stroll around the town today." Qin Lan made a request.


    "I''ll get them ready now. I''ll let Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie know about it too." Lu Qing Yun bowed and excused herself from Qin Lan''s room.


    Not long after that, the four of them left the Qin Family Manor. With Huo Zunjie pushing the wheelchair from behind, they went for a stroll around the Fu-Rong Town. This was one of Qin Lan''s favorite activities before he was crippled by the mysterious expert.

 Chapter 25: An Invitation For a Cup of Tea

    Chapter 25: An Invitation For a Cup of Tea


    Lan-Xia Tea Parlor.


    "Do he think he''s still the same third young master as before? With him now crippled, only me, Jiao Heng, are worthy of everyone''s respect inside this Fu-Rong City!" the third young master of Jiao Household made a mess on the tea parlor from hearing Qin Lan''s name.


    This ce used to be Qin Lan''s favorite spot to exchange his view on regards to music, chess, books, and art. But right now, it was turned into a ce with no ss at all, filled with spoiled young masters without potential humping on the courtesan like no tomorrow in its private rooms.


    That is because another third young master has officially announced that he''ll be "taking care" of this establishment.


    Unlike Qin Lan, who prefer calmness, Jiao Heng is someone with enjoyed causing trouble wherever he goes. Relying on the reputation of the second-biggest household in this town, Jiao Heng is often seen flirting with women of different ages out on the street.


    Fondling them in public as he collects the "protection money" was just a mere showcase of his vulgarity. But because there''s nobody dares to step out to challenge the Jiao Household behind him, everyone can only keep one of their eyes closed whenever he walked across the street.


    "Let''s go." Jiao Heng suddenly ps the woman who''s working on his crotch. His strength of Third-Level Flesh Refining Layer caused the woman to faint from his p as she knocked her head on the table afterward.


    "Where, young master?" his butler asked.


    "To where Qin Lan is, of course! Are you stupid?" Jiao Heng gave his butler a kick on the crotch as he slowly kept his tiny branch back into his pants. Perhaps his ego all stemmed from his imperfect manhood.


    "Young... Young master, wait..." the butler struggled to stand up even with two servants helping him.


    "Chase him. If all of us weren''t by his side when he called, then our mother, sisters, and daughters will be the ones to face his wrath next." the butler said as he points his finger at Jiao Heng.


    "Young master, open your mouth please," Lu Qing Yun fed a piece of grilled fish into Qin Lan''s mouth after she removed the pesky little bones from the flesh. Standing behind them is Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie, who''s busy devouring their spicier grilled fish.


    "Both of you, can you eat properly? You''re making our young master look bad here with that kind of attitude." Lu Qing Yun stares at both of them as she''s annoyed with the sound they''re making.


    "Qing Yun, you should have some for your own too. Boss Ma, one more grill fish, please!" Qin Lanughed at Lu Qing Yun, but still proceed to order a fish for her.


    "Third young master is as elegant as always. Little Yun, take this fish from uncle Ma. I''ve removed the bone for you." the boss for the grilled fish stall delivered another skewer of grill fish to Lu Qing Yun as she fed what''s was remain in her hand to Qin Lan''s mouth.


    "Third young master, I''ve brought you and yourpanion some water to quench your thirst." Boss Ma''s wife came out from their house with a tray of four y bowls and a y water pot.


    "Young master..." Lu Qing Yun hesitates to ept her kindness.


    "Aunt Ma looks much younger these days. Did you found Boss Ma''s secret stash of money again?" Qin Lan jokes. But his jokes were all relevant to the person. Since Boss Ma has a tendency to visit the gambling den opened by the Jiao Household often, the couple loves to fight whenever he loses all his money inside there.


    "Third young master''s word is too sweet. I''m happy because the tree behind our house has started to bear some edible fruits. I''ll get this useless man to deliver some to the manor when it''s ripe and ready." Aunt Ma said.


    "Then I''ll be looking forward to that day." Qin Lan smiled as he drank the water from the y bowl without feeling bothered with its quality.


    "Shall we go to the Lan-Xia Tea Parlor? I wonder if they added any new books there," Qin Lan naturally mentioned the tea parlor he frequented. But his words made the others felt differently.


    "Young master, let''s not go to the tea parlor..." Lu Yi said. As the servant serving Qin Lan the longest, how can he have no idea what has the tea parlor had be?


    "Is it closed?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Not closed! It''s just that boss Ling has be my woman because you no longer able to satisfy her!" a loud voice came from afar to reply to Qin Lan''s question.


    When Qin Lan turned his head around, he''s frustrated to see Jiao Heng walking towards him with close to twenty servants. The boss Ling he mentioned is the original owner of the tea parlor, who''s also the musician with talent in zither.


    At the same time, she''s also the woman that Jiao Heng pped unconscious before he left the parlor.


    "Third Young Master of Jiao Household, please mind your words. What have you done to the Lan-Xia Tea Parlor when I wasn''t around?" Qin Lan grabbed Lu Qing Yun''s palm and had her change position with Huo Zunjie, allowing the twods to stand in front instead of ady.


    That''s because he knows what kind of man Jiao Heng is.


    "I''ve told you. That woman is now a slut of mine because you''re crippled. How can a cripple satisfy a woman on the bed? Hahahaha!" Jiao Hengughed like a maniac without even bothering if people are paying attention to him or not.


    "Qin Lan - Qin Lan, I can''tprehend what is inside your mind. Being a cripple like you, how are you able to find the confidence toe outside? I''ve heard that your grandfather is trying to match you and Hu Jia together too."


    "Do you think she''s going to marry you, a cripple? I think even an idiot would know that no matter what your grandfather does, the two remaining families are going to slowlye to support us. You might as well suicide and let your grandfather has a better year or two until our Jiao Family controls the Fu-Rong Town." Jiao Heng blurted out sentence after sentence in front of Qin Lan like he was trying to narrate what they''re going to do.


    But never in his life would he imagine that the current Qin Lan is no longer the immature one he was before. As a sect leader that used to govern over a billion people in a single sect alone, an individual like Jiao Heng is nothing but a disturbance, just like a fly hovering around your ears.


    "Qing Yun, let''s go to the Qin Family Pharmacy." Qin Lan made a change in his n. Perhaps going to the Lan-Xia Tea Parlor right now wasn''t the best choice as it might expose their strategy for the Annual Hunting Festival.


    "Did I say you can go?" Jiao Heng is unwilling to let Qin Lan leave.


    "Young master Jiao Heng, please mind your own status," Lu Yi raised his hand and blocked Qin Lan''s view as Lu Qing Yun turned the wheelchair to a different direction. Luckily, Jiao Heng has no intention to made a move today, as there''s something inside his mind as well.


    Calmly, Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie retreated from their current spot and followed their young master as they headed towards the Qin Family Pharmacy.


    "Young master!" two doorkeepers for the Qin Family Pharmacy immediately greeted Qin Lan the moment they caught him in their eyesight.


    "Everyone! The third young master is here to pay us a visit!" the guards went inside to inform everyone else.


    "Young master!"


    "Third young master!"


    The workers of the Qin Family Pharmacy came into sight as they gathered by the entrance one after another. Everyone was extremely thankful to Qin Lan that day for his selfless sacrifice.


    Qin Lan''s third granduncle came out not too long after that. But he only shows Qin Lan the most basic response before returning to the pharmacy with the others. After collecting a few kinds of medicinal herbs from the pharmacy, Qin Lan and the others decided to call it a day.


    Their return to the Qin Family Manor went around the business street on purpose.


    "Hello. The third young master of Qin Family, I suppose?" suddenly, a foxy and seductive voice belonged to someone they hardly know greets Qin Lan.


    "You''re?" Qin Lan didn''t deny what she said and did not answer her question either.


    "Zhou Mei of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion." this time, she introduced herself in a much more appropriate title.


    "It was nice to be your acquaintance, Lady Zhou. I am indeed Qin Lan, the third son of the Qin Household." Qin Lan cupped his hands together as he greeted Zhou Mei properly.


    "The Zhou Treasured Pavilion wishes to invite young master Qin for a cup of tea as we talk. Would young master Qin consider the invitation?" Zhou Mei''s hand pointed at the Fu-Rong Town''s most luxurious inn as she suggested that they went inside for a proper discussion.


    "It is my honor to be invited by a beauty like Lady Zhou. Please," Qin Lan agreed to Zhou Mei''s invitation without hesitation. But in exchange, the three servants of his is puzzled.


    "Don''t tell me, our young master is interested in her?"

 Chapter 26: Taking Advantage of Another Maiden

    Chapter 26: Taking Advantage of Another Maiden


    "Third young master Qin, I hope you enjoy the dishes prepared by the Dragon Phoenix Inn!" a curvy, middle-ageddy greeted Qin Lan. A total of eight dishes were ced on the table while Zhou Mei is staring and observing Qin Lan''s attitude.


    "Thank you, Boss Feng." Qin Lan cupped his hands together as he shows his gratitude to thedy boss and the servants when they''re excusing themselves. Only Lu Qing Yun is inside the room helping Qin Lan. As for Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie. Both of them are guarding the door into the private room seriously to allow no disturbance during their young master''s business discussion.


    "Lady Zhou, if there''s something you''d like to know, feel free to bring it up. I am a very approachable man who''s willing to listen and help," said Qin Lan while smiling.


    "There''s indeed something that the third young master can help. But before we started, may I rify a subject first? We hope that you understand, the Jiao Household and Zhou Treasured Pavilion is only cooperating as a business partner, and nothing else."


    "If there''s anything that offended the third young master, please allow this Zhou Mei to resolve the misunderstanding with an apology here." Zhou Mei ced a cup of freshly brewed tea in front of Qin Lan as she gets on her feet. Both her hands held the teacup firmly as she extends her hand out with a slight bow.


    "Lady Zhou is too polite. There is no offense taken, so please have a seat." Qin Lan used both of his hands to ept Zhou Mei''s teacup. With a sip of the tea, it also means that he''s willing to wipe away the ount of Night Dragon Corps trying to rob Huo Zunjie''s house for the Full-Protective Treasure.


    "Zhou Mei is very grateful for young master Qin''s magnanimity."


    "May I continue?" she made a turn back to her chair, showing her ptable curvature on her back as she slowly sat down. Each and every gesture of her is filled with a seductive charm.


    "Of course. Feel free to speak your mind, Lady Zhou, as this surname Qin has nothing much to do back in the manor anyway." Qin Lan jokes by devaluing himself in this talk as it started.


    "Third young master is too humble. But I believe that a young master like Qin Lan isn''t like what you just described. Especially... When each one of your servantse with a Treasure on them." Zhou Mei rolled her hair on a finger as she replied to Qin Lan''s sentence.


    Her words made Lu Qing Yun''s expression changed, but not Qin Lan''s.


    With Qin Lan''s life experiences for two lifetimes, how can he be clueless about some people''s natural born body and physique? And in this Fu-Rong Town alone, there''s already four, including himself.


    Huo Zunjie''s Undying Cultivation Physique.


    Lu Qing Yun''s Lotus Fragrant Body.


    His own Spiritual Container Body.


    And now, Zhou Mei''s Spiritual Sense Body.


    But having a blessed constitution does not mean their footprint into the path of cultivation is smoother. Huo Zunjie''s Undying Cultivation Physique gave him strong resistance to an ailment. But in exchange, he would have to cultivate all over again to regain what he had lost.


    Lu Qing Yun''s Lotus Fragrant Body granted her betterprehension in cultivation and no obstacle in breakthrough. But in exchange, she''s not allowed to be in a romantic rtionship. Having a physical rtionship with her equals handling half of her cultivation to her partner.


    As for Zhou Mei''s Spiritual Sense Body, it increased her speed of cultivation and sensitivity in detecting treasures, but rather useless if she''s unable to use them efficiently.


    "Young Master Qin doesn''t have to be too rmed with this. This Zhou Mei is born with a unique body constitution called Spiritual Sense Body. It allowed me to sense Spiritual Energy much better than the others." Zhou Mei added, in case Qin Lan and the others are wary of her.


    (He''s not disturbed by the fact of my unique body constitution? Does he have some hidden trump card with him as well? No... From how his body responds, he has no spiritual energy at all...)


    Zhou Mei smiled.


    (He shouldn''t be the one that made the Protective and Offensive Treasures... Perhaps there''s a hidden expert behind him that came up with that)


    "To be honest with you, our Zhou Treasured Pavilion has..." Zhou Mei was going to continue, but Qin Lan raised a finger of his to disrupt her flow of words.


    "What can the Zhou Treasured Pavilion offer?" Qin Lan''s sudden question breaks apart the norm of a business talk. With nothing was discussed except for an apology and self-introduction, Qin Lan''s question made Zhou Mei reconsidered her opponent''s ability.


    "Our Zhou Treasured Pavilion has an abundant storage of resources, which I believe that they could be some help to recover your condition and Golden Core." Zhou Mei selected a few keywords to be used to entice Qin Lan''s interest.


    "Do you have Violet Skygrasping Vine Fruit?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Ah? What... is that?" Zhou Mei shows Qin Lan a puzzled expression.


    "Nevermind. I''ll do it with some Crimson Striped Ambrosia. Don''t tell me you don''t have them as well?" Qin Lan continued.


    "We... Don''t. I''m sorry..." Zhou Mei lowered her head.


    "Then, what about Essence Metal ingot and Offensive Metal ingot? I''m sure you will have some as a Treasured Pavilion." Qin Lan shows apromising appearance as he goes for the lowest option possible.


    "Yes! We do have the Metal ingots. If you like, I can deliver around... Ten..." Zhou Mei happily suggested ten ingots from each to keep enticing Qin Lan, unaware that the appetite of this man before her is not that small.


    "I could speak on behalf of the Treasured Pavilion of you can provide at least a hundred ingots... Sorry, did I hear you say... Ten?" Qin Lan''s act made Zhou Mei fainted on the spot.


    "Hehehe..." Lu Qing Yun chuckled.


    ...


    ...


    Lu Qing Yun quietly excused herself from the room with a hand sign from Qin Lan.


    She hesitated. But in the end, still followed Qin Lan''s order and left the two to discuss the matter more privately.


    "Young master Qin, have you ridiculed me enough? I am serious about cooperating with you, but the request for 100 essence metal ingots is impossible for me to fulfill." Zhou Mei said.


    "What if..." Zhou Mei left her chair and moved closer to Qin Lan''s side. She gently moved her hair to the side of her shoulder as she sat down on Qin Lan''sp.


    "Young master Qin Lan suggests something else? This Zhou Mei will try her best to fulfill the request," she whispered her word gently at the side of Qin Lan''s ear. One of her hands is pressed tight on her chest, making the cleavage even more prominent than it was when covered modestly.


    "Sure. I want the Zhou Treasured Pavilion to act as the middleman on my behalf. I will prepare a Precelestial Huang-Grade (Full) Treasure for you each week to be sold or exchanged for materials." Qin Lan finally suggested something within her ability to aplish.


    "Huang-Grade (Full) Treasure? You have the mean to provide one Huang-Grade treasure per week without difficulty?" Zhou Mei ced her hand on Qin Lan''s face as she tried to dig more information from him.


    One has to know that what they were saying here is not Mysterious Xuan Treasure, but a Yellow Huang-Grade Treasure. A treasure of this caliber is hardly seen outside of the sect that makes it because the resources to refine one is enormous.


    "Yes." Qin Lan gave her a smile as his reply.


    "And what you like it to be sold for? What materials you''re looking for?" Zhou Mei continued with her questions. Although she was sitting on top of Qin Lan''sp, that doesn''t mean she could let go of her work and have fun.


    Furthermore, although thisdy seems "experienced," she''s, in fact, is still an unsullied maiden who''s qualified to be "married" into a proper family. If it was not because Lu Qing Yun''s Heaven''s Strings is too attractive, she would give up on approaching Qin Lan using a seductive technique like this.


    But s, she''s too inexperienced against an old fox like Qin Lan.


    "Huh!" her heart skipped a beat when Qin Lan ced his hand on her waist and grabbed her gently. It didn''t reveal the fact he''s no longer a cripple, but at the same time, the action allowed him to act selfishly as the one that''s capable of providing what she want the most.


    "I want one [Spiritual Serenity Grass] from your Ice Maiden Temple for every Huang-Grade (Full) Treasure I provide. Also, 90% of the total. You can either convert them to pills or Essence Metal to pay me." Qin Lan ced his remaining hand in between Zhou Mei''s sweet thigh.


    "Huh... Huh... How do you know about that?" Zhou Mei struggled to calm her mind as Qin Lan''s perverted hand slowly moves closer to her body. His hand on her waist has also traveled to beneath the breast, just inches from touching her most sensitive part.


    "A - Ahem! Young Master Qin, please be reminded that we''re still in public. I hope you can control yourself from doing something as vulgar as Jiao Heng." Zhou Mei escaped from Qin Lan''s satisfying yet sensual clutch while her heart still palpitating rapidly.


    (He''s very dangerous... Why did I not heard about it all until now?)


    Zhou Mei calmed herself using some of her spiritual energy, which significantly flows a little better than before.


    (What? What happened?)


    "Lazy Zhou, if there''s a fate between us, let''s make our next meeting in my sleeping chamber. Please excuse me as the time is not early anymore." Qin Lan moved his wheelchair towards the entrance. When Lu Qing Yun came in, she reached for Qin Lan''s chair handle and pushed him out without muttering a single sentence.


    "Did my Qing Yun got jealous?" Qin Lan noticed Lu Qing Yun''s worried expression, like a consort worrying about her husband will be snatched away.


    Followed with the quiet Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie, the four of them returned to the Qin Family Manor without making any detour.


    As for Zhou Mei, she''s still closing her eyes as she explores the unusual feeling of having her blood channel unlocked.

 Chapter 27: Annual Hunting Festival - Third-Level Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast

    Chapter 27: Annual Hunting Festival - Third-Level Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast


    "Bang! - Bang! - Bang!" fireworks deafen the Fu-Rong Town square as the senior and elderly residents preparing for the yearly ritual before participants leaving into the Western Demon Forest.


    Crowds of people of all ages gathered around the square as they celebrated the festival with trinkets, food, and goods avable for purchase.


    A Treasure Master that''s privately hired by the townmittees turned up as the host and initiator for today''s ritual. Each of the teams was also given a Qiankun Pouch to store all the loot they captured within.


    About three hourster, the total number of 230 teams departed. That''s around 1,100 participants altogether. But only a few of them from the four households in Fu-Rong Town can afford to reduce their trouble with the help of a Protective or Offensive Treasure.


    "Qin Lan, you better be safe. I''ll wait for you outside here a weekter." Hu Jia said as she gave Qin Lan a look filled with a yearning for his recognition. It was something that never happened to Hu Jia before.


    "Third brother, we''ll go in first." Qin Qin, Qin Qi, Qin Huang, and Qin Hu politely informed Qin Lan, the eldest amongst them, before they left.


    The others cupped their hand as they walked past Qin Lan''s party.


    "Young master, shall we go?" Lu Qing Yun asked. For their first day, Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie will be given the task as their vanguard for the day.


    "Let''s depart. We''ll head straight to the eastern outskirt where the Yellowtail Fox Demon gathered." Qin Lan has already nned their route before the Annual Hunting Festival Started. Furthermore, now was the time they properly utilize the knowledge, experience, and maps they recorded so far.


    ...


    ...


    "Mirage Chain Fist!"


    "Profound Projection Fist!"


    Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s attack robbed the life of a demon beast wherever they passed. But like the entire Western Demon Forest is in havoc, more targets are steadily getting closer to their position like it was in a full alert.


    "Young Master, we have three more ck Haired Rodent Demon Beasting toward us." Lu Qing Yun pointed at their northeast direction.


    "Qing Yun, you''ll handle them. I will be around until all of you have returned." Qin Lan spread the paper-fan in his hand open and fanned himself.


    "Qing Yun wille back quickly." Lu Qing Yun made her move. A few steps from her average-mastery Thousand Miles Travel in a Step movement art brought her twenty or more meters ahead.


    The moment she encountered the two ck Haired Rodent Demon Beast in her sight, Lu Qing Yun stabbed her index finger into the chest of the Rodent Demon.


    "Piercing Wave..."


    **Duh!**


    A hole appeared on the Rodent Demon as it copsed onto the ground without twitching.


    "Your turn," Lu Qing Yun shifted her attention on the second ck Haired Rodent Demon Beast. Her indifferent attitude shows how calm is her mental state, after putting in so much effort into cultivating the Clear Cloud Lotus Art.


    "Roar!" the Rodent Demon struggled. But in the end, it turned into two dead corpses.


    "Young Master, we''re back." Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie came back with eight corpses belonged to the demon beasts they hunted. In one of their backpack, it was filled with medicinal herbs that are useful for their seven days journey.


    "Great. Let''s continue. We''ll have to make it to where the Yellowtail Fox Demon gathered before the sun sets." Qin Lan said. Checking the content of the Qiankun Pouch, he''s satisfied with their current result of sixteen demon beast hunted. Twelve first-level of Flesh Refining and four second-level.


    ...


    ...


    "Mdy, we should look for a ce to raise our camp soon." Hu Jia''s servant came closer to Hu Jia and reported. From a bird''s eye view, her current location is just about 25miles away north from Qin Lan.


    As for the other team consisted of Qin family members, they''re located at the far western side of the forest, about 150miles from Qin Lan''s initial position.


    Following behind them is a team from the Chu Household. Meanwhile, the Jiao Household''s fifteen teams are those located frontmost, almost to the border between the outer and inner forest.


    Bloodshed started the moment the sun finally sets.


    Without the light from the sun, the demon beast became much more activepared to when the sun is above them. And since there are more nocturnal demon beasts residing in the outskirt section, arge scale of demon beast movement is finally happening.


    The reason is likely due to therge presence of humans inside the Western Demon Forest itself.


    "Demons! Demon Beast isunching their night attack!"


    "Wake up! We''re under attack!" it was a mess inside this forest with 1,100 human participants.


    Without notice or signal of their attack, the Demon Beasts struck deep into their camp, intending to devour until no bones are left. It was only their first night, and there are close to twenty teams that are either eliminated or disqualified.


    "Mdy," Hu Jia''s servants protected her in all four directions.


    "Fourth sister, fifth sister," Qin Huang ced four pieces of Demonic Amulets on the trees around them to create a defensive barrier to protect themselves from this night raid.


    "Let''s do it," Chu Heng, Chu Yun, and Chu Qian Team prepared to fight to the death against the iing wave of demon beasts.


    Further ahead from them, the Jiao Household band together as they created a wide-scale formation to trap the demon beast as they fought against the demon beast swarm.


    "The real challenge of this seven days of Annual Hunting Festival is finally here! Only the strongest remain! The weak shall be fodder and remain in the Western Demon Forest!" a same collective thought came into their mind as they epted the trial.


    At the same time...


    "We''re here, young master." Lu Yi and Qin Lan made a stop right before the hole leading to a burrow underground. Skeletons belonged to both human and animals are scattered all around the entrance, making this location seems eeriepared to the ce the other participants is at.


    "Start deploying the formation." Qin Lan ordered.


    The three servants removed the rucksack on their back the moment Qin Lan gave them an order. When the content of the bag is taken out into in sight, it turned out to be some horse knot chains with three talismans attached to it.


    Next, Qin Lan withdrew a dozen bottles of Corpse Melting Solution from his wheelchair''s spaciouspartment to be distributed to the trio.


    Their trained action quickly deployed a unique formation right above this mysterious burrow of a demon beast. And very soon, this ce looked like a ceremony was just being held at this ce.


    "We''re done, young master." Lu Qing Yun came to Qin Lan''s side to report.


    "Young master, what is this formation, and what is it for?" Huo Zunjie asked.


    "Yes... I felt a very dangerous vibe outside of our spot here... Did something happened on the other part of the forest?" Lu Yi added.


    "What we just did is deploying a formation known as Earth Small Shift Formation. This way, we will not be bothered by the others when we''re hunting the demon beast resting inside the burrow." Qin Lan said.


    "Is it not a Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast living inside?" Huo Zunjie asked.


    "It is a Yellowtail Fox Demon. But not the kids." Qin Lan folds his paper fan back together and made a few steps forward. With the cirction force of a third-level Flesh Refining cultivator, he created a gust of wind using his spiritual energy to destroy the artistic entrance into the burrow.


    But there was no reaction came from the burrow itself.


    "I''ll see how long can you hold before you''re forced toe out." Qin Lan withdraws a ball of stinky medicinal concoction and throws it inside the burrow.


    One after another, it takes five of them to cause a chain reaction from deep inside the burrow.


    "ROAR!!!" the reaction was an intense one. Soon, the demon beast living within the burrow finally revealed itself to be a mature Yellowtail Fox. But instead of having a single tail, there are two tails on this fox demon. There is also a horn on its forehead, emitting a faint light.


    "Young master! It''s a third-level monster beast!" Lu Qing Yun wanted to move forward to where Qin Lan the moment she senses a hint of danger.


    "Alright, all of you,e here and get ready to fight against this guy with me. It''s a third-level demon beast, so it will yield quite some points for us." Qin Lan kept both his hands on his back and retreated.


    "Roar!!!" the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon stands firmly on the ground protecting its burrow. It was at least two meters tall and close to five meters in length, with a pair of fluffy tails and steel hairs.


    Qin Lan''s retreat made the mature Yellowtail Fox chased him for a few meters before it regretted the decision. Taking the position on both left and right, Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie attacked with their most powerful blow.


    "Mistral Core Long Fist!"


    **Splurt!**


    Two rows of fresh blood poured from the body of the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon. Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun immediately collected the blood without spilling a drop on the ground.


    But suddenly...


    "ROAR!" the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon roared directly towards Lu Yi, creating a shockwave that throws him away like a projectile towards the nearest tree.


    "I''m alright!" Lu Yi replied. Blood flows from an open wound on the side of his head as he came back on his feet. Without further ado, Lu Yi crushed a Flesh Mending Pill into powder and pressed it against his wound to stop the bleeding.


    Lu Yi made his move again the moment the bleeding stopped. Using the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step movement art, he returned to the battle without disrupting their flow.


    Suddenly, Qin Lan, who''s standing neither far nor close from the fight, made his move.


    Huo Zunjie Mirage Chain Fistnded nicely on the face of the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon. That attack created an opportunity for Huo Zunjie, but not Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun, who was positioned on the opposite side from Huo Zunjie.


    But to Qin Lan, such a flow could hardly disrupt his next move.


    Spiritual Energy gathered between his index and middle finger, which imitates the shape of a thin de. Quick and without hesitation, he made two cuts before returning to his initial position once again.


    It was already toote when the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon noticed the attack. Falling down on its jaw first, the Yellowtail Fox Demon couldn''t even howl in anguish because it''s no longer capable of lifting his body up to make a sound.


    "Qing Yun, deal thest blow." Qin Lan ordered.


    **Zing!**


    But again, an unforeseen incident always befell when one suspects the least!


    A silver light charges straight at Lu Qing Yun''s position with the power no weaker than a third-level Flesh Refining strength! If it was not because of Heaven''s Strings protecting her, perhaps Lu Qing Yun would be one of those who fell on their first day!

 Chapter 28: Third-Level Silver Canis Demon Soldier.

    Chapter 28: Third-Level Silver Canis Demon Soldier.


    "Qing Yun!" Lu Yi was the first to react. His hand with the Jade Dragon Finger dug deep into the skull of the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon. After recing Lu Qing Yun to deliver a killing blow, he immediately made his way over to where she is.


    "I''m - I''m fine!" Lu Qing Yun struggled to give them a reply. She quickly swallowed a Flesh Mending Pill and circting her spiritual energy to hasten the medicinal effect over a few of her wounded area.


    "Lu Yi will protect Qing Yun while she tends her wound. Huo Zunjie will store the corpse into the Qiankun Bag on my behalf. I will handle this demon beast by myself." Qin Lan tossed the bag on his waist over to Huo Zunjie as he stepped forward.


    Deep inside his heart, he was excited.


    (We''re lucky. How can there be a young Third-Level Flesh Refining Silver Canis Demon inside this burrow?)


    Qin Lan moved forward, creating a few mirages of his by relying on his proficiency in the Mistral Foundation Art.


    "Four... Four young masters?" Qin Lan''s wless execution of martial art stunned Huo Zunjie. It was his first time witnessing such a bizarre martial art that''s capable of copying oneself to this kind of quality.


    Each one of his mirages has it''s own program set within its own scope of movement, turning the battle into Qin Lan''s four against one favor. But sometimes, experience and knowledge do y a vital role in a fight like this.


    "Zunjie, if you''re done, take a Flesh Refining Pill and recover yourself. I''ll need all the help for us to sessfully hunt the Silver Canis." Qin Lan''s said. Being in a favorable position and fighting a winning battle carries two different meanings.


    Furthermore, against a demon beast like Silver Canis, having a favorable position meant nothing if Qin Lan is incapable. That''s because Silver Canis is somewhat simr to the Amber Snake Demon Soldier Huo Zunjie encountered.


    It wasn''t mature yet, but close.


    Just like a human, consciousness, or sentience, would develop slowly on the Yao Beast. There might be only one in a few, but those that seeded are oftenbeled as a Demon Soldier and not a beast.


    The most significant changes after developing consciousness are allowing them to start cultivating. While demon beast grows solely relying on their maturity and bloodline, a Demon Soldier could multiply this growth by a few fold based on theirprehension ability.


    "Roar!" the Silver Canis attacked two of Qin Lan''s mirages. Both attacks failed to produce any significant results except for reducing the number of Qin Lans in the battle.


    "Come here," Qin Lan created two more mirages of himself as he approaches the Silver Canis altogether. Even the Spiritual Energy on each of his mirages is identical to one another while attacking with a move from Kuangshan Lu Sect''s Martial Art.


    "Rrr... ROAR!" shockwave appeared as the Silver Canis executed an attack that was used by the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast on Lu Yi earlier.


    "What!" the leftover strength from that attack blows the dirt and leaves surrounding them, leaving Huo Zunjie, Lu Yi, and Lu Qing Yun confused for a split second. But most incredibly is the fact this Demon Soldier is capable of executing an attack that does not belong to it in the first ce!


    Qin Lan grinned as he reproduced three mirages again while moving around. A quarter of an incense stick of time would be sufficient for his followers to recover their strength.


    "Hm?" Qin Lan felt a hint of uneasiness as he orchestrated this battle.


    With a quick wave of his hand, he attached an Escaping Amulet to his body. The moment he did, the w attack from Silver Canis narrowly passes through where he was standing. That attack even left a mark on the ground, showing how confident that strike is when it was executed.


    "This fe..." his facial expression changed. Although the attack did not disrupt the flow of the battle, Qin Lan knows that the Silver Canis is toying around just like what he was doing.


    "Take this!" Qin Lan stopped moving around for the first time. Taking the advantages of the Silver Canis yet to pull its attack back, Qin Lan delivered a palm strike from the Rippling Wave Palm technique to teach this Yao a lesson.


    (PS: Do take note that I will use "Yao/Demon" once in a while because it would be nicer like thisparing to keep writing Demon Soldier / Demon Beast / Demon this and that)


    Silver Canis tumbled on the ground from Qin Lan''s attack. It was in a loss of thought from Qin Lan''s sudden attack.


    (Ro--ar?)


    (How can the human''s attack turn out to be so painful? Mother says that my body is the strongest amongst our fox tribe!)


    Silver Canis made a stretch as it climbed around the trees. But then, it causes another mistake. One of the bottles hanging around that tree happened to have some hot, burning liquid that could even melt its silvery fur!


    It yelped in pain and rolled on the ground. Without further ado, the Silver Canis immediately thought of a way to escape before it was toote.


    But as it approaches the hole leading into the burrow, Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun appeared from both left and right as both of them delivered the best move from their Rippling Wave Palm and Mistral Projection Fist Art.


    "Spreading Wave!" Lu Qing Yun''s attack is like a fan of a peacock''s tail.


    "Profound... Projection Fist!" Lu Yi charged into the iing Silver Canis and delivered a killing blow he used to kill the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon earlier.


    **Growl!!!**


    Silver Canis retaliates. The three shed and were thrown into two different directions. It was amendable effort, but the Fox Yao has sadly forgotten about the number of its opponent.


    If it exhausted such a hefty amount of stamina to deflect a joint attack, then from where can it get more vigor to deflect the attack from the third opponent?


    "Profound Projection Fist!" Huo Zunjie''s attack went straight into the heart of the Silver Canis. He forced all of his avable Spiritual Energy out to create much more significant damage.


    **Yelp! Yelp!**


    Silver Canis struggled and managed to p Huo Zunjie away. Unfortunately, the trauma has been done. Blood is flowing out from the wound earlier, along with pain on its front arm and chest.


    "ROAR!!!" Silver Canis made an explosive call as if it was preparing to fight to the death against the intruders. The high-pitch roar made their ears numb. But in that same split of a second, Qin Lan attacked.


    "Crushing Wave." Qin Lan pped his palm at the middle of the weakened Silver Canis, executing a blow he''s yet to teach Lu Qing Yun. The attack sent multiple waves of destructive Spiritual Energy through the skin of the Yao and ran amok inside.


    The defeated Silver Canis lost its life honorably at Qin Lan''s hand.


    Blood slowly pouring out from its openings as the head falls onto the ground with a "thud" sound.


    "YES! We''ve hunted two third-level Demon Beasts!" the three followers cheered and hopped as they celebrate their victory against two difficult opponents. Qin Lan carefully threaded and entered the underground burrow, followed by his cheerful servants.


    "Qing Yun, Lu Yi, both of you will hold a torch. Huo Zunjie will follow Lu Yi and ughter the matured cubs. If youe across the younger cubs, keep them alive." Qin Lan ordered before he and Lu Qing Yun moves together.


    "Servant understand." Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie excitedly went towards one of the intersections, leaving Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun. Both of them are still in euphoria from winning against the two high leveled demon beasts.


    "Young master... Thest attack... Is it one of the moves from Rippling Wave Palm Art?" Lu Qing Yun asked as she gently moves forward ording to Qin Lan''s wish.


    "Yes. But you''ll have to be at the third-level before you can learn it," Qin Lan nodded. He''s not joking around when ites to martial arts. Just as he said, one has to be at least at the cultivation of a third-level Flesh Refining to collect and utilize enough Spiritual Energy to efficiently use this move.


    Even to Qin Lan, using a single move of Crushing Wave took close to a-third of his reserve Spiritual Energy to execute. Furthermore, the Crushing Wave would only get thirstier for Spiritual Energy. Hence, it bes a reason Qin Lan is keeping the move from Lu Qing Yun.


    "I''ll do my best to cultivate..." Lu Qing Yun gently whispered as she moves a little faster from Qin Lan.


    "..."


    (This silly girl... As one of my first few disciples of my Kuangshan Lu Sect, how can I be stingy on you? You''ll understand my effort and attention in the future when all four of us are in the Cloud Plucking Sect)


    "Young Master!" Lu Qing Yun''s call wakes Qin Lan from his deep thought. The moment he made his way to Lu Qing Yun, Qin Lan noticed a few hints that tried to tell him about something.


    In between Lu Qing Yun''s hands lies a litter of kits. A total of eight, to be exact.


    "Keep them. These will be a precious asset to our Qin Household once they grow up." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 29: Flame Eyes of Heaven

    Chapter 29: me Eyes of Heaven


    "We should get rid of the clothing smeared with blood from the demon beast. At sunrise, a newer batch of demon beast will be active, and we''ll end up as their target if we''re still drenched with the blood." Qin Huang said.


    "Fourth sister, fifth sister, we''ll be on guard. Please go ahead and change first," he added before making his way away from the girl''s tent.


    After they''re done with recing their current clothing with a brand new set without bloodstain, the group of four started to collect their spoil of war fromst night. There are at least twenty demon beasts killed by them during the night. And amongst them is a Four-Armed Rodent Demon Soldier.


    "Let''s recover our stamina before the Diurnal Beasts started to get active." Qin Qin and Qin Qi selected a clean spot to sat down and started to meditate. Both of them took a Flesh Foundation Pill and Flesh Mending Pill to hasten their recovery process.


    "Brother, I''m done here. Let''s grab some rest." Qin Hu said.


    "En. Let''s recover our strength." Qin Huang deliberately selected a spot with the best view over Qin Qin and started to meditates as he steals a few nces at her asionally.


    ...


    "Youngdy got so much stronger than before. It looks like we have to train more to catch up with our youngdy." one of Hu Jia''s female servants said because she''s impressed with Hu Jia''s third-level Flesh Refining strength.


    They were also counted as the luckiest team so far to only encounter the Red Marten Demon Beast pack on their first night. Their hunt went on even sessfully with Hu Jia''s new third-level strength.


    But the advancementes with a price to pay.


    The image of an individual kept appearing inside her mind as she fell into a daze. Even she had no slightest idea about why she feels this way.


    "Mdy, please take this pill and recover your strength." one of her servants passed a Flesh Mending Pill to Hu Jia, along with a Flesh Foundation Pill.


    "Do you think we can see Qin Lan''s teamter on?" Hu Jia asked. A part of her motivation started to change and disrupt her decision-making as she no longer put the Annual Hunting Festival as significant as it was before.


    "I''m sure we will. But mdy, please recover your strength first, before we decide to do anything else." the servant smiled.


    (Mdy is changing. I''ll have to keep the team on alert as we might start to make a rash decision soon...)


    The servant sat down and swallowed a Flesh Foundation Pill to kickstart his meditation.


    ...


    "Let''s go. Our target is the lode of Foul Essence Queen Ant." Jiao Heng from the Jiao Household said. Beside him kneeled a group of rogue cultivators with the game they hunted, numbered around 60 to 70. After paying them with a piece of a written certificate, they left happily.


    "Young master, with this, we now have 80 demon beasts inside our Qiankun Bag. 60 first-level, 15 second-level, and 5 third-level." a servant reported what is inside their bag to his young master.


    "En. Let''s go and get more. I want us to be at least ten times above what the others might have." Jiao Heng smirked. As the candidate with the most potential to be selected by the Cloud Plucking Sect, obtaining first ce in this Annual Hunting Festival would provide him with a significant impression on the sect elders.


    And to achieve this, the Jiao Household has been paying quite arge sum of gold coin pieces to bribe the examiners in charge of the life inspection.


    ...


    **Whine! - Whine!**


    "Aww, the little foxes are too cute!" Lu Qing Yun hugged the kits between her bosom while waiting for Qin Lan to prepare some treasured medicine to feed the kits.


    "Young master. Is there anything special about the young yellowtail foxes? Why are we making an effort like this just for the young foxes?" Huo Zunjie couldn''t understand the reason behind Qin Lan''s effort. But instead of keeping his curiosity aside, he decided to ask.


    "That''s because nobody knows what these little Yellowtail Foxes can do when they have grown up." Qin Lan poured a drop of Changshen Dew from the medicinal container in his hand into each kit carefully as he massaged their buttocks.


    This way, he could stimte their bowel movement to make sure the kits wouldn''t suffer from indigestion from the sudden change in their diet. Since the Changshen Dew is a product created by Qin Lan through the Department of Earth''s Blessing, it is widely eptable to all beings born into this world.


    Of course, only Qin Lan could spoil the kits from young with a treasured medicine of this quality. Even the patriarch from the Chu''s only has a few drops of the Changshen Dew after spending years of effort nurturing the Earth''s Blessing inside his private residence.


    "All of you. Open your mouth." Qin Lan ordered. The moment they obeyed his order, Qin Lan flicked his finger thrice to sent a drop of Changshen Dew down their throat.


    Powerful vitality forces followed. The tiredness on their eyes and shoulder vanished the instant the drop of dew went through their esophagus. Their wound also began to heal at a rate quicker than before, to the point new, pinkish skin is starting to form.


    "Wow! This drop of liquid is too amazing!" Lu Yi stretched his body as he felt much more energetic than before. "What medicinal liquid is that, young master?" he added as he calmed himself from getting too excited over something new.


    Although Lu Yi was the one following Qin Lan the longest, he''s also the dullest amongst the three of them.


    "Heh... Should I be proud of him or sigh for him?" Qin Lan shook his head because Lu Yi''s straightforward personality is bound to be a disadvantage at some point in his life. But at the same time, it is the most matching trait to cultivate the Heaven Firmament Art.


    Luckily, Lu Qing Yun and Huo Zunjie were slightly smarterpared to their big brother. At the very least, they know that the medicinal bottle in Qin Lan''s hand is the one he''s always holding every morning when Qin Lan is absorbing the mist from dawn.


    "Changshen Dew," Qin Lan said.


    "Longevity Dew? No wonder I felt so much stronger!" Lu Yi might be dull, but he wasn''t stupid. As the cultivator practicing the Heaven Firmament Art, his physique is counted as top-notch against those in the same level. Although it''s somewhat losing in terms of ferocity against Huo Zunjie''s, Lu Yi''s specialty was not purely physical, but also spiritual.


    And the Changshen Dew, which nourishes both Physique, Mental, and Spiritual, is undoubtedly the best tonic for him.


    "Young... Young master! My eye is on fire!" Lu Yi''s Spiritual Energy started to get out of control as a hint of the spiritual mes appeared on both of his eyes.


    "Open your mouth again!" Qin Lan ordered. This time, he flicked two more drops of the Changshen Dew into Lu Yi''s throat. It was the most suitable opportunity to take advantage of Lu Yi''s innate enlightenment to elerate his improvement a step further.


    "Aargh!" literally clueless on what he should expect, Lu Yi released a howl filled with pain. The Spiritual Energy converged in both of Lu Yi''s eyes as it started to burn his sight. There were only mes in his eyes, which capable of blinding him in any moment from now.


    "Interlock your palm together with your index and middle finger pointed out! Control your Spiritual Energy from deviating as you memorize the scripture of Heaven Firmament Art. Quickly do it now!" Qin Lan ordered.


    Spiritual Energy converged in between Qin Lan''s fingers as he tapped on Lu Yi''s nape, neck, shoulders, and the back of his left chest. The six struck from Qin Lan''s finger unclog Lu Yi''s obstructed blood channel and allowed more blood to be pumped from his heart throughout his body.


    "One sight to pierce through the Firmament!"


    "One gaze to cover the Firmament!"


    "One thought to control the Firmament!"


    "Heaven Firmament Art. A sight, a gaze, and a thought. Standing upright facing heaven, respecting downward humbly to earth."


    "Opening the me Eyes of Heaven, imprable by all spiritual skills!" Qin Lan moved to the front while creating multiple mirages. He faced Lu Yi and stabbed at his forehead, right in between the two brow-ridges.


    Qin Lan''s action unlocked thest key acupuncture point that''s been holding Lu Yi''s advancement up until now.


    His eyes opened, revealing a fiery glow that instantly destroyed all mirages created by Qin Lan effortlessly. Standing right in front of the Heaven Firmament Art and the me Eyes of Heaven, no confusion, trickery, nor disguise of the sameyer is capable of escaping their fate.


    It was an instant cancetion of all spiritual attacks.


    At the same time, Lu Yi''s strength also roused to the third-level of Flesh Refining Layer, making him the first of Qin Lan''s followers to advance first.


    "Young master! I''ve advanced to the third-level!" Lu Yi happily said.


    "Young master your head! Release your me Eyes of Heaven''s lock on me!" Qin Lan shouted at Lu Yi that unconsciously applying the effect of one thought to control the firmament.


    "But - But I don''t know how to do it, young master!" Lu Yi tried to focus his Spiritual Energy. But no matter how he tried, he''s unable to withdraw the influence from the me Eyes of Heaven against Qin Lan''s Mistral Foundation Art.


    "Huo Zunjie! Lu Qing Yun, smack him!" Qin Lan ordered. He really wanted to sigh and cry right now.


    "Wait! Wait!"

 Chapter 30: Jiao Household Servant

    Chapter 30: Jiao Household Servant


    "Move around!" Huo Zunjie barely repelled a w attack that came from a limb as wide as his physical body.


    The other two responded to his warning silently by moving towards the rear of the demon beast. Using his strength of a third-level Flesh Refining Cultivator, Lu Yi attacked first.


    "Mistral Core Long Fist!" the Spiritual Energy gathered around Lu Yi''s right arm shook for a moment as it exploded upon contact with the demon beast. It was an exceptional blow from Lu Yi, which isparable to the strength of a fourth-level.


    Lu Qing Yun doesn''t lose too much either.


    Armed with only the heirloom dagger given by Qin Lan, her job was to reveal the weaker points of this demon beast that''s protected by its neatly arranged scales.


    "Back leg!" Lu Qing Yun scrapes the dagger along the demon beast''s body that''s about three meters long. The sound created from her action quickly caught the retaliation of the demon beast as it turned to Lu Qing Yun angrily.


    (ROAR!)


    A breath attack came towards her, bringing along a hint of pungent air. But the agile Lu Qing Yun dodged aside without losing her momentum. Aided with the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step movement art, Lu Qing Yun disappeared and appeared on the other side of the demon beast in a sh.


    "Take this! Mirage Chain Fist!" Huo Zunjie added another punch on the demon beast''s cheek. The teamwork of the three can be said toplement one another as they hunt this Yao Beast.


    "Careful. The Yao Beast is preparing for something big." Qin Lan''s warning came into their sense of hearing. The trio nodded at one another and retreated without hesitation.


    (ROAR!!! - ROAR!!!)


    Just as Qin Lan said, the Yao Beast is preparing for a deadly move. Spiritual Energy within its body blew outward in multiple jets of steam that''s hot enough to deliver burning wounds even to a fourth-level cultivator.


    "What a deadly attack. Worthy of being named as the meless Lizard Demon Beast," Lu Qing Yun shivered as she stays away from the reach of the boiling jets of steam.


    "Get back down there and finish this fight. We''ve wasted quite some time against this Yao Beast." Qin Lan ordered. Qin Lan fired a projectile aiming at the meless Lizard Demon Beast''s eyes when he finished his sentence.


    (Roar!!!)


    The Yao Beast rolled on the ground in pain as one of its eyes was blinded by Qin Lan''s sneak attack. Added with the firepower from his three followers, they quickly dispose of the meless Lizard Demon Beast.


    "Collect everything valuable here. We''ll be leaving after an incense stick of time." Qin Lan appeared from one of the trees around them.


    With a swift movement from his hand, Qin Lan stored the corpse into the Qiankun Bag as he moved around on his wheelchair. He then came to a stop before the thickest tree around them.


    "Golden Yew Tree''s Spiritual Sap. No wonder the meless Lizard Demon Beast unwilling to leave." Qin Lan directed his Spiritual Energy to scoop the ten or so drops of golden liquid from the gap and carefully ced it inside a liquid container.


    "Young master, we''re done here." Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie came to Qin Lan''s side after they have done ransacking for valuable ingredients around them. Since it was apetition, there''s no reason for them to leave anything untouched for others to benefit from their effort.


    With this area now cleared, their group''s only option is to explore further towards the west from where they are.


    "There''s a teaming closer to our direction. From the way they''re moving, something is chasing them from behind." Lu Qing Yun whispered by the side of Qin Lan''s ear about five miles westward. It was a frantic Spiritual Energy undtion, weakened and afraid.


    "Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, went forward to have a look. Qing Yun, we''ll standby here and act ordingly." Qin Lan pointed his finger forward as he gave them an instruction to follow.


    About ten minutester, a team of three members ran past the spot Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun stayed earlier without looking back. Chasing in pursuit is a pack of Fanged Demon Boars.


    "Fanged Demon Boar... Did they mess with their nest?" Qin Lan chuckled. But since no rules prohibiting them from killing off what their fellowpetitors couldn''t, Qin Lan decided to lend them a hand.


    "Let''s help them." Qin Lan left his wheelchair and removed his azure-colored clothing that could easily expose his identity as the young master of the Qin Household. With the mask covering his face, he charged into the pack of Fanged Demon Boars with apletely different set of martial skills.


    "Golden Lord Holy Fist!" Qin Lan''s subpar imitation martial art st open the brain of a second-level Fanged Demon Boar the moment he struck.


    "There''s an expert!" the running team of three stopped on their track and turned their head around. One of them falls on the ground instantly as he turned, perhaps due to his injury on the waist.


    Qin Lan, who was in disguise, then pointed two of his fingers at a group of Fanged Demon Boars. That gave Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie, who''s following the team from behind, enough hint on what they have to do.


    As for Lu Qing Yun, she sneaked behind the team of three and disarmed them.


    It was an easy task for Qin Lan''s team to defeat the pack of fifteen Fanged Demon Boars. After he''s done collecting the spoil from the battle, Qin Lan approached the three and questioned them.


    "Exin in detail. What happened?" Qin Lan controlled the muscle on his throat and adjusted his tone. This way, he won''t be sound like a youngster.


    Furthermore, the team of three before him is all donned with the garment of the Jiao Household servants. Not killing them immediately to get rid of the threat to the Qin Household can be counted as a mercy from Qin Lan to them.


    "We - We''re under our young master''s order to scout ahead. But two of our teammates messed up and disturbed a young Fanged Demon Boar, so the situation ended up like what fellow cultivator have seen." one of them answered.


    Qin Lan scanned their facial expression while he was given an exnation. One of them failed to control his emotion after he listened to his teammate''s reply.


    "Take this. Since you''ve replied to my question, it''s a must for me to show you a hint of appreciation." Qin Lan opened the medicinal bottle in his hand a poured a pellet of Flesh Mending Pill out in front of them.


    "Thank you, fellow cultivator!" the Jiao Household servant immediately took the Flesh Mending Pill and directed his spiritual energy to hasten up the healing process. The other two could only look at him with a slight hint of jealousy.


    (Why aren''t two of you taking the bait? Keep it up and tell me what''s in your mind...)


    Qin Lan baited them as he took his own sweet time to tighten the cork on the medicinal bottle. He even gave the bottle a light shake to show that there are more pellets within the bottle.


    "Fellow cultivator, may I add something my colleague missed?" one of them added quickly before Qin Lan leaves them here.


    "Oh? There''s more?" this time, Qin Lan''s tone changed. The way he speaks made the two remaining servants from Jiao Household felt a hint of moodiness from him.


    "There''s a Golden Spiritual Vine in the middle of their nest!" the Jiao Household servant with an injury on his waist answered. His reply made the other two stare intensely at him, ming him in their mind for exposing the secret.


    (Great... Keep it up...)


    Qin Lan secretly smirks as he noticed that the team started to have their own internal disagreement. For him, nothing is better than allowing the enemy of his household to break apart internally on their own.


    Of course, the news about the Golden Spiritual Vine is indeed shocking to Qin Lan. The nt might be mediocre during his peak as the sect leader of the Kuangshan Lu Sect. But in this ce, it can be said to be one of the top grade treasures in the realm of Precelestial.


    (Golden Yew Tree''s Spiritual Sap, Golden Spiritual Vine, and the Spiritual Serenity Grass... All of these treasures keep popping up around me...)


    Qin Lan took another bottle out from his waistbelt. Pouring one pellet from the two containers, he gave both of them to the Jiao Household servant with an injury on his waist.


    "Let''s go." Qin Lan turned around and get ready to leave.


    "Fellow cultivator, please wait." thest one amongst the team of three begged Qin Lan to stay.


    "Do you have anything to add?" Qin Lan pitied him as he turned around to look at him.


    "My.. Young master is there. Be careful." unexpected to Qin Lan, this servant actually used the final bit of his hope to sow a cycle of karma between him and Qin Lan. Perhaps his conscience wasn''t as corrupt as the other two.


    "I will. You should leave the forest before I start to make a mess." Qin Lan said. After he''s done talking, Qin Lan vanished from his spot, bringing his three followers along with him.


    They remained quiet for close to half an incense stick of time before one of them started to speak.


    "You''re a dead man. Stay right there until I recover, and I''ll send you to the afterlife. Don''t worry about your family as I''ll make sure to take care of your two younger sisters until I''m tired of screwing them." the one who received Qin Lan''s Flesh Mending Pill said.


    "What a fool. You should just think of something instead of talking about our young master." the one with an injury on his waist added.


    "Let''s hope we won''t meet again." the third servant turned around and left as Qin Lan advised. What he did not know is that it will be the most urate decision he had ever made in his life.


    A full incense stick of timeter, when both servants recovered, they immediately gave chase to the servant that left their team. A hint of euphoria came to them as they felt that they''re getting closer to breaking through to the next level of Flesh Refining Layer.


    But at the same time, it dulled all their sense.


    The two eventually stumble across a pack of demon beast that''s hunting for the delicious smell and end up as a pile of bones.

 Chapter 31: Motivation

    Chapter 31: Motivation


    "Retreat! We''re not the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino''s target!" Qin Huang pushed his younger brother Qin Hu back by a few steps as he slowly retreats.


    As for Qin Qin and Qin Qi, they''re trapped in a restricted cavern nearby with another Thunderhorn Copper Rhino guarding the entrance that''s impossible for the beast to force its way in.


    They''re lucky that the demon beast''s body mass exceeds what the small gap can fit. But at the same time, unlucky because it was a quasi fourth-level Flesh Refining Yao Beast.


    Against a monster of this size and strength, they can only retreat and wait for their turn for it to lower its awareness of the surrounding before they look for an opportunity to escape.


    **Bzzzt!**


    "Hide yourself! The thunder attack is here again!" Qin Qin warned her sister. They quickly rolled onto the ground with their hands covering their head when a bolt of yellow lightning shes through where they''re at.


    "BOOM!" a hole about the size of an adult head appeared on the end of the cavern''s wall. The monster had fired no less than six attacks into the cavern to force the two maidens out.


    "What are both of them doing out there! Can''t they help?" Qin Qiined. At this moment, her act of venting her anger out is pointless as Qin Huang and Qin Hu can''t take action. They''re just two second-level cultivators, after all.


    "It''s pointless. Qin Huang''s skill is the best amongst all of us, but it''s still far from enough for him to fight against the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino. Let''s hide and wait for our chance to escape when the Yao Beast was tired." Qin Qin used some Spiritual Energy to dug some soil out from the wall.


    This way, she could widen the space between her and the narrow gap of the cavern. Her action was also adapted by Qin Qi as they''re trying to create a chance to escape.


    **ROAR!**


    The Yao Beast howled and struggled before the narrow point of entry.


    "Brother, what can we do?" Qin Hu panicked. He did not expect that they''ll encounter a Yao Beast of this level on their second day of the Annual Hunting Festival.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master, why did you help them if you''re going to kill the two servants anyway?" Lu Qing Yun and Lu Yi couldn''t understand their young master''s action earlier towards the three servants of Jiao Household.


    "Didn''t the rule stated that hindering another team and personal attack is not allowed in these seven days? I''m just following the rules." Qin Lan smiled while he answered their curiosity. At the same time, he''s chuckling inside himself towards the fact he had just said.


    (Rules... It only exists if people are enforcing it. The number ofmittee members of those in Middle-Attainment Rank can be counted with both hands, so how much can they do? Even with the help from the four households, that''s just another dozen of cultivators...)


    (The biased opinion from those belonging to the four households will somewhat affecting the end results on the seventh day. This is not apetition for the outsiders, but to determine how well those from the four families did)


    (As for the regr cultivators, those with potential will be recruited into one of the four families. As for those without talent, their survivability will be up to their fate...)


    "But... I keep having a feeling that the young master''s action has a more important reason behind it. I''m unable to describe it using words," Huo Zunjie added.


    "That''s normal to feel this way." Qin Lan hinted Lu Qing Yun to stop pushing the wheelchair as he made himself much morefortable.


    "The Jiao Household has been eying for the position of the first family of Fu-Rong Town for quite some time. Plus, they won''t be messing around with the Horned Demon Boar for no reason." Qin Lan started to exin the reason he helped them in the first ce.


    "Since giving them a helping hand will allow us to keep the Horned Demon Boars to ourselves, why can''t I be generous and entice them further with a few pills?" Qin Lan continued.


    It was awful approach without breaking the rules, even if they were questioned at the end of the Annual Hunting Festival.


    "Huo Zunjie," Qin Lan called.


    "Yes, young master," Huo Zunjie quickly replied.


    "Thest servant amongst the three of them, if you found him on the street, persuade him to serve the Qin Household. Tell them that I''m willing to ept him and his family if they''re willing to be relocated to the Su-Hang Town." Qin Lan had quite an impression on the servant.


    "Zunjie understands."


    "Good. We should continue." Qin Lan pointed in a direction where the party soon encountered a swarm of Foul Essence Ants.


    Their schedule was packed with Yao Beast to hunt as the team proceeds further northwest to thergest intersection between the inner and outer zone of the Western Demon Forest.


    Just like that, their third and fourth day ended with hunting and more hunting from day till night. There are close to 260 corpses that belonged to various Yao Beasts inside their Qiankun Pouch, which is enough to put them into one of the top five teams.


    ...


    ...


    Fifth Day.


    There are only three days left until the end of the Annual Hunting Festival. Based on the report given by the rule enforcementmittees, there are only forty-one teams remain from the initial 230.


    They''re considered the cream of crops amongst the younger generation this time.


    "Report," one of the enforcementmittees came closer to the patriarch of Jiao Household and whispered a few words before leaving.


    "En," Jiao Cheng slightly nodded after he listened to the report he''s waiting for.


    "Qin Household... Even heaven is standing by my side this time in my effort to pull you down from the spot of the firstrgest family in Fu-Rong Town."


    Jiao Heng smirked.


    Because in the report, the team of four from the Qin''s younger generation is still stuck with the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino. With two members considered out of the festival, having only Qin Huang and Qin Hu struggles topete brought them no significant result.


    Although the situation is much better in the Chu and Hu Household, their current position is far from the Qin Household''s team.


    As for the remaining team with Qin Lan and his three servants, they''re likely incapable of doing anything against a Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Beast.


    "Looks like Heng-Er''s chances of winning are much better than the others. As long he followed the n and headed to the burrow with the Silver Canis Demon and mature Yellowtail Fox Demon, he''s going to be at the first spot for sure in this festival."


    Jiao Cheng calmly shut his eyes as he restsfortably on his patriarch chair.


    ...


    **Pew!!! - Pew!!! - Pew!!!**


    **Bam!**


    Three wine jars were thrown onto a plot of uneven ground surrounded by dead branches. It was thrown in the way to make sure the container would break and stters its content around on impact.


    Balls of dough made from a mixture of medicinal herbs, blood from the Yao Beast, and some bits of meat and bones scattered around the area once the container was broken.


    A swarm of over a hundred Foul Essence Ants made its way out unhindered as they started to gobble and devour the food of an unknown source deliciously. But there was a difference this timepared to when Qin Lan searching for the Foul Essence Silver Ink.


    This nest contains a "Leader" within, which significantly strengthens the swarm against outsiders.


    A shriek came from the inside of the nest minutester.


    It was a mild one to the ears of the cultivator. But to the ants, it was an absolutemand. Instead of digesting the food they ate, the swarm of Foul Essence Ants coborated and vomited the food into one of the delivery channels into their nest.


    Multiple big-headed Foul Essence Ants came out from the other channels connecting to the nest. They immediately searched for "intruders" hiding on top of the trees.


    **Whistle!**


    Qin Lan gave his signal to engage.


    Then, the sound of battle from four different directions can be heard. But only one of the big-headed Foul Essence Ant fell onto the ground dead. The other three remained engaged with their targets.


    Soon, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie came down from their hiding spot. Following them from behind them are the three slightly gargantuan Foul Essence Ants with strength close to a third-level Flesh Refining cultivator.


    "Be careful. The [Battering Assault Ant] packs a punch when you give them a chance to attack. Always make sure that you focus on defense first." Qin Lan warned them.


    Each time he moves forward by a few steps, the Heart Puncturing Needle will rob the lives of an unlucky Foul Essence Ant. If there were more than one present, Qin Lan would rely on the Mistral Core Long Fist to deliver a quick and deadly attack.


    Two more Battering Assault Ant Demons pops up from the exit channel nearby to "ambush" Qin Lan.


    "Mistral Mirage Steps!" Qin Lan vanished. Four Qin Lans appeared afterward as the battle elevated from two against one into four against two.


    Although it was just a mirage, Qin Lan''s perfect execution of this movement art made it as vivid as possible.


    "Golden Lord Holy Fist!!!" Qin Lan smiled as he smashed open the skull protecting the Battering Assault Ant''s head.


    "Bring it on!" Qin Lan seems to found his motivation again.

 Chapter 32: Mutated Foul Essence King

    Chapter 32: Mutated Foul Essence King


    "Let''s get serious too!" Lu Yi tightened his fist as he speaks. In the next moment, a perfectly executed Mistral Core Long Fist came forth from where he is and shattered the body on a Foul Essence Ant in a hit.


    "Great job, Lu Yi. That Mistral Projection Fist Art is executed wlessly." Qin Lan''s praise came from where the battle between two Battering Assault Ants is fighting against four of his mirages.


    "Ha!" Lu Qing Yun''s Piercing Wave from the Rippling Wave Palm to destroy the brain of a Foul Essence Ant in a blow. But before she managed to say something, the Battering Assault Ant that''s chasing her earlier has finally arrived.


    "You''re too persistent! No girls like it!" Lu Qing Yun made a somersault-move beautifully using the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique andnds on top of the Battering Assault Ant.


    "Spreading Wave! Continuous Wave!" Lu Qing Yun executes two different moves at once to increase the lethality of her attack. The result is six broken limbs on the Battering Assault Ant.


    "AHH!!!" Huo Zunjie is unwilling to lose behind his first and second senior. Relying on his powerful physique of Undying Cultivation Physique, he charged towards the Battering Assault Ant to delivers a massive number of punches on his opponent.


    His attack was the crudest amongst the three. But in return, Huo Zunjie''s gain can be said to be the most.


    The more he dares to brave against death, the better his physique would be. And unlike Lu Yi''s Heaven Firmament Art that tempered his body using Spiritual Energy, Huo Zunjie''s Undying Cultivation Physique has to rely on external help.


    **Shriek!**


    A sharp shriek came from within the nest.


    In the next moment, the hundred of Foul Essence Ants gathered and attacked Qin Lan, which is believed to be the most threatening individual in this team with four members.


    "Young Master!" Lu Qing Yun pulled the sleeve covering her milky right arm to reveal the Heaven Grade (Full) Protective Treasure, Heaven''s String.


    A hint of Spiritual Energy was absorbed into the Protective Treasure while allowing two out of the nine strings to extend like a snake and captured Qin Lan on his chest and waist.


    It pulled Qin Lan over to Lu Qing Yun''s side without obstruction. And with ayer of Spiritual Energy protecting the strings and Qin Lan, not even a scratch can be seen on the fabric as it pulled Qin Lan back.


    "Thank you, Qing Yun." Qin Lan firmly ced both of his feet on the ground after Lu Qing Yun retracts the strings back to her Protective Treasure.


    **Whoosh!**


    Qin Lan fired a few projectiles to disturb the iing wave of Foul Essence Ants. It was an action done while he''s still holding the paper fan in his right hand.


    **Skree!!!**


    The smaller Foul Essence Ants got panicked after it got attacked by Qin Lan''s hidden weapon. Only the Battering Assault Ants continued to march forward unhindered by anything on its path.


    "Qing Yun, get the one on the left. I''ll handle the one on the right. You''re getting close to the third-level. A little more experience would be beneficial to you." Qin Lan said.


    "Yes, young master!" Lu Qing Yun let down her sleeve again and prepared her fighting stance as she gets ready to engage the Battering Assault Ant.


    As for Qin Lan, he vanished from his position and reappeared in the form of four mirages.


    Their fight continued for close to two incense sticks worth of time. With thest Battering Assault Ant is killed, the swarm disperse. The continuous screeches from the "leader" within the nest are no longer worthy of leadership because all of it''s guards are dead.


    It was just like the hierarchy of a human being. A king is only a king if the citizens worship him and his regime. Without the protectors, the administration is bound to fell.


    And those who remained loyal to the "leader" side can be said to be thest line of defense before the throne is usurped.


    **Scree!!!**


    A Foul Essence Ant with a deep jet-ck body made its appearance. It has a more elongated torso, unlike those ants that fought against Qin Lan''s team earlier, along with a pair of human-like arms.


    "Another Quasi Fourth-Level Demon Soldier... Looks like the Western Demon Forest has something irregr going on inside the core forest." Qin Lan scanned the leader of this nest from top to toe to determine it''s real identity.


    "Now, this is quite surprising," Qin Lan opened the fan in his hand as he maintained his distance from the swarm leader.


    (A mutated Foul Essence Ant with a hint of bloodline rted to the Demonic Essence Serpent? What kind of unexpected could happen in the world nowadays?)


    Qin Lan waved his left arm to stop Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie froming forward.


    "Collect the corpses and retrieve the Qiankun Pouch that I''m going to leave here. Do not follow me, no matter what happened. Dug the nest open and made sure that you collect the eggs if there''s any, along with the Foul Essence Silver Ink," Qin Lan instructed.


    **Whoosh!**


    Qin Lan fired a thicker needle he never revealed to the world before at the leader and retreated. The Mistral Mirage Steps and Thousand Miles Travel in a Step movement art are used alternately to keep his opponent busy when following him from behind.


    "Young master..." Lu Qing Yun wanted to follow, but Lu Yi appeared beside her and stopped her with a grab on her wrist.


    "My intuition tells me that the Yao Beast is poisonous. We should quickly finish the task given by the young master." Lu Yi shook his head. Just like Lu Qing Yun, he''s nervous and worried as well.


    The three immediately went to work. While Lu Qing Yun is moving around with the Qiankun Pouch left by Qin Lan, Lu Yi, and Huo Zunjie is busy with unearthing the channels used by the Foul Essence Ant.


    ...


    "Since you''re likely not able to reproduce, I''llbel you as a king instead of a queen. Come here and let me see what kind of ability you have!" Qin Lan kept his fan back into his sleeve once he found a wider area suitable for an all-out battle.


    "Mutated Foul Essence King, that''s what I''m going to call you. Let me have a look at how big is the differences between my third-level cultivation against a Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Soldier!"


    After Qin Lan made his im, he withdrew a brush made from bamboo out from his sleeve''s pocket.


    Spiritual Energy from Qin Lan started to pour into the stationary tool in his hand as an ethereal shape forming around the brush. A sword entirely made from internal qi appeared in Qin Lan''s hand as he moved his hand casually.


    It was the first time Qin Lan takes a matter seriously.


    And the reason behind this is because this opponent before him is not one that can be defeated unless he gets serious.


    Furthermore, Qin Lan begins to feel a slight change in his mentality.


    (You''ll do as the sacrifice to wee my return into this world!)


    "Tomes of Kuangshan Lu Sect!"


    "Three Sword Strikes of Zhenwu Gate!"


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!"


    Qin Lan delivered an attack towards the Mutated Foul Essence King. Because the attack was driven by his Spiritual Energy, Qin Lan''s sword strike carries a hint of azure light as it makes its way forward.


    **Screech!**


    The Mutated Foul Essence King tried to defend against that attack. But the moment both of them shed, it regretted its decision deeply.


    That seemingly simple stroke of a sword strike cleanly dismembered two out of its six insect limbs. Luckily, the attack did not focus entirely on one side.


    Soon, the gastrointestinal juices from its stomach were forced to collect within its mouth as the Mutated Foul Essence King retreats. Qin Lan immediately caught a hint of what it''s going to do.


    "Try to spit the poison out? I''ll see how you''re going to hit me with that." Qin Lan sped up using the Mistral Mirage Steps and reappeared with four Qin Lans surrounding his opponent.


    "Skree! - Skree!"


    The Mutated Foul Essence King shot a few times towards Qin Lan. And it missed him every single time. After ten shots, the Yao Soldier finally exhausted every single drop of poison it has.


    "Out of poison?" Qin Lan appeared where one of the limbs was cut apart. His words made the Mutated Foul Essence King panicked as it quickly moves aside.


    But would Qin Lan allowed it to do so?


    "Toote! Golden Lord Holy Fist!" Qin Lan''s attack struck urately on the Mutated Foul Essence King''s abdomen.


    **Screech!**


    The Mutated Foul Essence King rolled on the ground until there''s a considerable distance between it and Qin Lan. Fear started to grow within it''s yet to developed mind as it shivered and panicked as Qin Lan approaches it.


    **Skree!**


    It spits out two more shots of poison bullet.


    "Too bad, I think that''s all you can do right now." Qin Lan shook his head out of disappointment. The two poison bullets hit their target atst.


    But it was a mirage of Qin Lan.


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!" Qin Lan''s swung his sword, cutting the Mutated Foul Essence King into two.


    "That''s too bad. I hope the board ofmittees willing to ept this result." Qin Lan stops channeling Spiritual Energy into the bamboo-like brush of his.


    The hair of the brush finally loosens and regain its properties as a soft, absorbent brush.

 Chapter 33: Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill

    Chapter 33: Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill


    "Young master!" the trio arrived at the spot Qin Lan fought against the Mutated Foul Essence King a while ago.


    "En. Did you guys found anything valuable from the Foul Essence Ant''s nest?" Qin Lan asked. Since the said nest belongs to one of a Quasi Fourth-Level Demon Soldier, the valuables inside shouldn''t be too shabby in his opinion.


    "Yes, young master. We''ve found twentyrvae, a collection of over a hundred Demonic Blood Oranges, ten Fiery Pear Flowers, and close to fifteen corpses of second-level Yao Beast." Lu Qing Yun reported.


    "There are also ten bottles of Foul Essence Silver Ink," Lu Yi added.


    "Good job." Qin Lan epted the Qiankun Pouch from Lu Qing Yun and stored the Mutated Foul Essence King''s corpses. With everything now handled, all they need to do now is to look for a ce to stay tonight.


    Qin Lan decided to move further into the border that separates the Inner and Outer forest to try their luck at night.


    (I guess its time for me to concoct something for my three disciples to reward them for their merits)


    Qin Lan gently stepped on top of some leaves as he pushed himself to ascend through the sea of forest. Taking a quick nce at his surrounding, he quickly concludes the distance between them and the forest border from the above.


    (Sixty miles...)


    "Let''s go. We should look for a cave where I can refine something peacefully." Qin Lan said as he returned to the ground.


    "Understood, young master." Huo Zunjie pushed the wheelchair forward as they answered Qin Lan. Removing his Pharmacist Lu''s attire and changed into his usual young master''s appearance again, Qin Lan calmly sat on top of the wheelchair as they proceed.


    It didn''t take them too long to arrive at the side of a hill within the Western Demonic Forest.


    "I''ll go and look around. Qing Yun will apany our young master. Huo Zunjie, you''ll search for firewood and some food." Lu Yi allocated something to each of them to do, except for Qin Lan.


    After making sure that the small cave has nothing extraordinary, Lu Yi bowed towards Qin Lan and left the cave. Huo Zunjie repeated what his senior brother did and tagged along.


    Only Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun are left inside the dimly lit cave.


    "Qing Yun, you should get a rest now. Being on alert at all times is a burden to your spirit and mind." Qin Lan pointed two fingers at a t surface near where his wheelchair is parked.


    Since there''s nothing dangerous inside nor outside of this cave, it is a luxury time for Lu Qing Yun to recuperate.


    "But the young master will be..." Lu Qing Yun is feeling grateful for Qin Lan''s care.


    "Just rest. I''m going to prepare something from what we''ve found in the past few days." Qin Lan insisted that Lu Qing Yun rest while he''s busy with his own matter.


    "Then... Qing Yun will take a quick break as ordered by the young master," she went to the spot Qin Lan pointed and sat in a meditating position. A set of Flesh Mending Pill and Flesh Refining Pill is taken to hasten the effect of her recovery.


    (Let''s check what''s avable inside the Qiankun Pouch now)


    Qin Lan calmly injected some Spiritual Energy into the Qiankun Pouch as he started to inspect its content. At the same time, he withdrew the ingredients he might needter as he brushes through some of them on his "inspection."


    "Changshen Dew,"


    "Kuangshan Medicinal Base Mixture,"


    "Foul Essence Silver Ink,"


    "Infant Yao Beast,"


    "Fresh blood from three different Quasi Fourth-Level Flesh Refining Yao Beast,"


    "Oh! Before I forget, let''s feed the eight of you with a drop of Changshen Dew first." Qin Lan poured a drop of the miraculous essence into the Yellowtail kits as he moves forward with it.


    "This will be sufficient for me to refine a decent cultivation pill for them to advance their cultivation." Qin Lan ced the five ingredients by his side as he fired the cauldron using his Spiritual Energy.


    Qin Lan started his concoction process by forcing the fresh blood of three Quasi fourth-level Yao Beasts into thervae of Foul Essence Ant they found from the nest. Although the same procedure can also be done using the Yellowtail''s infants, Qin Lan deliberately rejected this option.


    That''s because a matured Yellowtail Fox Demon could grow up to the size of a horse-pulled wagon. Having eight of such a workforce serving the Qin Household is far more valuable than a nest of Foul Essence Ants, in his opinion.


    Of course, that''s also due to his current needs.


    Cultivating a nest of Foul Essence Ants yields a better profit, but the effort and time required may increase substantially. Furthermore, no one in the Qin Household is talented in the Department of Talisman and Amulets except him.


    The threervae bloated into a ball of blood immediately after it was fed.


    Qin Lan then fed the Changshen Dew to alleviate the side effect of consuming the Quasi fourth-level blood as the process continues five times. The Foul Essence Silver Ink is also used asionally to aid the process.


    Then, one of the bloatedrvae filled with the blood from the meless Lizard Demon Beast is ced inside the cauldron filled with the Kuangshan Medicinal Base Mixture, the uncoagted form of his Flesh Mending Pill.


    Spiritual Energy is injected around the lid as Qin Lan forcefully seals the cauldron and increases his me''s intensity. A Boiling Talisman is also added to hasten up the process.


    "BAM!" both of Qin Lan''s hands shook as the bloatedrvae about the size of an infant''s head explode inside the cauldron. The refined concoction mixture is then poured into a bottle while the cauldron is cleaned again to repeat the process.


    Thervae with the blood of Mutated Foul Essence King came next. It then followed by thest one, which used the blood from Silver Canis, Battering Assault Ant, and adult Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast instead.


    Qin Lan then mixed the three concoctions together while focusing on controlling the mes from his Spiritual Energy.


    "Huh..." sweat asrge as a bead of marble rolled down from his temple as Qin Lan maintain his focus. Although his previous lifetime of experience in Pill Refining is more than sufficient, it could onlypensate him for the time taken and efficiency.


    An ample supply of Spiritual Energy to form the cultivation pill is the most vital factor in a pill-refining process.


    (Flesh Refining Pill,e here!)


    Qin Lan poured a bottle of Flesh Refining Pills into his mouth and quickly turned them into a supply of Spiritual Energy.


    One bottle...


    Two bottles...


    Four bottles...


    The supply of Flesh Refining Pill by his side exhausted faster than the concoction evaporates and thickens.


    "Eh?" Qin Lan''s hand found nothing by his side as he waved his hand around. But then, a pair of gentle hands held Qin Lan''s back as a bottle of fragrant medicinal pills are fed to his mouth.


    "Young master, I''m here," Lu Qing Yun came right on the time he needs. Qin Lan devoured the bottle of pills in her hand and continue.


    Four bottlester, a sweet medicinal fragrance with a tinge of aroma from Yao Beast''s blood came out from the cauldron. It was a pot of sessfully refined cultivation pills!


    "We''re back!" Lu Yi came back with a couple of rabbits on his shoulder.


    "Eh?" he caught a sniff of the medicinal fragrance as soon as he stepped inside of the cave. Following behind him is Huo Zunjie, who''s reacted simrly to Lu Yi.


    The pair of martial brothers stared at each other and quickly made their way into the depth of the cave. Their heartbeat is faster than usual as they''re getting excited.


    "What happened?" Lu Yi asked as he was greeted with the sight of empty medicinal bottles littered on the ground. His young master seems exhausted from working too hard, which is likely came from this medicinal fragrance.


    "You''re all in luck." Qin Lan smiled. His hand reaches the cauldron to remove the lid and revealed a pot of eight cultivation pills within.


    Each of the pills carried a beautiful crimson luster with ck veins, which only appeared asionally on the highest quality pills.


    Qin Lan rested his head on his wheelchair for a little longer as he kept them in suspense. The trio quickly tidied the ce around them as they patiently wait for their young master to catch up to his breath.


    "This is the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill. It is a treasured medicine that only works on those below the Middle-Attainment Rank in eachyer." Qin Lan smiled and poured five into a special medicinal bottle Lu Yi prepared for him.


    "Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill? What miraculous medicinal effect does it have?" all of them stopped what they were doing as Qin Lan flicked the crimson luster pill onto their hand.


    "Taking the first pill will improve your perception and cultivation speed by double. The second pill will further double what you have, and the third will quadruple it." Qin Lan''s word is like a bolt of lightning into their ears.


    "That''s..." they''re speechless the moment Qin Lan exined the miraculous effect.


    "Below the Middle-Attainment Rank in eachyer? Does that means we can only take three of them in our life?" Huo Zunjie asked.


    "Correct. The effect would be better the lower your cultivation is. After this, I''ll follow our teacher''s teaching and teach each of you the secret of our Kuangshan Lu Sect, the Mistral Foundation Art." Qin Lan answered Huo Zunjie.


    The trio smiled as they heard what Qin Lan said. They''re finally allowed to practice the Mistral Foundation Art that Qin Lan has been using day and night.


    But before any of them managed to celebrate, a knocking sound came from the wall behind Qin Lan.


    Very soon, a finger managed to dig through the wall separating both sides. The gap steadily opened to the point the faces of those across the other side can be clearly seen.


    "Huh? Fourth sister Qin Qin?" Qin Lan was shocked to see Qin Qin on the other side, with her bleeding finger that''s likely caused by forcefully digging through the stone walls.

 Chapter 34: Modest Flaw

    Chapter 34: Modest w


    Qin Lan remained seated in his wheelchair. Looking at the weakened and malnourished Qin Qin on the other side of the wall, Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie immediately came forward to help.


    The two of them used their powerful physiques like chiseling tool.


    As the gap is now wide enough for Qin Qin toe across, the duo retreated from their spot and allowed Lu Qing Yun to take over what''s following up next.


    "Xiao-Ke, bring a cup of water over from the pot and pass this ration to the fourth miss." Qin Lan changed his way of addressing Lu Yi as the news about his recovery is still a secret right now.


    "Yes, third young master." Lu Yi took a cup out and poured some hot water before receiving the dried biscuits from Qin Lan. Next, the food was mixed together to be formed into some gruel that''s much more gentle to the stomach.


    "Fourth miss, please eat something for now." Lu Yi gave the cup with gruel to Qin Qin to keep herself warmer.


    "My sister! My sister is right behind me! Please help her too!" Qin Qin stares at Qin Lan as she said.


    "Xiao Yun, go and have a look." Qin Lan nodded at Lu Qing Yun.


    Very soon, Lu Qing Yun came back with the unconscious Qin Qi on her back. She''s looking so frail at this moment, with scab growing on all ten of her fingers.


    Qin Lan whispered beside Huo Zunjie''s ear.


    "Go over there and check where are Qin Huang and Qin Hu," he said.


    (Both of you... If I found out that you''re doing this on purpose to our fourth and fifth sister, I''ll cripple both of you with my own hand and teach you both a lesson you will not forget!)


    "Xiao-Ke, prepare something nutritious for them. Xiao Yun will take care of both of them for now." Qin Lan lost his mood to continue. If it was not because Qin Qin is still conscious, Qin Lan might have made his way to the other side to rify what was going on.


    Huo Zunjie soon returned as the night for the fifth day is finally here.


    "Third young master, two Thunderhorn Copper Rhinos are guarding the exit on the other side. I found no trace of sixth and seventh young masters over there, so they''re likely not trapped in this ce like our two young misses." Huo Zunjie reported.


    "From the stench and condition, two young misses have suffered. It was torturous because the two beasts repeatedly discharge a bolt of lightning to harass their target."


    "They have dug close to half a mile to reach where we are right now." Huo Zunjie gently whispered beside Qin Lan''s ear to made sure his words are kept away from being listened to by Qin Qin.


    "Sister... Elder sister..." Qin Qi finally wakes up.


    "Fifth miss. Please eat something first before I bring both of you to have a change." Lu Qing Yun gently supports Qin Qi up as she speaks. The piping hot cup of gruel is ced between Qin Qi''s hand once she''s ready to fill her stomach.


    Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie pushed Qin Lan out from the cave to provide some space for the maiden to change their clothing.


    "Both of you. Feel free to go and hunt. I''ll be fine here on my own." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Then... We''ll go and return after a while." the two of them left quickly and returned about half an hourter with some corpses of Yao Beasts hanging on their shoulder.


    Following behind them are the rugged Qin Huang and Qin Hu. From the way they look, both of them had quite a difficult time in this Annual Hunting Festival.


    "We found the sixth and seventh young master," Lu Yi said.


    "Let''s get back inside." Qin Lan said as he ordered Huo Zunjie to push his wheelchair. He did not pay attention to the two younger siblings as the anger in his mind is yet to subside.


    "You still dare toe back! As****e!" Qin Qi threw the cup in her hand at Qin Huang when she saw his face inside the dimly lit cave.


    Qin Huang grabbed the cup in midair without spilling its content.


    "Alright. Eat while we can. Exin to me what happened to all of you." Qin Lan narrowed his gaze while looking at them. His tone is slightly harsh at them because he''s somewhat disappointed at their condition.


    "This..." Qin Huang scratched his head as he thinks about where to start.


    "I''ll do it," Qin Qin sighed. She ced the empty cup aside and started to share their experience from the first day until now.


    Their team had a positive result on their first and second day. But everything changed when they''re ambushed by the two Thunderhorn Copper Rhinos without a hint from where they came from.


    Against two Yao Beasts in its Quasi fourth-level strength is impossible and a suicidal effort. Hence, the team decided to escape.


    But no one expects that the Yao Beast is highly territorial. They tried countless efforts in the past three days, only to bring no positive result at all.


    "We''ve tried to look for amittee member to help. But no matter where we go, there''s no one around us." Qin Hu added.


    "Enough. Get your meal and rest. We''ll continue with this discussion in the morning after all of you have a rest." Huo Zunjie pushed his young master outside after Qin Lan is finished with his words.


    The four of them stares nkly at one another and quietly agreed. Even Lu Qing Yun left the cave, leaving the team of four inside.


    "Are we... Going to continue?" Qin Qi asked.


    "Even if we continue, it will be hard for us to obtain a spot in the top three. We might as well give up instead of wasting our time here hunting the beast to earn merits points." Qin Hu added.


    "Qin Hu, I don''t care about how you behave but make sure it''s not towards our own family members! Don''t you know that the merit points can be used to exchange for precious cultivation materials?" Qin Huang pulled Qin Hu on his cor.


    Qin Huang lost himself slightly.


    He was supposed to be one of the seeded candidates in this Annual Hunting Festival with the best chances to obtain the top 5 spots.


    "Go outside if both of you want to keep arguing. We want to sleep." Qin Qi red at both of them as she speaks.


    "Please do not disturb me, thank you." Qin Qin went to a secluded spot, wishing that she will not be bothered with these pointless arguments. Her younger sister followed her from behind and sat not too far from her.


    The situation inside the cave went quiet like there''s no upant within. While on the outside, Qin Lan is discussing the matter in private with his followers.


    "Young master, I think something is wrong." Lu Qing Yun whispered beside Qin Lan and shared her concern about Qin Huang''s team.


    As one of the highly anticipated teams in this Annual Hunting Festival, how can there not be a singlemittee member monitoring them and focusing on their safety?


    Even Qin Lan''s team came into their surveince once in a while as they move towards the northwest direction. In fact, they''re also the reason Qin Lan keeps portraying himself as the "crippled" young master protected by his servants wherever they go.


    "Indeed. There''s something fishy behind this. I''m worried that the Thunderhorn Copper Rhinos appearance doesn''t happen naturally but directed by somebody from behind." Qin Lan interlocked his fingers together as he made his guess.


    "Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie. From tomorrow onwards, both of you will be hunting independently. Maintain around the one-mile perimeter from me as you move, while Lu Qing Yun remained by my side to mark my location."


    "We will maintain this formation until a Quasi fourth-Level Yao Beast is found. If we''re out of surveince, we''ll hunt the Yao Beast. But if they remained around us, mark it and go." Qin Lan said.


    "Your servants understand!" the trio answered.


    "Good. Now listen well. I''ll share the cultivation method of the Mistral Flesh Diagram from the Mistral Foundation Art with you." Qin Lan used a unique method of speaking using Spiritual Energy as he guided them in their cultivation.


    "The essence of Mistral Foundation Art!"


    "Creating a perfect foundation through the purest form of mist. Condensing vapor into liquid, with the body as the container."


    "With the Mistral Flesh Diagram, create a wless body anew!"


    His guidance brings out significant results in them as the sixth morning slowly came in. Two out of nine imperfection within them was found as the sun finally rose from the east.


    "Young master, what does the imperfection actually means? One of them is located on my right shoulder, but I don''t feel any differences." Huo Zunjie asked a question.


    "A w doesn''t mean there''s something on that part of your body. Always remember that imperfection means differently at many points of our life. They can be movement, gesture,fortability, growth, and even shape."


    "What the Mistral Flesh Diagram does is perfecting them, just like how a carpenter build the foundation before the wooden beam is added into the foundation of a house." Qin Lan added. Once in a while, giving out guidance like this made him reminiscence the life he had before this.


    "Does that means... It was a w that my body doesn''t perceive as a w?" Lu Qing Yun asked with a blushing cheek on her face.


    "Yes. Mistral Flesh Diagram works differently for each person. The diagram creates wlessness, and our body adapts to bnce. What came out from both of them is equality." Qin Lan smiled.


    "I... I see..." Lu Qing Yun turned around and sat at a corner after listening to what Qin Lan just said.


    "Then... I must massage them even more, so they''ll get bigger!" Lu Qing Yun ced both of her hands on her modest breasts.

 Chapter 35: Mantis Stalking at the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

    Chapter 35: Mantis Stalking at the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind


    "Have you decided what you''ll be doing next?" Qin Lan asked when Qin Huang''s group came out from the cave. Their appearance currently seems much better than before after a night of protected rest.


    "We''ll continue to hunt for the two remaining days. But instead of doing it here near the border, we''ll return to the outer forest." Qin Huang lowered his head slightly as he answered.


    "En. Going back might yield better results for your team. Just do everything moderately," Qin Lan grabbed Qin Huang''s shoulder as his way of showing his concern.


    His grab is neither too strong nor weak, but that gesture itself holds a hint of concern between two family members.


    "Can both of you stop getting too chummy here? It''s irritating my eyes looking at you two." Qin Hu, the spoilt brat amongst the five Qin younger generation, said out of sudden. His words are like a bunch of needles that fired indiscriminately at everyone present, insulting them.


    **BAM!**


    Lu Yi punched the wall of the cave to shows his slight dissatisfaction towards Qin Hu.


    "Third-level Flesh Refining Layer!" the four of them were stunned by Lu Yi''s cultivation strength.


    "Looks like the fool is not as stupid as I thought. But what makes you think you''re qualified to raise your fist against me? I am the seventh young master of the Qin Household, for heaven''s sake!"


    "Our Qin Household fed you to serve us as if you''re a dog!" Qin Hu continued.


    "Qin Hu! Stop talking if there''s nothing gooding out of your mouth. Don''t disgrace the third elder''s house with that mouth!" Qin Qi said and left the cave. She suddenly lost interest in their conversation.


    "Humph!" Qin Hu left, but not before he harumphs and spit between Qin Lan and Qin Huang.


    "Third brother, we''ll leave first. Please forgive the fifth sister''s attitude," Qin Qin cupped her hand towards Qin Lan and excused herself as well. Right now, she''s totally disappointed with the morale of her team.


    She left without waiting for Qin Lan to acknowledge her words. Embarrassed and knowing no idea what to say, Qin Huang quietly cupped his hand and left.


    "Sixth brother," Qin Lan''s call held Qin Huang where he stands for a few more seconds. With a toss of his hand, two bottles of medicinal pill went into Qin Huang''s hands.


    "Return to the manor in one piece. As for what happened, just leave it to your third brother." Qin Lan added as Lu Qing Yun pushed him back into the cave.


    "Thank you," Qin Huang left after whispering gently.


    ...


    ...


    (Something has to be done within our Qin Household. But what really happened? Why would a family like ours deteriorate so much?)


    Qin Lan shuts his eyes as he tried to remember something.


    "Young master, is there any problem?" Lu Qin Yun asked.


    "Let''s go around the hill and hunt the two Thunderhorn Copper Rhinos. We''ll capture both of them and turn them into points before any other team managed to take advantage of it." Qin Lan answered Lu Qing Yun''s question with something entirely unrted.


    After resting for close to an hour, the four of them started to move again.


    It takes them close to an incense stick of time to reach the other side of the cave. After assuring that there''s no other target except for the two Yao Beast, the team prepared a few diversion tricks as they waited for the perfect chance to take action.


    "Now!" Qin Lan tossed the bottle of Corpse Melting Solution over at one of the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino when it was yawning and lowering itself onto the ground.


    The bottle of solution with a corrosive ability quickly delivered a considerable amount of damage and pain to the beast, which immediately summoned itspanion over aggressively.


    "ROAR!" the second Thunderhorn Copper Rhino fired a continuous barrage of lightning bolts at the foliage around them. But none of the attacks managed to hit a target.


    "Raw... - Raww..." it made a few rounds before the injured Thunderhorn Copper Rhino to show its concern.


    But Qin Lan''s following actionpletely ruined the mood. Arge amount of Spiritual Energy is poured into the bamboo brush Qin Lan used back then when fighting against the Mutated Foul Essence King.


    A longbow as tall as Qin Lan''s height is formed entirely from the Internal Qi as he draws the bowstring.


    "Heavens! Is this our young master''s real cultivation strength?" Huo Zunjie smiled in excitement as he witnesses his young master''s might.


    "Eight Transformation Treasured Brush, fire!" Qin Lan released the bowstring with a thicker needle he once uses to attack the Mutated Foul Essence King. The power close to a fourth-level cultivator flew at a course of a straight line towards the still active Yao Beast.


    "ROAR!" how dare a weak human tried to attack me!


    That''s likely what the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino meant from its roaring as the needle struck its neck. But there''s a reason this Yao Beast has a "Copper" in its name.


    A thin line of blood rolled from where Qin Lan''s attacknded. Although it hits, the wound was a superficial one that can be healed in no time, based on the recovery speed found naturally on a Yao Beast of its level.


    Worst of all, the weakened Thunderhorn Copper Rhino also managed to get back on its feet after the short torture.


    The advantageous situation turned worst in a short matter of minutes as the two Thunderhorn Copper Rhinos has found the hiding spot of Qin Lan''s team.


    A bolt of lightning went towards Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun alongside with a buzzing sound.


    With an arm on Lu Qing Yun''s waist, Qin Lan hugged the maiden as they escaped from the attack in a sh. A speck of reddish blush can be noticed on her face, but that does not stop her from activating her Heaven''s String to defend against the second lightning bolt.


    **Bang!!!**


    The lightning bolt averted by her Heaven''s String created a smokescreen that hides their position on the ground. But then, a third lightning bolt came.


    This time, the target is not Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun. It was Huo Zunjie who''s a few trees beside them.


    **Bam!**


    That bolt of lightning from a Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast turned the pitiful tree into a ming torch. Huo Zunjie is seen rolling on the ground following the explosion.


    Turning its attention at the weaker opponent, the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino charged towards Huo Zunjie. It''s finally leaving itspanion that''s wounded by the Corpse Melting Solution alone for the sake of dealing a killing blow.


    Will Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun let this opportunity go to waste?


    Of course, not!


    Lu Qing Yun''s Heaven''s String wrapped around Qin Lan''s waist as the young master throws himself with all his might at the wounded Thunderhorn Copper Rhino.


    "ROAR!" the injured Yao Beast immediately fired a lightning bolt at the iing Qin Lan but missed slightly. The foliage behind him ends up as the unlucky one as it turned into a ball of mes after receiving the attack on behalf of Qin Lan.


    "Ru? - Roar!" a second lightning bolt came. With a shorter distance between them this time, even Qin Lan with his Thousand Miles Travel in a Step is incapable of dodging the lightning-fast attack.


    **Buzz!!!**


    Qin Lan struggled as he tried to deflect the attack of a Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast.


    "Roar! - Roar!" the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino stomps its legs hard on the ground as it gets ready to end this fight. It was proud of itself at this moment.


    "Aargh... I guess the idiom (Mantis stalk the Cicada, unaware of the Oriole behind) doesn''t exist in the mind of you Yao Beast, right?"


    "My team has four members, you bunch of stupid Yao Beast!" Qin Lan raised his voice as another string from Lu Qing Yun pulled him away from the lightning bolt''s line of attack.


    "Roar?" Qin Lan''s sudden movement surprised the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino. It was now toote to react ordingly because a person is standing below it with an activated Offensive Treasure.


    The shadow of a dragon''s three-finger talons appeared in Lu Yi''s right hand as he yelled loudly and attack.


    "Profound! - Projection! - Fist!!!" Lu Yi''s attack struck through the hides protecting this Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast and destroyed its beating heart.


    "ROAR!!!" its final howl sounds like a call of regret as it falls onto the ground without a hint of remaining life force.


    The final howl is like a farewell call to the ears to the remaining Thunderhorn Copper Rhino. Now much more ferocious than before, it quickly picked up its speed as the Yao Beast tried to ram against Huo Zunjie.


    Huo Zunjie stopped acting the moment he noticed the changes.


    "Come here! Mistral Core Long Fist!" Huo Zunjie concentrated all his avable Spiritual Energy on both hands as he fought head-on against the charging Yao Beast.


    The result is clearly not siding with humanity''s side.


    Huo Zunjie spits out a mouthful of blood as he was thrown aside like a broken trophy.


    "ROAR!!!" the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino turned its attention back to where Qin Lan, Lu Qing Yun, and Lu Yi are. A sphere of lightning appeared on the tip of its horn as the Yao Beast roared louder.


    "Young master, stay behind me," Lu Yi came in front of Qin Lan with Spiritual Energy covering half of his body. Even Lu Qing Yun noticed the danger behind this sphere of lightning.


    "Beast, where are you looking?" Huo Zunjie''s voice suddenly came to their attention. He immediately delivered a Mistral Core Long Fist into that region likely to be where the Yao Beast''s kidney is located.


    "Nice hit!" Qin Lan praised. At the same time, he pped the back of both Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun.


    "Go," Qin Lan whispered.


    Half an incense stickter, both Thunderhorn Copper Rhinos finally fell into the hand of Qin Lan''s team. While at a ce about fifteen miles from them, an elder from the Jiao Family coughed his second mouthful of blood.


    "How... How could this happen?" the elder copse on the ground as he was severely weakened from a rebound of cultivation.

 Chapter 36: You... You Can Stand?

    Chapter 36: You... You Can Stand?


    "What''s our current result?" Jiao Heng asked.


    "Answering to the young master, we have five Quasi fourth-Level Yao Beast in the pouch. There are also ten Third-Level, forty second-level, and two hundred first-level," a servant reported.


    "Then we should be on our way towards the east. Our next target will be the nest of Silver Canis!" Jiao Heng said. There is no longer a reason for his team to continue and loiter around as the end of the Annual Hunting Festival is getting closer.


    Based on the point allocation that he was told by his father, a first-level Yao Beast can be exchanged into a single point. Second-level beast yields 10 points, third-level beast worth 100, and Quasi fourth-level worth 500.


    A fully grown fourth-level Yao Beast would worth a thousand points. Unfortunately, they''re hardly found due to the restriction ced between the Inner and Outer forest border.


    And with a pouch with 4,100 worth of points, Jiao Heng is confident that this year''s champion seat will naturally belong to him.


    "Young master, shall we wait for the remaining teams to deliver their hunt?" a servant asked.


    "No. We''ll make our way to the Silver Canis'' nest. As for those mere single-digit point contribution, it is fine for us to ignore them." Jiao Heng said.


    In his opinion, it was pointless to purposely wait for those "greedy" cultivators and their contribution, which is limited to the first to the third-level corpses. Furthermore, some carcasses might be damaged to the point of an irreversible state, making it pointless for both sides.


    "Let''s go!" the lead servant ordered the others to follow as they made their way over to the eastern direction. Their target is where the nest of a Matured Yellowtail Fox Demon is located.


    What they did not know is the nest have been cleared by Qin Lan''s team. Right now, there''s another surprise waiting for them over there.


    ...


    ...


    It was already the middle of the afternoon Qin Lan''s team subjugated the two Thunderhorn Copper Rhinoceros. There are less than one and a half-day to the end of this Annual Hunting Festival, and Qin Lan is not confident about winning one of the top three positions.


    "Young master, there are a total of 4 Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast in our Qiankun Pouch." Lu Yi counted the total of Yao Beast carcasses they''ve captured.


    "That''s two thousand points. What about the first to third-level Yao Beast? What''s our total right now?" Qin Lan continued.


    "First-level, two hundred and fifty. Second-level, one hundred and thirty. Fifteen third-level." Lu Yi quickly reported without dy.


    "Two hundred fifty points, a thousand and three hundred points, and a thousand and five hundred points. So that''s a total of five thousand and fifty points." Qin Lan roughly counted the total point of his team, unaware that it was more than enough.


    "Let''s keep it up. Getting six thousand points should be enough for each one of us to have a thousand five hundred merit points to be exchanged into cultivation materials." Qin Lan calcted.


    "We''ll follow the young master''s decision." Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie nodded at Qin Lan''s decision.


    "Great. Let''s go." Qin Lan leaned on his wheelchairfortably as Lu Qing Yun expands her sense around them. The moment they caught a hint of activity nearby, Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie will immediately rush forward and begin their hunt.


    Such activity continues throughout the night until the seventh day is finally here.


    There were only six teams left inside the forest.


    "Young Lady!" Hu Jia''s attendant shouted as he tried to remind her to be cautious around her. They''re currently surrounded by a pack of Violet Legged Spider Demon Insects.


    **Zing!**


    **Shua!**


    The Violet Legged Spider Demon who tries to sneak behind Hu Jia had one of its eight limbs chopped off.


    "Howe there are so many Violet Spider Demon at this ce?" Hu Jiained. The spiritual energy that gathered around her Offensive Treasure is getting thinner due to exhaustion in her stamina.


    "We''ve must have stumble across one of the Spider Queen''s nest. We should retreat before it''s toote, mdy!" Hu Jia''s servant inhaled a mouthful of air and shouted in the direction behind his youngdy.


    "Violent Tiger Roar!" the sound attack as fierce as a roaring from a tiger demon beast makes way for Hu Jia and two other servants to escape from the Violet Legged Spider Demon''s clutches.


    One of the two servants hastily grabbed the hand of another servant lying on the ground as they''re retreating from this dangerous ce.


    "Just leave me here. Protect our youngdy..." she weakly whispered her will as the servant started to lose her consciousness.


    "No! I''m not leaving you here alone. We''ve said before that we''ll ask the patriarch for his approval for our marriage after this Annual Hunting Festival, correct? Don''t leave me alone, please! I beg you!" the male servant started to lose his calmness as the female servant he''s in love with is dying.


    "Xiao-Che... Please protect mdy... If we happened to meet each other again in our next life, I, Xiao-Xi, promise that I will be your bride for sure." the female servant used thest bit of her strength to finish her words.


    "Xiao-Xi! Xiao-Xi!" tears fell from the eyes of the servant called Xiao-Che as he loosens his grip on his beloved body. Her lips have turned purple due to the poison spreading inside her body.


    "Feed her a Flesh Mending Pill," Hu Jia yelled. A hand grabbed her on her right wrist as she''s preparing to turn around and retaliates.


    "Youngdy, no. Please don''t waste Xiao-Xi''s effort." the other female servant said with tears rolling down from both sides of her cheeks.


    "Am I destined to die here with my servants? Am I so weak that I can''t even defeat a swarm of spiders?" Hu Jiaments inside her heart. She regretted her choice of entering this spider silk-covered forest without precaution earlier.


    "Aargh! Youngdy, keep going! Don''t look back, don''t look back!" the servant with the Violent Tiger Roar martial skill rolled on the ground as his leg was injured by the Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Beast in pursuit.


    "Housekeeper Wu!" Hu Jia wanted to turn around and save him, but the female servant forcefully pulled her using all of her strength.


    "No! No! Housekeeper Wu!" the male servant named Xiao-Che also let go of the body of Xiao-Xi in his embrace. Grabbing Hu Jia''s wrist, the two servants forced themselves to drag Hu Jia as they escaped without looking back.


    "Thank you. Thank you." Housekeeper Wu kneeled on the ground as he stares at the trio that leaving further away from him. His head and body were separated by an attack from the Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Beast.


    "Go! Bring ourdy out of the forest!" Xiao-Che turned around and brandished his de against the two pursuing Violet Legged Spider Demons behind them.


    "Xiao-Che!" the female servant shouted. From how worried she looks, it seems Xiao-Che''s luck with thedies is not too bad. But the fighting sound only remained for less than a hundred steps as the sword nging sound stops.


    "Youngdy, please go ahead..." the female servant stopped moving further as well. Hu Jia''s steps became slower as she''s approaching the exit of the spider''s nest.


    "Xiao-Che... Xiao-Xi... I''lle and apany you all..."


    "Ah!!!" a scream apanied her as she followed the footsteps of her otherpanions.


    Hu Jia sessfully gets out from the forest of spiders. But there was no written rule that the Violet Legged Spider Demon isn''t allowed to hunt outside of their nest. Pulling herself together, Hu Jia tried to move a few steps further.


    **SHUA!!!**


    The Quasi Fourth-Level Beast uprooted the trees covering the small entrance to the spider forest. Violet Legged Spider Demons from the inside started to pour outside as if they''re intending to expand their territories today.


    "Am I going to die today?" Hu Jia asked herself. She was out of medicinal pills and cultivation pills. All she was left is a Qiankun Pouch filled with Yao Beast carcasses and the Precelestial Huang-Grade sword.


    "Young master, I sense a very familiar..." not too far from Hu Jia, a female servant caught wind of what is happening. But as she reported it to her young master, he was already gone from hisfortable wheelchair.


    A streak of sh in Azure light went across a few miles of distance, destroying the foliage as it went past.


    "Will he be here to save me?" Hu Jia lost her will to fight. She was out of stamina even before her second fight is going to start.


    "Impossible... How can a cripplee so deep into the forest just to save a tigress like me? Ah, I should just kiss him before I went into the forest." Hu Jia started to feel a hint of regret. In her mind, it wasn''t her parents that she''s missing, but a man.


    One that teased her while he was seated on top of the wheelchair.


    **Shua!!!**


    The Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Beast charged forward with its jaw opened wide to swallow Hu Jia whole.


    "Qin Lan... Sob..."


    "Save me..."


    "QIN LAN!!!" Hu Jia shouted his name for the first time, loud and clear.


    "Golden Lord Holy Fist!"


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!"


    "Crushing Wave!"


    "GET THE HELL OFF FROM MY WOMAN!" a man stands in front of Hu Jia after delivering three killing strikes at the iing Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Beast. The azure-color on his clothing made it hard for one to miss.


    "Did my soon-to-be bride miss me?" Qin Lan smiled at Hu Jia.


    "You... Are you the real thing?" Hu Jia has no idea where did she found some strength to rub her eyes. But it happened.


    "Is there another Qin Lan except for me?" Qin Lan extends his left palm out for her hand to reach.


    "You... You can stand?" Hu Jia continues to ask.


    "Yes. But you''ll have to keep this as a secret." Qin Lan ced a finger at his lips as he answered.


    "So... I''m not marrying a cripple?"


    "Logically says... You''re not." Qin Lan held her hand and pulled her up from the ground.


    **SHRIEK!!!**


    "Shut up!" the two of them shouted at the Quasi Fourth-Level Yao Beast as they''re still in their own sweet world.

 Chapter 37: Saving A Princess

    Chapter 37: Saving A Princess


    "We''ll handle it, young master." Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie charged into the Yao Beast swarm as they started the massacre. As for Lu Qing Yun, she lingers about five meters away from her young master.


    Hu Jia reached for Qin Lan''s hand as the young master pulled her up from the floor. With his other hand supporting her on her waist, it made the young maiden blushed as she rested her head on his broad chest.


    Qin Lan''s height was just right for her head to restfortably.


    "You''re bullying me... Were you testing me before this?" Hu Jia speaks meekly like a maiden in love. From the day she''s smitten by Qin Lan that day, his appearance has never stopped popping up inside of her mind.


    "All of us has a secret. I''ll give you a proper exnation in the future. I''ll stay guard by your side, so take a rest and regain your strength first." Qin Lan ced two bottles of medicinal pill in her hand as he brought her to a dry, tter surface.


    "Qing Yun, give a hand to Lu Yi and Zunjie." Qin Lan ordered.


    "Qing Yun understands." Lu Qing Yun made her move in a sh and appeared on top of a nearby Violet Legged Spider Demon. Using the (Piercing Wave) from the Rippling Wave Palm to start the battle, she trashed the Yao Demon using a single move.


    "Even his female servant''s strength is on par with Housekeeper Wu!" Hu Jia revealed a shocking expression towards the overall strength of Qin Lan''s team.


    Thinking about how reckless is her previous action, Hu Jia regretted it.


    It is far from enough for a team of four second-level cultivators and a third-level like herself to safely explore the West Demon Forestfortably.


    With no other survivors except herself, Hu Jia could only give up and return to the Fu-Rong Town after this.


    "Come here! Don''t run!" Lu Yi chased the escaping Violet Legged Spider Demons as he ughters them one by one. As for Huo Zunjie, he''s currently facing the injured Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast on his own to test his strength.


    Lu Qing Yun was the one with the most leisure with the Qiankun Pouch in her hand. Moving around and collecting the corpses of Yao Beast they killed, she''s only forced to make a move if the spiders dare to attack her.


    **SHUA!!!**


    The Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast loudly thumped the ground with two of its foremost limbs and prepared to escape from this profitless fight.


    "Stay right there!" a dragon w with three talons appeared around his arm as Huo Zunjie injected his spiritual energy into the Jade Dragon Finger.


    "Huang-Grade Precelestial Treasure!" Hu Jia''s eyes opened wide as she stares at Huo Zunjie''s Offensive Treasure.


    "Profound Projection Fist!" Huo Zunjie''s attack decapitates one of the limbs from the Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast as it struggled on the ground for a while before trying to make it escape again.


    "Senior brother!" Huo Zunjie yelled for Lu Yi''s attention as he chased the Yao Beast from behind. As there were not many obstacles around them, it gave the Quasi fourth-level beast a terrain advantage when it came to escaping.


    The Yao Beast widened their distance by over a hundred meters within minutes. Without looking back as it escaped, it vanishes from Qin Lan''s sight.


    "Young master, I''m sorry to let the Yao Beast escape." Huo Zunjie came forward to bear the responsibility of allowing the Quasi fourth-level beast to escape. Lu Yi remained quiet as he stands beside Huo Zunjie.


    "Fifty Violet Legged Spider Demon, fifteen Crimson wed Spider Demon, and one Emerald Spider Beast." Lu Qing Yun came forward with her report.


    "That''s quite a good result," Qin Lan nodded.


    The fifty Violet Legged Spider Demon racked them five hundred merit points. As for the fifteen Crimson wed Spider Demon and Emerald Spider Beast, both were a third-level Yao Beast. With a thousand and six hundred points added into five hundred, that''s two thousand and one hundred merit points from this fight alone.


    "Where''s your Qiankun Pouch?" Qin Lan asked Hu Jia, who now looks much better than before. Lu Qing Yun also retrieved the corpses of Xiao-Xi and Xiao-Che back to be ced nearby.


    "Here," Hu Jia pulled the Qiankun Pouch from her outer robe and gave it to Qin Lan.


    Without saying anything, Qin Lan transferred the carcasses worth two thousand and a hundred merit points and returned the pouch to Hu Jia.


    "I don''t need you to purposely help me." Hu Jia rejected Qin Lan''s goodwill and raised her palm to push the Qiankun Pouch away. She would give up this attachment if Qin Lan insisted she epts his pity.


    Furthermore, epting two medicinal bottles worth of pill from Qin Lan was already more than what she felt she could take. Hu Jia knows that she''s not Qin Lan''s opponent in terms of martial and cultivation prowess, but that doesn''t mean she can openly ept his goodwill.


    "This is not just for you, but for the four of your servants." Qin Lan said.


    "Their effort still worth something, don''t you think? Take this as their payment for giving up their life for the sake of the Hu Family. What you should do is bring them back, exchange them into cultivation resources, and gave them to whatever family members they have." he added.


    "I''ll give up my own merit points topensate them. The Hu Household will not mistreat any of the servants that gave their life to us," Hu Jia retorted. Her stubbornness is well known in this matter.


    "And then? What will you do without any cultivation resources?" Qin Lan added.


    "I can work hard andpensate for that bypleting family missions." Hu Jia answered.


    "Where will that take you? Do you know what medicinal herb is this?" Qin Lan continued. Taking out a few medicinal herbs from his own Qiankun Pouch, Qin Lan questioned Hu Jia about her medicinal nt knowledge.


    "Six-Leaves Sage, Fiery Pear Flower, Moonbell Flower. What''s so hard about this?" Hu Jia answered. The moment she did, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie immediately escaped.


    "Sigh..." Qin Lan ced some spiritual energy into Hu Jia''s Qiankun Pouch and tossed the useless nts they gathered.


    "Then, what is this? Don''t tell me your team has someone that prefers to add some wild, inedible sage into their food? That''s Crimson Fruit Flower, not fiery Pear Flower. And this is Moonbell Flower, one that''s too mature to be used in concocting medicinal pill."


    "If you can''t even recognize them properly, what kind of family mission can youplete?" Qin Lan''s gaze gets colder as he lectured Hu Jia, who''s seated in front of him.


    That''s also why the trio escaped earlier.


    With a flick of his finger, Qin Lan fired a pebble over at Lu Yi''s knee to teach him a lesson for plucking that Moonbell Flower.


    "See, I told you to not sleep when the young master is guiding us..." Lu Qing Yun whispered beside him. But inside her, she''sughing at Lu Yi.


    "I - I - You! You''re bullying me!" Hu Jia knows that she''s not Qin Lan''s opponent in quarreling and changed her tactics.


    "I''m bullying you? Heh..."


    "Shall we consummate our marriage now? I''ll be responsible for my action. And let''s ask our grandfather to organize the banquet when we get back." Qin Lan said as he ced both Qiankun Pouches hanging on his waistbelt.


    Carrying Hu Jia like a princess, Qin Lan slowly made his way over to the thick bushes of green foliage.


    "This!" Hu Jia panicked. She''s did not anticipate that their first time would be at a ce like this.


    "We... We shouldn''t do this recklessly..." Hu Jia covered her face as she meekly speaks.


    "How many kids you want?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Kids? I''ve... Never think of it before..."


    "Can''t I still cultivate?" Hu Jia asked.


    "Shouldn''t you be mentally prepared to be the mother of my child after you get married to me? Without sufficient resources, is it possible for you to reach the Middle-Attainment Rank before seventeen years old?" Qin Lan revealed the pretense behind his action.


    "Why can''t I reach Middle-Attainment Rank before seventeen? If I... I..." Hu Jia wanted to retaliate but found no valid evidence for her to do so.


    Out of a sudden, she realized that the status of the youngdy of Hu Household wasn''t that significant after all. To be a step further than everyone else in this world, one must achieve a certain level of cultivation.


    And to achieve that, effort, cultivation resources, and luck is essential.


    Her eye swelled. Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes as she''s still in Qin Lan''s embrace. All the confidence, recklessness, and fortification she ced around her to protect herself finally crumbled into pieces from regret.


    What was left on her is a sense of guilt.


    "Ah!!!" with the first drop of tear rolled down from the corner of her eye, others followed. Hu Jia grabbed Qin Lan''s cor as she covered her face as she cried.


    It continued for close to half an hour before she finally calmed herself down from the weariness of crying too long. Closing her eyes and remained in Qin Lan''s embrace, she fell asleep like a baby for the first time, gullible, defenseless, and innocent.


    "Young..." Lu Qing Yun came closer. But the slight shake of Qin Lan''s head made her retreated from where she is. They could only wait.


    The sixth day ended just like this.


    And while one is within the embrace of another, someone else is drowning in his own anger right now.


    "WHO KILLED MY TARGET!!!" Jiao Heng ferociously chopped the trees surrounding the empty nest that belonged to the mature Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast to vent his anger.


    **Gehehehe...**


    A Half-Snake, half-human hybrid demon slowly approaching Jiao Heng''s group as he screamed his lungs out. Following behind the hybrid beast is a school of Amber Snake Demons.


    It was destined to be a bloody night.

 Chapter 38: Eight Transformation Treasured Brush

    Chapter 38: Eight Transformation Treasured Brush


    Fu-Rong Town''s Annual Hunting Festival. Seventh Day.


    "Breakfast, young master."


    "This is mdy''s portion."


    Lu Qing Yun brought two bowls of heartily made gruel with wild fruits and some meat inside over for the couple.


    After breakfast, Lu Qing Yun apanied Hu Jia over to a secluded area to get themselves changed into something fresher. Lu Qing Yun''s skills can be said to be perfect in hair braiding as she helps Hu Jia toe up with a new hairstyle.


    "Qin Lan, how do I look with this hairstyle?" that''s the first thing in Hu Jia''s mind the moment she stepped out of the thick bushes covering them.


    "Absolutely dazzling. What an unfortunate that I have no drawing paper here with me," Qin Lan replied. His sweet words melted the cautious heart of this young maiden once again.


    Moving to the pile of Yao Beast carcasses hunted by the three servants yesterday as they way, Qin Lan tossed the Qiankun Bag in his hand over to Lu Yi. As for the remaining Qiankun Pouch on his waist, he gently turned over to Hu Jia''s side and clipped the treasure on her waistbelt.


    "I''ll return to the town now. See you this evening at the town''s square." Hu Jia took the initiative to hug Qin Lan. Perhaps even she has no idea that she would show such a feminine side right in front of this man that captured her heart.


    He then took a hairpin from his sleeve pocket and attached it to Hu Jia''s hair bun. It was a simply designed hairpin that Qin Lan used as a hidden weapon in the battle.


    Qin Lan gave Hu Jia a kiss on her forehead before he allowed the maiden to leave. Knowing that this girl is totally smitten by his charm, Qin Lan knows that there''ll be an additional member in his group from this moment onward.


    "Time to work harder." Qin Lan grinned in his mind.


    "Young master, are we going into the nest to finish what we''ve started?" Lu Yi asked. He''s been itching to continue the fight against the Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast again.


    "That''s correct. Based on the pack yesterday, I''m sure there are tons of younglings inside their nest with plenty of adolescent Spider Beasts guarding. It won''t be weird for us to find aplete fourth-level Yao Beast inside too." Qin Lan weighted the Qiankun Pouch Lu Yi returned to him.


    "Fourth-level..." the eyebrows of the trio narrowed as they considered their overallbat strength.


    "We can do it if we''re together. Don''t forget what we''ve learned so far. All of it is top quality martial and cultivation arts from the Kuangshan Lu Sect." Qin Lan pped Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s shoulders to straighten up their spirit.


    "We can do this." Lu Yi nodded.


    "Yes. We can do this. I didn''t cultivate this far for not being able to do anything." Huo Zunjie said.


    "..." Lu Qing Yun didn''t add a word into their discussion and merely smiled.


    "Great. Let''s finish this. We''ll return to town after all of this and celebrate." Qin Lan was delighted with the mentality of his three disciples. In his understanding, their strength has surpassed the challenge of fighting against a Quasi fourth-level opponent a long time ago.


    His main concern was to allow Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie to collect more experience and stabilized their cultivating foundation.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master, let''s go back to the town..." the young butler of Jiao Household said while supporting Jiao Heng on his shoulder.


    "I''ll... - I''ll kill them all. I will..." Jiao Heng continues to whisper while the butler drags him towards the exit of Western Demon Forest. They were the only survivors fromst night''s attack led by an Amber Python Demonic Soldier.


    It was a ughter.


    There was only ten or more Amber Snake Demon Beast at first when a servant was attacked from behind. But they didn''t fall into confusion as all of them were a full-fledged third-level Flesh Cultivator.


    Furthermore, a second-level beast can''t break the defensiveyer of a third-level cultivator that easily. Although the servant was poisoned from multiple bites, there was no significant wound that threatens his life.


    That was until the Amber Python Demonic Soldier made its appearance.


    This Amber Snake Demon Soldier was the one Qin Lan escaped from while he robbed the flowers and fruit from the Moonbell Tree. It is also the one that poisoned Huo Zunjie before he met Qin Lan.


    There was no doubt that this Amber Python Demonic Soldier stumbles across some heavenly treasure that promotes its growth.


    Using its strength of a fourth-level cultivator, the Yao Beast captured one of the servants as he was maimed on the spot. The head and liver were swallowed in two mouthfuls while the other parts of the body fought by the hungrier younglings.


    With only four members left, two servants charged forward with their Xuan-Grade Offensive Treasure. Running away wasn''t an option for them as it would end up worst than dying here inside the forest.


    The fightsted close to three hours.


    In the end, only the young butler and Jiao Heng is left. As the Amber Python Demonic Soldier seems to be sensitive to sunlight, their pursuit finally ended prematurely. But before that, the Yao Beast made sure to poison its prey before it let them go.


    ...


    ...


    "Lady Hu from Hu Household has returned! Wait, why is she on her own? Where are the other Hu Household servants?" the spectators waiting on top of the town barricades shared and gossiped as they witness Hu Jia''s return.


    She headed straight to the town''s square under the gaze of more than a thousand people and drops her Qiankun Pouch and number tag to rify her identification.


    Finally, with all the handover procedure is over, themittee member activated the Qiankun Pouch. Two roughly made coffins are taken out from the pouch along with a basket worth of medicinal grasses and ores.


    They were handed over back to the Hu Household before the pouch was hanged on top of its registered number.


    There are only three numbers without a Qiankun Pouch on the board.


    "The Qin Family and the Jiao Family are thest toe back this year again. I wonder which family willst till the end." one of the town''s residentsmented.


    "Number 164, number 200, and number 211..."


    "Qin Huang''s team came back! One of the two Qin Household''s Team came back!" the crowd started to shift their gaze at the arrival of Qin Huang''s team.


    They''re no longer as proud as they were before this. Afterpleting the same procedure as what Hu Jia just went through, the four youths returned to the side where the Qins gathered.


    "Third brother is still inside the Western Demon Forest?" Qin Huang asked one of the servants serving him a cup of warm tea.


    "Humph! What can he do? As a cripple, he should be back by now! What''s the point of staying inside the forest for so long?" the third elder of the Qin Familyined loudly without a hint of respect to the Qin''s Patriarch.


    "Jiao Heng''s team returned! Only Qin Lan''s team is remaining inside of the Western Demon Forest!" another announcement came. They were dragging their feet all the way until the middle of the square toplete the frustrating procedure.


    "Quicklye and administer an antidote to our young master!" the young butler ordered.


    "A team with a crippled member end up as thest one to return... I hope there''s nothing happened to them." some of the residents show their concern for the Qin Family. No matter what, Qin Lan is one of the favorites amongst the resident of Fu-Rong Town.


    "Jia-Jia, what happened in the forest? And why is there a hairpin that should belong to a man doing on your hair?" Hu Patriarch asked.


    "It was given by my man!" Hu Jia smiled the moment the conversation end up touching something that belongs to Qin Lan.


    "Your - Your man? Ugh... This rebellious brat. She even dares to speak about this out loud when she''s going to be engaged with the Qin Third Young Master soon."


    The Hu Patriarch has the urge to cough a mouthful of blood after listening to Hu Jia''s reply.


    ...


    ...


    Two hours earlier.


    "Toss the Corpse Melting Solution!" close to sixteen bottles of deadly bottles were thrown all over the spider''s nest following Qin Lan''smand.


    The corrosiveness of the substance immediately melted a third of the spider nest''s foundation. Without sufficient threads to keep the nest hanging, it was like an earthquake to the residents living inside.


    **SHUA!!!**


    Hundreds of young spiders less than half the size of the Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast yesterday runs around. As for those that unluckily end up taking the route guarded by Qin Lan and co, they were immediately ughtered without given the time to scream.


    Amotion of this level soon grabs the attention of the "nest owner" that''s hibernating on the lower level.


    **Screech!!!**


    "Violet Legged Broodmother! A fully matured on top of that!" Qin Lan smiled. They hit the jackpot today atst. Furthermore, three Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast are apanying it instead of one!


    "All of you! stay alive until my fight ends!" Qin Lan said.


    "Come out, Eight Transformation Treasured Brush! It''s your time to get serious as well." Qin Lan pulled the bamboo brush out from his sleeve once more. But instead of holding it like a pen, it was hovering on top of his palm!


    Three pieces of Offensive Metal made an appearance for the first time. As it melted into a pile of liquid substance, Qin Lan''s truthfully shows his fighting strength for the first time.


    "The first transformation! Sword of Heaven and Earth!"

 Chapter 39: Qiankun Golden Sword and Ancient Text of "Wei"

    Chapter 39: Qiankun Golden Sword and Ancient Text of "Wei"


    Three blobs of Offensive Metal mixed together into one as it took the form of a golden de. The 22 inches long body is perfectly aligned with the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush as the hilt.


    Two columns of ancient texts are engraved on the body of Sword of Heaven and Earth. The words are considered primordial as it was no longer decipherable by the schrs of this era.


    (Wei)=====(Qian)


    -


    (Lan)=====(Kun)


    -


    (Zi)=====(Jin)


    -


    (Yong)=====(Jian)


    [From top to bottom. Wei-Lan-Zi-Yong means "For Lan''s Personal Use." Also, the same, Qian-Kun-Jin-Jian means "Heaven and Earth Golden Sword"]


    The 22 inches de with an 8 inches brush as a hilt weapones with a close to 4 inches width. Every single one of the ancient text holds a mysterious power on its own.


    Qin Lan stops for a while and appreciates the Heaven and Earth Golden Sword in his hand. As the mysterious force from the eight ancient texts were too powerful, cracks started to appear on the edge of the de.


    (Looks like three Offensive Metal is merely enough for me to harness a hint of mastery from the ancient text of "Wei")


    The light on the word "Wei" shed dimly, like a spark of ember that''s going to disappear soon.


    "Come here, Violet Legged Broodmother!" Qin Lan pointed his golden sword at the fourth-level Yao Beast with his three disciples as witnesses. Not a single of them would dare to repeat what Qin Lan just did, especially looking at how extensive is the gap in strength between the third and fourth-level.


    **Screech!**


    The Violet Legged Broodmother swung its two frontmost limbs to create two des formed with Spiritual Energy towards Qin Lan. Those unfortunate younglings on the run were treated as tributes to disy the strength of this blow as it gets closer to Qin Lan''s position.


    "What a blow to start our fight! How can I not respond with equal respect?" Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Take this! Mountain Splitting Strike!" Qin Lan swung the golden de down confidently using the martial art from the Three Sword Strikes of Zhenwu Gate. His move delivered an attack of Spiritual Energy over to negate the Violet Legged Broodmother''s attack.


    "Bam! - Bam!" the ground ended up as the victim between the explosive Spiritual Energy. Both of them vanished from their initial position to follow up with their next move.


    "What are you guys looking at? Take care of yourself!" Qin Lan''s voice echoed inside Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie''s ears. And in that instant, three other battles happened in this nest.


    Lu Qing Yun''s cultivation was the lowest amongst the three. But at the same time, her Defensive Treasure was also the best amongst them.


    With Heaven''s String on her, Lu Qing Yun''s movement was not losing against the Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast with a terrain advantage. Furthermore, the Rippling Wave Palm taught by Qin Lan could support her Protective Treasure, which elevates her ability by another fold.


    "Clear Cloud Lotus Art!"


    "Eighteen Petals of Clear Cloud Lotus!" Lu Qing Yun''s movement is akin to dancing as she forms four petal-like shields through her Spiritual Energy. Although the cultivation art itself was named eighteen petals, she''s only capable of creating four at this moment due to the restriction in cultivation strength.


    But four petals are equal to having four added lives if they were used efficiently.


    As for Lu Yi, his fight against the Quasi fourth-level Yao Beast is much more than exciting. The Heaven Firmament Art taught by Qin Lan gives him confidence as he fights in a fist to w battle.


    The Mistral Projection Fist Art alsopliment his me Eyes of Heaven, intimidating and locking his opponent from executing a tricky attack.


    "Take this!" Lu Yi''s fist went through one of the limbs once he found an opportunity to deliver the deadly blow.


    "Take a pill when your opponent is still traumatized from your previous blow." Qin Lan''s voice came into his ears as Lu Yi gathered the Spiritual Energy surrounding them for his next attack.


    "Noted!" Lu Yi answered.


    **Screech!**


    The Violet Legged Broodmother extends its w over at Qin Lan. But it underestimated the sharpness of Qin Lan''s Qiankun Golden Sword. The sword with three cracked lines on the body smoothly cut apart a section of the limb with a swing.


    "Come, block this!" Qin Lan sent another swing as he shifted his position with one of his mirages from the Mistral Mirage Steps. The cracked lines on the Qiankun Golden Sword now increased to five, covering almost half of the sword.


    **Shua!**


    Qin Lan''s attack created a bleeding wound spreading from the second pair of limbs to the fourth. Added with another kick onto the thorax, Qin Lan builds up the distance between them as he retreated.


    But the Violet Legged Broodmother is unwilling to yield.


    Spider Threads is sprayed from its webspinner organ to creates trouble for Qin Lan as he tries to retreat.


    "Tricky Yao Beast..." Qin Lan swung his de for the sixth and seventh time, creating two more lines of cracks as he retreated.


    "Go!" Qin Lan fired three of his hairpins at the Yao Beast topensate for the slight out of tempo.


    "Ting! - Ting! - Ting!" the three hairpins were deflected but still sessfully disturbs the Violet Legged Broodmother from following up with the next attack.


    "D*mn Yao Beast," Qin Lan immediately took the opportunity to swallow two bottles of Flesh Foundation Pill to replenish his Spiritual Energy.


    With the "Spiritual Energy Container" physique, there was no dy in between as he can convert the pill into energy straightaway.


    "Again!" Huo Zunjie valiantly charged into his opponent without noticing that Qin Lan is looking at them. Amongst the three of them, his strength can be said to be closest to Qin Lan.


    His Undying Cultivation Physique could hugely enhance his cultivation speed at the cost of restarting them whenever he''s inflicted an illness he''s incapable of recovering from.


    "Hmm... Looks like the time to take the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill is here for them." Qin Lan swung his de randomly to bounce off two flying spears made from the spider thread. Another crack appeared on the body of his sword from his action.


    Staring straight at the Violet Legged Broodmother, Qin Lan smirked. The Qiankun Golden Sword in his hand shines brighter once more after it was nourished by the Spiritual Energy within his body.


    "Zunjie, be careful with the fourth pairs of ws of your opponent." Qin Lan whispered. It was immediately understood by Huo Zunjie as he looks at the w coated with a violet-colored toxin.


    Although Qin Lan is confident that he could resolve the poison, sometimes prevention would be a better option to choose from.


    Qin Lan raises his left hand with a hairpin ready to fire. But the trajectory of the weapon was not the fourth-level Violet Legged Broodmother, but Lu Yi''s.


    He charged straight at his opponent to deliver a deadly blow.


    The Qiankun Golden Sword shed once more as Qin Lan appeared in the air behind the Violet Legged Broodmother. Borrowing the strength from gravity and his movement, Qin Lan delivered yet another deadly blow stretching from the waist to the end of its abdomen.


    "Screech!!!" the pain caused the Violet Legged Broodmother to scream. Her scream is equal to summoning all existing spiders to her side to provide protection.


    "Your children won''t be able to protect you." Qin Lan said. With the de held up above his head, Qin Lan executed the Mountain Splitting Strike once more at the swarm protecting the Violet Legged Broodmother.


    With three of its most dependable children upied with Qin Lan''s three disciples, the younglings hardly withstand an attack from Qin Lan. Iplete carcasses littered left and right of the Violet Legged Broodmother after that attack.


    But it did not diminish their attempt to protect their "mother." A sphere of flesh was created as the tenth crack appeared.


    "Again!" Qin Lan delivered another Mountain Splitting Strike at the Violet Legged Broodmother and robbed close to a hundred of its children''s lives.


    **Screech! - Screech!**


    The Violet Legged Broodmother pointed its abdomen towards Qin Lan to fire some spider threads, but nothinges out.


    "Let''s end this!" Qin Lan made a different move on his twelve'' blow. A drop of his blood fell onto the ancient text of (Wei) to activates the hidden mystery behind it.


    Soon, the veins inside the body of Qiankun Golden Sword shed brilliantly as the precise word of "Wei" appeared on it.


    "To Act as Heaven and Earth!" two kinds of Spiritual Energy explodes at where the Violet Legged Broodmother stands. One descends from heaven, another rouse from the earth. Two convergence of energy forms the Law of Flow as it created harmony and destruction.


    His final blow was worthy of thest two strokes of the word "Wei" inside the ancient text. Upon his descent, Qin Lan''s sword finally incapable of withstanding the pressure and crumbles into ashes.


    "It seems more than three Offensive Metal is needed if I wanted to utilize the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush properly." Qin Lan chuckled as he kept the brush back into his sleeve.


    With both hands now free, Qin Lan made an extensive action from where he stands as Lu Qing Yun and Lu Yi''s target were turned into a porcupine made from hairpins.


    And the final hairpin in his hand went to Huo Zunjie''s target.

 Chapter 40: No Longer A Cripple

    Chapter 40: No Longer A Cripple


    "I''ll be standing guard here for all of you. Sit around me and consume the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill now." Qin Lan ordered all three of them to return to his side.


    "Yes, young master!" the three of them came to Qin Lan in a sh and sat around him in a lotus position. The Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill they kept securely inside their hidden pocket was ced into the mouth once they''re ready.


    From there, the miraculous effect of the pill started as a gentle Spiritual Energy in the form of crimson mist.


    The residue of impurity inside their flesh came out along with the crimson mist as it changed from dark crimson to blood red. When the "cleansing" effect from the baptism of crimson mist is finally over, the nextyer of the "restructuring" process finally came.


    "Aargh!" they screamed as one of the blood vessels nearest to their heart ruptured. A dark fountain of blood sprayed outward from that opening point as the miraculous cultivation pill reces their blood.


    Ake worth of Spiritual Energy poured out from that small pellet size treasure as it nourishes the heart to start producing new blood that soon reced what was discarded. And at this point, changes can be spotted in their appearance, skin tone, and flesh.


    From this moment onward, they''re no longer what they used to be.


    Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s appearance is much more refined than before. As for Lu Qing Yun, her beauty is enhanced once again, befitting the title of a cultivator of Clear Cloud Lotus Art. The bluish shade is noticeable on her already long and luscious hair, enhancing her beauty by several folds.


    "Young master... We''ve entered the fourth-level of Flesh Refining Layer." Lu Yi, whose hair now had a tinge of copper red, said. Huo Zunjie''s hair remained ck as before, but with a somewhat glossier appearance.


    "What about you, Qing Yun?" Qin Lan turned to his only female disciple and asked.


    "Answering to the young master''s question... Qing Yun advanced two levels in a row and also at the fourth-level of Flesh Refining Layer." Lu Qing Yun smiled as she replies shyly.


    "Good. Good. Good." Qin Lan repeated the same word three times to show how satisfied is he with the pot of cultivation pill he refined in that cave.


    With sufficient cultivation resources and time, oveing the obstacle of Middle-Attainment Rank is no longer a dream for the trio. Even without him supporting them from the back, it wouldn''t be as difficult as before.


    "Young master, we shall stay beside you while you digest the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill," Lu Qing Yun said.


    But Qin Lan rejected her kindness.


    "We shall return now. Collect everything usable around here and return to the Fu-Rong Town first. It''s not the time for me to consume the pill yet." Qin Lan said.


    Seated on the bamboo wheelchairfortably, Qin Lan was escorted back by the three as they''re greeted like the heroes that recently came back from a winning war.


    It seems that they''re thest team that came back.


    After a processing procedure just like the others, Qin Lan returned to Qin Tian''s side while they''re waiting for the Treasure Master to deliver his verdict after a thorough inspection.


    Two hundred and thirty teams. One thousand and a hundred participants. At the end of this Annual Hunting Festival, only sixteen teams remained until thest day.


    There was barely any excitement when the results from the ninth to sixteenth spots are announced. The highest was only three thousand and fifty points, with the lowest at two thousand and seven hundred.


    "Eighth ce! Yuan Kai''s Team. Three thousand and four hundred points!" the Treasure Master hired by the Town Committees announced.


    "Seventh ce goes to Zhang Huang''s Team! Three thousand and nine hundred points!"


    "Sixth ce, Chu Qian''s Team! Four thousand and five hundred points!"


    Fifth ce, Chu Heng''s Team! Five thousand and eight hundred points!" two consecutive wins by the Chu Household immediately made Qin Tian and Jiao Cheng congratte the Chu Patriarch.


    "Chu Patriarch, congrattions!" Qin Tian smiled amicably.


    As for Jiao Cheng, he turned his head around, waiting for the top four to be announced.


    "We''ve nowe to the name list of the top four teams." the Treasure Master said. After he finished speaking, the envoy from the Cloud Plucking Sect finally made their appearance.


    It was a pair of male and female from the sect itself. With the cultivation of first-level in Bone Restructuring Layer, their cultivation can be said to be at the top of the listpared to all the youths present in this town square.


    "Core disciple Lu. Core disciple Xuan, would you do the honor of announcing the name of the winner and first runner-up for this Annual Hunting Festival?" the Treasure Master politely invited them.


    "Why not? I''ll let my junior sister Xuan have the honor to announce the winner''s name. Let me read the results for the first runner-up." the Core Disciple surnamed Lu said.


    "Core Disciple Xuan Fenn, please!" Jiao Cheng smiled as he urges the envoy to continue.


    Gently picking up the paper from the Treasure Master''s hand, Xuan Fenn nced across it to notice something unexpected. After a light chuckle with her beauty that could topple a few cities, she finally speaks.


    "The first ce of this year''s Annual Hunting Festival goes to..."


    "Hu Jia''s Team! Eight thousand eight hundred and eighty points!" Xuan Fenn''s announcement was unexpected to many, especially Jiao Cheng, Qin Tian, and the public! How could this girl with four deaths in her team obtain so many points?


    It even shocked Hu Jia herself. Although she had a rough estimation of points she has, Hu Jia couldn''t believe that slight addition of what she hunted on her way back could ce her results up to the first ce.


    Feeling slightly sorry for Qin Lan, who stuffed two thousand and a hundred points into her Qiankun Pouch, Hu Jia was going to say something. But Qin Lan''s slight shake of his head stops her from acting rashly.


    Before Qin Lan, she''s now just like a tamed kitten who''s hungry for her master''s attention.


    Of course, that''s also because of her luck. Hu Jia''s team can be said to be the luckiest among the 230 present with a collection of four nests of loot.


    "Congrattion, Hu Patriarch!" the three other patriarchs congratte Hu Yong immediately for taking first ce this year.


    "Thank you, everyone. Thank you!" Hu Yong cupped his hand and returned their words with a humble gesture.


    "Here," Xuan Fenn shoved the paper over to her senior brother Lu next.


    "It''s my turn. Shall we see who''s the runner up for this Annual Hunting Festival?" Lu Yuanjun received the paper and nced through the content interestingly.


    "Ah... Such a close battle..." he clicked his tongue twice.


    "The runner-up for this year goes to... Qin Lan''s Team!" Lu Yuanjun excitedly announced the result written on the paper in his hand.


    "Eight thousand eight hundred and sixty points!" he added. The twenty points of difference between the first and second ce made the public clicked their tongue just like Lu Yuanjun. It seems luck still ys a crucial role in the path of a person''s cultivation.


    "Impossible! How can a team with a cripple obtain eight thousand points? I think that they''re cheating!" Jiao Hengined. How can he swallow this loss, especially when he had to add in the fact there''s not a single death from Qin Lan''s team.


    Furthermore, their tidy appearance made them much more suspicious than others.


    "True... With three servants fighting while protecting their young master, how much can they do?" the masses started to discuss amongst one another.


    "I trust the Treasure Master''s final verdict." Xuan Fenn said as she returned to the spot where the envoy was seated earlier.


    "I trust the Treasure Master''s final verdict as well," Lu Yuanjun added. With the paper now back to the Treasure Master hired by the townmittees, he literally left the responsibility of exining to the Treasure Master.


    "Quiet, everyone." the Treasure master said.


    "Qin Lan''s Team, can your member answer my question, please? What''s their level of cultivation right now?" the Treasure Master decided to use the crudest method to convince everyone.


    Which is by showing their raw strength.


    Qin Lan smiled towards the Treasure Master and permitted Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie to release a fraction of their cultivation strength. When that happened, the power of three fourth-level Flesh Refining Layer covered the stage.


    "Fourth-Level! All of them is a fourth-level cultivator! No wonder they could hunt so many Quasi-leveled beasts in those seven days!" the Treasure Master nodded. As somebody in the Middle-Attainment Rank, how can he overlook this kind of possibility?


    "It is possible if they''re all fourth-level cultivators. But what about the third young master of Qin Household?" there are still some people unwilling to ept the result.


    Qin Lan chuckled right in front of everyone as he stands upon his own feet, without the need of people supporting him. Added with the third-level cultivation strength emitted by him, Qin Lan stood there confidently without uttering a single word.


    "Qin Family''s third young master has recovered! He''s no longer a cripple!" one of the masses from the public said. The others followed. And soon, the Annual Hunting Festival is no longer that interestingpared to Qin Lan being able to stand and cultivates again.


    The Treasure Master announced the remaining result for the third and fourth ce, but it had fallen to deaf ears. All Jiao Heng has is Six thousand and a hundred points, just a hundred points above Qin Huang''s six thousand points.


    "The Qin Household has climbed up once again. We''ll have to inform the eleventh elder about it." Lu Yuanjun whispered, followed with a nod from Xuan Fenn.


    "Look''s like the Jiao Household has lost their value here in Fu-Rong Town. It is twelve elder''s time now." Xuan Fenn added.


    "Let''s go back after all these facades. I''ll make the arrangement for everything to be moved to Su-Hang Town." Lu Yuanjun said. In his hand, a piece ofmunication talisman made from jade crumbled into dust as it finishes conveying the intended messages.

 Chapter 41: Beloved Husband, Beloved Wife

    Chapter 41: Beloved Husband, Beloved Wife


    Cloud Plucking Sect.


    It was located about a month''s journey away from Fu-Rong Town on horseback.


    The Cloud Plucking Sect is said to have a humble start. Three hundred years ago, it was merely a dojo wheremoners practice some form of martial arts for their personal fitness and protection.


    But it changed when a talented individual appeared in this small dojo, a small town, at the bottom of this mountain now known as the Zhai-Yun Men.


    His name is Yang Yunzi, the founder of the Cloud Plucking Sect. And the small town where he grows up is now known as Fuyun City.


    ...


    Le-Xing Dwelling, under the jurisdiction of Eleventh Elder, Ouyang Jie.


    They were called "dwelling" because it could benefit a cultivator living within its proximity. Almost nine out of ten buildings inside the vicinity of Cloud Plucking Sect is erected ording to this requirement.


    As for those exceptions, they''re either unsuitable to be built or designated for insignificantmoners.


    "I did not have high hope on the Jiao Household anyway from the start. You may dispose of them and move our base of operation to Su-Hang Town as soon as possible." elder Ouyang Jie said as he gently sips a mouthful of tea in his hand.


    "By the way... Who''s the winner of the Annual Hunting Festival this time?" the elder continued. His voice echoed around Xuan Fenn''s ears. It was transferred through the jade piece on her earring, to be exact.


    "Hu Jia, from the Hu Household. Third-Level cultivation." Xuan Fenn replied in a precise manner like that''s how she usually speaks.


    "Hmm... Any ck horses?" elder Ouyang continued.


    "Eight ce''s Yuan Kai and second ce''s Qin Lan. His three servants." Xuan Feng Lan added two more names to her list, with Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie in her answer.


    "Yuan Kai... Somewhat felt rted to the damn old man from Zhou Treasured Pavilion Yuan Zhongkai. Did his beloved student, Zhou Mei, not participate in the festival?" elder Ouyang asked.


    "No. Zhou Mei seems to have something bothering her, so she sent Yuan Kai to participate on her behalf," Xuan Fenn replied.


    "None of them is usable. Leave the Qins alone. Those people originated from the twelve elder''s direct family, after all. I would like both of you to get out of trouble with Qin Fan and Qin Chan for now." elder Ouyang sighed as he speaks.


    "Disciple... Understands," both of them softly acknowledged the words of Elder Ouyang.


    "Then... Go ahead and do what you should. Fu-Rong Town is no longer worthy of our time. Invest more of our manpower at the Cave of Gong in Su-Hang Town. We''ll invest further in the production of Treasured Metal from now on!" elder Ouyang ordered.


    "Yes, teacher!" Xuan Fenn acknowledged.


    (Note: Cave of Gong also means the Cave of Centipedes. If you refer back to chapter 16, there''s a description of how Essence Metal is collected from the demon subdivision. Since the story is moving on to another arc before entering the sect, it''s a more to background building right now)


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After the reward has been given out, the Jiao Family left without exchanging a single word with the others.


    "We''ll be enough with two thousand points." Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie left with twenty pieces of Fu-Rong Town knife tokens. They left the remaining two thousand eight hundred and sixty points worth to Qin Lan without saying anything else.


    "Husband," Hu Jia came to Qin Lan''s side without bothering about any percussion behind her words. In her mind, Qin Lan was everything to her right now.


    "Look at thisss. Look at her!" Hu Yong, the patriarch of the Hu Family, sounds angry with his granddaughter. But his facial expression betrayed what he just said.


    "Congrattion to the Hu Family for winning the Annual Hunting Festival this year," Qin Lan customary greets Hu Yong this time, like how a junior should.


    "As long as you''ve recovered, youngd. Brother Qin Tian, the day you''re waiting for is finally here." Hu Yong patted Qin Lan''s shoulder as he speaks facing the Qin Patriarch.


    "Brother Hu, Brother Qin, congrattions." the Chu Patriarch came into their conversation and delivered his part of congratting sentences. Following by his side is Chu Heng, Chu Qian, and Chu Yun.


    "Brothers and sisters!" the youths greet one another without any pretense in between them. Even Qin Huang and Qin Qin joined along, knowing that it was essential for them to be harmonious.


    Qin Lan came to the side of the Chu Patriarch to deliver a bottle of medicinal liquid. After doing it to the same to the Hu Patriarch, the group of youngsters finally left, leaving the elders to have a conversation on their own.


    "I''ve heard that there''s a good selection of cultivation resources to be exchanged this time." Chu Heng, the oldest amongst the three young members of the Chus, said.


    "Then we should take the opportunity and get inside the tent and start choosing! Brother Chu, after you!" Qin Lan reached for the curtain blocking their view and invited the Chus to enter before him.


    "Brother Qin, sister inw, please!" unknown where did the idea came into his mind, Chu Heng already started to acknowledged Hu Jia as Qin Lan''s wife. In fact, he''s trying to match his younger sister, Chu Qian, with Qin Lan, using this opportunity.


    But once they''re inside the spacious tent, hell breaks loose. Except for Qin Lan and Hu Jia, everyone has scattered as they all have something they wanted in their mind.


    "Thank you," Hu Jia whispered beside Qin Lan''s ear again to show him her gratitude.


    "What for? All I did is to stuff what you should get inside that Qiankun Pouch. Anything extraes from your team effort and what you added while returning to the town." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Do you think I''m a muddled and vain littless that has no idea about how the world works?" Hu Jia pouted and pinched Qin Lan''s arm gently, afraid that she caused a hint of pain on the flesh of this man that captured her heart.


    "You''ve tapped into a few of my blocked spiritual channels and unlocked them, am I correct? That''s why my absorption and gathering of Spiritual Energy is much smoother than before." Hu Jia grabbed Qin Lan''s palm as they walked across the stalls with herbs, metals, and trinkets.


    The two of them walked around in their own world.


    When they realized the time and ce, it was alreadyte at night. Luckily, they still managed to finished what they''re supposed to do.


    "I''ll see you in the next few days." Qin Lan said as hepleted his task of walking Hu Jia back to the Hu Manor. Without him knowing, Qin Lan''s heart has started to yearn for Hu Jia''s attention. Even letting her walk into the manor made him felt that the time passed ten times slower.


    Qin Lan turned around and returned.


    This marked the ending of his facade and the beginning of Qin Lan''s journey in his cultivation as he aims to enter the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    After the banquet to celebrate his and Qin Huang''s result in this festival, their days returned to the usual. Except for the third elder''s offensive attitude toward Qin Lan, everyone else started to ept Qin Lan''s contribution to the Qin Household.


    The eight little kits of Yellowtail Fox Demon were now under the care of a specialized group of servants. As for Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie, their status has been promoted to Qin Lan''s cultivationpanion instead of a servant.


    With a promoted social status, it means that they''re now qualified to be registered as a local resident of this Fu-Rong Town too. The three of them received a registrar of their name with their affiliation the next morning.


    And fast-forwarding the time a little, three days have passed.


    Qin Lan shows himself right outside of the doorstep of Hu Manor along with few carts of gifts. Smiling amicably like how he was, he was ushered into the manor in full respect as Qin Lan was here for one reason.


    "Junior Qin Lan would like to propose to the Hu Family! Please allow Qin Lan to wed Hu Jia and gives her an official title of the wife of the third young master of the Qin Family as I take care of her till death do us apart!"


    Qin Lan chooses the most appropriate words as he asks for Hu Jia''s hand in marriage. As there were eight siblings altogether in his generation, the Qin Family prepares eight carts of gifts to be presented to the Hu Household to show their sincerity.


    "Jia-Er... What is your opinion about this matter?" Hu Yong knows what is inside Hu Jia''s mind. But as the patriarch and because Hu Jia was currently the pearl of the Hu Family, they would have to conduct this ording to the customary practice.


    "Answering grandfather, Jia-Er is willing to be wed into the Qin Household as Qin Lan''s official wife." Hu Jia walked over to Qin Lan''s side with a beautiful box between her hands.


    When it was opened, the hairpin Qin Lan attached to her hair bun is shown to the public again.


    The only difference is that after today, her hair would be neatly rolled and tied on her back, which symbolizes her status as the wife of a man named Qin Lan.


    "Beloved Husband," Hu Jia said.


    "Beloved Wife," Qin Lan answered with a smile.

 Chapter 42: Rise of the Qins (1)

    Chapter 42: Rise of the Qins (1)


    Their wedding ceremony was held on the same day as Qin Lan''s two elder siblings return. Following alongside them is their uncle, Qin Xuan. He''s also an elder in Cloud Plucking Sect, known as the twelve elder.


    This kind of discement of strength shows the force assembled by the direct descendent of the Qin patriarch. Qin Fan was the eldest, aged neen, followed by Qin Chan which turning seventeen this year. Qin Lan was the youngest of the three siblings.


    In terms of strength, Qin Fan is naturally the strongest amongst them in the younger generation with a third-level Bone Restructuring Layer cultivation. Even Lu Yuanjun, a direct disciple of the eleventh elder, is only at the first-level of Bone Restructuring Layer.


    As for Qing Chan, she''s expecting to step into the Bone Reconstruction Layer''s first-level soon.


    "I''ll be aughingstock of our fellow disciples once we returned to the Min-Xin Dwelling," Qin Fan chuckled as he seated on the seat prepared for the younger generations. At this time, he was presented with two cups of tea from the wedding couple.


    "Eldest brother, please!" Qin Lan smiled. Qin Lan still remembers his doting eldest brother and second sister like it happened yesterday.


    If both of them were present when Qin Lan was attacked by the expert hired by the Jiaos, their ending wouldn''t be as lenient as right now. At the very least, few chunks of flesh would''ve been torn off to vent their unsurmountable anger.


    "Eldest brother inw, please!" Hu Jia repeat after Qin Lan the moment Qin Fan takes a sip from Qin Lan''s cup.


    "Very good! This eldest brother is too happy today. This is my present to congratte both of you. Please take care of my third brother." Qin Fan took two pieces of the purple jade slip out from his sleeve pocket and gave it to Qin Lan and Hu Jia.


    "Hahaha, a befitting gift for the marrying couple." Qin Tianughed. The other patriarchs, rtives, and friends from the three householdsughed together while looking at the juniors.


    "This is?" Hu Jia shows a puzzled expression.


    "That''s the Purple-Dragon Storage Jade issued by the Country of Wu. It is also a pass that allowed the jade slip holder to move around the country unhindered." Qin Fan exined. To Qin Lan, it was also something interesting for him to know.


    (Who would have thought... This small portable jade slip design created by that brat couldst longer than the less popr Department of Cuisine of mine...)


    Qin Lan had the urge to sigh, but he held it for now. Now facing his second elder sister, the wedding ceremony continued. Like Qin Fan, Qin Chan also prepared avish wedding gift to congratte her doted third brother.


    After paying respect to the same generation as Qin Lan and Hu Jia, the customary practices moves to the elderly. It was a long and tedious one, but everyone managed to enjoy it while itsts.


    The only unfortunate part was that the couple would have to wait for another year before they''re "officially" allowed to consummate their marriage.


    As for now, they would have to do with sleeping separately in two different rooms, a customary belief that would bring positive karma and longevity to their marriage.


    The next morning, the ceremony continued with paying respect to the elders. When everything is finally done, Hu Jia was allowed to leave the elder hall. As for Qin Lan, he''s expected to stay as many rifications are waiting for him to be exined.


    "Are you ready?" Qin Tian, Qin Xuan, Qin Fan, and Qin Chan are seated inside this hall. On a corner is Qin Yuan, the father of the three siblings. He still behaves like a mentally ill patient as their discussion started.


    (I''ll have to check this father of mine soon...)


    "Lan-Er is ready," Qin Lan said.


    "Let''s start from the beginning. What happened?" Qin Tian asked.


    "I received help from an expert. Grandfather may address him through his surname, Lu." Qin Lan started their discussion using the persona of Pharmacist Lu. At the very least, there are less than ten people who know the truth about this person''s identity.


    Furthermore, Qin Lan has been preparing for this since he regains his cultivation.


    "Pharmacist Lu? Is he the one who supplies the Flesh Mending Pill to our pharmacy?" Qin Chan asked the question of Qin Tian''s behalf.


    "Yes, second sister. Our master, Pharmacist Lu, was the creator of the recipe. The four of us are also taught the basics to prepare the medicinal pill." Qin Lan added.


    "Does that means... The four of you were given an introductory lesson on the Department of Medicine and Herbs?" Qin Tian asked, impatiently. There was nothing more surprisingpared to having a Treasure Master in their family.


    Even Qin Xuan, Qin Fan, and Qin Chan failed to master the art of medicine and pill concoction after being with the sect for some time.


    "Just some basics for us to take care of ourselves outside of the Qin Family in the future. But Lan-Er believes that what he taught us wasn''t as mediocre as he mentioned. It is also a precaution from allowing us to went overboard and overwhelmed by greed." Qin Lan answered.


    "Indeed... Indeed... Throughout the years, how many families have risen and fall due to that reason? Even the Jiao Family is following this path sooner orter." Qin Tian shook his head as he thinks about how fickle is the strength of a family in front of benefits.


    "And the reason behind your actions to remain as a cripple... Does ite from Pharmacist Lu as well?" Qin Tian continued.


    "Yes. Master worries that misfortune will befall the Qin Family if we recklessly expose our trump card. Furthermore, we''re unsure if there''s any mole within the family working for them," Qin Lan replied.


    Along with this reply, the incident of Huo Zunjie''s house is brought into their discussion. Using his experience of two lifetimes, Qin Lan led the others into his story while he rifies the reason behind his action.


    About two hourster, Lu Yi was ordered to deliver something into the elder''s hall.


    And right in front of those present, Qin Lan shows them how the Flesh Mending Pill is concocted. As there was no discrepancy between Qin Lan''s product and what Pharmacist Lu provided, they''re no reason for them to continue to suspect Qin Lan''s word.


    Furthermore, Qin Lan was well prepared.


    The key to ess the private room given to Pharmacist Lu is in Qin Lan''s hand, along with a written recipe of the Wound Mending Pill. There''s also a letter that exins the reason behind Pharmacist Lu''s departure.


    "That would be all." Qin Tian nodded as he epted everything Qin Lan has to say.


    "Is there anything you would like to do while consolidating your cultivation until you achieve the Middle-Attainment Rank?" Qin Tian asked.


    "Please allow Lan-Er to solidify our Qin Family''s foundation before we left for the Cloud Plucking Sect." Qin Lan answered. His unwavering attitude surprises Qin Tian and Qin Xuan.


    The father and child looked at each other and considered. After a while, both of them nodded at Qin Lan as they said,


    "Go ahead and do what you think is for the good of the Qin Family. You''re an adult now, so it''s time to learn how to behave like one."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    One monthter.


    "Open the gate!" a servant donned in the garment of Qin Family servant yelled from afar while approaching the Fu-Rong Town on horseback. Following not too far from him was a convoy of six caravans filled with goods.


    It was guarded by Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie as they returned from the Su-Hang Town about a week distance away.


    There are also a few other members of their convoy wearing clothing of a different color. On their armband, a wrapper with the word "Chu" is clearly sewn to announce their affiliation to the public.


    "It''s the people from Qin and Chu Family. Get the door ready! Empty the street for their carriage to pass." the guard leader standing on top of the wall ordered.


    Soon, the gate into Fu-Rong Town is opened wide for the six carriages to enter unhindered.


    In this one month, many things have changed.


    Under Qin Lan''s leadership, the Qin Family found their second wind as they started to grow powerful.


    A new trading route is established between Fu-Rong Town and Su-Hang Town to increase the number of trades going on between them. And in between, it benefitted the smaller viges as more merchandise started to flow into the market.


    Such a decision quickly turn into a benefit as more raw materials, such as medicinal herbs and metal ores, entered the market. With a higher supply of goods, more merchandise can be manufactured before it was sold to neighboring viges and towns.


    It only took Fu-Rong Town a month to promote their town specialties until it bes hotter than hotcakes sold on the street.

 Chapter 43: Rise of the Qins (2)

    Chapter 43: Rise of the Qins (2)


    "What''s with the hype these days?" the elders fighting in a battle of chess peeked at the juniors below their secluded hill asked.


    "No idea. Some mortal''s entertainment, perhaps? Old six, don''t tell me you''re trying to cheat while making me turn my attention somewhere?" his opponent replied while cing a chess piece on the table.


    "Old eight, you''re too much. How can you say I''m cheating?" the one called as old six yed with the eyebrow replied.


    "Leng Ching, what''s wrong with your juniors down there?" the eighth elder asked. But his question receives no answer in return.


    **Pew!**


    "Aw! - Oh - Yeouch!" a chess piece went in between the shrubs next to wake the person called Leng Ching up. Soon, Leng Ching made his appearance before the two elders, looking half asleep.


    "Go down there and check what is themotion is all about." the eighth elder ordered.


    "Why me? - Let''s not bother... - Nothing important, I think?" in a sh, Leng Ching gave three replies to his master before he managed to react to the first one.


    "You imbecile brat!" the eighth elder raised his hand, but Leng Ching is already gone when the elder turned around.


    ...


    ...


    "Junior brother, what are you guys arguing about?" somebody peeked in between the queuing disciples and asked a question.


    "The three treasures from Fu-Rong Town, of course! Did you juste back from a sect mission? It''s toote for you to get on the hype train now as they''re all out of stock!!!"


    "Senior brother Leng!" the junior disciple almost peed in his pants the moment he found out that the one he''s replying to is Leng Ching. Although Leng Ching seems easygoing,zy, and carefree, his achievement in cultivation wasn''t as simple as his personality.


    Leng Ching was already a Late-Stage Flesh Refining Cultivator when he joined the Cloud Plucking Sect at sixteen. He''s turning neen this year, with the cultivation strength of seventh-level Bone Restructuring Layer.


    He was also known as Eldest Senior, Senior brother Leng, and Senior "one question, three don''t know," amongst the disciples.


    (Yi-Wen, San-Bu-Zhi = is a ng used to describe a person that would reply three times whenever asked)


    "Three treasures of Fu-Rong Town? What''s that?" Leng Ching asked.


    "Here! Here... Senior brother Leng." the disciple shows a box made from exquisite material to Leng Ching. Once opened, It was a box with three columns, wrapped in soft leather and fur from the Red Marten Demon Beast.


    On top of each column is a piece of paper with some content written on it. In total, there were three pieces of neatly folded paper, which beautifully presenting the so-called three treasures of Fu-Rong Town.


    "Beautiful. How beautiful. Marvelously beautiful." Leng Ching praised the merchandise thrice as that was how he usually talks. cing a bottle of medicinal pills into the disciple''s hand, he left without speaking further.


    "Senior brother, this..." the disciple stuttered.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Young patriarch!" themittee members from Fu-Rong Town politely greets Qin Lan as he invited them into the manor as their honored guest. Food and drinks were present during their conversation, which started to be a custom for them.


    Up to a month ago, food and wine were rarely served on the table during a serious discussion. But with the establishment of the Qin Family''s Winery, everything changed.


    Qin Lan brought out a recipe and altered a few essential ingredients based on their avability toe up with a wine that''s now widely known across this Yunshan Province.


    Tomemorate its return, Qin Lan decided to name this wine "Spiritual Gathering Dew."


    Made with twenty different ingredients from fruits to herbs and spices, a hint of Changshen Dew and Kuangshan Medicinal Base Mixture is also added into the making to produce this wine.


    The final result was a wine that increases the absorption and conversion rate of Spiritual Energy for an hour. Furthermore, the wine came with a fruity aftertaste, making it gentle but addictive to the palette for both young and old customers.


    Each bottle of Spiritual Gathering Dew is pre-bottled before they''re left to mature for seven days. As there was not much of a process to be involved during its creation, Qin Lan managed to produce close to ten thousand bottles during that one month toe up with what he has now.


    Every bottle of Spiritual Gathering Dew is sold for the price of ten silver coins, and only a hundred bottles of them were sold daily.


    "Young patriarch, please allow me to thank you on behalf of the people of Fu-Rong Town." the members of the Fu-Rong Townmittee cupped their hands as they bowed to Qin Lan to show their gratitude.


    In this one month, their business figure tripled.


    Raw, unprocessed material that''s hardly avable now widely avable in the market. Under Qin Lan''s advice and Qin Tian''s endorsement, themittee board also opened themselves to more suggestions, such as a direct supplying business.


    By controlling the flow of goods from ruining the market price, themittee board established a collection center that will purchase all kinds of local goods before selling them to the public.


    "Everyone, please sit." Qin Lan invited them to be seated as they continued the discussion. Right now, Qin Lan is like a mentor to themittee board members as they patiently listen to his extraordinary ideas.


    After sending the guest off, Qin Lan prepared to return to his courtyard.


    "Young master." Lu Qing Yun called Qin Lan the moment he walked past the square where his three aides parked their carriages.


    "How''s Su-Hang Town?" Qin Lan asked.


    "It went on pretty well. We''ve managed to procure most of the materials we urgently needed to prepare an additional batch of Spiritual Gathering Dew." Lu Yi came close to Qin Lan''s side, looking much more mature than before.


    "Zunjie should be on his way over soon with Lady Hu." Lu Yi added.


    "Did the material to refine the Spiritual Attraction Incense is here?" Qin Lan chuckled. The scene of what happened a month ago is still vividly hovering in his mind.


    "Grandnephew Qin Lan, to use your grandfather''s name to call both of us here, you better have a good reason to persuade both of us. Let''s get straight to the point. What do the Qin Family want?" the two patriarchs satfortably on their chairs as they waited for Qin Lan''s reply.


    "I would like to propose a new four-way alliance between the families and Fu-Rong Townmittee board. Since Jiaos is unwilling to attend the meeting today, I''ve invited another guest to attend on his behalf." Qin Lan made his way to the door and invited the town mayor into the hall.


    The five people inside this room sat together for a six-hours long discussion.


    "Patriarchs and Town Mayor, what was shown here is by right something the Qins can monopolize without trouble. But honestly, I''ve decided not to do that." Qin Lan ced a box in front of everyone and allowed them to inspect its content.


    It was a box decorated with soft, fluffy fur and leather from Red Marten Demon Beast. On the first column is a bottle of Wound Mending Pill. The second column is where a bottle of Spirit Gathering Dew sat peacefully. While on the third column is a container with three sticks of Spiritual Concentration Incense.


    "The paper on top describes the medicinal effect of each item. I''ve decided to call it the three treasures of Fu-Rong Town." Qin Lan patiently waits for the patriarchs and mayor to finish digesting the content written on the paper.


    With their level of cultivation, it is easy for them to discern how the validity of Qin Lan''s im on the three products.


    "Grandnephew... Answer my question honestly. Why would you share this?" Hu Yong asked. With these three items, monopolizing what the town could offer is easier said than done.


    "Because profiting alone less than doing it together." Qin Lan answered.


    "Of course, the right of manufacturing the Wound Mending Pill and Spirit Gathering Dew would remain under the control of the Qin Family. What I need is the expertise from Chu Family in Escort and Transportation and your fame amongst the farmers and miners around our Fu-Rong Town." Qin Lan started with the Chu Family first.


    "As for the Hu Family, I hope that you''re interested in my proposal on preparing the Spiritual Concentrating Incense. As long the Chus is willing to lend us a hand, obtaining the raw material to create them won''t be too difficult." Qin Lan continued.


    "As for the Town Mayor, I hope that themittee board is willing to ept my suggestion with an attractive business proposal. This overall project will generate a considerable tax collection, which can be used in return to develop our Fu-Rong Town." Qin Lan smiled because he knows his proposal had gotten their attention.


    The elders looked at one another for a while before they nodded at Qin Lan.


    "Interesting. Let''s continue." and from here, the n devised by Qin Lan started to bear flowers that soon to ripen into fruits ofbor.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Husband, you''ve must be tired from working from day till night. Let me give you a massage while you''re studying." Hu Jia came to Qin Lan''s side and started to gently massage his shoulder.


    Like an understanding wife, she patiently serves Qin Lan until thest scroll on the table is finished.


    "My wife, would you like me to walk you around the courtyard?" Qin Lan proposed with a smile on his face.


    "I would like to," Hu Jia smiled in reply. To her, there was nothing more satisfying than Qin Lan making up a time to walk with her.

 Chapter 44: Highway Robbery (1)

    Chapter 44: Highway Robbery (1)


    Half a year went by in a blink of an eye.


    In between this period, not a single day of Qin Lan has gone to waste. But that''s in terms of managing the Qin Household. Right now, Qin Lan''s cultivation still remained in between the third and the fourth-level, showing no hint of breaking through.


    As for the trio, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie, their cultivation achievement is now getting closer to the fifth-level. Stepping into the Middle-Attainment Rank is just a matter of time for them.


    They weren''t the only few who benefitted from hugging Qin Lan''s thigh.


    Throughout these seven months, the Fu-Rong Town, Hu Household, and Chu Household all had their fortuituous moment. Aligning themselves with Qin Lan was one of the best decisions they''ve ever made in their life.


    The Chu Household Security Escort Business expands across three human settlements. The Hu''s Spiritual Concentrating Incense is just as sought-after as the Qin''s Wound Mending Pill and Spiritual Gathering Dew.


    And by relying on the three treasures, cash kept flowing into their coffer voluntarily. But then, a word from Qin Lan surprised the old and young members of the Qin Household.


    "The Qin Household will relocate itself to the Northwest section of the Fu-Rong Town." his word is as simple as that. No one dares to question him and the decision he made.


    Two-third of the Qin Family''s savings were poured into making this relocation a reality. Their number of servants doubled from the initial 500 men to 1,000 people. From there, they started the project by reiming unusednd around that area.


    His reason for this decision is simple and straightforward.


    Qin Lan is doing his best to leave a lifeline to the Qin Household before leaving the nest to groom the next generation. At the same time, it would also put his heart at ease after he left the mundane mortal life aside in the future.


    Of course, there''s a limitation on what he can implement in creating this sanctuary for the Qins. First of all, material avability. Although the piece ofnd they''re at is fertile and rich with resources, it was limited to the Precelestial Realm.


    With what he has in hand, erecting a proper "dwelling" like thosemonly seen in the Cloud Plucking Sect is already counted as a miraculous feat. And topensate for theck of material, Qin Lan applied a uniqueyer of blessing in between.


    The buildings were built ording to the "Big Dipper" formation. It was also one of the least demanding Heaven''s Blessings that could yield him the most benefit right now.


    Separated into the "handle" and the "bowl," Qin Lan arranged the three smaller branches to be established in the three stars within the handle, while the patriarch''s direct descendent to reside inside the bowl.


    And as there were four stars positioned in the bowl of "Big Dipper" formation, a garden, a library, and a courtyard are added together toplete the seven-stars constetion.


    "Continue with your work. Qing Yun, I''ll go for a seclusive retreat for now to rejuvenate myself. If there''s anything, look for me using this key." Qin Lan gave the only key to ess his dwelling to Lu Qing Yun as he stepped into the chamber with a heavy stone door.


    "Qing Yun understands. We''ll manage it, don''t worry." Lu Qing Yun nodded.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    (Finally... Some time for myself to a break)


    A mechanism within the spacious chamber is activated with a pull by Qin Lan''s hand. Two additional ponds with exotic looking aquatic animals quickly joined together with this room.


    Emerald-bluish gases filtered from the water spread around the two corners of this chamber. And with a flick of a finger, Qin Lan ignited a stick of Spiritual Concentrating Incense.


    The three sources of gaseous substance soon mixed together as it was absorbed by Qin Lan.


    (I wonder how long would it takes if I continue to rely on the inferior resources to consolidate my cultivation...)


    Qin Lan patiently refined the essence using his body as the container. The process was more tedious than anything he had been doing so far. But in return, all his effort will be rewarded handsomely as long he managed to pull this through.


    Through the Big-Dipper formation as the base of his Heaven''s Blessing, Qin Lan added two adjustments to fit it to his own needs. The first is the star of Fu-Kuang, the sign of Mulberry Leaf. As for the second adjustment, Qin Lan used the constetion of Jiu, which signifies the meaning of a mortar.


    Big-Dipper as the spoon. Mulberry leaf as the sieve. And the Mortar as the refiner.


    Close to fifteen medicinal and treasures were added into the two ponds to kickstart the process like two pots of broths. They include the Golden Yew Tree''s Spiritual Sap, Spiritual Serenity Grass, Blood from Fourth-Level Demon Beast, and more.


    The moment the first stick of Spiritual Concentrating Incense is burnt out, another one took its ce. This process continues from the morning till night before Qin Lan finally seeded in refining the first drop.


    "Finally!" the drop of treasured essence seeps out from Qin Lan''s palm as it sat on top of the leaf on a bamboo nt. It was a drop of liquid with the consistency of milk.


    (Heh... To think that the sect leader of the glorious Kuangshan Lu Sect would have to do what the sect used to test the disciples in Pericelestial Cultivation...)


    Qin Lan chuckled.


    This treasure he just made is known as Precelestial Milk or Xiatian-Ru. Like the Changshen Dew, they''re one of the treasures cultivators in the Precelestial Realm sought after. The reason behind this is because a drop of Xiatian-Ru is equivalent to a thousand Flesh Foundation Pills.


    That''s how much Spiritual Energy is inside the drop of milky liquid. As it was capable of solidifying itself to retain the spiritual energy, the Xiatian-Ru is also used as a currency.


    Furthermore, since the Precelestial Milk required no medicinal ingredient to be refined, they''re much more widely epted amongst the cultivators due to their usefulness.


    Particrly in the battle between two experts that exhaust all their avable Spiritual Energy. Because the Spiritual Energy inside this piece of currency was naturally formed, a cultivator could immediately digest them and converted them into their own without meditation.


    It was a time-consuming process for him right now, but all the effort will repay itself at the end of the day when his cultivation advanced to the next level.


    The pot of cute bamboo nt returned into the Purple-Dragon Storage Jade as Qin Lan went to the door. Picking up the dishes prepared by the kitchen, Qin Lan returned to his seclusion once again.


    ...


    ...


    "Protect the carriage!" a scream from the middle of the night wakes up everyone resting in this camp. His cry managed to wakes the others from their slumber as they quickly deploy to protect their merchandise.


    But at the same time, it rmed their enemies as well.


    "Which fool dares toe and try to rob our Chu Family Security Agency? Come out here and get ready to die under my sword!" Chu Liang, the elder brother of Chu Xiang, the one known as Righteous Spear, said.


    The il hammer in his hand smashed two bandit''s head into pulps after he''s finished with his sentence. Like his younger brother, Chu Liang has a moniker given by the people who seem him fighting in the front line.


    (Golden il of Chu Household)


    "Move forward..." a silhouette hidden in the darkness ordered without revealing his position. What''s followed after his order is over fifty bandits dressed in inmoners clothing charging out from the woods.


    The battle quickly went from heated to deadly as more blood is spilled. Although the bandit''s side hardly has a high leveled cultivator, their sheer numbers still prove to be a threat as close to half of the guards fell to their mixture of blunt and sharp weaponry.


    "Release the dogs..." the silhouette delivered another order. The roaring of three Demon Beasts quickly attracts their attention as Chu Liang ordered his men toe closer to his position.


    "Come back to my side! That roar and voice... It''s the Oak Puppet Hound!" there was no doubt that Chu Liang is a skillful cultivator in his trade. Only through listening to the sound is enough for him to guess the identity of his opponent correctly.


    But that wasn''t enough.


    Managed to identity does not mean one coulde up with a method to immediately counter the threat. And like a dagger hiding in the darkness, three security guards fell as they failed to respond to his order instantly.


    "Aargh!" Chu Liang is furious. Although none of them carries the surname Chu, they''re just like a part of his family. The pain of having a friend as close as a family member ughtered before your eyes are not something to be underestimated.


    "Violent Whirlwind!" Chu Liang unleashed the strength of a fifth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator as he executes his signature move. One of the Oak Puppet Hounds was unluckily sandwiched in between the trees he was going to hit.


    The wounded hound lies on the ground, dying. But instead of vomiting red blood like all demon beast, it was green.


    "Fire the (Liang) signal." Chu Liang ordered. With close to twenty teams of escorts roaming around this Yunshan Province, the possibility of having another team nearby is highly likely.


    "Yes, leader! Urgh!" the subordinate took a firework out from his pocket. But before he managed to use it, a flying dagger is stuck on his forehead.


    "No!" the death of another closepanion disturbs Chu Liang''s concentration. Upon turning around, the two remaining Oak Puppet Hounds attacked. Out of a sudden, two deep wounds appeared on his back and leg due to his carelessness.


    Chu Liang immediately swallowed a few Flesh Mending Pills to ease the pain that bothering him from fighting with all his might.


    "Everyone, fight to the end of your life! Protect our cargo!" Chu Liang yelled.


    "Yes, sir!" the remaining eleven subordinates of his acknowledged his words and determined to fight till thest drop of their blood.

 Chapter 45: Highway Robbery (2)

    Chapter 45: Highway Robbery (2)


    "Dang! - Dang! - Dang! - Dang!"


    "Dang! - Dang! - Dang! - Dang!"


    "Dang! - Dang! - Dang! - Dang!"


    The guards on top of the watchtower struck the bell frantically when he noticed a group of injured people approaching the Fu-Rong Town. A few Stone Wolves Demons are chasing them from behind.


    "Can you recognize their identity?" the leader of the nightshift guards asked a subordinate beside him.


    "They looked like the people from Chu Household Security Escort Business." the subordinate replied.


    "We should help. Open the door and get a few men out there!" the guard''s leader ordered. In an instant, about ten guards, all of them in between the third and fourth-level of Flesh Refining Layer, left through a secret door to provide assistance.


    "Get down on your knees!" one of the guards yelled.


    The escapees immediately obeyed the guard''s order and went down on their knees. Their swift action saved two people from getting mauled to death. Swords and daggers are immediately unsheathed from its scabbard as a fight ensued between human and demon beast.


    Ten minutester, it finally ended.


    Although one of them was injured, it was the guard''s victory against the pack of Stone Wolves Demons. The five injured members from the Escort Business is brought back to the guard''s outpost as the person in charge from the Chu Household is summoned.


    "What happened?" Righteous Spear, Chu Xiang, asked the moment he steps inside the guard''s outpost. It worries him by looking at how tattered and traumatized is the subordinates.


    "Sir, Leader Liang is dead. Leader Liang is dead!" one of them quickly answered as he holds both of Chu Xiang''s arms.


    "What? My second brother is dead? Impossible! What happened?" Chu Xiang asked with both of his eyes opened wide in disbelief. Although Chu Liang''s cultivation is not as high as his own, he''s still a fifth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator!


    "Brother Chu Xiang, please excuse me for now as I return to my position. If there''s anything you need me, just look for me on the watchtower." the guard''s leader excused himself.


    "Brother Yu, thank you. This one named Xiang will return the favor once everything is settled here." Chu Xiang cupped his fist as he politely sent guard''s leader Yu out from the room.


    With no other guest inside the room, Chu Xiang started to question the subordinates after distributing the Flesh Mending Pill and Flesh Foundation Pill.


    More unfortunate news came into the Fu-Rong Town after sunrise.


    Out of twenty escorting teams, three of them were attacked that night. Close to twenty family members and servants from the Chu Household lost their lives from this attack, along with about thirty affiliated escort members.


    This was the most significant loss in their record from the first day the Chu Household established their business here in Fu-Rong Town.


    And since the merchandise in the said team is reported as a failure to deliver, multiple smaller businesses gathered outside of the Chu Manor to demandpensation. It was an impactful move against the inexperienced Chu Household.


    "These people! How dare theye and demandpensation now! We''ve not even done with our initial investigation!" Chu Rongye smashed the table in front of him into pieces to vent his anger.


    "Patriarch! Patriarch!" his butler came into the room in a hurry. He was the one that personally delivered the bottle of Changshen Dew to Qin Lanst time after the explosion at Huo Zunjie''s house.


    "What happened?" Chu Rongye rubbed the temple point on his head as he speaks.


    "One more team is attacked. Two haulers are injured, and we''ve lost six horses." the butler quickly reported.


    "What? They''re doing it, right in the middle of the afternoon?" Chu Rongye couldn''t believe his ears. What mountain bandits are them to conduct robbery in broad daylight?


    "Deliver the message. Stop all our operations. Prepare the lodging for those out of Fu-Rong Town and tell them to stay in towns and cities until we investigate this matter properly."


    "Has any of the other families responded?" Chu Rongye continued.


    "The Hu Household and Qin Household sent a butler over to ask if we needed any help from them. They''ve yet to ask forpensation for the death of their servants." the butler swiftly answered the question.


    "How many?" Chu Rongye asked.


    "Three from Qin Household and two from the Hu Household." the butler continued.


    "We''ll try to manage on our own for now. But maintain alert. Gather our experts in the fourth and fifth-level as we n a counterattack against the bandits."


    "Also... Tell Heng-Er, Yun-Er, and Qian-Er to stay in the manor. They''re not allowed to go to the Western Demon Forest until this matter is solved." Chu Rongye ordered. Using his rich experience of leading the family for this long gave him absolute confidence to tackle this problem.


    But on the following day, more incidents happened.


    Even the people from Qin Household and Hu Household was attacked by the mysterious forces operating behind the shadow. The only exception from this was the Jiao Family, who''s been keeping a low profile.


    "Shall we get Young Patriarch out from his seclusion?" Lu Qing Yun asked for an opinion. Seated before her in this hall are Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, Hu Jia, and the elders.


    "Let''s wait for a few more days. We should increase the number of patrols around our estate to make sure no mice managed to sneak inside unaware." Qin Tian suggested.


    "As for the youngsters, let''s ce them inside the Martial Library for now," he added.


    "We''ll leave these to you people. Make sure to notify Qin Lan if there''s anything serious. Do not try to be reckless and solve this on your own." led by Qin Tian, the elders soon left without giving out too much of an opinion about what happened.


    As the wiser people often said.


    [The taller a tree is, the more friction it will face against the blowing wind]


    And it is not hard for them to guess the motivation behind this attack.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    (The preparation should be enough. Let''s begin)


    Qin Lan swallowed six of the Xiatian-Ru along with the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill. The outburst of Spiritual Energy of the six Precelestial Milk exceeded his expectation as it filled his physique to the brim with all the qi he''s capable of handling.


    (This is amazing. It seems that my capacity is now twice the amount of what a regr cultivator could handle)


    Qin Lan continued with the inhale and exhaling process as the mist of blood spurted out from all the pores around his body. His expression slowly turned into a painful one as the spray started to form a pool of blood right on where he was seated.


    "Almost there... Just a little more to... GOOOO!!!" Qin Lan clenched his teeth together. But s, he failed to keep it in check. The sudden burst of torturous pain struck him like he was stabbed by a thousand needles at once.


    Qin Lan''s cry echoed inside the chamber as the Spiritual Energy within him run amok. The furniture made out of wood and marble was his first victim as it was destroyed into pieces.


    The feeling of having the "container of Spiritual Energy" growing inside his body made Qin Lan felt bloated. Luckily, there''s still a rich amount of Qi hidden inside of the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill topensate for what his body thirst for.


    There were no other changes externally except for his suddenly fairer, smoother skin. Just like what his three disciples had gone through, Qin Lan had his feature enhanced somewhat to look much more perfect than before.


    But many things have changed on the inside.


    Even Qin Lan himself finds it hard to believe after the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill assimted with his body.


    Two imperfections shown on the Mistral Flesh Diagram were resolved at once from a single advancement as Qin Lan stepped into the fourth-level Flesh Refining Layer. And instead, another one popped out to rece the void.


    (So... The pill helped me to resolve the imperfection on my shoulder and left chest at once. And in exchange, one additional slot is opened...)


    (Perhaps this is how the Five Governing Law of the World works. Just like how heaven favors those who tried, it would also be inclined to those with luck)


    Qin Lan opened the Mistral Flesh Diagram within his mind once more.


    (Nape! - Jaw! - Waist! - Navel! - Core!)


    The existence of the core was not something he can easilyugh at and ignore. As the person who lost it once, how can Qin Lan be clueless about it''s return to his life once more?


    Clenching his fist hard, Qin Lan smiled.


    Furthermore, the return of this "core" imperfection came with another fold of strength incorporated into his Spiritual Container Body. This allowed Qin Lan''s body to store 12,000 units worth of Spiritual Energy in his body.


    "I should end my seclusion here and start consolidating my cultivation. Based on this, another half year is all I need to achieve the cultivation of Middle-Attainment Rank to join the Cloud Plucking Sect along with the others!" Qin Lan smiled.


    After changing into a clean set of clothing, Qin Lan left his cultivation chamber.


    And he was greeted by the four immediately the moment he made his appearance back to the outside.


    "What''s wrong?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Our Fu-Rong Town is facing a big trouble," said Hu Jia.

 Chapter 46: Highway Robbery (3)

    Chapter 46: Highway Robbery (3)


    "Ma - Master... You advanced into the fourth-level?" Lu Qing Yun was the first to notice the differences in Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy undtion.


    "Really?" Hu Jia looked at her husband patiently. Although it was already night when Qin Lan came out, the outside of his cultivation chamber is considered well lit for them to discern Qin Lan''s usual appearance.


    "En." Qin Lan nodded. The lighting could hardly show them clearly of his changes.


    "Alright. Let''s get back to the pressing topic first. What do you mean by having trouble?" Qin Lan asked. Although he always knows that trouble wille to them sooner orter, he has no idea that it will be this soon.


    There were a few possible culprits in his mind, but Qin Lan decided to follow the flow.


    "On the day you enter seclusion, the Chu''s Security and Escort Business was attacked by a group of mysterious bandits. Three convoys were robbed, and about fifty people from the family met with their demise." Lu Qing Yun started to exin in detail.


    "Three servants from our Qin Household and two from Hu Household also sacrificed that day from the attack. Since they had no other family members, the case was settled without too many problems on our end." Huo Zunjie added.


    "Have the identity of the people attacking us been found out?" Qin Lan asked.


    "No, they erased their track each time after attacking us. Not even a single identification nor document is left on those people we''ve killed." Lu Qing Yun answered.


    "Husband," Hu Jia asked for Qin Lan''s attention as the five of them headed back to the Courtyard belonged to Qin Tian''s branch of family members. Looking at how anxious is the expression of hiswfully wed wife, Qin Lan stops walking.


    "Is there something wrong with the Hu Household?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes... The family received a fewrge orders from Su-Hang Town a few days before you went into seclusion. Right now, the due date for this order is almost here. We''re only managed to fulfill one of the three orders."


    "Based on how it goes, the family will be forced topensate for being unable to fulfill our end of the contract. The cost of breaching the contract is close to 20,000 Flesh Foundation Pills..." Hu Jia whispered softly into Qin Lan''s ears.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll handle this personally." Qin Lan gave Hu Jia a kiss on her lips as he walked away and headed straight into the family hall.


    "Young Patriarch has arrived!" Huo Zunjie announced Qin Lan''s arrival as the group stepped into the meeting hall. Currently, Chu Xiang from the Chu Household and Hu Jia''s father is present in this hall.


    "Young Patriarch." Chu Xiang greets Qin Lan the moment he saw thetter came in with his subordinates.


    "Son-In-Law..." Hu Jia''s father was not as humble as Chu Xiang due to his status. But the female butler behind him behaves courteously and politely bow herself a little to greet Qin Lan.


    "It is good that both families are here. Let us assess our current situation. How many experts can both of your spare to me right now?" Qin Lan skipped all the pretense and moved into the main topic right away.


    "40 fourth-level Flesh Refining Layer experts and two fifth-level." Chu Xiang answered.


    "The Hu Household can spare around 30 fourth-level experts and three fifth-level cultivators as well," Qin Lan''s father-inw added.


    "That''s great. Please have the experts gather here right away. I''ll brief them on what to do on our way. As for the detail of this operation, please forgive me for not able to divulge too much information." Qin Lan cupped his fist together as he asked them to follow obediently.


    "We''ll go back and arrange it. Young nephew, we''ll be waiting for your good news." both of them left without discussing anything else.


    ...


    ...


    "Do you think he''ll be able to handle this?" Chu Xiang asked when leaving the Qin''s Estate located on the northwest of this Fu-Rong Town.


    "Hopefully..." Hu Jia''s father rubbed his temple because their previous attempt to gather material ended up getting attacked and almost had their entire party annihted.


    If that was not the case, the Hu Household might not be that short of manpower when Qin Lan asked.


    ...


    "Qing Yun, prepare the ration for a hundred people. Lu Yi, go and prepare a hundred horses for us. If people asked, tell them that we''re preparing a counterattack to sweep the Western Demon Forest inner region to gather resources to solve this matter."


    "Zunjie, go and look for the town mayor. Tell him that we''ll have to borrow a hundred Qiankun Pouches. If he asked, tell him that we''re heading to the Cloud Plucking Sect." Qin Lan said.


    "I thought we''re going to the Western Demon Forest?" Lu Qing Yun and Lu Yi asked.


    "Did I say where we''re going?" Qin Lan ced both hands on his back as he returns to his own sleeping chamber. After changing into the cloth and appearance of Pharmacist Lu, Qin Lan sneaked out of the Qin Estate.


    ...


    ...


    "Chu Household! Give us your answer right now! Are you going topensate us for our losses? We''ve been waiting for a whole week already!" the smaller business owners who lost their merchandise and orderined.


    Some behave aggressively, and a small fight quickly ensued right outside of the Chu Family Manor. But nobody noticed there''s a silhouette is checking on them from afar.


    An hourter, the silhouette appeared outside one of the businesses that belonged to the one who acted aggressively and sneaked into his building without rming the guest.


    The silhouette spread his Spiritual Sense around the building. He acted immediately after noticing there are no experts of his level here. Sneaking around and stealing a few pieces of paperwork rted to its merchandise, the silhouette left.


    This process repeated a few times before the silhouette returned to the Qin Estate.


    Changing back to Qin Lan, he left his sleeping chamber to greet the group of cultivators from both Chu and Hu Household.


    "I am Qin Lan. First of all, please let me say thank you for gathering here." Qin Lan cupped his fist together and started to speak.


    "Greetings, Young Patriarch!" everyone politely addressed Qin Lan as he made his presence known.


    "I believe that everyone present knew the reason we''re gathering here today. But first, let me ask for your forgiveness because we''ll keep our mission secret until we''ve arrived at our destination. Those that unwilling to obey my request may leave right now." Qin Lan stated.


    None of the cultivators left.


    Qin Lan chuckled. After the provision and horses were distributed to each of them, he secretly ordered Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun to take the lead and bring the punitive force of a hundred fourth to the fifth-level cultivators out.


    Instead of taking the quick way out from the outskirt where Qin Estate is located, they''re using the main ess gate of the Fu-Rong Town situated at the south.


    Greeted by the residents as they depart, it makes a hundred cultivators felt somewhat proud as they ride on the back of the horses and proudly exit the town.


    But whates next was a big puzzling question that nobody could answer.


    The punitive forces continued heading north as they traveled past the entrance into the Western Demon Forest. Soon, a signal re is fired into the sky, summoning them back to the Qin Estate.


    "What just happened?" the public found out that they had lost their ability to perceive what just happened. Furthermore, the door leading into the Qin Estate ispletely shut off once thest horses entered through that private northwestern gate.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Somebody must have leak our movement to those people from the Qin Household. If not, how do they know we''re nning a pincer attack against them between the Western Demon Forest and route to Fuyun City?"


    A table is smashed into pieces when this individual vents his anger.


    "What shall we do next?" asked another individual standing beside him.


    "Arranged everyone to camp along the route leading to Fuyun City. I''m suspecting that the Qins will try to use this opportunity to slip away from us. Tell the Hushan Bandits nothing about this. They might have a few loose lips amongst them that give our position out unintentionally."


    The leading individual said.


    Then, a smaller group of people dressed in farmer''s clothing returned to the outpost.


    "Hahaha, that business owner is quite a smart one. Only he cane up with the idea to get rough with the guards from the Chu Family. I think one more day is enough for us to make the people lost their patience and charge into the manor asking forpensation." one of the farmers said.


    "It seems we''re doing well inside the Fu-Rong Town. Did you bring back any of the Spiritual Gathering Dew, old six?" the door into the outpost is opened to allow old six to step inside. In his hand is a Qiankun Pouch holding about twenty bottles of Spiritual Gathering Dew.


    "Big brother, old two," he greeted his two brothers and dropped the Qiankun Pouch on the table near the wall.


    "Are we going to attack the Qins? It seems they''re covering themselves inside that turtle shell, at least to me." old six said as he mentioned how tight is the door to the Qins is closed.


    "Did any of your boys talk about our operation today when chasing the skirts out there? We almost lost our chance to attack the Qins because of this!" the leading individual asked.


    "Young master Jiao, please mind your words." old six poured the Spiritual Gathering Dew into his mouth and sat on top of a wooden crate inside the room.


    "We''re business partners. Not your subordinate." he chuckled.

 Chapter 47: Highway Robbery (4)

    Chapter 47: Highway Robbery (4)


    **Whine...**


    **Whine...**


    "Good boy, good..." Qin Lan petted the eight Yellowtail Fox Demon Beasts they tamed during the Annual Hunting Festival. Half-year has passed since then.


    There''s only one girl out of the eight young foxes. Furthermore, as it was fed with Changshen Dew since young, their growth is considered faster than the usual wild foxes found inside the Western Demon Forest.


    **Awoo...**


    The female fox demon rolled around Qin Lan as it shows its belly part so the master would pet it more.


    "Alright. ytime is over. Do you know what you have to do out there?" Qin Lan smiled. He''smunicating with the foxes using a uniquenguage that''s considered lost. There are likely less than five people in this province capable of understanding a single word he said to the foxes.


    **Awoo - Awoo**


    The eight Yellowtail Foxes left the Qin Estate swiftly through a drainage system nearby after they seem to be nodding to Qin Lan''s sentence.


    With another matter is handled, Qin Lan tidied his clothing from any remaining fox fur as he walked over to the courtyard where a hundred cultivators gathered. Both of his hands rested on his back as he graciously walked there.


    ...


    ...


    "What''s the Qin Young Patriarch is trying to do?" about half of the cultivators present asked the same question. There was a hint of shame written on some of them because of what happened.


    "Hey, where''s your patriarch?" some of them tried to look for Qin Lan to exin his purpose for making them looked like a bunch of fools earlier.


    "Our Young Patriarch will be here when it''s time." Lu Yi said.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Young Patriarch!" Lu Qing Yun greeted Qin Lan when he steps into the training square with a hundred frustrated cultivators.


    "Bring those impatience cultivators out to one side. I have something for them to do." Qin Lan said. His surprising order made Lu Yi drag six cultivators in their fourth-level Flesh Refining Layer strength out from the crowd.


    Five fifth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator stays beside Qin Lan to prevent something from happening.


    "Looks like the six of you have some exining to do." a single sentence from Qin Lan immediately tore the identity they''ve been keeping secret from everyone else. Sweat asrge as a bead rolled down from their temple as they get nervous.


    "Young Patriarch must be kidding. If you''re offended with how I talk, then please allow this one with the surname Yu to ask for your forgiveness..." one of them chuckled and tried to make peace with Qin Lan.


    He cupped his hand together and bowed about 90 degrees towards Qin Lan to show an "earnest" gesture. But then, a bolt was fired from the mechanism on his backbone.


    The other five followed and fired a bolt from a few parts of their body. Some of them had it on their wrist, some on their knees. One of them even had a poisonous scorpion inside of his mouth.


    But in the end, it was for naught because Qin Lan has been prepared for them long ago. The six of them were immediately captured by the five Middle-Attainment Rank Cultivators before they managed to do anything else.


    "What''s their identity?" one of the five Middle-Attainment Rank cultivators asked. He had his suspicion about where they came from, but unfortunately, he failed to notice it as clear as Qin Lan did.


    "Jiao Family''s Night Dragon Assassins." Qin Lan urately guessed their identity. It sent a shiver down to their spine for the five cultivators. Perhaps not a single one of them noticed how deep have the people from Jiao Family have infiltrated.


    "Lu Qing Yun, get six more fourth-level cultivators from our Qin Family. We will depart at once." Qin Lan is finally ready to make his move.


    Protected by the shade of the night, a hundred cultivators departed from the northwestern gate quietly as they entered the inner region of Western Demon Forest.


    It was full of cheer and praise the next afternoon when fifty tattered cultivators entered the Fu-Rong Town through the same northwestern gate. As there was no evident proof of where had the other fifty cultivators have gone to, two guesses were spreading inside the town.


    There was a rumor about the cultivators is currently stationed within the Qin Estate to protect their interest. And there''s also a rumor about their corpses was found inside the Western Demon Forest.


    But in return, it solved the problem Hu Household faced.


    With the full support from the Chu''s existing security escort members, the merchandise is sessfully delivered on time without breaching the contract. In return for this coborated effort from two families, the merchandise was sold for 20% above market price.


    The profit was split evenly to help the Chu Household to solve their financial problem. With hardly any disturbance remain inside the Fu-Rong Town, the two families now capable of providingplete support to the Qin.


    But still, that took them three days to aplish all this.


    ...


    ...


    "Big brother, old two, are we still going to fight them?" the one called old six asked.


    "We''ve already taken the payment. Of course, we have to do it." the eldest said.


    "Then... I''ll get our fellow brothers to get ready." old two left the outpost to led his men over to one of their attacking points on this highway to Fuyun City.


    "Old six, go and get your people ready."


    "Alright!"


    ...


    **Whine...**


    "Hey, the foxes are here again." one of the banditsined to his fellow bandit standing guard nearby.


    "Just ignore them. It''s not like the demon beasts are going to attack us anyway. We have close to two hundred people here. What are you afraid of?" his fellow bandit member clicked his tongue in reply.


    **Whine...**


    "Aargh! This is so annoying. I can''t even get a proper nap! Are the people from the Qin Family seriously going to use this route to Fuyun City? What if they canceled the n because they''re afraid of us?" another bandit inside a hidden tentined.


    Opening the curtain covering that tent, he tossed a rock out into the bushes to scare the demon beasts away from disturbing him.


    **Whine...**


    **Whoosh!**


    A flying hairpin came simultaneously with the beast''s whining as it robs the bandit''s life. Very quickly, two individuals dressed in ck clothing appeared side by side to support the bandit''s head from mming onto the ground loudly.


    This covert operation continued.


    About two-fifth of the bandits were removed in secret using the Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast as deterrence. Since the groups of Hushan Bandits is just a group of vagabonds without proper discipline, it was easy to remove a few of them at a time without rming the others.


    "The Young Patriarch''s tactic is ruthless indeed." one of the cultivators sneaking around said. Not even once in his wildest imagination that the demon beast can be used on a mission like this.


    "Perhaps this is what holds us from breaking past the barrier between the fourth and the fifth level..." another cultivator replied. Following closely behind one of the eight Yellowtail Fox Demon groomed by the Qin Family, they approached another target.


    "Uurgh - Pfff!" another target was eliminated. The tent this bandit is hiding inside was kept inside a Qiankun Pouch as they throw his corpse into a ditch nearby.


    But very soon, a team leader from the Hushan Bandits quickly noticed that something is amiss. Taking out a whistle from his waistbelt, he blew the instrument to summon the others to his position.


    When only seven out of ten of his team members show their faces around him, he panicked. One team leader''s worry spread to another as the eight pairs of bandit-killers left the area under the curtain of the night.


    "How many people are missing?" their leading bandit leader, old two, asked.


    "Second Leader, thirty people are gone. There are only a hundred and seventy of us here." one of the bandits answered the question.


    "Anyone noticed where they had gone to? It''s thirty people, not thirty rodents. It''s impossible to leave too far from this highway without rming everyone else." he said.


    "Check around us and look for some clue. Rearrange the teams and prepare for unexpected changes. Have two people over to the outpost and..."


    "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" someone screamed.


    More and more torches quickly illuminate their surroundings following after the scream.


    ...


    ...


    "Young Patriarch, we''re ready to depart now." one of the fifth-level cultivators reported to Qin Lan as they gathered secretly on the entrance of the highway to Fuyun City.


    "Good job. Just standby and wait for the signal." Qin Lan nodded. But not a single person noticed how he tightens the strap around his hand.


    The situation around them remained quiet to the point that even the sound of a singing cicada is louder than them. But that silence onlysted for half an incense stick of time. The roaring sound of a Yellowtail Fox Demon Beast soon came into their ears.


    "That''s our signal. Depart and ughter everyone without the sash of Qin Family on them!" Qin Lan''s thunderous order came to them as he took the lead and charges forward.


    They covered close two miles distance in a hurry.


    The moment they caught the sight of their opponents, all kinds of weapon is let loose. Spiritual Energy runs amok as multiple martial arts was used.


    And that''s how the massacre started.

 Chapter 48: Highway Robbery (5)

    Chapter 48: Highway Robbery (5)


    "Enemy attack!" the bandit standing in the outermost circle was the first one to fall victim to Qin Lan''s w attack. The momentum of a hundred charging horse-riding cultivators is not a force to be underestimated either.


    With the moon as their only witness, the fight started.


    By bringing down the fight to them, it gave the punitive forces a considerable advantage. Close to fifteen bandits with plenty of experience in a group fight fell victim to all sorts of attack and martial arts.


    Qin Lan calmly moves around on horseback as he fired the hairpins in his hand skillfully. Each of his shots is capable of robbing the lives of a bandit wherever he goes.


    "Qing Yun, Lu Yi, capture the leader. Zunjie, take care of my back." Qin Lan gave two sets of orders to his direct subordinates as he directed the horse to move into an open space. At this instant, he''s like a master strategist fighting on the battlefield.


    *Xiu... - Xiu...*


    The sound made from a unique whistle sounded on the battlefield.


    "Stall the enemies! The help from big brother and old six will be here soon!" their leader, old two, said. Unfortunate for him, his words ended up bringing more trouble to himself as he revealed his position to two hunters.


    Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun made their way to his position at once.


    "Second Leader, they''reing for us!" a few team leaders unleashed their Spiritual Energy on the spot to defend against Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun. In a short moment, six outbursts of Spiritual Energy, all from fourth-level Flesh Refining Layer cultivators, covered the battlefield.


    And in that instant, two fifth-level cultivators made their entrance from two different locations.


    "It''s him!" one of the fifth-level cultivators on Qin Lan''s side recognized the stronger opponent between the two new arrivals.


    "What''s wrong, uncle Chen?" Qin Lan speaksfortably without bothering the etiquette. That''s because this fifth-level expert is someone from the Qin Family.


    "That person is the leader of Hushan Bandits from the southern me Demon Mountain. He''s known as Eldest brother or Lang Xue. I''ve exchanged a few blows with him before this." the expert Qin Lan addressed as Uncle Chen shares what he knows with Qin Lan.


    But Qin Lan could see more from his worried expression.


    "Uncle Chen, since you have the experience of fighting against him before, please bring along two fifth-level experts to keep him upied. We''ll try our best here." Qin Lan cupped his hands together and requested uncle Chen to handle Lang Xue on his behalf.


    "Your subordinate understands. Brother Kang, brother Xiao, let us keep that notorious bandit upied!" Uncle Chen pulled two other fifth-level experts with him as the trio made their way to where Lang Xue came from.


    But with three fifth-level experts is upied, there are only seven Middle-Attainment Rank cultivators are standing guard around Qin Lan''s side.


    "Don''t forget that this Gou Ye is also around! Who''sing to entertain me?" Gou Ye, or old six, announced his arrival as he stepped into the battlefield.


    "Mister Qian, please bring two cultivators with you and handle that bandit leader called Gou Ye." Qin Lan sent three more fifth-level cultivators out to keep Gou Ye upied.


    "Qian Li will try his best to reach Young Patriarch''s expectation. On me!" the Middle-Attainment Rank expert stepped into the battle with two other middle-aged cultivators.


    Only four experts left around Qin Lan.


    Very soon, old two also unleashed his strength as one of the Middle-Attainment Rank experts.


    "Come! Let your father, Xiong Jie, sent you to the wheel of reincarnation!" his provocation made Qin Lan released three more experts to where he is.


    And the moment only one fifth-level expert is left on Qin Lan''s side, Jiao Heng made his move.


    Three experts from the Night Dragon Assassins joined the battle as they made their way towards Qin Lan''s position. Even a fool knows that this is a trap made especially for Qin Lan!


    "Heh... Who else can you sent out now?" Jiao Heng revealed himself from his hiding spot and taunted Qin Lan. With three fifth-level experts from the Jiao Family''s proud Night Dragon Corps, there''s no reason for him to get his hand dirty.


    "Zunjie. Uncle Pan. Take care of yourselves. Let us shows them what the Qin Family is capable of!" Qin Lan flicked his finger towards the direction where the three assassins from Night Dragon Corps ising. Three hairpins were aimed at their neck the moment Qin Lan made his move.


    "Ding! - Ding! - Ding!" his move is eventually blocked by the assassins effortlessly. The distance between them is shortened bit by bit, with Qin Lan''s side forced to kill the bandits obstructing their way as they move forward.


    "Protect the Young Patriarch!" a few fourth-level cultivators from the Qin Family roared the moment Qin Lan rides the horse past them. But none of them actually noticed the deception Qin Lan is putting around him to trap his opponent.


    With only a brush in his hand, he looked like a schrly patriarch that tries to kill using a pen. Although the stationary tool in his hand emitted a hint of frail Spiritual Energy that gave out the clue of an Offensive Treasure, it was a writing tool at the end of the day.


    Compared to sword, spear, hook, and fists, that eight-inches long brush looked like a joke.


    "Qin Young Patriarch! Let me take your pitiful life with a single strike!" the assassin chuckled. Pouring all his Spiritual Energy into the Xuan-Grade, (Half) Offensive Treasure of his, this fifth-level expert approaches Qin Lan.


    "Surrender your life!" the assassin aimed the tip of his dagger towards Qin Lan''s heart. As for Qin Lan, he''s still confidently riding the horse forward with the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush held like the hilt of a sword.


    "Three Sword Strikes of Zhenwu Gate, Mountain Splitting Strike." Qin Lan swiftly executed a killing stroke as he dodged the attack aimed at his heart.


    None of them managed to see how deadly is Qin Lan''s sword stroke, except for the two fifth-level assassins nearby. All they managed to caught using their pitiful sight is a sh of golden light that cuts through his opponent''s chest.


    But for the two assassins, there are more than that.


    Qin Lan''s stroke not only managed to cleanly decapitate the chest of his opponent but also leaving a marking on a tree about a hundred meters away from where they were.


    "This..." cold sweat rolled from the temple of the two fifth-level assassins. The thought of getting an easy task from their young master seems to be gone now after witnessing Qin Lan''s method.


    "Assassins?" they trembled. Shame appeared in their mind.


    "We''re jokespared to the extent of his skills. Only a real assassin like him can disy that kind of ability surpassing their own cultivation." their expression changed.


    ...


    "Interesting..." Lang Xue''s palm strikends urately on Uncle Chen''s chest. At the same time, he noticed the sudden spike in Spiritual Energy nearby and turned his gaze to where Qin Lan at.


    He was the only one to notice what is happening on the battlefield, except for Qin Lan.


    "Urgh..." Uncle Chen groans in pain as he was supported by an expert called Kang. As for the one named Xiao, he stepped forward to take over Uncle Chen''s position.


    "It looks like except for Gou Ye and Xiong Jie, only that brat over there has the potential." Lang Xue stares intensely at Qin Lan like a predator. He''s wondering what extent Qin Lan could grow as he''s just a youth that''ll turn sixteen soon.


    "Die, bandit! Take my Qilin Mystic Wheel." the expert called Xiao attacked Lang Xue fiercely using a weapon like a grindstone.


    ...


    Qin Lan secretly swallows some Flesh Foundation Pills to recover the strength exhausted in the previous battle. Although the result from his exchange earlier was surprising to the others, it was what he foresaw.


    From the moment two imperfection is sculpted through the Mistral Flesh Diagram, Qin Lan knows that his fighting ability will beparable to those a level above himself.


    And added up with his martial prowess from the whole Tomes of Kuangshan Lu Sect''s Martial Art, he could even fight as an equal against a sixth-level upperyer cultivator.


    Furthermore, Qin Lan held more than these two trump cards.


    One of them was his "Spiritual Energy Container" physique, which allowed Qin Lan to utilize natural Spiritual Energy into his core without converting them first. While at the same time, it also tripled the capacity of Spiritual Energy he''s able to storepared to a regr cultivator.


    That''s the reason why Qin Lan is capable of killing the fifth-level assassin from Night Dragon Corp effortlessly.


    Qin Lan''s 12,000 units of Spiritual Energy is more than double of what his fifth-level opponent has. Although the volume of Spiritual Energy in a cultivator''s core can be increased by practicing a cultivation technique, it was not easy to be obtained.


    "Follow our Young Patriarch! March forward!" with Qin Lan starting the first kill, the others followed. The battle continues.

 Chapter 49: Profound Battle Between Two Fourth-Level Flesh Refining Cultivator (1)

    Chapter 49: Profound Battle Between Two Fourth-Level Flesh Refining Cultivator (1)


    "March forward! We''re to move along with the Young Patriarch and defeat the Hushan Bandits!" the wake-up call from a few fellow fourth-level cultivators roused the fighting spirit of those from the punitive force.


    There were 400 bandits in total, with almost 380 of them belonged to the third and four-level cultivation. Ten out of the twenty remaining people were experienced, fifth-level experts. As for the remaining ten, they''re counted as a quasi fifth-level cultivator.


    400 against a hundred should be a handicapped battle due to the differences in sheer number. Furthermore, there was a vast of differences in their experience that added to the winning factor.


    Those groomed in a protected environment is like a stalk of herbs grown for a purpose. There were life and reason for its existence, but that''s all to it.


    And that''s how the youths and those groomed behind the four sides of walls looked.


    But today, all types ofmonsense were broken. Not by a general with a hundred victories over ten provinces, nor a chief disciple that leads an entire sect of juniors.


    It was a youth turning sixteen in a few more months. It was a brat in their eyes who''s capable of presiding over the Qin Household and three patriarchs to following his direction. Even the town mayor wasn''t excluded.


    "Kill..." once again, both sides shed.


    The cultivators from the three households fought valiantly with Qin Lan by their side. Various style of martial arts was executed along with their Spiritual Energy like tidal waves.


    Some were killed and some injured. But the flow of this battle slowly leaned to the Qin Household.


    "Attack their leader! Bring that brat down from his horse first!" two bandit archers pulled the string on their bow and fired an arrow imbued with Spiritual Energy at Qin Lan.


    "Ding! Ding!" Qin Lan changed the trajectory of the two arrows with a swing of his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush. Not leaving his other hand idle, Qin Lan fired two hairpins to return the favor.


    "Aargh!" one of the hairpins struck the shoulder of the archer.


    The second archer chuckled as he deflected the hairpin aimed at him. But as he reached for an arrow from the quiver on his back, the second hairpin came.


    *Thud!*


    His body fell on the ground, dead.


    "Dragon Stealing Heart!" one of the fifth-level assassins executed his killing move towards Huo Zunjie. The outburst of Spiritual Energy quickly surrounded his body and created the image of a scaled serpent on the arm he''s using to attack.


    "Bring it on!" Huo Zunjie retaliates. Through the same utilization of Spiritual Energy, the Jade Dragon Finger armament on his arm glows brilliantly.


    "Mistral Core... Long Fist!" Huo Zunjie''s attack carries a hint of spiraling cloud churning towards the scaled serpent. The two martial art moves supported with Spiritual Energy shed and created a vortex when exploded.


    And to the assassin''s shock, he was in a state of slight injury after the exchange.


    "How is this possible? I''m a fifth-level cultivator, for heaven''s sake!" the assassin removes the shawl covering his appearance and decides to fight to the death to recover this shameful exchange.


    "Again!" Huo Zunjie took two Flesh Mending Pills and charged forward.


    ...


    ...


    "Jiao Heng,e down and face me." Qin Lan pointed his finger at this troublemaker.


    "So be it!" Spiritual Energy burst out from his body as Jiao Heng kicked the wooden barricade in Qin Lan''s direction.


    "Second transformation! Golden Spear!" Qin Lan made a leap off from his stead as he smashed the barricade into pieces. The Eight Transformation Treasured Brush has now shapeshifted into a spear made from Spiritual Energy.


    "Attack him, attack!" the bandits around Qin Lan shifted their attention to him immediately. Close to six martial attacks are aimed at Qin Lan.


    "Insolent!" Qin Lan yelled. A torrent of spear attacks rains down like a hailstorm and ughtered the bandits wherever Qin Lan goes. Close to ten bandits lose their lives the moment Qin Lan steadily stands on the ground not far from Jiao Heng.


    Qin Lan''s ferocity immediately opened a space around him. There''s no bandit dare to confront him anymore as they''re afraid to lose their lives like those unlucky fellows.


    "Jiao Heng! Come here!" Qin Lan yelled.


    A straight line allowing Jiao Heng toe unobstructed opens up.


    "Bring it on! Today, only one of us will walk out of here alive!" Jiao Heng stomps the ground with an unyielding spirit. Worn on his body is a set of two Defensive Treasures and two Offensive Treasures.


    (Worthy of being the secondrgest family in Fu-Rong Town previously. If a third child like him is given four treasures to protect himself, what about the eldest and the second child of Jiao?)


    Qin Lan smirked. The fight against Jiao Heng got tougher with four treasures on his opponent. But at the same time, the return from winning this is huge.


    "ck Steel Dragon de! Let''s go!" Jiao Heng charged forward with his trusted Offensive Treasure. Just like its name, the ck Steel Dragon de came with a pitch-ck body and a dragon headdress on its hilt.


    A loud, deafening sound rang out on the spot. Sharp de energy spreads around the area as Qin Lan fought against Jiao Heng using the golden spear formed using Spiritual Energy.


    "Qin Lan, if that''s all you have, then your defeat is unavoidable!" Jiao Heng proudly announced his victory from that slight advantage he received from having four treasures instead of one.


    "Jiao Heng, did your father not teach you to not calcte how many chickens you''ll have before the eggs hatched?" Qin Lan turned around and swung his golden spear to deflects another attack from Jiao Heng.


    "Ah! I''m sorry." he changed his tone out of sudden.


    "You got no father to teach you." Qin Lan added another sentence to add salt into Jiao Heng''s injury.


    "QIN LAN!!!" Jiao Heng''s fiery temper explodes like firecrackers as he listened to what Qin Lan just said. The ck Steel Dragon de in his hand hums louder as more Spiritual Energy is injected within.


    "Violent Torrent in Four Directions!" Jiao Heng expands a hefty sum of Spiritual Energy to deliver a killing blow. It was only a single swing from his Offensive Treasure, but four energy des race forward, one faster than another, charging in Qin Lan''s direction.


    (How unfair! To think that the Defensive Treasure he''s wearing could actually supplement him with enough Spiritual Energy to execute this level of attack!)


    Qin Lan retreated a few steps and gathered all Spiritual Energy he had into a single point on the tip of his spear.


    "Three Sword Strikes of Zhenwu Gate!"


    "Sea Splitting Strike!" a perfectly formed crescent moon could be seen the moment Qin Lan smoothly swung the spear in a horizontal line. Next is a disy of Spiritual Energy outburst that cancels all four energy des from Jiao Heng.


    "Im - Impossible!" Jiao Heng screamed in disbelief as he looks at how Qin Lan canceled his attack. Worst of all, he''s currently out of Spiritual Energy.


    Lucky for him, Qin Lan was exhausted as well.


    The two of them can be said to be evenly matched in the first round of battle.


    "This..." the exciting match between the two young masters turned everyone around them into spectators. Even the three bandit leaders are no exception as they''re awed by the way they fought.


    In their opinion, Jiao Heng was fierce, daunting, and destructive. His two Defensive Treasures, Robe of Evesting Spirit and Belt of Xuan Qi, are two well-known artifacts capable of supplementing Spiritual Energy continuously to the wearer.


    As for the Offensive Treasure, Jiao Heng had the ck Steel Dragon de in his dominant arm. Although it was just a Precelestial Huang-Grade, (Half) Offensive Treasure, this artifact is well-known for its sharpness.


    On his other hand is the Amber Scale Glove, another Xuan-Grade (half) Offensive Treasure. It is known for the ability to enhancing the wearer''s physical strength. And honestly, such a setup is said to be a perfect match for those cultivating in fist and sword martial arts.


    And Jiao Heng is an example of how the treasures can be utilized in a matching set.


    But Qin Lan ridiculously trampled the fact today with a brush in his hand. A pen belonged to a schr that''s hardly emitting the brilliance of a treasure above Precelestial Huang-Grade, (Half) Offensive Treasure.


    Even to the fifth-level experts present, Qin Lan''s brush is nothing more than an ordinary bamboo pen for a painter to create a calligraphy work.


    Of course, that''s not because their cultivation is too low to discern the magical ability behind Qin Lan''s Eight Transformation Treasured Brush. It is because the Offensive Treasure is considered iplete.


    Being iplete meant something worst than a Quasi Treasure in the eyes of a Treasure Master.


    The end of their first-round made the battlefield nowpletely silent. Only the sound of their rushed breathing can be heard between the two young masters as they absorb the natural Spiritual Energy around them to recover their strength.


    "Qin Lan, you''re bound to be defeated on the second round..." Jiao Heng ced his hand into a hidden pocket and took two hardened drops of Precelestial Essence out.


    "I''m sure that you have no idea how long I''ve been keeping this for the sake of killing you!" Jiao Heng swallowed them and started to direct the energy gushing out from the two drops of Precelestial Essence into his immature core.


    In that instant, two thousand units of energy or equivalent to two thousand Flesh Refining Pills filled a third of Jiao Heng''s core.


    "Let me send you off first! If you want to me, me it on your limited ability for not having the Precelestial Essence!" Jiao Heng raised the ck Steel Dragon de once more as he approaches Qin Lan.


    "DIE!" Jiao Heng swings his de at Qin Lan.


    The ck Steel Dragon de cuts through Qin Lan and drives into the ground. But there was no blood to be seen.


    "I thought there''s more from you." Qin Lan clicked his tongue as four mirages surrounded Jiao Heng.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" the strength of a fourth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator burst out from Qin Lan as he gave Jiao Heng a punch from his back.

 Chapter 50: Profound Battle Between Two Fourth-Level Flesh Refining Cultivator (2)

    Chapter 50: Profound Battle Between Two Fourth-Level Flesh Refining Cultivator (2)


    "Oh? You''re still able to resist?" Qin Lan''s attack throws Jiao Heng flying about ten meters away from where he stands. It seems that the Robe of Evesting Spirit on him is not a (half) but (full) Defensive Treasure.


    But without sufficient Spiritual Energy to protect his body, Qin Lan''s fourth-level attack would still heavily injured him.


    All the experts focused their attention on Qin Lan. Not a single fifth-level cultivator averted their sight away from Qin Lan as they studied the reason behind Qin Lan''s ridiculous abundance of Spiritual Energy.


    "Did the youth practiced some secret cultivation technique that doubled the storage capacity of Spiritual Energy in his core?" Lang Xue asked the question in his mind.


    As a fellow cultivator himself, he''s lucky to found a secret manual of a cultivation art called "me Tempering Body" inside the me Demon Mountain. It was by relying on this iplete manual that he''s capable of achieving what he had today.


    "I don''t believe that I''ll lose to someone like you!" Jiao Heng swallowed a few Flesh Mending Pills and made a hand sign to call both fifth-level assassins back to his side. Huo Zunjie and the expert from the Qin Family also moved back to Qin Lan''s side.


    "Pa - Pa = Pa!" Lang Xue also pped his hands three times to call the bandits back where he''s at. Right now, all three sides have lost their interest to continue this fight due to Qin Lan and Jiao Heng''s duel.


    Furthermore, looking at the differences in number, it is normal for those from the Fu-Rong Town to lost the intention to continue fighting rashly without considering the bigger picture.


    With twenty cultivators are either dead or injured, only 130 of them are still capable of fighting. The fifty hidden cultivators that operate earlier alongside eight Yellowtail Fox Demon had exposed themselves the moment the fight intensified.


    As for the bandit''s side, the 300 robbers are now left with 180 people. Added with 70 people remained from the Jiao Family''s Night Dragon Corps, they''re at 250 people in total.


    Although some are itching to continue the fight, they''ll have to hold themselves back as the main lead in this battle weren''t them, but the "two young masters" from both Qin and Jiao Families.


    The rivalry that''s been there should be settled by themselves.


    "Hushan Leader, what do you mean by this?" Jiao Heng asked.


    "The agreement between us is the Hushan Bandits will lure the people from Qin, Hu, and the Chu out here and thin their numbers. Anything else will be left to the Night Dragon Corps."


    "Out of 300 brothers of mine, 120 of them are dead, injured, or captured by the punitive forces. I believe we''ve done enough based on the payment we received." Lang Xue smirked and ordered his men to leave.


    A few fifth-level experts from the Hushan Bandits then led the weaker ones away. Within an incense stick of time, only Lang Xue, Xiong Jie, and Gou Ye remained.


    "Young Patriarch, please leave this to us." Uncle Chen came to Qin Lan''s side while being supported by the experts named Kang and Xiao.


    "Qing Yun," Qin Lan called Lu Qing Yun''s name without answering Uncle Chen. The maiden who had her name called moved around them like a fluttering butterfly and appeared right in front of Qin Lan.


    Without saying anything, she used a gentle palm art towards the injured Uncle Chen.


    "Kuangshan Healing Palm!" Lu Qing Yun''s gentle Spiritual Energy motivates the recovery of Uncle Chen. Hisplexion returned to normal after receiving her treatment. Her skill immediately attracted the interest of three leaders of Hushan Bandits.


    "Thank you, Young Patriarch. Thank you, littledy healer..." Uncle Chen lowered his head shamefully as he shows his gratitude. Such a skill is not rare, but to be treated on the spot still made him feel somewhat prioritized.


    "Young master, let me..." Lu Qing Yun came closer to Qin Lan''s side. But Qin Lan politely rejects her approach.


    "Jiao Heng. Let''s end this." Qin Lan steps forward and stops at the five meters mark as he speaks. The Spiritual Energy injected into his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush also changed slightly, motivating it to transform into a golden sword once more.


    "How flexible..." the three bandit leaders would have drooled to obtain such an Offensive Treasure. But unfortunately, it came in the form of a brush, something the trio hates the most.


    "Good!" Jiao Heng struggles as he tried to stand up.


    "Let''s settle everything between us." Jiao Heng took a crimson pill as he made his way to where Qin Lan is waiting.


    The pill he took quickly takes effect as Jiao Heng''s skin started to turn darker. The pupil of his eyes became bloody-red like it was bleeding from within as his Spiritual Energy grows intense.


    "That brat... To think that he has a Demonic Transformation Pill made by Evil Infant Sect!" Lang Xue''s expression is horrified.


    "Young Patriarch of the Qin Family. If you''re lucky to stay alive after today, remember that the Hushan Bandits will wait for you at me Demon Mountain! Goodbye! he turned around and left immediately, with Xiong Jie and Gou Ye following behind.


    "Young Patriarch! Be careful with Jiao Heng! What he had eaten earlier is something called Demonic Transformation Pill." Uncle Chen quickly warned Qin Lan before it was toote.


    "Demonic Transformation Pill? What can that pill do... Urgh!" Qin Lan averted his attention to Uncle Chen for more information. But as he made the foolish move, Jiao Heng already moved forward and delivered a blow at Qin Lan using the back of his ck Steel Dragon de.


    "What? Fifth-Level Flesh Refining strength?" the sudden spike of strength by a full level in Jiao Heng''s cultivation surprises Qin Lan. Furthermore, his Spiritual Energy seems to be replenishedpletely, leaving no more disadvantages like before.


    "To think that Demonic Alchemy is still present after so long... They''re indeed a pain." Qin Lan calmly deducted what is wrong with the Demonic Transformation Pill based on Jiao Heng''s condition.


    "No wonder the bandits left without regret. If this Jiao Heng eventually won against me, he''s likely going to attack the bandits as well." Qin Lannd on the ground once more and swallowed a few Flesh Mending Pill and Flesh Refining Pill.


    "Uncle Chen, I''ll leave the Night Dragon Corps to you. Please make sure that you''ll capture everyone. Lu Yi, Qing Yun, Zunjie, the three of you will stay with me." Qin Lan said.


    "Young Patriarch!" Uncle Chen wanted to retort, but knowing his own condition and the number of enemies still remained on the battlefield, he gave up. Qin Lan''s decision is indeed the wisest one at this moment, based on the importance of their interest.


    "I''ll follow Young Patriarch''s order faithfully. Everyone, follow me and capture the remnants of the Night Dragon Corps!" Uncle Chen led the others to finish what they''re here for.


    "The three of you, I''ll leave the Young Patriarch to your care," Uncle Chen followed the others and attacked the Night Dragon Corps.


    "As for you... It''s time I get serious as well," Qin Lan chuckled. His hand waved over the Purple-Dragon Storage Jade hung on his waistbelt and took three pieces of Offense Metal out.


    "Sword of Heaven and Earth, make your appearance again and smite my enemies!" Qin Lan sacrifices the three pieces of precious Offense Metal to form the Qiankun Golden Sword once more.


    Once again, the golden body of the de aligned onto the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush perfectly. Perhaps because Qin Lan''s cultivation is higher than before, the sword looks more striking this time.


    (Wei)=====(Qian)


    -


    (Lan)=====(Kun)


    -


    (Zi)=====(Jin)


    -


    (Yong)=====(Jian)


    The two columns of ancient texts release a hint of primordial aura as the sword glows in Qin Lan''s hand. And right before a weapon of this level, all kinds of Offensive Treasure are required to pay sufficient respect.


    The ck Steel Dragon de and Amber Scale Glove on Jiao Heng lost a hint of brilliance before the Qiankun Golden Sword. Even the Dragon Jade Fingers on Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s hand faced the same pressure.


    "ROAR!!!" Jiao Heng no longer retains a speck of sanity in his mind. Roaring and moving around like a dog infected with rabies, he charged forward and attacked Qin Lan a couple times using the ck Steel Dragon de.


    Although he had begun to lose the sense of reasoning, it did not affect any of his Martial Prowess. Having his attack blocked made Jiao Heng retreated a few steps back as he channels some Spiritual Energy for a big move.


    This time, the "Violent Torrent in Four Directions" martial art no longer looks exquisite like before. There''s only a single energy de moving towards Qin Lan at a daunting speed.


    Qin Lan dare not underestimate the force behind this attack. With both hands on the Qiankun Golden Sword, Qin Lan retaliated.


    The attack canceled out each other, but with a hefty cost. Qin Lan''s right arm is still shaking from the exchange.


    "D*mn! My physique is still not as strong as Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie." Qin Lanined. He immediately executed the Mistral Mirage Steps without further ado and dodged Jiao Heng''s second attack without a problem.


    Then, in a split second of opportunity, Qin Lan delivered a sword strike on Jiao Heng''s back. A deep wound opened but devoid of blood.


    "Why is there no blood flowing out from his back?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "That''s because the pill he took earlier converted his blood energy into Spiritual Energy." Qin Lan answered as he continues to fight against Jiao Heng. Using the Mistral Mirage Steps to dodged Jiao Heng''s attack, he slowly wears this rival of his down until it was time to deliver the killing blow.


    The opportunity finally came after close to an incense stick of timeter.


    As Jiao Heng''s lifeforce has started to dry up, his attack is no longer as fierce and powerful as before.


    Furthermore, it was also time for Qin Lan to made his move.


    "Goodbye." Qin Lan delivered hisst respect onto this wild beast that looked like a human. The ancient text from the word "Wei" shed brilliantly as Qin Lan repeated the same move he used to eliminate the Violet Legged Broodmother.


    **To Act as Heaven and Earth!**


    The killing blow stabs through Jiao Heng''s left chest. Just like before, the Qiankun Golden Sword shattered into dust particles the moment it ends.

 Chapter 51: Cloud Plucking Sect

    Chapter 51: Cloud Plucking Sect


    "Young master!" the fifth-level expert from Night Dragon Corps reached his hand out at where Jiao Heng''s corpse is. From how he''s looking at Jiao Heng, he should be one of the few servants treated somewhat better by the family.


    "Qin Lan... Jiao Cheng will not let this go..." he warned.


    "Go! Talk less!" at the end, only about forty people from the Night Dragon Corps were captured and dragged back to the Fu-Rong Town. It was a significant victory, considering the damage that was caused by them.


    Some delegates from the Cloud Plucking Sect arrives a few dayster to handle the procedure ordingly. As the sect overlooking the entire Yunshan Province, these were their duty.


    But unfortunately, the Jiao Family have left the town via a secret tunnel leading to an abandoned mine near Fu-Rong Town. Although there might be some kind of conspiracy rted between the delegates and the Jiao Family, Qin Lan didn''t ce too much attention on how they solve this case.


    Not chasing over a cornered rat might be a better solution, especially since he''s not capable of biting this rat to death right now.


    And because the karma between them have been chained together, they''ll eventually untie this knot sooner orter. The only problem is how and when.


    The Fu-Rong Town did not allow what happened to weigh them down. Taking this experience as a hint for them to grow, the town soon received a notice from the Cloud Plucking Sect that it will be officially recognized as a city.


    A quiet and peaceful period continued until Qin Lan is finally sixteen years old.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Congrattion, Young Patriarch!"


    "Congrattions!" it was a cheerful atmosphere inside the Qin Estate.


    "Thank you, fellow patriarchs. Please allow Qin Lan to pass my gratitude to you for putting up to my whim all this while." Qin Lan pped his hands together as a few female servants came out with a tray between their hands.


    "You''re too courteous! We''re supposed to be the ones to say this." the Chu Patriarchughed.


    When the silk cover is lifted, a piece of beautiful Precelestial Earth-Grade (Full) Defensive Treasure was presented to the two patriarchs and the city mayor.


    "Please ept them. I hope that the friendship between all of us will be as close as a big family even after I''m gone." Qin Lan cupped his fists together as he stands before everyone else.


    With the gift is given out, the banquet continues.


    Gifts were given out as more came in. And on the next morning, another good news came to the family. Qin Fan and Qin Chan returned to the family as the delegates of the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Patriarch of Qin Family, step forward to receive your Cloud Order." Qin Fan opened the beautiful jade green scroll in his hand and read its content aloud.


    **Following the order of our Country of Wu, the Cloud Plucking Sect is happy to open our invitation to Qin Lan, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, Huo Zunjie, Hu Jia, and Qin Qin to enroll as an outer disciple**


    **By epting this invitation, it meant the family will be included under the minor protection of the Cloud Plucking Sect in case of a provincial level invasion. Monthly remuneration will also be paid to the family head for his/her ability to produce such a brilliant seedling to our Yunshan Province**


    "So, what is your decision?" Qin Fan nced at the six of them with their name called.


    "Qin Lan is willing." Qin Lan cupped his hands together and epted the invitation to enroll into the sect as an outer disciple.


    "Lu Yi is willing,"


    "Lu Qing Yun is willing,"


    "Huo Zunjie is willing,"


    "Hu Jia is willing,"


    "Qin Qin is willing," all of them replied.


    "Great. This will be your outer disciple token. Make sure to keep it safe because losing the token equals being disqualified before you report into the dwelling you''re assigned to." Qin Fan tossed the six disciple token into their hand to be kept safely.


    "All of you will report to the Min-Xin Dwelling belonged to the twelfth elder in one month, except for Qin Lan. Qin Lan, you will go to the Dan-Xin Dwelling belonged to the eighth elder." Qin Fan smiled as he tells them where to go.


    "Junior obeys!" everyone nodded.


    After the proper ceremonial rite ispleted, Qin Fan approaches his younger brother and sisters to congratte them.


    ...


    ...


    "Third brother, do you know what kind of ce is the Dan-Xin Dwelling?" with a bottle of Spiritual Gathering Dew in their hand, the siblings conversed as they talk about the sect.


    "Is there anything to be concerned about except trying to not looking for trouble?" Qin Lan took a sip of the wine and flicked a roasted nut into his mouth.


    "That ce is the busiest after the Third Elder''s Tianyang Dwelling. Dan-Xin Dwelling is where disciples with the potential to be a Treasured Master go. It was a chance that our uncle purposely fought for to make sure you can join them and be a part of them." Qin Fan exined.


    When he listened to Qin Fan''s words, a hint of hard feeling came into Qin Lan mentally.


    It looks like Qin Xuan, their uncle, spent a lot of effort for the sake of obtaining that single slot to promote Qin Lan into the Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    "Uncle shouldn''t do that... Even without guidance from a Treasure Master, our family could still grow. Don''t you trust my skills?" Qin Lan knocked his wine jar against Qin Fan''s and continue to take a sip.


    "All of us believe in you, but at the same time, there''s nothing wrong with endorsing you. It''s because we trust you that we''re giving all our effort to make sure you''ll be able to enjoy the privilege of what a Treasure Master could have." Qin Fan said.


    "Since I''m carrying the hope of everyone in the Qin Family, I will try my best to learn, of course! By the time I''m turning twenty, I''ll be one of the top Treasure Masters in this Yunshan Province." Qin Lan raised his wine jar high up as he finished his sentence.


    "Big brother, let us finish this jar of wine!" Qin Lan challenged his brother.


    "Come on! Finish it in a gulp!" Qin Fan raised the wine jar in his hand. The moment it knocked, the brothers poured the wine down their throat as they happily drown themselves with the alcohol.


    Walking into his sleeping chamber, Qin Lan noticed that the light inside his room is brightly lit. It unconsciously tells him that there''s someone inside waiting for him.


    He pushed the door open calmly and entered his room.


    Gently, Qin Lan took the heavier piece of the outer robe off his body as he steps closer to the bed. On the side is a maiden with a thin veil covering her face. There''s no one else except his officially wed wife byparing her figure to the others he knows.


    "Hu Jia," Qin Lan used the back of his palm to removes the veil covering her face.


    "Husband," Hu Jia meekly replied to Qin Lan''s call. Now with the veil removed, she stands up and begins to slowly remove Qin Lan''s clothing as the two of them spoke to each other. Although it wasn''t their first time, being this intimate at night still the first time for them.


    "Do you know how long has I been waiting for today? Sometimes, I wished that time would pass twice as fast. But at the same time, I prayed that the time would be slower to cherish every incense stick of time we have."


    "It angered me that my lust took the best of me sometimes. And at the same time, I felt bliss for having a great wife like you by my side, walking and standing with me no matter what happened." Qin Lan said.


    With only a thin piece of inner garment left on him, Qin Lan hugged Hu Jia. Her face flushed with Qin Lan''s daring approach. Her breathing gets more erratic the closer is Qin Lan''s lips. And once their lips locked, there''s no more turning back.


    Their clothing was removed in a sh as their body made contact. Qin Lan''s gentle touch turned Hu Jia on like an aphrodisiac as it made her pant.


    Soon, there''s nothing else that could stop them as their body "connected" with one another. A moan from Hu Jia quickly filled the room with seductive air as Qin Lan "thrust" her with his superior manhood. Although it was their first, nothing stops them from enjoying it.


    Drops of red blood stained the middle of the bed like a blooming flower as Qin Lan officially turned Hu Jia into a woman. For the first time in her life, she moaned, gasped, pant, and tried what was often shared between a man and a woman.


    When the first gush of warm "essence" entered her body, Hu Jia''s mind turned nk. She was dazzled by the experience as she lies on Qin Lan''s bed and savoring the feeling that still lingers all over her body.


    That night, they went for it without stopping.


    It was the first day of the second week when they came out of the room. Smiling and embarrassed, the pair of husband and wife quickly grabbed the provision, and horses prepared for them as they made their way quickly to the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    =End of Volume 1=


    (We''re 51 chapters and 86,000 words out for this first volume. Hopefully, I''ll be able to deliver my story properly on the second volume, which is filled with slight politics, sect life, and Treasure Master rted profession)


    To the readers, please drop a review if you like what you''re reading so far. I''ll try my best to keep the update consistent because it still takes me 6 to 10 hours to produce a single chapter. Not my proudest of course, but I''m trying my best here. All Powerstones is greatly appreciated.

 Chapter 52: Pill Test (1)

    Chapter 52: Pill Test (1)


    Yunshan Province.


    It was said to be a resting ce for Millenial Years Old Cloud Dragon once upon a time. At that time, Demonic Beast flourished. It was an era where human lives like a herd of livestock running for their life.


    Luckily, Cloud Dragon was fond of mankind. Ignoring the threat from Demonic Legion, the mythical beast protects humankind. The body of a hundred mountains long created a safe haven for humans at that time.


    The body of a hundred mountainses with a hundred valleys and a hundred hills, brimming with vegetation and lives that could support mankind for a long time.


    Thus, a legend was born and inherited from one generation to another until three hundred years ago, when Yang Yunzi became the strongest cultivator that emerged from this ce.


    Honoring the sacrifice from the Cloud Dragon, Yang Yunzi named his sect Cloud Plucking. The mountains are the foundation, the valley as its pirs, and the hills as its base. The horns of the dragon have now be the entrance to the Cloud Plucking Sect named Yunlong Pass.


    On the base of the Yunlong Pass is where Hundred Wealth Basin is located. It was said to be filled by the dragon''s saliva when the Cloud Dragon is still alive. And surrounding the basin is where Fuyun City was established.


    ...


    "Dearest husband, why do you suddenly wanted to listen to this story that all of us know since young?" Hu Jia asked as she enjoyed Qin Lan''s skinship while they''re riding together on a stallion.


    The couple has been talking with one another without stopping on their trip to the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Of course, it was due to my dearest wife''s voice. Listening to your version of the story sounds so much better than the storyteller out there." Qin Lan gives Hu Jia a peck on her neck as he answers her question.


    "Big liar..." Hu Jia gave him a kiss back and rested her head on his chest.


    Three weekster, they finally joined with Qin Fan''s group that departed a week before them. With Qin Fan and Qin Chan leading them, they ride their horses through a slightly less busy street across the Fuyun City until the Yunlong Pass is right before them.


    "How majestic..." except for Qin Fan and Qin Chan, the others are awed by the beauty of Yunlong Pass. It was a wall of thirty meters high at no lesser than sixty meters wide. Merely the appearance itself is enough to exin why the Demonic Legion unable to threaten mankind under the Cloud Dragon''s protection.


    "Let us continue." Qin Fan said. He led the way as the eight of them descended from their horses and started to walk.


    "All of you have to always remember. Since there''s no dress code in the Zaiyun Men, you''re allowed to dress however you want. It is required by the sectw that you move around with the Outer Disciple Token wherever you go."


    "In total, there are two peaks, four valleys, and twelve hills are open to the Outer Disciples. They''re the Ceremonial Peak and Disciple Peak. These two are often used for official reason." Qin Chan continued after Qin Fan.


    "As for the four valleys, they''re the Scripture Valley, Mission Valley, Treasured Valley, and Outer Market. Just like their name, the valley is where disciples like us will go when we have something we needed to do."


    "The twelve hills is where the twelve Outer Elders established their dwellings. There''s no restriction for the disciple to move around, and you may also contribute to their dwelling to earn some contribution points."


    "Each elder has their own specialties. You may choose to learn from a few or follow one as their direct disciple. For example, the eighth elder''s Dan-Xin Dwelling for Pill knowledge, the eleventh elder''s Le-Xin Dwelling for Offensive Treasure knowledge, and our twelfth elder''s Min-Ren Dwelling." Qin Fan exined something else as they''re approaching the entrance to Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    "Third brother, this is where you''ll have to go. If there''s anything else you need us, just keep going straight from here. You''ll eventually reach the end, where our Min-Ren Dwelling is located." Qin Fan held Qin Lan''s shoulder firmly.


    "Make us proud," he added.


    "Your third brother will," Qin Lan smiled.


    "Husband, I''ll wait for you toe once you''re done. Don''t worry about us and do your best." Hu Jia said.


    "En. Let''s meet again soon." Qin Lan nodded.


    "Eldest brother, what does our Min-Ren Dwelling focused on?" Hu Jia asked after Qin Lan had gone further up the hill leading to Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    "Just like the name Min-Ren, we''re focused more on the Department of Peace. Monster hunting,merce, and politics are what we''re good at." Qin Fan smiled and exined what he did not do to Qin Lan.


    "Ah..." Hu Jia chuckled.


    "Is there something bothering you, third sister inw?" Qin Chan asked.


    "I think... Getting into Min-Ren Dwelling might be the correct decision for me." Hu Jia smiled.


    (Wasn''t that''s what I''ve been taught to do since young by my grandfather? This is much better than following Qin Lan and learning about the boorish pills and dismembering Demon Beast...)


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Senior brother, can I know which way to go if I wished to study in this Dan-Xin Dwelling?" Qin Lan politely asked one of the few outer disciples with a sash written (Pill) on their arm. It was like an identity tag for those not wearing one to know who to look for if they have a question.


    "Study in Dan-Xin Dwelling? Are you new here?" the outer disciple asked.


    "Yes, senior brother." Qin Lan politely replies to the question. But following that, he was given a few clicks on the tongue in return. Such an irregr reply puzzled Qin Lan.


    "Guys! We have somebody new who wanted to join our Dan-Xin Dwelling. Let''s bring him over to our senior brother to test him!" Qin Lan was treated as a joke even before he officially steps inside the Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    Still, he followed them closely as he was directed to a smaller hall with four other disciples waiting for someone to arrive. From how they''re dressed and their belongings aside, Qin Lan can guess that the reason they''re here is likely the same as his.


    About an incense stick of timeter, another well-dressed youth about a year older than Qin Lan came out from the inner door.


    "I''ve heard that you''re looking to join our Dan-Xin Dwelling." the youth asked. "If that''s the case, refine something out from the materials you have. I''ll be evaluating what you can do and if you''re an asset or trouble to us."


    Not even introducing himself, the youth proceed to take a seat on the nearby chair and took a set of teaware from his Purple-Dragon Storage Jade. To possess a piece of spatial jade-like what Qin Fan got for Qin Lan shows his importance in this establishment.


    The four other disciples quickly prepare the ingredient for their concoction and are seated on the spot to start refining using what they have. It was even weirder when they took out a small cauldron with engravings all over.


    "Don''t tell me they''re using that small little cauldron to concoct pill?" Qin Lan suddenly realized that the world he has known has been modernized by a big gap. Not a single one of the disciples actually uses the method he''s familiarized with to concoct a medicinal or cultivation pill.


    It was likeparing cooking in the wild using a b of stone and cooking in the home using earthenware. Both still produces a simr result. But in terms of appearance, Qin Lan''s method will be seen as "ancient" in their eyes.


    "Hey! Are you going to concoct something or not? If not, get the hell out of the testing hall." one of the few spectators on the upper level made fun of Qin Lan. For them, it was not rare to have a few freshmen that came unprepared and empty-handed.


    In fact, the Dan-Xin Dwelling used to examine the quality and skills of the examinees thoroughly. But after rows of disappointment, the strict test besx and hardly something to be concerned about. These days, as long as one willing to pay a few pills to exchange for information, many "arrangements" could be made before the examination.


    For example, who''s the examiner for today''s evaluation test.


    "Have you gone deaf and mute from not knowing what to do?" the youth took a sip of his tea as he asked Qin Lan. There''s not a single hint from Qin Lan''s schrly appearance that exhibits his familiarity in preparing a medicinal pill.


    "This senior brother. I''m afraid I came without the medicinal ingredients and a medicinal cauldron. Perhaps, there''s something I can borrow from the fellow senior brothers around here?" Qin Lan cupped his hand together and gently apologized.


    But his apology without a hint of backing down somewhat pissed the youth seated on the chair.


    "Get lost or go back and prepare your ingredients if you really want to join the Dan-Xin Dwelling and leech the knowledge from us. It was one thing if you''re inexperienced orck of skills. But I can''t ept those people that thought you can talk through everything without effort!" the youth threw the cup on the floor as he speaks.


    The youth throwing his tantrum attracts the attention of anotherzy individual on top of a wooden beam. Turning his head around and looking below him, Leng Ching chuckled.


    Qin Lan quietly takes a look at his surrounding.


    Then, he evaluates the condition of this Dan-Xin Dwelling. Feeling that there''s more good than bad if he stayed, Qin Lan decided to swallow this "unjust" treatment from the senior brother and asked the spectators above him for a little help.


    "If there''s any senior brother here is kind enough to provide a little assistance for this junior brother, I''ll make sure to repay your kindness tenfold." Qin Lan cupped his hands and made a light bow at them.


    "Here! Take this!" a pill cauldron, pitched ck with red veins slithering like the artery graph of a human body, falls onto Qin Lan''s hand. It was followed by another bag of medicinal herbs.


    The moment the pill cauldron made its appearance, all mocking voice from the disciples stopped.


    "That''s the Obsidian Dragon Cauldron belonged to Eldest Senior Brother..."


    -


    -


    -


    PS: Now you know why Leng Ching is introduced in chapter 43. Do you like what you''re reading? If you do, please leave a review and also drop me your powerstones. Ament would help too as that would make me know there are people actually read my book! We''re on the way to contract, so more exchange between author and reader''s would keep me motivated!

 Chapter 53: Pill Test (2)

    Chapter 53: Pill Test (2)


    Pill Refining.


    It was one of mankind''s eight prominent inheritances.


    Although Qin Lan was the one who regrized andpiled this into an inheritance in his first reincarnation, he was not the one who brings it through the era until these days.


    He was merely one of the "Forefathers" mentioned in the legend.


    What was considered precious knowledge during his peak is no longer the same today. And with modernization changes in the world''sw, some of them have lost their value.


    One of the best examples would be the stove used in refining the medicine.


    Qin Lan inspects the Obsidian Dragon Cauldron in his grasp. ck luster with red veins stretching all over the pot. It came with three fire inlets and a lid with dragon decoration.


    "This is indeed a proper medicinal cauldron... But unfortunately, it will be unfair for me to use this during a test." Qin Lan removed the dragon-headed lid and returned it to Leng Ching above him.


    And with a p of his hand on the Qiankun Pouch holding plenty of medicinal ingredients, Qin Lan selected a few with the lowest quality as he stabilized the cauldron in one hand.


    The Spiritual Energy of a fifth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator quickly preheated the open cauldron as Qin Lan processed the ingredients to their usable form.


    His performance surprised the crowd as Qin Lan tossed the ingredient into the cauldron at once.


    "To think there''s a fool like he exists! It was one thing he tried to refine the pill without a proper stance. But trying to refine a pill from a lidless cauldron?" the disciple was disappointed at Qin Lan''s effort to pull his stunt together.


    "It would be a miracle if he doesn''t burn the ingredients this way..." everyone assumes that Qin Lan was here to waste their time. A few of the disciples even left because there''s nothing much for them to learn over here.


    They ended up as the ones who regretted the most the next day in the morning.


    Not only the ingredients Qin Lan threw into the lidless cauldron does not burn into ashes. Qin Lan''s control of the mes surprises them and the youth on the seat, as a blob of medicinal essence is brought to the boiling temperature.


    "What is this? Cooking?" the disciples asked themselves. Qin Lan''s method of pill refining is no different from preparing a te of vegetables.


    The performance even caught Leng Ching''s attention as thiszy senior brother descends from the wooden beam. Taking the other seat across the youth, Leng Ching supported his head on one hand as hezily stares at Qin Lan''s "cooking" process.


    The medicinal aroma from Qin Lan''s cauldron was the first to spreads across the testing hall, even though he was thest person that started the concoction process. Even those that never tasted the vor of Fiery Pear Flower would recognize this aroma.


    Soon, a cauldron with three beautiful, white cultivation pills is presented on a table beside Leng Ching. Since Qin Lan was using Leng Ching''s cauldron to refine this pot of medicine, it is only right for him to present them to Leng Ching.


    It was a cauldron of three Li-Tong Pills.


    "This senior brother, thank you for the cauldron and ingredients." Qin Lan cupped his hand together firmly as he presented the pills in return for Leng Ching''s helping hand.


    "Ding Chenyu, what do you think?" Leng Ching asked. He flicked one of the three Li-Tong Pill over to the examining disciple called Ding Chenyu to inspect the freshly made pill.


    "Li-Tong Pill. Beautifully refined. Skillful indeed." although Ding Chenyu has a vtile temper, it did not hamper his judgment when appraising the pills. Every single word of his urately guessed the method Qin Lan used to refine them.


    "There are five pill veins on his Li-Tong Pill..." Ding Chenyu added.


    "What''s your name, junior brother?" his next question was totally unexpected by the others as Ding Chenyu asked for Qin Lan''s name.


    "Qin Lan." Qin Lan answered.


    "Li Wei, bring junior brother Qin Lan to one of the Lower-Xuan Refining Rooms and brief him with everything he has to know." Ding Chenyu tossed a jade slip to a disciple as he turned his sight back to Qin Lan.


    "Junior brother, I''ll talk to you again very soon. Get used to the life in Dan-Xin Dwelling for these few days first. If there''s anything, ask Li Wei. Although his skill is not on par, he''s one of the most resourceful amongst the juniors." Ding Chenyu cupped his hand together as he addressed Qin Lan again as a junior brother.


    "You may leave with Li Wei now. The others should hurry up." Ding Chenyu reminds the other to pick their pace as he signaled Li Wei to bring Qin Lan out from the hall.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, pleasee with me." Qin Lan followed Li Wei out from the test hall without adding any superficial speeches in reply. About an hourter, the four other participants quietly left the Dan-Xin Dwelling in disappointment.


    As for Leng Ching, he left quietly after leaving the two remaining Li-Tong Pills on the table. It takes the disciple a while to notice that their eldest senior brother is missing from the spot he''szying.


    ...


    ...


    "He said his name is Qin Lan?" the eighth elder asked as he inspects the three Li-Tong Pill in his hand. On each of the pills is a light streak of pill veins, which represents its quality.


    Like an Offensive or Defensive Treasure, Cultivation Pills are also graded ordingly, starting from Xuan-Grade, to Huang, Earth, and Heaven. And from there, it was further evaluated based on the marking printed on the pill itself.


    For a pill of Flesh Refining Layer, it was determined by the numbers of Pill Veins. To qualify as a Xuan-Grade, one has to be at least at three Pill Veins. One that reaches six Pill Veins can be graded as Huang-Grade, and nine Pill Veins as Earth-Grade.


    And for a Heaven-Grade Pill, it has to have ten identical Pill Veins to qualify as one.


    Of course, there was a reason for the Pill Vein to exist. These "blemishes" on the pill itself, are in fact, a marking or proof of the cultivation pill''s medicinal potency. Each one of the veins is equal to a tenth of its potency increase.


    That means one who cultivates using a veinless Flesh Refining Layer pill would only enjoy the base benefit. But for those using a Xuan-Grade version, he/she would obtain a-third more using the same amount of time.


    It will be two-third additional benefit from using a Huang-Grade Pill and doubled from an Earth-Grade Pill. Taking a Heaven-Grade one would even triple the effectiveness from the same cultivation pill.


    "Yes." Ding Chenyu answered.


    "Where''s your eldest brother?" the eighth elder inquired about Leng Ching''s location.


    "Based on the time now, he''s likely sleeping on top of his beloved Amber Cinnamon Tree." Ding Chenyu replied.


    "Hahaha, you''re wrong. Try to look around at the usual Upper-Xuan Room Refining Room today." the eighth elderughed.


    "This disciple will make sure to pay attention when I walked past the eldest senior brother''s room. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be back at my ce toplete a body tempering pill''s request." Ding Chenyu asked for his teacher''s permission to leave.


    "En. Go ahead." the eighth elder nodded. The bottle holding three Li-Tong Pills is returned to his hand by the elder as he gave Ding Chenyu permission to do anything he wants with them.


    "Thank you, teacher."


    After leaving the elder''s office, Ding Chengyu unconsciously reached the Refining Room Leng Ching regrly use. With both hands on the door, Ding Chenyu gave it a push and went inside.


    "Big brother..." Ding Chenyu called.


    ...


    ...


    "Fellow disciple Qin, this will be your private room from today onward, and this will be the ess key. Except for our two eldest senior brothers and one senior sister, only the eighth elder has the right to ess your room." Li Wei said.


    "Thank you, fellow disciple. This is a small token from me. I hope you won''t mind." Qin Lan epted the key with both hands as he gave out two bottles of Spiritual Gathering Dew to Li Wei.


    "Not at all, not at all." Li Wei happily epted the two bottles of wine given by Qin Lan.


    "Is there anything I supposed to do here?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Well, it is up to you. Here in Cloud Plucking Sect, it is essential to have enough contribution points. There are plenty of requests avable in the Pill Hall for you to aplish for some contribution point as rewards."


    "At the same time, you can also help some seniors in their pill concoction if making pills is not your forte. There''s also a simr hall in other dwellings, so make sure you check them often if you have nothing to do."


    Li Wei''s briefly guide Qin Lan through the life of a disciple inside the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    That as long one has enough contribution points on them, many things could be done. After taking a short nap to recover from the exhaustion of traveling, Qin Lan locked the door to his room and explored the Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    "Is that the Pill Hall mentioned by Li Wei?" Qin Lan curiously entered the hall with close to a hundred disciples roaming around.


    It was a hall full of people and request boards everywhere.


    "New request!" an elderly came out with two wooden boards in his hand.


    "Quick, get there and see what Old Sun has in hand." the disciples gathered around this elderly name Old Sun and patiently waiting for him to continue.


    "Alright. Listen well."


    "One hundred Fasting Pills and one hundred Vein Unblocking Pills. Twenty contribution points." the first wooden board''s content is announced and was quickly nabbed by a disciple nearest to Old Sun.


    "Refine ten sets of Iron Skin Pills. Three contribution points will be given for each pill. A minimum quota of six Iron Skin Pills must be delivered to be entitled with that price." Old Sun said.

 Chapter 54: Turbulence Pill

    Chapter 54: Turbulence Pill


    "How can I help you today, fellow disciple?" a female disciple greets Qin Lan as he approached the desk with a Request Token.


    "I would like to take on this request. Is there anything else I have to provide?" Qin Lan politely replies to the receptionist as he ced the Request Token on the desk.


    "Is this fellow disciple new to our Dan-Xin Dwelling?" she asked. After confirming her suspicion with a nod from Qin Lan, she begins to read through the content written on the token.


    "Hmm... Please let me have a look at your Disciple Token first."


    Qin Lan immediately provides her with what she asked for. After a quick inspection, the receptionist sighed but remained calm as she came with a way to answer Qin Lan''s inquiry.


    "I guess I''ll have to get in detail with you since it''s your first time. You''re lucky that you came to this big sister desk instead of the others. You guys, go to the other table to process your request!" the receptionist smiled at Qin Lan.


    But at the same time, her gaze turned fierce as she roared at those queuing behind Qin Lan and ordered them to go to the other receptionist for their request.


    What''s funnier is that nobody dares toin about her attitude.


    "Listen well. In our Cloud Plucking Sect, trust is built through contribution points. In your case, you were supposed to work as an apprentice or medicine boy for a while before we allowed you to ept a pill refining task." the female receptionist started.


    Unknown where her smoking pipe came from, the female receptionist took a deep puff and savored the taste before she continued.


    (Frigid-Marrow Leaves... She must be a Half-Step Bone Reconstruction Layer Cultivator... Is there a reason she''s working as a receptionist here?)


    "Furthermore, the medicinal ingredients you''ll be using will be provided by the requester. There will be a small security deposit required to be paid before you can collect them and get started." the receptionist said.


    Her words give Qin Lan a deeper understanding of how things work in the Cloud Plucking Sect. By using the Contribution Points as a form of currency, it created a proper cycle of development.


    "Well, I have a suggestion. Are you interested?" the receptionist smiled cheerfully like she just made a prank out of Qin Lan.


    "By the name Qin Lan, I supposed you must be one of the few people that came from Fu-Rong Town? Oh, wait! It was called Xiyun City right now, correct?"


    "If you can promise me that you''ll get me three bottles of Spiritual Gathering Dew, I''ll put on a rmendation so you can perform this request." she winked at Qin Lan.


    "Then, I''ll have to bother this senior sister..." Qin Lan secretly took three Spiritual Gathering Dews from the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade and ced them on top of the desk.


    "Great! That''s great." the three bottles of dew vanishes from the table from a simple sweep of her hand. In exchange, there was a pouch with some ingredients are ced on top of the desk.


    "This is a request to refine five sets of Turbulence Pill. The quota is five pills to be handed over. Anything above that will be paid ordingly based on the quality and quantity of the product. You have three days toplete this request."


    "Is there any other questions?" the receptionist asked.


    "No. I''ll be back in three days to deliver the finished product." Qin Lan epted the ingredient pouch and returned to the Lower-Xuan Room he was assigned to.


    "Senior sister Luo! The eighth elder is looking for you." a disciple came and delivered a message to the female receptionist.


    "En. I''ll be there soon," she replied.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Looks like the world has changed a lot." Qin Lan chuckled as he rummages through a few books rted to the way of Alchemy and Medicine.


    Now, the concept of producing pills efficiently is no longer a focus for them due to the abundance of material avable. Instead, they''re more into creating a quality product to be marketed to the vast minority.


    Perhaps that''s one of the reasons they no longer using a Medicinal Tripod to refine pills. In exchange, a closed Medicinal Cauldron became a norm in today''s pill refining process due to their unique characteristic.


    Qin Lan rested down beside the ingredients spreads all around him.


    The page rted to the recipe for Turbulence Pill is opened wide in front of Qin Lan. Studying it all over again, Qin Lan used his vast experience in pill refining to decipher its usage and reason for its existence.


    This pill belonged to the division of Cultivating Medicine. Just like its name suggested, taking in a Turbulence Pill before practicing a body refining technique would increase the efficiency by onefold.


    In the public market, a single Turbulence Pill is sold for the price of three Flesh Refining Pills.


    (me Essence Grass, Starry Spiritual Flower, Calming Wave Fungus, Flesh Refining Elderberry. Two Yang herbs and two Yin herbs. This is indeed the best match to concoct a Flesh Refining quality pill)


    Qin Lan retrieves the Medicinal Cauldron provided along with the room and began to fire the cauldron. Although there were a few options avable apart from using Spiritual Energy as the source of me, this method is still the most approachable one for him.


    Of course, it was possible due to Qin Lan''s excessive Spiritual Energy capacity.


    Five thousand units in Flesh Refining Pill is the base amount of Spiritual Energy a cultivator in the fifth-Level Flesh Refining Layer could hold. For those luckier, they might stumble across a half or a full inheritance that could increase the capacity of Spiritual Energy.


    For example, Lang Xue''s (Iplete) me Tempering Body Art.


    But the odds of encountering such luck can be said to be harsher than reaching the peak of Precelestial Cultivation.


    Thus, that''s where the sect came in. Supported by the Country ruling over this piece ofnd, they''re given both resources and rights to groom potential seedlings into a sprout that will contribute to the country in the future.


    Furthermore, the return from investing in a sect is far more profitable and worthwhile than utilizing the strength of country-level manpower. After all, it is all about the economy at the end of the day.


    After taking the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill and practicing the Mistral Flesh Diagram, Qin Lan''s Spiritual Container Physique is more than capable of umting fifteen thousand units worth of Spiritual Energy.


    Although having three times what his opponent has doesn''t justify the end results of a fight, it could still support Qin Lan with endurance against three equal opponents.


    "Gentle me towards the Yin Attribute herbs and Strong fire against the Yang Herbs!" two conflicting mes appeared from the top and below as Qin Lan processed four ingredients at once. With fifteen thousand units of Spiritual Energy, he''s indeed qualified to be this reckless!


    A clear red medicinal extract is taken out from the stem of me Essence Grass. After removing the dried straw, Qin Lan proceeds with the Starry Spiritual Flower and Calming Wave Fungus.


    The cold me from above is like a steam bath that prates deep into the flower petals and opened spores. The Calming Wave Fungus quickly releases the powdery essence to fight against the steam, but to no avail.


    Soon, the steam condenses with the powdery essence to creates a few additional drops of extract with calming properties. As for the Starry Spiritual Flower, the steam bath nourishes it until the nectar is visibly sitting on top of the flower''s stigma.


    Last came the Flesh Refining Elderberry. Just like its name, the elderberry was the toughest nut to crack amongst the four medicinal herbs. Using both mes to nourish and beat the walnut-like skin of the berry, Qin Lan felt conflicted.


    It was like he''s using thervae of Foul Essence Ant once again as he prepares them into a blood mixture.


    "Break!" Qin Lan''sst stretch of effort removes the cauldron''s lid as the waste from these medicinal herbs are taken out. Only four types of medicinal extracts are left inside the pot as they graduallybine into one entity.


    From there, one bes two, and two into four. The excess from the four hardening extracts forms the fifth. With the separation process is now aplished, only one step remained.


    Qin Lan held the Medicinal Cauldron with both hands as he ignited the excess Spiritual Energy he has. Out of a sudden, the Spiritual Energy enough to contend against a Full-Completion Flesh Cultivator burst out as Qin Lan fires the pill to its maturity!


    "Which Peak Flesh Refining Layer Cultivator is undergoing Spiritual Deviation? Is he mad?" Qin Lan''s recklessness causes a few fellow disciples to fail in their pill refining process.


    But he''s yet to notice that.


    Inside his room, Qin Lan seatedfortably without bothering about his current appearance. On his hand is an opened medicinal cauldron with four qualified Turbulence Pill and one subpar Turbulence Pill.


    On each of the pill is three veins, which means they had reached the minimum qualification to be rated as a Xuan-Grade Pill.

 Chapter 55: Misunderstanding

    Chapter 55: Misunderstanding


    "Xi-er pays her respect to dearest father." the female receptionist that attended to Qin Lan earlier greets the eighth elder the moment she entered the room. Her attire is no longer as shabby as when Qin Lan saw her a moment ago.


    Right now, she''s wearing a befitting set of clothing that showcases her hourss figure. It came with soothing and sweet peach color, just like she''s been patted by some blushing powder beforeing out.


    "En! Come here and take a look at this letter." the eighth elder ced an envelope on the table as he responded to Luo Yunxi''s greeting.


    *Marriage Proposal*


    That was what was written on the envelope. Inside it is two pieces of paper with all sorts of charming words enough to persuade a sparrow toe down from the branch it is perching on.


    But in front of Luo Yunxi, it ended up disgusting her instead. Not even bothering to give it a look, she pped the envelope off from the table and went to her father''s side, and started to massage the eighth elder''s shoulder.


    "Xi-er don''t want to get married. Xi-er wants to take care of her dearest father until he retired. Then, we''ll visit the capital of the Wu and live there until we''re old." Luo Yunxi''s childish words somewhat melted the eighth elder''s cold expression as he was showered with his daughter''s cute tantrum.


    "Does that means I''ll have to live my life with a troublemaker like you? Your mother is too cruel... Too cruel to this faithful man of hers..." the eighth elder sighed but also smiled at the same time.


    "Mother''s been dead for a long time now. Do you want to get a wife for yourself? Should Xi-er go to the Qin-Jia Dwelling belonged to the fifth elder and find a suitable candidate for you to consider?" Luo Yunxi jokes with her father.


    (Note: The Qin-Jia means Zither-House and not Qin Lan''s Qin)


    "Pay more attention to your pill refining and less about outside distractions. The journey of a Treasure Master is not an easy one." the eighth elder shakes his head as he was used to Luo Yunxi''s antics since she was a child.


    "How''s the progress on refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill?" he asked.


    "Halfway there. I''ve seeded twice and failed twice." Luo Yunxi took a beautiful jade bottle out from her spatial jade and ced it on the table. The eighth elder reached for the bottle without hesitation as he uncapped the cork made from spun silk from a specific kind of Yao Beast.


    Two ruby-like pills with bone white marbling spot rolled onto the eighth elder''s palm. The aroma it releases closely resembles the stench of blood. This pill is likely refined from mixing over ten blood types from the Yao Beast in the Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    "Halfway? My dearest daughter, don''t jest with your father. Do you think I have no idea you''ve been practicing in the middle of the night so that you could concentrate on refining them the moment the sun rises?"


    "There''s nothing wrong to admit that your (Pill Heart) is still unstable. It was not something easy to achieve after all..." the eighth elder pat his daughter''s head to show her his tenderness.


    "Sometimes, trying something new might give you an insight about the pill you''re refining. Don''t stay at the same ce too long and being afraid of taking a step forward." the eighth elder continued.


    "Xi-er understands..."


    **Boom!**


    The outburst of Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy surprises the pair of father and daughter and over twenty junior disciples. It was a short-lived explosive of Spiritual Energy for the others, but to the father and daughter pair, that wasn''t all.


    To those that do not cultivate the same art as the father and daughter, it was just a sudden outburst when one encountered a Spiritual Deviation while refining pills. But there''s actually more to it.


    This is a step known as cauldron sting. And there is only one requirement for a Treasure Master to achieve this.


    That is to possess twice the amount of Spiritual Energy required to concoct the pill.


    But with the modernization and crucial teachings that were lost in between inheritance, there''s hardly anyone capable of executing what Qin Lan just did. Even the thought of using excess Spiritual Energy to firing the pill until it wasplete is considered foolish and reckless in their eyes.


    Furthermore, with pill refining now moving on from using a risky but high yield Medicinal Tripod into a safer, quality Medicinal Cauldron, there''s no longer a need for a technique like this "Cauldron sting."


    As long the correct ingredient is used with a proper and efficient "extract" skill, it is possible to yield a Xuan to Huang Quality Pill.


    Of course, there was one other reason that stops the youth from trying.


    It was due to prosperity. This world is no longer the era of Qin Lan''s first reincarnation, where efficiency and quantity are crucial to survival.


    "Dearest daughter, this individual might be a help to you. Make sure you look for him." the eighth elder said,


    "Xi-er understands!"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "It was indeed easier to refine a higher quality pill this way. Perhaps that''s the reason the world shifted to a cauldron instead of an open tripod." Qin Lan kept the four Xuan-Grade Turbulence Pill into a jade bottle and continued with his second refining process.


    Coupled with the Cauldron sting Technique, he managed to refine three Xuan-Grade pills and two subpar Turbulence Pills before his stomach was growling from hunger.


    Qin Lan decided to call it a day. It was not because he waszy, but because the quota of five pills that have to be handed over has been fulfilled. By right, he has no reason to continue refining the ingredients as there might be other recipes for them to be used efficiently.


    Feeling rxed as he already achieved what the Request Token asked, Qin Lan slowly strolls until he was at the Dan-Xin Dwelling''s canteen. There were both guests and people from the Dan-Xin Dwellings are here.


    After taking a tray of food provided free of charge to those who belonged to the Dan-Xin Dwelling, Qin Lan selected a quieter spot as he enjoyed his dinner by himself.


    "Hey, did you hear about what they said? Something about catching the guy that had a Spiritual Deviation a little earlier ago?" one of the conversations his fellow disciples were discussing caught his interest.


    "Not once, but twice." the one that listened earlier replied excitedly. "I''ve heard that elder senior sister Luo is searching for this person and willing to pay for any clues about him," he added. Two spoonfuls of food are stuffed into his big mouth after he shared what he heard.


    (Two Spiritual Deviation? Don''t tell me the one they''re discussing is about me? It''s impossible for me to not feel it if people are facing a Spiritual Deviation nearby)


    Qin Lan guessed correctly. Furthermore, with this senior sister Luo added into their topic, this has to be a serious matter no matter from which point of view he''s looking at.


    (I suppose... I''lly low in the meantime. If these people misunderstand my alchemy way, who knows what will happen when they take it negatively...)


    Qin Lan quickly finished his food and returned to the room he was assigned into.


    This time, he no longer added the Cauldron sting Technique while refining thest three sets of medicinal ingredients. Their quality soon dropped because it wascking the firepower to mature into a proper Xuan-Grade pill.


    Still, Qin Lan managed to score a Xuan-Grade Turbulence Pill in each of the three attempts. With ten Xuan-Grade Turbulence Pills and close to fourteen basic and subpar pills, he had more than enough to deliver the order right now.


    But Qin Lan decided to leave it aside until tomorrow noon.


    That night, Qin Lan somewhat lost track of the number of books he went through before falling asleep. The next morning, he sneakily slithered into the canteen like an eel and ate what was distributed to him.


    He delivered two bottles of pills, a total of ten Turbulence Pills, five veinless, and five Xuan-Grade to the table and collected his reward. With twenty contribution points richer, Qin Lan went along with the flow and started on another request.


    It was a request to refines arge batch of Demonic Blood Oranges into Flesh Refining Pills. The payment for this will be a tenth of the number of what he managed to refine.


    A request like this is often ignored and shoved aside because the reward was too unrewarding.


    After collecting the Qiankun Pouch with 150 Demonic Blood Oranges inside, Qin Lan paid fifteen Contribution Points as the deposit and returned to his room.


    On the same afternoon, a fellow disciple from a nearby dwelling came with a special request. He wished to discuss a deal with the person who refined the Turbulence Pill for him.


    And when the news was delivered to Qin Lan''s doorstep, even himself is puzzled with the request because Qin Lan is sure that the pill he refined had no issue at all.


    If that the case, then what for the requester made a demand to meet him?


    Qin Lan scratched his head and followed the fellow disciple.

 Chapter 56: Who Is That Alchemist?

    Chapter 56: Who Is That Alchemist?


    "Greetings, fellow disciple. My name is Shan Xiong Xin, a member of the tenth elder''s Long-Xin Dwelling and his fifty-fourth disciple," Shan Xiong Xin greets Qin Lan with full respect the moment they met.


    "Qin Lan, Dan-Xin Dwelling. It was an honor for me to meet you, senior brother," Qin Lan cupped his hands together and returned the gesture.


    Shan Xiong Xin was the same as Qin Lan''s age, who recently turned sixteen. But in terms of cultivation, he was two levels above Qin Lan. When standing side by side with Qin Lan, Shan Xiong Xin is like a towering giant with his two meters height.


    Furthermore, he was a body refining practitioner. This exins why his body seems untapped, with all his potential flowing out naturally.


    "Fellow disciple Qin Lan. Let me be honest with you. I am very thankful for your help in refining the Turbulence Pill for me before. Their quality was superb. In fact, it is much better than what the others are capable of refining."


    "Which is why I have to make this request. Could you tell me your sess rate on refining the Turbulence Pill?" Shan Xiong Xin''s question was a sensitive one. That''s because the final refining results of a Treasure Master is always kept as a secret.


    By asking a question like this, it was no different from asking what color is the undergarment a married woman is wearing while walking on the street.


    Lucky for Shan Xiong Xin, the person he''s talking to is none other than Qin Lan. As someone living his life the second time, he was no stranger to request like this.


    "Heh... By right, I should reject your question and return to the dwelling while throwing a fit. But again, it wasn''t an issue at all to answer a question like yours."


    "First of all, why would you want to know? I want to hear your reason to do so today." Qin Lan asked.


    His way of answering the question with a question silenced Shan Xiong Xin for a moment. He ced Qin Lan''s question into consideration if it would be detrimental for him to answer honestly. And after half an incense stick of time, Shan Xiong Xin had his decision.


    "It''s because of the Body Refinement Art I''m cultivating! It uses Turbulence Pill to inject the Essence from the refinement art into my flesh!" Shan Xiong Xin answered Qin Lan''s curiosity after he made a resolution in his heart.


    "If I''m not wrong, it''s a variation of Sky Dragon Turbulence Body, am I correct?" Qin Lan made a guess.


    "How - How can you know about this?" Qin Lan''s urate guess gave Shan Xiong Xin a shock. Not only Qin Lan managed to guess the correct name of the Body Refinement Art he''s cultivating, but he also managed to name the specific modification.


    "Three pills in each set of medicinal ingredients. That''s how confident I am." Qin Lan added without answering Shan Xiong Xin''s following question.


    "And there''s a Xuan-Grade Pill each time, as long the ingredients are up to its standard." Qin Lan smiled. His reply also made Shan Xiong Xin started to count his budget.


    (Ten contribution points and five sets of ingredients in exchange for fivepleted pills. That''s almost equivalent to paying two points for each veinless Turbulence Pill)


    (As for the market price, the price has hiked up to five Flesh Foundation Pills per Turbulence Pill. Of course, their stock is limited too... This made striking a deal with fellow disciple Qin Lan are better than trying to save some pills and wasting my time!)


    "Fellow disciple Qin Lan, would you mind listening to one of my selfish requests?" Shan Xiong Xin asked.


    "I suppose it is rted to the Turbulence Pill you urgently need?" Qin Lan smiled. With his hand passing through the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade on his waistbelt, Qin Lan took the remaining five Xuan-Grade Turbulence Pills out.


    "Yes. If fellow disciple Qin Lan is willing, I hope you can sign a contract to provide me with a steady supply of Turbulence Pill. Please state your terms in return so we could strike a deal between us." Shan Xiong Xin offered to sign a Refiner - Client contract with Qin Lan for the sake of a reliable supply.


    "What can you offer?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Three Flesh Foundation Pills for each Turbulence Pill you refined. Six for a Xuan-Grade Pill, nine for a Huang-Grade Pill, and fifteen for an Earth-Grade Pill." Shan Xiong Xin confidently offered a price equals to what the market is offering.


    Of course, his rate is on average as the market price varies ording to their avability. Furthermore, having a regr order like Turbulence Pill at all times is somewhat better than dealing with all kinds of different pills at a time.


    "What do you think, fellow disciple Qin Lan?" Shan Xiong Xin asked.


    "The price you offered is quite good, but I wanted to add another term into our contract." Qin Lan replied.


    "I want you to provide me with all medicinal herbs you''re capable of collecting. In return, I''ll provide you with tailor-made, Cultivation and Medicinal Pills at a price." Qin Lan added.


    "Deal." Shan Xiong Xin agreed without thinking deeply. Furthermore, As a cultivator with a little background in medicinal herbs, what Qin Lan suggested is like an offer to manage his inventory.


    "There are five Xuan-Grade Turbulence Pills here. Take it as our meeting gift. If there''s nothing else, I''ll have to get back toplete my task for today." Qin Lan politely excused himself as he still 150 Demonic Blood Oranges to be refined.


    "Then, take care! fellow disciple Qin Lan!" Shan Xiong Xin cupped his hands together at Qin Lan and sent him off.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Returned to his room once more, Qin Lan fired his cauldron with a pleasing expression written on his face. Checking on his Disciple Token, Qin Lan noticed that his contribution point has gone up from zero to twenty points.


    It was supposed to be thirty points, but since he took the request without deposit, it would be deducted from here after he fulfilled the request.


    (The twenty-five points is likely from the five Xuan-Grade Turbulence Pills I''ve handed to them. As for the five remaining points, it should be the fee for my refining service...)


    (Looks like the request to refine the Demonic Blood Oranges cost me no contribution points to ept. I guess that''s where the benefit kicks in)


    Qin Lan threw the ingredients inside the opened cauldron and used his own method to refine the Flesh Foundation Pill. With close to a hundred recipes in mind, it was an easy task for Qin Lan to maximize his yield.


    Still, it was not easy. Even the most flexible recipe in mind that could refine four Demonic Blood Oranges at a time still took Qin Lan an hour toplete. In total, 150 Demonic Blood Oranges took two days'' worth of time out from Qin Lan as he worked day and night to aplish his task.


    The 750 Flesh Foundation Pills were delivered to the hall''s reception to be evaluated before handed to the person that made the request.


    "What?" the receptionist was shocked by the fifteen medicinal bottles sitting on top of a wooden tray.


    "Is this even possible for someone new? Having ten sessful attempts from refining fifty Demonic Blood Oranges is normal. But a hundred percent sess rate in 150 Demonic Blood Oranges?"


    The receptionist selected a few bottles and poured its content out.


    "Monster... This new guy is a monster like our two eldest senior brothers and sisters." her voice trembled as she poured the pills back into the bottle.


    "Hey, are you ready? What''s taking you so long?" Shan Xiong Xin pped the table because the female receptionist is taking too long to process his request. What he''s clueless about is that it was Qin Lan again who epted his task once again.


    "Here!" the female receptionist gave 675 Flesh Foundation Pills to Shan Xiong Xin and separated 75 pills to be returned to Qin Lanter.


    "Wait." Shan Xiong Xin stopped the female receptionist from leaving.


    "What? Is there anything else? 750 Flesh Foundation Pills is concocted by the alchemist epting your task, so he naturally gets 75 pills out of the total." the female receptionist exined. She pped a piece of paper on the table as proof she''s not lying.


    "Who... Who is the alchemist? This is my first time getting over two hundred extra pills from refining a hundred and fifty Demonic Blood Oranges!" Shan Xiong Xin asked.


    His loud voice attracted the others nearby because a simple sentence "over two hundred extra pills" was used.


    "Over two hundred extra pills from their minimum requirement of 150 Demonic Blood Oranges? Doesn''t that means it was close to a hundred percent sess rate?" a fellow disciple with good mathematic skills added.


    "What? Close to a hundred percent? Did senior brother Leng Ching took his request?"


    "No - No - No... You don''t need senior brother Leng Ching to achieve this. It is a simple matter for the Dan-Xin Dwelling''s top ten alchemists to achieve this." another fellow disciple shared.


    "Heh! Simple matter? Which one amongst the top ten is willing to refine some Demonic Blood Oranges for you? Their service is measured by using Precelestial Essence as a payment currency, you dimwit!"


    "We demand that you announce his name!"


    "Yes! His name!"


    ...


    "What''s wrong with me?" Qin Lan felt a shivering cold out of sudden.


    == == == == ==


    Readers. From today onwards, the Supreme Emperor of Mist is officially contracted. If you love what you''re reading, please vote, leave a review, and drop me a gift to give me some motivation. Thank you.


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 57: Work Harder

    Chapter 57: Work Harder


    "Fellow disciple Qin Lan! May Ie in?" a knock came from the door along with a sentence asking for his permission to enter.


    "Please!" Qin Lan''s replied. Tidying his clothing slightly to seem more presentable, Qin Lan made his way to the door as he exchanges a hand gesture with his visitor.


    "This will be the payment for your refining service. The client has topped it up to 100 Flesh Foundation Pills as a reward for your praiseworthy services," the female receptionist ced two bottles of Flesh Foundation Pill on the table.


    "Fellow disciple, if you have nothing much to do, would you consider taking up a few specially appointed requests?" she continued. In her hand is a stack of wooden request boards with different contents.


    "Specially appointed request? Are they different from what was published in the Pill Request Hall?" Qin Lan invited the female receptionist to take a seat as he poured her a cup of tea. As he was here for less than a week, there''s much for Qin Lan to slowly adapt and learn.


    "They''re about the same. But these requests in my hand usually worth at least twice the contribution pointspared to those in the Pill Request Hall. Of course, I won''t hide this from you either. Their difficulty is much harder as well." the female receptionist said.


    As a disciple with more seniority than the other, the female receptionist naturally understands Qin Lan''s hesitation. Scrolling along with the collection of request boards in her hand, she took two pieces out and ced them before Qin Lan.


    "Take a read and let me know what do you think." the female receptionist tapped the table twice and started to enjoy her tea.


    Qin Lan randomly selected a wooden board and took a nce at the content.


    == == == == ==


    Lower-Xuan Task


    -----


    Refine (20) Flesh Expulsion Pill from (10) sets of ingredients in three days. (5) pills will be added into the quota for every (1) day of dy.


    -----


    Reward: (40) contribution points. All extra pills will be paid for ording to the price set by Treasure Valley.


    -----


    Failure: (50) contribution points will be deducted | Specially Appointed Request ess will be restricted for a week


    == == == == ==


    Qin Lan grinned. It was indeed much moreborious than what was avable inside of the Pill Request Hall. But in exchange, the contribution point given out is significantly higher as well.


    With a yield of three pills at least in one cauldron, ten sets of ingredients could easily guarantee thirty pills if it was a ten out of ten sessful refinements. Based on the market price, ten extra pills could worth between twenty to thirty contribution points.


    That meanspleting this task alone worth twice or more pointspared to the Turbulence Pill task he took three days ago.


    "It''s attractive, indeed." Qin Lan ced the wooden board back on the table and went for another one. The content was more or less the same except for the pill requested.


    "Are you interested?" the female receptionist asked.


    "Unfortunately, senior sister, it has been just a week I am here as a member of Dan-Xin Dwelling. I wish to remain low profile for a while longer." Qin Lan''s rejection was something unexpected for her.


    "Indeed. It was unfortunate. If fellow disciple Qin Lan changed your mind, just look for me in the Pill Request Hall. Remember, my name is Zhang Xue Yue." the female receptionist introduced herself before leaving with a smile on her face.


    "Thank you, senior sister," Qin Lan sent her out.


    (Not bad. Not many people can control themselves from recklessly making a decision when given a chance to choose. It seems that our Dan-Xin Dwelling will have another uprising superstar this year)


    Zhang Xue Yue chuckled.


    Like Leng Ching, Ding Chenyu, and Luo Yunxi, she''s also associated with the top ten disciple alchemist of Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Following the road straight ahead, it leads Qin Lan to where the Min-Xin Dwelling is located.


    From the outside, both Dan-Xin and Min-Ren Dwelling shares the same appearance as it was built by the same Treasure Master. But that was the only simrity.


    In terms of people''s traffic, the number of visitors whoe and go to the Dan-Xin Dwelling is ten times greater than here.


    "Fellow disciple." someone approached Qin Lan after his arrival to their serene and quiet dwelling. It seems that life in this dwelling is somewhat different from what he expected.


    "Do you need any help?" the disciple politely asked if there''s anything Qin Lan required.


    "My name is Qin Lan, the younger brother of Qin Fan and Qin Chan of Min-Ren Dwelling. Would this fellow disciple be kind enough to show me the way to look for them?" Qin Lan gave him a pouch of five Flesh Foundation Pills as a hint of his generosity and payment for the bothersome request.


    "Of course. Please follow me, fellow disciple Qin Lan." without further ado, he was taken for a private tour through the Min-Ren Dwelling.


    It took him about ten minutes to arrive at an open space with close to a hundred disciples of the Cloud Plucking Sect sparring against one another. There are also a few odd disciples scattered around the corner helping them, based on their requirements.


    "That''s where our senior brother is." the disciple pointed at where Qin Fan is at. Beside Qin Fan is Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie, who was sparring using a wooden sword.


    "Thank you. Where can I get a wooden sword? I want to give all of them a surprise." Qin Lan asked. The smart disciple quickly understands Qin Lan''s intention and grabs one from the nearby shelf for Qin Lan uses.


    Staying behind quietly, he maintains his sight at Qin Lan as the disciple anticipates what he''s going to do.


    "Fifth-Level cultivation! Golden Lord''s Holy Projection!" Qin Lan''s move created a tower of golden light around him. And in that sh moment, he turned into four mirages and attacked Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie.


    "It''s the young master." they immediately recognized the attacker''s identity. Lifting the sword in their hand and countering Qin Lan''s attack, the trio quickly engaged in a fight with over a hundred spectators around them stopped doing what they''re doing.


    "Who''s that guy? It was sick to see him creates four mirages that can fight independently." praises came from the spectators as they witness Qin Lan''s fight.


    "Leg." Qin Lan used the body of the wooden sword and pped Lu Yi''s ankle before he made a sweeping kick that topples both of them on the ground.


    Lu Yinded on the ground back first. As for Huo Zunjie, he managed to keep his bnce. Still, Qin Lan''s sword stopped at his cheek, hinting to him that''s not a wise move either.


    "Third brother." Qin Fan stepped forward and gave them a p. The others followed after they were shown a great fight like this.


    "Eldest brother. I have some time today, so I purposely pay you all a visit. Where''re the others?" Qin Lan returned the wooden sword to the disciple who brought him here and gave his eldest brother a hug.


    **He''s senior brother Qin Fan''s younger brother?**


    -


    **No wonder he has such great martial skill. But we''ve never seen our senior brother Qin Fan used that Martial Art before.**


    -


    **Maybe it''s from their family''s Library.**


    -


    "Come, let us go back to my ce first. I''m sure Chan-er and the others will be on their way home as well." Qin Fan suggested that they return to his ce first.


    "What do you think about Dan-Xin Dwelling? It''s much busier than here, am I correct?" Qin Fan jokes.


    "True. It''s much busier than here, but messier at the same time. If the Min-Ren Dwelling has anything you need, just get the two fes behind me to do it. I''m sure their skills are not shabby to the point they have a problem refining some medicinal pills." Qin Lan reacted to his elder brother''s words.


    "They''re helpful. Both are quite popr amongst the female disciples who walked past us." Qin Fan hinted. It seems that he failed to notice that half of the attention actually went to him as well.


    Qin Lan took his collection of wines inside out from the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade and shared it amongst the four of them. Soon, the mood on the table is elevated after a few cups of alcohol.


    Each one of them has something to be done around here.


    And they''re not losing to Qin Lan. Especially for Lu Yi. He epted a task to protect the people in a vige nearby from a school of Fanged Demon Boars. For the others, it was supposed to be a group mission for a party of three, but Lu Yi managed to aplish it by himself.


    Furthermore, he managed to bring back two fourth-Level Rock Armored Boar corpses, which were evaluated to worth ten contribution points each.


    As for Huo Zunjie, it seems that he had his own part of the fun as well in this dwelling.


    "We''re home... Eh? Lan-er is here?" Qin Chan gave Qin Lan a hug like a doting sister. Hu Jia''s turn was next before Lu Qing Yun came and politely addressed Qin Lan as usual.


    The family shared a table of dinner together. After spending a night together with Hu Jia, Qin Lan finally returned to his Lower-Xuan Room the next morning, ready to ept another request.


    "Good morning, fellow disciple Qin Lan." Shan Xiong Xin greeted Qin Lan the moment he noticed Qin Laning into the Pill Request Hall.


    "Morning, fellow disciple Shan." Qin Lan returned the gesture.


    "Do you have time to spare today?" Shan Xiong Xin pped the medicinal pouch in his hand as he asked the question.


    "Of course!" Qin Lan smiled.

 Chapter 58: Liu Feiyang (1)

    Chapter 58: Liu Feiyang (1)


    "Everyone, specialty product from the Min-Ren Dwelling!" Hu Jia shouts to attract the business to her stall. Behind her is Lu Qing Yun, Qin Chan, and two other youngds with the armband of (Ren) on them.


    They''re currently on the Outer Market Valley. Here, everyone is allowed to open a stall to buy and sell whatever goods they have. It was considered one of the busiest ces in the outer sect where outsiders are allowed to visit.


    "Youngdy. Is this the same Flesh Mending Pill sold by the Qin Pharmacy in Xiyun City?" a few adults in hunter''s clothing asked Hu Jia after looking at her stall''s merchandise.


    "Yes. It is the same product. We''re from the Qin Family of Xiyun City. What about buying a few bottles for an emergency? We have the Spiritual Gathering Dew and Spiritual Concentrating Incense for sale as well." Hu Jia promotes her product skillfully.


    "We are, but none of us belonged to the sect, so we can only..." the hunters lowered their heads before they finished with their sentence.


    "Fret not, mister hunters." Hu Jia''s confident and persuasive sentence took their embarrassment away as she continued.


    "Our Min-Ren Dwelling always have a reserved quota of goods to trade with those who weren''t a part of Cloud Plucking Sect. We ept items such as medicinal herbs, Yao Beast goods, and other materials." Hu Jia added.


    She took a piece of paper out next. On it was a list of materials the Min-Ren Dwelling is looking for, such as medicinal herbs and Yao Beast parts.


    "Then, this youngdy. Can I trade this for a bottle of Flesh Mending Pills?" one of the hunters tries to open his backpack in front of Hu Jia. From the way it was wrapped, Hu Jia can roughly guess the value of this item he has.


    "Mister hunter, feel free to use that table for your convenience. If there''s anyone else who wishes to trade, you can queue behind this mister hunter and wait for your turn! Our Min-Ren Dwelling epts up to ten transactions every single day!" Hu Jia added.


    "Fellow disciple Li Shixin, please attend to this mister hunter." Hu Jia asked one of the male disciples to help while she continues to bring the customer in.


    "Fellow disciple, please sell me a bottle of Flesh Mending Pill and Spiritual Gathering Dew." business quickly came in after the hunters'' departure. Although the profit is iparable to Qin Lan''s single task, it is more straightforward.


    "Jia-Jia, we''re almost sold out." Qin Chan called out for Hu Jia as their avable stock started to get low.


    "Alright! - I''m... Ouch!" Hu Jia replied. But she knocked someone as she turned around. It seems intentional because the ce they''re at wasn''t as cramped as it looks.


    "Ouch! My ribs and chest..." the man that Hu Jia knocked made a fake expression and continued. "Look here, fellow disciple. There was a crack on my rib because of your headbutt. Shouldn''t you pay me some medical fee to have them checked?" he added.


    "Liu Feiyang! Get the hell off here!" Qin Chan yelled at the hooligan with the armband of (Le/Happiness) on his shoulder. Behind him is a group of disciples with the same armband.


    "Senior sister Qin Chan, you''re here too? Why are you not at the Mission Valley today?" the hooligan disciple named Liu Feiyang teased Qin Chan and purposely stepped on Hu Jia''s clothing.


    "Get your damn leg off my cloth!" Hu Jia''s fiery temper that has been hidden for all this time finally explodes. With a hand supporting her posture, she gave that leg a kick with considerable force. But s, she missed.


    "I''m sorry that I tripped. Oh, there''s some wind blowing down here!" Liu Feiyang moved his leg away as he dodged Hu Jia''s kick. At the same time, he moved his other leg over at Hu Jia''s back and stepped on her clothing again.


    "Ow, I''m sorry, junior sister. I step on your clothing twice. Should I give you a hand to get up?" Liu Feiyang extends both of his hands at Hu Jia, but the way his hand moves is more like trying to take advantage of the maiden.


    **Whoosh!**


    **Grab!**


    "Wow! Thank you for your generosity, senior sister!" Liu Feiyang caught the bottle of wine flying at him and did not forget to express his gratitude to be given something to drink.


    "LIU FEIYANG!" Hu Jia took a sword out from her Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade and swung her de madly at the hooligan.


    "Stop right there." the voice of an elder vibrates in the ears of everyone present as Hu Jia''s swordnded on Liu Feiyang''s neck.


    "Valley Elder! This guy is trying to take advantage of me!" Hu Jia exined.


    "I don''t see anything except two shoeprints on your clothing, and the rules are rules. No weapon is allowed in the Outer Market Valley. If you want, settle it using your fist." the elder said.


    "Don''t me me for kicking you out from this valley for a week if I caught you again for the second time. Dismiss! The business will continue!" it was an utter silence after the elder finished talking about the rules.


    "This..." Hu Jia wanted to object to the choice made by the elder.


    "What? You still want to fight?" Liu Feiyang flicked Hu Jia''s sword away from his neck and gave their stall a kick. The bottles tumbled, and some even dropped onto the ground because of his action.


    "Liu Feiyang, Jia-Jia might not be your match, but did you forget about me?" Qin Chan came out from behind the store and attacked Liu Feiyang.


    But as her fist is getting close to him, a pair of hands came forward to block her attack. This hooligan actually has two half-step Bone Reconstruction cultivators protecting him. Furthermore, Liu Feiyang''s cultivation is two small-levels above Hu Jia, who''s still at the fifth-level Flesh Refining Layer.


    "What happened?" Lu Qing Yun came back to their stall as soon as she heard themotion.


    "What a beautiful view. Don''t you think so, fellow disciples?" Liu Feiyangughed as he used his eyes to ogle at the three girl''s sweet figure. Hu Jia is voluptuous, Qin Chan is tall and enchanting, while Lu Qing Yun is sweet and innocent.


    "If the three of you are with our Le-Xin Dwelling, perhaps you''ll be more popr than you are right now!" Liu Feiyang made a gesture as if he''s touching their body in the air. His perverted act somewhat made the girls shivered from disgust.


    "Brothers, let''s go." Liu Feiyang turned around and left with the others after making a mess at Hu Jia''s stall.


    "Senior sister... Let''s go..." Li Shixin and the other male disciple came to Qin Chan with a suggestion as everyone''s mood is ruined by now. It won''t be thoughtful for them to continue operating their business after these incidents.


    "Fine. Let us leave." Qin Chan had a sour expression on her face as she suggested that they''ll close for the day. After packing up their thing and left, the outer market returns to its bustling and noisy atmosphere once again.


    ...


    "How much have we earned?" Qin Chan asked.


    "Sixty contribution points. That would be 10 points for each of us. The remaining ten contribution points shall go to our budget to purchase additional materials for tomorrow." Hu Jia calcted their total profit for the day after they''re back to the Min-Ren Dwelling.


    From her expression, she''s still feeling sour about what happened earlier with Liu Feiyang.


    "Jia-Jia, don''t think about it too much. That hooligan is known for causing trouble wherever he goes." Qin Chan holds Hu Jia''s hand as she speaks.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry." Hu Jia said.


    But that night, Hu Jia sneakily left the Min-Ren Dwelling and headed to the Dan-Xin Dwelling to look for Qin Lan.


    "Did my wife missed me that much toe looking for me in the middle of the night?" Qin Lan continued to refine the pills as requested on the Wooden Request Board while speaking with Hu Jia.


    "I got bullied today. That guy is a seventh-level Flesh Refining expert." Hu Jia''s straightforward sentence made Qin Lan''s pot of concoction explodes from shock.


    "What?" Qin Lan turned around and stared at Hu Jia.


    "Who?" he asked.


    "Liu Feiyang. From what sister inw said, he''s the nephew of the eleventh elder, Ouyang Jie. There are two half-step Bone Reconstruction Experts following him wherever he goes while causing trouble." Hu Jia behaves cutely in front of Qin Lan as sheins.


    In her heart, there''s an unexinable reason that made her believe that only Qin Lan is capable of taking action as long she asked.


    "I''ll teach him a lesson soon. What about apanying me for tonight?" Qin Lan gave a kiss on Hu Jia''s forehead and promised her that he''ll teach that Liu Feiyang a lesson soon.


    "Alright." Hu Jia shyly hugged Qin Lan and allowed him to lift her up from the seat. Gently, Qin Lan unbuttoned Hu Jia''s clothing as they approach the bed ced at the end of the room.


    "I just got bullied, and now even you started to turn into a rascal..." Hu Jia stuck her face in between Qin Lan''s armpit to hide her blushing face. The thought of turning into aplete woman in Qin Lan''s bed still traumatizes her.


    That night, Qin Lan filled Hu Jia physically and mentally with so much love that it drowned her in sweet dreams thatsted to the afternoon the next day.

 Chapter 59: Liu Feiyang (2)

    Chapter 59: Liu Feiyang (2)


    "What a headache..." a female receptionistined behind the desk for not able to process the wooden request board on time.


    "What''s wrong? It''s my third time seeing you sigh behind the counter today." her colleague approached to check on her. It was actually Zhang Xue Yue, one of the ten seeded alchemists of the Dan-Xin Dwelling.


    "Sister Xue Yue, please help me! That Qin Lan fellow is gone from the Lower-Xuan Room we''ve assigned for him. What if he left our Dan-Xin Dwelling because we''ve given him too much work recently?" the female receptionist hugged Zhang Xue Yue and cried.


    "What happened? I remember he seems happy frompleting all the requests we''ve allotted for him." Zhang Xue Yue remembered what happened a few days back when she and Qin Lan talked about the Special Appointed Request.


    Although Qin Lan didn''t ept the offer instantly, that did not hinder Zhang Xue Yue''s rmendation to give certain privileges to Qin Lan.


    But unfortunately, her rmendation now bites the Pill Request Hall back because Qin Lan is absent frompleting the request. Unless Qin Lan personally came to the desk to reject the task, it will be difficult for the receptionist to exin why it wasn''t fulfilled to their clients.


    "So, did you ask where fellow disciple Qin Lan goes?" Zhang Xue Yue inquired.


    "Yes. Qin Lan said he had something to do in the city, so he''s likely in the Fuyun City." the female receptionist answered.


    "Deliver the request to his room for now and leave him a note. I''ll go to the city and look for him." Zhang Xue Yue teaches the receptionist what to do before leaving her position.


    "I think sister Xue Yue is using this as a reason to justify her visit to the Fuyun City." another female receptionist whispered.


    "Me too. Qin Lan better not be at the Medicinal Manor or the Zhou Treasured Pavilion. Else, his hard-earned contribution points are all going to vanish into thin air when he met Xue Yue."


    ...


    ...


    "Business owner, I would like to purchase a few medicinal herbs." a cultivator dressed in elegant ck clothing asked. Draped on him is a cloak made from the fur of Red Marten Demon Beast. The only inconvenience is the eye cover he''s wearing to hide his real identity from the public.


    "This expert, how can I help you?" a middle-aged man came forth to attend to his needs.


    "I would like to purchase all the Golden Sparrow Flower, Torrential Spirit Fruit, and Crimson Deathberries the shop have." the cultivator said. At the end of his sentence, he ced a pouch carrying about a hundred Flesh Foundation Pills on the cashier table.


    "This expert, may I inquire the reason behind your purchase?" the middle-aged man asked. The name Golden Sparrow Flower might sound beautiful, but it was actually a poisonous herb used to refine an antidote.


    Simr to the Golden Sparrow Flower, the Torrential Spirit Fruit is also a poisonous ingredient. It was the same with Crimson Deathberries.


    Although all three medicinal herbs were poisonous, they''re also an irreceable ingredient when refining antidotes. But the purchasebination of this expert is unheard of before.


    "It was for a research purpose." the cultivator said.


    "Then... Please excuse me for a moment." the middle-aged man excused himself and went to the back of the shop. After a while, another fat middle-aged man apanied him as both of them greets the cultivator.


    "Greetings, fellow expert." the fat middle-aged man said.


    "Greetings," the cultivator replied. As both of them were at Middle-Attainment Rank, it made questioning his reason for buying arge sum of medicinal ingredients less offensive.


    "I''ve heard about it from my subordinate. Are the three ingredients you''re looking for really worthy of research?" the fat middle-aged man asked. As an experienced alchemist himself, there were no recipes that he knows uses them.


    "Of course!" the cultivator replied.


    "Golden Sparrow Flower is used as antidote, but only a third of them were used. Why? Torrential Spirit Fruit could corrode spiritual energy, but why can it be made into pills after refining? Crimson Deathberries is the least poisonous, but why would we put the word (Death) in its name?" the cultivator started to share the questions in his mind.


    What he said soundedmon, but deep inside, it was the question many alchemists asked.


    For example, Golden Sparrow Flower was a three-petaled flower with an equal poison substance in each petal. But the method of processing was to extract only a third of its medicinal value, leaving the remaining two-thirds went to waste.


    To the alchemist refining the antidote, using a medicinal herb this way is indeed a waste of resources. Furthermore, a Golden Sparrow Flower takes close to a year to grow into maturity.


    That''s also the reason why purchasing these medicinal herbs ended up this way.


    "May I inquire this expert''s name?" the middle-aged man continued. The reply earlier made him remember his reason to be an alchemist when he was younger.


    "You may address me as Pharmacist Lu." the cultivator said.


    "Pharmacist Lu... Don''t tell me you''re the same Pharmacist Lu that introduced the Flesh Mending Pill in Xiyun City?" the fat middle-aged man continued.


    "That is indeed a work of mine." Qin Lan smiled. Looks like the act before this using his own family''s business had started to spread the rumors around.


    "If that the case, then I have no problem selling the three ingredients you''ve asked for. Old Tao, pack them together and deliver them to this esteemed customer, please!" the fat middle-aged man cupped his hands together at Qin Lan.


    "Thank you." Qin Lan returned the gesture the same way.


    "Pharmacist Lu, have you considered bing a member of our small association?" the fat middle-aged man took an association token out from his sleeve pocket. It was a piece of copper token about half the size of an adult male''s palm.


    The word (Pill Association) and (Yunshan Branch) is engraved on one side of the token. On the back was the name (Luo Yiren) written using Foul Essence Silver Ink.


    "Let me introduced myself again this time. I am Luo Yiren, a Lower Xuan-Rank member of the Pill Association. I am also the assistant manager of this Medicinal Manor in Fuyun City. If there''s anything our Pharmacist Lu needed, please feel free to look for me." Luo Yiren bowed.


    "This surname Lu will consider your offer respectfully." Qin Lan kept the three ingredients inside the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade in his hand and politely replied Luo Yiren.


    (Note: I''ve used Pharmacist here on Qin Lan''s persona because he''s more into people''s wellbeing. Alchemist is used on the people of Dan-Xin Dwelling because they''re more concerned about their cultivation instead. It was, in fact, originated from the same profession named Treasure Master as there are eight branches there)


    Please vote, leave a review, and motivates me with gifts if you like this novel! Thank you so much!

 Chapter 60: Liu Feiyang (3)

    Chapter 60: Liu Feiyang (3)


    "Farewell, Pharmacist Lu!" Luo Yiren personally sent Qin Lan out from the Medicine Manor after the purchase was settled. It was a hundred and twenty Flesh Foundation Pills in total, forty sets altogether.


    He came across somebody familiar as he steps outside of the premises. But because Luo Yiren was apanying him, Qin Lan did not turn around to rify his suspicion.


    From the clothing, it should be a female.


    "Pharmacist Lu, if you''re purchasing something peculiar again, feel free to show them my name token. Although Yiren wasn''t a promising individual in this Fuyun City, my name still carries some weight around here." Luo Yiren reminded Qin Lan once more before they bid farewell.


    "This surname Lu thanks Pharmacist Luo for your kindness. May we met again." Qin Lan bowed. To thank Luo Yiren for his generosity, Qin Lan smiled as he stuffed a bottle of medicinal pill into Luo Yiren''s palm.


    (Will there be a surprise again when we met in the future? I can''t help but guess what kind of wondrous research he will bring up at that time)


    Luo Yiren turned around, smiling.


    ...


    ...


    "Old Tao, pack these herbs for me, please!" Zhang Xue Yue ps a piece of paper with over ten types of medicinal herbs on the table.


    "Lady Xue Yue is here again? Did you ask for elder Luo Hao''s permission beforeing here?" old Tao teased Zhang Xue Yue. She was a regr client of their establishment even before she was a disciple of Dan-Xin Dwelling''s owner, Eighth Elder Luo Hao.


    "Old Tao, if you don''t snitch on me, then nobody will know!" Zhang Xue Yue pouted.


    "Lady Xue Yue, don''t say old Tao is busybody, but if you keep shopping like this, I''m sure the Zhang Family is going to cry again." Old Tao shook his head when looking at Zhang Xue Yue''s order.


    After calcting the total, it was close to two thousand Flesh Foundation Pills. No wonder Old Tao shook his head the moment he''s looking at her order.


    Her order was processed quickly. Packed in two Qiankun Pouches, Zhang Xue Yue turned around and getting ready to leave.


    "Assistant Manager! Assistant Manager!" Zhang Xue Yue called. But Luo Yiren seems to be too absorbed into the bottle in his hand as he ignores everyone else in his path.


    "What''s wrong with the Assistant Manager today?" Zhang Xue Yue asked Old Tao.


    "I have no idea. Assistant Manager Luo was fine just now when talking to someone called Pharmacist Lu." Old Tao shrugged.


    "Pharmacist Lu? Which Pharmacist Lu?" Zhang Xue Yue continued.


    "How do I know which one? But he''s an odd one. He''s wearing a red cloak and ck clothing like a martial artist. Also, there''s an eye cover on him, as if he''s trying to hide his identity from other people." Old Tao added.


    "This odd? What he bought?" Zhang Xue Yue kept asking.


    "Three types of poisonous medicinal herbs." Old Tao answered for thest time and went to attend to another client that just came in.


    "Three poison nts... He better not be someone from the Evil Infant Sect!" Zhang Xue Yue narrowed her eyebrows as she left the Medicine Manor.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Thank you, shopkeeper." Qin Lan bought close to a hundred Flesh Foundation Pills worth of mixed carcasses from a hunter''s store and left.


    He came across a group of cultivators wearing the armband of (Le) on their arms when leaving the store.


    "People from Le-Xin Dwelling?" Qin Lan casually followed them as he''s somewhat curious about the identity of the young master taking the lead.


    "Young master Feiyang, we''re here." they entered a store nearby.


    (What a coincidence... To think I actually stumble across this guy while I''m preparing something to teach him a lesson...)


    Qin Lan smirked.


    Looks like the enemy does meet one another in a narrow street.


    ...


    "Wee to our Zhao Treasured Pavilion!" the female attendants greet Liu Feiyang and his fellow disciples the moment they entered the pavilion.


    "Hahaha! Beauty, bring me around and show me all the new products you have today!" Liu Feiyang''s perverted hand immediately fondle the female attendant''s buttock when the opportunity arises. It almost left a stream of tears on the attendant after being vited by Liu Feiyang shamelessly.


    (A**hole. I''ll make sure to cripple your hand when I''m teaching you guys a lesson)


    Qin Lan walked around, keeping them in his eyes as he checked out the wares sold inside the Zhao Treasured Pavilion. A few of them even feel familiar to him as they''re something he made in his free time to fulfill his promises with Zhao Mei.


    (To think that a few of the Offensive Treasures I made is on disy here...)


    Qin Lan stares at a Precelestial Realm Huang-Grade, (Full) Offensive Treasure on the wall. It was an imitation version of his Qiankun Golden Sword.


    (Two thousand Flesh Foundation Pills... Should I be proud orugh at myself for making fun of my own iplete treasure?)


    "I''m sorry, sir. From this point onward, only people with invitation can enter." the guards stopped Qin Lan from going to the upper floor.


    "Oh? There''s something like this here?" Qin Lan embarrassedly takes a step back from offending the guards. But it seems that his action caught Liu Feiyang''s eyes as that guy turned and approached Qin Lan.


    "Looks like this brother is interested with the second floor''s merchandise. How about this? Call me big brother, then I''ll consider bringing you along with me?" Liu Feiyang came down with his fellow disciples and surrounded Qin Lan.


    "Look... Liu Feiyang found a target again. What an unlucky guy..." some guest of the Zhao Treasured Pavilion pitied Qin Lan for getting picked by Liu Feiyang.


    "Not interested." Qin Lan turned around and left. But before he managed to take a step further, two of the six disciples following Liu Feiyang ced their hand on Qin Lan''s shoulder to stop him from leaving.


    "Did we say you can leave?" they said.


    "Then? What you want?" Qin Lan continued. He pped their hands away from his shoulder as he finished his sentence.


    "How dare you show an attitude in front of me! Brothers, teach him a lesson!" Liu Feiyangughed and ordered the others to take action.


    (Oh no! Did he not value his life anymore?)


    (He''s going to die! Who is this fool? To retaliate against Cloud Plucking Sect''s disciple in public!)


    The other guests of the pavilion opened their eyes wide as they look at Qin Lan retaliating against the group of hooligans from Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Zaiyun Fist Art!" they attacked.


    "Humph!" Qin Lan harumph once.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Qin Lan''s swift blow immediately caused destruction inside the Zhao Treasured Pavilion.


    (Note: Please vote, leave a review, or send me some gift if you like what you''re reading. Thank you! This novel will enter privilege from chapter 75 onwards!)

 Chapter 61: I am not...

    Chapter 61: I am not...


    "What a fool! He actually made a move first!" the spectatorsmented about Qin Lan''s foolish action of making the first move against Liu Feiyang and his hooligan teammates.


    "Stop them! Stop them from damaging our property!" the manager of the second floor ordered the two guards standing near the stairs to prevent the fight from escting further.


    "Yes, sir!" the guards immediately take action.


    Of course, their mentality justified the next course of their action. Instead of charging straight onto Liu Feiyang, they actually choose to stop Qin Lan.


    In their mind, it was better to stop a nameless individual that they can''t recognize and not a disciple from Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Hold it right there!" one of the guards tossed a (Half) Xuan-Grade Offensive Treasure at Qin Lan to lock his next course of action. It was a treasure in the shape of a chain but flexible like Lu Qing Yun''s Heaven''s String.


    It was the best type of Offensive Treasure that a guard could utilize to restrict a person''s movement while fighting inside their premises.


    But unfortunately, the one he''s facing is not normal either.


    As an expert with extensive knowledge in Offensive and Defensive Treasure, how can Qin Lan be restricted by a mere Xuan-Grade treasure? It was just troublesome to him, at most, because using his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush is inconvenient right now.


    Ayer of Spiritual Energy wrapped around Qin Lan''s palm as he proceeds to grab the glowing chain with his bare hand. Qin Lan''s method caught the guard by surprise, making him quickly adjusted his following action.


    "He''s crazy!" the other customers with some insight about the Xuan-Grade Spiritual Chain were surprised by Qin Lan''s decisiveness in catching that burning chain without protection.


    "How - How can this be?" the guard and Qin Lan engaged in a tug-o-war using that chain. What they''re expecting did not happen.


    "Attack him, quickly! He''s also a fifth-level Flesh Refining Expert like us!" the guard quickly asked for his colleague''s help.


    "Cloud Dispersing Fist!" the other guard came into the realization that this wasn''t a usual opponent they face daily. Charging into Qin Lan''s reach without further ado, the guard delivered a decisive attack before Qin Lan could react.


    "He''s a goner. The Cloud Dispersing Fist is capable of delivering the force of two levels above the user''s cultivation." one of the customers shared.


    **Poof!**


    Qin Lan chuckled. He destroyed their expectation once again by stopping the attack with a w technique. Tightening his w without giving the guard time to respond, Qin Lan pulled him closer as he retaliates by delivering an elbow strike straight onto his neck.


    The guard fainted right on where he was.


    "You! Come here as well!" Qin Lan suddenly made a circle using his palm as he tightened his grip over the Xuan-Grade Spiritual Chain. The guard immediately lost his bnce after getting pulled by Qin Lan this way.


    Once again, without notice, Qin Lan delivered a blow straight onto the guard''s face. Using simple and effective boxing techniques, Qin Lan sent all his opponents with the same cultivation strength into an unconscious state effortlessly.


    "This..." both the manager on the upper floor and Liu Feiyang are speechless at how everything went.


    "Hold it right there," the voice of a half-step Bone Reconstruction Expert sounded in Qin Lan''s ear as he was going to a step further towards Liu Feiyang.


    "I would advise this young brother to not acting rashly." the owner of the voice continued. "You have great potential. Why waste it because of a small matter like this? Let''s take a step back, both of us."


    "Hahaha! What makes you think that I will be the one at a disadvantage if we''re going to fight?" Qin Lanughed. At the same time, he let go of the Xuan-Grade Spiritual Chain in his hand to shows a contradicting action.


    "..."


    The Bone Reconstruction Expert stopped replying to Qin Lan after the Spiritual Energy around Qin Lan has calmed down.


    "This expert. Our Zhou Treasured Pavilion does not wee you. Please make your way out of our premises before we''re forced to take action!" the upper floor manager pointed his palm towards the door as he finished his sentence.


    "Good job, manager! Kick him out from the Zhou Treasured Pavilion!" Liu Feiyangughed after he listened to what the manager just said.


    "If that''s the case, you should be leaving too! Where are the other guards? Drag those troublemakers from Le-Xin Dwelling out from our Zhou Treasured Pavilion right now!"


    "They''ll be banned froming into this premises for a month!" the voice belonged to a female cultivator who came from the upper floor. When the owner made her appearance, it was revealed to be someone familiar to Qin Lan.


    (Zhou Mei? Shouldn''t she be at Xiyun City?)


    Qin Lan smiled. It seems that Zhou Mei''s background is not just a mere disciple of Ice Maiden Temple. Furthermore, her surname is the same "Zhou" as the Zhou Treasured Pavilion, which meant something more than a coincidence.


    "Our Zhou Treasured Pavilion has been very rude to this esteemed customer. Please allow Zhou Mei to personally escort you to the second floor." Zhou Mei pointed her hand on the stairs as she invited Qin Lan to follow her.


    "That''s much better. Lady Zhou, please." Qin Lan returned her polite gesture as he invited Zhou Mei to lead the way.


    As for Liu Feiyang, he was dragged outside of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion with the other from Le-Xin Dwelling.


    ...


    "What''s bring you here today?" Zhou Mei asked.


    "Nothing. I was just trying to look around for some treasure while searching for inspiration." Qin Lan replied.


    "That''s not my question." Zhou Mei changed her tone after she heard Qin Lan''s reply.


    "Are you still nning to keep on acting like someone else in front of me? Did you forget that my Spiritual Sense Body can sense all kinds of treasure on a person?" Zhou Mei pouted in front of Qin Lan.


    "I think you misunderstood, Lady Zhou. I am not..." Qin Lan still tries to deny Zhou Mei''s suspicion.


    "QIN LAN!" Zhou Mei shouted.


    But luckily, Qin Lan''s hand is swift enough to cover her mouth from letting the voice out.


    **Shush!**

 Chapter 62: Essence Transformation Pill (1)

    Chapter 62: Essence Transformation Pill (1)


    "Alright! I''m Qin Lan. Satisfied?" Qin Lan nodded at her with his hand still covering part of her mouth. Luckily, the number of guests on the second floor can be counted with the number of fingers avable in a person''s hands.


    "I''m scared of you now, mdy..." Qin Lan gently whispered beside Zhou Mei''s ears.


    "Em... Emm..." Zhou Mei slightly struggled to move Qin Lan''s hand from her mouth. And it was done seductively. The way she moaned while moving her head made it seems like a maiden trying to invite the big bad wolf to behave outrageously.


    Qin Lan loosens his grip on Zhou Mei''s mouth. He also noticed that the other hand of his was actually on Zhou Mei''s waist.


    "You''ve taken too many advantages on me recently, don''t you think so?" Zhou Mei lightly hammered Qin Lan''s chest like they were a pair of lovebirds.


    "I - I should be leaving." Qin Lan excused himself. Being put into such an embarrassing situation made him somewhat speechless. Of course, part of the reason he''s behaving this way was due to his virtuous behavior and also because he was a married man.


    "Are you trying to create trouble with that Liu Feiyang? Did something happen inside the Cloud Plucking Sect?" Zhou Mei asked. Based on her understanding of Qin Lan''s entric attitude, she could roughly sense that something is wrong with Qin Lan.


    "I must say, Lady Zhou... Your sense is a little too sharp. Had you tried to double-check your physique before? I think what you have is not the Spiritual Sense Body Physique, but Worldly Sense Physique." Qin Lan jokes.


    (Ling-Qi Gan Ti - Spiritual Energy Sense Body)


    (Fan-Jian Qi Gan Ti - Mortal Worldly Energy Sense Body, a pun used to tease Zhou Mei that her mind still lingers in mortal matters)


    "You''re teasing me again! Big bully!" Zhou Mei crossed her arms across her chest and turned around, pouting.


    "I really have to leave. Let''s keep those conversations for the next time we met." Qin Lan gave her a pat on her shoulder before he moves toward the staircase they came from.


    "Qin Lan. Don''t use the front door. Based on Liu Feiyang''s attitude, he will be camping around the front door waiting for you toe out." Zhou Mei''s expression became sour the moment Qin Lan is preparing to leave.


    "Then..." Qin Lan asked.


    "Follow me. I''ll bring you out through another route." Zhou Mei led Qin Lan through a different route that brings them out of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion through a textile shop two stores away from the current building.


    As they were walking side by side, Qin Lan removes his disguise. The ck clothing was kept inside the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade as he changed into his Azure-colored attire once more.


    She guessed correctly.


    The moment both of them made their way into the shopping street, several disciples with the armband of (Le) on their shoulder walked past them. They were all gathered outside of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion.


    "Listen to me. Don''t mess with Liu Feiyang for now. Although he''s just a seventh-level Flesh Refining Cultivator, his background is not as simple as you think. His mother is the younger sister of Ouyang Jie, the owner of Le-Xin Dwelling." Zhou Mei reminded him again.


    "I know that." Qin Lan nodded. He admitted in his heart that he''s indeed a little too reckless a while back there.


    "Great. Just pay attention to that before you take action against it... Hey! I haven''t finished yet!" Zhou Mei yelled at Qin Lan, who tries to sneak away from her side.


    "A**hole!" Zhou Mei stomps her feet on the ground to vent some of her anger away.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Qin Lan was greeted with a stack of Wooden Request Boards hanging on his door when he returned to the Lower-Xuan Room.


    "Look''s like I will have to finish my task before I can start working on my own things." Qin Lan chuckled and went to the Pill Request Hall for ingredients. Hepleted all the orders two dayster.


    "Please reject all requests except for fellow disciple Shan Xiong Xin''s. I will enter a seclusion training session for a week starting from today." Qin Lan said.


    "Noted. Good luck, fellow disciple Qin Lan." the female receptionist smiled at Qin Lan as she politely replied to him.


    "It''s time." the outer robe on his shoulder is thrown aside the moment Qin Lan returned to his Pill-Refining Room. Using the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in his hand, Qin Lan dabbed the tip into the bottle of Foul Essence Silver Ink.


    -----


    Poison and medicine are like two sides of a coin.


    The mist of Yin converge in the South, the fog of Yang rises in the north.


    With my Spiritual Energy as guidance and my Physique as the root,


    Came forth, the formation of Poison umtion!


    -----


    An inscription based on the Department of Earth Blessing was drawn in the middle of his room as Qin Lan converted his ce into a Spiritual Cave. It was a simr concept to how a Spiritual Dwelling was made, but smaller and more flexible.


    It was a Xuan-Grade inscription with one core diagram and four minor formations. Then, over ten types of medicinal herbs are taken out and ced in a few specific positions.


    (Golden Sparrow Flower...)


    Qin Lan whispered. With a wave of his hand, ten sets of this poisonous nt were taken out from the spatial jade on his waist. Coming out along with this nt was the carcasses of the Yao Beast he purchased from the nearby hunter''s store.


    mes created from his Spiritual Energy were then guided into a cauldron along with part of the carcasses. The me burns slowly, turning the bits of flesh, bones, hair, and organs into ashes as Qin Lan gradually mix the medicinal herbs inside to create a standard fertilizer.


    Ten sphere ball of fertilizer with the appearance of wet ashes soon sits around Qin Lan. The Golden Sparrow Flower is then nted inside as Qin Lan guided his Spiritual Energy into them to create a miracle.


    There was no reaction at first.


    If the other Alchemist or Pharmacist saw what Qin Lan was doing, the word "Fool" would immediatelye out from their mouth. There might be hope if Qin Lan tried what he''s doing on some herbs like Flesh Refining Elderberry, Purple Silk Grass, or Fragrance Root.


    But using them on a seedless flower, poisonous on top of that?


    He must have thought he''s the medicinal forefather Lu for trying to repeat this miracle once again!


    == == == == ==


    (Note: Oh... Forefather... Readers, you might wanna catch some hint behind thest sentence back at the start of chapter 53 - Pill Test 2)


    (Note: Readers, please give me your support and drop a review, power stones, collection, and gifts. Everything will help motivate me to keep delivering more chapters!)


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 63: Essence Transformation Pill (2)

    Chapter 63: Essence Transformation Pill (2)


    Half a dayter, something finally happened in two out of the ten fertilizer balls. Instead of calling it a budding sprout, it was more like something grown out from the Golden Sparrow Flower.


    The tip of the de was gently grown out from the rich soil. Green like emerald, lush but soft, it was indeed something unordinary. As for the poison substance within the Golden Sparrow Flower, they''ve turned into ayer of mist.


    Theyer of mist was stabilized through the Formation of Poison umtion as it converts the environment into one that could effectively nourish the nts.


    But who could have foreseen that something like this could actually grow out of the Golden Sparrow Flower? Even just thinking about it would make them feel outrageous and misled by the fact they believed in.


    Of course, it was not a secret to Qin Lan.


    After all, he was the reincarnation of "forefather Lu" as stated in the legend about medicine and herbology. There would be nobody more qualified than Qin Lan when ites to experimenting and herbology.


    Still, knowing does not mean sess. Even Qin Lan wouldn''t im he''s omnipotent in medicine and herbology with all the knowledge collected in his memories.


    Evidently, the result from his half-day effort only yields two des of emerald-green grasses out of ten fertilizer balls.


    Like it was a fragile and weak infant on Qin Lan''s hands, he gently moves the nt into a much bigger pot to allow them to develop. Qin Lan then continued with the remaining thirty sets of ingredients, which took him two days altogether.


    There were slight changes on the third day morning.


    Out of the six des of emerald grasses that he cultivated, only one of them managed to grow further. Like a stalk of grain, bunches of florets can be seen hanging on top of the nt.


    The florets that closely resemble the respiratory organ appeared to be breathing under Qin Lan''s passionate gaze. Of course, it wasn''t as evident as how white vapor came out when a person took a breath under the freezing weather.


    Still, it is easy for one to catch a hint of what the emerald grasses were doing. The poison mist that lingered around the room gets thinner gradually as the dew started to form on the tip of the grasses.


    (It''s your turn now, Torrential Spirit Fruit!)


    Qin Lan patted the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade on his waist to ess the forty fruits with the appearance of lotus seed. A hint of Spiritual Energy drying up can be noticed through naked eyes on the spot where Qin Lan ced the Torrential Spirit Fruit.


    The reason behind this phenomenon is due to the juices that still remained inside of the fruit. What it could do was corroding the Spiritual Energy and render them useless. In fact, it wasn''t poison at all because there was no life-threatening issue from consuming this fruit before it was processed.


    And right now, away from the prying eyes of an outsider, Qin Lan is prepared to create another miracle.


    Using his index finger as the focus point, Qin Lan concentrated his excessive Spiritual Energy on this fingertip until a thin but sharp energy de appeared.


    He swings his finger across a row of the fruits. Out of five, three sessfully split into halves. But the fourth was damaged as the Spiritual Energy from the de is insufficient.


    (Three fruits. My limit is now at three fruits)


    Qin Lan whispered to himself. After umting his Spiritual Energy once again, Qin Lan repeated the process another twelve times. There are now 78 Torrential Spirit Fruits scattered around Qin Lan, all cut into halves.


    (If those Alchemists saw what I''ve done to the Torrential Spirit Fruit, they''ll be surprised by the content inside)


    A chuckle came from Qin Lan as he''s smiling on his own. It didn''t take too long for the Formation of Poison umtion to react with the fruits he cut into halves. The process simr to the Golden Sparrow Flower soon repeats itself with the Torrential Spirit Fruit.


    Perhaps only the most entric cultivar would know the reason behind Qin Lan''s action.


    The milky-green vapor soonbined and enhanced the concentration of poison in the air. The poisonous essence from the Golden Sparrow Flower has an aftertaste of sweetness. But with the Torrential Spirit Fruit added inside, a hint of the coldness from mint leaves started to appear.


    Nourished with the Spiritual Energy through Qin Lan Spiritual Container Physique as the root and the air from the Formation of Poison umtion, it was a perfect bnce.


    Without years of experience and failures, it would be difficult for anyone to repeat Qin Lan''s sess.


    This is also why the Department of Heaven''s Blessing and Earth''s Blessing was the most mysterious amongst the eight Departments of Treasure Master.


    Thin kes started to shed from the emerald grass. In the middle of the de itself, a durable stem appeared. The dew that gathered on the grass a while ago has now evaporated.


    The florets, on the other hand, matured faster than before. But none of them resemble the appearance of the Golden Sparrow Flower with three distinct petals.


    There is only one simrity between them. The grainy florets are had a golden husk like the flower and a white like gypsum powder''s flesh.


    (Five days... This went on better than expected)


    Qin Lan turned the remaining carcasses he bought from Hunter''s Store into fertilizer and nted the florets grown from that particr emerald grass.


    Patiently, his seclusion continued until a week is finally ended.


    ...


    ...


    On the eighth day, a medicine boy gives the door to Qin Lan''s room a knock as he asked for his permission to enter the room.


    When Qin Lan came to receives him, a surge of sweetness from an unknown nt entered the disciple''s nose. The vor from the fragrance was filled with an indescribable vitality that made the disciple felt somewhat energetic.


    "Good morning, fellow disciple Qin Lan. I''m here to check if there''s anything I can help today." the Medicine Boy addressed Qin Lan the moment he opened the door.


    "There''s indeed something you could help, fellow disciple Li Wei." Qin Lan smiled. He would felt somewhat awkward if it was someone else that knocked on his door today.


    But since he and Li Wei''s friendship hade along since his first day in Dan-Xin Dwelling, it felt much morefortable for him to ask for Li Wei''s help.


    "Feel free to let me know. I''ll do my best to help," Li Wei smiled.


    "I would like to obtain a piece ofnd suitable to cultivate my own medicinal herbs. And also, I need a trusted friend than willing to help me as I build my reputation. Do you have anyone in mind?" Qin Lan dropped the bait with a hook through his sentence.


    "It won''t be easy to apply for thend, but I do have some way. Let me make it happen to you." Li Wei smiled. Instead of talking about business with Qin Lan, he went straight to providing help to Qin Lan without negotiating.


    But he has no idea.


    That his sess in the future all came from this sentence.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Review please! Powerstones Please! Gift Please! Support your author and motivate me! ROAR!

 Chapter 64: Essence Transformation Pill (3)

    Chapter 64: Essence Transformation Pill (3)


    "Let''s call it a day. Fellow disciple Shixin will pack our belongings. Jia-Jia and Qing Yun will go and restock our herb supplies. I will go to the Elder''s office to do a quick settlement." Qin Chan appointed a few tasks to everyone, including herself.


    But then, she noticed that someone amongst them was not in her mood for the entire morning.


    "What''s wrong with you, Jia-Jia?" Qin Chan approached Hu Jia and checked on her sister-inw.


    "Of course it''s because her lovely husband is not a..." the other male disciple was going to interrupt. Luckily, Li Shixin managed to stop him before he finished his sentence. The two wrestled as they went further away from Hu Jia and Qin Chan.


    "Did Lan-Er not look for you recently?" Qin Chan asked.


    "Maybe he''s busy..." Hu Jia lowered her head as she replied. The situation was somewhat embarrassing for Hu Jia to answer.


    "Did some vixen in the Dan-Xin Dwelling flirt with him? Let''s go thereter and check on him!" Qin Chan tightened her fist until a cracking sound is heard.


    "We shouldn''t disturb him. He might be too busy, that''s all..." Hu Jia pulled Qin Chan''s sleeve to stop things from escting further down the road. But then, Lu Qing Yun came.


    "I think you can be at ease if that''s what you''re worried about," her word saved Qin Lan from a misunderstanding between Hu Jia and Qin Chan about their love life.


    "Come here, Qing Yun!" Qin Chan grabbed Lu Qing Yun''s wrist and pulled the girls into a secluded corner.


    "Did Qin Lan has any other flings except for Jia-Jia?" Qin Chan asked.


    "Hehe... Don''t worry. I''ve hardly seen our young master flirting around with the maidens. Even if they''re sending themselves into his embrace, it meant nothing for him." what Lu Qing Yun said made them view Qin Lan in a much better light.


    "Then..." Qin Chan''s expression changed.


    "Then what, elder sister?" Hu Jia asked. Shouldn''t Qin Chan be happy about it when such a positive review came from someone as close as a sister to them?


    "That means the elder brother and younger brother are equally stupid! Lan-Er is luckier because grandfather managed to arrange everything between our Qin and Hu families. But things were different for old Fan!" Qin Chan went hysterical when ites to this topic.


    "What''s wrong with the eldest brother-inw?" Hu Jia is curious about Qin Chan''s reaction.


    "That idiot has so many options for his marriage, but he had to just choose someone a few leagues above him! Do you know who he''s in love with?" Qin Chan said.


    "Who?" Hu Jia and Lu Qing Yun asked the same question together.


    "Luo Yunxi, the little princess of eighth elder Luo Hao!"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Good news, fellow disciple Qin Lan! There''s a piece of good news!" Li Wei came into Qin Lan''s room without knocking as he was in a rush.


    As he did note inside this morning, it was only now that Li Wei noticed the reason behind the fragrance leaking out of Qin Lan''s room. ced nearby the window is few temporary makeshift pots with a stalk of emerald grass.


    Their color was striking as an emerald gemstone, yet with a hint of milky white in the center. From afar, it was a gemstone. While from close proximity, it looked like a handcrafted de made from a piece of jade.


    "Fellow disciple, have a sip of tea first before you speak." Qin Lan extends his hand with a cup of tea over to Li Wei.


    "Ah..." Li Wei calmed himself after he moistened his throat.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, I''ve found what you''ve asked for. It was located on the northern side of our Dan-Xin Dwelling, known as Qingyao Hill. The rental for this Spiritual cave is a hundred contribution points per month. It covers the size of 1mu of space."


    "But there''s some issue in between that I''ll have to tell you. Because this spiritual cave is located furthest from the core area, its concentration of Spiritual Energy cannot bepared. It was previously used as the operation base of an outer disciple''s faction, which is now disbanded."


    Li Wei''s efficiency is shocking. Only half a day has passed, but he already managed to find out remarkably many details about what Qin Lan needs. While he patiently listened to Li Wei''s suggestion, Qin Lan was also making some calctions in mind.


    First of all, was theck of Spiritual Energypared to what the other spiritual cave has. Although it wasn''t a problem for Qin Lan, who has plenty of experience in the Department of Blessings, obtaining the resources was an issue he has to consider.


    It will be a waste of time if Qin Lan has to reproduce what he has done to the current Qin Family Estate all over again on this spiritual cave.


    "Of course, the 1mu wide area would be great for those trying to cultivate their own medicinal herbs. Fellow disciple Qin, are you still with me?" Li Wei asked.


    "Ah! Yes, I am. Please continue." Qin Lan embarrassedly smiles because he was somewhat absent-minded just now.


    "Hold on for a moment, fellow disciple Li Wei. Did you say it would be great for those cultivating their own herbs?" Qin Lan quickly interrupted when the keyword came up.


    "Yes. Because this spiritual cave is further away from the core area, thend thates with it is wider than the others. All the other spiritual caves are at most a third or two-thirds of this one." Li Wei exined what Qin Lan asked in detail.


    "If you''ll give me one more day, I might be able to get a much better spiritual cave outside of this Qingyao Hill. The rental price might be..."


    "I''ll take it." Qin Lan interrupted Li Wei while he''s trying to finish his sentence.


    "Of course. Theck of Spiritual Energy is why. Don''t worry. I''ll just need a day to look for another one that is much more suitable for you to cultivate." Li Wei nodded.


    "I say, I''ll take it." Qin Lan repeats.


    "Sure." Li Wei nodded. This time, he noticed something is wrong.


    "Wait! What? Take it? Are you sure?" he quickly interrupted Qin Lan before thetter managed to continue.


    Looking at how excited is Li Wei, Qin Lan chuckled. From the way Li Wei looked, he must have gone through a great effort in negotiating with the person in charge, perhaps an elder, to obtain the information of this particr spiritual cave.


    "There''s one more problem! Wait!" Li Wei raised his palm to stop Qin Lan from speaking.


    "The Elder responsible for this spiritual cave said that if you are really interested, you''ll have to pay three months rental in advance. I can help. But I only have a little more than a hundred contribution points with me, so..." Li Wei tapped his index fingers together as he speaks about the payment''s matter.


    "Fellow disciple Li Wei." Qin Lan exhaled.


    "Yes," Li Wei stares at Qin Lan.


    "Let''s rent the ce. I''ll pay 200 contribution points out. We''ll move in there together as we start our n of getting rich." Qin Lan chuckled.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your power stones! Shower me with gifts! Support your author and show me if you love this book! Another chap ising up as it was 30%plete!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 65: Essence Transformation Pill (4)

    Chapter 65: Essence Transformation Pill (4)


    "Fellow disciple Qin, please wait for me here while Iplete the procedures of renting this ce!" Li Wei brought Qin Lan over to Qingyao Hill to inspect the spiritual cave. It was indeed located quite a distance away from the other caverns in the core area.


    (What a blessing in disguise. Who would imagine that this spiritual cave is actually abandoned because it was located outside of the core area?)


    Qin Lan secretly chuckled while he inspects the surrounding of this spiritual cave. As it was underutilized and abandoned for so long, the soil actually remains undisturbed. Furthermore, because this ce is located closer to the water source, making the irrigation of this ce is superbpared to everywhere else.


    His initial stage of inspection gave Qin Lan a rough estimation of how much space can be utilized. After deducting the spiritual cave area that took about a-third of this 1mu area, the remaining two-thirds are just right for him to separate them into four arable plots.


    He was feeling terrific with the suitability of this ce. Searching for the core area in the middle of the four arable plots, Qin Lan molded his Spiritual Energy into the shape of a plow and gave it a simple makeover.


    Ten columns in a plot, Qin Lan created forty columns right away while imagining how the medicinal farm will look. It resembles half of the swastica symbol the moment Qin Lan is done with them.


    (I wonder if Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and the others are avable. If they could help, it would be great for my n)


    Qin Lan continued to check the surrounding. Since no barricades nor fences were surrounding the farm, that would be where he''s going to start.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, I''m done with the procedure. We''ll be allowed to use this spiritual cave and the arablend from this moment onwards." Li Wei returned from the core area once he was done with all the troublesome matters.


    He returned Qin Lan''s disciple token along with a ring holding ten jade slips. Without them, they will be unable to enter the spiritual cave.


    "Take one of them for your own. Do you have anyone else that''s reliable and close to you?" Qin Lan asked. Although two-thirds of the spiritual cave literally belongs to him right now, he can''t utilize all the avable space on his own.


    Even if he includes Qin Fan and Qin Chan''s spots, he''ll be only using seven out of the ten avable rooms inside this cave. Furthermore, the Spiritual Energy is considerably lower than what was offered by the Lower or Upper Xuan Rooms inside the elder''s dwelling.


    "I''ve indeed had someone in mind. Will asking for two spare rooms out from this spiritual cave be too much in fellow disciple Qin''s opinion?" Li Wei politely requested two rooms.


    "Here." Qin Lan stuffed two more keys into Li Wei''s palm without asking him the reason or identity of the person he''s going to give them to. Based on how much he knew him, Qin Lan could roughly imagine what kind of people they''re going to be.


    The duo then entered the spiritual cave together and took the liberty of choosing the best room for themselves. And since Li Wei suggested that Qin Lan leaves the issue with cleaning to him, thetter nodded and excused himself as there were more for him to do in the evening.


    "Good evening, fellow disciple." the disciples in Min-Ren Dwelling greets Qin Lan whenever they walked past him.


    "Good evening, everyone." Qin Lan cupped his hand and greeted them as he went further into the dwelling. By now, his face is already recognizable to some disciples of this dwelling.


    "Young master," Lu Qing Yun greets Qin Lan the moment she noticed he''sing into the training hall. The two of them immediately walked side by side as she brings him over to where Hu Jia and Qin Chan might be.


    "How''s the life inside Min-Ren Dwelling? Are you getting used to it?" Qin Lan asked as they''re walking through the long corridor.


    "I had my fun. It seems Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie are much happier than before because there was more for them to do herepared to when all of us are still in the Qin Family Estate." Lu Qing Yun smiled as she replied to Qin Lan''s question.


    "Where did the two of them go?" Qin Lan asked. Based on his understanding regarding Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie, it should be impossible for the two to not making an appearance in the training hall when they''re free to do so.


    "There was a request posted in our Request Hall earlier. It was a call to defend a vige from the mountain bandits. Both of them should be on their way over there right now." Lu Qing Yun answered. It looks like such a task is frequent to the Min-Ren Dwelling.


    "Jia-Jia, the young master is here." Lu Qing Yun addressed Hu Jia using a casual tone. It''s because the girl''s rtionship is much deeper aftering into the Cloud Plucking Sect. It was just out of respect why Lu Qing Yun continues to addressed Qin Lan this way.


    "Husband?" Hu Jia came out of her room with Qin Chan.


    "Oh! This brat is finally here looking for his wife after a week of treating her coldly. What now? Feeling guilty?" Qin Chan patted Qin Lan''s head as her brother came over to her side to greet her.


    "Why would you say so, my second sister? I''m just as busy as you all." Qin Lan smiled.


    He then shared with them about him renting out the spiritual cave to cultivates his own medicinal nts. Furthermore, Qin Lan shared with them the intention of making this move.


    "I''m jealous right now." Qin Chang chuckled. It seems that establishing his own supply and brand name is Qin Lan''s first step to trample on Liu Feiyang.


    Although Liu Feiyang wasn''t difficult to deal with as an individual, his backer was the main problem. As a mere disciple of the Cloud Plucking Sect, it is unwise for them to openly fighting against the eleventh elder''s faction.


    And as everyone says, background and influence are also a type of strength. How Hu Jia was treated before by the elder was because her backer, the twelfth elder, wasn''t as strong as the eleventh elder.


    That''s why Qin Lan chooses this path.


    "So, what are you going to nt?" Qin Chan asked. Although her knowledge rted to pill concoction is notparable to Qin Lan, it wasn''t shallow to the point of ignorance.


    Cultivating medicinal herbs for Pharmacy is widely practiced throughout the Yunshan Province, but not Spiritual Herbs!


    That''s why the hunters are still risking their lives in the forest to forage materials such as Demonic Blood Oranges and the others!


    "It''s a Spiritual Herb to concoct a pill known as Essence Transformation Pill." Qin Lan said.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! Support your author and show me if you love this book! And Yay! this marks my second time doing a double chapter update throughout my writing career. Please keep supporting me as I try to do better!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 66: Essence Transformation Pill (5)

    Chapter 66: Essence Transformation Pill (5)


    "Essence Transformation Pill?" Qin Chan tilted her head slightly as she was dumbfounded by the name that came out of nowhere. The way she acted made Qin Chan looked cuter for once.


    And it wasn''t embarrassing at all to be clueless about it. After all, there were more than a thousand options of pills avable in the market. Their market is usually pretty limited unless regted and officially recognized by an organization like the Pill Association.


    The mostmonly known pills recognized by the association are the three general Cultivation Pills known as Flesh Foundation, Bone Foundation, and Spiritual Foundation Pill.


    Even the Flesh Mending Pill from Xiyun City, previously known as Fu-Rong Town, was only epted as a local specialty.


    "Did you purchase the recipe from outside of our Yunshan Province? It is good to introduce something new and hardly obtainable around here, but try to be careful with the association''s authorities." Qin Chan said.


    "Don''t worry, my second sister. It won''t be avable anywhere except here inside the Cloud Plucking Sect. This is also why I''ve decided to go all out with whatever resources I have for now."


    "Furthermore, it was something given by my master. How can this be replicate that easy by the outsiders?" Qin Lan smirked. Naturally, the master he mentioned was the one so-called the sect master of Kuangshan Lu Sect.


    Qin Lan''s sentence was bold. Base on his time invested in creating this breed of Spiritual Herb, it was natural for him to be confident with his product. And based on what he had seen so far, it would take at least five years for others to replicate and reach his level of alchemy and herbology achievement.


    There''s also a slight connection between the Department of Heaven and Earth''s Blessing to be considered.


    "Our master? Did our master pay you a visit recently?" Lu Qing asked with an excited expression. It has been too long they did not hear about their master from Qin Lan''s mouth.


    "Yes. I''ll tell you guys more about itter. But for now, I''ll need all avable help to make this n of mine works. We''ll need as much Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass as we can before I start refining them into pills." Qin Lan said.


    "But we still have a week to go before our turn changes... Furthermore, we''ve been adding up the merchandise under the Min-Ren Dwelling''s name for a while now... We can''t stop in between and making things difficult for the other fellow disciples." Hu Jia said.


    "What''s wrong?" Qin Lan asked.


    "We''ve added the three treasures of Fu-Rong Town into the list of merchandise sold through the Min-Ren Dwelling''s name, so even if the task ended for us, the supply has to continue." Qin Chan answered.


    "That would be simple. Just move the operation to the spiritual cave I''ve rented. There are plenty of spaces avable." Qin Lan added.


    "If that the case, then I''ll send someone trustable over to help. We will be there from next week onwards." Hu Jia suggested. Qin Lan also nodded in reply as they came up with a date their operation started.


    Before he left, Qin Lan stuffed a bottle of the pill he refined into their hand along with a piece of paper stating the effect of the Cultivation Pill inside. Qin Lan also gives Hu Jia a kiss on her forehead before making his way back to the spiritual cave.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    That night.


    Hu Jia gentlybs her hair using a brush given by Qin Lan. Her mood is evidently better after seeing her husband a while ago. Thinking back about their escapade together made her smiled unconsciously before the mirror.


    As she ced the brush down, it knocked against the piece of paper written by Qin Lan.


    "Let''s see what miraculous effect the pill has. I''m sure dearest husband will not recklessly make his move unless he''s very confident about it." Hu Jia pinched the edge of the folded paper and went through its content.


    If Qin Lan was here by her side, he would lose control over his lust due to Hu Jia''s loose sleeping robe. It was leaning loosely on her shoulder, gradually sliding down as it revealed the upper cheek of her breast while she went through Qin Lan''s neat handwriting.


    "What???" Hu Jia revealed a shocked expression the moment she finished reading what was on the piece of paper.


    == == == == ==


    Essence Transformation Pill


    -


    => Effective upon taken orally. The Essence Transformation Pill promotes better efficiency between the user with the surrounding natural Spiritual Energy.


    => Hasten the process of converting natural Spiritual Energy into the body onefold.


    => Hasten the process of refining Spiritual Energy inside the body into higher purity onefold.


    => Removes the need for meditation for an hour after consumption. Medicinal Effect will not lose even during battle.


    == == == == ==


    Without further ado, Hu Jia immediately swallowed the pill and channels the Spiritual Energy in her surrounding. The absorption of Spiritual Energy happens naturally the moment it started to take effect inside her body.


    Using this advantage of the Essence Transformation Pill, Hu Jia efficiently performs a set of Golden Lord''s Holy Fist taught by Qin Lan. The difort due to theck of Spiritual Energy in her immature Dantian started to fade away the closer she is toplete the set of punching art.


    The sensation was like getting rid of the need to breathe when diving underwater. Taking this pill not only removes the requirement of focusing the mind to guides the Spiritual Energy, but it also widens the meridians to speed up the process.


    Hu Jia smiled. Unwilling to miss a minute of this sensation, she repeated three more sets of Golden Lord Holy Fist Art until the effect of the Spiritual Pill is finally over.


    The same thing happened to Hu Jia repeated on Qin Chan and Lu Qing Yun. Both of them enjoyed the surprises brought by that single pill, which gave them some insight into their cultivation.


    And it was most evident on Lu Qing Yun as on that night itself. She became the first one in the group to advance into the sixth-level of Flesh Refining Layer!


    == == == == ==


    (Note: The group = Qin Lan, Hu Jia, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, Huo Zunjie)


    (Note: So far in the story, refilling their Spiritual Energy was a hassle. An example of how disturbing it is is clearly hinted at in [chapter 36 - You Can Stand?] when Qin Lan saved Hu Jia. This is also why I emphasize Hu Jia''s experience instead of the others)


    (Note: Remember, Qin Chan is a year older than Qin Lan, so she''s 17. Qin Fan is the oldest, so he''s 18. Qin Chan is at half-step Bone Reconstruction. And Qin Fan is trying to advance into the fourth-level Bone Reconstruction Layer. In the outer Sect, Leng Ching from Dan-Xin Dwelling is the strongest disciple. Eighth-level Bone Reconstruction Layer)


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 67: Essence Transformation Pill (6)

    Chapter 67: Essence Transformation Pill (6)


    Same time, that night.


    The framework of the fences surrounding the four plots of arablend was halfplete when Qin Lan returned. But that was all to it. To make this field fertile enough for the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass to thrive, Qin Lan knew that it will take more than what he has now.


    His hand tapped once on the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade on his waist and withdrew a box filled with white ashes inside.


    This is what remained from his purchase a week ago when visiting the Hunter''s Store in Fuyun City. The condition of these ashes that resembles a pot of y powder was the core material for Qin Lan to achieve what he''s aiming for.


    Qin Lan soon directed his Spiritual Energy like a funnel. The white ashes that look light as flour was actually denser than people would think. Instead of flying around like a curtain of smokescreen, it scattered onto the ground beautifully.


    Close to two incense sticks of time passed when Qin Lan finish scattering whatever he has in hand.


    (Now, we''ll have to wait for luck to do its part)


    Qin Lan whispered to himself as he pats the remaining ashes off from his clothing. Walking back to the room he''s chosen earlier inside the spiritual cave, Qin Lan took one of the Essence Transformation Pill and enjoyed the euphoric feeling it brought.


    Since the requirement of manually sucking in the Spiritual Energy around him is now removed, Qin Lan was like a fish in the water. The benefit brought to him was tripled when it added up with what his Spiritual Container Body physique can do.


    It was like a bottomless cup connected to Qin Lan''s immature Dantian, which was developed once again through the help of the Mistral Flesh Diagram.


    And unlike Qin Chan, Hu Jia, and Lu Qing Yun, there is no reason at all for Qin Lan to deepen his understanding of martial art and cultivation. What was in his mind was to purify the Spiritual Energy within his body.


    Just like the differences in strength between a Spiritual Root Layer, Bone Reconstruction Layer, and Flesh Refining Layer cultivator, the quality of Spiritual Energy within their body y a crucial role in their cultivation.


    Although all threeyers of the Precelestial Realm were applying the same type of Spiritual Energy in execution, it was different when ites to the "grade" of the energy.


    And it was pointless to try and justify their simrity or differences. That''s because, in the end, it was still measured using the measurement of a unit of Flesh Foundation Pill as the start of a guideline.


    There was also a concern as it involves the "rule" set by the creator using the Five Governing Law of the World.


    (Note: More to be added here on cultivation, but it wasn''t the time to spoil it because of my recklessness! Let''s say that although 1+1=2, it doesn''t mean that 2-1=1. We have a tax when you gamble IRL. In Fiction, there are rules set by the higher being too. Which is me, Muahahaha!)


    ...


    ...


    An ironic thought soon appeared in his mind as Qin Lan refines the natural Spiritual Energy around him.


    (Will anyone ever thought that a miraculous cultivation pill like this actually came from the core of a poisonous herb?)


    Qin Lan couldn''t help but chuckles.


    On the next two days, rain showered down onto the soil Qin Lan just fertilized. As there was nothing much he could do under the rain, Qin Lan turned into Pharmacist Lu once again as he shops around. This time, he bought a greater volume of materialspared to before.


    There were also few materials crucial for him to set up a temporary Blessing of Earth to modify the soil''s condition for the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass to thrive.


    On the morning of the third day, the process of nting the Spiritual Herbs began. There are only twenty des of Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass in Qin Lan''s hand. This means only two out of ten columns are being used in the first farmable plot.


    As for the remaining columns, Qin Lan decided to use them efficiently for something else.


    It was already evening by the time he''s finished with his work. And it was only now Qin Lan noticed the disdainful looks from those walking past his spiritual cave.


    "When did the quality of our Cloud Plucking Sect drop to this extent? If we need something to eat, just go to the nearby Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest to hunt for a beast or two. Why is this idiot nting grasses in hisnd?" one of them said.


    "Fellow brother, you might have no idea, but I heard that there are more and more peasants in our sect now. Regr habits are hard to stop." another oneughed at Qin Lan, who''s somewhat smeared by some dirt on his clothing.


    As for Li Wei, his appearance is even worst. The lime powder and rice flour used to create a proper foundation for their "fence" are all over his cheap-looking rag clothing, making him appeared like a beggar in front of the others.


    Both of them were ridiculed throughout their way as they "fortify" their stronghold. With how pitiful the farm devoid of wild grasses looked, not even a wild boar wille to graze on this piece ofnd.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, I''m sorry for not able to stop them from speaking ill of us. But they have no bad intention at all, so I hope you''ll be able to forgive them for being disrespectful." Li Wei raised the cup filled with Spiritual Gathering Dew as he speaks.


    Even till this point, Li Wei was trying to amend what happened earlier.


    (No wonder those people like senior brother Ding Chenyu and Leng Ching favored him. If it wasn''t due to his limited talent, he would be an excellent candidate for a sect envoy or delegate)


    Qin Lan raised his cup with both hands and epted Li Wei''s gesture.


    "A generous person will forgive the mistake made by an ignorant person," Qin Lan said.


    "They''ll naturally notice that they''re the frog in the well sooner orter when it''s time," he added. Once the bottle of wine was finished, Qin Lan ced a pill bottle on the table.


    "This is what we''re going to make. Try it tonight and enjoy the miraculous effect it has. I''m sure you''ll be surprised." Qin Lan decided to keep the information about the pill''s effect from Li Wei as he wanted to see how someone like Li Wei will react.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 68: Essence Transformation Pill (7)

    Chapter 68: Essence Transformation Pill (7)


    "Good morning, fellow disciple Qin." Li Wei''s energetic look was the first thing Qin Lan could see as he came out from the spiritual cave. From his observation, Qin Lan is convinced that the Essence Transformation Pill will be widely epted.


    (It will be a good idea to start preparing for the unexpected... But the question is... Should I approach Luo Yiren as Pharmacist Lu or my current identity as Qin Lan?)


    With most of the work is done yesterday, all Qin Lan would have to do is tending the nts as he sees fit. The Emerald Transformation Spiritual Grass needs at least two weeks to reach the maturity required for refining the Essence Transformation Pill.


    But to reach the point where a daughter nt grows, it would take no less than a month. This is also why Qin Chan responded when Qin Lan talked about running a Spiritual Herb farm. As the Spiritual Energy surrounding them was insufficient, running a farm can hardly bring them a considerable profit.


    Of course, this is the same analogy of "to say grapes are sour when you can''t eat them." A Spiritual Herb would only have value when there''s someone capable of appreciating them.


    Perhaps outside of the Yunshan Province, Spiritual Herb Farm is as abundant as the number of humans due to the sum of profit its capable of bringing.


    It might seem like a bottomless pit to the others, but not Qin Lan. As a person with a lifetime of experience before this, Qin Lan was ustomed to it. What he could see is more than mere benefits.


    Furthermore, there''s a reason Spiritual Herb was categorized differently from Common and Medicinal Herbs.


    A Spiritual Herb is capable of elerating its growth ording to the Spiritual Energy surrounding them. Just like thew of the jungle and Cultivation World, only the strong can survive.


    "Why... Why are you here!" Li Wei''s loud voice can be heard even from afar as he yelled at some uninvited visitor.


    "What do you mean why I am here? Why are you here?" Li Shixin pointed back at Li Wei.


    "Is there anything wrong?" the interesting situation caught Qin Lan''s interest as he appeared near them in a sh using the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, this is my stupid little brother, Li Shixin. He''s a member of Min-Ren Dwelling." Li Wei introduced Li Shixin to Qin Lan because he was supposed to be a chosen candidate of Li Wei to receive the jade slip.


    Butst night, Li Shixin rejected Li Wei''s request tly because he said he''s still in the middle ofpleting his task.


    "Qin? Are you the younger brother of senior sister Qin Fan and Qin Chan?" Li Shixin asked.


    "That''s me." Qin Lan nodded.


    "How coincident..." Li Shixinughed.


    Who could have imagined that Li Wei was, in fact, the older brother of Li Shixin? Furthermore, they happened to be pushing away one another to favor the request from the same person.


    The three of them chatted for a while to clear the misunderstanding that was built yesterday. Li Shixin''s attitude was simr to Li Wei. From this point alone, it obtained Qin Lan''s approval highly.


    (I can''t wait but see their parents. To groom two thoughtful offsprings like them is not an easy task if it is ording to how harsh has this era has be...)


    Qin Lan finished the cup of tea in his hand as he pondered about this topic. And as Qin Lan was getting ready to tends the remaining nts, Li Shixin''s curiosity made him kept Qin Lan around to answer one more question.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, what kind of herbs are nted on the farm?" he said.


    "The two columns closest to the spiritual cave is a type of herb known as Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass. As for the others, I''ve nted them with the seed of Rock Lotus Fruit." Qin Lan''s reply made the brother questioned the nt''s identity in the early sentence and flowing with cold sweat at the end.


    "Rock... Lotus... Fruit... You said... Fellow disciple Qin?" even Li Wei finds it hard to believe what he just heard.


    "Yes. Rock Lotus Fruit." Qin Lan smiled and went back to where he stops earlier.


    "Big brother, are you sure..." Li Shixin grabbed his older brother''s shoulder and asked.


    "Just have faith in him. Faith... That''s the most important thing for us now!" Li Wei stuttered. But he managed to finish his sentence nevertheless.


    ...


    ...


    Qin Lan chuckled on his own as he remembered the brother''s expression earlier when he mentioned the Rock Lotus Fruit. It was not like he has no recollection of when he''s still a child in the Qin Family Manor.


    In fact, the nt wasn''t rare at all. There was too much of it, actually, to the point it was treated as a nuisance.


    It wasbeled as the most worthless Spiritual Herb once upon a time. Growing from seed to maturity in the gap of two days, it only takes the nt three days to start bearing an olive-like fruit with an overwhelming sweetness.


    The tenacity of this fruit is also unbelievably mind-boggling. A fully grown Rock Lotus Fruit nt could literally bear fruit forever. Even if the nt is uprooted, it can survive as long as a third of the root still remains near suitable soil.


    What was bothering the brothers was the Rock Lotus Fruit, which holds little to no worth to cultivation at all. Although it was a Spiritual Herb, the content of energy inside the fruit is almost non-existent, which is about a tenth of what a Flesh Foundation Pill has.


    It wasmon once, to the point the fruits were littered on the street and crushed under people''s shoes when walking past. Today, there''s no longer anyone remembered the contribution of this Spiritual Herb once upon a time.


    This Spiritual Herb is, in fact, the real reason that the Spiritual Energy gathered around them, providing them with an inexhaustible supply daily withoutining about how it was treated.


    (Even if everyone had forgotten what you''ve once done for mankind, I won''t forget. A legacy may be lost in the corrosion of time, but not what you''ve done)


    Qin Lan gently rubbed his finger around the single de of grass of the Spiritual Herb and injected it with a hint of warm Spiritual Energy. And like it was sentient, the nt seems to be reacting with Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy by showing a bulb growing in between the leaves.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    Note: The Rock Lotus Fruit was a tribute to Shennong, also known as Grain Emperor in Chinese folk stories. It was said that he used his body to test the medicine. He was also the one to introduce farming to mankind. Hence, I believe that it will be disrespectful for me to leave him out of the credits.


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 69: Jewel Lotus Fruit (Forefathers Tribute)

    Chapter 69: Jewel Lotus Fruit (Forefather''s Tribute)


    It was his first time joining those living in Qingyao Hill for dinner that night. Tonight''s dish was a stew made from Fanged Demon Boar and an option of fish dish or vegetables with herbs.


    Qin Lan was the first to arrive first, followed by the Li brothers, who are now living together with him under one roof.


    Except for the slightly lower concentration of Spiritual Energy on that cave, everything is actually more convenient to the brothers.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, can we join your table?" Li Wei asked politely. In return, Qin Lan made a hand gesture to invite both of them to have a seat. He also added two bottles of Spiritual Gathering Dew to the table to wee them.


    The Spiritual Gathering Dew wasn''t expensive, but it still managed to irritate some of the disciples seated nearby. Of course, the reason behind this is due to an arrangement from Qin Lan''s side. To maintain their poprity and controlling the flow of distribution, Qin Lan purposely extends their time the wine took to mature.


    Furthermore, the one that came from him is actually a "Superior" brewpared to what was avable from the Qin Family Winery and also Min-Ren Dwelling. Although there was not much difference except for the taste and wine fragrance, enjoying stuff like this is still something that invites jealousy around him.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, if you don''t mind me asking..." Li Shixin whispered softly to answer his curiosity.


    "Why would you nt the Rock Lotus Fruit on all the other columns? They''re not a rare nt at all. I can understand if you say you loved eating them, but the nts will eventually turn into a bunch of troublesome weeds in the farm..." he added.


    His curiosity is understandable when one considered it from Li Shixin''s viewpoint.


    "There''s no such thing as a weed amongst Spiritual Herbs. If you trust me, go out and bring me a few fully grown Rock Lotus Fruit nt back, and I''ll show you."


    "Oh, it''s up to you to treat them like trash while bringing them back. Stomp, kick, drag, or even muttes the nt is all up to you." Qin Lan added after he finished his first few sentences.


    Not too long after that, Li Shixin returned to the spiritual cave with a bag of fully grown nts. Of course, all of the nts were in perfect condition. This was a sight to behold as it clearly shows the personality of an individual.


    "Fellow disciple Qin. I''ve brought back what you''ve asked for." Li Shixin ced the bag carefully on the table where his older brother and Qin Lan is still seated with some Spiritual Gathering Dew.


    "Did you pluck them yourself? They don''t seem wild at all." Qin Lan chuckled. The condition of the nts clearly gave a hint of how Li Shixin came back with them. There''s no even a drop of sap sticking on the bag after getting stuffed to the brim.


    "Yes." Li Shixin answered Qin Lan''s whimsical question. If he wasn''t the one that plucked the nt, then who else?


    But what Qin Lan did next surprised him.


    A ball of mes created from Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy envelops the Rock Lotus Fruit along with the nt and bag. In a sh, the sack that''s woven with straws quickly turned into ashes. Even the roots are no exception.


    Next, a cooling me came from the other hand of Qin Lan.


    The intense and soothing ball of mes collides with one another as Qin Lan extracted the essence. Two blobs of extract from the nts soon hover between Qin Lan''s hands like a pair of fishes.


    One of the sides gave out a sweet and enticing fragrance while the other tasted bitter, to the point it hurts the nose of whoever smelling them.


    It was nothing less than a surprise to both Li Wei and Li Shixin as they witness Qin Lan''s skill in alchemy. Even though it''s Li Wei''s second time this round, it was still a sight to behold.


    "No wonder the Pill Request Hall was making so much noise when ites to fellow disciple Qin''s alchemy skill. Even with hisck of experience, it is stillparable to one of the top ten young alchemists of the Dan-Xin Dwelling!" thought Li Wei.


    "COAGULATES!" Qin Lan suddenly shouted. The sweet part of the extract shatters into tiny droplets as it went through the bitter part like a swarm of charging bees.


    Qin Lan''s action is no different from making hawthorn candy. The only difference is instead of an eyeball size hawthorn, it was a teardrop size candy he''s making. The concentration required is much intense, but to someone with their caliber of control over Spiritual Energy, it was nothing much!


    Even Li Wei or Li Shixin is capable of doing this after a few practices!


    But the uing step is where the challenges lie. Using a cauldron to hold the "candy" he made, Qin Lan cooked the content patiently using his excessive Spiritual Energy.


    It took him close to an incense stick of time to finish the cooking process.


    When the content was poured onto a tray to hold recently refined pills, it shocked the Li brothers.


    "Using the fruit and stem to recreate the raw fruit all over again? What kind of alchemy practice is this?" Li Wei and Li Shixin quietly stare at the tray holding close to twenty Rock Lotus Fruit that shines brilliantly like jewels.


    What Qin Lan did to the nt is simr to breaking down the nt and created them out from the extract all over again. But from the way the twenty jewel-like Rock Lotus Fruit looks, it shouldn''t be called "Rock" but "Jewel" instead.


    "Fell - Fellow disciple Qin..." Li Shixin''s hand shivered along with his stuttering words. The jewels felt heavy in between his fingers.


    "Eat it. Try and feel what''s the differencespared to the raw version." Qin Lan grabbed a few and ced them into his mouth. His action is like a child munching on the sweet and delicious candies.


    Li Shixin gently ced one into his mouth.


    Then, a soothing and pure Spiritual Energy flows into his immature Dantian without the need to refine it first. It was a purely satisfying experience as they never tasted something like this before.


    "They''re capable of recovering our Spiritual Energy? Its purity is much higher than a Flesh Foundation Pill as well..." said Li Shixin.


    "This is known as Jewel Lotus Fruit. It was a product that has a longer shelf lifepared to the raw Rock Lotus Fruit. As for its usage, it is used to restore your Spiritual Energy, of course!" Qin Lan said.


    "Now, do you think it is still a simple weed?" Qin Lan asked.


    "NO!" both of them screamed in reply, to the point all the air is exhaled out from their lungs.


    The reason?


    It''s because this is literally a diluted version of Precelestial Essence! How can they be a trash nt?


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 70: Only One Hundred Pills Available (1)

    Chapter 70: Only One Hundred Pills Avable (1)


    "Look at what those country bumpkins are doing!" a group of disciples living in the Qingyao Hill''s core areaughed at the Li brothers for tending the Lotus Rock nt carefully. They''re literally the clown in the other''s eyes right now for turning into a farmer.


    But to the brothers, such humiliation wasn''t worth getting angry at all.


    The most important thing for them now is to keep up with the supply, while Qin Lan is still preparing for the next stage of their uing n.


    At the end of the week, the others from the Min-Ren Dwelling also came to give them a hand. The arrival of Hu Jia, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie lightens up their burden slightly. Having six pairs of hands working on four hundred nts is indeed better than two.


    As for Qin Lan, he moves around two different ces frequently.


    The Dan-Xin Dwelling and his Spiritual Cave.


    Both ces now had a Formation of Poison umtion to cultivate more of the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass. And at the same time, he''s also slowly gathering more contribution points and medicinal ingredients throughpleting the task he epted from the Pill Request Hall.


    Very soon, two weeks have passed from the day Qin Lan nted the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass. It is also the day they''ll put their n into work. The first harvest yields them twenty beautifully grown des of Spirit Grass.


    Four nearby columns in the first plot are then emptied and had their soil loosen up. It will be used to nt the next uing batch of Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass. If things went well, sixty des of Spirit Grasses are expected in their harvest two weekster.


    Everyone was busy, but none of themined. If there one, it''s Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie, who only managed to try the Essence Transformation Pill oncepared to the girls and Li Wei.


    Entering into his seclusion training once again, Qin Lan started to work with the harvested Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass.


    Each de of the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass is about six inches long and three inches wide. The stem in the middle is where the core part is located. As long this part is undamaged, extracting between four to six pills worth of essence is usible.


    To start the alchemy process, Qin Lan must use the soothing Yin mes on the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass.


    Even to a person with his experience, this step cannot be skipped when it''s rted to preparing a Spiritual Herb for alchemy. Furthermore, Qin Lan cannot afford to make a single waste at the twenty des of herbs he has beside him.


    The "preparation" step using the Yin mes causes the grasses with the striking resemnce of emerald jewel now turned entirely into a piece of pale-looking jade. It was sturdy as a real de earlier. But now, it''s looking like a piece of bloated leaf from a sulent nt.


    With the cultivation of a fifth-level Flesh Refining Layer, the 15,000 particles of Spiritual Qi in his immature Dantian only allow him to process three des of Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass at once.


    Of course, Qin Lan started steadily with two instead.


    In alchemy, haste means waste. Being put in a situation where every de of the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass is more precious than his own life made him value the progress much more.


    A gentle flick of his finger cuts off the tip of the two leaves. Then, a sweet, minty extract started to pour into the cauldron before him.


    "Eleven and a half," Qin Lan whispered. That''s the yield for using two des of the spiritual herb instead of three. It means that half of a pill worth of extract left in there will eventually be wasted at the end after he''s finished firing the cauldron.


    As soon as he''s done sighing, Yang mes appeared on both of his palms. The me''s intensity quickly turns the impurities that remain in the extract away as they started to divide themselves into individual droplets.


    Eventually, eleven pills appeared inside of the cauldron, coagted and hardened. Two pill veins were imprinted on each of them when the me started to cool off. Then, with a hint of Spiritual Energy, Qin Lan created an outburst of wind to blow the dregs away.


    The final product was eleven green pellets with two milky white veins. After filling them into eleven separated bottles, Qin Lan rested for a moment until he''s back to his optimal condition before continuing with the next batch.


    Qin Lan finally came out after working on the Essence Transformation Pills without a stop for three days. 107 individually bottled Emerald Transformation Pill is then handed over to Hu Jia.


    "So... What price are we going to sell it?" Hu Jia asked.


    They looked around at one another and eventually stops at Qin Lan.


    "Let''s sell it at the price of ten Contribution Points each. We''ll only choose three lucky disciples to test the miraculous effect of the pill. And remember this keyword..."


    "We only have a hundred of them. Firste, first serve." Qin Lan chuckled.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The next morning, Outer Market Valley.


    Hu Jia came to an elder and paid ten contribution points as a rental fee for a spot inside the market. It was totally different from what they were doing all this while.


    That''s because there are a few rules while ites to peddling your wares inside this Outer Market Valley.


    Only two hundred independent stalls are allowed to open every day, firste, first serve. The prices for the first hundred stalls vary depending on their positioning and sizes. As for the second hundred stalls, they''re all equal.


    It was through this way that they manage to keep thingspetitive inside this Outer Market.


    What''s next is your ability to manage your stall. As long no weapon is used, you''re allowed to do whatever you like to your rival''s business. Because here in the Outer Market Valley, not only your resources are counted as a part of your strength! Background, ability, and decisiveness as well are taken into ount!


    This is not unfair. This is not injustice.


    ...


    Their stall soon opened in a pretty secluded area. Manned by Hu Jia, Lu Qing Yun, and Qin Chan, the others like Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, and Qin Fan is taking care of their security.


    A g twerked by Qin Lan slightly stands straight in Lu Yi''s grip, with a few words written on it.


    [MIRACOULOUS ESSENCE TRANSFORMATION PILL]


    "Hey, what is this Essence Transformation Pill is all about?" a few fellow disciples from the nearby stall came to them and started to bombard the girls with questions.


    It was to the point of annoyance because half of the questions weren''t rted to the product. They were here just to try to get rid of apetitor for their day-to-day business.


    After all, one less stall is few contribution points more for them!


    But soon, the surge in the number of shopping disciples quickly turn them away to get busy with their own merchandise. There are more people started to ask about the pill, but none of them made a purchase!


    It was until an actor name Shan Xiong Xin finally came.


    "WHAT?" he yelled after hearing what Hu Jia exined to him. Soon, Shan Xiong Xin pointed at a cultivator he hated nearby and challenged him to a duel. To make it more interesting, he purposely chose the one with a small level higher than him.


    "Shan Xiong Xin, you must be tired of living. How dare a seventh-level challenge an eighth-level like me!" the cultivator with a mouse-face chuckled as he tried to grab the attention of the passerby to watch the show.


    "Fellow disciple Shan! Take this and give him a lesson!" Hu Jia purposely poured the Essence Transformation Pill into Shan Xiong Xin''s hand and let him swallow it right in front of everyone.


    "Remember, we only have a hundred of them. Firste, first serve." Qin Lan''s sentence repeats itself in her mind.


    "Everyone! You might want to queue up here if you change your mindter on. We only have a hundred pills in our hand!" Hu Jia yelled.


    It was time for business.


    "Real business," Hu Jia smirks.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    Note: We''ll enter privilege from Chapter 71 onwards. I''ll keep updating until it''s locked so take your opportunity to read before it happened!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 71: Only One Hundred Pills Available (2)

    Chapter 71: Only One Hundred Pills Avable (2)


    "Wang Da Ya! I''ll teach you a lesson for stealing my huntst time!" after taking the Essence Transformation Pill, Shan Xiong Xin''s confidence has gone up. The miraculous effect of the medicine quickly shows itself in front of everyone as the battle began.


    "Nine Styles of Sky Dragon Fist!" Shan Xiong Xin strikes with one of his top martial art the moment their battle started. Explosive strength like a flying wooden log made its way unhindered towards Wang Da Ya.


    "Stupid! I''ll see how many times you can attack!" Wang Da Ya scurried like a rat and dodged the attack without difficulty. Closing the distance between them in less than a few seconds, Wang Da Ya immediately counterattacked using his best w techniques.


    But it was for naught because Shan Xiong Xin''s Sky Dragon Turbulence Body is known for its defensive ability. Furthermore, his cultivation is improving considerably due to Qin Lan''s quality Turbulence Pill recently.


    "Damn lizard skin. I''ll fry you into crisp!" Wang Da Ya gathered some of his Spiritual Energy on his throat after he finished his sentence.


    Unfortunate for him, Shan Xiong Xin was not a fool. Thetter delivered a pping attack downward. Although it missed Wang Da Ya by a few inches, it still interrupted him from continuing with his next move.


    "Spiritual me Burst!" Wang Da Ya exhaled. A gush of fiery mes created by his Spiritual Energy is shot outward like how a poisonous snake spits its venom.


    "SKY DRAGON FIST!" Shan Xiong Xin uses both his hands to deliver two consecutive attacks instead of one. The cramped spaces around them finally contribute to Shan Xiong Xin as the attacknds on Wang Da Ya urately.


    "Ouch!" Wang Da Ya moaned in pain after getting hit by the attack. It was like he''s having his head smacked by a log, only much more painful.


    "Ah!!! I''m going to teach you a lesson on behalf of the tenth elder! I''ll see how you''re going to fight after exhausting all your Spiritual Energy tounch three consecutive full-strength attacks now!" Wang Da Ya secretly cheered because it was not the first time he fought against Shan Xiong Xin.


    It was a well-known fact that the Nine Styles of Sky Dragon Fist exhaust arge amount of Spiritual Energy each time. With the level of Shan Xiong Xin''s achievement in his Sky Dragon Turbulence Body, using the attack three times is his limit.


    And unless he''s willing to digest a Precelestial Essence, it will be impossible for him to use it for the fourth time.


    But everything has an "If" added into the sentence.


    "What if I..." Wang Da Ya jaw dropped as he stares at Shan Xiong Xin, who''s preparing for another blow of Sky Dragon Fist.


    "The hell? This guy is literally absorbing Spiritual Energy around him while fighting!" one spectator noticed the flow of energy entering Shan Xiong Xin''s body.


    "Furthermore... The speed of his conversion is not slow... He''s digesting and refining them straight into pure Spiritual Qi! How can this be happening?" another spectator added.


    "With - Without the need of meditates... Won''t he''ll be able to fight longer than all of us? Did he secretly take a Precelestial Essence without us knowing?" one ignorant disciple asked.


    "You idiot! So many pairs of eyes are here! Do you think all of us are as blind as you do?" his senior from the same dwelling gave his head a knock for speaking before thinking.


    "Quick! Queue up! Queue up! Don''t miss the line!" some of the smarter disciples quickly went into the queuing beside the stall managed by Hu Jia secretly. Since it was a firste, first-serve basis, who can guarantee they''ll be able to buy one of the pills?


    Very quickly, close to eighty disciples queued by the side, creating a line like a dragon is chasing for a treat.


    "Wang Da Ya!" Shan Xiong Xin''s shouting rmed the former that tried to recover his Spiritual Energy quickly. Sweat quickly rolled down from both of his temples as he realized that he''s f**ked.


    The attack went straight into Wang Da Ya''s face, throwing him back to his stall. It ended in such a funny way that nobody has anything toment on except praising the miraculous effect from the pill given to him by Hu Jia.


    "Fellow disciple Hu, may I..." Shan Xiong Xin embarrassedly came to the stall to ask if he can purchase another one of the Essence Transformation Pill.


    "Hey! Queue up!" those from the queuing like shouted at Shan Xiong Xin as they''re worried about not being able to buy the pills.


    "Yes! Queue the d**n up and wait for your turn!"


    "Right! Why are we waiting here? You had your treat! Now get back to the end of the line, you oaf!" everyone was venting their dissatisfaction for not being the one to enjoy the pill first.


    Furthermore, it was a free treat by Hu Jia!


    Even if they''re not coveting the pill, who''s willing to ignore the heart of getting touched by a young maiden while she ced that pill onto your palm?


    "Are they eyeing on our sister-inw? Should I punch them?" Qin Chan whispered beside Qin Fan''s ears.


    "Don''t. Let''s pocket the money first. This stuff is what our sister-inw is good with." Qin Fan replied. Even he realized that Qin Lan and Hu Jia''s tricks are far better than their own.


    "Alright! One pill a person! That would be ten contribution points each! For those that failed to purchase one, you can leave your name with our other members! We''ll contact you the moment we have more in stock!" Hu Jia said.


    "Make sure you do! We can''t guarantee that the price won''t change the next time!" her next sentence turned the outer market into havoc. Those not in the line went crazy as they heard about the price might change after this round.


    "Ahhh!!!"


    ...


    ...


    "The Outer Market is quite lively today." one of the elders chuckled as he overlooks the market from his office.


    "Essence Transformation Pill... Have you heard about it before, Old Luo?" the elder that warned Hu Jiast time asked the eighth elder that sits across his table.


    "Of course. But I''m more curious about where the Spiritual Herb to refine this pill came from." the eighth elder took a sip of the tea and reply.


    "Shall we go down to have a look?" the elder said.


    "What''s the rush? Looking at how they''re taking the names down for the next batch, I''m sure they have more in hand. Let them be. It''s time someone makes a wave in the outer sect." the eighth elder said.


    "Haih... If your Leng Ching is not thatzy, perhaps the next intake for Inner Sect had already started." the elder sighed. Although the Outer and Inner Sect are both a part of the Cloud Plucking Sect, they''re not at a friendly term with one another.


    ...


    "Alright! That''s all we got. Only one hundred pills are avable. I''ll be seeing you all next time!" Hu Jia happily announced that they''ve finished for the day.


    It was a party for them that night.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 72: Lang [Medicine] House (1)

    Chapter 72: Lang [Medicine] House (1)


    "Who has a sample of the Essence Transformation Pill?" a man asked inside a spacious spiritual cave he reserved. Seated before him was a group of six disciples with the armband of [Dan] on them, which exins where they came from.


    "Here." the one seated nearest to the leader''s seat took a bottle out from his sleeve''s pocket. It was given to a female attendant standing beside the man and brought to his attention.


    "Sweet and minty vor... If my guess is correct, this pill is concocted from one or two herbs at most. The grade of the nt has to be at least at the spiritual ss." the man used a precise tool to create a scratch on the pill''s surface.


    "What do you think, Er-Lang?" the man signaled the female attendant to bring the tray over to the one seated next to him.


    The one named Er-Lang had his face stays just an inch before touching the female attendant''s voluptuous chest. But nobodyined as everyone present in this room was used to his antics.


    One of his hands then went to the female attendant''s bosom and grabbed it tightly. Perverted as it looks, the action of his made the female attendant came closer to him with the tray about to hit his face.


    "Two veins..." Er-Lang rubbed his face on the female attendant''s chest as he continued. "It''s vague, but there''s a hint of poison remained on the surface of the pill. This pill seems to be made with something rted to poison."


    Shivering after being "assaulted" by the one called Er-Lang, the female attendant continued and went to the one after him. Inside this room, all seven of them carry the nickname of (Lang) in their title. Er, Si, and Liu sat on the leader''s left, with San, Wu, and Qi on the right.


    The man in the middle named himself Da-Lang, which means the eldest wolf.


    They''re one of the few influential factions established by the outer disciples themselves.


    "Brother Si-Lang, it''s your turn. Poison should be your forte, correct?" Er-Lang took the opportunity to give the female attendant''s buttock a p before she walked further away from his side.


    "En." Si-Lang was quieterpared to the debauch Er-Lang. Picking up the Essence Transformation Pill on two fingers, he inspected the pellet for a moment before leaving it back on top of the tray.


    It was shown to each of them until the female attendant made aplete circle around all seven of them. Da-Lang then throws a pouch filled with some Flesh Foundation Pill onto the tray in exchange for the Essence Transformation Pill.


    Although the female attendant felt defiled by them, it was for the sake of a few pills as her sry. If she has to look for something to be med, it was her strength and background.


    "Leave." Da Lang ordered her to leave the spiritual cave.


    After enjoying viting the female attendant through their own fetishes, it is time for their serious discussion to begin.


    "I heard that the group that sells this pill is yet to establish their name. Should we recruit them into our Lang (medicine) House?" Qi-Lang, the youngest of the seven, said.


    "Young seven, do you think I don''t know what you''re thinking? From what I heard, there are a few hotties up to your taste in that group, correct?" San-Lang said. He''s also the one that brought the Essence Transformation Pill out at the start.


    "Heh, San-Ge... I know that you''re eying on Qin Chan''s milky thigh too. Am I correct?" Qi-Lang added.


    "Guys, serious conversation first," Da-Lang warned them. After staring at one another, their discussion continued.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Three thousand Contribution Points in a single day! This is a record!" Qin Chan happily hopped around with Hu Jia for the sessfulunch of the Essence Transformation Pill today.


    It was indeed worth celebrating because three thousand contribution points are equal to selling three hundred pills in a single day. Although two-thirds of them came from the disciple''s upfront payment, it is still a profit at the end of the day.


    "Third brother. Since you''re the one that came up with this n, you''ll be the one to decide how the points will be distributed. We won''t question how it will be used." Qin Fan brought his disciple''s token out and hinted at Qin Lan to do the same.


    "Let''s divide them into ten portions. Each of us will be receiving 300 contribution points for our own expenses. The remaining part will go into the spiritual cave''s ount to be used to pay for our rental and other fees." Qin Lan said.


    "We''ll follow what you''ve said. Do you need to take a short break from refining so many pills? You can leave the farm to us." Qin Chan said. Her heart is still in pain from watching the malnourished Qin Lan when he came out with the 107 bottles of Essence Transformation Pill.


    "I''m alright." Qin Lan replied.


    It was alreadyte at night when everyone was exhausted and returned to their room to rest.


    ...


    "Husband, let me give you a good shoulder massage." Hu Jia meekly came to Qin Lan''s side after she''s done hanging the robe he''s wearing today.


    "I would prefer something different today," Qin Lan grabbed Hu Jia''s hand and brought her onto hisp.


    After controlling himself for so long, it was once again the time for Qin Lan to unleash his inner desire. With his lips locking on Hu Jia''s, he undressed her without allowing her to reject all his advances.


    In a sh moment, not a single thread remained on their body as they fought on top of the bed. Qin Lan "experienced" approach on Hu Jia''s most sensitive spots made her panting for air each time he attacked her ferociously.


    His sensual bite made her moan.


    His sensual touch made her twitched.


    And when all the condition is finally met, Qin Lan "thrust" her using his deadliest weapon. The connection as natural as a sword returning into its sheath brings ecstasy to Hu Jia as she failed to control her voice.


    "Ahh!!!" even Hu Jia won''t believe that such an erotic voice could actuallye from her.


    The fiercer Qin Lan moves, the harder she pants. But as it was still an early night for both of them, Hu Jia persisted. She tried to resist him fearlessly through her voluptuous chest as her only weapon.


    "Dearest wife, I''m..." Qin Lan was suffocated by Hu Jia''s approach. It was heaven and helling to him at the same time.


    "Not yet... Hah... Not - Yet!" Hu Jia pushed Qin Lan down onto the bed as she tried to take control.


    "Today..."


    "Today..."


    "I''m the one eating you!!!" Hu Jia rocked Qin Lan''s world by moving herself on top of Qin Lan. A silence quickly ensued as Qin Lan lies on the bed weakly.


    "I won!" Hu Jia rested her head on Qin Lan''s chest.


    "Ha - Ha - Ha..." Qin Lan tried his best to catch up with his breath.


    "I''ll win you back... Soon..."


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    Note: Sorry for the changes. The premium is starting on Chapter 71 and not 75. If my time allows me to do so, I''ll update another chapter soon!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 73: Lang [Medicine] House (2)

    Chapter 73: Lang [Medicine] House (2)


    "Move the medicinal herbs inside!" Er-Lang ordered. Standing by his side is two young courtesans hired from a nearby brothel to apany him on his way back to the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Beauty, it was regrettable, but our time ends here. Take this reward and bring yourself away from my face." his mood changed the moment their convoy passes Qin Lan''s spiritual cave.


    Because the carriage he''s sitting on is heightened to a certain degree, it allows him to observe his surrounding to a certain distance. The reason behind the change in his mood is due to what he sees on the farm.


    "Only forty columns are in use? What a waste. These people are not only inexperienced but also ignorant!" Er-Lang thought.


    If thisnd was given to him, he''s confident he could increase the output of what Qin Lan''s group could do. Furthermore, only one-fifth of the farm was used to nt a herb he''s yet to see before. The others were all infested with Rock Lotus nts.


    Kicking the door of his carriage, Er-Lang made his way over to the spiritual cave.


    "Who''s the owner of this spiritual cave? Get the hell out here." Er-Lang''s piercing voice and usage of words managed to irk everyone''s mood inside the spiritual cave while they''re still enjoying their breakfast.


    It was a once-in-a-while opportunity for them to dine together at the same table, but Er-Lang just has toe here to spoil the mood.


    "I''ll go and teach him a lesson." Lu Yi stands up with the bun still in between his mouth.


    "It''s fine. Let me go and see what this guy wants." Qin Lan stops Lu Yi from going out and looking for trouble.


    This fellow disciple, how may I help you?" Qin Lan politely greets Er-Lang the moment he came out from the spiritual cave.


    "Are you the one that concocts the Essence Transformation Pill sold in the Outer Market Valley yesterday?" Er-Lang questioned Qin Lan straightaway. As a fellow alchemist, his sense of smell is far greater than the others as he noticed the remnant of medicinal fragrance on Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Indeed. That''ll be me. How may I address this fellow disciple?" Qin Lan smiled and admitted. There''s nothing much for him to require to hide from.


    "Er-Lang from the Lang [Medicine] House. You should be honored that I made a stop outside of your shabby spiritual cave today." Er-Lang proudly added the second sentence to make himself sounded like a significant individual.


    "Oh?" Qin Lan''s reaction caught Er-Lang unaware as he suddenly revealed a nk expression.


    "Is it because the road outside failed to support the weight of your carriage? How unfortunate..." what''s following from Qin Lan''s mouth pissed Er-Lang. Instead of being intimidated, Qin Lan actually shifted his attention to the horse carriage waiting outside.


    One of the wheels is stuck inside the softer ground as it was parked there for a while now.


    "Th - This..." Er-Lang is speechless by this embarrassing moment.


    "Guys! There''s a horse carriage with its wheel stuck in the mud. Come out and give it a hand, would you?" Qin Lan turned his head around and looked inside the spiritual cave. Everyone else came out after hearing what he just said.


    Without speaking a single word, Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, Qin Fan, and the Li brothers went to the back of the carriage and gave it a push.


    Their action made the horse carriage unconsciously moves further away from Qin Lan''s spiritual cave. It also allows the people to use the path without disruption.


    "Who allows you to move my carriage without my permission?" Er-Lang asked. A vein or two is bulging out from anger.


    "It was my doorstep. Who needs your permission?" Qin Lan stopped being considerate with Er-Lang and his words. His reply made Er-Lang gathered some Spiritual Energy in his palm to prepare for an attack.


    "Brat... Better control your mouth before you make enemies with the wrong people. Do you know who you''re messing with right now?" Er-Lang asked. The Spiritual Energy around his right palm still lingers there as he speaks.


    "Er-Lang from the Lang [Medicine] House. Did I miss anything else? Why are you here uninvited? Is there anything important that you''ll have to see me personally?" Qin Lan answered and questioned him for his uninvited arrival to his humble abode.


    "I believe we''re not acquainted through anyone I know. Please state the reason for your visit and standing inside my ce right now." Qin Lan emitted about the same Spiritual Energy Er-Lang used around his body. His action is akin to fighting fire with fire.


    "Humph!" Er-Lang gets rid of the Spiritual Energy after a harumph. Although he was hot-tempered, he wasn''t as irrational as Lu Yi when it''s about understanding the situation. There''s just not much of a profit for them if he made his move right now.


    Looking at the yield of Qin Lan''s farm, there''s not much profit at all. Furthermore, it was a foolish move in his opinion for Qin Lan to nt two types of Spiritual Herbs in a location with a low concentration of Spiritual Energy.


    It was like forcing a drying well to produce enough water to sustain the crops enough to feed an army.


    "I was going to be considerate to the juniors at first, but the tone of your speech made me reconsidered my generosity. Looks like there''s nothing much for the Lang [Medicine] House to help here." Er-Lang said.


    "But as your senior, we''re not that selfish either. If there''s something you need, feel free toe to cave number 10. That''s where the Lang [Medicine] House''s headquarter is located. We''ll be around to lend you a hand when needed." he added.


    With both of his hands ced on his back, Er-Lang left after he finished what he was going to say.


    "Thank you for your kind words, senior brother Er-Lang!" Qin Lan smirked the moment Er-Lang is just two steps away from leaving his ce. Since the seed of hostility has been nted, there''s no reason for Qin Lan to amend it like it was due to his mistake.


    To him, hostility is best to serve when it was still warm.


    "But don''t worry because there might be nothing the Lang [Medicine] House can help. Our medicinal product is just too unique, that''s all." Qin Lan chuckled as he dug the soil where Er-Lang was standing earlier and tossed them out of his farm.


    "Let''s get some soil back to our ce! It was dirtied!" Qin Lan loudly yelled as he tries to provoke Er-Lang further.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 74: Expedition (1)

    Chapter 74: Expedition (1)


    "You''re back?" the youngest of the seven Lang''s asked Er-Lang the moment he noticed his carriage arrival from afar. Although not one of them is rted by blood, the brotherhood between them is thicker than blood-rted brothers.


    That''s because all of them came from the same ce known as Yixun Town. It was also recently conferred with the title of "Town" about the same time as Xiyun City.


    But from the rumor circting around the sect, that wasn''t the reason why the Lang [Medicine] House is famed in the Outer Sect. The reason behind their reputation actually came from their recent contribution to thest province war.


    Close to three months ago, a smaller, less than 10,000 soldier''s battle happened between the borders connecting Yunshan Province and Kuanglei Province. It was a bloody battle where the Yunshan Province eventually triumphed.


    During that battle, the seven Lang''s managed to defend against three assaultsunched by the cultivators from Kuanglei Province and provides close to 5,000 pills with various effects to support the frontline.


    Of course, the close distance between the frontline and Xiyun Town is why the Lang [Medicine] House managed to perform that well during the skirmish.


    "Don''t pick a fight with me. I''m still angered right now!" Er-Lang kicked the door off from the carriage as he returned to the spiritual cave with huge paces.


    "What happens? Did they reject your invitation for them to join us?" Qi-Lang asked while following him from behind.


    "Reject? I''m not even capable of bringing that topic up! The tongue of their alchemist was too sharp!" Er-Langined. He mmed the door into his room shut the moment he went inside, leaving Qi-Lang outside smiling by himself.


    "Aww... I guess I''ll bring one girl back for Er-Geter..." Qi-Lang crossed his fingers on the back of his neck and left.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "I''m sure that the Lang [Medicine] House are going to keep causing trouble with us. Although I''m confident of Lan-Er''s alchemy skills, we have to always remember that it is good to beware of what our opponents willing to do to win."


    "Confronting the one with a spear is easy, but what we need is to beware of the one with a bow on our back." Qin Fan gave Qin Lan a word of advice.


    "Eldest brother, I know what I''m doing. Don''t worry. If they really wanted toe at us, then let theme." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Fellow disciple Qin." just when Qin Lan finished his sentence, a familiar voice came to them. It was the two-meter tall giant that fought against Wang Da Ya yesterday, Shan Xiong Xin.


    "Fellow disciple Shan," Qin Lan cupped his hands together and greeted Shan Xiong Xin. In his hand was a Qiankun Pouch.


    "Am I disturbing everyone with my arrival?" Shan Xiong Xin smiled. Paired with his body, this smile of his can be said to be the most cheerful expression so far they''ve seen since this morning.


    "Of course not! Let us continue our talk inside the spiritual cave!" Qin Lan invites Shan Xiong Xin to follow him inside.


    Because Shan Xiong Xin''s arrival seems to be rted to an alchemy request, the others did not follow. Qin Fan and Qin Chan made their way back to the Min-Ren Dwelling in the afternoon, leaving the other six to tend the nts.


    ...


    "Fellow disciple Qin, let me introduce you two. This is Sun Wu Jian, my senior brother and also the sixteenth disciple of the tenth elder." Shan Xiong Xin started their discussion with an introduction of thepanion beside him.


    From how he respectfully introduced Sun Wu Jian, he''s likely someone with a proper background. Furthermore, the surname Sun is rare, especially in this Yunshan Province.


    "Greetings, alchemist Qin. You can call me Wu Jian if you don''t mind. I''m actually here because my junior brother believes that you''re the only one capable of helping me." Sun Wu Jian then followed with the momentum built by Shan Xiong Xin to speaks with Qin Lan casually.


    "Senior brother Wu Jian is too courteous. Feel free to call me Qin Lan as well. You as well, fellow disciple Shan. Just addressed me as Qin Lan if you treat me as a friend." Qin Lan reced the teaware on the table with a set of wine cups as he speaks.


    Although it was still afternoon, a wine was supposed to be enjoyed when talking about casual subjects.


    "I''ll follow fellow disciple... Ah, no... Brother Qin Lan''s word then." Shan Xiong Xin smiled. Hearing Qin Lan''s reply made him felt that Qin Lan is someone worthy of befriending.


    "Please enjoy. This is a new brew created during my own free time. The Rock Lotus Fruit was the main ingredient when I''m tinkering with the ingredients to brew this wine." Qin Lan pokes a hole in the rice paper used to cover the wine jar.


    It was about the size of a medicinal cauldron. Since the ingredient used to brew this wine is less precious, Qin Lan didn''t put too much effort into packaging it.


    But the fragrant that came from this wine tells them something otherwise. Even if the packaging was shabby, that does not mean the quality of the wine is subpar.


    A fragrance bomb explodes outward once Qin Lan removes his finger away from the rice paper dyed with a red colorant. The alcohol content, now weaponized, immediately made their cheek flushed by tasting it through smell alone.


    "How fragrant... I think only the capital''s White Emperor''s Cup canpete with this vor!" Sun Wu Jian said. From his choice of words, it gave out a hint of where he actually came from.


    "Capital... Don''t tell me he''s rted with that family?" Qin Lan poured the wine equally into three different cups.


    "Fellow disciple Wu Jian, fellow disciple Xiong Xin, please!" Qin Lan invited them to enjoy the first cup of this recently brewed, nameless wine.


    The cups are then raised up to their eye level in both hands. Then, all three mentioned the word "PLEASE!" at the other two as they finished the cup of wine in a single gulp.


    "Good wine!" Sun Wu Jian made his remark.


    "If brother Wu Jian loves the taste of this lowly brew of mine, feel free to bring a few jars backter when you leave. Let us enjoy the one before us as we continue!" Qin Lan filled their cup again as he suggests that they''re now ready to discuss whatever in Sun Wu Jian and Shan Xiong Xin''s minds.


    "I will be straightforward." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "I am actually in the middle of preparing for an attack expedition towards the Kuanglei Province. But to make this attack a sess, I need the assistance of a few alchemists. My choice was the people from Lang [Medicine] House and ck Stone Faction at first, but I hesitated."


    "It was not because they''recking in skills. It was because the way they conduct themselves wasn''t the quality I''m looking for. Money is not a problem to me, but morality is!" Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Brother Qin Lan, I need your reliable assistance in alchemy. But I will not pay for your service with anything else except money. Please let me know if you''re reluctant to do so." Sun Wu Jian stares deeply into Qin Lan''s eyes as he finished his sentence.


    "I don''t mind about getting paid or not. All I have is a question that has to be answered." Qin Lan replied.


    "Please ask." Sun Wu Jian finished the second cup of wine as he agreed to answer Qin Lan''s question.


    "Why would your highness lead an assault personally?" Qin Lan''s question made the cup in Sun Wu Jian''s hand fall onto the ground. Even Shan Xiong Xin couldn''t believe what he just heard.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 75: Expedition (2)

    Chapter 75: Expedition (2)


    "Your highness?" Shan Xiong Xin stares at Sun Wu Jian''s back while their ears are still apanied by the sound created from the cup rolling on the ground. That mere few seconds felt like minutes as they remained silent.


    "Hooo... Brother Qin Lan is indeed a sharp one. I''m sorry, brother Shan, but like what brother Qin says, I am indeed someone from the Royal Family..." Sun Wu Jian returned to his seat as he continued.


    "Are you both willing to listen to a story?" Sun Wu Jian grabbed the jar of wine on the table and poured the content straight into his mouth. Perhaps doing something like this gave him the courage to continue.


    With a wave of his hand, Qin Lan ced two more jars of nameless wine on the table as they wait for Sun Wu Jian to start his story.


    ...


    Being born into the Royal Family is not a blessing but a curse.


    In the eyes of the others, it was a privilege. A privilege of deciding at which moment the person lives or dies. But nobody truly realized the responsibility that came along with this ursed title.


    Sun Wu Jian was the ninth child of the current King of Wu. Above him were four princes and princesses. There are three other princes after him, but they were too young topete with the others.


    In the Country of Wu, the right to session does note from the time you''re born. Preparation was the only advantage you''ll ever get from being born earlier than the others. And including Sun Wu Jian, the nine of them were only given one task to prove themselves worthy of the position as the next King of Wu.


    Sovereignty over everything else.


    With only an empty title of a prince, they''re expected to establish their own force, structure, and system. Everything the prince managed to get into their hand would be counted as a part of their individual strength.


    That means the princes are expected to amass everything they could whilepeting against one another. Even organizing an assassination against another royalpetitor is allowed if they''re capable enough.


    Of course, no king willing to see his children kill one another. Hence, a guard of Full-Completion Bone Restructuring Layer is assigned to protect them from harm. That was the only obstacle guarding the king''s candidate until a sessor is chosen from them.


    As the ninth prince, Sun Wu Jian was the youngest amongst them. Born from a mere consort who was wed to the current King of Wu under the pretense of diplomacy, Sun Wu Jian''s background can be said to be the weakest between them.


    This greatly hindered his path to seed on the throne. Furthermore, as the youngest of them, hisck of social standing made it harder for him to recruit potential subordinates.


    That''s until Sun Wu Jian found his current chancellor. Learning under the chancellor for six years, Sun Wu Jian was taught differently from the other eight princes and princesses. Most of them selected the path of conquest, subjugation, politics, ormerce as their path.


    Sun Wu Jian was the only one that chooses the path of virtue in his way to sovereignty.


    ...


    ...


    "Brother Qin Lan. Brother Shan Xiong Xin. Please help me." Sun Wu Jian lowered his head toward them after he made a few steps away from the table.


    And their response made his day filled with more expectations and not a disappointment. His two elbows were supported by Qin Lan and Shan Xiong Xin as he was going to ask them for a favor.


    "If you still call me as a brother, don''t do this anymore." Shan Xiong Xin said. Sun Wu Jian''s eye was much more confident than before after Shan Xiong Xin''s sentence.


    "Would you be willing to support me, brother Qin?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "That would be an honor." Qin Lan nodded. Using the three jars of wine on the table, the three of them made a promise to support each other.


    ...


    "Husband, it seems that your mood is pretty good today. Did something happen?" Hu Jia asked while her finger is gently massaging Qin Lan''s head.


    "You can say so. I might need to go out for a while. Can I rely on you and the Li brothers to handle the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass and Rock Lotus nts?" Qin Lan rxed his head more as it fell onto Hu Jia''s chest.


    The vor of a plum blossom entered Qin Lan''s nose as he takes a sniff.


    "Of course you can." Hu Jia moved her hand from massaging Qin Lan''s head to his face. Each time she pressed his cheeks and chin, Qin Lan''s head will lean on her breast harder. The friction that came between his head, her undergarment, and her hand movement made Hu Jia blushed.


    Unconsciously, the two tips hidden behind the undergarment are erected out of Hu Jia''s control. It started to give her a terrible time as she tries her best to control herself from letting out a moan.


    "How long would your trip be?" Hu Jia asked.


    "I''lle back when the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass is mature and ready. For this trip, I''ll be taking Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie along with me as they''re all proficient in alchemy as well." Qin Lan replied to Hu Jia''s question while still unaware of her expression.


    "Oh..." Hu Jia gives out a response that doesn''t seem to go along with Qin Lan''s reply.


    "How can my wife went into the mood before I take the initiative?" Qin Lan opened his eyes and stares at the blushing Hu Jia. Both of his hands reached out to the back of Hu Jia''s head and pulled her face closer to him.


    The two of them enjoyed a passionate kiss right on where they are. Following the kisses is a princess hug where Qin Lan brings Hu Jia over to their bed. Through his sensual touch and familiarity in undressing Hu Jia''s clothing, Qin Lan quickly found his ess point to Hu Jia''s naked body.


    His mouth that''s been thirsting for her flesh went onto her twin peaks as its first target.


    "Ahh!!!" Hu Jia moaned. It was an entirely new experience each time Qin Lan essed her body. Sweat rolled all over her body even though it wasn''t as hot as when the sun is up.


    It was then continued with a ferocious thrust from Qin Lan''s spear as both of them engaged in a battle. All sorts of techniques were being used until they finally ended up with Qin Lan''s victory.


    Panting on the bed, Hu Jia gently touched Qin Lan''s face with an expression full of satisfaction.


    "I''ll be waiting for you toe back..." she said.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 76: Expedition (3)

    Chapter 76: Expedition (3)


    "Greetings, your highness." Qin Lan cupped his hand together as he descends from the horse he''s riding. Following his footsteps are Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie.


    They''re currently gathered in a small vige near the border between Yunshan and Kuanglei Province.


    "Let''s get into the vige first. The soldiers will take care of the horses on your behalf." Sun Wu Jian exchanged a greeting with Qin Lan at the vige''s entrance and hinted at them to follow him.


    It was indeed a small invading force. Their number is merely two hundred people, with average cultivation of between fourth and fifth-level in Flesh Refining Layer. Their spirit is in the proper condition right now, which is a good sign in Qin Lan''s opinion.


    Except for them, there''s also a Peak Bone Construction Layer cultivator inside this vige, protecting Sun Wu Jian''s safety.


    With Sun Wu Jian in the lead, they quickly entered a somewhat protected house located in the middle of the nameless vige. There are two other men and a woman inside, likely waiting for their arrival.


    "Allow me to introduce you to the assistant leader of our invading force, Huang Ping. The one beside him is his most trusted aide, captain Wang Xun." Sun Wu Jian moved his palm over to where the two men are and introduced them to Qin Lan.


    "As for this lovelydy here, her name is Li Dan. She''s our reliable cksmith and a master from the Department of Protective and Defensive Treasures." Sun Wu Jian continued. His hand pointed to the only female inside this house as he introduced her as a cksmith.


    "This is Alchemist Qin Lan and hispanion. Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie. I hope everyone could cooperate with each other to make this attack a sess." after introducing Qin Lan and the others, everyone took a seat as the discussion started.


    "Our target is a mine near the border of Kuanglei Province. From what our source says, there should be a considerable amount of Precelestial Essence Stones to be mined over here." Sun Wu Jian pointed at a location on the mapid on top of the table.


    "But our source also stated that this ce used to belong to the people from Kuanglei Province. It was recently out of their control because this ce is raided by the mountain bandits twice, causing terrible loss to them."


    "As long we''re able to take advantage of this, the Precelestial Essence Mine is going to be under our control. With Li Dan and Qin Lan here, I''m confident that our profit will not be any lesser than 10 drops of Precelestial Essence per person." Sun Wu Jian stated.


    Using the lowest exchange possible, every single drop of Precelestial Essence worth a thousand Flesh Foundation Pills at least. With the estimation of ten drops per person, that''s equivalent to ten thousand pills if they seed.


    It was indeed a rewarding expedition based on the estimated profit. That''s especially true considering that it takes Qin Lan two days to finish concocting 150 Demonic Blood Oranges within two days. In return, he received 75 Flesh Foundation Pills as his reward.


    And to the owner of the 150 Demonic Blood Oranges, Shan Xiong Xin, it is much more torturous as it would take him no less than two weeks to be able to harvest that much. Furthermore, the 750 pills figure came from Qin Lan''s 100 out of 100 sessful refinings.


    If the task were to be given to the others, managed to reach 500 is counted as a good yield. Being able to refine 600 pills is skillful, and 700 is an alchemy genius.


    "Is there any additional questions in your mind before I proceed with talking about our n?" Sun Wu Jian stops here and waiting for any concerns to be brought up.


    They remained quiet.


    "Huang Ping, Wang Xun. It''s your turn." Sun Wu Jian took a step backward and handed the turn to speak to his two followers.


    "From what was reported by the scouts, the main force of the mountain bandits has likely left. There are less than two hundred and fifty bandits remained behind the barricade if we put aside the number of ves." Wang Xun exined.


    "But at the same time, we have two other concerns. The first concern is the location of the mine. Our attack might create the opportunity for the people from Kuanglei Province to stalk at us like an oriole behind the mantis."


    "And second concern would be the Yao Beast surrounding this location. The scout reported about the sighting of Crimson Battlewolves in the perimeters surrounding the mine." Huang Ping added.


    The moment the name "Crimson Battlewolves" is brought up into the discussion table, droplets of sweat appeared on everyone, including Qin Lan.


    "No wonder the people from Kuanglei Province hesitates to take back the mine from the bandit''s hand. If I''m the onemanding the opposition force, I''ll let the bandit work for free while I reap what they''re trying to smuggle outside of the mine." thought Qin Lan.


    With his thumb and index finger pinching the gap between his eyebrows, Qin Lan started to think of a way to safely avoid the confrontation of either one.


    And right now, Qin Lan was the only one who continues to think. In the meantime, everyone else has started to look for an idea on engaging with one side after another.


    To them, facing either one wasn''t a problem. The problem lies in a situation needing to fight all three sides to excavate the Precelestial Essence Stones.


    "What''s the..." the same sentence came out from Qin Lan and Li Dan at the same time.


    "Lady Li Dan, please go ahead." Qin Lan took a step back and allowed her to speak first.


    "I need to know what else is around us. That''s including the division of the Yao Beast and other resources." Li Dan said.


    "This can be done. What about Alchemist Qin?" Huang Ping asked. He''s much more curious about Qin Lan''s ability because he was invited personally by Sun Wu Jian. Even Li Dan across his seat was here only because Sun Wu Jian is paying handsomely for her service.


    "My request is simple. Bring me as many herbs as you can collect near the mine. My threepanions will be searching for something much harder to be recognized." Qin Lan said.


    "Herbs?" Huang Ping asked.


    "Yes. Herbs." Qin Lan nodded.


    "If Alchemist Qin needs the herbs to concoct as many medicinal pellets as you could, we have a proper stock ready. I''m afraid that collecting the herbs will result in our forces getting exposed... Furthermore..." Huang Ping wanted to convince Qin Lan to change his idea, but Qin Lan interrupted.


    "I''m not making medicinal pills but something else," he said.


    "And what would that be?" Wang Xun asked.


    "You''ll know when it''s done." Qin Lan chuckled.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Leave a review! Drop me your Power Stones! Shower me with gifts! ! All your gestures will be my motivation to continue to produce a story worthy of your time! Thank you for your support!


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 77: Crimson Battle Wolf! (1)

    Chapter 77: Crimson Battle Wolf! (1)


    "Lu Yi, you''ll go with me. Qing Yun and Zunjie will move together to collect the materials I''ll need." Qin Lan instructed them the moment they left the house.


    "What do you need us to collect, young master?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "Look for the fruit from the Velvet Shrubs around us. Only take the unripe fruits for me. Also, try to ask around if there''s cinnabar in this vige. Collect these two ingredients and prepare a ce for me. I''ll change the recipe ording to what we''ve able to get in our handter." Qin Lan instructed.


    "We''ve understood." the two of them left Qin Lan and Lu Yi after hearing their instructions.


    "What about us, young master?" Lu Yi asked.


    "Us? We''re going to hunt some Yao Beast. Let''s go." Qin Lan smiled. The two of them soon left the vige.


    ...


    ...


    "Can these people be trusted, your highness?" Huang Ping speaks with Su Wu Jian in private after everyone had left the house. In terms of seniority, Huang Ping is considered as a senior brother to Sun Wu Jian as they studied under the same teacher.


    "Brother Ping, I might have some reservation when ites to Li Dan and her ability, but not Qin Lan. Do you know that half of the cultivation and medicinal pills we have right nowes from him?" since there''s nobody around, Sun Wu Jian speaks casually.


    "Your highness mean?" Sun Wu Jian''s words made Huang Ping remembered the supplies that came a few days earlier. The Flesh Mending Pills, Fasting Pills, Turbulence Pills, and Spiritual Concentrating Incense, and Jewel Lotus Fruit were a few items in that list.


    Based on the market price alone, that Qiankun Pouch of supplies worth at least 2,000 Flesh Foundation Pills.


    "Now I understand why your highness greets Alchemist Qin personally upon his arrival. I''m such a fool for not able to realize this." Huang Ping shook his head. He had the urge tough at himself for unable to guess what is inside Sun Wu Jian''s mind.


    "There''s always a chance. Furthermore, it seems Alchemist Qin follows the same virtuous path as us. But things like these can be put aside for now. Our focus should be on the Precelestial Essence Mine."


    "Is there anything else that came in these two days?" Sun Wu Jian tapped Huang Ping''s shoulder as he changed their topic. And just like what he said, it is much more urgent for them to focus on the Precelestial Essence Mine right now.


    "We''ve noticed some activities nearby the border. And they belonged to other forces." Huang Ping narrowed his eyes the moment they talked about this topic.


    "Is it from our side?" Sun Wu Jian asked. What he''s most worried about is not an additional opponent but the arrival of an unwanted aide.


    "They likely came from the Evil Infant Sect, your highness..." Huang Ping hesitates the moment the words came out of his mouth.


    "This is even worst... Don''t tell me that the bandits have something to do with their arrival?" Sun Wu Jian clenched his fist as he started to feel uneasy.


    ...


    "Catch that Rock Demon Boar. We''ll need itter." Qin Lan ordered as his finger pointed in a direction.


    "Let''s go!" a surge of Spiritual Energy wrapped around Lu Yi''s body as he makes his move using the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step. In a sh, he''s caught up with the Rock Demon Boar that''s still unaware of his arrival.


    "Zaiyun Storm Palm!" Lu Yi attacked the Rock Demon Boar ruthlessly as he tried to end this battle in a sh.


    "OINK!" the Yao Beast cries after getting pped close to six times in a sh. Tilting its head by a little, the demon suddenly picked up its speed and took a lunge at Lu Yi''s direction.


    **BAM!**


    The boulder behind Lu Yi was smashed into pieces from this ferocious charge. But that also allowed him to attack when the Yao Beast is suffering a concussion from that tackle.


    "Mistral Core Long Fist!" a dragon w silhouette appeared when Lu Yi injected his Spiritual Energy into the Offensive Treasure on his right fist. His attack quickly ended the life of this beast without too much of a struggle.


    After keeping the corpse into the Qiankun Pouch by his waist, Lu Yi returned to Qin Lan''s side.


    "Young..." Lu Yi addressed Qin Lan like how he''s used to, but a Jewel Lotus Fruit was flicked into his mouth to stop him from talking. Qin Lan then pointed in the direction where a Crimson Battlewolf can be seen grazing on the grass.


    "Are we going to capture this Yao Beast?" Lu Yi whispered beside Qin Lan as he focuses his sight on this majestic Yao Beast. It was asrge as the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino they fought before.


    A crimson-redyer of hair covered the Yao Beast from head to toe. Perhaps this is where the name crimson came from.


    "Yes. This fe is a sixth-level Flesh Foundation beast, so coborate with me carefully. The name battle wolf was given to it for a reason." Qin Lan pulled his Eight Treasured Transformation Brush out as this will turn into a fierce battle the moment it started.


    "Are you ready?" Qin Lan asked Lu Yi.


    "Yes!" Lu Yi clenched his fist tightly. They would have to take this seriously if they wanted to capture this beast.


    "Let''s go." Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy turned the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush into an energy spear as they attacked at the same time. Qin Lan was the first to reach Yao Beast as he stabs his spear at the beast''s head.


    **Dang!**


    That single exchange ended in a sh as Qin Lan was thrown into the shrubs nearby. Even Lu Yi, who followed behind Qin Lan, felt lost.


    **Bang!**


    Lu Yi smashed onto a tree about his size after getting pped by the Crimson Battlewolf''s w. Its fighting ability is indeed frightening because two cultivators were thrown away by it without standing on all four of its limbs.


    A hint of fear appeared in Lu Yi''s mind as he gets back on his feet. His shoulder still feels sore from the attack earlier.


    "Don''t stop!" Qin Lan''s word came into his hearing as three mirages surrounded the Crimson Battlewolf. The energy spear has turned into an energy sword as Qin Lan''s expression gets serious.


    "Come on, battle wolf!" Qin Lan yelled.


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!" an energy sh capable of splitting a small hill into half made its way toward the Yao Beast ruthlessly.

 Chapter 78: Crimson Battle Wolf! (2)

    Chapter 78: Crimson Battle Wolf! (2)


    "Awoo!!!" The Crimson Battle Wolf releases a soundwave powered with Spiritual Energy to deflect against Qin Lan''s sword energy. The two attacks then detonate on contact, turning the vegetation nearby into a big mess.


    "What the hell?" the way the Yao Beast canceled Qin Lan''s attack made Lu Yi speechless. It inadvertently stopped him from continuing his attack.


    The Crimson Battle Wolf then swiftly reposition itself.


    "Lu Yi, move!" Qin Lan swung his energy sword at where Lu Yi stand. The sword energy quickly shed with the Yao Beast''s attack the moment it revealed itself.


    Qin Lan immediately drags Lu Yi away before the two energy detonates.


    "This can''t do..." Qin Lan moves around with Lu Yi still in his hand. The Eight Transformation Treasured Brush has reverted back to its initial appearance as soon as Qin Lan stopped supplying it with Spiritual Energy.


    "Lu Yi! Fortify yourself using the Heaven Firmament Art! Use your me Eyes of Heaven to deflect against the spiritual attack!" Qin Lan nudged Lu Yi as he continues to pull the distance further between him and the Crimson Battle Wolf.


    "Lu Yi!"


    "Xiao-Ke!"


    "Lu Yi!" Qin Lan''s repeating call finally reached his mind as the Spiritual Energy inside Lu Yi''s immature Dantian reignited. Then, a massive force about two meters distance is created around them as Lu Yi stands on his feet.


    "Sorry, young master. I''m back." he apologized.


    "I should be the one to say sorry instead. It is my mistake to forget that the Crimson Battle Wolf is capable of mental attacks." Qin Lan said.


    "Let''s finish this battle before the Yao Beast can give us more surprises. I''ll get serious." Qin Lan added. His left hand tapped on the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade on his waist to withdraw three pieces of Offensive Metal out.


    A heavy concentration of Spiritual Energy soon flows into the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush to create a form Qin Lan desired. Soon, the Qiankun Golden Sword made its appearance once again.


    The arrival of the Qiankun Golden Sword created a twenty meters force field this time. The heat from the Spiritual Energy emitted turns the grasses sprouting all over the ground into ashes as Qin Lan prepares with his attack.


    "Young master, I''ll take the vanguard. You''ll deliver the attack." after finishing what he''s going to say, Lu Yi charged at the Yao Beast. The Jade Dragon Finger in his right fist seems to be alive as it moves, just like how a dragon would.


    This time, his attack is no longer as weak as before.


    And that''s where the differences between mankind and Yao Beast seemed to be significant.


    Even if they''re a minor level below the Crimson Battle Wolf, the human has an Offensive and Defensive Treasure to make up for the differences!


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" this was the first time Lu Yi execute this martial art after learning it. The reason he hardly uses it was because the consumption of Spiritual Energy is frightening. Even with cultivation at the fifth-level, he''s only capable of executing this attack once.


    The unexpected attack executes using the Jade Dragon Fingers made Lu Yi''s attack sharper than usual.


    The amount of threat gave out by the Golden Lord''s Holy Fist made the Crimson Battle Wolf went into defensive unconsciously. But that was his intention all along.


    "To Act as Heaven and Earth!" Qin Lan''s attack created a deep wound across the Crimson Battle Wolf''s body. It was considered lucky to dodge the attack slightly as Qin Lan was targetting its heart initially.


    "Awoo!" the Crimson Battle Wolf howled once again. But this time, it no longer works as intended. Lu Yi''s fist followed as soon as the howling stops and pinned the Yao Beast on the ground, struggling.


    With both hands on the handle, Qin Lan stabs the Qiankun Golden Sword through the Crimson Battle Wolf''s heart. The Yao Beast soon stopped twitching as it lost its life under Qin Lan and Lu Yi''sbination attack.


    "Hu... - Hoo... - Hoo..." Lu Yi fell to the ground and tries to catch his breath after the battle. It was the most exhausting battle for him up to date after moving to the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Young master... Is this the reason why you''re nning to make something? It''s because they''re difficult to handle, right?" Lu Yi asked. Perhaps this was why Huang Ping brought up the matter with the Crimson Battlewolves during their meeting.


    "You''re mistaken. The Crimson Battlewolves issue is not because of its powerful fighting ability, but because they often travel in packs. Their numbers often exceed hundreds." Qin Lan replied.


    "What? Hundred?" cold sweat appeared on Lu Yi''s head as he heard what Qin Lan just said.


    "We should return." Qin Lan hinted at Lu Yi to store the corpse in the Qiankun Pouch as both of them made their way back to the vige. Qin Lan collected a few smaller Yao Beasts as they went.


    "Young master, we''re ready." Lu Qing Yun went straight to Qin Lan and wiped the remnant of blood from Qin Lan''s forehead. As for Huo Zunjie, he went over to Lu Yi''s side to check out what''s happening outside the vige.


    Lu Yi handed the Qiankun Pouch to Lu Qing Yun as the two loiters at the back of the house with a bottle of Qin Lan''s unnamed wine in their hand.


    "These two!!!" Lu Qing Yun stomped her feet on the ground to vent her dissatisfaction.


    "It''s alright, Qing Yun. Alchemy wasn''t their specialty, so even if they''re here, there''s nothing much they can help." Qin Lan chuckled.


    After he instructed Lu Qing Yun on what to do next, Qin Lan gets himself started. The fresh blood that still remains on the corpse of Crimson Battle Wolf he hunted is extracted and then refined. It was a hundred drops in total at the end of the process.


    The blood extracts are then ced carefully inside a cold cauldron. Qin Lan followed it up by cooking the medicinal herbs in his Yin mes until there was nothing left except for another hundred drops of medicinal liquid.


    It was added into the cold cauldron as well.


    The fruit from the Velvet Shrubs Qin Lan asked Lu Qing Yun and Huo Zunjie to collect earlier came in next. By dipping them in the mixture of wet cinnabar, Qin Lan skillfully turned the unripe fruit into a ripened appearance akin to the Crimson Battlewolves'' hair.


    And as the fruit is about the size of an adult''s thumb, to begin with, with a hollowed flesh, it was easy for him to stuff the blood extract and medicinal liquid inside without any effort.


    Once the preparation isplete, Qin Lan dipped the fruit with blood from the Rock Demon Boar as the finishing touch. Although there are only a hundred of these fruits made, Qin Lan is confident with their effect.


    As the preparation is ready, a knock came from the door.


    It was Sun Wu Jian, Huang Ping, and Shan Xiong Xin.


    "How''s the preparation goes? Do you need any help from us?" Sun Wu Jian politely asked.


    "No. The preparation is done. Order your experts to take this medication before we make our move." Qin Lan said. His palm pointed at the hundred velvet fruits sitting on a tray.


    "If I may ask, what is the uses of these fruits?" Huang Ping inquired.


    "Fruit of Tranquility. That''s what it''s called." Qin Lan answered Huang Ping''s question with a straightforward answer.

 Chapter 79: Crimson Battle Wolf! (3)

    Chapter 79: Crimson Battle Wolf! (3)


    Department of Peace.


    Amongst the eight departments of a treasure master, it was one of the two most mysterious departments. And unlike the others, the Department of Peace and Turbulence hardly follows a written rule.


    The reason behind this is likely due to where it originated.


    Even the Fruit of Tranquility made by Qin Lan was not something that originated from Qin Lan''s era. All he knows is the department has been around at least a thousand years before the First Supreme Emperor''s period.


    During the period of instability, the Fruit of Tranquility is epted as a religious tribute. It was simr to how mortals prayed to their ancestors and presenting filial offerings on their remembrance date each year.


    This product is mainly used to create a temporary truce between mankind and Yao Beast.


    Also, having the Fruit of Tranquility is only half of what the actual offering is. There''s another step that has to be done before the fruit works miraculously.


    ...


    "Fruit of Tranquility?" Huang Ping carried a puzzled expression on his face for being unable to guess what they can contribute to their invading forces. But luckily, Sun Wu Jian is a little more well-informed than his senior brother.


    "It is a product made from the Department of Peace. I''ve only heard about it once from my teacher." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "But are you sure that we''re able to appease the Crimson Battlewolves using this?" he asked. Perhaps only the Peak Bone Reconstruction Layer''s cultivator inside this vige knows more than they do.


    "It won''t be a problem. Just distribute it to our experts before we''re moving out." Qin Lan said.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The invading forces finally move out on the second day after Qin Lan''s arrival. All of them are expected to part in the battle, except for the Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator.


    It takes them close to an hour journey to reach the Precelestial Essence Mine on foot. And the moment the bandits are changing their shift, Sun Wu Jian''s order came.


    "Take the Fruit of Tranquility and attack! Our main objective is to capture the mine and all the bandit members we run across! Kill those retaliates and catch those who willingly surrender!" Sun Wu Jian''s order came in.


    At that instant, a hundred experts under his lead charged into battle and started a one-sided ughter.


    "Take care of yourself." Qin Lan reminds Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie to be careful as they followed the others into the battle. With the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush now morphed into an energy de, Qin Lan cuts two opponents as he charged into one of the buildings.


    "Who are you!" two bandits on the lower floor unsheaths their saber the moment Qin Lan kicked the door opened. Because they were in a drinking session earlier, there''s nothing around them except some wine jar and their sword.


    Qin Lan swung his energy de mercilessly as he ended their lives.


    As there were nothing valuable is seen on them, Qin Lan decided to move on. His Spiritual Energy then expands like a soundwave to all corners, scanning for his surrounding.


    "Heavenly Flicking Finger." Qin Lan then fired two Jewel Lotus Fruit through the thin wooden wall. The sound of something heavy thumped on the ground came, then followed by the ringing sound from a metal.


    "Who the hell dare to cause trouble with the ck Wind Bandits?" a sixth-level cultivator stormed outside of the room he''s in and engaged in a battle against Qin Lan. He''s likely one of the supervisors of the bandits here.


    **Dang!**


    Qin Lan effortlessly deflected his attack. To make the situation more advantageous to him, Qin Lan gathered some of the Spiritual Energy in his left fist and punched the bandit''s stomach without notice.


    "Uhuk!" the bandit almost vomited all the alcohol he drank earlier after taking that punch.


    "You..." the bandit struggles to stand firmly on his legs. But before he did, Qin Lan''s energy sword pierced through his heart in a clean stroke.


    Qin Lan disposed of four bandits effortlessly as he moved into another building. They were on a killing spree, although Sun Wu Jian did mention capturing the surrendered bandits.


    The Precelestial Essence Mine fell in less than three incense sticks of time.


    But the clock is ticking. There was no time to waste as the experts quickly relocate the bandit''s corpses aside. About half of them entered the Precelestial Essence Mine and started to mine the ores under Sun Wu Jian''s order.


    "Kuangshan Healing Palm!"


    "Kuangshan Healing Palm!"


    Being the only one with an exquisite Kuangshan Healer''s Art, Lu Qing Yun was the busiest amongst all of them. She''s already on her second Essence Transformation Pill as she moves around to help elerate the recovery of those injured cultivators from Sun Wu Jian''s forces.


    "Brother Qin, that martial technique of your subordinate is indeed miraculous." Sun Wu Jian praised Lu Qing Yun in front of Qin Lan to show a hint of his appreciation. He''s even ready to pay Lu Qing Yun a few drops of Precelestial Essence as a disy of his gratitude.


    "We''re not out of danger yet. What''s Huang Ping and Wang Xun is doing right now?" Qin Lan asked. Although he''s unsuitable to use the Kuangshan Healer''s Art, that doesn''t stop him from going around to treat the injured experts.


    "Huang Ping is doing a headcount on the number of people we''ve lost. As for Wang Xun, he''s leading the team inside the mine right now." Sun Wu Jian shared the information with Qin Lan without a hint of reservation.


    "Headcount is the least important thing we had to do right now. What we should do right now is to check where''s the ore the bandits had collected is stored so we can leave before any..." Qin Lan exined his worries, but before he managed to finish, something came.


    "Awoo..."


    "Awoo..."


    "Awoo..."


    "Three! - Three howls!" the experts around them lost their calmness after three continuous howls are heard. Some of them even shivered as they ced their hand on the sword by their side.


    "Your highness, tell them not to take action!" Qin Lan said. The moment he looked above the sky, a Crimson Battle Wolf twice the size of the one he fought together with Lu Yinded right beside Qin Lan and Sun Wu Jian.


    **BANG!**


    The leader of Crimson Battle Wolf growled in between Qin Lan and Sun Wu Jian''s face. With the cultivation strength of a peak Flesh-Refining Layer, this Yao Beast is so far the strongest demon Qin Lan encountered in his current lifetime!


    "Grrrr..."


    "Why!" a hoarse ent of a human tongue came out from the leader of the Crimson Battle Wolf''s mouth. Apanying the voice is a soundwave that brings everyone below the ninth-level of Flesh Refining Layer cultivation into a trembling fear.


    This Spiritual Attack is at least ten times stronger than the one inflicted on Lu Yi in their previous battle. Even the trio with Mistral Flesh Diagram and unique cultivation art failed to negate this Spiritual Attack.


    "Do you smell... Like my tribespeople?" the leader of the Crimson Battle Wolf continued. Qin Lan''s back was drenched with his own sweat as he struggles to remain conscious.


    <em>(We''vee with a tribute... For the great Crimson King) </em><em>words in italic signify a differentnguage is used here.</em>


    Qin Lan struggles to speak a sentence, but it''s no longer spoken in the human tongue.


    <em>(AWOOO? There''s actually a human in this era that know thenguage of the demons) words in italic signify a differentnguage is used here.</em>


    The leader of the Crimson Battle Wolf said.

 Chapter 80: Thunder Roaring Palaces Yang Yuan (1)

    Chapter 80: Thunder Roaring Pce''s Yang Yuan (1)


    Note: Bracket italic sentences meant it was executed in a differentnguage


    <em>(Speak, human with our Demon Tongue. Where did you learn ournguage?) The leader of Crimson Battle Wolf shows a hint of interest in Qin Lan. If it were to count the number of cultivators it swallowed, there''s not one amongst them able to speak like Qin Lan.</em>


    Furthermore, Qin Lan''s proficiency isn''t lower than the Crimson King either.


    Unlike mankind, the demonguage that belonged to the Yao Beast came into their mind naturally when they obtained a consciousness. It was simr to Qin Lan''s activation of his past memories after reincarnation.


    <em>(Would you believe me if I say I''m the first Supreme Emperor''s mentor?) Qin Lan replied. But the moment he finished his words, the Crimson Kingughed.</em>


    Theugh sounded like the Crimson King is choked on some bone shards to the others.


    <em>(Funny human. It''s been over two hundred years since I''ve met such a funny one. Now, give me a reason why my grandchildren and I shouldn''t devour all of you here) the Crimson King stomped the ground to create a shockwave to warn the Peak Bone Reconstruction Layer Cultivator nearby.</em>


    Struggling, Qin Lan used all his might to distributes all his Spiritual Energy to resist the pressure created by the leader of Crimson Battle Wolf. Ayer of a shield made from fifteen thousand Spiritual Qi Force soon protects Qin Lan from the mental attack.


    Even the expert in Bone Reconstruction Layer is surprised by Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy. To think that he actually has three times more Spiritual Energy more than an average fifth-level cultivator made the expert somewhat jealous of Qin Lan''s luck.


    But instead of attacking the Crimson King, Qin Lan reached his hand on the Qiankun Pouch by his waist. A little Spiritual Energy is inserted to withdraw some meat out of the pouch.


    <em>(Oh? Looks like you''re well prepared. Now you''re making me drool) the Crimson King sniffed the piece of Rock Demon Boar''s meat in Qin Lan''s hand. After being processed by Lu Qing Yun using the method Qin Lan taught her, it became irresistible to the Crimson Battlewolves.</em>


    That''s because after consuming the Fruit of Tranquility, Qin Lan and the others had the smell of their blood and flesh masked with a familiar scent. In exchange, the Rock Demon Boar''s meat is purposely processed to make it more irresistible to divert their carnal attention.


    This is how the knowledge from the Department of Peace and Turbulence was used to benefit mankind.


    Extending its tongue out, the Crimson King swallowed the meat in a bite after pulling it into its mouth. As the leader of the pack, being the first one to eat was its sole privilege.


    "Twice! A - Day!"


    "You have... Four... Days!"


    The leader of Crimson Battlewolves then started to use the human tongue to speak. After looking around at the other cultivators, the Crimson King took its leave.


    The remaining Crimson Battlewolves then came to Qin Lan''s side as they fought for the remaining meat pieces Qin Lan scattered to the ground afterward.


    It was a peaceful exchange for the human cultivators as no blood has been shed between them and the Yao Beast.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    That night, everyone praised Qin Lan as a hero.


    That''s also the first time they witness the exchange between a human and Yao Beast striking up a deal. Although Demon Soldier wasn''t a rare case here, one capable of speech and developed its own consciousness is definitely a difficult target.


    "Alchemist Qin, please give us an order! We''ll make sure to aplish what you need without question!" some of the experts offered a hand to Qin Lan without asking for a return.


    It somewhat made Sun Wu Jian jealous because even he hardly obtained their respect to this level. But the jealousy within him wasn''t fueled by hatred nor lust, but respect.


    In the path of virtuous sovereignty, respect was indeed worthy of envy.


    "Should I call him teacher as well?" Sun Wu Jian chuckled as he stares at Qin Lan from afar. Thinking about the Fruit of Tranquility, Medicinal Pills, and even the jar of wine in his hand, he''s wondering about what else Qin Lan knows.


    Only Li Dan and Wang Xun are indifferent towards Qin Lan as they were inside the mine when the encounter with the Crimson King happened.


    **Xiu!!!**


    A whistling tone rmed Huang Ping as he quickly replies with his own whistle. After a few exchanges, Huang Ping''s face changed.


    "Your highness... The Kuanglei Province''s soldier and Evil Infant Sect''s members make contact. They''re... Together..." Huang Ping''s expression is solemn. It was never a good thing to have two enemiesbined into one.


    "Are theying in our direction?" Sun Wu Jian asked. How can he give up this location right now? Especially when the deal between them and the Crimson Battlewolves is still valid?


    "Four days... Four days is all we need! Rest time is over, everyone. Continue to mine the Precelestial Essence Ore while you can!" Sun Wu Jian clenched his fist together as he made a cruel decision that might endanger everyone here.


    ...


    ...


    "Captain, we found something odd near the border." a pair of scouts from the Kuanglei Province''s troops reported to their higher-up about a weird incident.


    "What''s wrong?" the captain pulled a piece of meat from the cooked ribs on his hand as he replies. Located by his side is an Offensive Treasure of the top Huang-Grade.


    "Recently, there''s been less Rock Demon Boar and meless Lizard Demon Beast loitering there. Do you think we should patrol that area more?" the scouts brought up the detail about the decreasing of Yao Beast around that area.


    "Maybe the ck Wind Bandits is out of food? We''ve hardly seen any of the banditsing into town recently, correct?" the captain tossed the bone away and reached for another rib as he replies to the scout''s concern.


    "That''s true... It''s been two days that there''s not a single personing out from the old mine. Don''t tell me something happened to them?" one of the scouts said. As the scouts who survey the area around there, it is normal for them to be bribed with a few pocket changes.


    "Well, maybe the Crimson Battlewolves suddenly get hungry and decided to eat a few of them. Organize a team of fifty soldiers and go have a look. At the same time, send someone to their stronghold and ask if they changed their supply route." the captain said.


    "Yes, sir!" the two scouts left the captain''s tent after receiving their instructions.

 Chapter 81: Thunder Roaring Palaces Yang Yuan (2)

    Chapter 81: Thunder Roaring Pce''s Yang Yuan (2)


    "What? The boys didn''t go to the nearby town recently to sell the ores they''ve mined from the Precelestial Essence Vein?" the boss of the ck Wind Bandits crushed the wine jar in his hand due to anger.


    "Bunch of kids... Where the second stronghold leader?" he asked.


    "The second boss is likely in the town''s brothel right now. Should we go there and get him back?" a loyal subordinate of the boss with the right to speak in this room replied.


    "No. Leave him there. You''ll take some men and go over to the mine to have a look. If the boys there are really messing with us, kill them all and collect the valuables back. We shouldn''t waste our time with a half depleted Precelestial Essence Mine that''s located near the Crimson King''s territory." the boss of ck Wind Bandits said.


    "I have something to report, boss!" a young bandit came knocked and came into the room.


    "Speak. What happened?" the boss of ck Wind Bandits asked. His hand reached out to a new jar of wine sitting on the table.


    "Outside... There are two scouts from the Thunder Roaring Pce asking for an audience with you, boss!" the young bandit reported. From the way he looked, they''re likely engaged in a fight and lost.


    "That a**hole Yang Yuan! How dare he cause trouble with my men! What they want?" the jar of wine ends up as the victim this time as it is unable to escape the fate of getting broken.


    "What''s wrong with the ck Wind Stronghold? Did you have not enough men? Should we sent a few disciples from the Thunder Roaring Pce to give you a hand or two?" one of the two scouts said as they entered the room without an invitation.


    "Speak what you want and get the hell out of my stronghold. Or else, don''t say that I don''t give any face to your boss, Yang Yuan!" the leader of ck Wind Bandits stares at the two scouts with a pair of eyes as sharp as a de.


    "Our boss asked if you''ve changed your supply route. If you did, shouldn''t someone inform us first so we can allocate our men somewhere else?" the scouts answered the question arrogantly.


    "We''re clueless about that too. If you want an answer, just follow my men and go to the mine to check what happened. Don''te and knock on my door without anything important!" the leader of ck Wind Bandits said.


    "Sure! So when are we going? Let''s make it as soon as possible so we can return to our camp before nightfall." the scouts said.


    "Then... I''ll excuse myself first, boss. These two experts from the Thunder Roaring Pce, pleasee with me." the loyal subordinate casually invited the scouts to follow him as he''s preparing to leave.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "We have two days to go... After that, the Crimson Battlewolves will no longer honor the deal between us. To be safe, we should depart half a day before the time is up." Qin Lan said.


    They''re currently having a meeting in private right now, as the collection of Precelestial Essence Ore inside the mine is not as positive as they''ve thought.


    Even Qin Lan could do nothing regarding this because the forming of Precelestial Essence in nature is different from what he had done using the blessings from the Department of Heaven and Earth. And based on the condition of this mining vein, a few months would be enough to exhaust its supply.


    "Is there no other choice for us to extend the peaceful period with the Yao Beast?" Sun Wu Jian asked. Looking at how peaceful it is right now, Sun Wu Jian wishes that they can continue with this a little longer. After all, it wasn''t easy for them to get an opportunity like this.


    "No. A peace exchange that was made using the Department of Peace is different from a treaty between mankind. There''s more than just an offering, and a deal is made." Qin Lan shook his head as he answered Sun Wu Jian.


    "So...One and a half-day, that''s all we have?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Yes. After that, everything will be different." Qin Lan nodded. Although the final decision still belongs to Sun Wu Jian to make, he wished that Sun Wu Jian would not be blinded by the small profit before his eyes now.


    Sun Wu Jian clenched his fists together as he sat on a wooden chair nearby. Many questions went through his mind at this moment while everyone patiently waits for his decision.


    In a critical moment between his dilemma, a faint bluish light shed once near his chest. Only Qin Lan noticed the light amongst them.


    Suddenly, Sun Wu Jian released his fist and gave himself a big p. He looks awake from the confusion out of sudden as the light of confidence belonged to a prince returned to his gaze once more.


    "We''ll follow brother Qin''s word. Let us depart tomorrow afternoon. Those that no longer in the shift should get as much rest as possible. Those that are still working right now shall start tidying up so we can leave when ordered." Sun Wu Jian instructed.


    "Miss Li Dan. I''ll have to bother you a little longer after we returned to Fuyun City. Don''t worry, I will cover the expenses during your stay with us." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Brother Qin, brother Shan... If there''s anything else, please let me know," he added before allowing Huang Ping and Wang Xun to deliver his order to the other experts.


    ...


    "NO!" a scout with attire simr to Sun Wu Jian''s forces begged for his life before a sword stabs through his neck. Behind him were two of his otherpanion, who shared the same fate as he does.


    His eyes were opened wide as he falls dead on the ground. Reflected in his eyes is the sight of over a hundred experts. Even the weakest in their rank was at least a fifth-level Flesh Refining cultivator.


    Three leaders were leading this group. And half of them are likely the bandits based on the way they dressed. As for the others, there was a simrity in all of them.


    All of them were sword users. Engraved on the body of their sheath is the word "Lei-Hao."


    "One of you... Go back to the camp and inform the captain. Tell him that there are some rats from the Yunshan Province is here," one of the two scouts said.


    "I''ll go right now, senior brother!" the junior of his quickly left.


    "Tsk... I wonder what kind of goods can we expect this time..." the scouts secretlyughed.

 Chapter 82: Thunder Roaring Palaces Yang Yuan (3)

    Chapter 82: Thunder Roaring Pce''s Yang Yuan (3)


    When afternoon came, Sun Wu Jian ordered the entire invasion force under hismand to leave without hesitation. Not a single man was left in the Precelestial Essence Mine.


    About an hourter, the main forces led by the ck Wind Bandits and Thunder Roaring Pce finally arrived.


    It puzzled them after looking at the mine without a single living being there. Not even a corpse that belonged to the bandits can be seen around the area.


    "Weird... Where are all the people?" the three leaders ordered their people to check the perimeters, only to found nothing except for a few abandoned clothing and some human bones.


    "Awoo!!!" the warning from the Crimson Battlewolves finally came.


    "Battlewolves! Did the force from Yunshan Province get eliminated by the Yao Beast? But that''s impossible... The condition of the base is too clean for one that got attacked by the demons!" the three leaders panicked.


    ""Senior brother, what should we do?" the disciples from Thunder Roaring Pce all went into a panic as more activities from the Crimson Battlewolves can be heard around the area.


    "ROAR!" the attack started. A few disciples from the Thunder Roaring Pce were the first to get mauled by the Crimson Battlewolves, followed by a few bandits. Instead of getting their weapon out, they rather waste their effort to escape no matter how futile it is.


    "Don''t - Don''t panic! Fight back! Fight!" blood sttered around the Precelestial Essence Mine.


    ...


    ...


    "The bloodbath started..." Qin Lan shook his head.


    "Young master... The Precelestial Mine got..." Lu Qing Yun whispered something into Qin Lan''s ears. It seems that only both of them in the entire group noticed the disturbance of Spiritual Energy.


    "Yes. The time is just right. Although I have a hunch that the Crimson King won''t be that kind if it''s not because of the Fruit of Tranquility, to think that he''ll make a move this early still shocks me." Qin Lan said.


    What Qin Lan worried about ended uping true.


    And the group of bandits and disciples from Thunder Roaring Pce ended up recing them as the sacrifice because of their unnned visit over to the Precelestial Essence Mine.


    There were supposed to be half a day left until the effect of the Fruit of Tranquility vanishes. But because this was not his first time making a truce between mankind and Yao Beast, Qin Lan managed to take advantage of it based on his own experience.


    And just like their ancestors, no matter young or old, weak or strong, the Yao Beast still maintained their cunningness. If Qin Lan and the others left two to three hourster, perhaps they''ll be surrounded by the Crimson Battlewolves with no escape route.


    This is also what differentiates the "division" of the Yao Beast''s Hierarchy.


    (Note: Chapter 16 - Huo Zunjie is where the basic understanding of Yao Beast is first introduced. Insect, rodent, and reptile forever belong to the sub-species that produce the Essence Metal used to refine Defensive Treasure. Only those with a hierarchy, such as lions, tigers, wolves, and others, were ssified as a sole division beast)


    Everyone managed to cross the border between Yunshan and Kuanglei Province. They''ve nned to return to the vige first to rest before returning to Fuyun City without worries.


    But sometimes, nothing goes as nned.


    The vige that was still bustling with life four days ago was drenched in blood from the entrance until thetrine pit. Corpses of the young, women, and old were littered on the ground like a Bull Demon from hell just paid them a visit.


    When the experts under Sun Wu Jian''s Invasion Force witness this sight, a few of them felt weak on their stomachs and immediately puked on the spot. A few faint-hearted female cultivators copsed on the ground as they were greeted by this nightmarish scene.


    "Wh - Who did this?" even Sun Wu Jian cracked down mentally from witnessing this sight. Except for Qin Lan and the Bone Reconstruction Expert that following them secretly, the gruesome sight affected them mentally in many ways.


    Entering the vige with a weapon in their hand, they quickly found the culprit that''s likely behind this massacre.


    A cultivator wearing distinctive clothing only avable from the Thunder Roaring Pce sat calmly on top of a few headless corpses as he tried to sleep. By his side was a sword used by the disciple from Thunder Roaring Pce, but better in quality.


    He was drenched with the blood of his victim. There''s not a spot on his body that wasn''t tainted by the blood of the people he killed.


    "Do you like my gift?" Yang Yuan chuckled before he continued.


    "I''ve purposely left the kids to escape to where the entrance is before I dismembered them. The old shall be respected, so I made sure that I crushed all their bones before beheading them. As for the youths and adults, of course, I let them fight me fairly to stop me from ravaging the women."


    "Do you know that all of them died with their eyes still opened wide? The women too! They died while they''re still servicing my manhood!!! How enjoyable it is!" Yang Yuanughed hysterically.


    Crazy was not even enough to describe a cultivator like him. He was more than sick. In the eyes of the experts led by Sun Wu Jian, this Yang Yuan was the reincarnation of absolute evil.


    "I''ll kill you to revenge for the vigers!" one of the experts tossed his Qiankun Pouch at someone he trusts and charged at Yang Yuan without hiding his strength. The seventh-level Flesh Refining Layer strength explodes outward as the expert used his deadliest attack against this animal.


    "Stone Splitter de..." the attack went towards Yang Yuan without hesitation. Suddenly, the attack vanishes mysteriously right in front of everyone''s eyes.


    What came next was a sh, followed by the rolling head that belonged to the expert. Without a hint of an attack was made, the seventh-level expert ended up as the first victim here to be killed by Yang Yuan after the vigers.


    "You demon! I''m not human if I don''t teach you a lesson!"


    "Me too!"


    "Let''s cut him into pieces!"


    Three experts followed up. If one on one can hardly threaten him, then three seventh-level cultivators should be able to make a difference. But still, only a sh came before they were mutted. One of the experts even had his face disfigured before it rolled on the ground.


    "Looks like you''re the leader of this force. I should kill you first before someone interferes." Yang Yuan suddenly change his target to Sun Wu Jian. The cultivation of an eighth-level Flesh Refining cultivator is released as Yang Yuan charged into the defensive perimeters created by Huang Ping and Wang Xun.


    "Country Protection Fist!"


    "Sword Saint''s Crazy de!"


    Huang Ping and Wang Xun executed the best attack at Yang Yuan. One from the left and another from the right, two seventh-level attacks above-average came closer at the iing Yang Yuan.


    "Get lost!!!" this was the first time Yang Yuan''s attack can be observed in their eyes. Turning his de and forming into a perfect circle, Yang Yuan deflected the two attacks back at the one executing them.


    Huang Ping and Wang Xun were thrown away like a kite without strings. Following them were a trail of blood, likely due to the damage that got rebound on them.


    "Qing Yun, go to Huang Ping. Huo Zunjie to Wang Xun. Lu Yi, protect me while I get ready!" Qin Lan ordered. This was not an opponent he can defeat even if he takes it seriously.


    Yang Yuan still tries to shorten the distance between him and Sun Wu Jian. Numerous experts tried to protect Sun Wu Jian. As for the others, they tried to stop Yang Yuan from approaching. Nobody managed to create a result until a dagger pierced through Yang Yuan''s waist miraculously.


    "Continue!" Li Dan yelled as she tries to deliver another attack at Yang Yuan.


    "What a sharp Huang-Grade Treasure. But I wonder if my treasure is deadlier." Yang Yuan didn''t flinch with a wound on his waist. Instead, he suddenly had the interest to vite Li Dan.


    The Spiritual Energy from his de turned into a shredder mode as he attacked Li Dan twice. The cksmith''s clothing was turned into pieces as it revealed her stark naked body in front of everyone else.


    "You!!!" Li Dan reached for the Qiankun Pouch on her waist, but with her clothing is lost, her Qiankun Pouch is obviously fell onto the ground too.


    Yang Yuan''s w then went further as it tightens the grip right on one of her breasts. The pressure he put in was not light as Li Dan immediately cried in anguish when she was "groped" by this animal.


    "Come! Let me turn you into a woman in front of everyone!" Yang Yuan said. There were a few experts who try to help. But all they managed to do was to add the numbers into the pool of corpses before Yang Yuan hung his sword on his back.


    "Aargh! Help me!" Li Dan struggles as Yang Yuan pulled her closer to his crotch. Perhaps only God can answer how the hell he''s capable of an erection in the middle of a battle. Nevertheless, he''s literally inches away from destroying Li Dan''s purity.


    "Sky Dragon Fist!"


    "Sea Splitting Strike!"


    Two attacks came at the right time and forced Yang Yuan to go defensive. Worst of all, he was actually injured by the sword energy of a fifth-level cultivator!


    "Hateful!" Yang Yuan shouts. Letting go of Li Dan''s breast where a w mark can be noticeably seen, Yang Yuan searched for the culprit behind the sword attack.


    "What are you looking for?" Sun Wu Jian appeared right before Yang Yuan. Even Sun Wu Jian lost his cool after witnessing Yang Yuan''s capacity to kill, mess, and trying to screw a woman''s purity at the same time.


    "I''ll go back and meditatester on. But for now, even if my teacher will penalize me for cursing, I have to say this..."


    "Go F**k Yourself!" Sun Wu Jian''s fistnded urately at Yang Yuan''s face.

 Chapter 83: Thunder Roaring Palaces Yang Yuan (4)

    Chapter 83: Thunder Roaring Pce''s Yang Yuan (4)


    "Come! All of you!" Yang Yuan shouts as he was barraged by the attack from three cultivators. Although his defense is yet to reach the imprable by sword and spear''s stage, his body is not weak either.


    "Lightning Grinder!" Yang Yuan stabilized himself instantly after retreating two steps back. The sword in his hand seems to be alive as he swiftly delivered an attack without the need to search for a target.


    **Tang!**


    Qin Lan marched forward. With his weapon being the highest grade between him, Sun Wu Jian, and Shan Xiong Xin, the Qiankun Golden Sword is the only one capable of defending against this attack.


    Unfortunately, there are still three minor levels of differences between a fifth-level and an eighth-level cultivator.


    If the gap between a minor level is as wide as a mountain, then three levels are equivalent to at least three to six mountain gaps.


    The aftermath of their sh ended up with crack lines appearing all over Qin Lan''s palm.


    "Brother Qin, let me!" Sun Wu Jian attacked. The small break allowed Qin Lan to swallow a few Flesh Mending Pills to hasten his recovery before he continued.


    "Great! Allow me to see how powerful is the disciples of the Zaiyun Sect." Yang Yuan patted the Qiankun Pouch on his waist for a few recovery pills and swallowed them as Qin Lan did.


    "Let''s fight again! Lightning sh!" a hint of excitement is shown on Yang Yuan''s face as he makes his move once more. The only differences are his attack has be much sharper and urate than before.


    "No wonder everyone called him the mad sword of Thunder Roaring Pce." Shan Xiong Xin shook his head as this was not the first time he encountered Yang Yuan. But engaging in a battle like this was his first.


    A sour expression can be seen on Qin Lan''s face as he was the weakest amongst them. With his cultivation at a mere fifth-level, there was nothing much for him to contribute in this battle.


    Even in a battle of three against one, Yang Yuan is still in the advantage.


    **Xiu!!**


    "Bam!" a firework signal was fired up to the sky. a brilliant tri-color re soon stops them from continuing the battle.


    "What a mood breaker..." Yang Yuan suddenly revealed a disappointed expression after he saw the fireworks. His battle intent also vanishes as an open fire got doused by a pot of cold water.


    Pushing the others away from him, Yang Yuan pointed his de towards Sun Wu Jian.


    "You guys are safe for now. But the next time we meet, I, Yang Yuan, will make sure to take your life. Better cherish the days you have while you still can!" he warned Sun Wu Jian and the others and left after keeping his sword back into the sheath.


    It puzzled Qin Lan as he''s unable to discern what is happening right now.


    "Did the monster really left?" Li Dan slowly creeps over to Qin Lan''s side as she covered herself with a piece of a cloak. Her heart is still shivering from the aftermath of battling against Yang Yuan.


    "Yes, he left. Do you know what the firework is about? Why would he left in between of a battle, without a hint of hesitation at all?" Qin Lan asked Li Dan in case she knew about it.


    "If I''m not mistaken, a tri-color re from the Thunder Roaring Sect can only be used by those with some military exploits. Based on Yang Yuan''s reaction, the signal re is likely fired by somebody above him in terms of ranking." Li Dan exined.


    "No wonder he left in a hurry... Is this how disciplined the soldier from Kuanglei Province is? If that''s the case... Then our Yunshan Province is in trouble..." Qin Lan shook his head slightly.


    He almost caught a clear view of Li Dan''s breast beneath the cloak as thedy followed him over to where Sun Wu Jian and Shan Xiong Xin were meditating. But as the situation was not suitable for him toment too much, Qin Lan simply coughed his embarrassment away.


    "Brother Sun, brother Shan, take these pills to hasten your recovery." Qin Lan poured a set of Essence Transformation Pill and Flesh Mending Pill on his hand for them to ingest.


    Sun Wu Jian nodded at Qin Lan after taking it. But when ites to Shan Xiong Xin''s turn, he suddenly coughed a mouthful of blood.


    "Cough! Cough!" Shan Xiong Xin fell onto the ground before he managed to grab the pills from Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Brother Shan! Brother Shan!" Spiritual Energy immediately wrapped around Qin Lan''s finger. Akin to an acupuncture needle, he quickly gave Shan Xiong Xin''s body a few taps on the crucial blood vessels to stop his internal bleeding.


    "QING YUN!!!" Qin Lan''s shout was thest word Shan Xiong Xin managed to hear as he fell unconscious.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    They were on a horse carriage the moment Shan Xiong Xin wakes up. Randomly looking around, Shan Xiong Xin finally found the first sign of plum blossom of his life.


    Leaning on his wrist was the sleeping Li Dan, who seems to be asleep due to the tiredness from taking care of him when he''s unconscious. The young maiden is still yet to rece her torn clothing, maybe due to some mental stress.


    This allowed Shan Xiong Xin to catch a glimpse of her blooming, pinkish flower that decided to reveal itself from the loose cloak that covers her pure body.


    It was beautiful.


    To the point, an injured person like Shan Xiong Xin is still capable of getting a boner the moment he wakes up.


    The time inside of this room seems to stop ticking at this moment as it allowed Shan Xiong Xin to print this view before him deep into his soul. Smiling and almost drooled, Shan Xiong Xin promised himself there''s one thing he has to do when they returned to the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "I''ll be responsible for this..." Shan Xiong Xin whispered to himself as he keeps staring at Li Dan''s breast.

 Chapter 84: I Want to Become a King

    Chapter 84: I Want to Be a King


    "Wee back, your highness." the housekeeper of Sun Wu Jian''s personal manor greeted him the moment the forces returned. Only half of them returned this time from the initial 120 people during their departure.


    The tear of joy and sadness mixed together as the people met.


    Some people were happy as their child, spouse or father managed to came home after the expedition. But amongst them were people who cried in sadness because a member of their family failed to return.


    Those with aplete corpse can still be buried honorably, but not all of them were as lucky as this.


    Facing those who lost their family members, Sun Wu Jian speaks with them personally while delivering his regret and apology for being a weak leader.


    "You''re a murderer! Why can''t you save my son? He''s our family''s only male child! Our family is going to end at my generation... God, where did I do wrong?" a father cries as he knelt on the ground after hearing the death of his only son.


    "No... How are we going to survive after this? I''m just a weak woman... Without the father, is there a meaning for me to continue to live?"" a pregnant woman copsed. Luckily, there are two other women beside her when she fell.


    "Father! Pleasee back! Don''t go with this weak prince anymore!" a daughter begged her father to return home.


    The scene unfolding before Qin Lan made him remembered his past. Not even his glorious Kuangshan Lu Sect millenniums ago are capable of escaping this fate of returning home with sadness and joy.


    Afterpensating those who lost a family member and also paying the wages for those who managed to return, Sun Wu Jian went to the grand hall of his manor in a solemn mood.


    "Your highness, would you like to have a cup of wine first?" Qin Lan entered the hall uninvited.


    "Why not? Let me thanks brother Qin first for being this understanding towards an ipetent prince." Sun Wu Jian waved his hand at the other servants to allow them to excuse themselves.


    "Will it be the wine I had before on my first visit to your humble spiritual cave? The taste of that wine still lingers in between my lips..." Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Yes. But do your highness know how the wine came into life?" Qin Lan made a hole on the red wrapping paper before pouring it into two cups.


    "Brother Qin''s art of winemaking should be something a talentless individual like me never witnessed before. Please," Sun Wu Jian humbly surrenders as he raised the cup first to make a toast.


    "Talentless? Your highness is too humble. If talentless is a weakness like your highness said, then how can this wine made from mere Rock Lotus Fruit capable of leaving a lingering taste in your lips?" Qin Lan replied.


    "Rock Lotus Fruit?" Sun Wu Jian ced the cup down and stares at the wine jar. A part of him is unwilling to believe Qin Lan''s word.


    "Brother Qin, please don''t make fun of me." Sun Wu Jian poured another cup for himself before he filled Qin Lan''s cup.


    "What the fun of making fun of someone?" Qin Lan finished his cup of wine in a gulp and replied.


    "The Rock Lotus Fruit is indeed the main ingredient of this brew. But instead of forcing it to bring out all the vor by itself, I''ve used a few other medicinal herbs to bring out its vor before cooking it along with the wine biscuit."


    "The end product is what we''re drinking now. The path to sovereignty is the same." Qin Lan added.


    "..."


    Sun Wu Jian remained silent as he finished his third cup of wine.


    "Brother Qin... I want to be a king. Can you help me?" Sun Wu Jian asked. In exchange for his honesty, Qin Lan could only smile.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Farewell, brother Sun. Let''s meet each other again back in the Cloud Plucking Sect." Qin Lan bid his farewell with Sun Wu Jian and the others as he returns to the sect on a horse. Following behind him are Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie.


    It was a rewarding trip to them this time as Qin Lan managed to procure several materials beneficial to everyone. Sun Wu Jian also rewarded them with fifteen drops of Precelestial Essence per person for their service throughout the two weeks.


    The four of them went on foot after leaving the horse at the entrance of Yunlong Pass.


    The feeling of a home quickly came to them when they''re greeted by the green farm situated right outside of the spiritual cave.


    "We''re home atst!" Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie are impatient because the feeling of advancing is right on the corner for those two.


    "Young master, we''ll go back to our room first. Let us know if you need us for anythingter!" the trio scattered as soon as they finish informing Qin Lan what they''re going to do.


    That night, none of them came out for dinner.


    Even Qin Lan is keeping himself busy inside the room as Hu Jia apanied him by his side. Just like how an obedient wife behaves, she quietly stays beside Qin Lan while he worked with the material he brought home from the expedition.


    But as a matter of fact, it was not because she was being understanding. She wanted to ask about what Qin Lan is doing once in a while, but the exnation is always far exceeding what her brain can process.


    And right now, her beloved husband is working out on something ridiculous once again.


    "What is my husband going to do with these materials?" Hu Jia cannot help but made a random guess at what Qin Lan was going to do with the Crimson Battle Wolf''s spine and the Essence Metal.


    "Beloved wife." Qin Lan called Hu Jia to his side.


    "Yes, my beloved husband." Hu Jia meekly came to his side.


    "Would you mind bringing me all the Jewel Lotus Fruit we have in our storage here?" Qin Lan politely asked. It looks like he already had an idea of what he was going to refine.

 Chapter 85: Searching For An Illuminated Path

    Chapter 85: Searching For An Illuminated Path


    Over a hundred kinds of thoughts were going through Qin Lan''s mind after Hu Jia left the room to withdraw all the avable Jewel Lotus Fruit from the storage room.


    This expedition to the Precelestial Essence Mine allowed Qin Lan to understands what he''scking right now. To someone with two lifetimes of experiences, a wake-up call like this was a crucial reminder to him.


    Of course, the main reason behind what he''scking is not because he''szy. It was due to his inability to made up his priority. It was like forcing a farmer to suddenly handle an orchard because he''s capable of growing excellent quality herbs.


    "Even Qing Yun, who startedter than Lu Yi and me, is a sixth-level cultivator right now... And here I am, merely making a step further from the fifth-level..." Qin Lan sighed. The low cultivation level of his is indeed a hindrance to the goal he''s trying to reach.


    As a mentor of mankind''s first Supreme Emperor, ughtering the Crimson Battle Wolf was supposed to be an easy task. This was the first reminder to Qin Lan during their trip.


    The second reminder soon came when he''s forced to disclose the existence of his Spiritual Container Physique before everyone when confronting the Crimson King.


    And for the third wake-up call, it actually came during their fight against the Thunder Roaring Pce''s Yang Yuan... The fact Qiankuan Golden Sword failed to prevent Yang Yuan from killing the other cultivators mercilessly still disturbs Qin Lan''s mind until today.


    "Husband, I''m back with the Jewel Lotus Fruit..." Hu Jia returns brought Qin Lan back from his deep thought. Smiling, Qin Lan epted the Qiankun Pouch from Hu Jia''s hand as he hinted her to take a rest first.


    "Then... I''ll warm the bed first..." Hu Jia shyly excuses herself after she caught his hint. It pains her for not able to do something for her husband. Closing her eyes and rest, she quickly fell into a deep slumber as she knew that Qin Lan will be doing something very soon.


    That night, Qin Lan quietly left the spiritual cave with the two thousand Jewel Lotus Fruits. Because there''s a hint of hesitation in his mind when ites to refining the Crimson Battle Wolf''s part into a Treasure, Qin Lan decided to put his thought aside.


    Wandering aimlessly with the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique, Qin Lan left the Cloud Plucking Sect''s boundaries shortly. When he finally stops moving, Qin Lan is standing right outside of a quiet vige with less than 200 vigers.


    The broken shack in front of him ended up as his amodation after Qin Lan made sure nobody stays there anymore.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    As he was out of motivation on what he was supposed to do, Qin Lan decided to make himselffortable in a small vige not far from the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Master Alchemist, please refine me some pills ording to the ingredients I have here." a second-level cultivator politely ced the ingredient on top of the table.


    "Hmm..." Qin Lan checked the ingredients brought by the second-level cultivator seated before him.


    "From the ingredient here, I can refine a set of Fasting Pill and Blood Clotting Pills for you. Do you want to continue?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes, master alchemist!" the cultivator excitedly agreed to Qin Lan''s suggestion.


    "Let''s start." Qin Lan started the refining process by igniting the firewood below a low-quality medicinal cauldron. Because there was no Spiritual Energy is used in this refining process, the procedure went slower than usual.


    A pill refining process that takes less than ten minutes toplete now took an hour to finish.


    Shutting his eyes and went into deep thought, Qin Lan waited for the pill to get ready. In the meantime, a few discussions have started amongst the vigers that came to witness Qin Lan''s ability.


    "Do you think he can refine the pill sessfully?" one of the vigers asked. After all, this was Qin Lan''s first customer.


    "We can only hope he can. It took Old Wu close to a week to harvest those herbs from the outer forest, so if it''s failed, he''ll have to work all over again." another viger answered.


    "The refining is done! Guess how many pills he produced from a set of ingredients!" a viger excitedly announced it loudly the moment the mes died.


    Qin Lan smiled. Since the vigers are so excited, he decided to push the cauldron over to let them check it out themselves.


    The second-level cultivator slowly opened the cauldron.


    A smile soon appeared on his face when he was greeted with a pill of seven Blood Clotting Pills and five Fasting Pills. Even the vigers could not believe what they saw as no one has told them before that two different kinds of pills can be refined together in a single pot.


    "Thank you, master alchemist. What is the cost for refining them?" the cultivator thanked Qin Lan to the point he''s almost kneeling before Qin Lan.


    "Hmm..." Qin Lan rubbed his chin for a while as he considered the price for his service. After giving it a thought for a minute, Qin Lan took the ginseng nt from the leftover as his payment.


    "This will be enough. If there anything else you need me for, feel free toe and visit me." Qin Lan smiled and signaled them to go away.


    The crowd quickly dispersed not long after that. There was no longer any businessing in on that evening. But the next day morning, the number of waiting cultivators has increased to two people.


    "Hello, is the Master Alchemist is here, please?" one of the two cultivators asked. In his hand is a pouch of medicinal ingredients.


    "Look''s like the business is slowlying," Qin Lan smiled. Opening the door and inviting the two cultivators toe in, Qin Lan get himself ready to see what ingredient they brought over today.


    == == == == ==


    Note: Our story is slowly entering the end of book 2. Thank you for all the support so far.


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 86: Pill Request (1)

    Chapter 86: Pill Request (1)


    "You''re the master alchemist they talked about?" one of the cultivators politely asked Qin Lan as they worried about recognizing the wrong person.


    "If there''s no other alchemist in the vige, then I should be the one you''re looking for." Qin Lan replied to the question with a smile on his face. In his opinion, there''s nothing for him to feel offended because he hardly talked yesterday, put aside introducing himself.


    Of course, one of the reasons is because Qin Lan was in a state of demoralization yesterday.


    But resting for a night in peace made his mood much better this morning. Looking at the two cultivators in front of him, Qin Lan suddenly remembered when his cultivation is about their level.


    It was an enjoyable period because there are too many paths for him to choose from.


    "I - I heard that you can refine two kinds of medicinal pills in one serving. Can I employ you for your service, please?" a cultivator asked. The pouch with medicinal ingredients seems to be crying inside because it was poorly bundled.


    "Open the wrapper to let me see what you have first. And don''t stuff the pouch until it''s going to burst next time. It''s not good for medicinal herbs to be crammed together like this..." Qin Lan patted on the table.


    "I will remember your words, master alchemist!" the cultivator immediately unwrap the bundle of herbs in his hand.


    "Hmm..." Qin Lan separates a few ingredients aside. If these herbs were to be given to an inexperienced alchemist, it''s likely going to be wasted." Qin Lan shook his head. Although a few of them can be mix-and-match into a Flesh Foundation Pill recipe, not everyone is as knowledgeable as Qin Lan do.


    "Give me your wrist. Let me do a quick medical check-up on you." Qin Lan then extends his palm outward as he ordered the cultivator to bring his wrist over.


    "Medical... Check-up?" Qin Lan''s order puzzled the cultivator as it was his first time requesting a pill refining service.


    "Less question. Bring your hand out." Qin Lan said.


    "Y - Yes!" the cultivator ced his hand on top of Qin Lan''s palm.


    "Mistral Foundation Art - Heavenly Inspection Technique!" golden threads created by Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy soon entered the cultivator''s body to give out aprehensive examination.


    The cultivator felt a hint of shock on his wrist from start to finish.


    "Master alchemist... Is there anything wrong?" he asked.


    "There is, but nothing difficult." Qin Lan then stares at the bulk of medicinal herbs on the table. A flick of his finger soon started a fire on the bottom of the medicinal cauldron as Qin Lan randomly tossed a few herbs inside the pot.


    Once again, he let the mes created from the wood fuel to prepare the medicinal herbs.


    After an hour of waiting time, the me under the cauldron finally extinguished. And as usual, Qin Lan pushed the pot over to the cultivator to let him open and have a look.


    "This..." once again, the cultivator revealed an expression full of surprise. Even the vigers that came after hearing Qin Lan is concocting pills are filled with curiosity.


    "Say, what''s inside the cauldron?" one of the vigers asked.


    "Five... Five Flesh Foundation Pill and a Vein Unblocking Pill. And why does this look like a candied Rock Lotus Fruit?" the cultivator took the pills out from the cauldron and separated them into three stacks.


    "This is Jewel Lotus Fruit! I remembered it! It''s a processed product made from the entire Rock Lotus nt. I can''t believe that there are still people making them." an old viger about seventy years old said.


    "Jewel Lotus Fruit? What are the uses of this fruit?" the cultivator asked.


    "It was a supplementary pill like Flesh Foundation Pill. When I''m younger, material like Demonic Blood Orange is hardly found in the wild as it was too dangerous to hunt at that time." the viger answered. Although he''s no longer at his prime due to his age, his experience is not something to beughed at.


    Thirty to forty years ago, he''s still one of the contributors that keep this vige safe from Yao Beast.


    "This master alchemist, can you refine a few Jewel Lotus Fruit for me as well?" the viger asked.


    "Of course. As long all of you can bring me the medicinal ingredients, I''ll be able to refine something for you." Qin Lan gave the elder a smile as he answered his request.


    "Master alchemist, how much do I owe you?" the cultivator who had some of his ingredients refined into pills asked.


    "Hmm... I''ll take this as my wages then," Qin Lan reached his hand out and grabbed two immature Lingzi that''s less than ten years old.


    "Thank you, master alchemist. Thank you." the cultivator bowed at Qin Lan for his willingness to refine a pot of pills for him with the price of two cheap Lingzi.


    (Note: Lingzi is known as longevity mushroom in Chinese medicine)


    "What about you?" Qin Lan asked the other cultivator that came along with the first one. His health seems to be much better than the first one but somewhatcks vigor from his eyes.


    "Master alchemist... I - I have some medicinal herbs here, but the pill I want is a little special..." he handed a pouch of medicine wrapped with paper to Qin Lan.


    "Oh... I get it. Fellow vigers, this medicine is a little harder to refine. I''ll have to politely ask everyone to leave so I can concentrate." Qin Lan cupped his hand together and requested to be left alone with this cultivator.


    "Let''s go! We shouldn''t bother the master alchemist when he''s refining the pill." the viger who requested a few Jewel Lotus Fruit from Qin Lan said.


    "Close the door." Qin Lan said to the second cultivator after everyone had left.


    "Young alchemist... Do you think you can..." the cultivator asked Qin Lan again in case he''s clueless about the pill he''s going to request.


    "Alright... Stop there. What is so embarrassing about refining some vigor-enhancing pill? But if you''re going to keep it up for day and night, you''ll turn into a dried corpse in less than half a year." Qin Lan flicked a seed at the cultivator''s forehead for getting addicted to the sexual intercourse between male and female.


    "Do - Does that means you can refine the pill for me?" the cultivator asked. A hint of hope appeared in his eyes from hearing Qin Lan''s word.


    "Yes. But before I do, go out there and get a few more ingredients for me." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 87: Pill Request (2)

    Chapter 87: Pill Request (2)


    "Ahem... Fellow vigers." Qin Lan made his first actual public appearance to the people in this vige after both cultivators left the broken shack.


    "I believe everyone knew that I recently move in after getting the Vige Chief''s approval to live inside this humble shack. I won''t be bothering everyone too long, but if you need some help with pill refining, cksmithing, and medicine, feel free to give my door a knock." Qin Lan cupped his fist together and introduced himself to the vigers outside his ce.


    "As my token of gratitude for the Vige Chief''s kindness, would all vigers mind to step forward to collect some health supplement medicine for yourself and your family? I can guarantee their effect of boosting blood cirction, sleep, and health." Qin Lan then shook his hand a little.


    A Medical Cauldron instantly appeared on his palm, with a lingering fragrance of ginseng, lingzhi, wolfberry, mountain herbs, and many supplementary ingredients mixed together.


    There are about a hundred pills in the cauldron. Each of them refined into perfection.


    "We..." the vigers wanted to step forward to collect their part, but their wariness toward Qin Lan made them hesitates.


    "What are you all waiting for? Go forward and take one. I can vouch for this master alchemist''s skill." the Vige Chief''s quickly followed after he noticed there''s nobody dare to take a step forward.


    "Vige Chief," Qin Lan cupped his hand together and greeted him. Including today, it was his third time meeting this chief in person. He''s also the fatherly person who med Sun Wu Jian for not trying his best to save his kid when they returned to Fuyun City.


    And to a father that recently lost his only child, seeing Qin Lan and his confused pair of eyes on the night before made him remembered his deceased son.


    Out of kindness, he agreed to house Qin Lan in this vige for a short time while allowing him to find his path once more. And in return for his kindness, Qin Lan gave the Vige Chief a proper body massage to unblock his blood vessels.


    That''s also where the confidence in Qin Lan''s skills came from.


    "Since Vige Chief already gives us his words, let''s go and get a pill for yourself. Those who had a sick parent should also collect an extra for them when leaving." the viger that witnesses Qin Lan''s pill refining twice said.


    An organized line is then formed as the vigers collected the health supplement pill. Some of them took it on the spot as they started to meditate on the grasnd beside Qin Lan''s shack. As for those that didn''t do so, they left quickly to bring the medicine home.


    "Ah! There''s a fire burning in my belly button!" a young child about ten years old was the first to notice the effect of Qin Lan''s supplement medicine. As he was not as experienced as the other adults in cultivation, he quickly found out that the sensation is both enjoying and intolerable.


    The enjoyable part of the burning sensation made him felt stronger. But at the same time, the itchiness that apanied the burning sensation is irritating, especially to a young child.


    Looking at how the child struggling to not scratch here and there, Qin Lan came to his side and fed two Jewel Lotus Fruit into his mouth. The sweetness acts as a temporary soothing medicine in the child''s mind, allowing him to preserve it a little longer.


    "Everyone, open your mouth," Qin Lan noticed that those who cultivated on the spot also started to have the same symptoms as the child does. As a little sweetness and supplement of Spiritual Energy is good while meditating, Qin Lan repeated what he did to the child at everyone with a flick of his finger.


    The Heavenly Flicking Finger used by Qin Lan made the Vige Chief''s jaw dropped as a twist of his hand is all Qin Lan needs to feed the Jewel Lotus Fruit to fifty or so vigers.


    "Is this the means of a youngster five or six years old younger than my own son? No wonder he''s able toe back from the expedition, but not my son..." the Vige Chief thought.


    The effect of the medicine went out after one-third of the time an incense stick takes to burn.


    A pinkish hue is soon noticeable on the viger''s cheek as the medicinal properties finally seep into their bodies and nourish their health from the inside.


    It was like they were given an all-in-one medicine with tons of miraculous properties. Some gave out a fart on the spot due to their irregr bowel movement, and some felt younger or energetic.


    The ce outside of Qin Lan''s broken shack was soon filled with noises from the vigers who started to share how they felt after taking Qin Lan''s health supplement medication.


    His broken shack is filled with the food made by the vigers that night. To the poor and frugal vigers, presenting homemade food was the mostvish act they''re capable of doing as an act of gratitude to another person.


    Things changed on the third day morning as more people gathering outside of Qin Lan''s broken shack. While most of them are here to request a pill refining service, a few of them actually came with their broken tools as they asked for Qin Lan''s cksmithing help.


    It was also the first time an iron forge and a pill refining workshop is located at the same ce. Furthermore, Qin Lan never failed to impress them each time he refines something.


    Each and every iron tool he worked with end up bing sturdier and sharper. As for the medicinal herbs they''ve brought over, it was now permanently stored inside Qin Lan''s shack to allow him to refine anything up to his mood.


    A weekter, Qin Lan''s broken shack transformed.


    There are more than twenty types of medicinal pills stored inside the building to benefit the vigers. While on the back of the house is where an ironwork forge rest.


    "Master Qin, thank you for bringing so many things to our small and humble vige." the Vige Chief thanked Qin Lan from the deep of his heart.


    "Vige Chief, this is just my way of showing my gratitude. Thank you for willingly epting me as a member of the vige during this period." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 88: Natural Blessing of Earth and Thundercry Lion (1)

    Chapter 88: Natural Blessing of Earth and Thundercry Lion (1)


    A week actually passed when one tried to live quietly without caring what''s happening in the outside world. To Qin Lan, this one-week period is indeed calming as it allowed him to obtain the serenity he wanted.


    But no matter what, he has to return to reality.


    Of course, Qin Lan cannot be too irresponsible after receiving charity from the vigers. They might not be an expert in their field of work, but the contribution they gave out still managed to enlightened Qin Lan when he''s still in a state of confusion.


    For the sake of continuing what he left, Qin Lan trained two vigers with good potential in medicine on how to prepare the pills. Furthermore, a viger is taught his cksmithing skill to contribute to the vigers after Qin Lan''s departure.


    "Using the recipes and technique I taught them, this vige''s status will undoubtedly arise in the future. I can''t wait but fantasized about what will be their future..." Qin Lan smiled as he turned around and preparing to leave the vige.


    "Benefactor! Please wait!" the young child that received Qin Lan''s guidance in cultivation came forward as he wanted to share a secret of their vige.


    "What''s wrong, Xiao Dao?" Qin Lan knelt on a knee as he gave him a pat on his head.


    "My mother says, at the back of the mountain there, lies a pond that keeps releasing a jade-colored smoke. That ce used to be a ce the vige youngsters go to cultivates." Xiao Dao said.


    "But now... It has turned into a nest for the bad Thundercry Lion. Please get rid of the Yao Beast and get the pond back for us!" Xiao Dao continued.


    "Hmm... Why not. I''ll go there and take a look. If I really managed to get rid of the Thundercry Lion, I''lle back and tell you." Qin Lan replied. Since he''s leaving soon, it won''t be hurt for him to make a visit to the said ce.


    After sending the young child back to his mother, Qin Lan changed his direction and decided to pay the Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest a visit. Since it was rtively safe based on the viger''s words, Qin Lan didn''t bother to prepare too much.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Please stay calm. The promised Essence Transformation Pill will be on the way out very soon. We''re sorry for all the inconvenience." Hu Jia politely apologized to the disciples outside of their spiritual cave.


    "Fellow disciple Hu, I know that we shouldn''t me you on theteness, but please understand that all of us have our responsibility too. Without that pill, it increases our risk when going out to aplish a mission." a disciple said.


    "Ceh... Stupid fatty. Of course, the risk increases if you''re taking a mission above your ability. Relying on a pill is not a correct way to earn more contribution points." Qin Chan speaks softly behind Hu Jia.


    "Is there still no words about Qin Lan?" Qin Fan asked Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie.


    "No... It seems something is bothering his mind when we return. Perhaps the reason he left the sect quietly is to rify this matter. Let''s hope he''lle back soon." Lu Qing Yun answered Qin Fan''s question based on what they understand so far.


    Behind her stands Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie. Both of them had already sessfully broken through the Sixth-level of the Flesh Refining Layer a few days ago. Right now, only Hu Jia and Qin Lan still remain at the fifth-level.


    "Thank you for your understanding. We''ll announce as soon as we can the moment the Essence Transformation Pill is ready for collection. Please do not worry about it." Hu Jia bowed at the disciples as they left one by one.


    "Husband... Quicklye home, would you?" Hu Jia looked at the sky where the sun is beginning to set. In her heart, a hint of longing for her partner kept bothering her as she tried to calm her mind.


    ...


    ...


    "Yelp!" a Yao Beast cried as a sword pierced its heart.


    "It seems this ce is indeed decent for vigers to strengthen their cultivation." Qin Lan praised the richness of resources around this outer section. It was jumbled with medicinal herbs, Spiritual nts, and low leveled Yao Beast everywhere.


    Even Qin Lan managed to benefit from it.


    As there are not many obstacles that managed to halt his progress, Qin Lan reaches his destination in a single afternoon. The mysterious cave with a dull green light caught his curiosity as he approached it carefully.


    "Roar..." long growls can be heard from the inside of the cave.


    "The outside of this cave is too clean... It shouldn''t be as simple as a Thundercry Lion because that Yao Beast is known to bezy and filthy." Qin Lan kept the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush back into his sleeve''s pocket as it was a foolish attempt to fight using a weapon inside a cave.


    But he can''t enter the cave while protected by Spiritual Energy either as that will rmed the Yao Beast living within the cave.


    "Well... One will have to risk going into Lion''s den to capture a lion cub. Let''s hope it''s worthy of the risk." Qin Lan shook his head as he realized he was being overly cautious once again.


    Taking a step at a time, Qin Lan quietly sneaks into the cave.


    There were some weapons and equipment that rusted due to oxidation with the air along his way. And since they''re recyble after some effort, Qin Lan decided to pick them up as he stored them inside his Qiankun Pouch.


    He finally came into a much wider cave after walking cautiously for twenty or so minutes.


    "Roar..." a lioness gave out a light growl as it uses its sharp fang to tear the flesh of her food apart. Lying down not far from her is an adult Thundercry Lion still in its slumber.


    "For heaven''s sake..." Qin Lan smiled.


    Although it was unfortunate for him to stumble across a Thundercry Lion''s den without cubs, having a pair of male and female lions for him to hunt is better than nothing. But before that, he''ll have to consider how to proceed.


    That''s because the pair of Yao Beast before him are both sixth-level Flesh Refining demon!


    Furthermore, there''s another surprise waiting for him behind the Thundercry Lion. It was a pond that''s enough to fit between three to five people inside.


    Just like what Xiao Dao''s mother said to him, the pond is indeed a perfect ce to cultivate as it was shrouded by ayer of green mist all the time.


    "This was a natural Blessing of Earth just like the one I set in the Qin Family Estate! To think I actually stumble across one here!" Qin Lan had the urge tough loudly.

 Chapter 89: Blessing of Earth and Thundercry Lion (2)

    Chapter 89: Blessing of Earth and Thundercry Lion (2)


    Cautiously, Qin Lan made his way further into the cave stealthily without rming the sleeping Thundercry Lion.


    That''s because Qin Lan knew the extent of his own ability. With cultivation at fifth-level, the only benefit he had over the two Yao Beast is his absurd storage of Spiritual Energy and his Offensive Treasure.


    Even that is hardly enough for him because his opponent is not a mere sixth-level Yao Beast. Just like the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino, the word thunder is added to their name because they''re capable of converting their Spiritual Energy into that element.


    If he moves in recklessly without preparation, perhaps only two roars are all the Yao Beast need to bring Qin Lan down on his knees.


    **Crack...**


    The attention of the sleeping Thundercry Lion is suddenly attracted by the sound.


    This made a "putong!" sound on Qin Lan''s heart as he quickly lowered his body from a direct view.


    Luckily, the lioness bite is reaching to the bones as well. It was a coincidental assist as it made the Thundercry Lion returned to its slumber.


    Qin Lan then continues to move until he managed to dive into the pond filled with rich Spiritual Energy. As long he''s inside here, he will not be caught from releasing his Spiritual Energy to sense his surrounding.


    But there''s more surprise awaiting him as there''s a hidden passage on the bottom of the pond that''s connected to somewhere secretive.


    "Why is there a passage down here? Don''t tell me the pond of Earth Blessing is just a cover for the secret at the end of this passageway?" Qin Lan gently inhaled the bubbles of air around him for a mouthful of air.


    Qin Lan then dived straight into the mysterious passage as he was curious about where it will lead him. Under the pond about two hundred meters deep, his Spiritual Energy is the only light Qin Lan can make.


    After traveling for close to a mile down the passage, Qin Lan started to question if he made a mistake.


    "It''s almost two miles now... If I can''t get out from this passage as soon as possible, I''ll die from suffocation!" Qin Lan tried to calm himself as any mood swing at this time will shorten the duration of his breath can hold.


    "Please..." Qin Lan continued. About a quarter-mile further down the passageway, he finally caught a hint of light at where it was supposed to be the end of the tunnel.


    Qin Lan immediately took a deep breath the moment he jumped out of the water. After two breaths, he finally calmed his mind as he began to check his surrounding.


    "Wh - What in the world is this ce?" Qin Lan is speechless as he properly inspects this hidden cave.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "What did you say?" Xiao Dao''s mother went into a hysterical mood after listening to what Xiao Dao told her during their dinner.


    It was supposed to be a warning so the kids will not go into the forest while ying. But now, it turned into a troublesome matter because of what Xiao Dao told Qin Lan.


    Although Xiao Dao cannot be totally med for telling the children''s version of the story to Qin Lan, that was only a small part of the story.


    That location is indeed a ce where the youths used to cultivate around ten to twenty years back. But after a pack of Thundercry Lion moved into the cave, it has been dested until now. One of the reasons they''re still talking about the ce is because it was considered a location with blessings.


    Till today, some parents still tried to lure the Thudercry Lions away to allow their grown child to cultivate inside the pond for a while to absorb the rich Spiritual Energy there.


    "Come with mother! Let''s go to the Vige Chief and see what he can do." Xiao Dao''s mother forced Xiao Dao to follow her along to look for the Vige Chief.


    "Mother, Xiao Dao is wrong... Xiao Dao won''t be naughty anymore... Wu - Wu - Wu..." unknown where did he do wrong, he cried after looking at how angry is his mother.


    Even the Vige Chief is unable to keep himself calm after he heard about this. His heart immediately turned heavier than a boulder as a "putong!" sound fell in his mind.


    "This is not good... But what can we do? The one in the nest is not something else, but a few sixth-level Thundercry Lions!" the Vige Chief rubbed his temple due to the sudden headache.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Back to Qin Lan...


    A few things are going on in his mind right now. After swimming in a deep breath for close to two and a quarter mile, Qin Lan ended up in a hidden chamber under the pond.


    The light that guided him in thest quarter-mile stretch wasn''t a me or something created by Spiritual Energy, but two beautiful Night-Glowing Pearl.


    From Qin Lan''s understanding, the m that could produce this Night-Glowing Pearl has extinct even before the death of his first life. Being given the chances of seeing two perfectly preserved pearls here is much more precious than being given the world itself.


    And that was not all...


    From the state of the furniture, this chamber is likely older than a few thousand years old. Except for the two Night-Glowing Pearl, there''s only a book and a Spiritual nt that remained preserved after so long.


    "Is this the rumored Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss?" Qin Lan gently touches the soft moss growing at the shallowest part of the water. A greenish extract is released continuously by this moss as it turns the water into green whenever the extract past.


    Without further ado, Qin Lan uses his Spiritual Energy to capture a few drops of the extract and poured them into his mouth. A sweet and fresh vor simr to swallowing a mouthful of sea kelp extract soon filled his mouth as it made Qin Lan savor the taste.


    But what''se next solidifies Qin Lan''s suspicion.


    An intense outburst of Spiritual Energy close to swallowing a hundred Flesh Foundation Pills filled his exhausted body. Even Qin Lan is surprised by the fact a treasure like this Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss is hidden over here.


    "Perhaps... This is the secret to why there''s a naturally created Blessing of Earth inside this cave?" Qin Lan chuckled. It seems that trying to raise his cultivation level is no longer a far-fetched dream anymore with this Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss in his hand.

 Chapter 90: Seventh-Level Flesh Refining Layer (1)

    Chapter 90: Seventh-Level Flesh Refining Layer (1)


    "Seclusion chamber... Spiritual Energy Treasure... And a pond with umted Blessing of Earth before me..." Qin Lan used his fingers to calcte the number of fortune converged together with him right now.


    Furthermore, there are two Essence Transformation Pills in his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade, which he reserved for uses in an emergency.


    "The world will call me a fool if I don''t take advantage of this opportunity right in front of me!" Qin Lan no longer hesitates. Many average materials like Yao Beast corpses and medicinal herbs were quickly taken out from the Qiankun Pouch.


    "meless Lizard Demon Beast''s blood,"


    "Changshen Dew,"


    "Spiritual Serenity Grass,"


    "Foul Essence Silver Ink,"


    "And a little of my own physique bloodline..." Qin Lan refined the extract of the treasure he has in hand and injected them into the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss.


    Qin Lan then devoured all the Jewel Lotus Fruit he brought with him when leaving the spiritual cave. But instead of assimting the Spiritual Energy into his body, he directed the energy and nutrients towards the flowerless nt through multiple thin strands as fine as a string.


    The sudden nourishment activates Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss cell activity. Stalks with a bulb on its tip outgrown on that already flimsy-looking patch of moss.


    Looking at the hundred or so bulbs extended out from the patch of flowerless nt, Qin Lan smiled. The reason behind his suddenly cheerful expression is, of course, due to the content hidden inside the bulb.


    The content inside is none other than the sweet and refreshing extract Qin Lan swallowed a while earlier. What Qin Lan was doing beforehand is to force the nutrients into the malnourished nt to make it active once again.


    After waiting for an hour or so, the bulbs finally blew and deted like an animal skin container. The extract as delicate as a spray of water mist is immediately collected by Qin Lan using the medicinal bottle in his hand.


    This process repeated until Qin Lan had a total of ten medicinal bottles filled.


    "Atst!" Qin Lan wiped the sweat asrge as a bead on his forehead after he aplished his task. Looking at the ten or so bottles of Dragon Moss Extract, an expression filled with satisfaction and content is shown on his face.


    In this world, cultivation resources are divided into many kinds, types, quality, and forth. An example that can be used would be the Jewel Lotus Fruit, which contained a tenth of Spiritual Energy of what a Flesh Foundation Pill had.


    But what else after the Flesh Foundation Pill?


    Some might mention the Li-Tong Pill. A Li-Tong Pill is worth threefold of Spiritual Energypared to a Flesh Foundation Pill. Furthermore, this pill always came in a set of three. Taking them consecutively in the three hours gap provides ten times the effectiveness during cultivation training.


    Or perhaps, the Turbulence Pill, which is the preferable type of pill for cultivators that followed the path to Body Refining. While the Spiritual Energy in the medicine remained the same as a Flesh Foundation Pill, the additional turbulence energy is what they sought after.


    But in terms of price, it cost them three Flesh Foundation Pills instead.


    Furthermore, there are more options the higher is the cultivation achievement. As an example, the Bone Foundation Pill used by Bone Reconstruction Cultivator and Spiritual Foundation Pill used by a Spiritual Root Cultivator.


    A Bone Foundation Pill alone worth a hundredfold of Spiritual Energy a Flesh Foundation Pill has, and a Spiritual Foundation Pill worth a hundredfold of what a Bone Foundation Pill has.


    As the Spiritual Energy contained in these three types of the pill is standardized, it allowed them to be used as the baseline of a currency measurement.


    Of course, the baseline of a currency or not, they''re iparable to Precelestial Essence. Although a drop of Precelestial Essence worth about the same as a Spiritual Foundation Pill, it is much more valuable because of its trait.


    And the ten medicinal bottles with Dragon Moss Extract before Qin Lan is just as precious as the Precelestial Essence.


    Although each drop of the Dragon Moss Extract is equivalent to a single Bone Foundation Pill''s worth of Spiritual Energy, being usable by mortal and cultivators from allyers made its value nowhere lesser than the Precelestial Essence.


    "Ten bottles, a hundred drops each... That''s about 100,000 Flesh Foundation Pills avable for me to use." Qin Lan hand shook slightly for having this kind of resource in his hand. It was almost equivalent to how much Sun Wu Jian earned during their few days inside the Precelestial Essence Mine.


    Qin Lan turned his sight onto the flowerless nt as he catches up with his breath.


    The Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss currently seems to more robust after what Qin Lan did. The brownish surface has now started to show a translucent green hue as its lifeforce has begun to recover.


    "It''s time for me to strengthen my cultivation!" the fire of improvement ignites in Qin Lan''s mind as he steeled his heart to strengthens his cultivation.


    Seated cross-legged by the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss, Qin Lan starts to strengthen his cultivation by drinking an entire bottle worth of extract! It was as if he''s swallowing ten thousand Flesh Foundation Pills into his body at once!


    The sudden introduction of Spiritual Energy started to run amok inside him as Qin Lan uses the chances to unblock his meridian channels.


    The process continued as he gulps the second and third bottles at once.


    Soon, the Mistral Flesh Diagram appeared in his mind.


    One more imperfection started to fade as the Spiritual Energy continue to sculpt his body into perfection. But it was far from Qin Lan''s aim as he was trying to achieve more than that.


    Pouring the remaining Dragon Moss Extract into his body, the excruciating pain multiplies as Qin Lan''s body started to crack. Muscles that weren''t built to withstand the stress of over-flooding it with Spiritual Energy began to tear off by pieces.


    "Secrets of the Kuangshan Lu Sect! Kuangshan Healer''s Art! Immortal Mental Technique!"


    "Refining my Flesh, Refining my Body, Refining my Physique!"


    "Not Dying Because You Dare To Die,"


    "Not Dying Because You Dare To Die,"


    "Not Dying Because You Dare To Die!!!"


    "I will not fall here because this is not where I''m going to fell in my pursuit to the pinnacle of cultivation!" Qin Lan repeated the same advice he gave to Huo Zunjie thrice as he clenched his teeth together to withstand the challenge of advancing his cultivation.


    Then, the miracle he expected came atst.


    Two imperfections shown on the Mistral Flesh Diagram slowly disintegrate from his mind as Qin Lan felt a surge offortable wind around his body.

 Chapter 91: Seventh-Level Flesh Refining Layer (2)

    Chapter 91: Seventh-Level Flesh Refining Layer (2)


    The erasing of Waist and Navel imperfection gave Qin Lan an unusual feeling on his overall body. Right now, it''s no longer feel as taxing as before when he circtes the Spiritual Energy around.


    Qin Lan''s curiosity made him practices a set of Golden Lord''s Holy Fist style inside this seclusion chamber.


    Like the Martial Technique of Three Sword Strikes of Zhenwu Gate, the Golden Lord''s Holy Fist also came in three levels. The first level incorporates Spiritual Energy around to deliver substantial damage.


    The second level is known as Decimating Fist, which is known for its overbearing strength. As for the third, it was known as Ruling Fist.


    Based on his Kuangshan Lu Sect record, the Holy Fist is to destroy a single opponent. The Decimating Fist is to eliminate a sect, and Ruling Fist to obliterate a country.


    There''s only one requirement to learn this martial technique.


    The practitioner of this technique must possess twice the Spiritual Energy to execute the Holy Fist, thrice the Spiritual Energy for Decimating Fist, and quadruple for the Ruling Fist.


    "Comfortable indeed!" Qin Lan smiled at how fluid is the Spiritual Energy revolving around him. It now took less than a millisecond to release and pull the Spiritual Energypared to when he was still a fifth-level cultivator.


    Closing his eyes and focus on the Mistral Flesh Diagram, only three more imperfection remained until he reaches the pinnacle of Flesh Refining Cultivation.


    (Nape! - Jaw! - Core!)


    The three imperfection that left in the diagram is equivalent to three levels of the Flesh Refining. But what does that mean for Qin Lan, who''s already at the seventh-level of Flesh Refining Layer?


    "Does this means... I''m going to walk the same path as the First Supreme Emperor?" Qin Lan''s mindset entered a state of self-enlightenment and reflection as the practice is nearing itspletion.


    And since there''s nothing else bothering him here, Qin Lan returned to his meditating posture as he stabilized his cultivation before leaving this ce.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Is there any changes inside the cave?" the Vige Chief quickly asked the moment he saw the two cultivators he sent out returned.


    "There are no changes at all... The Thundercry Lion is still in there,zying and doing nothing. Perhaps our benefactor did not take Xiao Dao''s word seriously and left after walking around?" one of the cultivators said. He''s also the one that requested Qin Lan to refine the Vigor-Enhancing Pill for him.


    "Both of you noticed the disappearance of a few Yao Beast nearby, correct? Who else will do this except our benefactor? There are hardly any people visiting this ce except for us." the Vige Chief added.


    "Then... What should we do?" the other cultivator asked.


    "We''ll wait. I''ve already sent a request to the Cloud Plucking Sect''s Min-Ren Dwelling. Let''s hope they''ll quickly send somebody here to give us a hand." the Vige Chief said.


    "We can only hope so... Let''s wait for a few more days."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Three days have passed in a sh.


    It was actually beneficial for Qin Lan to stabilize his cultivation using the Spiritual Energy that originated from the pond. As both energies in his Core and the pond came from the Dragon Moss, it actually took him less time to refine themmonly.


    "I should return to the sect now. It''s been almost two weeks now." Qin Lan told himself.


    But before he left, there''s something else he must do.


    Qin Lan approaches the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss and gently removes the hardened soil that protects its root system. It took him less than a minute to do that, but whates next surprises him thoroughly.


    A flowerless nt like the Dragon Moss actually had a root system asplicated as the ant''s colony. Not only branching out all over the seclusion chamber, but the root system also spreads across the passageway he came in from.


    "Never in my life to think that the root of a fragile Dragon Moss can be thisplicated... How long will it takes me topletely remove all the soil entrapping it?" Qin Lan asked himself.


    "Dragon Moss - Dragon Moss... How good will it be if you''re sentient and can give me an answer... Would you like to leave with me?" Qin Lan jokes. A part of him had already given up as it seems impossible for him to remove the root system without injuring it.


    But the unexpected always came when you''re less expecting it.


    A consciousness has indeed formed within this flowerless nt. In response to Qin Lan''s question, the Dragon Moss retract its root until only a few thicker roots remained.


    Soon, a young dragon formed using the root system appeared on the ground as it approaches Qin Lan one step at a time. The greenish, flowerless moss on the top ended up bing the crown of the dragon.


    It was already toote for Qin Lan to react when he noticed the young dragon approaching him. Like it already knows where its destination is going to be, the dragon vanishes the moment it made contact with a treasure on Qin Lan''s body.


    "Eh? Where did it go? Is that the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss? This oddity is sentient?" there were so many questions unanswered in Qin Lan''s mind as he rummages his body to check where did the dragon go.


    "Qiankun Pouch... No."


    "Spatial Jade... Pocket... Offensive Treasure... No."


    "My Dantian? My body? The Mistral Flesh Diagram?"


    "Where it go?" almost all usable artifact avable to him has been searched clean, and the dragon is nowhere to be found.


    It was a fruitless search until Qin Lan identally dropped the book he picked up inside this room. It was the only treasure that remained untouched by the corrosion of time, just like the two Night-Glowing Pearls and the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss.


    "This book..." Qin Lan picked up the book and turned it into the first page. But to his disappointment, he can''t choose which pages to be opened at all.


    A page with thendscape drawing appeared right in front of Qin Lan as it made him speechless. Looking at thendscape with mountain, sea, a patch of grasnd, with a dragon-shaped looking nt inside the drawing, Qin Lan finally found where it went.


    "This is... Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting?"


    "What... What is the treasure of the Ancient Tribe doing here in this world?" Qin Lan''s heart fell like a thousand jin boulder dropped onto the ground.

 Chapter 92: Battle - Raging Beast Soldier (1)

    Chapter 92: Battle - Raging Beast Soldier (1)


    "Take this!" Qin Lan jumped out of the dried pond and attacked the nearest Thundercry Lion. Using his seventh-level cultivation, it was more than enough for him to confront two sixth-level Yao Beasts at once.


    Qin Lan''s attack rushes over at the female lion just like a tidal wave as it sent the Yao Beast mming on the wall. The noise created by their initial fight quickly attracts the male lion''s attention.


    "ROAR!" it only takes the male Thundercry Lion two seconds to charge a ball of lightning between its jaw. In the next moment, a bolt of lightning made its way fiercely where Qin Lan is expected tond.


    "Bzz!" but Qin Lan''s weren''t a weakling either. An energy sword is formed with the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush acting as its handle deflected that attack effortlessly. Once he managed to secure hisnding, three Qin Lan''s mirages appeared.


    Added with his original body, the four Qin Lans attacked the male Thundercry Lion at once.


    "Grr... ROAR!" the Thundercry Lion changed its tactic. Instead of firing a few bolts of lightning out from the energy ball between its jaw, the Yao Beast is smart enough to use a soundwave as its means to protect itself.


    The sixth-level Thundercry attack is undoubtedly the deadliest attack of this Yao Beast for forcing Qin Lan to a retreat. Two of Qin Lan''s mirages are destroyed from this attack, leaving only one and his original body moving around.


    Soon, a cautious roar from the female lion came.


    It finally went back on its feet after suffering the light concussion from Qin Lan''s sudden attack.


    "Does this means we''re going to get into the second round?" Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Roar!"


    "Roar!"


    The two Thundercry Lions attacked at the same time. It was not a pleasant experience for Qin Lan to be sandwiched in between two sixth-level Spiritual Energy.


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!" but Qin Lan wasn''t a pushover either. With his cultivation of a seventh-level,unching two attacks at once is nothing to him. In an instant, two sword strikes were fired in a different direction and forced both Thundercry Lions into a retreat.


    Additionally, he uses the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique to shorten the gap between him and the female lion.


    "Here!" Qin Lan''s shout rmed the Yao Beast that was too upied in its mind. That ended up bing a weak point for the Thundercry Lion as Qin Lan ruthlessly stabs his energy sword into its beating heart.


    "Roar... Roar..." the female lion struggled for a moment before breathing out itsst breath.


    The male Thundercry Lion fell into a state of rage when it witnesses the death of itspanion. The fury that grew inside the Thundercry Lion then eaten up the Yao Beast''s sanity as the color of its fur started to change darker.


    "Don''t tell me... The stupid beast is going through an evolution right now?" cold sweat asrge as a ss bead appeared on Qin Lan''s head as the feeling of threat is getting worst.


    A pair of horns slowly grew out of the Thundercry Lion''s head as the Spiritual Energy of this beast increases. The body also undergoes a drastic change as it grew taller than an average Thundercry Lion.


    "Oh... S**t." Qin Lan started to feel a slight regret for killing the female lion first. It seems that he underestimated the possibility of the Yao Beast evolving in the middle of the battle.


    But what''s done is done. There''s no medicine to cure regret in this world.


    What Qin Lan can do right now is to prepare himself before it escted further to an irreparable situation.


    "Offensive Metal,e out." Qin Lan tapped on the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade on his waist and withdrew six pieces of ingots out as he formed the Qiankun Golden Sword.


    **Tap - Tap - Tap...**


    "Who the hell ising into the cave at this time?" the footsteps of a few peopleing into the cave caught Qin Lan by surprise. He immediately saw the two cultivators from the vige when turning his gaze at the cave''s entrance.


    "Benefactor!" both of them called Qin Lan instantly without realizing there''s arger threat standing beside them.


    "Get out of the cave right now!" Qin Lan shouted. The Qiankun Golden Sword that''s fully formed atst is swung at where the Thundercry Lion undergoes its evolution.


    "Huh?" the two cultivators are still confused with what happened. As their cultivation was nowhere significant, this made their reaction after hearing what Qin Lan said seem to be moving at a snail pace.


    "Boom!" a soundwave attack detonates on the spot as it destroyed the cavern they''re in. The entrance immediately caved in, burying the two cultivators in the process.


    "NO! NO!!!" Qin Lan''s attack is just half a second slower than the soundwave created by the Thundercry Lion.


    A sense of fear came into Qin Lan''s mind while he''s staring at this Yao Soldier a meter taller than the usual Thundercry Lion.


    "Human... You dare... To kill mypanion..."


    "I will... Send you... Hell..."


    Its consciousness also grew at a nightmarish speed as the Yao Soldier now possessed the ability to talk minutes afterpleting its evolution.


    "Hehehe... Then let me see what you''re capable of doing. I''m also curious about what kind of treasure I''ll be able to get from killing a Yao Soldier like you." Qin Lan chuckled as he continues to taunt the demon in front of him.


    "You... Will... See hell... Soon enough." the Yao Soldier revealed a smile through its beast appearance.


    And with a lift of one of its limbs, the Spiritual Energy of an eighth-level cultivator runs amok. Then, an attack akin to a hammer is swung downward came at Qin Lan as it forces him to defend against it using all his might.


    "Eight... Eighth-level!" Qin Lan raised his sword up as he supported it with both hands to defend against this attack. The moment the attack from the Yao Soldier made contact with Qin Lan''s sword, he was pushed down by at least a few inches deeper into the ground.


    It even causes a slight concussion to Qin Lan''s mind from the impact, like being smacked by a hammer on the face.


    "A - Again?" the Yao Soldier raised its limb slightly and decided to repeat the attack for the second time.


    "Again!"


    "Your!"


    "Head!"


    "Sea Splitting Strike!" Qin Lan yelled. Without bothering if he''s going to exhaust his Spiritual Energy or not, he immediately used the second sword strikes from the Three Sword Strikes of Zhenwu Gate to retaliates.


    "Bam!" the attack throws the Yao Soldier mming onto the other side of the wall as their battle started.

 Chapter 93: Raging Beast Soldier (2)

    Chapter 93: Raging Beast Soldier (2)


    "Roar-ghhh!" both roaring and howling of pain came from the Yao Soldier as it mmed onto the wall after Qin Lan''s attack. The sight of this bes funnier from a human''s perspective because a creature shouldn''t be able to mix them together into one.


    "Are you a creature or demon? Can''t you make up your mind about it?" Qin Lan approached the Yao Soldier with the Qiankun Golden Sword in hand. Spiritual Energy is channeled into the weapon without a hint of stopping as Qin Lan was preparing for arge-scale attack.


    "Quiet!" the Yao Soldier howled as it releases another Thundercry without bothering how much Spiritual Energy it has left. The detonated soundwave immediately blew whatever in its proximity into shards, except for the primary target, Qin Lan.


    "Stupid creature! Eat my... Aargh!" Qin Lan was going to continue taunting the Yao Soldier, but who knew it can be tricky as well. The beast''s tail came from below as it entangled both of Qin Lan''s legs before throwing him over a wall nearby.


    "I really shouldn''t underestimate this beast..." although Qin Lan managed to stops before he was crushed into the wall, there was a steep price for him to do so.


    His muscleined through a sore and painful sensation as Qin Lan flicked a few hairpins over at the Yao Soldier. Struggling to continue, Qin Lan quickly threw a few Flesh Mending Pills into his mouth to assist his body with the recovery.


    "Kuangshan Healer''s Art!" Qin Lan tapped a few of his acupuncture points and adjusted the flow of blood forcefully using his Spiritual Energy. But once again, Qin Lan underestimated the smartness of this Yao Soldier with its own consciousness.


    "ROAR!" after noticing that Qin Lan''s focus is ced on his right arm, the Yao Soldier immediately able to guess what Qin Lan is trying to do. The beast instantly changed its charging direction from the left to Qin Lan''s right as it was a fatal spot for all right-handed sword users!


    "Damn beast..." Qin Lan clenched his teeth harder as his intention to charge up a decisive attack was a failure.


    "Come... Human!" the Yao Soldier suddenly went to a full stop and repositioned itself to Qin Lan''s left. It was an act of provocation towards Qin Lan.


    "Since you want me to attack so much, so be it!" Qin Lan held the Qiankun Golden Sword with both hands as he forced a few more thousand units of Spiritual Energy into the sword.


    "Mistral Swordstrike!" the ancient text of (Wei) and (Lan) shed brilliantly as Qin Lan''s attack came down like a torrent of vapor. The torrential attack that came does not stop at one wave but continued until Qin Lan exhausted three-quarters of his avable Spiritual Energy.


    "How''s that, you damn beast!" Qin Lan catches up with his breath after delivering an attack of this level. It was so far the deadliest killing blow he used from the day he can cultivate again.


    "Roar!" suddenly, a de created using Spiritual Energy came close to Qin Lan''s neck.


    "Mistral Mirage Steps!" Qin Lan vanishes from the spot he was standing and appeared about a few meters away from where he stands.


    Droplets of sweat about the size of a ss bead rolled down to his chin as there was a shallow cut on his neck. If it was not because of his excellent martial prowess, perhaps his head would be rolling on the ground right now.


    Soon, blood started to flow from the cut on his neck. The numbing sensation from earlier slowly dissipates and is reced with a hint of pain.


    Although the pain is not as unbearable as getting tortured by removing the fingernail by force, it was close.


    "To think that even the power of two Ancient Text is unable to defeat a recently evolved Yao Soldier..." Qin Lan shook his head as he gently tapped the wound on his neck to stop the bleeding.


    Furthermore, after exerting about three-quarters of his strength, the Qiankun Golden Sword is no longer capable of holding its shape any longer. Pieces of the sword have begun to fall like broken sses.


    In just less than a minute, the golden sword is no more. Only the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush remained in Qin Lan''s hand.


    But the Yao Soldier wasn''t doing too well either. A deep wound can be clearly seen on the Yao Soldier''s chest when the curtain of dust finally faded. Based on the amount of blood on the ground, one can roughly guess how terrible is the wound inflicted by Qin Lan using the power from two ancient texts.


    Both sides were in a state of recovery right now, after the exchange earlier.


    ...


    ...


    "Something must have happened inside the cave! Quickly get the vigers with some cultivation toe and help uncover the cave!" the vige chief ordered. The sudden caved-in worries him as the help from Min-Ren Dwelling is yet to arrive.


    Furthermore, two of the vige''s cultivators have gone inside the cave to have a look. What if they were trapped together with the Thundercry Lion?


    "Please let nothing happen... Please..." the vige chief prayed as he helped the others to move the rock away from the copsed tunnel leading deeper into the cave.


    ...


    ...


    "Let''s get it all over again." Qin Lan raised the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in his hand higher after tapping his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade once again for nine additional pieces of Offensive Metal ingots.


    This was all the Offensive Metal Ingots he has in his possession.


    Only two out of the eight transformations required a minimum of nine Offensive Metals to reform its appearance. Six ingots to form the six foot''s long body, one for the tip, one for the pommel, and one for the decorative tassel.


    Soon, a long spear close to seven and a half foot long came into Qin Lan''s possession as it was steadily draining the Spiritual Energy through Qin Lan''s palm.


    To end this decisive battle, Qin Lan took thest Essence Transformation Pill. The medicinal effect of the pill soon kicked in as the natural Spiritual Energy around the cave is flowing naturally into Qin Lan''s body.


    That''s including the essence from Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss hidden within the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting.


    "Thundercry Lion... Oh, my mistake... You should be better known as the Raging Beast Soldier right now, am I correct?" Qin Lan chooses to speak now before it was toote for him to do so.


    "Let''s end this battle right here. You''re considered lucky to be able to see this weapon of mine that was once sealed for killing too much," Qin Lan said. The close to seven and a half foot long spear soon released a hum as thest thread on the skirting is finally formed beautifully.


    "And... What... What is your weapon... Name?" the Raging Beast Soldier scratched the ground until a mark appeared on it as it speaks.


    "The Pir of Kuangshan Mountain." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 94: Pillar of Kuangshan Mountain

    Chapter 94: Pir of Kuangshan Mountain


    "Psst... Should we let the benefactor know that we''re still breathing?" a gentle whisper can be heard from the gap where the two cultivators were standing a while ago.


    "No..." another whisper replied from about a few inches away.


    "Stop talking. If the Yao Soldier knew that we''re still alive, then we''ll create more problems for our benefactor," he added. Two of them are indeed lucky to miraculously escape from wounds and injuries after getting buried under the rubbles.


    ...


    ...


    The decisive battle finally started after both sides had steeled their mind to end this battle.


    Qin Lan appeared to be dwarfed by the ridiculously long spear in his hand as he swings his weapon around.


    "Zinggg..." a vibration is created as Qin Lan''s spear danced in between them. Without a sign or whatsoever, both sides made their move and attacked.


    "Roar!" the w that was waiting to be fed with blood came from Qin Lan''s left side fiercely. The eighth-level strength was akin to a mountain is used as a recement for a hammer.


    But Qin Lan wasn''t a weakling either. Using the essence of his Mistral Mirage Steps, he dodged the attack naturally like a gust of wind. In the meantime, Qin Lan did not forget to retaliate by lightly swinging the Pir of Kuangshan at the Raging Beast Soldier''s wrist.


    "Rip!!!" a deep cut appeared on the back of the Raging Beast Soldier''s wrist, but it was a mere superficial wound.


    "Is that... All... You can... Do?" the Raging Beast Soldiermented as it was disappointed by the false rm in its mind. Qin Lan''s first attack is notparable to the few attack he made when using his sword.


    "ROAR!" the Yao Soldier quickly fired a bolt of lightning at Qin Lan before changing its position again. This made the battle getting trickier as time passed.


    "I have to quicklye out with a way to defeat this beast before it managed to grow further..." Qin Lan narrowed his eyebrows while trying to think of a way to end this battle sooner.


    ...


    ...


    "Brother... With benefactor''s martial skills, howe it seems so difficult for him to defeat the Yao Soldier?" one of the cultivators asked. Although they''re buried under the rubbles, it did not block their view from witnessing the exciting battle.


    "Fighting a Yao Soldier is different from a Yao Beast. Always remember that a Yao Beast is a beast from head to tail. They often rely on their animal instinct when hunting. But fighting against a Yao Soldier is different."


    "Because a Yao Soldier has its own consciousness, it is capable of thinking and adapting, allowing it to learn like us. This trait itself made the Yao Soldier threatening to human cultivators like us," he added.


    "Then... Shall we help the benefactor?" the first cultivator asked.


    "No... We can try to stop the Yao Soldier when ites to life and death, but not when they''re still fighting equally. Let''s continue to hide and see how the battle goes."


    ...


    ...


    "Zing! Zing! Zing!" three superficial wounds are imprinted on the Raging Beast Soldier as Qin Lan continues with his pointless effort to cut through the Yao Soldier''s defense.


    As for his opponent, it seems to be getting fiercer as the battle continues.


    "Human... You will... Lose... Soon." the Raging Beast Soldier continues to taunt Qin Lan like before as the wound created from Qin Lan''s Qiankun Golden Sword is about to healpletely.


    "Roar!" once again, the Yao Soldier spit a bolt of lightning to disturb Qin Lan. But this time, it was apanied by an attack from its tail as well.


    "Oh no!" the two cultivators watching their battle from afar noticed the double attackunched by the Raging Beast Soldier.


    But none of them managed to caught Qin Lan''s expression the moment the Raging Beast Soldier attacked. The edge of his lips curved slightly when the Yao Soldier made its signature move.


    It was toote for the Raging Beast Soldier to react when it finally noticed the mistake behind this repetitive attack.


    "One Spear Thrusting Through the Mountain." It was one of Qin Lan''s signature move in his first reincarnation before the Kuangshan Lu Sect is established.


    An arm that belonged to the Raging Beast Soldier is amputated from its main body after a spear made of silver light went through it like cutting off the fruit in half.


    "ROAR!" the pain that came aftermath caused the Raging Beast Soldier to screamed like a beast uncontrobly. Not a single word from the human tongue exist in its mind right now as it was clouded by the intense pain.


    The Yao Soldier lost itself into ragepletely as the pain continues to torment it. All the sanity and trickery it disyed earlier vanished like a stain is washed away from a piece of clothing.


    Not even a single word is muttered as the Raging Beast Soldier as its attack and attacked without bothering about its stamina.


    "I''m lucky that its consciousness is recently developed. If I allowed it to adapt a little longer, who knows what kind of thing it will learn to survive in this world?" Qin Lan remained on a defensive stance as the Raging Beast Soldier attacked him from all over the ce.


    Although the missing of a limb has reduced its speed significantly, the Raging Beast Soldier is still considered dangerous.


    "Shua!" taking advantage of its random movement, Qin Lan managed to leave a few more cuts on the Raging Beast Soldier.


    More blood is pouring out from the Raging Beast Soldier''s wound as it seems to be at the end of its struggle.


    "Bzzt... Bzzt..." suddenly, a lightning spark that was charging in between of the Raging Beast Soldier''s horn attracted Qin Lan and the two cultivator''s attention.


    Unexpectedly to all of them, the Yao Soldier actually managed to get out from its rage before Qin Lan managed to end the battle.


    "Thunderous st!" the lightning spark between the horns grew at least ten times bigger as it lunged at Qin Lan. The blood on its body no longer pouring out as all its life force was concentrated into turning this attack deadlier with every second it took.


    "Benefactor, be careful!" one of the two cultivators failed to control his nervousness as he finally exposed himself before the two shed.


    The corner of Qin Lan''s lips curved upward slightly as he smiled for his second time.


    "Beautifully interrupted," he whispered.


    The battle has been decided when the Raging Beast Soldier slightly turns its attention away from Qin Lan for a quick peek.


    "One Spear Ruling the World!" this time, an even thicker spear of silver light went forth and pierced through the Raging Beast Soldier''s skull.

 Chapter 95: House Arrest

    Chapter 95: House Arrest


    "We''ve found the body of both of them! They''re still alive!" the people that busy removing the rubble away from the copsed tunnel shouted as they notice the bottom half of the two cultivators stuck under the stack of rocks.


    And from how they keep twitching, it means that both of them were still alive, although none of them are capable of moving right now.


    This finding made the people more energetic as they work harder to rescue both of them. As they''re afraid to cause the cave to copse once more, the rescue operation is going on slowly as they selected which piece of rubble to be removed first.


    That''s also why the two cultivators were unable to notice what''s was going out at the other half of their body exposed outside the tunnel. Furthermore, all their attention is ced on the battle between Qin Lan and the Raging Beast Soldier because it might benefit them and their cultivation in the future.


    "Look at how both of them are twitching... It must hurt to be crushed under the weight of the rubble, unable to move an inch..." one of the youngsters said while they move the rocks away from the cave.


    "But there''s another sound further inside the cave. I wonder what''s happening in there. Do you think... Maybe... The Thundercry Lion is nearby?" another youngster added.


    "Shh... Keep your mouth shut, and don''t talk about that here. If that Thundercry Lion is really behind this rubble, we''re going to be the first to die when it attacks us." the first youngster said.


    "Be-Ne-Fac-Tor..."


    "Eh? Did you hear that?" the youngster that stands on top of the boulder asked.


    "Hear what?"


    "They''re calling for the benefactor! I think our mister benefactor is inside as well!" his announcement made everyone else fired up.


    "Then what are you all waiting for? Quickly move the rock! If they''re injured, we can heal them when we brought them back to the vige!" the Vige Chief that heard his word urged everyone to work harder the moment he heard that Qin Lan might be inside the cave too.


    ...


    ...


    "Be careful!" one of the cultivators screamed as he''s unable to hold himself any longer. His shout that somehow managed to make the Raging Beast Soldier took a peek ended up created a chance for Qin Lan tond a finishing blow.


    "One Spear Ruling the World!" Qin Lan made a stabbing action using the Pir of Heaven in his hand. The blow that seems straightforward blew the Raging Beast Soldier''s skull into pieces the moment it connected.


    Not even the lightning spark is capable of withstanding this attack.


    Qin Lan stares at the body of the Raging Beast Soldier on the ground. The body still twitches even after the head has been blown into bits. But after a few minutes, it finally stops as all the motor controlling the body has ceased.


    He then collected the corpse into his Spatial Jade before moving over to the cave entrance filled with rubbles.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Qin Lan used the remaining Spiritual Energy he has to open a passage leading outside of the cave. After that, he was too tired to remember what happened as Qin Lan fainted at where he stands.


    ...


    ...


    "Husband, are you awake?" the next moment when he opened his eyes, Qin Lan was already lying on the bed he shared with Hu Jia.


    Did I not fainted at the cave..." Qin Lan rubbed the two acupoints located around his temple as he tried to remember something.


    "You''re lucky it''s Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, and elder brother Qin Fan who epted the quest to rescue you yesterday... They brought you back after they noticed that you''re injured in the fight against the Thundercry Lion."


    "You won''t have to worry about the vigers as they''re feeling thankful about how you cleared that cave for them." Hu Jia added as she adjusted herself over to Qin Lan''s back and started to give him a proper head massage.


    "I''m feeling much better. Sorry to make you worry." Qin Lan enjoyed his head massage as he slowly rested his head on top of Hu Jia''s voluptuous chest. It was like two soothing pillows capable of removing all the buildup stress in Qin Lan''s mind.


    "You should enjoy it while you can... There''s more for you to do after this." Hu Jia''s tone was as gentle as ever, but her facial expression seems to be otherwise. A hint of anger appeared on her face as she gritted her teeth together while holding the urge to give Qin Lan a smack.


    "My wife, my headache is no more. Let''s get something to eat before we went back to the bed..." Qin Lan turned around and hugged Hu Jia.


    "Eat? Are you hungry, my dearest husband?" Hu Jia asked.


    "Yes. I''m... What''s with your hand? Why is the fist? Wife?"


    "Wife?"


    "Wifeeeeee!!!"


    ...


    ...


    "Sorry for making all of you wait! Our Essence Transformation Pill is now back on sale again! Feel free to leave an order, and we''ll be back to you in no time!" Hu Jia happily collected the Contribution points into her Disciple Token.


    After almost a month of dy, their stall finally returns to the business. The main attraction is still the Essence Transformation Pill that everyone sought after.


    As for Qin Lan, he''s under house arrest.


    Although it hurts Hu Jia''s feeling for treating her husband this way, it is not wrong either as the previous two weeks wereparable to hell. Disciples from all twelve dwellings came to disturb her daily due to the dy in delivering the Essence Transformation Pill.


    "Sorry, young master... We wish to help you, but we don''t dare to confront big sister Hu Jia when she''s angry..." Lu Qing Yun said.


    "Sorry, Lan-Er... We''ve promise Hu Jia that we will not help you in this matter. You''re on your own this time." Qin Fan and Qin Chan shook their head as they can''t do anything either this time.


    The house arrest continued until a week is over.


    His life returns to normal after the Spiritual Lock is finally removed from the door.

 Chapter 96: Tong Xuan Jian / Copper Xuan Sword

    Chapter 96: Tong Xuan Jian / Copper Xuan Sword


    "What are you going to do this time, husband?" Hu Jia asked as she leaned on the seat where Qin Lan used to meditate. Her dress looks neat and appropriate this time because she knew she shouldn''t disturb Qin Lan''s concentration right now.


    But asking a question or two won''t be counted as a disturbance.


    "Do you remember that I was trying to refine something from the materials I''ve brought backst time? I''m going to use them now to refine something for all of us." Qin Lan said.


    "Ah... No wonder you took the two Jade Dragon Fingers from Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie... It is for this reason." Hu Jia nodded. A momentter, she continued as there''s one more question of her is unanswered.


    "How many treasures can be refined from these ingredients?" Hu Jia asked as her hand sweeps through the ingredients Qin Lan arranged nicely on top of a roundtable.


    "It''s depending on what kind of treasure I''m going to refine. I can force all the ingredients into one Offensive Treasure, or I can separate them into ten. What''s important is how suitable is the ingredients when I put them together." Qin Lan rubbed Hu Jia''s head as he clears her curiosity.


    "Oh... So it''s like refining a pill..." Hu Jia''s eyes wandered around as she rolled on the smooth seat.


    "Then... Let me know when you need me for something." Hu Jia shut her eyes and started to take a nap.


    "Hehe..." Qin Lan touched her bum on purpose as he teased her a little. But his attention returned to the treasure refining soon after that.


    Using his Spiritual Energy as a firestarter, Qin Lan ignites the firewood stacked under the two smelting forges sitting in the corner of his room. A bunch of materials is thrown into the forge to start the extraction process.


    "Renting my own spiritual cave is indeed more convenientpared to using the public forge area provided in the dwelling. At the very least, I can keep my own techniques a secret while I produce the treasures out from the forge." Qin Lan smiled as he monitors the extraction process.


    The forge provided is also a higher-level smelter that came with all the required features. One of them is the draining system to remove the liquid metal and gs without requiring an extra pair of hands.


    Furthermore, the venttion system is fully controble through Spiritual Energy. Unless he''s trying to refine something like a Bone Reconstruction Treasure, the venttion will be more than enough for Qin Lan to refine them without turning the room into an oven.


    "Done," Qin Lan used the hammer in his hand to unblock the draining pipe for the liquid metal to flow into a holding pool. The next batch of material is quickly inserted into the forge as he removes the gs aside.


    He then took the time while waiting to separates the Offense Metal from the holding pool. As the metal would slowly harden as it was fed with Spiritual Energy, Qin Lan controlled the output at minimal as he formed them into amon-sized ingot.


    After repeating this process six times, 48 pieces of Offense Metal Ingots are now ready to be used to create any Offensive Treasure.


    "Let''s start with the two Jade Dragon Fingers first." Qin Lan took a few ingredients from the table and mixed them together with the disassembled Huang-Grade (Half) Offensive Treasure. The me soon turned the parts into golden bits before the Offense Metal is added.


    Since there''s no longer a constraint over refining materials, Qin Lan decided to scrape aside the idea of keeping their weapon as a gauntlet for closebat.


    "It''s time I''m going to teach them a proper sword martial technique to protect themselves outside of the sect too..." Qin Lan nodded as he raised the hammer taller than his head.


    "Dang!"


    "Dang!"


    "Dang!"


    It was a different process when it came to refining an Offensive Treasure with the appearance of a sword, spear, hammer, and staff. The reason is that they''re considered as a Solid Armament, which tends to focus on durability.


    Meanwhile, the gauntlet, brush, fan, and de are considered Soft Armaments. A weapon like them can be processed in multiple ways, but they''re eventually not used for a severe engagement.


    Furthermore, the demand in the material used to refine the Offensive Treasure is slightly different too.


    After removing and refining the scales into the sword''s core, it was time for Qin Lan to add the star ingredient for the first sword that was customized for Lu Yi.


    "Spine and Core from the Rock Demon Boar."


    "Aplete limb from the Violet Legged Broodmother."


    "meless Lizard Demon Beast''s ribs."


    "Thunderhorn Copper Rhino''s horn."


    "Material selection isplete! Let''s start the sword tempering process!" using both of the forges to fire the ingredients until they reach the malleable stage, the sword''s core is added into the forgest.


    The five Yao Beast parts are quicklybined with the sword''s core to create a rough branch-like body. At this stage, holding the treasure is no longer possible using his bare hand.


    A grabbing tong went inside the forge to grab the sword out as Qin Lan begin to hammer it into a shape he desires. Taking Lu Yi''s height into ount, Qin Lan created this sword to be about 34 inches long.


    He also made the sword a little broader than usual and added some weight to its base based on his understanding of that guy''s fighting habit.


    With the feature of the de has been decided, the hammering process continued. One hit at a time, Qin Lan steadily molds the sword into a state of perfection as the Offense Metal is added, one drop at a time.


    Close to half a dayter, the sword created for Lu Yi finally has taken shape. As the Thunderhorn Copper Rhino''s horn was the most vtile material amongst those used to shape this Offensive Treasure, a striking copper color coated the weapon from its tip to the base.


    Only the hilt remained a little different as it carries the color of the lustrous ck from the Rock Demon Boar over.


    "Only the final steps remained..." Qin Lan quenched the sword into the water twice as the refining process is leaning closer to itspletion. The moment the excess water on the Offensive Treasure has finally evaporated, Qin Lan used it to open an incision in between his palm.


    Spiritual Energy soon gushes out from the incision along with his blood like a spray of mist. Using his own blood to baptized the Offensive Treasure he refined, the droplet soon gathered at the ridge of the sword''s body in the form of three texts.


    "Tong - Xuan - Jian!"


    == == == == ==


    We''re nearing the ending of Volume 2. Thank you for all the support so far, fellow readers!


    Tong-Xuan-Jian also means Copper Xuan Sword in Chinese. Xuan = Mysterious ck. It will sound like ck Copper Sword / Copper Xuan Sword / Tong Xuan Sword.


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 97: I Love You (Special Chapter for International Womens Day)

    Chapter 97: I Love You (Special Chapter for International Women''s Day)


    An image of Yao Beast carrying Qin Lan''s blood appeared from the de''s tip. A gentle and vigorous roar can be heard as soon as it opened its mouth to announce its arrival into this world.


    It also thirstily devour all the avable Spiritual Energy avable in the surrounding air until the sword releasing a brilliant light on its own.


    Even Hu Jia, who''s soundly asleep in the middle of the room, is awoken by the sudden depletion of Spiritual Energy inside their room.


    "What happened?" Hu Jia turned around to look at her husband.


    "Gosh... Is that a Heaven-Grade (Full) Offensive Treasure?" Hu Jia''s eyes are unable to move away from the sword in between Qin Lan''s hands.


    "Hu Jia," Qin Lan wakes her up after she was staying still in that position for over a few minutes.


    "What... What treasure is that? Is that a Heaven-Grade Offensive Treasure?" Hu Jia asked. How can she be calm after her husband refine a Heaven-Grade in half a day?


    "Yes. It''s known as Copper Xuan Sword. I''ve made it uniquely to rece Lu Yi''s Jade Dragon Finger." Qin Lan gently ced the sword on top of a sword chest customized to keep the treasure decent.


    "Copper Xuan Sword... It''s beautiful. I''m sure Lu Yi will fell in love with it the moment he sees it. But... Does he know any sword technique?" Hu Jia nodded in approval after hearing that it was customized for Lu Yi.


    "No wonder the sword seems broader and longer... It was to fit Lu Yi''s tall figure when he''s using the weapon in a fight." Hu Jia thought.


    "Let''s take a rest by taking a walk outside. I''ll have to start to refine Huo Zunjie''s weapon next when we came back." Qin Lan gently patted Hu Jia''s hair as he finished his sentence.


    "Alright..." Hu Jia shyly holds Qin Lan''s arm as both of them went out to freshen their mind.


    Although it wasn''t too long after theirst walk, a woman that doesn''t wish for their partner''spanionship hardly exists. It was also their first time to walk along the busy night street of Fuyun City.


    After exchanging some Flesh Foundation Pills with some gold and silver coinsmonly used, the couple continued their refreshing trip by tasting all the foods sold along the street.


    The couple soon stopped outside of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion as they coincidently stumble across Zhou Mei on the street.


    "Greetings, Qin Family third young master." Zhou Mei addressed Qin Lan while carrying a gentle etiquette. Her gracefulness somehow managed to make Hu Jia felt threatened because Zhou Mei was also a beauty like herself.


    Although Hu Jia might be winning in the department of chest size, the fair, milky white skin of Zhou Mei is a threat to her pride.


    "It was nice to meet you too, Mrs. Qin." Zhou Mei extends her gesture to Hu Jia after she noticed her awkward expression.


    "Ni - Nice to meet you too..." Hu Jia''s hand grabbed Qin Lan''s sleeve tighter as she felt threatened by Zhou Mei right in front of her.


    "Heh..." suddenly, Zhou Mei chuckled. Her cute gesture made the couple questioned the reason behind her smile.


    "Although I wish to chat with the third young master for a while, there is currently a banquet ongoing in our Zhou Treasured Pavilion. Please excuse me today for not able to extend our invitation to you tonight."


    "If there is a more suitable time in the future, I''ll be looking forward to cooperating with the Qin Family again for one or two business ventures. I hope by that time, young master Qin Lan will not reject the request of thisdy..." Zhou Mei bowed at Qin Lan after she expressed what she assumes to be regret.


    "Then... Let''s meet again in the future." Qin Lan smiled at Zhou Mei before he continues down the road with Hu Jia by his side.


    "Hah..." both Hu Jia and Zhou Mei exhaled a breath of air they''ve been holding it the moment their eyes met after leaving. Unconsciously, both women see one another as a threat as their heart was captured by Qin Lan.


    "Am... Am I going to share my husband with someone like her? Will Qin Lan as this question?" a hint of worry appeared in Hu Jia''s mind as she thinks about what she had.


    Perhaps, except for a bigger breast and sexual desire that''s capable of holding Qin Lan''s heart, she had nothing much...


    At the same time, Zhou Mei was sharing the same thought as Hu Jia did.


    "How am I going to defeat someone of her caliber? From how Qin Lan allowed her to hold his arm, I can see that my chances of bing his wife are slim... I heard that even beforeing to the Cloud Plucking Sect, Qin Lan has been giving her full control over the family''s finance..." Zhou Mei sat by herself on a bridge linking the merchandise disy hall and manager''s courtyard together as her mind went somewhere else.


    "Mdy... The banquet has started." a female servant came to remind her of the time, but Zhou Mei''s heart has long gone to where Qin Lan is.


    "Mdy?" the female servant looked around her.


    "Psshh... Haha..." suddenly, Zhou Mei chuckled. Something funny came across her mind as she remembered something Qin Lan use to tease her when they first met inside the exact same pavilion.


    "Worldly Sense Physique... If I can have you... So what if I continue to linger in this worldly dream for a little longer?" Zhou Mei smiled.


    (Chapter 62 recap. When Qin Lan teased her for minding too much about the stuff rted to the regr people)


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The couple finally returned to the spiritual cave without knowing what was going through in their mind. As for Qin Lan, he was delighted by buying a bulk of materials on their way back.


    As he was preparing for the refining process, Hu Jia suddenly came from his back and embraced him with all her force. Her chest nicely fit on Qin Lan''s back as the feeling of bounciness made him speechless.


    "Husband, can you embrace me and hold me tight tonight?" Hu Jia''s pleaded for Qin Lan''s affection.


    And being a responsible husband, Qin Lan submitted to her.


    Although he has no idea why tears were rolling down from the corner of her eyes after they finish sharing the night together, there''s one thing he understood.


    This woman who sleeps by his side and embracing his arm tight without letting go had made him a part of her life. And no matter how it will be in the future, she shall not be neglected.


    "Hu Jia," Qin Lan called her name as she is still soundly asleep.


    "En..." feeling that somebody is calling her, Hu Jia gave a light response while her eyes remained closed.


    "I love you." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 98: Yin Ling Jian / Silver Ling Sword

    Chapter 98: Yin Ling Jian / Silver Ling Sword


    "Parts of Crimson Battle Wolf."


    "Parts of Mutated Foul Essence King."


    "Parts of Violet Legged Broodmother."


    "Andstly, parts of the Silver Canis Demon Soldier."


    Aption of different materials is loaded into the forge to create Huo Zunjie''s Offensive Treasure. It was different from Lu Yi''s sturdy and bulky Copper Xuan Sword based on the materials used for Huo Zunjie''s tool.


    And because the material used is different, the refining technique has to be adjusted slightly too. Instead of using the hammering technique to temper the weapon to the desired sturdiness, it was melted to create a bond between the materials.


    The oue of the process created a sword with rough edges. It was filled with impurities that even a naked eye can notice.


    "The real challenge will start from here," the impurities all over the sword fell like shards the moment Qin Lan gave it a flick using his finger.


    Firing the forge again, Qin Lan ced the sword back and forth as he keeps removing the impurities from the Offensive Treasure. This process repeated close to a hundred times until a distinctive feature of the de finally appeared.


    A slender sword about the size of two fingers soon appeared in Qin Lan''s hand. It was created to be low profile based on Huo Zunjie''s personality and carries a hint of silver appearance throughout the sword.


    Once again, the final step ofpleting the sword is here.


    Like how the Copper Xuan Sword came to life, Qin Lan''s blood that came out in a mist form thoroughly covered the silver de.


    "Xing!!!" a vibration that concludes the sword''spletion echoed inside Qin Lan''s ear. The Spiritual Energy inside this spiritual cave was once again devoured by the sword in Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Yin-Ling-Jian!" three texts appeared not on the body of the de but on the hilt itself. The text appeared to be coated with ayer of a violet hue.


    "Silver Spirit Sword, what a great name!" Qin Lan nodded as the Offensive Treasure in his hand is finallypleted. Smiling, Qin Lan gently ced the sword into a different box.


    "Finally, the weapons for both of them areplete. I shall... I shall..." Qin Lan suddenly felt a hint of fatigue. In just a few seconds, he fell asleep while seated on where the swords are stored.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "What happened?" Qin Lan''s spirit is wandering in an endless void without a set destination. His surrounding was covered with darkness and stars which seems far from his position.


    But there''s one thing he knew.


    There must be a reason why he was brought here.


    And since there was no indication about what he has to do or where he needs to go, Qin Lan decided to leave it to his fate. Feeling that his spirit is moving forward without a sense of direction, Qin Lan continued.


    A shooting star passes through.


    He barely walked across a blue.


    School of a kind of rock beast flies through before him.


    Then, his spirit arrived on top of a small asteroid about a-tenth of the blue he came across earlier.


    "Is this where I''m supposed to go? But there''s nothing here... Aargh!" his sight was blinded by a light that came out of sudden. The next moment when he opened his eyes again, he was once again seated beside the two swords.


    "Is that... A dream?" Qin Lan questioned himself about what happened. It seems not even an incense stick of time has passed after he lost his consciousness.


    But the inspiration for him to continue to craft the treasure is no longer around. After scanning the materials he has once again, Qin Lan finally released a disappointed sigh.


    "Maybe... I went too strong from refining the two Precelestial Heaven-Grade (Full) Offensive Treasure." Qin Lan smiled sourly as the motivation to keep refining is no longer around his mind now.


    He then went into meditation as he looked for a sword technique to be bestowed to Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie.


    ...


    ...


    "Really?" Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie almost jumped out of their seat in excitement when Qin Lan told them that their Offensive Treasure ispleted.


    A smile is clearly imprinted on their face when the box carrying the sword is ced before them.


    The moment the Copper Xuan Sword and Silver Ling Sword are taken out from the box, a vibration soon followed. As both Offensive Treasures were refined from the same Treasure Master, a sense of kinship invisibly appeared between them.


    Lu Yi''s sword was sturdy and fierce, while Huo Zunjie''s weapon is flexible and low-profile.


    "I will also teach both of you a set of sword techniques to allow you to use the sword better. As long both of you are willing to study hard, it won''t take too long for you to master the art of using a sword." Qin Lan said.


    "We''ll make sure to not disappoint young master and teacher''s teaching!" both of them immediately cupped their hands together as the sword pointed downward.


    The three of them soon made their way over to an empty space beside the farm. With the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in his hand, Qin Lan started the lesson by teaching them the sword''s basic.


    "Mastering a sword is different from mastering a fist or a spear." Qin Lan began.


    "A sword is an extension of your arm. Cut, sh, Stab, and Parry are your four primary moves when using this weapon."


    "Cut allowed you to leaves a precise wound on your opponent. sh empowering your attacks. Stab allowed you to deliver a killing blow quickly. And Parry is used to defending against all kinds of attack."


    "Only by mastering these four primary moves, you''ll be able to understand the true meaning of sword." Qin Lan sparred with them one at a time as he imprinted the way to use a sword into them.


    And a week has passed in a blink of an eye.


    "Now, spar amongst yourself, and let me see at what level are your mastery with the swords." Qin Lan said.


    "Yes, young master!" both of them nodded as they moved a little further from where everyone else was seated.


    "Are you ready?" Lu Yi asked. His Copper Xuan Sword was pointed downward at a 45 degrees angle as he confidently stares at Huo Zunjie.


    "Come at me anytime you want." Huo Zunjie replied with a smile. Two of his fingers are rested on the edges as his sword is ced in between his eyebrows.


    "Golden Bell Sect''s Sword Technique!" Lu Yi charged forward byunching a sh attack. Hidden in his attack is a sense of overbearing attitude that fits Lu Yi''s personality.


    "Silver Willow Sword Technique!" in the opposite, Huo Zunjie retaliates with an attack that seems slow to the point he was not moving from his spot.


    Even Qin Fan and Qin Chan are surprised by the two sword techniques they disyed.

 Chapter 99: Moment of Peace , Moment of Bliss

    Chapter 99: Moment of Peace , Moment of Bliss


    "Lu Yi''s sword technique is totally my style!" Qin Fan''s eye sparkle as he was awed by the overbearingness carried behind Lu Yi''s attack. It was an attack capable of sweeping all opponents in a half-moon angle without leaving a gap for others to counterattack.


    But there''s no such thing as an unbreakable attack in this world.


    If there was one, that''s just because the technique to break this attack is yet to be found.


    "Chimes of a Prayer''s Bell." Lu Yi''s attack came fiercely at Huo Zunjie, but thetter seems to be indifferent against the attack.


    "Why Zunjie still remained motionless before Lu Yi? The sword strike is about to reach him!" Qin Chan, Lu Qing Yun, and Hu Jia felt nervous for Huo Zunjie as if they were sparring against Lu Yi.


    Qin Lan quietly smiled as he was able to guess what Huo Zunjie was trying to do.


    Suddenly, Huo Zunjie''s gaze bes sharper as he delivered close to a hundred stabbing blows against Lu Yi''s attack.


    "Ack!" Lu Yi''s sword bounced off slightly as it fought against Huo Zunjie''s direct attack. In the end, the attack failed to urately hit the target because the direction of this attack was somehow diverted to the wrong angle.


    "Good work." Qin Lan secretly praised Huo Zunjie for his proficiency in using the Silver Willow Sword Technique.


    Against a brunt attack like Lu Yi''s, the best way to fight against it is to either dodge or redirect the attack''s path slightly. And the Silver Willow Sword Technique, which is inspired by the movement of a willow tree, is the best technique to aplish this.


    Although Huo Zunjie''s Silver Ling Sword seems to be flimsy and soft, it doesn''t lose when ites to durability. And when the Offensive Treasure is in Huo Zunjie''s hands, it allowed him to efficiently disy the advantage of using a flexible sword.


    "I fancy this sword technique Huo Zunjie uses!" said Qin Chan. She immediately turned her view to Qin Lan as she knew he was the best person to ask about this.


    "Lan-Er... You won''t say no to your sister, correct?" Qin Chan rubbed her palm together as she smiles at her lovely third younger brother.


    "Of - Of course! I''ll have Zunjie teach you the keyword and practice techniqueter, my second sister." Qin Lan quickly agreed to Qin Chan''s request as he knows how annoying she could be when ites to these things.


    It also reminds him of how Qin Chan pestering him for half a day because she wanted to know how the Emerald Transformation Spirit Grasse to his possession.


    "Lan-Er, what about your eldest brother?" Qin Fan put his arms around Qin Lan''s shoulder as he asked.


    "Eldest brother, of course, you can get Lu Yi to... Wait..." Qin Lan hesitates in the middle of his reply as he remembered Lu Yi''s weakness.


    Although Lu Yi is now capable of writing and reading, it needs him a long time to fully understand the essence of this Golden Bell Sect''s Sword Technique.


    "If he were to teach Qin Fan about the technique''s keyword, who knew how long will that take?" Qin Lan hesitates because of this reason.


    "I want to learn this sword technique too!" Hu Jia came forward and stated her wish to learn Lu Yi''s sword technique as well.


    "Then... I''ll guide both of you."Qin Lan smiled. It seems that Hu Jia is still her usual self even after marrying Qin Lan.


    Qin Lan also did not forget about transferring the knowledge of the Kuangshan Lu Sect''s breathing technique to his elder siblings.


    This kind of peaceful period continues for another week, where the sales of Essence Transformation Pill are going over the roof again. The four plots outside the spiritual cave are now filled with Emerald Transformation Spiritual Grass due to mature once every two weeks.


    As there was more for him to do right now, Qin Lan decided it was time for him to pay a visit to the medicinal manor and the Zhou Treasured Pavilion.


    Unknown to what''s motivating him, Qin Lan unconsciously headed straight to the Zhou Treasured Pavilion first.


    "What''s bring you here to our humble treasured pavilion today?" Zhou Mei quickly came down from her room when she noticed Qin Lan''s arrival outside the pavilion''s entrance.


    There''s a hint of a blush powder that was applied in a rush on her face. Although that did not affect her overall beauty, it still made a young maiden like her seem embarrassed and panic when seeing him in public.


    "I have a business proposal. Are you interested?" Qin Lan brought up what''s in his mind straight away. To him, Zhou Mei was someone he can speak directly without the need to coating his words with honey first.


    "Humph! You''re always here when you try to take advantage of me. Is there a time you came without something bothersome?" Zhou Meiined. But at the same time, she did not reject Qin Lan''s proposal either.


    "Miss Zhou Mei, mydy Zhou Mei... You can''t speak like that as that would make me seems like a rascal. Furthermore, when did I take advantage of you?" Qin Lan put on an innocent face as he rebukes her words.


    "You!" Zhou Mei pouted. The blush on her face grew more when she remembered how Qin Lan ced his hand on her waist during the discussion about the Huang-Grade Treasure dealing back in the Fu-Rong Townst time.


    "I warn you first! If you try to do that again on me, I''ll cut off the rtionship between us!" Zhou Mei turned herself around as she was trying to point her finger at Qin Lan. But sometimes, mishaps always happen unexpectedly.


    She slipped.


    And from pointing at Qin Lan, it ended up making her hugging him with her face nicely rested on his chest. The sweetness from this sight gathered jealousy instantly from all the people inside the pavilion.


    "I want to be hugged by Lady Mei like that too!" theyined.


    "What a fair-skinned toyboy she has there! Why is that person wasn''t me?" a minorityined.


    "I''m so jealous to the point I wanted to kill myself using a block of tofu!" theints continued.


    But to both of them, it was a moment of a short bliss as Qin Lan''s steady heart seems to be beating faster than usual.


    "This is not my intention..." both Qin Lan''s hands hovered behind her back without touching her. If it wasn''t because there are too many people inside the pavilion, Qin Lan would have hugged her long ago.


    "I - I know..." Zhou Mei embarrassedly replied. But at the same time, she wished that this moment wouldst for a second or two longer as she tried to imprint this into her mind.


    "Ahem!" suddenly, a cough from a Bone Reconstruction Cultivator came from the top of the pavilion as a warning. It seems to be directed to Qin Lan as the pressure suddenly made Qin Lan became more cautious.


    "Shh... That''s - That''s my father..." Zhou Mei said.

 Chapter 100: Partnership

    Chapter 100: Partnership


    "Dear father, we''re here..." Zhou Mei awkwardly walked into the room with Qin Lan. Her face remained blushed even though nothing actually between them.


    "You''re Qin Lan, the young Qin patriarch people talked about in Xiyun City?" the man in his forties asked. His office is filled with various treasures belonging to the sword category. Based on this fact alone, it is understandable why he summoned both of them into his office.


    "A man with a hobby of collecting arm-length sword is always known for their easy to talk to attitude. It would be best for me to be honest when talking to him." Qin Lan cupped his hands in response to Zhou Mei''s father.


    "This junior is indeed the Qin Lan senior mentioned. It is an honor for me to meet with pavilion manager Zhou today." Qin Lan said.


    "Not bad, not bad..." Zhou Mei''s father nodded as he measured Qin Lan''s cultivation strength.


    "What''s bring you here today to our humble pavilion? Was it solely to take advantage of my unmarried daughter?" suddenly, Zhou Mei''s father changed the topic as he asked for the reason behind Qin Lan''s visit.


    "Father!" Zhou Mei raised her voice at her father.


    "Since senior is interested as well, then please allow this junior to bring up the matter about this business proposal. I hope that it would be one that worthy of senior''s time and advice." Qin Lan cupped his fist together as he politely suggested.


    "Based on my understanding about thend of our Yunshan Province, cultivating a spiritual herb farm is not a wise decision, correct?" Qin Lan started by throwing a question for the pair of father and daughter to ponder.


    "Indeed, young nephew. Spiritual Herb is always an expensivemodity here in Yunshan Province because a piece ofnd rich with Spiritual Energy is hardly found."


    "Even the Zhou Treasured Pavilion suffered a few losses in all our previous investments because it was difficult for us to cover the cost of operating the farm. Don''t tell me that young nephew''s n is rted to farm cultivation?" Zhou Mei''s father asked.


    As the current pavilion manager, it was unsurprising to recognize the lucrative benefit from a farm cultivation business. To a business establishment like the Zhou Treasured Pavilion, owning at least one to two spiritual herb farms is almost a must-do task on their list.


    A part of the reason is that upying a spiritual herb farm is equal to possessing half of the cultivating resources required to groom their own experts. Only when an establishment holds enough strength on its own can it move further.


    Strength is a fundamental requirement for mankind to survive in this world. It can also beprehended as resources, treasure, and knowledge.


    Knowledge was the most difficult to obtain strength, where it requires both time and collective effort from people to make it appear. The effect brought by its existence is significant, but at the same time, pointless if it was not inherited.


    Treasures, on the other hand, are a more popr kind of strength. Because of the production method, Treasures is believed to be eternal. They''re inheritable from one to another unless it was damaged in a battle.


    The only grey area in this is if they possess no knowledge regarding this, that means their number will reduce the further the era has passed.


    Andstly, exhaustible resources, such as herbs, talismans, and pills. As there was a limited timespan on them, this type of strength is always in high demand. This is why the conversation associated with them caught the interest of Zhou Mei''s father.


    Being unable to firmly venture into this field is a regretful matter for Zhou Shen, Zhou Mei''s father.


    The seemingly profitable business of Zhou Treasured Pavilion is, in fact, suffers from this matter due to theck of cultivating resources produced in-house. This is also an issue that has been dragging the pavilion''s performance down in the past.


    The Zhou Treasured Pavilion is only counted as a second-rated business establishment here in Fuyun City due to this reason. Compared to the Medicinal Manor, thetter is considered a first-rate establishment because it possesses two spiritual herb farms in the whole Yunshan Province.


    "Answering to senior''s question, junior''s business proposal is indeed rted to a spiritual herb farm. But before junior continue, please take a look at the content of this medicinal bottle and box." Qin Lan ced a set of what he prepared on the table for their inspection.


    "I wonder... If senior have a clue about this?" Qin Lan smiled as he opened the medicinal box first.


    The moment the cover is lifted, an aroma of sweet and refreshing grass came out and tried to strike their sense of smell. Inside the box were three stalks of Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass.


    And without the need to guess, the medicinal bottle is expected to hold the Essence Transformation Pill inside.


    "I''ve remembered this Spirit Herb. I''ve once read about its information inside the encyclopedia of extinct spiritual herbs. There are supposed to be three different types... Which one is this might be?" Zhou Mei''s father asked as he gestured if he were allowed to take them into his hand for further inspection.


    "Please, senior." Qin Lan ced his inner palm facing upwards as he invited Zhou Shen to do so.


    "Hmm... If I''m not mistaken, the pills inside the medicinal bottle are supposed to be what came out after refining this spiritual grass?" Zhou Shen continued. Using his thumb to remove the wooden cork, he poured a pill out from the bottle.


    "Refreshing... There''s a hint of detoxified poison remains, which likelyes from the atmosphere used to cultivate this nt. Other than that, I can''t guess it unless I''ve taken this pill and try to decipher its effectiveness."


    "Can you let this senior know what kind of Spiritual Herb and pill this is?" Zhou Shen asked as he ced the pill in his hand on top of a pill holder.


    "Senior Zhou is indeed an expert with considerable experience to be able to see through part of the cultivating technique used to grow these spiritual herbs."


    "Your guess is correct about it being extinct. This variant is known as Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass. It was the main ingredient to concoct this pill, which is known as the Essence Transformation Pill." Qin Lan introduced the product to the father and daughter pair.


    "Essence Transformation Pill? This is the pill those disciples of Cloud Plucking Sect talked about recently?" Zhou Shen''s eyes sparkled as his hand reaches for the pill again.


    Even Zhou Mei couldn''t withstand the temptation as she reached the bottle and poured another pill onto her palm.


    Perhaps it''s because of a blinded trust towards Qin Lan, Zhou Mei swallowed the pill without questions. And instantly, the Spiritual Energy surrounding them started to flow into Zhou Mei''s body as smooth as her breathing.


    "How miraculous..." she said.


    "Do young nephew''s visit this time rted to this?" Zhou Shen asked.


    "No. It''s because I have two other Spiritual Herbs in hand waiting to be introduced."


    "Are the Zhou Treasured Pavilion interested in a partnership?" Qin Lan asked.

 Chapter 101: The Start of Qin Faction (1)

    Chapter 101: The Start of Qin Faction (1)


    "Partnership? Two other spiritual herbs?" the keyword from what Qin Lan just said sessfully caught Zhou Shen''s attention. As a person with his position now, money is no longer an issue.


    "Yes, senior." Qin Lan nodded.


    "How about exining them in detail while we''re here?" Zhou Shen''s opinion towards Qin Lan changed slightly since the youth before he seems somewhat capable.


    But in his mind, he''s still curious about Qin Lan''s method to turn a piece of barrennd unsuitable to cultivates spiritual herb into one that fertile enough.


    Knowing that Zhou Shen had caught his bait, Qin Lan starts exining things in a simplified manner. Through the soil and spiritual energy proposition of the small-scale farm from his spiritual cave as an example, Qin Lan led the discussion from one concern to another.


    Although it was done in a simplified manner, the way Qin Lan describes how the process can be done intrigued the father and daughter pair.


    "Perhaps, this is how the idiom (Jack of all trades, master of none) came into existence." Zhou Shen nodded as he secretly approved Qin Lan''s skill in guiding them from one stage to another in his own way.


    Of course, there''s an inurate part in his assumption as Zhou Shen has no idea that Qin Lan was someone with two lifetimes of experience.


    "Can we know what kind of spiritual herbs the farm is going to cultivate and what is their expected harvest window each time?" Zhou Shen asked.


    "Sure." Qin Lan nodded. He immediately took two pieces of paper out from his sleeve''s pocket and ced them on the table.


    It was folded neatly with a few words on the front page.


    [Spiritual umtion Pill]


    [Martial Foundation Pellet]


    "The first kind of spiritual herb we''re going to nt will be the Energy umting Fruit. We can expect it to start bearing fruit after the main nt mature after a month, and the harvest session is once every half a month."


    "It will be the main ingredient to refine the Spiritual umtion Pill." Qin Lan exined. Acting as an assistant to her father, Zhou Mei reached out to pick the paper with the [Spiritual umtion Pill] written on it and unfold it for her father.


    == == == == ==


    Spiritual umtion Pill


    => Multiplies the collected Spiritual Energy absorbed during the pill''s maturity by twofold. Consumed immediately after maturity to obtain most of its medicinal value.


    => The pill''s maturity can be hastened through other cultivating medicine, and up to ten pellets can be consumed in a day.


    => Pill''s maturity is equivalent to one-tenth of spiritual energy inside a drop of Precelestial Essence. Effective immediately when consumed.


    == == == == ==


    It was indeed another valuable cultivating resource introduced by Qin Lan, where the selling point of this pill is its ability to doubles the Spiritual Energy that existed.


    When used efficiently, consuming a medicine like this Spiritual umtion Pill is equivalent to taking a Bone Foundation Pill with the price of fifty Flesh Foundation Pills. Although the medicinal value might drop depending on how long it was stored after maturity, a pill like this may rece a Spiritual Essence in many different ways.


    Furthermore, the pill''s maturity time can be augmented through other cultivating medicine...


    The only negative point left is that there is a limit to how many pills can be taken in a day.


    "This medicinal effect... Did it belong to the Cultivating Medicine Path? The medicinal value of this pill is not low..." Zhou Shen keeps nodding his head as he was persuaded by the description of this pill.


    "Yes. I think this pill is going to be a hotmodity in the market." Qin Lan confidently replies to Zhou Shen''s statement. It was reasonable for Qin Lan to feel confident in the Energy umting Fruit and Spiritual umtion Pill.


    It is impossible for those in the Flesh Refining Layer to not be hooked by the effect of this Spiritual umtion Pill. Furthermore, with the arrival of this pill in the market, it would also lighten up the burden on the limited supply of medicinal herbs.


    In Zhou Shen''s opinion, selling this for the price of a single Bone Foundation Pill wasn''t ridiculous at all because it was worth that price. There was also a further thought that went through his mind for a brief moment.


    "What if..."


    "If I give these to groom our Bone Layer experts?" Zhou Shen tried to roughly calcte the saving in resources and time that would benefit him in the long run.


    To a cultivator of Peak Bone Reconstruction Layer like Zhou Shen, money is no longer an issue. But time and resources are. That''s because no matter what''s the height of their achievement, they''re unable to bypass the Five Governing Law of the World.


    As long they''re still using the Bone Foundation Pill to cultivate diligently in a day, it will take them an hour to digest a single pill at a time. Although there''s an excess of Spiritual Energy is surrounding them, how much can they be of use?


    The Spiritual Energy in the atmosphere might be significant for a Flesh Refining Cultivator. But to a Bone Reconstruction expert, it was nothing more than a small breath!


    (Note: The cultivation pills issue has been exined before. All foundation Pills take an hour to digest, no matter what quality it is. This is why treasure like Dragon Moss Extract Qin Lan has, or the Precelestial Essence is highly sought after)


    "Young nephew, I have to say that I am very convinced with the content of this letter and your proposal. But no matter how good it was on the paper, how confident are you in delivering it?" Zhou Shen was delighted the moment all those positive thoughts filled his mind.


    But the discussion would have to eventually return to where it started. And the main concern always rests on how much of the sweet promises are achievable.


    "Would senior believe me if I say I am fully confident that I''m capable of fulfilling them? But in exchange, I''m afraid that the monopoly of this product won''t be in the hand of the pavilion." Qin Lan smiled as he replied.


    "Then, what way of partnership you suggest?" Zhou Shen narrowed his eyebrows the moment Qin Lan replied to his question.


    "The pavilion will provide the Qin Faction with manpower, location, and protection. While in return, we''ll only sell this product through the hand of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion." Qin Lan added.


    "Then, I would like to see how you''re capable of achieving what you''ve promised. How soon can you start?" Zhou Shen continued.


    "That won''t be a problem. But to start, we''ve got to obtain a piece ofnd nearby to a water source. Is this possible for the Zhou Treasured Pavilion?" Qin Lan asked.


    "It can be arranged. Shall we get to it while the iron is still hot?" Zhou Shen is getting ready to stand up from his chair.


    "Gentlemen. Did we forget that there''s another piece of paper here?" Zhou Mei''s hand went to the piece of paper with [Martial Foundation Pellet] written on it.

 Chapter 102: The Start of Qin Faction (2)

    Chapter 102: The Start of Qin Faction (2)


    == == == == ==


    Martial Foundation Pellet


    => Effective for one hour. Increases insight and Spiritual Perception on consumption.


    => Able to regtes a cultivator''s cell activity, allowing the user to be more active during the practice session.


    == == == == ==


    The second pill was not as astounding as the first one. Perhaps this was the reason Qin Lan started his "proposal" with the Spiritual umtion Pill.


    Nevertheless, it was still a pill with its own distinctive value. The benefit from taking it for a short one-hour Insight and Spiritual Perception boost is hugely sought after by the martial artist and cultivators that choose the path of body tempering.


    But the real value of this product does note from the Martial Foundation Pellet. It was the spiritual herb that was rated as a precious source.


    "A Martial improvement pill? Is this something simr to a Turbulence Pill?" Zhou Mei asked as it was her first time reading a pill description written in this manner.


    "Yes. This is also a product of the Cultivating Medicine Path. Although the benefit it brought is less eye-catching than the Spiritual umtion Pill, it has a market value amongst the martial artist and body refining cultivators."


    "Furthermore... Martial Prowess, Physique Refining... Weren''t all of these are a part of cultivating too?" Qin Lan smiled as he ended his words with a persuasive sentence.


    "Indeed. Be it in Spiritual Energy or Body Refining, they eventually still return to the root of cultivation. What young nephew just said is thoughtful and erudite." Zhou Shen gave the short beard of his a few strokes as he praised Qin Lan.


    "Of course, the main attraction is not on the Martial Foundation Pellet here, but the Spiritual Herb." Qin Lan''s mysterious tone followed as he tried to catch the pair of father and daughter''s attention.


    "Oh?" Zhou Mei turned her head facing Qin Lan after hearing his statement. Her father''s hand is still stroking his prized beard as he decided to ept this calmly.


    "How can I lose myposure twice in front of this brat a year or two younger than my daughter? That would be too shameful..." Zhou Shen controlled his excitement.


    "What''s so special about the Spiritual Herb you''ve mentioned? Can it be used to refine something else?" Zhou Mei asked after she got tired of waiting for Qin Lan to speak.


    "No... It wasn''t. The Spiritual Herb is known as Waving Pine Grass. This is also a spiritual nt that belongs to the same category as Rock Lotus nts that''s easily found all around us." Qin Lan took his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush out from the sleeve and started to draw as he painted the nt.


    It was a tall nt about the length of a sword. As describes by Qin Lan, each one of these Waving Pine Grass would produce three long juicy shoots as it mature. On the bottom of the nt is an onion-like root where all the medicinal extract is located.


    But the specialty of this spiritual nt was not only because of its prized medicinal extract on the root. The uniqueness of this spiritual nt actually lies in its flexibility to be used thoroughly. Be it when growing and ripe for picking.


    Taking close to a month to reach the expected maturity, the Waving Pine Grass is uprooted whole during their harvest. While the root is taken away to be crushed and made into medicine extract, the three juicy shoots are prized for their sweet and sulent taste after cooking.


    It was also beneficial to the soil and the spiritual energy around the ntation due to this spiritual nt''s nature. Although the nt itself contained zero to a small hint of spiritual qi throughout the nt, its sieving ability is remarkable.


    The Waving Pine Grass uniqueness prevails in its versatility to nourish the soil, cooking, and medicinal value. It was said that most ces with rich spiritual energy were "overgrown" by the Waving Pine Grass before it was reimed.


    It was unfortunate that theter generation failed to inherit their ancestor''s knowledge and ended up restricting their own growth.


    "If this spiritual herb is so miraculous as you said, howe it seems extinct now? Although I remembered that it was once mentioned in the encyclopedia too." Zhou Shen interrupted.


    "That''s because this nt''s life is quite fragile. Thend used to grow the root is also crucial as it takes some time for the bulb to grow out of the stalk." Qin Lan smiled as he answered.


    Of course,mon knowledge like this was not included in the readable materials Zhou Shen had. The current era is no longer as harsh as during Qin Lan''s prime, after all.


    "No wonder the spiritual nt is considered extinct." the father and daughter pair nodded as both of them agreed with Qin Lan''s exnation.


    As of right now, they have a rough idea of how Qin Lan is intending to proceed with their partnership.


    The aftermath of their partnership''s discussion also went on without a hitch. Running around between two ces, Qin Lan directed the project as arge-scale farm for Energy umting Fruit and Waving Pine Grass.


    It was a difficult start during their first two months.


    Although thend remation process went on without a hitch, it was not as positive as he thought for thend upied for the farming progress.


    Because there was a limit of seeds he has for both nts, the starting progress ended up taking out most of his time as Qin Lan prioritized the nts first.


    The two months also provided many chances for Zhou Mei to approached Qin Lan, as the friendship between them got much closer than before.


    "How is your progress for today?" Zhou Mei came into the building recently built to house the manager and staff of the farm. It was a cozy building with plenty of rooms for close to thirty people.


    There was a basket tray with few warm dishes still in her hand as she came into the room. Qin Lan alsoes to the table after she arranged the tes on the table.


    "It''s going very well." Qin Lan replied to her with a smile on his face.


    "Then, have your dinner first. It''s not going to finish within a day or two anyway." Zhou Mei ced a pair of chopsticks on the holder as she urges Qin Lan to fill his stomach first.


    As he ate, the two of them chatted. From cultivation to the news around tFuyun City, there was nothing they can''t talk about.


    Soon, a jar of wine was taken out as Qin Lan shared a few cups with her.


    "Qin Lan, what do you think about me?" a personal question suddenly blurted out from Zhou Mei''s lips after a few cups of wine.


    "Eh? What is wrong with this question? Was she trying to test me if I''m using her for the sake of getting this partnership?" ten to hundred questions immediately shes through his mind.


    Qin Lan''s eyes went on as he secretly steals a nce on her lips. After that, he shifted it to the neck, where it moved as she seems to be swallowing a mouthful of her saliva.


    Unknown where did the atrocity in his minde from, Qin Lan''s gaze continued. It reaches her cleavage after his eyes run past her corbone.


    Although it wasn''t as evident as Hu Jia''s full and bouncy pair of breasts, there was still nature of attraction hidden behind this "godly weapon" of a maiden.


    He forced his head to keep moving, but unknown when that happens, he appeared to be moving his head but not his gaze. Even he has no idea that he''s been shaking his head left and right with Zhou Mei staring at him.


    "What is wrong with him?" Zhou Mei asked as she gently gulps another cup of wine to moisten her throat. The alcohol that runs inside her soon makes a wave as it flows down into her system.


    She took a breath.


    Then, a breathtaking sight appeared. That little gap in between the cleavage seems to be "opened" slightly as it bounced.


    Qin Lan''s mind returned to his body as he finally has control of himself once more.


    Embarrassed, Qin Lan quickly poured a cup of wine through his throat as he allowed the coldness from the minty vor and sweetness from the brew to calm his mind.


    "I almost ruined everything." Qin Lan regretted his choice of stealing a nce at her. What if his action offended Zhou Mei? Furthermore, he is a married man with a wife waiting for him back home.


    "Did you hear my question?" Zhou Mei asked. Her sixth-sense already caught Qin Lan staring at her.


    "Y - Yes. Lady Zhou Mei was the brightest star in the sky tonight. Being here with you sharing a jar of wine is just like a Blessing of Heaven fallen on top of my head." Qin Lan blurted out many words to reply to her.


    "I don''t want to hear these. I want to listen to what''s in your heart. What am I to you? Are you looking at me as a woman?" she asked.


    "H - How am I going to answer this?" Qin Lan felt that his Spiritual Energy is forming into ten pairs of hands as it scratching his head for an answer.

 Chapter 103: The Start of Qin Faction (3)

    Chapter 103: The Start of Qin Faction (3)


    "What happened yesterday?" the sunlight that shines through the gap between the window wakes Zhou Mei up from the bed. Noticing that this was the same room that belonged to Qin Lan, it made her somehow feeling more embarrassed than ever.


    A blush appeared on her face when she tried to remember what happened yesterday after she had three cups of wine without a break in between.


    But s, there wasn''t anything immoral that happened between them. Although it was heartbreaking that Qin Lan eventually did not touch a single hair of hers, she was still satisfied to listen to his answer.


    After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Zhou Mei lifted up the nket covering her while she sleeps. Based on how tidy is her dresses and robe without a hint of wrinkle, it shows her how excellent is Qin Lan''s application in utilizing Spiritual Energy.


    Perhaps not even his father can move her from her seat all the way to the bed as Qin Lan did.


    And with the nket now ced aside, it was like a piece of rock was removed from her chest. Zhou Mei took a deep breath once again as she tried to catch a whiff of Qin Lan''s smell that might be lingering inside this room.


    ''How can there be no smell at all?'' Zhou Mei looked around. Although the decoration inside the room is neither luxurious nor shabby, it was eptable.


    The first thing she could see is a wooden folding curtain with drawings of mountains and seas used as a dividing curtain between the living room and the bed. Further past the folding curtain is the table where they enjoyed a few cups of wine the night before.


    On the wall were two sets of Qin Lan''s favorite clothing in azure blue. While on the ground is a wooden shelf with some pen, paper, and ornaments he usually wears.


    ''Since I''m already inside here, why not I take the opportunity to look at what he likes?'' Zhou Mei thought. Climbing off from the bed, she makes her first move onto the shelf where Qin Lan ced all his trinkets.


    There was nothing valuable here, unlike her father''s trinket shelf. Perhaps it was due to Qin Lan''s humble demeanor that he has nothing umon stored in his collection.


    Zhou Mei soon moved to a taller shelf where it was used to ce heavier things. There was more for her to see here as there''s a collection of wine, decoration, books, and drawing.


    ''This guy loves drawing and books quite much... All his wine also seems to be made from something simr... Did he know how to brew his own wine as well?'' Zhou Mei covered her mouth and smiled as she continues to move around the room like a cat.


    ...


    ...


    "Good work, everyone." Qin Lan praised the workers that have been working nonstop basically in these two months to help to make this farm a sess.


    "Manager Qin is too kind. We did get some benefits from you in return, so you don''t have to be too humble before all of us." the workers instantly replied to Qin Lan''s words.


    They were replying to him this way because Qin Lan basically shared all the pills he refined with them. To them, such an opportunity is basically godsent.


    Based on Qin Lan''s estimation, the farm will reach its maximum capacity in the next four months. And from that moment onwards, what they''ll need to be worried about will no longer be pests, irrigation, nor sunlight.


    New kinds of trouble will soon arise the moment the farm reaches its maximum potential. Espionage, thievery, Yao Beast''s attack, and exhaustion of Spiritual Energy surrounding them are just a few of the problems.


    Guards and workers are eventually required when the farm is running at its maximum capacity. In a square plot ofnd enough to fit a thousand nts each, at least a minimum number of ten guards and ten workers is required in a shift, three shifts per day.


    That''s thirty personnel in each square. In total, Qin Lan needed to have a team of 240 trusted personnel loyal to both him and the Zhou Treasured Pavilion.


    And as someone with the mentality of an ancestor level, Qin Lan can''t be making the same mistakes as the younger generation always did.


    It is always better to groom people from when they''re weak instead of hiring those eptably strong.


    Only through this way can he reduced the possibility of outsider breaching through what he had built so far.


    ''Should I visit the orphanage or the slums to bring some people back here?" Qin Lan considered the option he has while rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger.


    "Manager Qin, this is the Waving Pine Grass for today." a worker in his fourth-level Flesh Refining Layer came and handed the harvested nt.


    "Great job, Yi Feng." Qin Lan praised the worker as he was one of the most diligent workers he had. Yi Feng was someone from the Fuyun City slums located in the outer zone. From what he heard, this guy even requested to reject the provided lodging because it was too luxurious for him.


    But s, the Zhou Treasured Pavilion was too stiff sometimes in dealing with small matters like this.


    "Hehehe, this is part of my job, Manager Qin. If there''s nothing else, I would like to go to the empty section of the farm to practice my martial art there," he said.


    "Why practice your martial art in the open? Your room should be better suited for that." Qin Lan replied while he processes the nts Yi Feng brought. The three sprouted stalks have to be removed with care for the root to grow outward.


    "The - The room''s decoration is too expensive. I''m afraid that I''ll break something and has to pay for it." Yi Feng replied.


    "It won''t be a problem. If it''s broken, we''ll get somebody to rece it. Don''t be stingy on yourself and ruin your health because you''re afraid that you can''t afford to pay for the damage." Qin Lan shook his head.


    ''How did he even get into the fourth-level cultivation with that kind of mentality?'' Qin Lan thought.


    "Yi Feng, wait there. I''d like to ask you something." Qin Lan suddenly remembered that this guy might able to help him.


    "Yes, Manager Qin." Yi Feng stays right where he stands after Qin Lan ordered him to stop.


    "Did you say that you came from the slums? Is there a lot of people like you over there? What about your family?" Qin Lan asked. Looking at Yi Feng''s feature, it is not wrong to say that his cultivating potential is low.


    He was turning twenty this year. But his strength is still at the early stage of fourth-level. If it not due to Qin Lan''s farm project is still in its infancy stage, a person with Yi Feng''s qualification is not qualified to work here at all.


    "Yes, Manager. Why do you ask this?" Yi Feng is puzzled by Qin Lan''s question.


    At the same time, another problem is brewing in Qin Lan''s room.

 Chapter 104: The Start of Qin Faction (4)

    Chapter 104: The Start of Qin Faction (4)


    "Manager Qin, you won''t fire me just because I came from the slums, right? It won''t be a problem if I can''t practice my martial art, but please don''t fire me from this job." Yi Feng said.


    ''Huh? What''s wrong with this guy? Why would I fired him when I''m at the time to need workers the most?'' his plea ended up puzzling Qin Lan as both of them gives out a puzzling expression.


    "Dear husband, I''m here..." Hu Jia came inside the tent erected at the end of the first farming plot. In her hand is a tray of food prepared for Qin Lan. Coming out from the Cloud Plucking Sect twice every week ended up bing Hu Jia''s habit as she came to this farnd often.


    The reason Qin Lan''s room seems tidy was also because of her diligent cleaning habit.


    "Ah, wife. I''m upied somewhat at this moment. I''lle back to the roomter on. So please go ahead and do what you like in the meantime." Qin Lan took a few soft loaves of bread from the tray as he speaks with Hu Jia.


    "Yi Feng,e and get a taste of my wife''s cooking." Qin Lan called him over to take the bread off from his hand.


    "Thank - Thank you..." Yi Feng took the bread from Qin Lan. After giving Hu Jia a nod as thanks for the bread, she left quietly without too many words.


    ''Why do I feel like I''ve forgotten about something...'' Qin Lan took another bite of the bread in his hand.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Do you know anyone reliable in the slums for our farming job? Can you bring me to meet them if they''re willing to work with me?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Work? Of course! I have many friends that are still looking for a job. You can even put all of us inside the same room if there''s not enough room for the others." Yi Feng immediately nodded like he''s afraid Qin Lan regretted what he saidter.


    "Calm down. Bring me there to have a look." Qin Lan took Yi Feng along as he left the farm.


    It took them about twenty minutes toplete the walk that usually takes more than an hour. But the speed wasn''t without a cost.


    "Huh... This is the first time I''ve used a Running Talisman... It''s tiring..." Yi Feng pant as they walked past the small entrance that separates the area between the city and the slums.


    "What the hell with this passageway?" Qin Lan asked.


    There were a total of two doors through this entrance to the slums. And in between the door is this broad passageway that''s just enough to fit a single horse carriage.


    Along the passageway are plenty of hoodlums, vagabonds, beggars, and kids with all kinds of appearances. The only simrity between them is not a single person wears clothingparable to Qin Lan''s quality.


    "This passage used to be called the (Dragon''s Vein) because of its unique and narrow design. It was built to allow the soldiers to move quickly from one side to another." Yi Feng shared what he knew.


    "But I heard that it wasn''t used at all. Hence it became a ce where the people from the slums are gathered. We shouldn''t mix with them as most of them were up to no good." Yi Feng added.


    Entering the slums, Qin Lan was brought around the area as they went through close to ten corners. They eventually reached a house about the size of his old courtyard.


    "Manager Qin, let me get my friend out from the house." Yi Feng had Qin Lan waited outside as he went to get his friends out of the house.


    "Han Xue, Qiang Shou, You Qing,e out! I''ve brought someone over to meet you guys!" Yi Feng shouts on the outside as he bangs on the door.


    Soon, Qin Lan noticed a pair of eyes staring at them from the inside of the house. The trio that Yi Feng called their name finally came out after making sure there was no problem at all.


    "Who is this, Brother Feng?" a slender, girly guy was the first to speak the moment all three of them walked out from the house. His strength is also at the fourth-level of the Flesh Refining Layer.


    "Manager Qin, let me introduce you to my friends that I''ve grown up with."


    "This is Han Xue, the calmest amongst the four of us and also the smartest. The big guy over there is Qiang Shou, the strongest amongst us with brute strength. This is You Qing, the fastest amongst us." Yi Feng introduced all three of them to Qin Lan.


    They were quite a uniquebination.


    Han Xue looked like a poor schr.


    Qiang Shou looks like a cksmith.


    As for You Qing, he''s almost as beautiful as a girl.


    All three of them had a simr cultivation strength like Yi Feng. But from the way they looked, it seems they''ve been left in hunger for a while.


    "So... What are you calling us out for?" Qiang Shou asked. His stomach did not forget to growl as he talks to show how hungry he was.


    "Of course it''s because my Manager is looking for workers. Manager Qin, what do you think about my friends? Although they look stupid, all of them are better than me after a few failures. We''re fine to work with half of the sry offered as well." Yi Feng bowed after he finished what he was going to say.


    "Alright. Stand properly. Finish the bread I gave you just now. As for the three of you, there''s some food inside this Qiankun Pouch. Eat as much as you want before we start talking." Qin Lan tossed a Qiankun Pouch at them before he grabs a seat on top of a few wooden crates.


    "This..." You Qing stares at the Qiankun Pouch in between his hand.


    "Hey, open it. I''m too hungry to even move my hand now..." Qiang Shou shouted beside You Qing''s ear. Only Han Xue remained quiet as he politely cupped his hand together at Qin Lan.


    Qin Lan was eventually trying to test the three of them. Although the content inside was not expensive, they still worth a few thousand Flesh Foundation Pills. But in the end, they only took things like bread and citrus skins to eat. Not even a slice of meat and wine was touched.


    "Why you guys not taking the meat and wine? Are you all vegetarian?" Qin Lan jokes. His hand patted on the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade located on his waist. Then, four jars of wine brewed with Rock Lotus Fruit is taken out and tossed at each of their hand.


    "When I say eat, eat. When I say drink, drink. This is the minimum requirement if you wish to work under me." Qin Lan poked a hole in the jar of wine in his hand and poured the alcohol into his mouth.


    "Then..." Yi Feng looked at the others and followed what Qin Lan just did.


    "Drink!" Qin Lan shouted as he raised the jar of wine up.

 Chapter 105: The Start of Qin Faction (5) End of Volume 2

    Chapter 105: The Start of Qin Faction (5) End of Volume 2


    The five of them shared the food happily without bothering about the differences in social status. Seating along with them also gave Qin Lan a good understanding of the four.


    Han Xue, Qiang Shou, You Qing, and Yi Feng.


    The four of them were indeed the type of honest people Qin Lan was looking for.


    After persuading them slightly, he finally able to bring all of them back to work under him. In return, Qin Lan would pay them a sry plus cultivating resources. He also promised that if they''re willing to work diligently, obtaining a cultivating technique and martial art won''t be a problem.


    Although there are only three additional people on this trip, Qin Lan was not in a rush. In fact, he was thankful for being able to get three people in an afternoon.


    ''The quality of people is more importantpared to quantity. There''s no point to fill the number of people if I can''t even trust half of them.'' Qin Lan nodded at his own decision as he followed Yi Feng''s lead back to the farm.


    But things weren''t that positive back on the farm. Something else actually happened right after Qin Lan left the farm.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "La - La - La..." Zhou Mei is still having fun in Qin Lan''s room after she wakes up. It was an inescapable meeting between the two of them when Hu Jia pushed the door open without the need to knock.


    "You''re back..." Zhou Mei turned around and greeted Qin Lan with a smile on her face. But to her surprise, it was not him.


    A thousand questions ran across the mind of these two women, where their heart was captured by the same culprit living inside this room.


    But at the end of the day, Hu Jia was the one affected the most as she kept a strong appearance before this "fox" inside her husband''s room. Tears of sadness almost rolled down from the edge of her eyes as she calmly took a step inside the room.


    "I - I... No... Miss Hu Jia... I can exin this!" Zhou Mei panicked. Although there was nothing wrong with her appearance and between him with Qin Lan, she still felt flustered, like she has cheated in this battle.


    "Hu..." Hu Jia exhaled a breath she''s been holding inside her. Although there are more than a thousand questions she wanted to ask, there''s only one in her mind that she wishes to rify before she proceeds.


    Her heart palpitated nervously as she bravely stares at Zhou Mei.


    "Have you be his woman already?" it was a simple question that able to rify all the others with a direct answer.


    "No! There''s nothing between us!" Zhou Mei loudly answered the question without even averting her gaze. The rity in her eyes makes everything clearer as she stands confidently before Hu Jia.


    Like a stone that was lifted off from Hu Jia, she felt that there''s no longer a kind of pressure weighing her down. Her leg felt soft immediately as soon as she rxed the tension that''s holding her strong until now.


    "Hu Jia!" Zhou Mei immediately hugged her before she copsed on the floor.


    "Let''s get to the chair first." Zhou Mei holds her on her waist as the two slowly took a few steps until they''re seated by the table.


    "I''m sorry. I know that I should leave the room immediately after bing a botherst night, but I can''t help to be curious. If I offended you in any way, please forgive me." Zhou Mei stood beside Hu Jia and gave her a proper bow for those misunderstandings she''s causing right now.


    "W - Why are you inside my husband''s room?" Hu Jia asked. She used the word ''my husband'' on purpose to shows Zhou Mei her standing within this room.


    ''No matter what, I''ll have to stay firm on this ground as Qin Lan''s legitimate wife!'' thought Hu Jia.


    "I was tipsy from drinking with him yesterday. Perhaps it was because of that inconvenience Qin Lan allowed me to stay here for the night." Zhou Mei answered. A part of herself wished that she can be at peace with Hu Jia when it came to this.


    "You... Had feelings towards him, am I correct? But I''m sure you know that we''ve married. It was even witnessed by his grandfather and elders." Hu Jia said.


    The question by Hu Jia made Zhou Mei stunned on the spot. Although she indeed has a feeling of goodwill towards Qin Lan, she dares not to say it was love.


    "I - I don''t know..." Zhou Mei hesitates for a moment. But in the end, she answered Hu Jia''s question honestly without indicating her honest feeling about Qin Lan.


    It might be love, but it might be because she had the urge to "possess" Qin Lan due to his talent.


    Looking at how confused is Zhou Mei''s expression, Hu Jia could understand what was going through her mind right now.


    "Heh..." out of sudden, she chuckled. Wasn''t she was the same before the rtionship between her and Qin Lan was sealed with a marriage?


    Her light chuckle made the awkwardness between the two of them dissolved by a little. Since both of them were about the same age, how can they not understand one another?


    Attracted to someone talented like Qin Lan was totally understandable in their opinion.


    "Sister Hu Jia... If I am really able to convey my feeling... Would you be able to ept me?" Zhou Mei asked bends both of her knees before Hu Jia and kneeled as she asked for her permission.


    ''This way, she might be able to ept me sincerely as a part of the Qin Family in the future." thought Zhou Mei.


    "What are you doing? Stand up quickly!" Hu Jia also dropped onto the floor as they both struggled over the ground for a matter like this.


    Afterpeting with each other on their knees for a while, theyughed at their own silliness.


    ''Maybe she wasn''t that bad as I thought...'' for the first time, they had the same thought about one another.


    Coincidently, Qin Lan came back after they made peace with one another. Pushing the door into his room, Qin Lan finally remembered what he had forgotten.


    ''I hope they''re not fighting with each other due to some misunderstanding..." Qin Lan nervously pushes the door to his room open. In his mind, he''s somewhat worried and afraid as Zhou Mei''s question yesterday keeps repeating inside his mind.


    "I want to listen to what''s in your heart. What am I to you? Are you looking at me as a woman?" Zhou Mei asked.


    "Why would you even ask me a foolish question like this..." Qin Lan shook his head as he takes a step inside the room. But the next moment, he was shocked as the two of them were struggling on the floor.


    "What... What the heck are you two doing on the floor?" Qin Lan''s jaw dropped while his mind is preparing for the worst.


    == == == == ==


    This is the end of Volume 2


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 106: Qin-Zhou Medicinal Store

    Chapter 106: Qin-Zhou Medicinal Store


    "Shopkeeper, a bottle of ten Martial Foundation Pellets!"


    "Shopkeeper, one bottle of fifty Spiritual umtion Pills, please!"


    "Owner..."


    "Boss..."


    The business in the shop is flourishing on the first day it was opened to the public.


    Another month has passed since after the incident where Hu Jia and Zhou Mei met and exchanged a few words inside of Qin Lan''s room. It made Qin Lan curious about what they''ve talked about while kneeling on the ground. He gave up eventually on prying for an answer after a while.


    In his mind, as long the two can peacefully see each other, that would be enough for him to not be entangled in a sticky situation between them.


    "Manager Qin, the products from Qin-Zhou Spiritual Herb Garden is here. Would you like us to bring it into the refining room right now?" You Qing came to Qin Lan''s side and gently whispered beside him.


    After properly fed and cultivated for an entire month, he''s no longer looking as malnourished as before. The current You Qing has started to match the young master more than Qin Lan does.


    "Yes, You Qing. Please order the shop assistants to move the material there. I will be using that room a whileter." Qin Lan nodded as he continues to finish the paperwork on his table.


    "Understood. I''ll arrange for that right now." You Qing cupped his hands together and left Qin Lan''s room. Not too long after that, another visitor came into his room after knocking on his door.


    "Are you still working?" Zhou Mei asked as she peeks through the gap in the door she opened slightly.


    "Of course, big miss from the Zhou Family. I am not as vacant as you do to be able to run around without anything to do." Qin Lan teased her without turning his head away from the paperwork.


    But listening to her voice somewhat made his moment happier as there''s someone to talk with him here while he''s doing his paperwork. Although Qin Lan seems to be talented in all sorts of things, paperwork was the least amongst his favorite thing to be done.


    He would rather walk into the muddy field to harvest edible lotus root and not seated here writing reports and managing paperwork.


    "You talked as if I am not helping..." Zhou Mei pouted.


    She gently walked into the room with light footsteps. Each of her steps was as gentle as a tune from the zither.


    "Sister Jia-Jia said that the avable pill back in the spiritual cave is almost used up. She''ll being over this evening to collect some to be brought back." Zhou Mei reminded Qin Lan about what Hu Jia said a day or two ago.


    "Yes - Yes. I remembered it. I''ll go and refine the pills once I''m ready here, alright?" Qin Lan shook his head after listening to how close the two of them right now. He might be curious to the point of asking them what happened if it was not because he''s worried about Zhou Mei asking him some weird questions again.


    "Open your mouth." Zhou Mei''s word caught him by surprise as she suddenly tried to feed a piece of osmanthus cake into his mouth. He immediately noticed the slight blush on both of her cheeks the moment Qin Lan shifted his gaze upward.


    "I - ''ll do it on my own... Thank you." the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush quickly moved into the gap between his ring and pinky finger to save the day as Qin Lan catches the cake with his hand.


    The atmosphere was a little awkward as Qin Lan caught the osmanthus cake from Zhou Mei''s hand. Although she did not manage to feed the cake into his mouth, their fingers still ended up touching each other.


    A jolt of electrical current went through their finger as they kept their hand back.


    Embarrassedly, the two quietly enjoy the osmanthus cake as Qin Lan continues with the paperwork on the table. Close to an hourter, the two finally came out of the room.


    "Then... I''ll bring the paperwork back to my father..." Zhou Mei shyly excused herself. If this scene was witnessed by the outsiders, perhaps nine out of ten people will assume something has happened between them.


    Qin Lan went into the pill refining room after he takes a walk around the store. Looking at the stack of Waving Pine Grass and Energy umting Fruit as tall as a mountain, Qin Lan had the urge to smile.


    Fueling the me under the cauldron with his seventh-level Spiritual Energy, Qin Lan fired five medicinal pots at once to start the refining process.


    As there was no specific requirement in refining the Martial Foundation Pellet, Qin Lan has no reason to use Spiritual Energy in his Dantian. The root bulbs are manually prepared and cleaned before they were tossed into the cauldron for the cooking stage.


    "Tok - Tok..." a few knocks soon came from the door. And since he was in the middle of preparing the content in the five medicinal pots, Qin Lan simply waved his hand over at the door.


    His control over materializing Spiritual Energy was so emphasized to the detail, it nicely removes the stopper off from the door without damaging it in the process.


    "Come in," Qin Lan''s replied without turning his head to the visitor at the door.


    Two young girls about twelve years old soon entered the Pill Refining Room with a basket full of Rock Lotus Fruit and Wooden Barks from some trees.


    "Teacher, we''re ready." one of the two girls politely addressed Qin Lan as ''teacher'' as they standby on a nearby table with their own Medicinal Cauldron.


    "Good. Now repeat what you''ve learned yesterday and prepare the Jewel Lotus Fruit. I will start to teach both of you how to prepare the Blood Clotting Pill after each of you finishes refining twenty Jewel Lotus Fruit today." Qin Lan patted their head as he instructed them to start their lesson.


    The two girls are called Zhuge Xinyu and Zhuge Yanyu. They were a pair of twins Qin Lan found when he was looking for talented individuals in the street of Fuyun City.


    "Yes, teacher!" the twin girl with barely enough Spiritual Energy as a first-level Flesh Refining Cultivator answered. They clumsily started by adapting what they learned from Qin Lan to refine the Rock Lotus nt in front of them.


    Qin Lan smiled as he nced at the twin girls he picked up on the street with 100 Flesh Foundation Pills.


    ''Who would have thought that I''ll be able to get two little brats with some talent in pill-refining just from paying for the burial fee for their parents?'' Qin Lan thought.


    Waving his hand slightly, Qin Lan removes all the impurity residues inside the five medicinal pots. A kind of solution is soon added into the cauldron to allow the powder extract from the Waving Pine Grass to crystallize.


    ''Senior Zhuge and your wife, please trust them to me. The Kuangshan Lu Sect and Qin Faction will not mistreat both of them as long I''m alive.'' Qin Lan made a promise.

 Chapter 107: Zhuge Xinyu - Zhuge Yanyu

    Chapter 107: Zhuge Xinyu - Zhuge Yanyu


    "Alright! Let''s see how''s your result now." Qin Lan teased the twin after he''s finished with refining his first batch of Martial Foundation Pellets. It was then separated into a bottle of ten pills each, which can be sold for the price of twenty Flesh Foundation Pills.


    "Teacher... I..." droplets of tear start to appear at the corner of Zhuge Yanyu''s eyes as she failed to refine the same number of Jewel Lotus Fruit as her older sister.


    Although half an hour was neither long nor short, it was enough for the girls to refine at least six nts with the given time.


    But on the pill tray, there''s only a total of five after adding both of their results together.


    "Why are you crying? I didn''t say that you''ll be punished if you failed to do what I asked. Just try your best as we have more time before dinner." Qin Lan patted both of their head to calm them down.


    ''It seems that they were in a highly demanding position for a while before their parents'' death. This made the two of them jittery, making them failed in their pill refining more often.'' Qin Lan thought.


    "But... I am not as good as my older sister... Wa..." as the younger of the twins, Zhuge Yanyu is indeed much more pampered between the two.


    "Teacher... I..." in exchange, Zhuge Xinyu is much quieter. The Jewel Lotus Fruit she refined is also a better qualitypared to Yanyu''s deformed pellet.


    "You did a good job. What about you girls take them to recover some of your own Spiritual Energy?" Qin Lan said,


    The girls immediately drooled once Qin Lan allowed them to eat the Jewel Lotus Fruit they''ve refined. The five fruits vanished into their stomach instantly before Qin Lan managed to tell the girls to chew them properly.


    "Let''s keep the practice going." Qin Lan knocked on the table using his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush after he''s done looking at the twins finished their Jewel Lotus Fruit.


    "Get more serious this time. If both of you can''t refine twenty Jewel Lotus Fruit today, then we won''t be learning how to refine the Blood Clotting Pillter." Qin Lan purposely speaks in a mean tone as he tried to ignites their spirit.


    "We''ll refine the pill for sure!" Zhuge Yanyu said. Unexpectedly, it was the one that''s least dependable to speak the loudest. As for Zhuge Xinyu, she gripped both of her fists hard as she gets ready to pick a nt up.


    "Let''s do it!" Qin Lan smiled as he announced that their refinement challenge is starting.


    This time, using his Spiritual Energy in pill refining is a must. From firing the cauldron to cooking the Spiritual Herb inside, every step must be apanied by a sufficient amount of qi for them to fully developed into a Spiritual umting Pill.


    The Energy umting Fruit that he was going to refine was about the size of an unripe cherry.


    By applying enough intensity of mes on cooking the fruit, a thick essence can be extracted by opening a hole using an acupuncture needle.


    But because the thick essence is too delicate, a few additional steps would have to be added to be preserved within a hardened skin like an enclosed capsule. Without following this step, the refined Spiritual umting Pill will lose about a quarter of its pill effectiveness.


    Of course, there''s an advantage during the preparation process.


    Through this collection method, the amount of wasted essence of Energy umting Fruit can also be reduced.


    It takes him close to the entire afternoon to finish refining the mountain of Energy umting Fruit inside of this room. But the result was satisfying as there was no failure at all.


    "Teacher... We''re done." Zhuge Xinyu gently whispered beside Qin Lan as they''re rested and ready to learn about the Blood Clotting Pill recipe from him.


    "Ahem... Do you want to skip dinner tonight?" Qin Lan tapped his finger on the cauldron used toplete the Spiritual umting Pill refining while speaking. His gaze is focused on Zhuge Yanyu, who seems to be purposely hiding her face from looking at Qin Lan.


    Finding out that she was caught, she quickly swallowed the extra Jewel Lotus Fruit in her mouth before she innocently stands beside her elder sister.


    "Yanyu is a good girl. Yanyu can''t miss dinner tonight... Big sister Hu says that she''ll prepare meat today for Yanyu..." Zhuge Yanyu lowered her head as she tried toplete her sentence.


    "Then you''ll have to learn properly. Bring the 10-years old Ash Willow Tree Bark over here so I can start teaching you two how to refine the Blood Clotting Pill." Qin Lan couldn''t help but smile as he looks at the innocent face shown by Zhuge Yanyu.


    The girl quickly brought the ingredient over to Qin Lan''s side as he brings out another medicinal cauldron for teaching.


    "Remember, although the Ash Willow''s Bark has a function of pain-relieving and blood-stopping, it cannot bepared to the Blood Clotting Pill''s effectiveness." Qin Lan started his lesson. Before teaching them how to refine the pill, understanding the pill''s uses is the most essential step for a refiner.


    "Why was that, teacher?" Zhuge Xinyu asked. Her eyes opened wide as she patiently looks at the Willow''s Bark she cleaned this morning.


    "It because one is an outer medicine, but the one we''re going to make is an inner medication."


    "Now, tell me what''s the differences between Inner and Outer Medication." Qin Lan exined carefully to the twins as he guided them through the lesson. This is where it was different from learning from other pharmacists or alchemists.


    Most of the teachers would adopt the "learning through mistakes" technique when teaching the juniors how to refine medicine.


    "Inner Medication is processed product, and Outer Medication is counted as a raw, unprocessed product." the twins immediately answered Qin Lan''s question.


    "Correct." Qin Lan praised both of them as his hand reached out to take a piece of wooden tree bark from the basket in the girl''s hand. By gathering some Spiritual Energy on the tip of his index finger, Qin Lan patiently scrapes ayer of wooden dust from the bark.


    "Look at this. Do you think it is enough for the..." Qin Lan''s lesson continues as he diligently exins the refining method to the girls, until...


    "All three of you! Do you know what time it is?" Hu Jia came into the room angrily as the time for dinner had passed. Even the servants had finished their dinner by now.


    "And what the hell is wrong with all of your face?"

 Chapter 108: Vigorous

    Chapter 108: Vigorous


    "Alright, both of you. Let''s start the lesson to refine the Blood Clotting Pill. With an Ash Willow Bark around this size, it is roughly enough for five pills to be made..."


    "Because the amount of Spiritual Energy you have is limited, you girls will have to first grind the bark into a powder form before you can proceed. After that, the powder would have to be steamed to bring out the anesthetic effect."


    "Now, after the steaming process ispleted, you''ll have to start to roll an adequate amount of the wet Ash Willow powder with some Medicinal Ash. This way, it will be easier to create pellets with a smooth surface."


    "But that was not all. After separating the mix into the standard pellet shape, we''ll have to cook it inside the cauldron for an hour until the color on the surface changed into dark brown. Only by then, the Blood Clotting Pill is counted as a sess." Qin Lan patiently taught the twins without noticing how fast the time had passed.


    "Ha - Ha - Haaa..." suddenly, Zhuge Yanyu is taking a deep breath to control herself from making a blunder.


    "Teacher! Yanyu is going to sneeze!" Zhuge Xinyu said.


    "Ha..." it seems that she finally lost control over this sneeze.


    "Silly girl! Get away from the tray of Ash Willow powder!" Qin Lan tried to stop her from sneezing, but he was a step toote.


    "Ha - Chi!!!" the cannon st of air from her sneeze struck the tray of tree powder mercilessly. The cloud of Willow Bark Powder soon stuck all over their body as the girlsugh at Qin Lan''s expression.


    "I''m going to beat your buttock, Yanyu! You''re doing this on purpose!" Qin Lan raised his voice and chased the girl around the room while Zhuge Xinyu is stillughing.


    The ss continued until the girls finished refining a batch of Blood Clotting Pill. But it was still toote because Hu Jia was already by the doorstep the moment they put an end to the burning wood under the cauldrons.


    ...


    "All three of you! Do you know what time it is?" Hu Jia came into the room angrily as the time for dinner had passed. Even the servants had finished their dinner by now.


    "And what the hell is wrong with all of your face?" Hu Jia went inside the room and pinched their face, starting with Qin Lan''s first.


    ...


    Night.


    "Everyone, take a Spiritual umtion Pill and start maturing them while you''re cultivating at night. Remember to not bezy when you''re meditating." Qin Lan distributed the medicinal pills to his subordinates and workers living inside the Qin-Zhou Medicine Store before they''re retreating back to their room.


    "Yes, Manager." everyone acknowledged Qin Lan''s word as they left the dining hall, one followed by the other.


    "Then... We''ll be going as well..." Zhuge Xinyu and Zhuge Yanyu excused themselves.


    "En," Qin Lan nodded at the two.


    The couple left after everyone had returned to their room. It was another tiring day for both of them.


    "Dear husband... Let me give you a proper massage while you''re studying them." Hu Jia gently removes Qin Lan''s robe after they went into their sleeping chamber.


    For the couple, it was not the time for them to sleep yet. Hesitantly, Hu Jia pulled two ount books from the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade that belonged to her and ced them on Qin Lan''s studying table.


    "Thank you, my wife. Then I''ll be bothering you while I''m reading." Qin Lan nodded and went to his usual seat. It was a page full of numbers and figures the moment Qin Lan opened it to thetest entry.


    "Beloved wife, how well are the Li brothers doing in managing the four plots of Emerald Transformation Spiritual Grass?" Qin Lan asked.


    "They''re managing it well. Right now, we can expect between 600 to 800 stalks to be harvested once every month. Is there something in your mind?" Hu Jia answered Qin Lan''s question almost instantly after Qin Lan asked.


    "Not for now. But in the future, maybe." Qin Lan stretched his back in response to Hu Jia''s urate pinpoint on his blocked acupoint due to overworking.


    "Dear husband, we might have to take note of the Lang (Medicine) House and Liu Feiyang''s provocation soon in the future." Hu Jia whispered beside Qin Lan''s ear.


    "Oh? Had they finally lost their patience? It seems that the profit from Essence Transformation Pill is too lucrative for them to give up." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Well, my husband... With a monthly profit of approximately 30,000 Contribution Points, who''s willing to let it go? Furthermore, the Cloud Plucking Sect is a ce where strength determines everything." Hu Jia continued.


    With an approximately 5 Essence Transformation Pill refinable from a single stalk of Emerald Transformation Spiritual Grass, six hundred stalks are equal to 3,000 pills produced every month.


    After dividing the total profit into ten parts, it a whooping 3,000 contribution points per person. Even to the top ten alchemists, this is a figure that hardly achievable through refining pills alone.


    "Did Liu Feiyang make a move?" Qin Lan asked after he finished going through the two books.


    "Not yet, but soon. Those hooligans that are often seen around him have been messing around our stall and farm recently. From the way it seems, they''ll be making their move soon." Hu Jia said. She''s feeling itchy to give them a proper lesson as her strength is getting close to the seventh-level.


    "I wanted to see what kind of thing they can do as well." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Do you want to cultivate for a while before sleeping?" Qin Lan asked.


    "I can cultivate during the morning after returning to the Spiritual... Cave..." Hu Jia was preparing to reply to Qin Lan''s question but soon noticed his impure intention.


    With a hand quicker than a thief, Qin Lan loosens the ribbon on Hu Jia''s clothing as he came on top of her. A kiss is quickly nted on her lips by Qin Lan to seal all her possible resistance.


    "You... You devil..." Hu Jia only managed to blurt out two words before she fell into Qin Lan''s seduction. Thetter was so skillful in his craft of undressing where everyyer of defenses on Hu Jia was taken off in a matter of seconds.


    Stark naked before her husband, Hu Jia held her embarrassment inside her mind as she pulled Qin Lan''s face closer to her. Another passionate kiss was nted on her lips as the next moment, they were engaged in a battle of expert level.


    Panting and moaning can be heard throughout the room and soon started to disturb the still single subordinates living around the Qin-Zhou Medicine Store.


    Itsted for a while.


    The light inside Qin Lan''s room dimmed after the battle ended.


    "What is this? Don''t tell me... Qin Lan''s beast instinct was this vigorous when he''s in lovemaking?" Zhou Mei slowly appeared in between the bushes as she sneakily left the medicine store.

 Chapter 109: Flame Demon Mountain (1)

    Chapter 109: me Demon Mountain (1)


    "Is there any words from our people?" Er-Lang asked.


    "No... They''re still struggling to cultivate the nt. It''s barely reached half of the efficiency you could get from the Essence Transformation Pill." Si-Lang said.


    "We''ve invested too much in this project. No matter what, we''ll have to make this happen. The Essence Transformation Pill business must be monopolized by our Lang (Medicine) House no matter what."


    "My second and fourth brother... Use whatever tricks you know to make this happen. The next battle on the border between our Yunshan and Kuanglei Province is going to happen soon. Only by being well prepared can we be the biggest winner." Da-Lang appeared in between them.


    "Your brother understood." both of them acknowledged Da-Lang''s word as they left the spiritual cave.


    ''Qin Lan... What kind of alchemist are you? To be able toe up with three spiritual herbs and cultivation pills in less than a year with the Cloud Plucking Sect...'' Da-Lang tapped the table as he asked the question.


    "Knock - Knock - Knock"


    "Eldest brother..." Qi-Lang came into the room after knocking at the door a few times.


    "What''s wrong?" Da-Lang turned his gaze at the youngest of the seven of them.


    "We''ve received a letter from the second prince." Qi-Lang quickly ced the letter in front of his eldest brother so he can take a look at it.


    "This letter is finally here..." Da-Lang opened the letter without dy.


    == == == == ==


    Second Prince Mandate


    -


    On behalf of his royal prince''s request, the Lang (Medicine) House is appointed as the alchemist organization to supply the punitive force with relevant pills.


    -


    10,000 Blood Clotting Pills


    10,000 Turbulence Pills


    10,000 Flesh Foundation Pills


    10,000 Fasting Pills


    10,000 Vein Unblocking Pills


    -


    The house is also expected to deliver a continuous supply of the Jewel Lotus Fruit to the battlefield. Failure to do so will result in the reward dyed after the battle.


    -


    Signed,


    Sun Ding Tian,


    Second Prince of Wu


    == == == == ==


    "Fifty thousand pills... His appetite is too big!" Da-Lang threw the letter on the floor due to his anger.


    "Big brother... Are we going to..." Qi-Lang picked the letter up as he waited for his brother''s decision.


    "Go and get them prepared. Send what the second prince ordered to his courtyard before the end of the week." Da-Lang changed his mind after considering a bit.


    "But - That''s fifty thousand pills!" Qi-Lang said.


    "Just do it. If we don''t have enough, purchase from the Medicinal Manor or other establishments. Also, bring along another 10,000 Flesh Foundation Pills to be gifted to the second prince when you deliver the goods he ordered." Da-Lang ordered.


    "I understand. If there''s nothing else, I''ll excuse myself first." Qi-Lang turned around and left.


    ''Sun Ding Tian... Just you wait..." Da-Lang destroyed the tea table he used to rest his hand with a strength equivalent to a half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Brother Qin." today, a special guest paid Qin Lan''s newly opened Qin-Zhou Medicine Store a visit.


    "Brother Sun." Qin Lan smiled as he politely cupped his hands together at Sun Wu Jian.


    "My humble little store is really blessed to have a visit from the heir of the dragon itself. What else more can I ask?" Qin Lan jokes as he invites Sun Wu Jian inside.


    "The medicinal fragrance inside your store always has a kind of smell lingering around. Don''t tell me... Your medicine store is selling alcohol as well?" Sun Wu Jian jokes.


    "Qin Lan, don''t dare, your highness! Even with your approval, I wouldn''t dare to sell alcohol in my medicine store. But..." Qin Lan quickly denies Sun Wu Jian''s assumption. Additionally, he made it sound mysterious while they''re getting closer to the private courtyard.


    ""But what? Brother Qin Lan, please don''t keep a secret from me..." Sun Wu Jian pointed his finger at Qin Lan, urging him to break open his silence.


    "All your curiosity will be answered when we''re at the private courtyard. Let''s go, Let''s go." Qin Lan smiled as they continue moving further into the store.


    "Greetings, Your highness. May the nine dragons of Wu blessed this shop while your highness dines inside our humble establishment." Hu Jia and Zhou Mei politely greet Sun Wu Jian with proper etiquette.


    "Very well said." Sun Wu Jianughed.


    "Brother Qin, I recognized miss Hu Jia from our first meeting back in the spiritual cave, but this one... seems familiar... Don''t tell me she''s someone from the Zhou Household?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Indeed, your highness. This girl''s name is Zhou Mei. I am the daughter of Fuyun City''s Zhou Treasured Pavilion Manager, Zhou Shen." she introduced herself using the manner and etiquette fancied by the people from the capital.


    "No wonder. I heard that uncle Zhou has been sent here to manage the Yunshan Branch. How''s uncle Zhou''s healthtely?" Sun Wu Jian ced his hand right on Zhou Mei''s sight to order her to stand up.


    "My father''s health is the same as ever. I''m sure he will be happy if he knew that your highness still remembers him." Zhou Mei replied. From the way she talked, it seems that the Zhou and Sun do have some connection.


    "Of course, I still remember. When Lady Zhou returned to the pavilion, please reminds uncle Zhou that his goodwill in the form of a Foundation Advancement Pill will not be forgotten. Wu Jian will forever remember this favor." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Zhou Mei will make sure to deliver this word back to father without changing anything in between." she nodded gently to Sun Wu Jian.


    "Brother Sun, please have a cup of medicinal tonic first before we start our conversation." Qin Lan then poured a cup of brown-colored tonic into a wine vessel. The smaller cups that were used to drink wine are nowhere to be seen.


    "Brother Qin, are you trying to trap me with words, or you''re making fun of me during the daylight?" Sun Wu Jian narrowed his eyes while looking at Qin Lan.


    "Oh? Why would your highness said so? This surname Qin is clueless on how to answer the question..." Qin Lan shook his head as he continues with his act.


    "Look at them..." Hu Jia and Zhou Mei both chuckled as they nodded at the others.


    Soon, multiple dishes cooked with medicinal herbs were served on the table o enjoy during their conversation.


    "Brother Qin, you call it a tonic, but it was sealed in a wine jar. You say it wasn''t wine, but it smells like wine. Then when I look at it... It seems to be wine, but why does it look like a cup of bitter medicinal tonic?" Sun Wu Jian scratched his head from getting puzzled by Qin Lan.


    "That''s because what I''m serving your highness today is not wine, but Medicinal Wine. The Rock Lotus Fragrance is made for one to forget his worries. But this Plum Flower Fragrance is for one to remember his duties." Qin Lan replied.


    "Tao-Hua Xiang... A fitting name. Then, brother Qin, let''s drink." Sun Wu Jian reached to the wine vessel and proposed a toast.


    "Drink!" Qin Lan raised his cup with both hands as they finished the medicinal wine in a mouthful.


    Bitterness from the herbal ingredient attacked his five senses when the alcohol made its way past Sun Wu Jian''s throat. Although the alcohol content in this wine is strong, it was not as strong as the one he tasted from the Rock Lotus Fragrance.


    "There''s a kind of indescribable hint of energy wrapping my body. Brother Qin should just open a wine store. I''m sure the business would be booming with customers." Sun Wu Jian tapped Qin Lan''s shoulder as he made thisment.


    Although it was just a mere sentence of goodwill and appreciation, the weight behind his word is heavier than a chest of pure gold. It also stands for his support over Qin Lan''s business venture inside of this city.


    "Let us get back to a serious conversation. I wish to have your support. My punitive force is going to take down the Hushan Bandits in me Demon Mountain!" Sun Wu Jian''s sentence is like a lightning strike beside Qin Lan''s ear.


    "Hushan Bandits?" he chuckled.


    Even Hu Jia''s expression is changed because they indeed had some unfinished business with the Hushan Bandits.


    "From brother Qin''s expression, it seems there''s some history between you and the Hushan Bandits..." Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Yes. I wonder what kind of help brother Sun would need from my humble Qin Faction?" Qin Lan''s tone changed.


    "Pills, Medicine, and people." Sun Wu Jian answered.


    "Great." Qin Lan turned to Zhou Mei for her opinion before he gave Sun Wu Jian his answer. Her suggestion is valuable for Qin Lan because she represents the decision of the Zhou Treasured Pavilion.


    "Let''s do it," she whispered with a nod.


    "The Qin Family will support the ninth prince will all resources we have." Qin Lan firmly held Sun Wu Jian''s hand as he gave his answer.


    "Good! Let us destroy the bandit stronghold together!" Sun Wu Jian tightened his grip.

 Chapter 110: Flame Demon Mountain (2) Sun Wu Jians Advancement

    Chapter 110: me Demon Mountain (2) Sun Wu Jian''s Advancement


    "Why are we producing so much this time? Are we going to sell them to another province?" a young boy asked his father, who''s working inside the Qin''s Brewery.


    "Not to another province, but to people that''ll bring peace to our Yunshan Province. Now, be a good boy and y somewhere else while your dad work. Go home and tell your mom to make me something simple for everyone else." the father makes a mess of his son''s hair before letting him go.


    "Bad father! You''ve made my hair all mess up!" the boy runs before his fatheres to catch him.


    The Qin Brewery wasn''t the only ce that has been working nonstop. Even the Qin Pharmacy and Hu Family''s Incense workshop have been producing their product without stopping. Everything that waspleted will be delivered to the Zhou Treasured Pavilion in the Xiyun City branch before taken to Fuyun City.


    As for Qin Lan''s proud Qin Faction located in the Fuyun City, they''re working without stopping as well.


    Close to 10,000 pills were sent to the Ninth Prince''s Manor that night. After dedicating all his time to refine some difficult pills, even Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun pay a visit to Sun Wu Jian''s manor to provide them with some medical help.


    "Get naked, all of you!" Qin Lan shouted at the cultivators gathered in the training ground. Their strength was in between the fourth to seventh-level of Flesh Refining, with a few exceptions.


    Six half-step Bone Reconstruction Cultivators served Sun Wu Jian this time, which is an improvementpared to before.


    "There are female cultivators here too. Please be considerate to us, would you?" some of the inexperienced neers responded to Qin Lan as they hesitate to follow his order.


    "The female can follow my assistant to a much more private treatment chamber. For the men, if you don''t want to sufferter, take off your damn clothing right now!" Qin Lan shouts after he''s done assigning the female cultivators to Lu Qing Yun.


    Those who experienced Qin Lan''s treatment before immediately took off their clothing without the need to give it thought. Although Qin Lan did ask them to get naked, it was only directed only to their top, not their bottom.


    "Doctor Qin! We''re ready for your... Ouch!!!" close to a hundred acupuncture needles flew outwards from a flick of Qin Lan''s Heavenly Flicking Fingers. It went straight to where their blood is clotted.


    "Look at those boys screaming just like their buttock got beaten by their mother." a few female cultivatorsugh at the men that screamed because of Qin Lan''s needle.


    But about half an hourter, moaning and screams came from the inside of the treatment chamber. It wasparable to pig and chicken crying before getting ughtered.


    "Hahaha... Look at those pampered princesses." the menughed back at them. Deep inside their heart, they''re feeling thankful for Lu Qing Yun to enact revenge for them.


    It was a night of grown-up males and females crying for their mother and father. But in return for the suffering, they''re likely not going to face difficulty when cultivating and practicing their martial arts.


    "Brother Qin," Sun Wu Jian gently gives a few knocks on Qin Lan''s door.


    "Good morning, brother Sun. What a blessing to have your highness be the first to visit me so early in the morning." Qin Lan smiled as he politely invites Sun Wu Jian into the room prepared for Qin Lan.


    "Huang Ping, Wang Xun. Both of you are excused. Let me chat with brother Qin with peace." Sun Wu Jian waved his finger as he kicked the two people out of the room.


    "Then... Please excuse your servant." Huang Ping bowed as he retreated from the room.


    "Wang Xun will left too. Please let us know if your highness needed us for anything else."


    "Still sneaking around?" suddenly, Sun Wu Jian threw a cup at one of the windows near the door. The action shocked the two as they quickly escape from getting scolded by Sun Wu Jianter.


    "Brother Qin, I''ll be honest since it''s only both of us inside this room now. Can you give me a hand in my cultivation?" Sun Wu Jian cupped his hands together as he asked for Qin Lan''s help.


    "It seems it''s time for your highness to try and advance into the eighth-level cultivation." Qin Lan gave ament the moment his finger pressed on Sun Wu Jian''s wrist.


    "Let''s do it. Only by getting stronger can you bring the chances of victory higher. Every level in the cultivation is equaled to climbing across another mountain, and the sight you''ll be able to see after advancement is different."


    "Are you ready to face the challenge?" Qin Lan asked.


    Sun Wu Jian took a deep breath as the silence filled the room. After he exhaled, the gaze in his eyes changed as it was filled with a hint of confidence.


    After adjusting the state of his mind, Sun Wu Jian gave Qin Lan a nod.


    "Then... Let''s start." Qin Lan took the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush out from his sleeve''s pocket along with a bottle of Foul Essence Silver Ink.


    A hint of spiritual energy soon gathered around the brush tip as Qin Lan inscribe an ancient text on Sun Wu Jian''s back.


    ~A sleeping Dragon meditates in its chamber~


    ~Added with a text of Yu to bring the rain forth~


    ~Spiritual Qi converging around four directions~


    ~Turning from a snake into a Flood Dragon~


    An Essence Transformation Pill with seven pill veins is taken out along with a bottle of Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss extract. Inside the bottle is five Kunlun Lesser Dragon Pill, a refined version of the Dragon Moss extract.


    Additionally, Qin Lan took a bottle of ten Spiritual umting Pills out and arranged them in a circle around Sun Wu Jian.


    "Brother Sun, the preparation is ready. Calm your mind and take the Huang-Grade Essence Transformation Pill when you''re ready!" Qin Lan reminds Sun Wu Jian the moment he''s well prepared.


    Although it was ast-minute effort of Qin Lan to assure the advancement sess, it was of higher quality than the others.


    A magical scene happened the moment the Essence Transformation Pill was swallowed by Sun Wu Jian. Like an eye of a tornado, every existing Spiritual Energy surrounding the manor and its neighborhood started to form a spiral cloud above the ninth prince manor.


    This scene ended up bing a hot topic between the city residents as they started gathering outside his manor to catch a view of what''s happening.


    "Is a dragon is descending from heaven? Why does it choose the Ninth Prince Manor and not the others?" the resident asked.


    "No, it must be the birth of a heaven-defying child. Heaven seems to be offended if you look clearly at the core of the thunderous cloud." another resident added.


    "Go F*ck yourself. Who the hell is possibly giving birth in Ninth Prince''s Manor?" the others cursed him and kicked the resident away from the crowd.


    "Maybe the ninth prince is bing an immortal. I''ll have to quickly apply my cosmetic foundation. This way, I can be a wife of an immortal." an obesedy said.


    "Please, madam. Get a bowl of water to look at yourself before you talk about marrying the ninth prince. Don''t ruin his image with your word here in public." another woman who looks skinny like a bamboo said.


    "Look at the pot and kettle fighting..." all the other residents shook their heads while feeling speechless about the two women''s scuffle.


    ...


    Inside the Ninth Prince Manor.


    "I knew it. There''s nothing normal each time when our Grace is going around with that Qin Lan. Look at this phenomenon..." Huang Pingined as his heart is getting worried about Sun Wu Jian.


    ''What if they''re trying something ridiculous?'' a heavy boulder is currently sitting on his heart right now as he asked himself to barge inside the room or not.


    While inside the room, Sun Wu Jian is undergoing enlightenment. It was a once-in-a-thousand chance such a blessing could happen to a cultivator seeking to advance his cultivation to a level above.


    Using his acute sense and experience, Qin Lan carefully monitored Sun Wu Jian''s progress. The excess Spiritual Energy inside the room is also diverted to bring the ten Spiritual umting Pill into its maturity.


    Soon, ayer of impurity gradually being forced out by Sun Wu Jian''s body as his facial expression turned into a suffering one. His face turned red without control as if he was burned by the me of a volcano.


    "Ninth Prince... If you feel that your enlightenment has ended, then start pushing your Spiritual Energy across the limit. Strengthen blood and refine your flesh. It''s time to walk towards the eighth-level of Flesh Refining Cultivation!" Qin Lan said.


    "Let''s do this! Spiritual Energy all around me! It''s time to attack and refine my flesh!" Sun Wu Jian howled. The five Kunlun Lesser Dragon Pills are swallowed without hesitation.


    The moment it reaches his belly, a surge of Spiritual Qi worthy of five drops of Precelestial Essence appeared from the melted pill. It mixed together inside Sun Wu Jian''s Dantian instantly as Qin Lan flicked the matured Spiritual umting Pill into his mouth one by one.


    "Ancient Text of Yu, it''s time the floodes." Qin Lan waved both his hand to open all the windows in his room. Then, something else happened.


    A lightning bolt came from the dark cloud, acting like it was here to deliver a lightning tribtion to mortals that dare to challenge its might.


    "Bzzt... Bam!"

 Chapter 111: Flame Demon Mountain (3) Bloodline Awakening

    Chapter 111: me Demon Mountain (3) Bloodline Awakening


    "A tribtion from heaven! A tribtion from heaven!!!" the peoples gathered outside of Sun Wu Jian''s manor repeated the same sentence over and over again after the lightning strikes.


    Even those inside the manor itself are unable to calm their heart after the lightning strike.


    "Leader Huang, what is happening inside the building?" the six half-step Bone Reconstruction Cultivators asked after they arrive beside Huang Ping and Wang Xuan.


    "This looks like something entric that only Alchemist Qin can do. We''ll have to wait for his highness toe out before getting all the answers to our questions." Huang Ping replied.


    As the closest person serving beside Sun Wu Jian, the fact that his liege''s cultivation is getting closer to advancement is not a secret to him.


    But the fact that his liege''s advancement would create a lightning tribtion like this is unheard of. Furthermore, he''s also a recently advanced cultivator of eighth-level Flesh Refining.


    "Fellow experts... Did anyone of you had a tribtion like this before in your cultivation''s path?" Huang Ping asked.


    "No." the six of them shook their head after they looked at each other for a collective answer.


    "Then... Let''s wait for his highness toe out..." Huang Ping nervously said as he keeps his sight on the building.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "How are you feeling, brother Sun?" Qin Lan smiled as he sat in a lotus position to replenish his Spiritual Energy.


    "The eighth-level of Flesh Refining feels unusual... There''s an indescribable sensation of strength coursing through my veins, like a flow of power that just awoken inside me." Sun Wu Jian tried to exin the feeling he had in words.


    "Brother Qin, just what is inside that Essence Transformation Pill you gave me? And that five pellets... The power inside each is as strong as a drop of Precelestial Essence." he asked.


    "Don''t tell me you just used some world-defying treasure for a Bone Reconstruction Cultivation on me? That will be quite a waste?" Sun Wu Jian added. Even as a prince, the actual number of treasures he knew and seen can be counted with his fingers.


    "Why would I have Bone Reconstruction Treasures with me? I can''t use it, right? Even if we wanted to, a Flesh Refining Layer cultivator can''t use treasures ayer above us." Qin Lan chuckled while answering Sun Wu Jian.


    "Then..." his reply made the ninth prince felt puzzling. There''s not a single record from the experts that talked about the experience he had gone through.


    The only lightning tribtion that''s ever known by them in the Precelestial Realm cultivation is when one is trying to ascend to what is believed to be above the Pre-Celestial.


    "I''ll be straightforward. What your highness just had is a [Bloodline Awakening] phenomenon. Although it is a rare urrence in the lower world, most of the royalties would have it." Qin Lan started to exin what was the transformation is all about.


    Bloodline Awakening.


    It was an inherited power that hides in the blood. It was a collective of cultivation inherited from one generation to another, stored deep inside the genes.


    And to achieve this, there is two starting point their ancestor could try. The first is to preserve the cultivation bloodline for at least ten generations. Each generation would have to be stronger than the previous. As for the second way, they can be forcefully created from refining the blood of Yao Beast.


    In Sun Wu Jian''s case, his ancestors have likely refined the Yao Beast''s blood for a few generations before him.


    "So... This is what you called Bloodline Awakening... If it could appear on me, won''t it ur on all my other blood-rted siblings as well?" Sun Wu Jian''s heart is filled with worries as he suddenly remembered that he has eight more siblingspeting for the throne.


    Although he might not be the first to awaken his bloodline, he shouldn''t be thest either.


    The awakening is also turning into a double-edged sword to Sun Wu Jian by opening his insight into this cultivation world.


    "You can be slightly at ease in this matter. Right now, you might not be the first to awaken your bloodline, but you''re not thest either. What you need to do now is to stabilize your cultivation using this as your advantage." Qin Lan said.


    "With your bloodline has now activated, I''m sure that your understanding towards cultivation is much higher than before. Your disposition and quality of Spiritual Energy will also start to change significantly, making the difference between you and other cultivators much more evident."


    "Brother Qin, from your word of changes... Do you mean I am going to be like my father?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Your father? What''s different about his Spiritual Energy and yours?" Qin Lan replied by asking a few questions.


    "I can''t exin it correctly, but my father''s royal disposition had some lingering power of a golden bird. His Spiritual Energy also has a hint of golden hue that makes people submit to him without questions asked." Sun Wu Jian roughly describes how he felt about his father.


    ''Oh? Don''t tell me that his bloodline is somewhat rted to the Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacock? If that''s true, then this guy''s future is practically limitless here in the world of a Precelestial.'' Qin Lan grinned as his thought started to run wild.


    Although the Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacock rank was considered low in the cultivation world, the strength it possessed still believed to be on par with a Pericelestial Beast.


    "Come, let us go out. I''m sure those out there have started to get restless from unable to get an answer of what happened." Qin Lan chuckled and gave his hand out to Sun Wu Jian.


    Pulling this young prince up and gave him a few pats here and there, the two of them walked side by side as they made their public appearance together. A vagueyer of golden Spiritual Energy is surrounding Sun Wu Jian as he stares at his subjects.


    "We..."


    "We..."


    Everyone was stuttered. Although the faint golden light is hardlyparable to the color of a sun setting, the majestic aura it releases still made the people outside of the manor felt suppressive.


    "It feels like a weird power of royalty ising out from the Ninth Prince Manor..." some of those more sensitive individuals said. As for those weaker in mentality, their legs are already bent halfway for no reason.


    Taking a few steps down the stairs to where Huang Ping, Wang Xun, Lu Qing Yun, and the six half-step Bone Reconstruction experts stand, Qin Lan turned around and cupped his hands together.


    "Congrattions to the ninth prince to obtain the strength of eighth-level Flesh Refining Cultivation!" Qin Lan said. At the end of his sentence, Qin Lan dropped one of his knees on the ground as a gesture of yielding to Sun Wu Jian''s authority.


    "Congrattions to the ninth prince!" everyone followed Qin Lan''s ceremonial etiquette. The infectious roar of congrattive wishes spreads not only towards all corners of the manor itself but also to the people outside.


    In this instant, the faint golden light from Sun Wu Jian has started to get brighter. Even Sun Wu Jian could feel the qualitative changes in his Spiritual Qi that seem no longer as immature as before.


    "Huang Ping, Wang Xun." Sun Wu Jian spoke. It was the same tone and words he repeated over ten times in a single day. But right now, it sounds much more authoritative than before.


    "Huang Ping present!" Huang Ping stares intensely at Sun Wu Jian as he replied.


    "Wang Xun present!" Wang Xun followed.


    "In a week from now on, the punitive force will depart from the Fuyun City. Our target will be the me Demon Mountain''s Hushan Bandit and all their strongholds!" Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Those that sessfully advanced into the middle-attainment rank will be allowed to join this battle. May heaven bless our Country of Wu to demolish this rebellious faction and bring peace back to this Yunshan Province!"


    "Those with a duty, return to your post! Those without shall cultivate and increase the chances of victory for our battle. As for all the outsiders, Stand with us as the Ninth Prince Manor returns with a victory!"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "What did you say?" an individual with two courtesans busy satisfying his manhood asked. He was still leaningfortably on the long chair while he speaks.


    "Your highness, this servant dare not to repeat it for the second time," the expert with half-step Bone Reconstruction cultivation shivered before his half-naked liege.


    "Lightning tribtion... What kind of thing he''s done to be able to call forth a lightning tribtion? Don''t tell me he''s dead?" the individual chuckled as he put his hand on the back of a courtesan''s head.


    Without notice, he put some pressure on his hand as he forced her to go downpletely using her mouth.


    "En! - En! - En!" the courtesan forced by him had tears rolling out from her eyes as she was treated like a thing by this individual. Like something was finally released by the individual, he threw the courtesan away.


    The remaining courtesan that was still kneeling by his side had her clothing torn off to wipe off any remaining discharge he made.


    "Bring me more. As for these two, it is fine for you all to enjoy until broken." the individual stands up from the chair while his manhood is still waving around like a sword.


    "This subordinate understand." the expert left.

 Chapter 112: Ten Miles Plain of Flame Demon Mountain (1)

    Chapter 112: Ten Miles in of me Demon Mountain (1)


    "My seventh prince... The lightning tribtion that came from the Ninth Prince Manor seems to be rted to his advancement. It seems rted to the ninth prince''s recent breakthrough into the eighth-level of Flesh Refining."


    An expert is busy reporting what he had found out so far about themotion that happened in Sun Wu Jian''s manor.


    "Looks like my ninth brother found some good fortune again. How can all the luck keep going to the second and ninth, but not me?" the one who was addressed as the seventh princeined as he enjoyed another sip of wine.


    "Did the second brother do anything after that?" he continued to ask.


    "No. The Second Prince Manor did not take any action at all." the expert hastily replied.


    "Then we''ll ignore it as well. How is our preparation to enter the Inner Area of Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest?" the seventh prince asked.


    "Reporting to my master, our preparation is almost ready. We''ll be able to depart in a weekter." the expert said.


    "Then... We''ll depart as soon as the moment we get ready."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "I heard about what happened today at the Ninth Prince''s Manor." Hu Jia initiates a conversation while they''re having dinner together. Also seated along the table are Lu Qing Yun, Zhou Mei, the twin Zhuge sisters, and the four good brothers.


    "The news managed to travel quite fast. So what you wanted to know?" Qin Lan chuckled at Hu Jia. He soon revealed an expression of getting ready to answer all her questions.


    "What really happened? Did you ended up getting entangled in between again?" Hu Jia asked. Based on how much she knows about Qin Lan, the possibility of him not getting involved in this matter is practically impossible.


    "It''s not a big secret, but secrecy still has to be kept. Xinyu and Yanyu should go back to your room. It will be a serious discussion between us." Qin Lan called the two youngsses to leave first.


    "We wanted to listen as well..." Zhuge Xinyu pouted.


    "Listen to your teacher''s word for now. Knowing this will disturb your concentration in alchemy. Both of you are still too young to understand this." Qin Lan said.


    "Fine. We''ll go back to the room. But you''ll have to promise to tell us when we''re mature enough to know." Zhuge Xinyu extends her pinky finger out as she wanted Qin Lan to give his promise.


    "Sure. Pinky promise." Qin Lan locked his pinky finger with Zhuge Xinyu to seal the deal. As it seems like something fun in the eyes of Zhuge Yanyu, she ended up wanted to repeat what they did as well.


    It was only after striking the deal twice that the two willing to leave Qin Lan''s room.


    "Alright, I think we can start." Hu Jia said.


    "So, what exactly happened?" everyone started to anticipate what kind of words wille out from Qin Lan''s mouth. And not wanted to destroy their high expectations, Qin Lan decided to exin it interestingly.


    "Zhou Mei, how long is the history of the Country of Wu?" Qin Lan asked.


    "If I''m not wrong, around 500 years. The current King of Wu is the eighteenth king of this country." Zhou Mei answered.


    "500 years, putting aside those kings with a shorter term, that''s about twenty generations. No wonder the bloodline awakening in his body is possible." Qin Lan chuckled after hearing Zhou Mei''s answer.


    "Bloodline Awakening?" the word Qin Lan used made them feeling bewildered.


    "What is that?" Yi Feng and Qiang Shou asked as it was in their personality to rify questionable things.


    "it''s almost like trying to Refine your cultivation body. But instead of refining your flesh, bone, or Spiritual Energy, the Bloodline Awakening happened by tempering your blood." Qin Lan started to exin.


    "The requirement is quite harsh to start. Not only the bloodline you''re using would have to be good, but it also has to be suitable for your body and cultivation before you start."


    "In my opinion, the first ancestor of the Sun Royal Family is likely an acquaintance with a nest of young Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacocks. That is where he able to obtain all the blood essence from."


    "It won''t be surprising if the current royal family has a secret ce in this country that still used to amodate the Yao Beast." Qin Lan poured his knowledge out to educate them about this.


    It was supposed to be a hint of knowledge that shouldn''t be known by the people of the lower realm, especially those still in the Precelestial Realm. Part of the reason is because of the differences in strength.


    But most importantly, it was because of their lifespan.


    A regr human can live up to a hundred years without a hint of cultivation or Spiritual Energy. And from there, every level of Flesh-Refining would extend their lifeforce for ten additional years. Altogether, a peak Flesh Refining Layer cultivator would have a lifespan up to two hundred years old.


    Their lifespan will gradually increase after a cultivator managed to enter the starting point of the Bone Reconstruction Layer. Twenty years per level, it added up to 400 years old by reaching the peak and another hundred years worth of lifespan as a bonus if the cultivator managed to step into the Spiritual Root Layer.


    (This calction is included the half-step level in between theyers. So nine levels + half-Step = 10 levels. 100 additional years from Flesh Refining, 200 from Bone Reconstruction, 100 from birth, and 100 bonus from entering Spiritual Root Layer. That''s 500 years clock for them)


    Of course, that does not mean that all of them are capable of living that long.


    That''s because, in the path of cultivation, getting entangled in the Five Governing Law of the World is an inescapable fact.


    It was already considered a miracle for a cultivator to survive through half of the given lifespan achieved by cultivation. And perhaps, this is also why Qin Lan was surprised when Sun Wu Jian managed to awaken his bloodline.


    "I still don''t understand what''s the importance of this Bloodline Awakening..." Qiang Shou proudly stated what''s in his mind without a hint of shame on his face.


    ''This guy...'' Qin Lan had the urge to give him a p on his forehead for being so dull.


    "On whosend are we standing?" Qin Lan asked.


    "The Country of Wu, of course." Hu Jia and Zhou Mei immediately answered.


    "That means we''re all a subject of the King of Wu. We''re all citizens and children of the country. And by a citizen, that means we''re the lifeforce that keeps this country alive."


    "And to control this country, a ruler is needed. And the liege is, of course, capable of managing his subject voluntarily. The more support the royal family has, the stronger the bloodline when it awakened."


    "By awakening his bloodline, this means Sun Wu Jian is one step closer to be acknowledged as a potential candidate for the next in the throne in the future. It may seem insignificant to us, but to him..." Qin Lan chuckled before finishing his sentence.


    "He''s bound to have explosive growth in his strength soon. Even if this Country of Wu only has three provinces under its g, the might from the people alone is still more than enough to turn an earthworm into a dragon." Qin Lan said. As he ended his final sentence, a thought also somehow appearing in his mind.


    ''Weren''t the Kuangshan Lu Sect used to be like this as well?'' this thought brought Qin Lan''s memory back to when the Kuangshan Lu Sect was hailed as the continent''s heritage.


    Pulling the cup of wine in his hand closer, Qin Lan gently takes a sip of the wine into his mouth as he savored the mellowness of the alcohol he brewed. The Rock Lotus Fruit''s sweetness and the spiciness from the alcohol content soon rumble between his tongue before they harmonize into one down his throat.


    In Qin Lan''s mind, he was no different from Sun Wu Jian.


    And in a blink of an eye, the one-week period is up.


    "Ninth Prince Army! Return with Victory!"


    "Ninth Prince Army! Unbeatable and mighty!"


    Loud cries were sung out as they marched from the manor towards the exit on the southern gate. The punitive force was divided into three teams as they move beside the core group under Sun Wu Jian''smand.


    Their departure is apanied by the wishes and prayers from the residents living in the southern part of Fuyun City as Sun Wu Jian proudly takes the lead on their march towards the me Demon Mountain.


    With his right hand lifted up high above his head, Sun Wu Jian brought all his men out from the Fuyun City. The moment thest soldier left the door, the Main Gate closed and followed with multiple fireworks.


    "Ninth Prince Army! Listen to mymand!" Sun Wu Jian shouted.


    "Yes, your highness!" a highly moralizing and trained reply came from all directions to acknowledge his call.


    "Move forward! We will set our camp at the me Demon Mountain''s Ten Miles in!" Sun Wu Jian decided on where the soldiers will group together after entering the mountainous zone.


    "Move!"


    "Move!"


    "Move!!!" and just like this, the punitive force of three thousand soldiers marched forward. Those on horseback were the first to steps inside thend belonged to the me Demon Mountain.


    The Qin Faction was one of the independent teams with their own g. Positioned on the back of the punitive force, they were part of thest group of men that enteredst.

 Chapter 113: Ten Miles Plain of Flame Demon Mountain (2)

    Chapter 113: Ten Miles in of me Demon Mountain (2)


    "Move forward. Engage with the pack of Yao Beast with care!" Yi Feng and Qiang Shou were leading a group together. Moving further into the woods, a pack of Yao Beast soon appeared before them.


    "Fire Spitting Hounds!" one of the servants under Qin Lan''s Qin Faction shouted.


    "Yi Feng, you''ll take care of our perimeters. Fist Fighting Team, follow me and charge into the core of the Yao Beast!" Qiang Shou patted Yi Feng''s shoulder and said something before he charged forward.


    "Wind Kicker Team, secure the perimeter! Leave the Fire Spitting Hounds in the middle to the Fist Team!" Yi Feng''s order followed after Qiang Shou''s departure.


    "YES, SIR!" the ten or so servants replied in tandem. In an instant, they split into two groups. Qiang Shou''s group went straight into the core of the Fire Spitting Hounds. As for Yi Feng''s men, they targetted those separated from the pack.


    And they weren''t the only team that engaged in a battle.


    At least six battles started at the time as Qiang Shou and Yi Feng''s team. Except for Qin Lan''s core team, Qiang Shou, Yi Feng, Han Xue, You Qing, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie have entered a battle against the Yao Beast.


    "Looks like the me Demon Mountain is quite a fun ce to be." Qin Lan chuckled as he steered his horse closer to the supplies group that belonged to Sun Wu Jian''s Punitive Force.


    "Senior Yi." Qin Lan greets the Half-Step Bone Reconstruction Cultivator tasked with the responsibility to protect this group."


    "Alchemist Qin. It seems the battle has started around us. Please let me know if you need some help." the expert named Yi greeted Qin Lan as usual. Although the way he greeted Qin Lan seems mediocre andcks enthusiasm, it was considered proper in Qin Lan''s opinion.


    "Junior Qin Lan will remember Senior Yi''s offer. Senior, please be careful on your way as well." Qin Lan cupped his hands together as he politely replied.


    ''A greeting without pretense. No wonder Brother Sun assigned him to protect the supplies group.'' Qin Lan then steered his horse back to his team, where Hu Jia, Qin Chan, Qin Qin, and Qin Huang are.


    "Third brother... Is there anything we can help?" Qin Qin and Qin Huang approached Qin Lan and asked if there''s something for them to contribute. Amongst the youngsters of Qin Lan''s generation, the two of them were the most talented followed after him.


    Based on how the Cloud Plucking Sect usually behaves, an invitation letter to join the sect will be followed after this battle. But in Qin Lan''s opinion, it is better to start grooming both of them now as they recently advanced into the fifth-level of Flesh Refining Layer.


    "Don''t rush." Qin Lan replied as his horse went to the gap between the two.


    "Always remember your position. Although strength is essential, it has to always bepensated with your responsibility. Both of you might not be a team leader of the group, but there''s still a difference between you and the vanguards." Qin Lan said.


    "To be positioned inside of the leading convoy means your responsibility is more than just fighting. What you''ll need to do is micromanage what the leader has assigned and missed out on."


    "As for the chances to brandish your weapon, there will be many chances to do soter. Drawing your sword one or two times lesser than the others won''t deduct your total contribution from the mission." Qin Lan added.


    Before he left, he patted on both of their shoulders. It will be up to them toprehend what he had just told them.


    "Howe I feel that my third brother is wiser than that unruly, harsh, rough, and brash Qin Fan?" Qin Chan jokes. After so many months of perseverance in her cultivation, she''s finally a first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator.


    But the sess behind her advancement is still thanks to Qin Lan''s contribution of a few Essence Transformation Pills and Kunlun Lesser Dragon Pills.


    "How''s our eldest brother is doing?" Qin Lan asked.


    "That idiot... Still stalking Luo Yunxi, I guess. Do you know that he''s already a fifth-level Bone Reconstruction expert? By right, he''s already qualified for the examination to be promoted as one of the inner disciples." Qin Chan shook her head when she thinks about Qin Fan''s matter.


    "If the eldest brother is unwilling to go for the examination, then we''ll let him wait. Be it inner sect or outer sect, the chances is about the same." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Report!!!" two soldiers on their horse returned with a yellow g raised above their head. This was the most basic gesture and practice amongst Sun Wu Jian''s soldiers for identification purposes.


    But identified or not, it was still up to the group leader''s approval. Close to a thousand weapons are brandished and pointed at the two soldiers as they approached the supplies group with care.


    "Authentic." the Bone Reconstruction Expert said after he lowered his palm down.


    "What''s the report?" he asked.


    "A horde of Raging me Bulls are spotted on the northwest of our path, near to the third milestone. Our team leader is still monitoring their path. He''s afraid something might happen if we don''t take action." one soldier reported.


    "What about you?" Senior Yi asked the other soldier.


    "We''ve found the trace of a few camping sites that was purposely covered to remove their track." the soldier lowered his head as he knew that everything will change with his report.


    Senior Yi''s expression changed the moment he listened to the second soldier''s report. His finger is pointed at where Qin Lan is for a few seconds and followed with a gesture of calling them over.


    Immediately, a soldier from his supplies group steered his horse towards where Qin Lan is.


    If the two soldiers came at a different time, perhaps this report wouldn''t be taken seriously. But when it was put together, a problematic issue is bound to happen.


    "How far are we to the third milestone?" Senior Yi asked another officer following him.


    "Twenty minutes or so..." the officer replied.


    "Battle formation. Northwest facing. Blow the horn the moment I gave an order. Move all our supplies to the east side. Did any scouts we''ve sent to the northeast and north returned?" Senior Yiys down a few military instructions as he asked.


    "Not yet." the officer replied.


    "Then get everyone in position. A few Raging me Bulls could hardly cause us any harm, but a horde will. Assign those above the sixth-level to the frontline and those fifth-level protecting the supplies." Senior Yi added.


    ...


    "Alchemist Qin! Your presence is required. Please follow me to the main convoy." the soldier that came to Qin Lan immediately reported.


    "Let''s go. Jia-Jia, second sister, I''ll leave this to you." Qin Lan followed the soldier and left in a hurry. A few minutes after his departure, Lu Qing Yun returned.


    "Did young master went somewhere?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "Yes. The main convoy called. Is there anything?" Qin Chan replied.


    "I''ve caught a few rats sneaking around in the woods. They should be on their way back as we speak." Lu Qing Yun smiled as she pointed at the direction she came from.


    Indeed, five servants wearing the Qin Faction''s dressing code pops up from where Lu Qing Yun is pointed. Dragged behind them are three bandits, beaten to the point their parents would not even recognize them on the streets.


    "Something is going to happen for sure... Did you notice anything else?" Qin Chan looked around them as she tries to deduce what is possibly going to happen.


    "They seem to have something like a red re in their hand. One of the bandits was killed when we fought them. Before he died, that guy was desperate to try and shoot the red re, but one of our servants managed to grab that and shove it into his butt before allowing it to be fired into the sky." Lu Qing Yun chuckled as she remembered the scene.


    ''re... We''re nearing the third milestone ins... Bandits...''


    "Not good!" Qin Chan seems to found out about something.


    "Qing Yun, you''ll follow me to the main convoy. Jia-Jia, you''ll be managing our group and stay alert." Qin Chan urged Lu Qing Yun to follow her.


    ...


    "Senior Yi," Qin Lan greets the Half-Step Bone Reconstruction expect the moment he reached. Looking at the two soldiers standing before the expert, he can roughly guess why he was called.


    "Alchemist Qin. It seems that the Hushan Bandits are trying to use the Raging me Bull''s horde as a stampede to weaken our defense. Do you have any suggestion to reduce the number of our casualties?" senior Yi asked.


    "Raging me Bull''s horde? That''s indeed a problem. How far are we from the horde?" Qin Lan rubbed his chin slightly after listening to what the expert and two soldiers said.


    And before he came up with an idea, Qin Chan, Lu Qing Yun, and the five servants carrying three bandits with them came forward.


    "Hold right there!" because they have no approval nor right to approach the main convoy, they were stopped about half a mile from where Qin Lan and the others were located.


    "Lan-Er! We''ve found something important!" Qin Chan yelled for his attention. The strength of her first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer spread across as it alerted all the soldiers around her.


    "There''s an expert above my level in his small group?" Senior Yi turned around, looking at Qin Lan.


    "I''m sorry, senior. That''s my elder sister. Can you allow her toe forward?" Qin Lan cupped his hand and asked for his permission.

 Chapter 114: Ten Miles Plain of Flame Demon Mountain (3)

    Chapter 114: Ten Miles in of me Demon Mountain (3)


    "Lan-Er!" Qin Chan came to Qin Lan''s side in a hurry.


    "My Second sister, calm yourself before we continue with whatever discussion you want. Senior Yi, this is my second sister, Qin Chan. She''s also one of the chosen disciples of our twelfth elder." Qin Lan stopped Qin Chan from keep bbering.


    "Ha-Hoo..." Qin Chan took a deep breath. It was indelicate, but Qin Chan''s beautiful face and body somehow made it passable to the male soldier''s gaze.


    "Qing Yun just returned with three captured Hushan Bandits. From the look of it, they''re intending to use the Raging me Bulls nearby as a tool to disturb us." Qin Chan politely greeted the Half-Step Bone Reconstruction expert standing in front of Qin Lan. Only after that, she started to speak.


    "Based on my experience, I dare to say they''re well prepared. We also found a few red res in their pocket, which is likely used to stir the bulls when we reach a certain distance from the third milestone," Qin Chan added.


    "We were also discussing this matter. What is senior''s suggestion in handling this?" Qin Lan asked. At this time, Lu Qing Yun had finally arrived with the five servants and three captured bandits.


    "Since the Raging me Bull will being from the northwest direction, I suggest we build a line of defense there to defend against their charge. And to reduce our casualties, let''s arrange those with fifth-level cultivation to stand guard with our supplies on the east side." senior Yi brought up his suggestion.


    It was a considerably wise and thoughtful decision.


    But Qin Lan noticed something the moment Senior Yi was done with bringing up his suggestion.


    ''Why would the three bandits reveal a grinning expression the moment Senior Yi relocating our supplies and fifth-level experts on the east side?'' Qin Lan turned his sight over to their northeast.


    ''A vast collection of trees and shrubs... It''s indirectly linked to the hill at the back as well...'' Qin Lan smiled.


    ''It could only be that...'' Qin Lan habit came unnoticed as he took a fan out from his sleeve and started to fan himself. The soothing cool breeze gave him somefort as it helps to clear his mind while he''s thinking.


    **Shut!**


    "Qing Yun, lock the three bandits up. We''ll deliver them back to Fuyun City afterward." Qin Lan closed his fan by pping it over to his other hand. By making up a sentence like that, he indirectly gave the bandits a reason to be taken away.


    "Senior, please listen to what I have to say." Qin Lan then quietly whispered beside the Bone Reconstruction expert.


    And very soon, the soldiers were relocated. They continued with their journey but at a much faster pace this time.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Mountain Copsing Fist!" a Fire Splitting Hound was killed on the spot after getting punched on the jaw by Qiang Shou.


    "Do not falter. Keep hunting the hounds!" Qiang Shou yelled as he went onto another target. His momentum was shocking.


    **Awoo!**


    The hound cried as their number started to dwindle the moment the attack began.


    "What the hell are you crying for?" Yi Feng''s kick came before the Fire Spitting Hound managed to do anything.


    But for their followers, their efficiency was lower. There were still fifteen Fire Spitting Hounds still left on the battlefield, everyone upying one target.


    "Thousand Miles Travel in a Step!" Yi Feng vanished from his position and reappeared beside the hound in a sh.


    "Profound Stomping Strike!" Yi Feng''s attack pressed the Yao Beast down on the ground without leaving a gap for it to struggle.


    "Don''t fool around! Quickly get rid of them and return to the main group!" he shouted.


    ...


    Same time, not too far from where Yi Feng and Qiang Shou.


    "Silver Willow Sword Technique!" Huo Zunjie moved forward like a branch of swaying willow. Everything that was in his path would be sliced apart into two.


    "Team Leader Huo is too amazing!" the two female servants out of the team of five praised Huo Zunjie to no tomorrow after looking at his movement. Sheathing his sword back into the sheath, Huo Zunjie spreads his Spiritual Sense to check if there''s any target remained nearby.


    "Let''s keep going. I feel a few familiar Spiritual Energy in front of us that likely came from one of the four fes," he said.


    "Four fes?" one of the two female servants asked.


    "You still don''t get it? By four fes, it means You Qing, Han Xue, Qiang Shou, or Yi Feng. Only the four of them have that certain familiar aura as the cultivation art they''re learning is different from us." one of the three male servants interrupted.


    "Ah! Shut up! Why are you always disturbing me!" the female servant used her sword to gently push the male servant away. Although it was gently done, there''s still a hint of fifth-level Flesh Refining Cultivation hidden in her movement.


    "These two..." Huo Zunjie chuckled.


    ...


    "Leader... Let''s get back, alright?" a servant pulled Lu Yi''s sleeve as he begged him to keep his eagerness in check.


    "How can we go back? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Lu Yi chuckled. The others in the team are also shaking their head.


    "Do you think it''s possible to change our leader''s mind when he came up with a reckless idea? Don''t waste your effort... Just go and get a proper spot so when we charge, we''ll get the most out of our surprise attack." another servant pped the timid servant''s head as he speaks.


    "Alright... All of you should wait for my order. After I attacked, you''ll take those that managed to escape. Try to get as much as you could because when we''re back to the camp, our young master is going to praise us for sure." Lu Yi said.


    There was a red re in his hand, just like what was shown by Qin Chan a little earlier.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Sir! We''ve arrived at the third milestone point!" a soldier reported the moment the group of 1,000 soldiers arrived at the checkpoint. It was a hill made from boulders as tall as a human height piled together.


    And in the middle is a beautiful sword sculpture, purposely made by an artisan to make this ce a local checkpoint. It was also believed to be a blessing to this location and to the prosperity of Yunshan Province.


    But today, the blessing doesn''t seem to be the case...


    **BAM!**


    A red re is fired even before the half-step Bone Reconstruction Expert replied his officers.


    "Attack alert! Entering battle formation right now!" a disciplinemand came at them instantly as the soldiers created a defensive line in an instant.


    As for Qin Lan, his gaze is staring patiently at their eastern side.


    Meanwhile, at a in not too far from the third milestone checkpoint, six troublemakers are causing a mess.


    **Moooo!!!**


    The horde of Raging me Bulls is charging towards them.


    "Let''s do it! Let''s do it!" Lu Yi shouted.


    "Tonight, there''s loads of beef for us to eat!" said Lu Yi. He''s still oblivious about ruining everyone''s well-nned strategy.

 Chapter 115: Ten Miles Plain of Flame Demon Mountain (4)

    Chapter 115: Ten Miles in of me Demon Mountain (4)


    "Leader, did they fired the re too early? Should we wait or charge out?" a bandit asked.


    "Those fools! I''m going to twist their head off when we get back!" the leader of the bandit''s group gritted his teeth together as he''s utterly pissed by their recklessness.


    Their n was a simple one.


    When the supplies group of this punitive force stopped at this third milestone to take a break, they''ll lure the horde of Raging me Bulls over to cause a disturbance and stampede.


    But to make this n a sess, they''ll have to fire the re in session.


    Worst of all, the first shot of re was fired way off from the designated mark. That was also the reason the group leader was pissed.


    "What are the others doing? Why aren''t they fired a consecutive shot to lure the horde over here?" he randomly grabbed one of his men''s cors to question.


    "I - I got no idea at all, leader!" the bandit stuttered when being asked with a question he had no idea about.


    "Grr... We''ll wait! Once the re is fired consecutively, that will be the time we''ll make our charge!" the leader said. And to vent out a little of his anger, he threw the subordinate in his grip away.


    ...


    "Sword of Chaotic Bells!" Lu Yi was the first to charge forward, followed by the five servants. And because the Golden Bell Sect''s technique focused on delivering immense damage with minimal Spiritual Energy consumption, it ended up allowing Lu Yi to behave recklessly.


    Lu Yi''s first attack created a gap between him and the next wave of Raging me Bulls. In his estimation, there are approximately three hundred of them in this horde, far more than enough to feed the Qin Faction members for the entire journey.


    "Golden Bell''s Raging de!" again, Lu Yi sent a de of Spiritual Energy out to destroy the Raging me Bull''s momentum.


    "me Eyes of Heaven!" the Spiritual attack he inherited from cultivating the Heaven Firmament Art was used when the advantages from attacking first are no longer there.


    Almost all of the horde was gone ten minutes after the stampede rush. Turning his head around, Lu Yi notices a few wounds here and there on his servants, but with no casualty.


    They hunted close to thirty of the Raging me Bulls, along with a few Blood Marten and Fire Breathing Lizards.


    "Let''s go back." Lu Yi chuckled as he distributes the Qiankun Pouch to the others as they started to collect their spoil in this battle.


    ...


    ...


    "Why is there no movement at all? Shouldn''t the Raging me Bull''s be here by now?" the leader of this bandit group kicked a tree beside him. How would he know that his meticulously nned tactic is bound to fail at the start because of Lu Yi''s interference?


    Although the re was still fired, it was shot at an exact opposite side instead. This made leading the horde straight to where the third milestone checkpoint became impossible.


    And like their leader, all the other bandits at their respective checkpoint are also dumbfounded.


    "Leader... Are we still going to charge forward?" one of his followers asked.


    "Fire all our res and then attack. Our target is their supplies carriages located on the east side. Quickly!" the leader considered all the options he had and finally came up with a decision.


    Soon...


    **BAM!**


    **BAM!**


    **BAM!**


    Three red re signals are fired up onto the sky. And following the loud explosion, a group of close to two hundred bandits was seen charging out from the eastern forest with weapons in their hand.


    "Enemy attack!" one of the officers stationed on the eastern formation screamed to alert all the soldiers nearby.


    "Enemy attack! Eastern direction! Bandits, sir!" the officer stationed at Expert Yi''s side quickly reported ording to the signmunicated using the g.


    "Alchemist Qin - Alchemist Qin... It seems you guessed correctly once again..." the half-step Bone Reconstruction expert smiled as he''s turned his view towards the eastern side.


    "Alright... Time to battle. Make me proud, boys and girls!" Qin Lan chuckled. The men from the Qin Faction that was supposed to be located on the western side came forward without notice.


    The battle immediately began the moment Qin Lan''s forces and the two hundred or so bandits shed. Seated on top of his horse, Qin Lan calmly monitors the situation and provides his men with assistance when necessary.


    "Leader, these people are not weak at all. Shouldn''t they assign all those weaklings here?" a bandit asked their leader as this situation seems to be out of their expectations.


    ''Everything was wrong... What causes all these mistakes? Where did it go wrong?'' the bandit leader asked himself.


    But before he managed to get his answer, a de came fiercely like a dancing willow branch.


    **Ding!**


    He managed to block the attack but with a cost of a shallow cut on his average-looking face.


    "Who are you?" the bandit leader retreated two steps back. His Spiritual Energy is slowly gathering on the edge of his axe as he asked.


    "Qin Chan from Cloud Plucking Sect." Qin Lan''s second sister introduced herself as she gracefully pointed her sword at the bandit''s leader.


    "Good... Good... Let me see how strong is the disciples of the so-called righteous sect of our Yunshan Province." the bandit leader chuckled as he made a great leap towards Qin Chan.


    "Littledy, try not getting chopped into two before I had my fun!" the bandit leader said. The strength of a first-level in the Bone Reconstruction Layer slowly wraps around his body.


    "Come on!" Qin Chan followed. Her palm slides over the body of her sword as she speaks, and more Spiritual Energy is injected into the Offensive Treasure in her hand.


    "Tyrant sh!" the bandit leader shouts.


    "Silver Willow''s Whipping Technique!" Qin Chan retaliates.


    ...


    "Looks like my second sister can handle that on her own." Qin Lan smiled as he''s stillfortably seated on his horse.


    **Zup! Zup!**


    Close to seven woven strings created by Spiritual Energy spread across the battlefield to capture Qin Lan''s men back to their defensive line.


    "Th - Thank you, senior sister." they quickly said their thanks to Lu Qing Yun as she continued to monitor the battlefield as a supporting cultivator in this battlefield.


    "Qing Yun, if you like, just move forward. I''m here in the back." Qin Lan said as he shows her a smiling expression.


    "It''s alright. I''m happy to stay here by your side, young master." Lu Qing Yun shyly replied Qin Lan as she threw her Heaven''s String out to bring two more servants back.


    "Thank you, senior sister. I will... Ouch! Not my face, senior sister!" the servant said his thanks. But because Lu Qing Yun was slightly disturbed by Qin Lan''s word, her application of Kuangshan Lu Sect Healer''s Art ended up hitting at the wrong point.


    The p that should be aimed at the servant''s injured shoulder ended up on his face, telling him to stop talking.

 Chapter 116: Ten Miles Plain of Flame Demon Mountain (5)

    Chapter 116: Ten Miles in of me Demon Mountain (5)


    "Report!!!" an officer with Sun Wu Jian''s distinct militarynguage and a yellow g on his hand approached.


    "Group Leaders, we''ve received a report from our scouts from the back saying that there are a few res fired. Would you like us to check?" the officer reported back to the two half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer experts.


    They were two out of the six half-step Bone Layer experts pledging their servitude to Sun Wu Jian.


    "En... Send a few men over to take a look and report back before we arrived at the Ten Miles in." one of the experts made a hand sign to approves the officer''s suggestion.


    As for the other one, his eyes remained closed like he was concentration on something.


    "Humph!" his eyes were opened suddenly. And as he did, his expression somewhat turned uglier.


    "One hundred soldiers to the northwest. Two hundred soldiers to the northeast, now," he said.


    The horn tomand officers further from their core unit is blown after his order. With a single blue g pointing at the northwest and two pointing at the northeast, his orders were executed in perfection.


    "Blue g! Team 11 to 20, follow my lead!" an officer from the northwest responded. Moving about a hundred steps forward, they immediately engaged with a group of bandits in hiding.


    The same happened in the northeast. But the only difference is the battle over here is fiercer because a half-step Bone expert is leading the bandits.


    "Brother Shun, great job. Let me take the lead to the northeast." one of the two experts under Sun Wu Jian said as he ordered five soldiers to follow him. All of the soldiers were in their peak cultivation of the Flesh Refining Layer.


    "I''ll be bothering you, brother Xie." the one surname Shun said.


    "Let''s go!" using the reins in his hand like a whip, the expert named Xie steered his stallion forward.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    **Xiu!!!**


    "*Aargh!**


    Qin Lan killed two of the bandits with a flick of his finger. So far, close to fifteen of those criminals have fallen to his flying hairpins.


    "Alchemist Qin, we''ve captured close to fifty bandits." the officer protecting the supplies carriage and carts came to update Qin Lan with the recent battle report.


    "Thank you, officer. Is there any further order from Group Leader Yi?" Qin Lan asked.


    "No further orders. Alchemist Qin may act independently as you see fit. My order is to stay guard and support you if necessary." the officer lowered his head slightly as he speaks to show a subservient attitude towards Qin Lan.


    "Please convey my gratitude for Senior Yi''s trust. I will make sure to ask for your help if needed." Qin Lan ced his palm on the bottom of the officer''s cupped fists as he returns the gesture respectfully.


    Soon, two groups approach the eastern side carefully. There was a g with the word "Qin" on them as they came closer.


    It turned out to be Huo Zunjie, Yi Feng, and Qiang Shou in a team. As for the other, it was You Qing and Han Xue.


    "Young Master." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Manager." the four of them greeted Qin Lan using the same title they''ve been using since pledging their loyalty to Qin Lan from the Spiritual Herb Farm.


    "From how you guys looked, it seems the level of Yao Beast here is too low." Qin Lan chuckled. Except for a few w marks on Qiang Shou, everyone else is unscathed.


    "Heh..." all of them chuckled.


    "Where Lu Yi?" Qin Lan asked.


    "That fellow? He''s been running wild after we entered the woods. Based on my understanding about him, he''ll be popping upter in front of us when we..." Huo Zunjie was going to finish his sentence, but the sound of a galloping horse heading towards them interrupted him.


    "Report!!!" a soldier carrying a yellow g in hand came to the eastern convoy.


    "At ease." the officer beside Qin Lan lowered his guard against the iing soldier after he recognized the yellow g in his hand.


    "What is the urgent report is all about?" he asked.


    "We''ve surrounded a group of six dressed in Qin Faction''s attire. Would Alchemist Qin send someone to rify their identity, please?" the message delivering soldier said.


    "That''s Lu Yi... My young master." Huo Zunjie felt like pping his own forehead.


    "Zunjie... Go drag that blockhead back here." Qin Lan shook his head.


    "Also... Apologize to senior Yi and the officers while you''re dragging him back." Qin Lan added.


    "Brother soldier, please lead the way." Huo Zunjie said as the two of them left.


    ...


    **Ding! - Ding!**


    Qin Chan''s Silver Willow Sword Technique was like a bane to the bandit leader''s axe style focused on brute attack.


    "Damn! How can a sword that seems easily broken withstand my attack?" the bandit leaderined as his attack was once again diverted to the side.


    "I don''t believe you can keep this up for long!" the bandit leader got furious. Out of a sudden, he decided to attack using his bare fists.


    "Demonic Firefist!" bloody red Spiritual Energy wrapped around the bandit leader''s fists. His stance changed remarkably the moment the martial technique was in use.


    "Huh?" except for Qin Chan, who''s fighting against the bandit leader, Qin Lan was the second person to notice the changes.


    "Heavenly Flicking Fingers!" this time, Qin Lan was forced to use all his strength to fire the hairpins. Not one but five hairpins are flying towards the bandit leader carrying his intention to kill.


    "Bam! - Bam! - Bam! - Bam! - Bam!"


    All five hairpins were destroyed in a blink of an eye. What''s even more surprising is that the eyes of the bandit leader had turned red.


    "Second sister, retreat!" Qin Lan took his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush out as he takes a leap using the Mistral Mirage Steps. After a few vanishing silhouettes, he appeared right in between Qin Chan and the bandit leader.


    "Lan-Er!!!" Qin Chan was halfway on her third steps backward as Qin Lannded in front of her.


    "Pir''s of Kuangshan!" Qin Lan retaliates using one of his most unique spear martial techniques. But because no Offense Metal was used to materialize his weapon, it is undoubtedly weaker.


    "ROAR!" like a wild beast, the bandit leader charged into the attack recklessly.


    **Bam!**


    Using both hands like a pair of ws, the bandit leader struggled against Qin Lan''s martial attack.


    "Heh... This guy... No wonder the Hushan Bandits can expand to over a few thousand men strong..." Qin Lan struggled to control his energy spear against an opponent with cultivation a few levels above him.


    As a seventh-level Flesh Refining expert, Qin Lan might be formidable to the point he''s capable of fighting against those two levels above him. But the situation changed when ites to fighting against those in a cultivationyer above him.


    Each level of a Bone Reconstruction Layer isparable to an entireyer of Flesh Refining. And the minimal requirement to be recognized as the first level of a Bone Cultivator is to possess a Spiritual Qi equivalent to 10,000 Flesh Foundation Pills.


    Although Qin Lan''s unique physique allowed him to hold three times more Spiritual Energy than the others, that doesn''t mean he''s equivalent to a second-level Bone Cultivator.


    The reason behind this logic is because the differences in Spiritual Energy''s quality are too vast.


    It was likeparing a broth of soup made from flesh against another pot of soup boiled from the bones. The former might be fragrant, but it will undoubtedlyck in depth of vorpared to thetter.


    (Recap: The Mistral Flesh Diagram adds 100% of Spiritual Energy Qin Lan can store. Along with his Spiritual Container Physique, that''s 200% extra on top of his cultivation. So as a seventh-level cultivator, Qin Lan''s body may store 21,000 Spiritual Energy or Flesh Foundation Pill equivalent.


    A Bone Reconstruction Cultivator starts with 10,000 plus Spiritual Energy on the first level. Reaching 20,000 is their minimum target to be a second level. So even a 19,999 storage cultivator is still the first-level bone.


    Next came the quality. Like it was described, Comparing a bone reconstruction''s Spiritual Energy is likeparing a meat broth with a bone broth. Although thisck in certainmonsense, we can assume that a marrow broth is much thicker and nutritious than a mere flesh broth. I hope this exined the differences in a way)


    "Aargh! Kill all of them! Demonic Firefist!" the same boxing technique was in use over and over again. In exchange for the sudden strength gain, it clouded all his mind and robbed his sanity away.


    "Everyone below seventh-level of cultivation, retreat. My second sister, give me a hand." Qin Lan ordered. As he pulled his energy spear back, there''s an evident fingerprint mark all over the speartip, hinting how damaging is the bloody red Spiritual Energy.


    "Demonic Firefist!" the bandit leader charged at where Qin Lan is.


    Forcefully breaking the energy spear apart, a new energy weapon appeared when Qin Lan focused his Spiritual Energy on the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush.


    "What kind of flexible Offensive Treasure is that?" Sun Wu Jian''s soldiers and the officer that talked with Qin Lan a little while ago rubbed their eyes as they look at how Qin Lan''s energy spear turned into a golden sword.


    "Hah..." Qin Lan held the handle of his golden sword with both hands.


    "What did Alchemist Qin is trying to do?" they''re guessing.


    ''Mountain Splitting Strike...'' Lu Qing Yun whispered.

 Chapter 117: Ten Miles Plain of Flame Demon Mountain (6)

    Chapter 117: Ten Miles in of me Demon Mountain (6)


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!" an attack that''s powerful to the point to maim a peak-leveled Flesh Refining Cultivator charged towards the bandit leader.


    "Demonic!!! Ugh!" the bandit leader tried to counter Qin Lan''s attack, but he soon realized that he stumbled across an iron te. The strike that seems direct turned up to be a deadly move incorporated withyers of masteries rted to the sword.


    ''What kind of cultivation art he possessed to allow him to contend against a cultivator four minor-levels above him?'' the officer of the supply convoy stared nkly at Qin Lan.


    Even he had difficulty keeping his jaw closed from these surprises Qin Lan had shown.


    The bandit leader soon releases another anguish howl as his bloody Spiritual Energy started to patch up the injuries inflicted by Qin Lan. It was a grotesque sight to behold.


    "Haa... Haa..." his sanity also slowly returned due to all the pain. The insanity from using the Demonic Firefist is no longer there after his gaze reverted from a beast into a human.


    Weakly, he fell on the ground as thest hint of the spiritual energy dissipates from his body.


    "Capture the bandits. Those that still retaliate shall be killed without mercy." Qin Lan ordered. A cheer is soon followed.


    The victorious roar can be heard miles away from the eastern convoy. And it was less than two hours from the moment the battle started.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master, we''ve hunted some excellent meat today." Lu Yi grins the moment he and Huo Zunjie came to the bonfire ce where Qin Lan and the others from the Qin Faction were gathered.


    "Ouch!" a pebble hits Lu Yi''s forehead the moment he finished his sentence. Seated by Qin Lan''s side, the others could onlyugh at Lu Yi''s foolishness from forgetting what he should be doing.


    "Excellent meat your head. You''re the one that fired the re back then, am I correct?" Qin Lan asked. But as he was done with his sentence, another pebble came to Lu Yi''s forehead.


    "Ouch!" getting hit by the same ce twice is undoubtedly more painful than before.


    "Howe firing the res ended up bing a mistake from my side?" Lu Yi asked. At this moment, the five servants in his group turned speechless.


    ''Senior brother! If you keep asking questions like this, we''re going to end up not allowed to have dinner!'' they had the urge to scratch their head from listening to Lu Yi''s reply.


    Looking at the situation, Lu Qing Yun chuckled as she pops out to start exining everything to this fool.


    "Yi, if you''re in the group of soldiers that were prepared to face the horde of Raging me Bulls, how would you feel if your task were taken away by the others that came in between?" Lu Qing Yun said. Gently, a silk handkerchief is taken out from her sleeve as she wipes his forehead.


    "I''ll be angry, I think?" Lu Yi tilted his head slightly in reply.


    "Who won''t, correct? First, your action made a fool out of Expert Yi, who leads the convoy. Secondly, what you did makes the soldier looks like they''re incapable of doing their job. Do you think you''ll be able to befriend them by sharing the meat you''ve hunted?" Lu Qing Yun pokes Lu Yi''s head after she''s done.


    Her cuteness mesmerized the others as they''re jealous of Lu Yi''s foolish luck.


    In a side thought, they''re wondering if Lu Yi was acting like a fool on purpose to get treated by Lu Qing Yun this way.


    "It would be alright if I don''t recklessly use what I found from the bandits next time, correct? Then I''ll make sure to not repeat the same mistake again." Lu Yiughed.


    ''Nooo!!!'' the five servants in Lu Yi''s group had the feeling of stepping forward and covers Lu Yi''s mouth.


    "Big brother, less word now. You''re going to keep making our young master angry the more you speak." even Huo Zunjie can no longer control himself as he used the Silver Ling Sword to knock Lu Yi''s head.


    "Just don''t run wild next time. And the five of you... I''m sure some of you guys remember the military''s discipline and rules when we''re moving together. Keep reminding this fool so he won''t create the same trouble like today." Huo Zunjie pointed the hilt of his sword at the five servants and said.


    "We''ll keep this in mind..." they quickly nodded.


    "Alright. The five of you, go grab your dinner. As for this guy here..." Huo Zunjie then instructed them to leave. But he''s yet to finish.


    "Take all the beef out. You''ll be taking a fasting pill tonight instead of eating." Huo Zunjie pped Lu Yi''s buttock using the sword.


    "Hey!" that p made Lu Yi jumped in shock.


    ...


    ...


    "Your highness, we''ve arrived at the Ten Miles in." Huang Ping reported to Sun Wu Jian''s camp. As the leading convoy of this punitive force, it was not weird for them to arrive at this designated meeting point due to the differences in soldier''s distribution.


    Led by Huang Ping, Wang Xun, and three other Half-Step Bone Reconstruction experts, the thousand men convoy are divided into five evenly teams.


    They''ve considered the cream of crops of Sun Wu Jian''s soldier as the lowest cultivation in this thousand men is at least an eighth-level cultivator of Flesh Refining Layer.


    "Is there any report from the two other convoys following behind us?" Sun Wu Jian asked. It was a stratagem to split his troops into three to ensure that his support and retreat path are secured as they move deeper into the me Demon Mountain.


    "The Supplies Convoy led by Expert Yi had sessfully reached the third milestone. They''re attacked by a group of two hundred bandits the moment they are stationed there."


    "From their report, I believe that the bandits are also intended to lure a horde of Raging me Bulls to attack the convoy but failed." Huang Ping reported what he was told without missing a word in between.


    "Is there any casualties in the attack?" Sun Wu Jian asked. With only three thousand troops in his hand, each and every life of his soldiers is crucial for Sun Wu Jian to decide whether to keep moving or retreat.


    "Twenty injured, zero death. Expert Yi also praised Alchemist Qin three times for performing excellently when the bandit is attacking." Huang Ping replied.


    "Heh..." Sun Wu Jian chuckled the moment the word ''Alchemist Qin'' came out from Huang Ping''s lips. It made him question if Qin Lan was sent from heaven to assist him as hepetes in the race to be a crown prince.


    "What about the middle convoy?" Sun Wu Jian asked as he grabbed the meat on the table and gave it a bite.


    "This..." Wang Xun hesitates. A gloomy expression appeared on his face as it was his turn to report what was going on with the middle convoy.


    "What''s wrong?" Sun Wu Jian asked. He understands that the convoy he''s in was left untouched because there were a thousand experts here, with the weakest at the eighth-level Flesh Refining.


    But if it''s based on his calction, the middle convoy shouldn''t face a problem right on the first day. Almost all of his sixth and seventh-level soldiers were positioned in this middle section to provide support when necessary.


    "Expert Xie is injured by the bandit''s leader. He managed to kill his opponent, but that came with a cost." Wang Xun said.


    "What? Expert Xie is one of our six Half-Step Bone experts. Exin in detail." Sun Wu Jian threw the meat back on the te as he wiped the grease from his hand using a handkerchief.


    "Yes, your highness." Wang Xun nodded.


    "It seems that all the leading figures of those Hushan Bandits are cultivating a sinister martial art they likely found from the me Demon Mountain. From Expert Xie''s word, the martial art turned their Spiritual Energy into a corrosive nature in exchange for their lifeforce," said Wang Xun.


    "Right now, I''m afraid that Expert Xie''s fighting ability is nothing more than an eighth-level Flesh cultivator. His dominant right arm is affected by the corrosive spiritual energy. Expert Shun is trying his best to help as we speak." he added.


    "What about the casualties from the battle?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "The middle convoy is attacked by two groups of bandits. The estimated number is around three hundred of them. We''ve lost close to a hundred soldiers..." Wang Xun answered.


    "Huh..." Sun Wu Jian rubbed his temple as he exhaled a mouthful of air he''s been holding.


    "Get me themunicating jade slip. I''ll have to speak with brother Qin for a while." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Yes, your highness." Huang Ping immediately took the white marble-like jade slip out from his waist and activated it using his Spiritual Energy.


    "Expert Yi." Huang Ping said.


    "Yes, Commander Huang." Expert Yi immediately answered Huang Ping''s call without dy.


    "I would have to trouble you to look for Alchemist Qin as his highness wish to speak with him as soon as possible." Huang Ping said.


    "Please leave this to this subordinate." Expert Yi left his tent in a hurry using all his strength as a half-step Bone Reconstruction cultivator.


    It took him less than a minute to appeared at Qin Lan''s camp, where they''re busy grilling the meat hunted by Lu Yi today.


    "Alchemist Qin." Expert Yi greeted Qin Lan.

 Chapter 118: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (1)

    Chapter 118: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (1)


    "Expert Yi," Qin Lan greets the half-step Bone expert as soon as he politely addressed Qin Lan upon arrival. At the same time, he did not forget to make a hand sign to the others to lower their tense atmosphere around him.


    "I''ll properly apologize to everyone after this." Expert Yi cupped his hands together as he speaks.


    Soon, a piece of white jade slip is taken out and delivered to Qin Lan''s hand.


    "His highness is waiting to speak with you," Expert Yi added.


    "Thank you for delivering this in person. Second sister Qin Chan, please attend to Expert Yi while I speak with high highness," Qin Lan tightened the fist holding the jade slip as he speaks.


    As for arranging Qin Chan to entertain Expert Yi, it was done ording to the etiquette between an elder and a junior. Furthermore, it would affect the soldier''s discipline if Qin Lan failed to behave ordingly.


    "Your highness," Qin Lan injected some Spiritual Energy into the white jade slip to activates the long-rangemunication device.


    "Brother Qin. I need a favor from you." Sun Wu Jian''s words went straight into the topic as soon as they speak. It shows how grave the concern is based on the mood behind every word he said.


    "Please let me know what I can do for you," Qin Lan returned to his seat as he replied. In the meantime, his eyes are looking at Qin Chan as he sees how his sister amodates Expert Yi.


    In her hand was a sheepskin bottle filled with water and a bowl with piping hot beef steak. They were cooked to perfection a little while ago.


    "From what my senior brother told me, you''ve fought against one of their bandit leaders that using this particr martial art too. One of my experts is injured on his dominant right arm. His fighting strength has now dropped to the eighth-level. The damage caused by receiving that blow is still harming him as we speak."


    "I wonder... If brother Qin has a solution for this?" Sun Wu Jian''s tone changed at the end of his speech as he asked for Qin Lan''s help.


    "I can help. But it can only be done by visiting the expert in person." Qin Lan''s reply is straightforward. But only those with experience can understand the risk behind his words.


    Even the most inexperienced officer of an army knew what situation they''re in right now. All of them are now considered a few steps inside a warzone.


    From the point of view of an outstanding strategist, this is the best opportunity to deliver a killing blow.


    And the point behind Qin Lan''s word is not about his skills as a pharmacist, but whether he''s can arrive at the middle convoy safely.


    "What if..." Sun Wu Jian understands the concern behind Qin Lan''s word. After hesitating for a few seconds, he was going to continue, but Qin Lan immediately interrupted.


    "Your highness." Qin Lan said.


    "Brother Qin, please speak." Sun Wu Jian stops his sentence midway.


    "Let''s treat it like the Qin Faction is not a part of your punitive forces." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Huh?" Qin Lan''s words confused Sun Wu Jian. He tried tomunicate with Qin Lan to rify this matter further but receive no reply in return until...


    "Your highness, Alchemist Qin... Had left." Expert Yi replied after the white jade slip is returned to him.


    "Did he say anything else?" Sun Wu Jian asked. He kept thinking about what Qin Lan had said before cutting off theirmunication.


    "Yes. Alchemist Qin said that he''s nning to bring his wife over to the Golden Carp Waterfall for sightseeing." Expert Yi repeats what Qin Lan has said before he left with everyone else. Even the roasted Raging me Bull is left on the spot when they left.


    "Golden Carp Waterfall... Middle Convoy... Sightseeing..." Sun Wu Jian closed his eyes as he put Qin Lan''s words together.


    "Treat the Qin Faction, not as a part of my punitive force..."


    "I''ve got it!" Sun Wu Jian suddenly pped the table in front of him as he chuckled.


    "Wang Xun," he called.


    "Yes, your highness." the eighth-level subordinate quickly answers Sun Wu Jian.


    "Deliver my order to Expert Xie. He will lead a force of two hundred soldiers towards the Golden Carp Waterfall to capture a group of suspected bandit sympathizers. Make sure he kills nobody on this mission." Sun Wu Jian''s order confused Wang Xun as he cannot guess what''s in his liege''s mind.


    ...


    "What? His highness wants brother Xie to lead two hundred troops out even with that injury? And what''s with the order to not kill anyone?" Expert Shun angrily responded to Wang Xun''s order.


    "I am puzzled as well, but that''s his highness'' order. Depart now and return as soon as possible." Wang Xun added before cutting off themunication between them.


    "Brother Xie, let meplete this mission on behalf of you!" Expert Shun turned around and faced Expert Xie as he speaks.


    "Don''t be a fool... How can you adjusted his highness'' order as you like? I''m not as weak as you thought. Just let me go. It will be finished like a breeze of wind blew past us." Expert Xie struggled to get down from the reclining chair he''s on.


    "Damn it!" Expert Shun angrily swept all the dishes off the table as there was no ce for him to vent his anger.


    "Brother Xie, make sure youe back. Just - Just promise me this!" Expert Shun added.


    "Now - Now... Don''t assume that I''m going there to dig my grave. I''ll go and return in a sh." Expert Xie chuckled as he replied to Expert Shun. But from the way he''s struggled to get on the horse, it is evident that the injury on his right arm is not light.


    It was a dull atmosphere along their way towards the Golden Carp Waterfall fifteen miles away from the sixth milestone checkpoint.


    ...


    ...


    "Wind Kicker Team, make sure you remember to mark the direction as you move forward!" Yi Feng said as his team of six, including himself, separates into three groups. Their movement speed was the fastest amongst the few in Qin Faction.


    "Who the hell are you... Urgh!" a smaller group of bandits spotted their movement. Unfortunately, they''re quickly silenced by another group of men dressed in ck before they managed to alert the others.


    **Pointing...**


    **Waving...**


    **Fist bump.**


    Three signals conveyed using their hands were all they need tomunicate. Led by Han Xue, the six vanished from the spot after stripping the clothing off from the dead bandits.


    About fifteen minutester, Qin Lan and Hu Jia rode their horses through in leisure as they''re undisturbed by the bloodstain left on the shrubs and trees. Followed behind the two are the others from the Qin Faction, such as Qin Chan, Qin Qin, Qin Huang, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie.


    The nicely built carts are no longer seen following them like it was stored somewhere else to keep their hand free as they move forward.


    Fifteen miles was not a short distance. As it would affect Expert Xie''s wound if they picked up their pace, it takes them close to four hours to arrive at the Golden Carp Waterfall.


    Sword and spears are immediately wielded when the two hundred soldiers led by Expert Xie arrived at the location.


    "Get ready for battle!" the officer that apanied Expert Xie by his side ordered as he pulled his sword out. The strength of an eighth-level Flesh Refining Layer was put on disy as a warning to those intended to charge at them the moment the battle started.


    "Lower your weapon." out of sudden, Expert Yi said.


    "Convoy leader!" the officer hesitated to submit to this order. But the following word from Expert Xie soon convinced him to lower his weapon.


    "Alchemist Qin." the half-step Bone Cultivator nodded at one of the bandits that stepped forward.


    "Expert Xie, it seems that my bandit group was iparable to your men in battle. May I suggest that we''re to be taken back to the middle convoy by force?" Qin Lan said.


    As he finished his words, all the people from Qin Faction, who was in disguise using the clothing stolen from the bandits they''ve killed along the way.


    The treatment to get rid of the corrosive Spiritual Energy immediately begin as Qin Lan went to Expert Xie''s side.


    "Looks like the bandit leader Expert Xie faced is much stronger than the one I fought." Qin Lan fed a Vein Unblocking Pill to the half-step Bone Cultivator by inserting close to twenty acupuncture needles along his right arm.


    "I wonder if Alchemist Qin knew anything about the origin of the demonic art they''re using?" Expert Xie asked as he stares at how the bloody Spiritual Energy evaporating through the acupuncture needle as the medium.


    "It''s likely an inheritance they found in this me Demon Mountain." Qin Lan replied.


    Suddenly, there was some movement around them.


    "Yao Beast!" Lu Qing Yun screamed as her spiritual sense is tingling nonstop. She couldn''t believe that the Yao Beast can approach them so quietly without alerting her spiritual sense.


    ''Yao Beast? One that can escape from Qing Yun''s sense, nheless?'' Qin Lan curiously looks around him as he notices something from the bloody spiritual energy.


    "Everyone, get ready to battle." Qin Lan said. At the same time, he did not forget to add another sentence to taunt his enemies.


    "Gou Ye! Come out!" Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 119: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (2)

    Chapter 119: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (2)


    Note: Readers, please support my new rewrite work "Dimensional Store System in Apocalypse" and vote for that novel so I can win the #166 Writing Prompt Contest. Thank you! (All powerstones , a review , would be great and helpful)


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    "Hahaha! It seems that the nose of young Qin Patriarch is as sharp as this dog!" a sarcastic reply soon came from the woods.


    Seated on top of the Yao Beast he tamed, Gou Ye made his appearance. Although there''s not much of a difference that happened to him physically, his strength has notably increased by leaps and bounds.


    He is now a Flesh Cultivator with Full aplishment, merely a small gap away from turning into a Half-Step Bone Reconstruction Cultivator.


    "Did our stronghold leader offered you something? Why are all of you dressed in our bandit''s attire?" Gou Ye jokes. His attitude remained as crazy as before like there was a screw is loose in his head.


    "What do you think? I''m sure that your arrival here is not a coincidence. Have you been tailing them from the moment they left their camp?" Qin Lan replied with a question. At the same time, he purposely pointed out what he''s suspecting because it would be impossible for Gou Ye to track his Qin Faction so far without alerting the others.


    "That guy there killed one of my subordinates. As their leader, I ought to enact revenge on his behalf, don''t you think so?" Gou Ye replied. But from the way he speaks, it seems he''s yet to finish what he wanted to say.


    "Furthermore... His woman is quite hot. If I can get that officer''s head back in return for her favor... Hahaha... I can imagine how satisfying it would be to sleep with his woman." Gou Ye added before he looked around.


    The fierce Yao Beast seems to understand some human speech as it took a few leaps around the waterfall to reach where Qin Lan and the others are gathered.


    **Roar!**


    Thick red mist ising out from the beast as it breathed. For the way it looks, the Yao Beast is likely rted to the secret behind the demonic art they''re cultivating.


    But from the way the bloody red Spiritual Energying out from Gou Ye''s body, his mastery over this demonic art should be at least a level or two above the bandit leader encountered by Qin Lan and Expert Xie.


    "Ah! The two of you look fine as well. I''ll make sure to spare both of youter when I''m having my killing spree." Gou Ye said. He was about to drool as his eyesnded on Qin Chan and Qin Qin''s voluptuous body.


    "Pervert!" Qin Chan pulled her sword out and attacked.


    "Whoa! A fierce one. I like it!" Gou Ye chuckled as the Yao Beast below him dodged Qin Chan''s attack. The beast''s attack soon came like a broom sweeping off all the leaves in a particr area.


    **Ding!!!**


    Although Qin Chan managed to defend against the beast''s attack, she was thrown about ten steps off from Gou Ye.


    ''A half-step Bone Reconstruction Yao Beast!'' everyone was rmed when the Yao Beast released a fragment of its Spiritual Energy.


    The situation is bound to change drastically the moment a Yao Beast of this caliber joined the battle.


    "Sister Qin,e here!" Qin Huang took his Offensive Treasure out as he stands in front of Qin Qin bravely. His hand was shaking as he tried to point the sword at the half-step Bone Reconstruction Yao Beast.


    "Alchemist Qin, please remove the needles and let me help in the battle." Expert Xie volunteered to face the Yao Beast as he started to regain some control over his right arm.


    "Patience, Senior Xie. The agitation would do nothing good while we''re still in the middle of a treatment." Qin Lan said. Two thicker acupuncture needles are then inserted where Expert Xie''s nape is to take away part of his sense.


    "Alchemist Qin!" Expert Xie struggled to keep himself conscious, but with his body now under Qin Lan''s control, his effort bears no fruit at all as he soon fell into a trance.


    ''I''m sorry, Expert Xie. Only through this way can I treat your wound without difficulty.'' Qin Lan shook his head as he felt sorry for robbing Expert Xie''s five senses while he''s applicating the treatment.


    "Officer, please protect us for ten minutes." Qin Lan whispered using his Spiritual Energy as a bridging link between him and the officer.


    "Lu Yi! Zunjie!" Qin Lan shouted.


    "Our time is up. Let''s go." Lu Yi pulled his sword out from his back. The same action was repeated by Huo Zunjie, but more gracefully.


    "Qin Qin, Qin Huang,e back to me. Let''s get inside the soldier''s protection perimeter." Hu Jia said. Unsure if both of them feeling weak on their legs, Lu Qing Yun sent her Heaven''s String out to pull them both to her side as they retreated.


    "Are you mocking me right now?" Gou Ye came down from the Yao Beast as he pulled his sword out. It was about the size of Lu Yi''s Offensive Treasure. Judging from his expression, he''s feeling offended right now because only three people have stepped up to face him.


    "Demonic me Tiger, go subdue that woman for me." Gou Ye pointed at Qin Chan.


    "Roar!!!" the Yao Beast slowly created a distance between itself and Gou Ye.


    "As for the two of you... Let me bring your heads back as my winning trophies!" the strength of a ninth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator envelops his body on the attack. With both hands on the handle as he swung the de down, his attack separates Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie from standing together.


    "Are the three of them going to be alright?" Hu Jia asked. Amongst the three hundred of them here, Her strength is considered the lowest after Qin Qin and Qin Huang. Even the four''s cultivation is slightly above her because they''ve been training hard to reach Qin Lan''s expectation.


    (The four = You Qing, Han Xue, Qiang Shou, Yi Feng)


    "They will. Don''t forget we still have Qing Yun here as a standby." Hu Jia said as she shifted her gaze to Lu Qing Yun. Suddenly, she noticed something extraordinary.


    ''This...'' it seems that Lu Qing Yun''s cultivation is not as simple as Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie.


    "Urgh..." Lu Yi spits a mouthful of blood as they entered the second round of their battle. The battle is undoubtedly the hardest one he ever encountered because Gou Ye''s cultivation was two minor levels above his and Huo Zunjie.


    "Two mere seventh-level trying to stop a peak-level Flesh Cultivator like me? I''ll show you why your action is simr to trying to break rock using eggs!" Gou Ye''s level of confidence increases as he notices the advantages he had in this battle.


    Swallowing a Flesh Mending Pill into his mouth, Lu Yi continued to fight alongside Huo Zunjie.


    "me Eyes of Heaven!" Lu Yi''s eyes were on fire out of sudden.


    "Sp - Spiritual Attack? How dare you!" a hint of needle pricking pain hits Gou Ye as his attack was disturbed by Lu Yi''s tactic. Although it was just working for half a second, the disturbance is enough for Huo Zunjie to follow up.


    "Puncturing Willow Strike!" the Yin Ling Jian in Huo Zunjie''s hand vibrates as it gets rigid from all the Spiritual Energy Huo Zunjie injected into the sword.


    **Ding.**


    The killing blow connected, but the result is disappointing. Huo Zunjie''s Yin Ling Jian is stuck on the surface of Gou Ye''s right chest as it failed to puncture through his skin.


    "Get lost!" Gou Ye pushes theyer of bloody red Spiritual Energy around him outward. A reaction simr to an explosion of Spiritual Qi threw Huo Zunjie a few steps back.


    "ughtering Bell." Lu Yi''s sword followed after Huo Zunjie''s failure. The sword strike that''s strong enough to even challenge an opponent two levels above the user came like a flying guillotine at Gou Ye''s neck.


    "Demonic Disturbance!" Gou Ye roared. The sword was swung upwards as he deflected Lu Yi''s killing blow through a simple action.


    "D*mn. Even this can''t kill him." Lu Yiined as he retreated to where Huo Zunjie is. A Flesh Mending Pill, Essence Transformation Pill, and Flesh Foundation Pills are stuffed into his mouth as Lu Yi finished his sentence.


    "What are the people of Qin Faction trying to do? Taking Flesh Foundation Pills at this time?" the soldier questioned Lu Yi''s sanity as they witness his entric step of devouring the pills during a fight.


    Even a kid would know that it takes time for the Flesh Foundation Pill to digest. And what was his reason for eating close to twenty pills at one go?


    But the answer for their curiosity soon came as Lu Yi recovered some of his stamina and Spiritual Energy.


    "This... How can this be?" the soldier asked the colleague beside them. Some even pinched their own face as they''re doubting if they''re dreaming.


    "Ah! I know why... I think one of the pills he took is known as Essence Transformation Pill. Didn''t his highness give us one when we''re cultivating?" one of the soldiers said.


    "Does that means..." the soldiers looked at each other as a wild idea came up in their mind.

 Chapter 120: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (3)

    Chapter 120: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (3)


    "Cloud Plucking Sect Sword Art!" on the other side of the battlefield, Qin Chan''s fight against the Demonic me Tiger had just started.


    As it was a battle between a Bone Reconstruction Cultivator against a half-step Yao Beast also at the same level, there''s barely anyone capable of giving ament about this battle.


    Out of everyone here, perhaps only Expert Xie is capable of grasping the magnitude of the battle sporadically.


    **Ding!**


    "Roar!" abo attack immediately came as soon as Qin Chan''s sword shed against the Demonic me Tiger''s paw. The size of the Yao Beast doesn''t seem to hinder its movement at all.


    "Heavenly Flicking Finger!"


    "Cloud Separating Strike!" using two different killing blows at the same time, Qin Chan tried to cut the Yao Beast''s retreat path as her sword came close to wounding it.


    But just like Gou Ye, the bloody Spiritual Energy seems to have a consciousness of its own. Not only it managed to receive her attack without trouble, but it also managed to keep Qin Chan on her spot for close to two seconds.


    In a battle of life and death, staying idle for two seconds is equal to giving your opponent a free turn to act.


    A breath attack fueled with the bloody Spiritual Energy blew the spot Qin Chan is standing. The dust that came out from the explosion quickly covered that small area and limiting the spectator''s sight.


    ''Second sister!'' Qin Qin covered her mouth as she was shocked by everything that happened in that few seconds. Some of the soldiers protecting them too failed to control their expression of shock.


    **Zup!**


    "Roar!!!" the sound of a weapon pierced through the skin came. Then, the woeful cries of pain came from the Demonic me Tiger as Qin Chan appeared three to four steps beside the Yao Beast.


    Two additional hairpins are still in between her fingers.


    ''She''s fine... Phew...'' Qin Qin and Qin Huang''s hearts calmed as soon as they saw Qin Chan.


    "Roar! Roarrr!!!" the Demonic me Tiger rolled on the ground as it struggles to remove the hairpin that narrowly missed its spine. After it finally managed to pull the hairpin out, the Demonic me Tiger moves around the area again, waiting for Qin Chan to make a mistake.


    **Xiu!**


    Another hairpin was fired. But it missed miserably as the hairpin vibrates after getting stuck on a tree.


    "Roar!" another breath attack soon came. It was aimed at the spot where Qin Chan is standing.


    **Bam!**


    The aftermath of this attack was the same as before. A curtain of smoke and dust once again covered the spot Qin Chan was standing. But the look of satisfaction is missing from the Demonic me Tiger''s expression as it failed to sniff the scent of blood from its opponent.


    A dim source of golden light soon appeared from the dust. What''s following next was a flesh severing attack that narrowly missed the Yao Beast''s limbs.


    "Roar! Roar!" the Demonic me Tiger rolled at least three times further from where Qin Chan is after receiving the attack. The bleeding on one of its limbs is still pouring out as it stops moving.


    As the Yao Beast has no meant to stop the bleeding like how a human did, all it could is to lick the wound until ayer of scab has grown.


    "What - What just happened?" everyone was staring nkly at the retreated Demonic me Tiger and the spot Qin Chan isst seen.


    Soon, Qin Chan revealed herself once again, along with a different Offensive Treasure. It matched Qin Lan''s Qiankun Golden Sword if one were to study the treasure''s appearance carefully.


    "Our second sister has a new sword!" Hu Jia took a nce at Qin Lan. Uncontrobly, she gave out a smile.


    "Come forward, Yao Beast!" Qin Chan took a step forward. But that mere step of here was filled with the profoundness of a movement art as she appeared beside the Demonic me Tiger.


    **Whoosh!**


    A trail of bloodnds on the ground as the Yao Beast retreated once more due to Qin Chan''s threat.


    "Our second sister is a little too powerful... Don''t you think so?" Qin Huang said. Although he''s inexperienced about the difference between a Half-Step Bone Reconstruction Beast and a regr Flesh Refining type, how Qin Chan fought exined otherwise.


    "It''s not that simple..." Lu Qing Yun said while looking nervous around them. Except for Qin Lan, no one around them noticed the Spiritual Energy flowing into her Heavenly Strings. She has been maintaining herself in this state of readiness from the moment the battle started.


    A drop of sweat the size of a marble slowly rolled along her face as Qin Chan takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her condition seems to be deteriorating the moment she''s no longer as tense as before.


    "Why does it feel like our second sister is getting weaker?" Qin Qin and Qin Huang get nervous when they noticed the drop of sweat dripping from her chin.


    "That is due to the sudden consumption of Spiritual Energy... As a Flesh Refining Cultivator, the Spiritual Energy in us is simr to a conversion of 1 to 1." Lu Qing Yun exined.


    "But when you''re a Bone Reconstruction Expert, the concentration of your Spiritual Energy is much thicker than before. Hence, more effort has to be given to control the outflow."


    "A Bone Reconstruction Cultivator would have to spend more time to adapt to the changes, butpared to a Yao Beast, those adaptationes as natural as breathing."


    "And based on how sister Qin Chan fought just now, she must have used more Spiritual Energy than she should. Furthermore, weck Spiritual Medicine suitable for a Bone Reconstruction Expert..." Lu Qing Yun said as she focuses more on Qin Chan and the Demonic me Tiger.


    ...


    "Zunjie, let''s use that." Lu Yi suddenly chuckled as he steps forward recklessly. His sentence made Huo Zunjie turned his head at him and chuckled.


    "What? Are you delivering yourself to me in exchange for letting your friend go? Don''t waste your effort. I''ll make sure to... Urgh!" Gou Ye wasughing as he mocked Lu Yi foring forward before he recovered himself.


    In Gou Ye''s eyes, an act like this is no different from delivering himself into the mouth of a tiger. Even if Gou Ye is exhausted, he still two minor levels above Lu Yi in terms of cultivation.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Lu Yi changed his tactics to a fistfight when he realized that it would be difficult for them to achieve a victory without employing an unusual approach.


    "Stupid! Try to fight me barehanded? You''re looking to die!" two blobs of bloody Spiritual Energy envelop both of his fists as Gou Ye is aiming to destroy Lu Yi''s hands in a single blow.


    But it soon turned out to be a feint attack. Using the Profound Wind Martial Art mastered by Yi Feng, Lu Yi gave Gou Ye a stomp on his face before the fist attack arrived.


    And what''s following after the kick is a blow from Huo Zunjie using the Yin Ling Jian. Theirbination attack throws Gou Ye straight into the water as he coughed a stream of blood out while flying backward.


    "Yes!" the soldiers witnessing their battle cheered.


    But their cheer was short-lived as Gou Ye suddenly came back fiercer than before. The bloody Spiritual Energy that still lingers around his hand eventually found the opportunity tond a direct hit at Lu Yi''s chest.


    "Die! Demonic Firefist!" Gou Ye screamed as his attack struck Lu Yi. The blow was so powerful, to the point, it created a caved-in wound around his ribcage.


    **Pooh!**


    Lu Yi coughed a mouthful of blood from the attack.


    "Senior brother Lu Yi!" Qiang Shou and Yi Feng charged into the battle without hesitation.


    "Withering Willow Strike!" Huo Zunjie immediately helped. As Gou Ye was getting ready to deliver another punch to take Lu Yi''s life, Huo Zunjie''s sword managed to arrive in time to rescue.


    The Heaven Grade Offensive Treasure was finally able to disy its worth as it smoothly severed Gou Ye''s right arm.


    "A - A - Argh!!!" Gou Ye screamed the moment the pain came from where one of his limbs was severed.


    "You two! I''m not Gou Ye if I don''t kill both of you today!" Gou Ye lifted his left arm to continue, But at this moment, Yi Feng already arrived.


    "Profound Stomping Strike!" Yi Feng''s attack was barely enough to move Gou Ye''s fist.


    "You! Are you in that hurry to die first? Then I''ll kill you first!" Gou Ye grabbed Yi Feng''s leg in exchange. The change in his target allowed Qiang Shou to pull Lu Yi away from Gou Ye''s reach.


    "Stop right there!" Huo Zunjie thrust his Yin Ling Jian at Gou Ye''s heart.


    **Ding!**


    The sword was bent instead of piercing through his heart.


    **Xiuuuuuuuu!!!**


    Then, a whistling came.


    ...


    As the battle between Gou Ye and the other is getting bloodier, it was not that positive between Qin Chan and the Demonic me Tiger.


    Gou Ye''s scream made the Yao Beast getting more impatient.


    Repeating the same breath attack for the third time, the Yao Beast is determined to end this battle right here before going to its master''s side.


    The explosion forced Qin Chan to dodge this time due to the exhaustion in her Spiritual Energy. And that move is what the Yao Beast is waiting for as its jaw came at Qin Chan fiercely.

 Chapter 121: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (Finale)

    Chapter 121: Gou Ye, Sixth Leader of Hushan Bandits (Finale)


    "Second sister!!!" Qin Qin screamed as the jaw of the Yao Beast came in between Qin Chan''s side. From the look of it, it would be impossible for her to escape from this.


    But...


    There''s always a ''but'' in everything.


    Multiple white strings came into the y as it tries to buy Qin Chan a little time to move away. And what''s following next was Lu Qing Yun''s participation in the battle between two Bone Reconstruction Cultivators.


    "Crushing Wave!" Lu Qing Yun''s palm attack went straight to the head of the Demonic me Tiger. The moment her attack connected, an extreme difort feeling seems to be visibly shown in the Yao Beast''s eyes.


    Breaking away from the white strings of clothes used by Lu Qing Yun as her weapon, the Demonic me Tigernded not far from where it was initially. And giving out a few burps, a mouthful of blood soon coughed out by the beast.


    "Roar!" the Demonic me Tiger shivered a little as it remained cautious towards Qin Chan and Lu Qing Yun. It doesn''t even dare to make a move towards where Gou Ye is right now.


    "Qing - Qing Yun is a ninth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator already?" Qin Huang''s jaw dropped as he measured the Spiritual Energy released by Lu Qing Yun. Furthermore, the quality of her Spiritual Energy does not lose to Qin Chan.


    Even Hu Jia was surprised by Lu Qing Yun''s strength.


    ''It seems I cannot bex in my cultivation.'' the same thought appeared in Hu Jia, Qin Qin, and Qin Huang''s minds.


    Although Lu Qing Yun is now no longer considered as a servant of the Qin''s Household, their pride is somewhat wounded after witnessing her strength.


    And being the first person to receive a Heaven''s Grade Defensive Treasure from Qin Lan further solidity her position amongst Qin Lan''s followers.


    "My heaven... Senior sister Qing Yun is a Full-Completion Flesh Refining Cultivator? But we rarely see her train with us, correct?" You Qing and Han Xue stare deeply at Lu Qing Yun. Suddenly, each of her movements became more feminine and attractive as they''re both charmed by her.


    **Xiu! Xiu!**


    "Dok!" two pebbles went to their forehead to wake them up from getting absorbed into a wondend. Even themselves has no idea why they find Lu Qing Yun dazzlingly attractive in this crucial moment.


    "It seems sister Qing Yun has been hiding her cultivation strength as a secret for quite long... Is that ordered by my third brother?" Qin Chan sat down on where she stands as she takes advantage of the Essence Transformation Pill''s medicinal effect.


    Lu Qing Yun smiled. She neither denied nor admitted. All she did is to keep a calm demeanor as she protects Qin Chan while she recovers.


    Like an eye of the typhoon, all the excess Spiritual Energy started to converge above Qin Chan as it was absorbed into her core.


    "ROAR!" the Demonic me Tiger fired another breath attack. But it was pointless with Lu Qing Yun''s participation in this battle. With the Spiritual Energy of a ninth-level injected into her Heaven''s Strings, Lu Qing Yun could even block an attack from a second-level Bone Reconstruction Cultivator without breaking a sweat.


    All shecks off is a bow right now, which will allow her to attack her opponent at a distance.


    ...


    ...


    "You! Are you in that hurry to die first?" Gou Ye''s shout can be heard even from where Qin Lan was treating Expert Xie.


    Looking at the bloody scene unfolding where the battle of three ended into five people fighting, Qin Lan has no other choice but to take action.


    ''Looks like I''ll have to help them a little...'' Qin Lan''s Eight Transformation Treasured Brush quickly made its appearance once more. Two long prongs of energy appeared from both the tip and the end of the brush when Qin Lan injected half of the Spiritual Energy he has into the treasure.


    **Xiuuuuuuuu...**


    Qin Lan made a whistling sound as he prepared to fire the hairpin in recement of an arrow.


    "Move!" Huo Zunjie pulled his sword as he retreated. Even Qiangshou rolled on the ground while hugging Lu Yi. The only person that''s unable to move freely was Yi Feng, who still had his leg captured by the frenzied Gou Ye.


    "A Shot Without Will (Wu-Yi-Zi-Jian!)"


    The arrow using a hairpin as its arrowhead came fiercely at Gou Ye faster than the speed of light. Along with the shot was a streak of golden light without a hint of emotional intent.


    There was a saying,


    "An attack without an intent within was blunt like the surface of a rock. An unpolish martial art is no different from an opera show by the side of the road."


    The sentence above stated how crucial is the state of mind when a user is trying to achieve something.


    But what if the creator surpasses that limitation?


    Law was a definition of order. And at the same time, Law was made to be broken. The Kuangshan Lu Sect exists because Qin Lan created it to be and of promise. But he defies it when ites to moving forward to the next step of cultivation.


    By understanding this, it helps Qin Lan created the third form of his Transformation.


    **Bam!**


    It was like a moment of ckout for everyone present.


    ...


    ''What kind of martialprehension he has to achieve to execute such an attack?'' Expert Xie stares nkly at Qin Lan while he''s firing an arrow that wasn''t an arrow. Qin Lan''s move was as simple as an archer firing a shot, but to Expert Xie, this was an experience of a lifetime.


    If he were given another chance to choose his weapon of choice again, he would select the bow without hesitation.


    At the same time as his consciousness return to him, Expert Xie noticed that his right arm has now returned to how it was. Furthermore, some of theplications left behind due to mistakes when practicing his martial art were also solved from a few of Qin Lan''s acupuncture needles.


    "How do you feel now?" Qin Lan turned around as he put the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush back into his sleeve pocket as he measured Expert Xie''s pulse. After giving him a smile, Qin Lan voluntarily extends his hand to pull the expert up from sitting on the cold, ufortable rock.


    ...


    Back to Gou Ye...


    The impact was like being hit by a hammer the moment it struck Gou Ye in his chest. Unable to even control where he''s going to be thrown at, Gou Ye was forced to released Yi Feng''s leg as he struggles to protect his vital part as he crashes around.


    It was like getting trapped inside a wheel of turbulence wind as he lost his sense of direction, touch, and pain. It was only a pitch of ck as he opened his eyes to see what''s before him.


    ''Am I dead?'' Gou Ye asked himself a question. He was in confusion as it takes him a while to slowly regain all his five senses. The next moment when he finally able to see and feel, he was lying on the back of the Demonic me Tiger.


    His sense of smell also returned as he can smell the sweetness of blood carried by the wind blowing around them as the Yao Beast is traveling at high speed.


    When his sense of hearing finally came along, Gou Ye started to notice the irregr breathing that came from the Yao Beast. It was weak, hurried, and dying.


    As he was too weak right now to look at where he''s at, Gou Ye started to feel a little restless.


    Even Qin Lan could felt a hint of uneasiness in the Spiritual Energy around the air as he inserted a few acupuncture needles around Lu Yi''s chest.


    This guy can be said to barely manage to keep his life together after receiving a blow straight into his chest.


    If it was someone else, perhaps that cultivator has already sumbed to death minutes after taking Gou Ye''s Demonic Firefist.


    "Qing Yun, give him some treatment as I continue with the needle treatment." Qin Lan said as he continues to administer the needles on Lu Yi''s chest.


    Behind him was Qin Chan, who had blood all over her due to the battle earlier. From the way she looked, it seems that Qin Chan is still feeling disturbed by what happened after Qin Lan fired the arrow at Gou Ye.


    "Second sister... Take your time to rest as we''re going to be on our way back to the middle convoy soon. You''re the only Bone Reconstruction Cultivator of our Qin Faction, so take your time to collect yourself together." said Qin Lan.


    "En... I''ll go over there and meditates." Qin Chan nodded. As she was prepared to leave, Expert Xie came to her side and handed her an exquisite bottle. Inside of that bottle is a precious pill that impossible for Qin Lan to refine right now.


    "Marrow Cleansing Pill? This gift is too much, Expert Xie... Please forgive me for not able to ept this." Qin Chan ced the bottle back in Expert Xie''s hand.


    "Miss Qin, please take this. How can this surname Xie be calctive at this time after everything the Qin Faction do for me?" Expert Xie insisted.


    "Then... I''ll ept expert Xie''s goodwill for now," Qin Chan nodded as she kept the bottle in her hand.

 Chapter 122: Hushan Bandits, Retaliates! (1)

    Chapter 122: Hushan Bandits, Retaliates! (1)


    "Expert Xie has returned! Expert Xie has returned!" the soldier that worked from midnight till dawn screamed as he passes the sleeping tents holding ten soldiers each.


    The yelling of his continued as he headed over to the tent belonged to Expert Shun. After a few minutes of silence, Close to 700 soldiers came out from their tents and went straight to where Expert Xie is expected to arrive.


    "Brother Xie!" Expert Shun was the first to wee his return.


    "Brother Shun." Expert Xie cupped his hands together as he greeted this good brother of his. His action indirectly shows Expert Shun that his injury is no longer an issue guing him.


    "Your injury... Did something happen when you''re going out to subjugate the bandits? Why do you seem so friendly to the bandits that were supposed to be tied-up together?" Expert Shun quickly noticed the weirdness behind Expert Xie''s action.


    Although they''re only known each other more recently, Expert Shun can be said to be a person with wise eyesight. Although measuring Expert Xie''s loyalty towards Sun Wu Jian might be difficult for him, it was a simple matter for him to judge Expert Xie as a person.


    "Brother Shun, I''m much better now. Why don''t you take a look at who is here?" Expert Xie smiled as he patted the shoulder of this half-step expert while giving him a clearer view of who''s behind him.


    "Al - Alchemist Qin!" Expert Shun was nervous for a moment after meeting Qin Lan. He seemed lost from feeling unsure if he should get down from the horse first or greet Qin Lan.


    "We met again, Expert Shun." Qin Lan smiled amicably before the half-step expert.


    "Don''t tell me... The people his highness is asking you to capture is our dear Alchemist Qin?" Expert Shun asked.


    "Brother Shun, I know there are many questions in your mind, but let''s return to the tent first. We have a heavily injuredpanion that needed a proper ce to rest." Expert Xie said.


    "Ah! Look at me! Alchemist Qin, please! Brother Xie, let''s get back to our tent first." Expert Shun immediately invited everyone to follow him as they officially joined with the middle convoy.


    Lu Yi was also given a tent of his own as he sleeps there to recuperate himself. Taking care of him by his side was none other than Huo Zunjie and Lu Qing Yun.


    After being administered by a few emergency Acupuncture needles from Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun''s Kuangshan Healer''s Art, the color of his face has turned much better than before. But so far, he still remains unconscious aftermath of the battle.


    "Alchemist Qin, please let this surname Xie know if there''s anything I can help. Would you like to check my Qiankun Pouch in case there''s something beneficial for that young buddy to take to recover?" Expert Xie put his Qiankun Pouch out on the table as they speak.


    "Although this surname Shun has little treasure, there might be something with some medicinal value as well. Alchemist Qin, feel free to take it if you need them." Expert Shun also followed.


    "Please calm down, both experts. I''ve done everything I can. All he needs would be a few days of rest." Qin Lan chuckled. Using his right arm, Qin Lan politely pushed the two pouches back at the experts to show his feeling of gratitude.


    "Then... Alchemist Qin is making the two of us feeling unsure of what we can do... Let''s call this as owing you a favor. In the future, this one with the surname Xie will make sure to fulfill a request from Alchemist Qin even if it means risking my life to aplish it." Expert Xie said.


    "Then, this one with the surname Shun will also owe Alchemist Qin a favor," Expert Shun followed. But before he finishes with his words, he was interrupted by Expert Xie.


    "Brother Shun, what are you doing? This debt, let this one solve it. Don''t make it difficult for me." Expert Xie said. The scene before Qin Lan was heartwarming as it was a good thing for Sun Wu Jian''s subject to be on such a friendly term with one another.


    **Ding!**


    The white jade slip hanging on Expert Shun''s waist vibrated once.


    "Alchemist Qin, please excuse us." the two experts changed their tone as they gently excused themselves to handle something else.


    "Yes, Captain Wang Xun."


    "Yes, Expert Xie is here with me. He''s recovered."


    "Understood. We''re with Alchemist Qin right now."


    After answering a few times, the white jade slip eventually came to Qin Lan''s hand as the voice of a familiar individual came into his ears.


    "Brother Qin." Sun Wu Jian said. From his tone, it seems he was already briefed with the news after talking with the two experts.


    "Your highness," Qin Lan replied.


    "Huh... How am I going to repay everything now with such a long list of debts." Sun Wu Jian jokes around.


    "Well, maybe giving me a small estate to live and somend to grow my own spiritual herbs would do. That way, I can start nning how to expand my family with Hu Jia." Qin Lan jokes.


    By replying to Sun Wu Jian this way, it also meant that Qin Lan is not expecting anything in return for all his help. Although mankind couldn''t be totally unfilled with greed, Qin Lan''s greed was something entirely on a different level.


    His aim wasn''t just power but to bring back the legacy of the Kuangshan Lu Sect. And the scale of Sun Wu Jian''s fight for the throne was just too small to be significant.


    "Brother Qin, I hope you know that be this race for the throne is a sess or a failure, we''ll be brothers." Sun Wu Jian added.


    "I heard that someone is injured. What happened?" Sun Wu Jian changed the topic of their discussion.


    "It''s Lu Yi. He was too reckless and ended up taking a direct hit from the opponent''s malicious martial art. But his condition is stable right now. He likely wakes up after sleeping for tonight." Qin Lan replied.


    "Then... If there''s anything else I can help with, please let me know." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "I will." Qin Lan replied. The white jade slip was returned to the two experts.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Boss, we tried our best, but sixth boss'' arm... We can''t attach it back." a physician loyal to Lang Xue said.


    "Sixth brother... Why are you always so reckless?" Lang Xue ced his hand on Gou Ye''s forehead as he wipes the sweat away.


    "What about the Demonic me Tiger?" he asked.


    "The - The Yao Beast breathed itst minutes after bringing the sixth leader back. We''re still waiting for your order on what to do with it." the physician continued.


    "What else can we do? Butcher the beast apart and feed it to the younglings. And you... Get the other leaders over. Tell them toe to my den as soon as possible." Lang Xue ordered.


    "Yes, boss! I''ll get it done right away!" the subordinate of his immediately left the physician''s office after listening to Lang Xue''s instruction.


    Half an hourter, five of the Hushan most prominent Bandit Leaders are gathered in Lang Xue''s den.


    Second Leader, Xiong Jie.


    Third Leader, Tang Ying.


    Fourth Leader, Bai Yuan.


    Fifth Leader, Wu Yao.


    And Lang Xue himself.


    "I''m sure all of you are aware of the arrival of the Ninth Prince''s punitive forces at our doorstep. Right now, they''re split into three groups, stationed at the third milestone, sixth milestone, and the Ten Miles in."


    "Tell me, who amongst you are willing to go out there and teach them a lesson for injuring Xiao Ye?" Lang Xue asked. On the table is a stack of unopened wine of various quality.


    "Let me take the lead this time." the fifth leader, Wu Yao offered to take the lead to attack them.


    "From what I heard, their troops are separated into three groups, correct? Let me take the lead and attack their rear. I''ll leave the front to you all." Wu Yao said.


    "Good. Then old fifth will take the rear. Tang Ying, Bai Yuan, both of you will follow me as we attack them at the Ten Miles in. Xiong Jie, I''ll leave the middle convoy to you. Make sure they''re unable to provide backup in time to both convoys." Lang Xue said.


    "Heh... Big brother, leave this to me. I also wondered what kind of experts is in that convoy for them to wound Xiao Ye this badly." Xiong Jie, one of the Hushan Bandits that faced Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie before back in Fu Rong Town, said.


    "Great. If there''s nothing else, let us depart after we finish all the wine on the table." Lang Xue said. Following his sentence, he pped his hands twice as a signal for those standing by outside.


    The door into this hall is then pushed open as a few bandits with lecherous faces brought a group of dazed women they captured around the area inside the room.


    "Boss, all of them were drugged and tamed. You can start anytime after taking the Fire Infant Pill." the subordinate chuckled as he passed the rein to Lang Xue.


    "Humph... Take this and go out to get one for yourself." Lang Xue tossed one of the so-called Fire Infant Pill at the bandit as he kicked him out of the room.


    "Thank you, boss. Thank you..." the bandit happily left.


    Soon, screams and moans can be heard from the room.

 Chapter 123: Hushan Bandits, Retaliates! (2)

    Chapter 123: Hushan Bandits, Retaliates! (2)


    "Come, let me feed you some porridge." a man chuckled as he slowly moves the spoon in his hand closer to the one leaning on top of the bed.


    "Go - Go away. I can eat myself. I don''t need you to feed me." Lu Yi tried to push Huo Zunjie away as that guy tries to be yful around him.


    Behind the two of them, Lu Qing Yun, Yi Feng, and the others wereughing so hard as they knew that Huo Zunjie was doing this on purpose to mess with Lu Yi.


    "Qing Yun... Big brother Yi doesn''t want me to feed him..." Huo Zunjie pouted and passed the bowl to her.


    "Ah... Let me see... Should I put in some Jewel Rock Lotus inside to make the porridge taste better?" Lu Qing Yun sat beside Lu Yi and took a bottle out from her waist pocket.


    "No - No... I''ll eat. Please put that aside..." Lu Yi was nervous.


    "Really?" Lu Qing Yun asked. The spoon ising closer.


    "Yes..." Lu Yi nodded.


    "Just eat! Unless you want me to force the whole bowl into you, you better be obedient and start drinking it." Lu Qing Yun''s temperament changed upside down as she shoved the spoon into Lu Yi''s mouth.


    "Ahhh! Hot! Mmm... Mmm..." Lu Yi wanted to cry the moment Lu Qing Yun returned to her usual self.


    "Huo Zunjie! I''ll give you a lesson when I got better. Mmm... Mmm... Hot! Ah!" his suffering continued. The others were hugging one another as they were surprised by Lu Qing Yun''s attitude.


    ''Always remember... Your sister Qing Yun''s gentle treatment is only given to our third young master... This is what you can expect from her if you pissed her off.'' Huo Zunjie chuckled as he left after whispering beside their ears.


    "Did Lu Yi just screamed?" Qin Lan pushed aside the curtain around the tent''s entrance as he steps inside.


    And upon hearing Qin Lan''s voice, Lu Qing Yun''s actions were even quicker as she shoved a few mouthfuls of porridge into Lu Yi''s mouth. Even crying wouldn''t help as Lu Yi''s face soon turned into a burning red kettle from Lu Qing Yun''s force-feeding.


    "What''s wrong?" Qin Lan asked. Even he''s puzzled by the sight of Lu Yi struggling on top of the bed with a flushed face and constantly shaking head.


    "I - I..." Lu Yi wanted to speak, but the burn on his tongue is too much for him right now.


    "Just lie down. I''ll give you a few more poke here and there before I''ll return to sleep. You better control yourself from acting so reckless next time." Qin Lan unrolls his acupuncture pouch on a table as he flicked Lu Yi''s head.


    (Why is there nobody speaking on my behalf!!!)


    He had the urge to cry right here, right now.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Ah... No!" the sound of a woman was ravaged by a group of men can be heard from the depth of the bandit''s den. Furthermore, more than one woman is subjected to this treatment right now.


    "How delicious... I can''t get enough of this kind of cultivation method at all. Come here, ahahaha..." Xiong Jie said. He grabbed another victim of his from the floor and started to vite her body.


    It was a den of lust. The body was humping another body almost in all avable corners inside this bandit''s hideout.


    If one were to look carefully at the female''s gaze, they''re not filled with lust but emptiness. There''s no longer a hint of the soul remained in their body.


    And the further their body connected, the more lifespan of theirs was sucked by the five bandits leader. This continued until they copsed on the ground, one after another.


    Thest woman was considered the most pitiful one to be ravaged by all five of them before she sumbs to her death. Originally a beautiful maiden with a plump figure, she was sucked to the point her flesh shriveled to a mummified figure as she fell.


    "This feels so good..." the bandit leaders slowly dressed up as they tossed the dead corpses aside. Soon, a few younger bandits came inside the room to drag them away.


    "Let''s go. It''s time we teach those government dogs a lesson." Lang Xueughed as the majority of bandits left their stronghold under the night and moon.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" the bell rang as the soldiers positioned inside the camp hurried to their designated post.


    "Move-in! Don''t allow a single soldier to escape today!" the bandits, led by their respective leader, said. And after both sides are somewhat prepared to engage against their enemies, an order to attack is quickly issued.


    A heated battle immediately ensued in the morning.


    Unknown from which way they came from, the banditsunched an attack at the subjugation forces. Furthermore, their numbers were twice the number of Sun Wu Jian''s forces.


    "There''s too much bandit! How can there be almost as much as the people from our Xiyun City?" Qin Qin and Qin Huang struggled as their strength was considered the weakest in the entire Qin Faction.


    Even those servants that belonged to You Qing, Yi Feng, Leng Xue, and Qiang Shou''s team were much better than them in cultivation.


    "Silver Willow Dance!"


    "Golden Bell Sword Wave!"


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!"


    Heavenly Flicking Fingers!"


    Attack after attack filled with Spiritual Energy spread outwards as Qin Lan and the others from his faction fought against the bandits. Based on their current situation, even Qin Lan dare not to say that he can push the bandits back with his strength alone.


    "Maintain your formation. Do not allow any of the bandit toe further!" the officer of Sun Wu Jian tried his best tomand his soldiers at this time, but there''s only so much he can do.


    In a battle of over a thousand cultivators, lives were nothing but dolls woven using straws and grasses. Even a simple trample could destroy their existence right here.


    "Bring him back into the camp!" You Qing ordered as he rescued Yi Feng from one of the bandit''s eighth-level Flesh Cultivator. He was struggling to keep this powerful opponent from moving around and kill more of them.


    "Do you think you can stop me with a mere sixth-level cultivation of yours? Don''t make meugh. Even ten of you here can''t hold me from rampaging all the way into your camp!" the bandit said.


    He''s indeed as strong as Gou Ye in many ways.


    "If he can''t, what about me?" a sword d in bronze hue was swung on the bandit and forced him to a retreat.


    "Golden Bell Echo!"


    **Bang!**


    The outburst of Spiritual Energy forced the bandit to a retreat six to seven steps back. But in exchange for the reckless move once again, it made Lu Yi''s wound worst.


    **Ahem...**


    Lu Yi coughed a mouthful of blood after executing two attacks at once.


    "You fool. Do you really want to lie on the bed for an entire week?" Hou Zunjie came to support Lu Yi from falling onto the ground. The Yin Ling Jian was pointed at the eighth-level bandit as he held onto Lu Yi in his other hand.


    "You Qing, drag him back as well. I''ll take care of this." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Leave senior brother Lu Yi to me. Please be careful." You Qing held the injured Lu Yi on his shoulder as he brought him further from the battlefield.


    "Now, shall we continue?" Huo Zunjie swings his sword randomly as he provokes the bandit to make a move first.


    ...


    Not far from the battlefield...


    "Not bad, little missy. You''re much stronger than that two half-step Bone Cultivators over there!" a bandit leader under Xiong Jie''smand said after he repelled Qin Chan''s attack. His weapon of choice was a long hammer, which was said to be the bane of all swords.


    "This is going to be difficult..." Qin Chan hesitates. Although there''s another weapon in her Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade, it was reserved only to be used in a critical time.


    "Let''s continue. Show me the strength of a disciple from Cloud Plucking Sect!" the half-step Bone Bandit said as he raised his long hammer. Using both of his head to propel himself forward like a bouncing pebble, the bandit roared as he forced his Spiritual Energy out.


    ...


    But no matter how heated their battle all around the middle convoy, it was notparable to what was happening in the vanguard convoy and supply convoy.


    It was an explosion of Spiritual Energy in the Ten Miles in. Even Sun Wu Jian was forced to join the battle with his recently advanced eight-level strength.


    As for the supply convoy, the situation is somewhat looking grim to Sun Wu Jian''s forces.


    A river of blood flowing away from the Third Milestone checkpoint as corpses from both forces piled on the ground. Right here on this battlefield, there were less than a hundred soldiers are still standing on the ground as they struggled to fight against the remaining five hundred or so bandits.


    "Move forward! ughter all the government dogs!" Wu Yao said as he aimed his crossbow at his next target.

 Chapter 124: Hushan Bandits, Retaliates! (3)

    Chapter 124: Hushan Bandits, Retaliates! (3)


    "Do not falter!"


    "We''ll guard this location until his highness replies us. Don''t give up!" Expert Yi raised his weapon up as he tried to rouse up their fighting spirit.


    As the sun getting higher, the temperature followed.


    The stench from the blood evaporated by the sunlight quickly immersed the area with an unbearable feeling. Added with the pressure given by the bandits marching forward slowly, the air of despair strengthens.


    "Expert Yi... I - I''m afraid of death..." said one of the fifth-level Flesh Refining Layer soldiers. He wasn''t the only one with that kind of mentality right now.


    In fact, everyone present had their mind clouded with this kind of atmosphere.


    ...


    "Your highness. The supply and middle convoy have lost contact with us." Huang Ping and Wang Xun reported. A hint of worries is shown on their face as they seem lost.


    "What''s our situation right now?" Sun Wu Jian asked as he was protected by a group of twelve elite bodyguards of his. In terms of fighting strength, all of them were at the Full-Completion Flesh Refining Layer.


    And with them surrounding Sun Wu Jian, it was more than enough for him to safely oversees the battlefield as he directed the soldiers in their respective zone.


    "We''re keeping the three bandit leaders in check. But at the same time, we''re unsure if more experts are hiding in their ranks." Huang Ping said. What he mentioned is indeed worth worrying about because he and Wang Xun had captured two half-step Bone Reconstruction Cultivators from the minute the battle started.


    It was not exaggerating to assume there''s more of them hidden amongst the attacking bandits.


    "Light them up!" suddenly, a shout is heard from close proximity near Sun Wu Jian''s protection circle. Close to six Lightning Roaring bombs were tossed at them by the bandits as they risked their lives to aplish their mission.


    "Protect his highness!" one of the twelve elite guards yelled. A circle mirror-like Defensive Treasure was taken out from their Qiankun Pouch.


    "My liege, sorry for our impudence!" eight of them surrounded Sun Wu Jian as they covered him in eight different directions. As for the four remaining guards, they''re holding their position upright by relying on the power of the Defensive Treasure.


    "Curtain of Royalty!" a circle made of four smaller circles protected them as the six Lightning Roaring Bomb exploded.


    **Bam! - Bam! - Bam!!!**


    "How? Did we manage to kill that useless prince?" one of the bandits involved in tossing the bomb at Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "How do I know? Let''s move forward and check..." another bandit replied. But as they get ready to move forward, two soldiers in their officer uniform came with a weapon in their hand.


    "Country Protecting Spear!"


    "Crimson Roaring sh!"


    Huang Ping and Wang Xun charged forward. Like two grass-cutting machines that lost control, they marched and started to cut the bandits down before any of them tried to repeat what they sessfully did earlier.


    "White Ape Battling Aura!"


    **Bam!**


    One of the half-step Bone Experts of Sun Wu Jian was thrown at Huang Ping like a broken puppet.


    "Expert Wang!" Huang Ping used his spear to stops the crushing momentum that came at him. Although he managed to cancel the destruction force, it still forced Huang Ping to retreat close to five steps away.


    "Commander, be careful with this guy! He''s a master in fist-fighting." Expert Wang weakly said.


    "Leave him to me. Take a Flesh Mending Pill and recuperate yourself first." Huang Ping ced a pill into his mouth and used a soft palm strike to pushed him several steps away from the battlefield.


    "State your name." the spear returned to Huang Ping''s hand after he sent Expert Wang away.


    "Bai Yuan! Fourth Stronghold Leader of Hushan Bandits!"


    "They also called me the White-haired Titan Ape!" Bai Yuan said. His Spiritual Energy explodes like a wave as he finished his sentence.


    "White-Haired Titan Ape... You''re one of the wanted criminals for killing an entire family of 64 members in Fuyun City. No wonder you''re nowhere to be found." Huang Ping said.


    "White Ape Battling Aura!" Bai Yuan charged forward. His Spiritual Energy instantly wrapped around his two fists as he exchanged a few blows with Huang Ping''s spear.


    Their first exchange surprised Huang Ping as he was thrown back almost a hundred meters on their first sh.


    "This power..." Huang Ping stabs his speartip on the ground to stop his retreating momentum.


    "Hahaha, you''re going to be the next one for me to throw over there!" Bai Yuan said. Pulling his fist near to his shoulder''s level, he threw a fist attack towards Huang Ping.


    "Flying Fist of Titan Ape!"


    "Roar! City Puncturing Spear!" Huang Ping howled after getting provoked by Bai Yuan''s words. His strength of an eighth-level Flesh Refining Layer immediately burst outward.


    "Come! Let me show you the strength of the Ninth-Prince''s second inmand!" Huang Ping''s spear came like a battering ram towards Bai Yuan.


    **Bam!!!**


    **Bam!!!**


    "Get lost!" Bai Yuan swung his fist sideway. It was a losing exchange this time as he was fighting against Huang Ping barehanded.


    "Why are you stopping halfway? Did facing my spear hurt your fist?" Huang Ping approached fiercely. Huang Ping tried to stabs through Bai Yuan''s heart to decide the battle as soon as he can.


    But his wish vanishes like a dream the moment Bai Yuan suddenly grabbed his spearhead. Pulling Huang Ping down to the ground and dragging him as he runs around, Bai Yuan soon delivered a fist at him when the chances appeared.


    The eighth-level fist came like a hammer and tossed Huang Ping ten or more steps away once more. This time, he no longer managed to control himself as he went like a wild arrow.


    "Urgh..." unknown how far he went before stopping, Huang Ping immediately swallowed a Flesh Mending Pill before he continued.


    But as he searched for his opponent''s whereabouts, a fist wrapped with bloody spiritual energy came.


    **Bam!**


    ...


    ...


    "Hah!" Lu Qing Yun''s defended against three bandits attack using her Heaven''s String. She delivered three palms attack following that and sent them to a rumbling stomachache.


    "Ah!"


    "My god..."


    "Sister Hu Jia, don''t move too further out from the defensive perimeters. We don''t know how many experts are still hiding in their ranks." Lu Qing Yun said as she advised Hu Jia.


    "I know. Don''t worry." Hu Jia replied.


    The two of them continued to fight. And as the number of bandits started to get lesser, one of the hiding experts can no longer keep himself quiet.


    "de Wave!" a twin nine-ringed swords created a noisy disturbance as it made its way towards Lu Qing Yun.


    "Heaven''s String!"


    *Ding!!!**


    The offensive and defensive weapon shed against each another and threw both of them a few steps back.


    "An expert... Ninth... No... Half-Step Bone Reconstruction Layer!" Lu Qing Yun flicked the tip of her string at the opponent.


    "Chaotic Wave!" but before it managed to restrain her opponent, the delicate strings of Lu Qing Yun''s Defensive Treasure were chopped into tiny fabrics.


    This changed Lu Qing Yun''s mood.


    Slowly adjusting her position closer to Hu Jia, Lu Qing Yun spreads her Spiritual Energy to rm everyone else... And that''s including Qin Lan.


    "Something at Lu Qing Yun''s side?" Qin Lan turned his head around to where Hu Jia and Lu Qing Yun is.


    "What is this uneasiness?" Qin Lan immediately made his way over at the twodies.


    ...


    ...


    "Brother Ping! Let me give you a hand!" Wang Xun''s sword came and deflected Bai Yuan''s attack right on time.


    "Great! Let us get rid of him together!" Huang Ping replied. Making a few thrusts at Bai Yuan to force him to a retreat, Huang Ping and Wang Xuan then charged forward to keep him pinned on the spot.


    "Come on! Where''s your fierceness earlier?" Wang Xun roared as he attacked Bai Yuan like a mad beast.


    Their heated battle made both of them unable to caught Bai Yuan''s expression.


    "Hehehe..." Bai Yuan chuckled as he defended against their coborating attack.


    "Protect his highness!" one of the elite guards of Sun Wu Jian yelled as the Curtain of Royalty defended against the explosion once more. Up to date, they already under such an attack over five times.


    "It''s here again! Raise your shield!"


    **Bam!!!**


    The continuous explosion created a cloud of dust around them.


    Worried that there''s a trap if they chose to stay here, one of the elite guards asked Sun Wu Jian for his next instruction.


    "Your highness... Shall we move from this location?" the elite guard inquired.


    "Let''s get out from this cloud of dust and reground with Huang Ping and Wang Xun." Sun Wu Jian said. Remembered that Qin Lan gave him something to protect himself before they depart, he immediately ced an amulet on his body before moving along with his elite soldiers.


    Not too far from the battlefield, another expert is happy that he managed to subdue his opponent without trouble.


    "Lang Xue! To think that you''re going to fall on my hand this early in the battle. The Hushan Bandits are going to fell soon!" the expert grabbed Lang Xue''s neck as he breaks both of Lang Xue''s arms with his powerful w attack.


    "Aargh... Hahaha... Argh..." Lang Xueughed.


    "What''s so funny?" the expert was pissed with Lang Xue''s reaction.


    "Hahaha... Your lord is going to die soon..." Lang Xue said.


    "Wait... You! You''re not Lang Xue!" the expert turned his head around.


    "Oh... Shit!"

 Chapter 125: Life and Death, Hu Jia (1)

    Chapter 125: Life and Death, Hu Jia (1)


    **Bam!!!**


    A sudden explosion on a scale entirely different shook the battlefield. Even Huang Ping and Wang Xun are unable to calm their heart from the aftermath.


    "Your highness... Your highness!" Huang Ping''s heart felt like it stopped beating when he noticed that the explosion came from Sun Wu Jian''s position.


    "Bai Yuan! Get the hell off from my way!" Huang Ping lost control over his choice of words for the first time. It was the first time for Wang Xun to witness the changes in Huang Ping''s personality for failure to protect Sun Wu Jian.


    "Country Protection Spear!" Huang Ping charged forward, no longer focusing on his own defense. Each of his attacks was a level deadlier than before as he neglected his own protection entirely.


    Right now, there was only a concern of Sun Wu Jian''s safety in his mind.


    "White Ape Battling Aura! Explode!" Bai Yuan was unwilling to waver as he fought against Huang Ping in a stalemate battle. To them, a duel like this is worth risking their lives for.


    Even Wang Xun was forced to remain at his position as he withness the seriousness of their battle.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Attack!" Wu You waved his hand down when he ordered the bandits working under him to fire a volley of arrows towards the hundred or so soldiers who remained under Expert Yi.


    It was a sure-win tactic that managed to im most of his victories in a battle.


    "Protect Expert Yi! Protect our leader!" the soldiers struggles as they tried to block the crossbow bolts from turning them into a dead porcupine.


    "Again!" Wu You repeated.


    "Am I destined to die here like this? Unable to move away from here even a single step?" Expert Yi gritted his teeth as his men fell one after another from the long-ranged attack.


    "Expert Yi, please tell my mother I''m sorry for unable to return home."


    "Expert Yi... Please bring my copper token home and tell my father what I''ve done here."


    "Expert Yi..."


    "Expert Yi..."


    "No!"


    "No!!!"


    "I will not be defeated by these! I am one of the six proud half-step Bone Cultivators of the ninth prince, Yi Xun Cheng!" under all those pressure, Expert Yi screamed. His spiritual energy poured out like a roaring wave as he charged toward where Wu You stands.


    "Fifth Bandit leader, Wu You! Let''s see who will remain alive at the end of this battle! ept my attack!" Expert Yi delivered a punch out using a fraction of his spiritual energy.


    "Great! It is one of my hobbies to trample on half-step cultivators like you. Let me see what kind of ability you have to be one of the prince''s subjects!" Wu You threw his crossbow to one of his subordinates and went forward to fight against Expert Yi.


    ...


    ...


    **Zup!**


    Another bandit fell from Qin Lan''s Heavenly Flicking Finger.


    "Something must be happening here. Or else, my heart won''t be feeling uneasy like this..." Qin Lan picked up his pace as he moves closer to where Hu Jia and Lu Qing Yun is.


    Meanwhile, the battle between Huo Zunjie and the eighth-level bandit is getting closer to its finale.


    "How can this be?" the bandit retreated a few steps away as he tried to control the bleeding all over his body. Fighting against Huo Zunjie made him realized that cultivation levels were not everything when ites to deciding the oue of a battle.


    "I don''t believe this... I won''t ept that I''ll lose to a seventh-level cultivator..." the bandit rummaged his belonging in search of some treasure to use.


    But before he managed to do more, Huo Zunjie already came forward with his Yin Ling Jian. Swiftly, he immediately beheaded the eighth-level bandit before the criminal managed to do anything.


    ...


    The battle is almost ended where Qin Chan is as well.


    **Ding! Ding! Ding!**


    "Silver Willow Sword Technique!" Qin Chan''s swift attack leaves ten or so cuts on her opponent before the bandit managed to retaliate.


    "Aargh!" the bandit immediately swung his hammer upward. But it was for nothing because Qin Chan was long gone when his attack arrived. He''s been repeating such a pointless move for some time now without able to create a difference.


    "What''s wrong? Did you get tired from all those fighting?" Qin Chan asked. She did not forget to keep taunting her opponent as they fight.


    "Tired? I can even ravage girls like you for three days and three nights without stopping. There was no tired in my dictionary." the bandit said. Putting on a pill into his mouth, he raised his hammer once more and charged toward Qin Chan.


    "Pervert like you should be circumcised. Let me do something on behalf of the heaven!" Qin Chan retaliates. With a sword in her hand, Qin Chan shed against the long hammer a few more times before a scream is soon heard.


    "Aargh!"


    "You bitch!" the half-step Bone Cultivator''s scream is heard all around the battlefield. Even Xiong Jie, who was fighting against one of the two Sun Wu Jian''s experts, stopped. Feeling weird about what happened, he pays attention to what''s going on over there.


    "How dare you cut my genitals off! I''ll make sure you will be ravaged the moment I capture you! I''ll strip you naked, parade you all over the stronghold, and make sure that the old, young, and even child defile your body until you... Di...eee..."


    The screaming bandit continued for a while, and before he managed to finish his words, Qin Chan swiftly stabbed her sword through the bandit''s throat.


    Blood spurted out from the wound as the hammer in the bandit''s hand fell on the ground. Both of his hands quickly tries to cover the cut from bleeding, but it was useless.


    Soon, the bandit fell on his knees as he breathed hisst.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "This is not good..." Xiong Jie took a glimpse around the battlefield. He had lost close to half of his men in this battle thatsted less than half a day.


    But nothing hurts him more than the fact of losing two peak-level experts in a battle that hardly profitable.


    "Where are you looking?" Expert Shun said as he delivered a fist attack at Xiong Jie.


    **Bam!**


    Another half-step Bone Cultivator appeared beside Xiong Jie. This cultivator effortlessly defended against the Expert Shun attack.


    A whistle is then taken out from Xiong Jie''s chest pocket as he gives it a blow.


    Soon, all the experts in between eighth, ninth, and half-step levels all came to his side after hearing the sound of Xiong Jie''s whistle. It was quite a formidable group because there are still seven experts here following Xiong Jie. And this is after deducting two experts killed by the Qin Faction.


    "What''s in your mind, second boss?" one of the seven experts around Xiong Jie asked.


    "Prepare to leave. We''ll be heading to the Ten Miles in. Let them follow if they want." Xiong Jie answered.


    "Brother Shun." Expert Xie also came to expert Shun''s side the moment their enemies gathered together.


    "Are you doing alright?" Expert Shun asked.


    "Still not dead yet. I can''t believe that there are so many experts in the Hushan Bandits. Through what way do you think they''re using to sustain themselves?" Expert Xie answered. He also brought up the question in his mind as he finds it hard to believe the size of this rumored Hushan Bandits Stronghold.


    "Perhaps only his highness or Alchemist Qin know the answer behind this..." Expert Shun shook his head.


    "Lan-Er!" Qin Chan immediately came to Qin Lan''s side the moment she killed her opponent.


    "Follow me as we go to where Hu Jia and Qing Yun are. I am a little worried about them." Qin Lan said as he held his second sister''s wrist while they''re walking.


    The people from the Qin Faction slowly gathered into a big group the further Qin Lan move away from the core area of the middle convoy.


    "Third young master... Don''t you think we went too far from the main group?" Han Xue asked.


    "That''s why... From my understanding, Hu Jia and Qing Yun are the most attentive members of our factions. Even with my second sister is with them, they won''t repeat a mistake like this." Qin Lan said.


    "Han Xue... Move forward. Search around for Hu Jia and Lu Qing Yun." Qin Lan said. The feeling of uneasiness in his heart is getting stronger the further he went.


    "Han Xue understands! Covert Operation Team, follow me! Let''s search for Lady Hu Jia and senior sister Qing Yun''s whereabout!" Han Xue and his five team members split into six directions to search for them.


    By right, this location is considered almost out of the fighting perimeters. There are only escaped bandits lying around here, with some sumbed to their injury or too afraid to retaliates.


    **Xiu! Xiu!**


    "Bam!!!**


    A firework that created a word of "Qin" exploded about three hundred meters further.


    "Lan-Er... This!!!" Qin Chan was the first one to feel slight despair in her heart. This firework was an emergency signal used when a life and death issue happened within their group.


    Furthermore, the life and death issue didn''t apply to everyone, but only to Qin Chan, Qin Qin, Qin Huang, Hu Jia, and Qin Lan himself!


    With Qin Qin and Qin Huang still with the middle convoy, Qin Chan and Qin Lan himself here... There''s only one possibility...


    "HU JIA! HU JIA!"

 Chapter 126: Life and Death, Hu Jia (2)

    Chapter 126: Life and Death, Hu Jia (2)


    "Join the battle! Our instructions are to provide assistance to the supplies convoy if necessary!" a squadron of two hundred soldiers on horses marched forward with their weapons in their hand. The leading officer of this backup squadron is none other than Shan Xiong Xin.


    His arrival at this time was no coincidence but a nned ahead tactic of Sun Wu Jian.


    There were two aims behind histe participation in this bandit subjugating mission. Firstly, it was to provide assistance when necessary. Along the way, his troops also could rece the officers if he deems necessary.


    As for the second reason, it was to drag the bandits they captured back to Fuyun City. Unlikemoners with low cultivation, ves like the bandits they captured were considered high-ss ves due to their high endurance.


    "Backup?" Wu You stares at Shan Xiong Xin''s iing squadron as he pushes Expert Yi back. He immediately raised his hand and made a signal to his subordinates.


    "Ready your crossbows. Fire at the Western direction. Our target is the two hundred or so horsemen!" Wu You''s officer instructed. After following the bandit leader for so long, he''s not a fool like the others.


    "Fire! Fire! Fire!" the close to three hundred bandits pressed the trigger as they sent the volley of bolts at Shan Xiong Xin''s squadron.


    "S*it! Our assistance is going to turn into a stack of man-made porcupines if the attack hits!" Expert Yi''s officer said as he rushed over from the third milestone.


    He kept waving the g of Wu to call them to a retreat, but to his despair, they even picked up their speed after seeing what he did.


    "No! Retreat! There''s a volley of crossbow boltsing! Retreat!" the officer yelled after knowing that his warning has fallen to deaf ears. Despair filled his eyes as he med himself for failing to prevent the same thing that happened to their convoy repeat itself on this group of fellow soldiers.


    But then, something unexpected happened.


    "Put on the amulet and pick up your speed. Left officer, I''ll rely on you to protect our remaining soldiers. Officer of the Right, we''ll head straight to the bandit''s group and provide assistance to Expert Yi." Shan Xiong Xin said.


    Suddenly, something unimaginable happened.


    The two hundred soldiers split into two different groups. Their unannounced sprint cut the traveling time by half as the Left officer appeared before Expert Yi''s trusted aide.


    "You''re doing good. Let us get to work," Shan Xiong Xin''s officer said.


    ...


    "Fire! Keep firing!" Wu You panicked as he witnesses the speed disyed by Shan Xiong Xin''s unit. To make sure that he''s able to secure an escape route for himself, he immediately put aside the intention to fight against Expert Yi.


    But who was Expert Yi?


    The more he sees Wu You in that panicked state, the happier he is.


    "Where are you going? Since you have alreadye, then you might as well stay here!" Expert Yi took a treasure out from his Qiankun Pouch and activated it with his remaining spiritual energy.


    "Life Exchange Lock!" a fraction of expert Yi Essence Blood was used to activate this weapon. With a price so steep to trigger this Offensive Treasure, its effect is undoubtedly more potent than expected.


    Using the dagger in his hand, Expert Yi ruthlessly stabs his own leg. The same knife wound quickly appeared on the bandit leader''s leg as he fell from the horse he was riding.


    "Argh! You b*stard! I''ll make you pay!" he crawled on the ground helplessly. To think that he, the leader of the fifth stronghold, would have a day like this.


    "So what if I''m crippled after this battle. As long it was for the glory and honor of the ninth prince, I''ll do it no matter how many chances you''ll be giving me. Stay here and wait!" expert Yi gave another stab on his other leg.


    This time, the pain made tears rolling down from Wu You''s cheek. But any feeling of regret nor pain no longer works as the leg belonged to two different horses appeared in front of where he was crawling towards.


    "You''ll be following us," said Shan Xiong Xin.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Hu Jia! Hu Jia!" Qin Lan picked up his pace as he pushes the Travelling Thousand Miles in a Step Movement Art to its limit. In a sh, he appeared at where one of the Covert Operation Team members is at.


    Lying on the ground was Lu Qing Yun, who had the flesh on her arm ripped apart to a state it was gore to look at. And beside her was Hu Jia. She was lying on top of a pool of blood that seems to be formed from both of them.


    His heart fell the moment he was greeted by this sight. Holding his fist hard as Qin Lan stepped forward, he slowly put two of his fingers on Hu Jia''s wrist.


    "Du... Du... Du..."


    It was slow to the point there were no different from being dead.


    "Master, what are we going to do? Can we do anything?" the servant asked.


    "I want nobody toe close to me... Get everyone away." Qin Lan said.


    "Yes, master." the servant immediately left. By the time everyone from the Qin Faction knew what happened, the battle between Xiong Jie and the experts has ended with the bandit retreated.


    "I''m sorry, expert Shun, expert Xie. My brother wished not to be disturbed right now." Qin Chan sternly stopped Sun Wu Jian''s experts from getting closer to them.


    "Then... Then please let us know if there''s something we can do. We''ll move our camp over here to provide the Qin Faction with protection." the two experts offered.


    "Then, we''ll rely on your protection." Qin Chan epted their gesture and returned to her meditation.


    "Aii... To think that out of so many misfortune, it actually happened on Alchemist Qin''s side. Shall we inform his highness about this?" Expert Shun asked.


    "Let''s... Wait for a while more. The Supplies Convoy is likely here soon." Expert Xie answered.


    ...


    "Damn!" Lu Yi kicked the bonfire in front of him as he failed to control his anger. Huo Zunjie was the same as he barely managed to keep himself in check. His fist was already bleeding from holding them together.


    Everyone''s emotion was at the lowest right now, as Qin Lan remained quiet where the two girls were lying side by side.


    Using almost everything he has, Qin Lan had sessfully rescued Lu Qing Yun from walking a step further into the gate of hell. She was awake but still in a weakened state because of what happened earlier.


    Two rows of tears were pouring out as she med herself for her own weaknesses.


    "Young master... You shouldn''t save me... What are you going to do with sister Hu Jia now?"


    "I''m sorry... I''m very sorry..." Lu Qing Yun kept apologized as she knows no other words to describe her feeling of regret right now.


    "Tell me what happened." Qin Lan said. He was holding on to Hu Jia''s hand as he listened to what Lu Qing Yun had to say.


    "The person that attacked us... Came from the Evil Infant Sect... From what he told us, the Hushan Bandits and Evil Infant Sect are together. I had the advantages when we started fighting. But halfway, his strength suddenly increases by double, almost reaching the pinnacle of first-level Bone Reconstruction."


    "An intention to kill us appeared likely when he was very interested in both my Heaven''s Strings and Hu Jia''s Jade Maiden Sword. We retaliate but ultimately failed as he uses weird martial art to render all our abilities useless."


    "My treasure was stripped off from my arm by force. As for Hu Jia, she was stabbed by her own sword a few times as that cultivator decided to test the sword''s sharpness using the flesh of its owner..."


    "Urgh... Ah..." a hint of pain came to Lu Qing Yun as the sense of pain slowly returned to her.


    "Close your eyes and rest." Qin Lan said. After he finished talking, he tapped a few acupoints around Lu Qing Yun''s shoulder and forehead to put her unconscious.


    "Jia-Jia..." Qin Lan called Hu Jia like how he used to. But he did not get a reply from her at all. The only response he was given was a trail of tears of hopelessness and despair in her heart.


    Although she was saved, there''s no longer a spirit in her heart because her cultivation has been destroyed by the disciple from Evil Infant Sect. Right now, Hu Jia was even afraid of looking at her own reflection through Qin Lan''s eyes, as she felt like dying.


    "Just... Let me die... I am no longer worthy of bing your wife..." she said.


    "I''ll look for the way. Don''t be like this. Did you forget that I am once a cripple as well?" Qin Lan added. His thumb went to the edge of her eyes and gave it a rub to wipe her tears away.


    "That''s you... Not me... Promise me you''ll get married again after I''m gone. Zhou Mei... Zhou Mei is good... You can make her your legitimate wife after I''m gone."


    "Jia-Jia, stop talking. Why are you keep pushing me away while I''m telling you everything will be ok?" Qin Lan said.


    "I know my own body... You don''t need to convince me with lies... I''m sure Zhou Mei would be a good bride. Don''t disappoint her and me..."


    "Look at you..."

 Chapter 127: Aftermath (1)

    Chapter 127: Aftermath (1)


    "You lost!" Huang Ping made his im loudly as he mmed his spear through Bai Yuan''s chest. The force from the impact caused by this attack throws the bandit leader over ten steps away as he coughed some blood out while rolling.


    **Cough! Cough!**


    "Ahem!" Bai Yuan spit a mouthful of blood off from his mouth. While struggling to get back on his feet, Bai Yuan chuckled like a madman.


    He looked nothing like how he was earlier. His messy hair, ragged clothing, and a pair of arms full of bleeding wounds made him looked like a beggar right now.


    "What''s so funny? If I''m you, I''ll be repenting for all the wrongdoings right now while wishing for an instant death!" Huang Ping said as he swings his spear, pointing the spearhead at the ground.


    One step followed by another, he came closer to Bai Yuan. The spiritual energy gradually focused on the tip of his Offensive Treasure as Huang Ping prepared himself for a sneak attack from this sly bandit.


    "Funny? Yes, it''s funny. To think that my appearance alone could make both of you to engaged in a battle with me here. Don''t you worry about your beloved master?" Bai Yuan asked. Hisughing gets louder the closer the distance between him and Huang Ping.


    "It''s pointless to try to mess with my mind. Do you think that our Curtain of Royalty is something a few mere Lightning Roaring Bomb can break?" Huang Ping ced his spear at Bai Yuan''s throat as he replied.


    A little bit of strength is all Huang Ping needed to kill this leading figure of the Hushan Bandits.


    "Why are you hesitating? Come, stab your spear into my throat. Kill me! What makes you turn into a sissy at this moment?" Bai Yuan taunted Huang Ping out of sudden as he saw a hint of hesitation in his eyes.


    "Shut up!" Huang Ping moved his spear back. Using the back of his spear, he gave Bai Yuan''s face a p and pushed him to the ground.


    "Our subjugation mission this time is not to ughter, but to capture those bandits like you and eliminate the threat in me Demon Mountain. I won''t be taunted easily by the like of you..." Huang Ping said.


    With a tap on his Qiankun Bag, Huang Ping took a knotted rope made from a unique material and binds Bai Yuan''s arm and legs by applying some of his own spiritual energy.


    "You''ll regret this! Huang Ping!" Bai Yuan screamed. He struggles for a while when he found out what Huang Ping was going to do. But since he was pinned on the ground when Huang Ping proceeds to activate the treasure, his effort ended up pointless.


    "Wang Xun, you''ll..." letting off a mouthful of air he''s been holding for a while, Huang Ping turned his attention to Wang Xun.


    And that was the biggest mistake of his.


    "Demonic Blood Palm!" Huang Ping''s sight was blinded by the color of crimson red spiritual energy as he turned around.


    A palm attack sneakily came and pped exactly on his face. The power of an eighth-level Flesh Refining Cultivator explodes at one of the weakest parts of Huang Ping.


    **Kahak!**


    Huang Ping coughed a stream of blood along with three of his teeth as he mmed on the ground. The sneak attack that has been nned by Bai Yuan and this opponent finally yields the result they''re looking for.


    "Argh! Argh!!!" the torturing pain from the malicious martial art and injury caused Huang Ping to be hysterical. Even Wang Xun was caught unaware as he only managed to notice what happen aftermath.


    "You!" Wang Xun came up from his meditating posture and swung his sword at the neer. But with the same bloody palm as the others practicing the malicious martial art, the neer deflected his attack without putting too much effort.


    "Instead of chasing after me, why don''t you take care of that guy first?" he said.


    "Demonic Explosion!" using his spiritual energy to create an explosive force, the neer generates a st that does not lose to the Lei-Hao Bomb.


    "D*mn It!" Wang Xun was forced to defend himself by creating a shield using his spiritual energy. By the time the st weakened, the neer had already left the battlefield while tugging Bai Yuan on a hand.


    "Brother Ping! Brother Ping! Take this Flesh Mending Pill now!" he forcefully pulled Huang Ping''s hand away to slide the medicinal pill into his mouth.


    "Supplies Convoy, reply to me if you receive this message." Wang Xun said while holding both of Huang Ping''s hands to not let him keep damaging his face from those pain.


    At the same time, Wang Xun looked around the battlefield.


    It seems the critical part of the battle had passed as the situation started to slowly shift to their advantage. Even the cloud of dust that covered Sun Wu Jian''s whereabouts is dispersing.


    Soon, more and more soldiers came to Wang Xun and Huang Ping''s side. It was indeed a critical battle between them and the bandits.


    ...


    ...


    "Your highness!" one of the twelve elite guards called Sun Wu Jian after the explosion. Afraid that there will be more attack if they get panicked through their voice, only one of them speaks.


    "The explosion... Is everyone alright?" Sun Wu Jian asked. His hand slowly ced on where he activated an amulet earlier. Noticing that the piece of magical paper has been destroyed, Sun Wu Jian exhaled.


    "We''re all fine. It was all thanks to the amulet on your highness'' body that all of us are protected."


    The elite guard supported Sun Wu Jian''s shoulder as he helped his master get back on his feet. Looking at their surrounding, Sun Wu Jian was somewhat shocked by the aftermath of the explosion.


    It was indeed a deadly one based on the crater created around them.


    "We''re indeed lucky... Lucky that Alchemist Qin prepared a Precelestial Protection Amulet for us before we depart..." Sun Wu Jian sourly smiled as he remembered something Qin Lan said before they left the Fuyun City.


    "Your highness, promise me you''ll put on this amulet on you if you''re getting attacked from all directions." Qin Lan shook his head as he pped the magical paper on Sun Wu Jian''s hand. The tone of his word is less than friendly as he tries to finish his sentence.

 Chapter 128: Aftermath (2)

    Chapter 128: Aftermath (2)


    "It seems I''ll have to respect brother Qin''s insight more and more after this. Without him, perhaps all of us will be either injured or dead from the concentrated explosion." Sun Wu Jian patted his clothes and took a step forward from the circle they''re standing together.


    Even the twelve elite guards are dumbfounded by the scene around them. The crater created by that concentrated explosion had turned the ground into a piece of barrennd. Not a single de of grass can be seen.


    "Your highness." three half-step Bone experts came to his side.


    "So, how''s the result at your battlefield? How many soldiers are still around?" Sun Wu Jian asked. Deep inside his heart, he was a little nervous and worried.


    Why haven''t Huang Ping and Wang Xune to his side?


    "Our casualties are around two hundred. About seven hundred soldiers are injured. As for the bandits, we''ve captured about three hundred of them. Out of the three hundred, there''s five peak Flesh-Refining and two half-step Bone cultivators." one of Sun Wu Jian''s experts replied.


    "Good." Sun Wu Jian nodded as they continue to walk in a direction likely where Huang Ping and Wang Xun is.


    "Regroup. When we found Huang Ping and Wang Xun, make sure we''re ready to face another surprise from the Hushan Bandits."


    "The two other convoys should be on their way over to the Ten Miles in. We''ll depart after we get a final count of our total numbers. If there''s nothing else, all of you may start preparing right now." said Sun Wu Jian.


    Each word of his exudes a type of aura that made people obediently listen to hismand. With all the experts are gone, only the twelve elite guards remained by Sun Wu Jian''s side.


    "Your highness..." one of the guards wanted to say something, but his colleague stopped him from doing so. Shaking his head, he gave him an expression for him to keep quiet.


    After walking for a short distance, Sun Wu Jian finally found Huang Ping and Wang Xun, who''s located not too far from where he came from.


    But the atmosphere around them made him anxious.


    "Go there and check out what happened." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Your highness, but..." a few of the elite soldiers hesitated. It will endanger their liege if the enemies are still lurking around.


    "Just go. Don''t you know how important is Huang Ping and Wang Xun''s position in our subjugation force?" Sun Wu Jian added.


    "Y - Yes, Your highness!"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "You guys will be transporting these people back to Fuyun City''s Dungeon. The others shall follow me! Leave those carriages behind and collect only the usable supplies! We''ll have to reach the middle convoy before morning!" Shan Xiong Xin ordered.


    Ten out of the two hundred soldiers apanying Shan Xiong Xin here volunteered to drag close to seven hundred detainees back to the city. Following them would be forty injured soldiers. As for the remaining two hundred and fifty people, they''ll be moving forward to their next destination, the sixth milestone.


    "Young warrior Shan, thank you for your help earlier." Expert Yi cupped his hand together as he thanked Shan Xiong Xin for his valiant entrance earlier. The sight of two hundred soldiers on the horse charging into two directions and thoroughly escaping the barrage of crossbow bolts was a sight to behold.


    "It was my honor to provide assistance to Expert Yi. On behalf of his highness, please ept my appreciation for remain loyal and protective over his beloved soldiers. I will make sure to tell nothing but the truth to his highness when we met him together." Shan Xiong Xin said as he returned the gesture.


    "Hahaha! No wonder all of you were selected to join the Cloud Plucking Sect. It was indeed a den of young tigers and lions growing up to be the pir of our Great Country of Wu." Expert Yiughed as he thoroughly respected Shan Xiong Xin''s personality.


    It was already gettingte by the time the two hundred and fifty men reaches the middle convoy led by Expert Shun and Xie.


    "Expert Yi, you''re finally here." Expert Xie weed everyone from the supply convoy. But he did not show them an overly weing expression because even a fool could understand what had happened through looking at the number of soldiers that came.


    It was indeed a group filled with fodders for the bandits to pick.


    "Expert Shun, Expert Xie." Expert Yi cupped his hands together and greeted the two as he was invited to enter their tent.


    "It must be difficult for Expert Yi. Please have a cup of tea to moisten your throat first. Young warrior Shan, it is nice to see you once again." they greeted Shan Xiong Xin as a soldier came in with a pot of tea. Everyone was given a cup on their hand after the liquid was poured to two-thirds full.


    "Expert Shun, Expert Xie... Is my brother Qin not here?" Shan Xiong Xin asked. From what he was informed, Qin Lan and his faction should be here at the middle convoy. But as he came into the camp, he sees nobody carrying the marking belonged to Qin Faction.


    "..."


    The two experts hesitated as they looked at one another before answering Shan Xiong Xin''s question.


    "Alchemist Qin''s people are indeed here, but there is some problem right now... If you insisted, we could bring you to meet his elder sister first for her to give you a brief exnation." expert Xie said.


    "What''s wrong?" Shan Xiong Xin''s heart bes anxious as he heard there was a problem in their ranks.


    "It... It would be best if expert Qin were the one to exin it. Let''s go. We''ll bring you over to her first." Expert Shun finished the tea in his hand and ced the teaware on the tray in the soldier''s hand.


    Soon, the group consisted of three out of six Sun Wu Jian''s half-step Bone experts with Shan Xiong Xin came to where Qin Chan was resting. There''s also a person hiding inside a cloak following them not too far away.


    "Big sister Qin." Shan Xiong Xin was the first one to greets Qin Chan the moment he saw her.


    "Ah-Xin?" Qin Chan was shocked to see Shan Xiong Xin here.


    "What happened to Brother Qin?" he asked.


    "We were attacked by the people from Evil Infant Sect. From what one of our servants said, Qing Yun and Hu Jia are both heavily wounded when they were found lying on the ground."


    "Right now... Qin Lan is busy rescuing them." Qin Chan said. Her face revealed a sadness that only a fellow female could understand. Knowing that he can do nothing here, Shan Xiong Xin waved his hand at the person with a ck cloak following behind them.


    "Sister Qin Chan..." the mysterious individual pulled the hood off from the cloak and revealed her identity.


    "This smell... Someone from Fifth elder''s Qin-Jia Dwelling?" Qin Chan turned her head at the mysterious individual.


    "Yes... I''m Li Dan, one of the fifth elder''s disciples." it turned out to be an acquaintance of Qin Lan and the others in their first expedition. After getting her chest ogled by Shan Xiong Xin when he was injured, the two ended up developing an intimate rtionship.

 Chapter 129: Aftermath (3)

    Chapter 129: Aftermath (3)


    "Rest while I''m providing treatment on you." Qin Lan lightly flicked on Hu Jia''s forehead as he continues to apply additional acupuncture needles all over her body.


    "Ouch... I''m crying... You flicked my head..." Hu Jia jokes. From the way she was behaving, it was as if she was not bothered by the fact she had lost all her cultivation base. Of course, Qin Lan was not blind. Even if he did, the sadness hidden behind her tone could tell him how much it affected her.


    "Don''t worry about everything. With me here by your side, your life won''t be ordinary. Even if you wanted to, it is impossible." Qin Lan said. His fingers gently turn the acupuncture needle the moment it entered her blood vessels.


    "Ah... It''s itchy..." Hu Jia moaned.


    "That means the blood flow in that particr acupoint is working better than before." Qin Lan smiled. Although his face still carries a hint of worry on the outside, it was considered much better than before.


    "So, had you think about what I said earlier?" Hu Jia asked. Her question made Lu Qing Yun pay attention to their conversation as she was somewhat interested in this topic too.


    "What you just said? I am too busy rescuing both of you to have forgotten about what we''ve talked about earlier." Qin Lan tried to escape from answering the sensitive question brought up by Hu Jia.


    Wondering where did her energye from, Hu Jia insisted.


    "You''re running away from answering my question! That''s an act of a coward. Why are you trying to do that while I''m here giving you consent? Don''t you want to have two wives?" Hu Jia''s sentence was the dream of all married men.


    Perhaps in this world, there won''t be a man who wasn''t attracted to what she was offering to Qin Lan right now. Even Lu Qing Yun had a slight blush on her face as she dreams about getting chosen by Qin Lan to be one of his concubines.


    "Look... Even Qing Yun is interested." Hu Jia suddenly blurted out a sensitive im that made Lu Qing Yun choked by the bottle of liquid she''s drinking.


    "Hey! That''s the whole bottle of Changshen Dew! Don''t you dare to waste it." Qin Lan said. Looking at the embarrassed Lu Qing Yun, he could only smile and focus on Hu Jia''s treatment.


    Although happy, he was somewhat angry at the same time.


    ''This woman of mine is getting crude the longer she carries the name of Qin Lan''s legitimate wife. Should I teach her a lesson when she recovered?'' he thought.


    Gradually moving and adjusting the needle and injecting his spiritual energy to help her body fixing the wounds, sweat started to roll down from his forehead. It was a crucifying task for him because the body of a non-cultivator is different from those with a cultivation base.


    It would only take less than a second for the spiritual energy to destroy Hu Jia''s blood vessels and internal organs if Qin Lan made a mistake.


    "Beloved husband," unknown what kind of trick she found in her sleeve again, Hu Jia once again started with her next barrage of questions. Of course, as someone who''s been in this situation before, Qin Lan understands her mentally.


    "Yes, beloved wife," he replied with a gentle and caring tone.


    "Have you considered Zhou Mei''s feelings? You do know she''s fallen in love with you, right?" Hu Jia''s antics once again came out as she has nothing to do while allowing Qin Lan to treat her wounds.


    "I don''t know. I''ve only looked at Lady Zhou as a friend and not a possible femalepanion." Qin Lan replied. Although there''s a kind of attraction between him and Zhou Mei, he tried his best to not let his lust lead this strange rtionship between him and Zhou Mei further.


    Qin Lan might not be a virtuous man without perverted intention, but he''s an upright gentleman. Fooling around with a girl''s purity and heart was not something he would do.


    That was also why Qin Lan did not "devour" Zhou Mei that night when it was considered the most fragile moment of hers.


    "Beloved husband... Do you know by doing that, you''re hurting yourself and her? I am not that selfish, do you know?" Hu Jia suddenly behaved like she was someone who''s seen too much about the love and hate rtionship between a man and a woman.


    "Now you''re speaking like you''re one of the hermits on top of the mountain or a nun. Did some exalted beinge into your conscience after losing your cultivation?" Qin Lan poked her forehead for disrupting him in the middle of treatment.


    "Don''t you know I have to focus?" he added. He had the urge tough out loud because what he used to lecture Hu Jia has indeed happened to him. If he was not crippled on that day for saving Lu Qing Yun, will his memory regarding his past emerge from his inner consciousness?


    "Based on my beloved husband''s medical expertise, even a cripple like him can return into a dragon. What is so hard about mending some sword wound on me?" Hu Jia smiled. She turned her head and staring passionately at Qin Lan.


    Her heart beats much rapidly as she felt that her cheek started to blush.


    "Husband... Why do I still feel some throbbing pain whenever I tried to look at you passionately? Was it because you''re too attractive or because you''re too energetic on the bed?" Hu Jia said.


    **cough!!!**


    "Lu Qing Yun! I told you before, that whole bottle is filled with Changshen Dew!" Qin Lan scolded Lu Qing Yun for almost coughing out everything out from the bottle.


    "I... I''ll have to roll away from the two of you before I did it for the third time... Please spare me from all of these torturings..." Lu Qing Yun slowly struggled as she crawled away from the two.


    "Look at you..." Qin Lan said. But his action wasn''t the same as his words as his hand went and slowly caressed Hu Jia''s cherry-like cheeks.


    "You shouldn''t disappoint all the women faithfully staying by your side. Not just me, but Zhou Mei and Qing Yun too." Hu Jia whispered. Her words sounded like she was trying to n everything before she left, but her meaning is clear behind each word she said.


    ''Zhou Mei... Lu Qing Yun... Do you think I really don''t know about the heart of these maidens?'' Qin Lan sighed.

 Chapter 130: Aftermath (4)

    Chapter 130: Aftermath (4)


    "Someone ising over... Is that... Qing Yun?" Lu Yi immediately charged over to the crawling Lu Qing Yun, who tries her best to escape from getting disgusted by the couple''s words.


    But halfway over to where Lu Qing Yun is, this guy already sumbs to the injury on his chest as he ended up as the next one crawling on the ground.


    "Look at this fool..." Huo Zunjie came next. Going straight to Lu Qing Yun''s side and supported her with his shoulder, he went to Lu Yi''s side as he drags one of them on each of his shoulders.


    "One is causing trouble. Another one got into trouble... Is this some unique trait for those growing up in the Qin Household?" Huo Zunjieughed at them as he brought both of them back to the tent.


    Soon, the news about Lu Qing Yun''s return to the tent has been spread to the ears of Qin Chan and the others. They quickly made their way to the tent without wasting any of their time pondering around.


    "Qing Yun... How''s your condition?" Qin Chan was the first one to ask. But the moment her worries subsided, she immediately grabbed a cloak from her Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade. She quickly wrapped it around Lu Qing Yun''s naked shoulder before any of the guys managed to enjoy more of the beautiful sight.


    "Erm..." everyone was slightly embarrassed as they forgot about the taboo between a male and a female. Even Li Dan was rubbing Shan Xiong Xin''s eyes to made him forget what he had seen.


    "What about Hu Jia?" Qin Chan asked.


    Slowly taking a bite of the roasted meat, Lu Qing Yun begins sharing their encounter against the expert from Evil Infant Sect.


    ...


    ...


    "Ouch! It''s painful..." Hu Jia''s body shivered as the prickling pain slowly seeps into the deepest wound located on her navel. This wound was the culprit behind the destruction of her Dantian. It was also the most sensitive part of Hu Jia because there''s more than just closing the wound.


    He would have to make sure that he stopped all her bleeding and internal wounds before closing it.


    "Bear with it a little more... I''m almost done." Qin Lan used a silk handkerchief to wipe away the sweat on Hu Jia''s forehead. Behind those smiling and hard to answer questions hides all her pain and suffering.


    That''s also why Qin Lan did not do anything but let her had a go.


    Thirty minutester, he''s finally done with her treatment. Except for a slightly weakened body and void of spiritual energy, there''s nothing much can be seen through her face.


    But Qin Lan knew that this was just the aftermath. There are more toe as the sense of hers that have been dulled from the pain slowly returned.


    "Beloved husband," once again, she called Qin Lan.


    "Yes, beloved wife," and Qin Lan replied to her like how he always does.


    "I am serious about Zhou Mei''s matter. Can you listen to me as I speak seriously as your legitimate wife?" Hu Jia''s mind returned to the topic about Qin Lan and Zhou Mei. It seems she wouldn''t give up on this unless she received an answer from Qin Lan.


    "Alright. Since your treatment is now over, I''ll listen to you patiently. Do you want some drink and osmanthus cake?" Qin Lan took a water bottle out, along with a box with a few jiggling osmanthus cakes inside.


    "You! You''re treating me like a kid again!" Hu Jia hammered Qin Lan''s chest. But this time, she felt a hint of pain in her hand. Without spiritual energy protecting her, she''s no different from a block of soft tofu.


    Fragile and delicate. That''s the only word suitable to describe the condition right now.


    Immediately, Qin Lan grabbed her wrist and applied a gentle wave of soothing energy using the Kuangshan Healing Palm. The gentleness of his spiritual energy quickly took her pain away like a hard boil egg was used to rub her delicate skin.


    "Ah?" suddenly, she opened her mouth wide.


    "Em!" Hu Jia enjoyed her privilege as Qin Lan fed the osmanthus cake into her mouth.


    "Give Zhou Mei a chance," she said after she swallowed the cake. A simple statement of hers made Qin Lan stays quiet as he poured a cup of water while using his spiritual energy to keep the cup afloat.


    "Alright. When we go back, let''s see how it will go between the three of us. If Lady Zhou Mei is willing to ept a guy like me as her husband, then I''ll be marrying her into the Qin Family and give her a proper title." Qin Lan nodded.


    He was somewhat worried about telling what was inside his heart up until now. Although the feeling of attraction between him and Zhou Mei was strong, he does not dare to take another step forward.


    Furthermore, as a married man with a legitimate wife, it was considered as an act of disrespect to Zhou Mei and the Zhou Family behind her. But right now, he felt somewhat at ease because he was allowed to freely speaks what he had in his mind.


    ''There''s no man in this world who does not love power and women,"


    "Even I am not excluded from this."


    "If she''s willing to follow me, then I''ll promise that to heaven or hell, that everyone will be treated as an equal."


    Qin Lan said as he carries a smile on his face.


    "Look at your face... You look so eager to devour her... Should I fulfill your wish and let you two go for it for a few days like when we''re..." Hu Jia was joking with Qin Lan, but when she remembered how excited was their first...


    Both of her cheeks and even ears turned red from the embarrassment. That was also the first time she has introduced to the world of a woman. Even thinking about that made her somewhat lost herself as she stares at Qin Lan''s lips.


    "Should I join both of you when you''re consummating your marriage when we go back?" Hu Jia said.


    Over a thousand miles away from them, someone was feeling a jolt on her body as she felt that two pairs of hands were holding her and caressing her body.


    ''Why... Why do I feel like somebody was mentioning something about me? Is it because I''m thinking something I shouldn''t right now?" Zhou Mei quickly closes the clothing drawer inside her room. What was hanged inside the drawer was none other than a red ceremonial robe a maiden would wear once in her lifetime.


    A glorious red and goldenyered marriage dress,yered with golden embroidery of phoenixes.

 Chapter 131: Aftermath (5)

    Chapter 131: Aftermath (5)


    "They''reing back..." the sight of Qin Laning back to the camp with Hu Jia in between his arms made the girls jealous for being carried like a princess.


    "I wanted to be carried like this too..." Li Dan whispered. Hearing what she just said, Shan Xiong Xin immediately tries to fulfill her wish. But the maiden struggles as they''re currently in a public ce.


    "Not here!" she whispered and gave Shan Xiong Xin a knock on his forehead. Tidying her clothing to keep up with her appearance, Li Dan politely greets Qin Lan with the others.


    "Brother Qin,"


    "Alchemist Qin,"


    "Lan-Er,"


    "Third Young Master..."


    Four different titles, but it was all used to greet a single individual. To the others, it may seem outrageous to be a jack of all, but not Qin Lan. Based on what he''s been contributing to everyone present, Qin Lan''s position can be said to be as firm Sun Wu Jian''s title as the ninth prince.


    If Sun Wu Jian were to be given the title of "Dragon amongst the men," then there won''t be aint from everyone to call Qin Lan the "Dragon amongst themoners."


    -


    (Ren-Zhong-Zi-Long = Dragon amongst men)


    (Min-Zhong-Zi-Long = Dragon amongstmoner / public)


    -


    "Everyone must be tired. Please ept Qin Lan''s apology for making all of you worried for the whole night as I fulfill my duty as her husband." Qin Lan said as his gaze turned to Hu Jia, who''s still tucked in his chest and soundly asleep.


    Without spiritual energy strengthening her body now, she was no different from amoner. Added with the fact she lost a considerable amount of blood yesterday, it was reasonable for her to remain asleep at this time.


    "How was Jia-Jia... She''s... Alright?" Qin Chan asked.


    "Might be worst, but we''ve gone through the difficult times. I''ll look for a way to make sure she''ll get back to her feet again," said Qin Lan. With Lu Qing Yuning back to the group first, everyone is likely to know about Hu Jia''s condition by now.


    There''s even a carriage made from redwood and golden wood parked nearby, where only the three convoy leaders would have. It was initially prepared to be used by Sun Wu Jian on their way back, but right now, the right to use one of these falls to Hu Jia.


    Her contribution to keeps the Bone Cultivator upied here had already exceeded what everyone else has been doing.


    "Alchemist Qin, this surname Shun has something to say." Expert Shun nodded at Expert Yi and Expert Xie before asking for Qin Lan''s permission to continue.


    "Everyone here belongs to one family. Expert Shun, please feel free to do so." Qin Lan said.


    "We''ve reported everything that urs here to his highness. Firstly, high highness is feeling upset as the battle had affected Alchemist Qin and your family member so much. He would like us to deliver his apology for not able to be by your side right now."


    "Also, his highness mentioned that in the Royal Treasury, there was a precious treasure known as the Spiritual Connecting Precelestial Root. His highness wanted us to tell you that he will spare no effort to obtain that treasure on your behalf for the sake of Lady Qin''s recovery." Expert Shun made sure that he did not miss a single word when conveying Sun Wu Jian''s message.


    "Spiritual Connecting Precelestial Root? There''s actually a treasure like this here in this realm?" Qin Lan''s expression changed the moment he heard the name of the treasure.


    "Yes, Alchemist Qin. This surname Shun dares to use my life to guarantee that not a single word I mention here is a lie." Expert Shun added.


    "This surname Yi (and Xie) willing to use our lives to guarantee expert Shun''s word too." the other two experts said.


    "Good! In that case, I really have to thank our ninth prince first. Brother Shan, I think we''rete if we considered our schedule before departure. How early can everyone be ready?" Qin Lan''s mood changed considerably after that conversation earlier.


    "What are you worried about? Li Dan is here. She''ll escort her sister-inw home without allowing her to lose a single hair. As for us, all necessary arrangement was prepared. All we need is a word from you, and we''ll be able to move." said Shan Xiong Xin.


    "Then, let''s depart as soon as possible." Qin Lan said.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Second Boss... We''re still waiting for the signal. Do you think... We should retreat?" one of the experts following Xiong Jie''s team asked for his opinion.


    "We''ll wait for another half an hour. If there''s still no signal, we''ll leave this ce and headed back to the Golden Carp Waterfall," said Xiong Jie.


    "Understood!" the expert left and went to inform the others about their leader''s decision.


    "Hehe... To think that I''ll be able to confiscate two Precelestial Grade, Heaven (Full) Treasure from robbing two women. No wonder you people are unwilling to retire but to rob, rape, and pige wherever you go." a cultivator said. There was a pair of nine-ringed swords on his back.


    "Second Boss, water." a bandit came with plenty of water bottles hung on both of his wrists.


    "Hey, bring one here as well." the cultivator said.


    "Boss..."


    "Go." Xiong Jie nodded. He was somewhat unwilling to let this man do what he likes, but he had no choice as his strength is iparable against this man.


    "Hmm... It seems something interesting is going to happen soon..." the cultivator suddenly noticed somethinging from the Ten Miles in. It was a group of people approaching by foot. Based on their light footsteps, the group of neers should be some of their own people.


    "That''s big brother, third, and fourth brother." Xiong Jie said.


    "Where is Wu You?" Lang Xue asked as he dropped Bai Yuan on the ground. It seems that the mysterious attacker who wounded Huang Ping was Lang Xue all along.


    "Since he''s not here, he''s likely captured or killed." Xiong Jie said.


    "That fool. I''ve repeatedly said to be careful." Lang Xue added.


    "Big brother... You''re going to be happy this time." suddenly, Xiong Jie whispered about something beside Lang Xue''s ear.


    "Oh? What''s up?" Lang Xue paid attention to Xiong Jie.


    "Do you remember the people from Qin Family back in the Fu-Rong Town? They''re here. That young master too."

 Chapter 132: Upcoming Battle (1)

    Chapter 132: Uing Battle (1)


    "I''ll leave everything back in the Qin-Zhou Medicine Store to you." Qin Lan kissed Hu Jia''s forehead as he ced her on top of the royal carriage. Although she no longer seems as weak as before, it would still be an arduous journey for her to travel all the way back to Fuyun City.


    "En..." Hu Jia hesitates. There seem to be some words she would like to say by looking at her facial expression. But after some consideration, Hu Jia decided that it would be better for her to keep it to her own.


    ''At this stage... I shouldn''t contribute more to his problem.'' thought Hu Jia.


    And as her husband, how can Qin Lan be unaware of what is in her mind?


    "You have something to talk to me, correct?" suddenly, Qin Lan whispered beside her ears. The way he executed it was both mysterious and sweet in the eyes of the bystander.


    "How - How do you know?" Hu Jia lowered tucked her head a little lower as she tries to hide her embarrassment. She felt like a rabbit that got caught by the ears from slightly peeking out of her burrow.


    "If I can''t even notice something like this, am I still qualified to be your husband?" Qin Lan pinched the tip of her nose slightly as he speaks.


    "Just do what you think is correct if it''s regarding the matter between Zhou Mei and myself. I''ll follow your arrangement no matter how it goes. But just promise me one thing..." roughly knowing what she had in her mind, Qin Lan continued to speak.


    "Do not give up on cultivating. Take this time to try toprehend what you''ve learned so far. When Ie back, we might follow brother Sun to the Royal Capital. There''s a treasure over there that helps to restore your cultivation." said Qin Lan.


    "En! I won''t give up. I''m willing to let go of everything, but not you. Not my cultivation. Not my family. Leave everything to me." Hu Jia said.


    "Good. Then I''ll leave everything in your hand." Qin Lan said.


    "Oh, by the way... Take a drop of the tonic from this medicinal bottle daily." Qin Lan ced a bottle made from ga material into Hu Jia''s hand.


    "Make sure you remember to take it. It will keep your body in top condition even if you''re not cultivating. If there''s nothing else, then be on your way. We''ll being back as well after a few more days." he finally willing to let Hu Jia left after finish saying what he wanted to say.


    "Sister-In-Law, I''ll rely on you to make sure she''s safe on her way back to Fuyun City." Qin Lan cupped his hand as he addressed Li Dan as his inw. That way, it also means he''s more than happy to bless the rtionship between Shan Xiong Xin and her.


    "Ah! I love hearing this! Leave it to me. With me, Li Dan, here guarding the return convoy, there won''t be a problem at all!" she said.


    "Be on your way!" Expert Shun ordered.


    "Third brother... We''ll leave first." Qin Qin and Qin Huang said as they followed Hu Jia''s carriage on horseback.


    "En. Be careful along the way. Make sure you help Hu Jia settle down before returning to the Qin Estate." Qin Lan nodded.


    After the convoy pulling the remaining convicts they capture around here left, the atmosphere changed. The smiling expression earlier all changed as they prepared to march towards the Ten Miles in.


    "Brother Qin. Based on what both expert Shun and Xie said, I believe that the possibility of Hushan Bandits trying to catch us unaware of their path is much greater." Shan Xiong Xin said.


    "If that the case, we''ll teach them a lesson for underestimating the subjugation force." Qin Lan said.


    "Haha, I''ve been waiting for this word from you for too long." Shan Xiong Xin added. Turning his head over to the men he had brought here a day ago, Shan Xiong Xin howled.


    "Are all of you ready?"


    "YES! SIR!" their reply came like a thunderp. Even the soldiers under the three experts were shocked by their response. Unexpected by all of them, every single troop led by Shan Xiong Xin was an eighth-level or ninth-level Flesh Refining cultivator!


    They''re the same quality of soldiers following Sun Wu Jian''s vanguard convoy!


    ''Where... Where did his highness found so many peaks Flesh Refining experts?'' some of them trembled in excitement as they''re able to witness an exciting battle soon.


    "Soldiers of his highness, the ninth prince of Wu, Sun Wu Jian, listen to your order!" Shan Xiong Xin said as he pulled out a token from the pocket around his chest. There were three tassels on the bottom of the engraving te.


    "Two silver tassels and one gold tassels... That''s the Vice Commander token!" all the soldiers reporting under the three experts kneeled, including the three experts. Only Qin Lan was acting indifferent about it.


    "We''re ready for the Vice Commander''s instruction!" they replied. In the loudness of their reply alone, it was not losing to Shan Xiong Xin''s 180 elite soldiers.


    "Expert Yi, Expert Shun, and Expert Xie. Each of you will lead two hundred soldiers as you depart from this checkpoint. Please control the traffic of the checkpoint until you''ve been told to proceed."


    As for the remaining three hundred soldiers, you''ll be reporting under my brother Qin as our leading force. My elite force will proceed as usual towards his highness position." Shan Xiong Xin said.


    "Is this arrangement viable,mander?" after giving out all his instructions to the soldiers present, Shan Xiong Xin''s following word made them feeling baffled.


    "Co... Commander?" the three hundred soldiers that were assignedst was a little disappointed by Shan Xiong Xin''s arrangement at first. To be put on Qin Lan''s foot soldiers were likely means they''re going to be excluded from the battle.


    But then, Shan Xiong Xin''s following word made them curious.


    ''Why would the vicemander addressed the alchemist this way?'' they asked themselves.


    Calmly, Qin Lan tapped the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade on his waist.


    A piece of token identical to Shan Xiong Xin''s appeared in his hand. Instead of two silver tassels, it was two golden tassels and one silver. This means Qin Lan''s position in this subjugation force wasn''t just a mere alchemist but amander like Huang Ping.


    "We''ve paid respect to themander of the ninth prince''s army!" everyone lowered their head, including Shan Xiong Xin, his 180 elite soldiers, and those from Qin Faction.


    "The three experts shall follow the vicemander''s instruction until the main force reaches your respective checkpoints. From there, we will follow behind andunch a grand scale attack towards the remnants of Hushan Bandits if they''re still camping between the Ten Miles in and Ninth Milestone."


    "Shan Xiong Xin. Upon contact with his highness,unch all your avable re signals. Use red res if you spotted the Hushan Bandits on your way and Green if the path is clear." Qin Lan ordered. Without Hu Jia by his side, there''s no need for him to maintain a good husband''s appearance.


    Because like Sun Wu Jian, he''s also a ruthless individual when ites to the fight for power. In front of power and rights, lives were nothing but mere dolls made from straws and grasses. Only the courageous, strong, and brave may survive through thisw of the jungle that passed down since the primordial age.


    "If there''s no question... Prepare to depart!" Qin Lan said. Qin Chan also came from behind as she ced a red cloak around Qin Lan''s shoulder.


    "YES, SIR!" they replied.


    Shan Xiong Xin''s elite soldiers were the first to depart after ten minutes of repositioning. It was followed by Expert Yi, Expert Xie, and Expert Shun. They were tasked with securing the checkpoint of the seventh, eighth, and ninth milestones while waiting for Qin Lan''s main army to arrive.


    Thirty minutester, Qin Lan''s army of close to 350 people finally departed. Each of them was given a set of specific equipment that used to be avable only to Sun Wu Jian''s vanguard soldiers.


    "Listen to my instruction carefully!"


    "When I order everyone to join the battle, you''ll activate this talisman attached to your body. Everyone will be issued with three Flesh Mending Pills to recover their wounds during the start of the battle. As for thisst pill here, take it right now, and we''ll depart." said Qin Lan.


    **Wooooo...**


    A horn is blown as the battle started to get closer to the climax.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "All of you! Get ready for battle!" Wang Xun shouted as he gathered all the remaining soldiers before him. Standing behind him is a cultivator that had his face wrapped like a mummy.


    "Senior brother... Are you sure you don''t need to rest?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "I - I''m... Fine..." Huang Ping struggles to reply. Right now, he''s only capable of executing the strength around fifth to sixth-level of Flesh Refining cultivator at most. But that did not destroy his confidence as Huang Ping feel much more collected as he strategized the battle n together with Sun Wu Jian.


    "Good. Then let''s make sure we caught that Lang Xue unaware as we try to capture all of them right where they are. By controlling this entire region also means we''re getting the right to ess to all the resources the Hushan Bandits have."


    "Only through this way can I obtain more chips to fight against my two other royal brothers in this race for the position of the crown prince!" Sun Wu Jian destroyed the teacup in his hand as he tightened his grip.

 Chapter 133: Upcoming Battle (2)

    Chapter 133: Uing Battle (2)


    "Big boss! Big boss! There''s a cloud of dusting up from the Ninth Milestone! From the way it looks, there should be more than a hundred horsemen ising at us!" said one of the bandits.


    Lang Xue''s expression changed as he listened to his subordinate''s report. Looking back at the group of experts around him, he pondered.


    A few strategies came into his mind, but none of them were good for him right now. Even an idiot could have guessed that the iing squadron is likely the elites put together from the two convoys.


    "Get ready to battle. Split our people into two groups and pincer them from both left and right!" said Lang Xue.


    Soon after his strategy was put into action, Shan Xiong Xin''s group of 180 elite soldiers came forward. Being able to meet the bandits on his way made him smile as he raised his weapon higher.


    "Soldiers! Beware of our enemies'' pincer formation! Get ready and charge towards the Ten Miles in!" Shan Xiong Xin said.


    "Forward!"


    With spiritual energy wrapped around their body, the 180 soldiers on horseback raised their momentum as they shed with the groups of bandits trying to pincer them from both left and right.


    "Battle! Do not falter!" throat was slit, and some were beheaded as Shan Xiong Xin thrust his spear left and right. The scene unfurling before them was gruesome as his elite soldiers tried to punch through the bandit''s pincer formation.


    "Move further! Rece the empty spot right there!" a few bandit officers ordered as more men were pushed onward to fill the gap.


    Shan Xiong Xin''s soldier''s momentum was strong. But even the most evident advantage will still fell short when ites to a battle against numbers. Close to thirty elites fell as they were forcefully dismounted by the bandits using their own lives in exchange.


    "Just a little more! Keep it up!" Shan Xiong Xin yelled as he pushed his spiritual energy to its peak. Although a spear wasn''t the most preferable weapon of his choice, there''s still one or two martial skills at his disposal that can be used in tandem with this weapon.


    "Rising Cloud, Soaring Dragon!" Shan Xiong Xin executed one of the most flexible art a disciple of the outer sect can learn. The martial art he disyed came forth like a soaring dragon towards the edge of the pincer formation.


    **Bam!!!**


    "Aargh!" a few bandits were killed by the attack as Shan Xiong Xin rode his horse out of the bandit''s formation.


    But their battle is not over yet. Shan Xiong Xin soon found out that he was surrounded by the elites from the Hushan Bandits. Although their number was just half of what the pincer attack has, they''re more powerful.


    "Vice Commander! Your order?" the ten closest officers of Shan Xiong Xin asked for his opinion.


    "How many men are still with us?" Shan Xiong Xin took an Essence Transformation Pill into his mouth.


    "Give and take, a little lesser than 150 people." an officer replied.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Get ready to be deployed! The men from Expert Yi and Expert Xie are here!" Expert Shun ordered. His men immediately killed the fire and torches they lit as a marking beacon and prepared themselves for the following order.


    "Order!!!" Han Xue was the first toe to the independent unit led by Expert Shun. In his hand was the yellow g that represents Han Xue''s identity as a message bearer.


    "Expert Shun, march forward. Get ready to battle!" the message brought by Han Xue was direct.


    "Shun obeys! Raise your weapon! Battle formation! To the Ten Miles in!" Expert Shun turned around and yelled.


    "Rah!!!" everyone brandished their weapon and prepared to move. Those on horseback were the fastest to react, followed by the soldiers.


    About five or so minutes after they marched, the two units of soldiers on horseback led by Expert Yi and Expert Xie quickly followed. And in ten minutes, the three groups finallybined into one entity led by onemander.


    "Expert Shun!" expert Yi and Xie cupped their hand as their numbersbined together into a force of three hundred.


    "It was an honor of this surname Shun to fight by the side of you two. Is there any instruction from themander?" asked expert Shun.


    "Themander only gives us one order." Expert Yi smiled.


    "We''ll push forward! To the Ten Miles in!" said Expert Xie.


    "Then... What are we waiting for? Men!" Expert Shun yelled.


    "Here!" the three hundred soldiers on their horseback responded.


    "Push forward to the Ten Miles in!" he said.


    ...


    The moment Qin Lan''s main forcebined with the less than three hundred-foot-soldiers left behind, a new order was given to the soldiers about 700 men strong.


    "Slithering Snake formation!" Qin Lan said. Raising the g of Qin Faction upward, the order has been passed around. Lu Yi immediately took control over the head, with Huo Zunjie taking the body and Lu Qing Yun on the tail.


    As for Qin Lan, he''s taking the role of the bait. Following him was You Qing, Han Xue, Qiang Shou, and Yi Feng with their respective team.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "We''ll march forward! Get ready for the second battle!" said Shan Xiong Xin as he pushed his spiritual energy to his limit.


    "Charge!" Shan Xiong Xin yelled as he pointed his weapon at where Lang Xue and his experts stand.


    "Charge! - Charge! - Charge!" the hundred and fifty soldiers yelled along and marched forward. But at the same time as Shan Xiong Xin moved, something else happened.


    **Woo...**


    **Woo...**


    **Woo...**


    "Vice Commander! That''s..." the sound of a unique kind of horn was blown.


    "His highness is here! Fire the red res!" Shan Xiong Xin shouted.


    **Bam! Bam! Bam!**


    Multiple red res were fired up into the sky as it illuminated the afternoon. In a blink of an eye, the situation on this battlefield changed.


    "Move forward!" Shan Xiong Xin ordered.


    "Breakthrough!" the three expert cavalries charged out of the woods and started a quick sweep against the bandits leading the pincer attack.


    And staring at the red res used by his people, Sun Wu Jian chuckled as he raised his weapon. His spiritual energy quickly burns all over his body as the influence from his Bloodline awakening gets stronger.


    "Move forward! We''ll destroy the Hushan Bandits in one sweep!" said Sun Wu Jian.


    ...


    "Big boss! What should we do now?" one of the bandits asked.


    "It''s time to use our secret weapon. Senior Wei... Please fire the signal." Lang Xue turned his attention to the cultivator from Evil Infant Sect.


    "Hehehe... What a blow... What a surprise. To think that there''s such a turnaround in this battle that supposed to be easy..." the cultivator called Senior Wei chuckled. Bringing a cylinder out from his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade, he injected some spiritual energy into the tool before firing it up into the sky.


    "Bam!" an explosion ten times greater than the red res fired by Shan Xiong Xin''s men illuminated the afternoon.


    Green and red fireworks carrying the word of ''Xie Ying Men'' soon covered the sky on top of the battlefield.


    "Xiu!"


    "Xiu!"


    Two more fireworks of the same caliber were fired from both left and right of the battlefield. This equals to the Hushan Bandits getting a reinforcement to fight against Sun Wu Jian''s subjugation force.


    "Hahaha! Battle! Let''s get into a battle!" the cultivator called Senior Weiughed.


    ...


    ...


    "Aargh! The soldiers from the two other convoys are here! We''re dead for sure!" the bandits leading the pincer attack started to get panicked as the soldiers led by the three experts charged into their ranks.


    "Attack! Don''t allow them to escape!" Expert Xie shouts as he took a leap down from his horse and fought against the bandits. The three hundred or so horsemen followed his example and charged into the bandits carrying the intention to kill.


    At this moment, capturing them alive is no longer viable. In a battle of this level, lives were nothing but dolls woven by straws and grasses. Those who were lucky may survive, but it eventually depending on what the winner decided to do.


    If they were unlucky, escaping death might be impossible. And at that time, being forced into very can be considered a lenient choice is given to them.


    About half an hour the moment their second battle started, more parties appeared from all directions.


    Sun Wu Jian''s forces came from the Ten Miles in tounch a pincer attack towards Lang Xue''s main force. The calvaries led by the three experts sessfully break through the obstacle of the bandits andbined with Shan Xiong Xin''s elites.


    On the left and right of the battlefield, two thousand soldiers joined the battle. All of them were dressed in clothing with red and green color codes.


    As Sun Wu Jian and Shan Xiong Xin''s forces were trying to execute a pincer attack against Lang Xue''s unit, the two new arrivals from Evil Infant Sect are trying to pincer Shan Xiong Xin in multiple directions.


    It was a battle to see who wouldst the longest.


    "Bam!" then, the fourth firework was fired into the sky this afternoon. And a majestic word came.


    **Qin!**


    "Brother Qin''s forces are here!" Sun Wu Jian smiled.

 Chapter 134: Upcoming Battle (3)

    Chapter 134: Uing Battle (3)


    "Move forward. Kill all that resist." the officer for the left army, Xu Xin Cheng, said. He was one of the three disciples sent by the Evil Infant Sect here this time to protect their investment with the Hushan Bandits.


    "Ho-ho-ho... Kill those skinnyds and grab me their vicemander... I wonder how he tastes like..." a female cultivator named Peng Yanughed as she stares at Shan Xiong Xin. To her, a target like Shan Xiong Xin is like a candied hawthorn in her eyes. She''s also the officer for the armying in from the right.


    The battlefield now is consisted of close to 4,400 soldiers.


    2.000 of them from the Evil Infant Sect, and about 700 on what was left of Hushan Bandits.


    As for Sun Wu Jian''s side, there are close to 600 elite soldiers from his side. Added up with Shan Xiong Xin and the three experts total of 400, that''s around 1,000 men. With Qin Lan''s arrival, their total increases to 1,700 men, but that''s still a difference of 1,000 people between the two sides.


    The moment the re signal of "Qin" illuminates the sky, a half battalion strong soldiers charged out from the woods like a slithering snake. Qin Lan was the leading officer in charge as he acted as the bait that attracted the head of the snake towards Xu Xin Cheng''s army.


    "How dare a mere worm-like formation dare to mess with me! I want two officers to lead your unit down and stall their march! Keep the head of that useless formation where they are as we mow their central unit!" Xu Xin Cheng said.


    Two g bearers of Xu Xin Cheng''s army immediately turned to their right as two hundred soldiers followed. They were led by two ninth-level Flesh Refining Layer Cultivators.


    "Move-in! Let the calvaries separates their head into two groups before our foot soldiers destroy them in a swoop! We''ll teach them the real meaning of warfare!" one of the two officersughed as he ordered.


    They were indeed confident.


    Leading about forty soldiers on horseback, the officer raised his weapon up, followed by his action.


    "Attack!" the forty or so calvaries charged forward using a spearhead formation. Serious expression is tied on their face as they''re hellbent on separating Qin Lan''s slithering snake formation.


    "Heh... How brave..." Qin Lan chuckled as his unit suddenly stopped in their track and dispersed. What''sing to greet the iing forty or so calvaries is an opened jaw of the snake swallowing the horsemen in a gulp.


    There were no shes at all as the officer and his calvaries charged into the formation. But the moment they entered the core of the Slithering Snake Formation, only regrets can be seen on their face.


    The Body Unit led by Huo Zunjie and Tail Unit led by Lu Qing Yun came forth without warning and constricted them like how a snake does to their prey. Without a chance to scream, all forty or so soldiers were beheaded ruthlessly in less than a few minutes.


    As for the remaining foot soldiers, they were met with almost the same fate.


    The head of the Slithering Snake Formation devours the foot soldiers in a gulp next before turning into tenyers circling formation. Thirty soldiers in ayer, that was a disy of three hundred beheading teeth as the lives were harvested like that.


    A little less than ten minutes were all Qin Lan needs to finish the two units of soldiers.


    "S - Sir! The two officer''s g is taken down! I repeat! The two officer''s g is... Aargh!" Xu Xin Cheng pped his messenger down from the horse as he was irritated by the report.


    "How dare a meremander mess with me? Send in three more units to keep that army upied! I want them to stop right there as we demolish their central unit!" Xu Xing Cheng ordered.


    "Yes, Sir!" three officers marching beside Xu Xing Cheng responded by moving along with their unit as fast as they could. The only differences this time is none of them dare to underestimate Qin Lan''s battle formation.


    They quickly split into a three-pronged attack as each officer pick on a section of the Slithering Snake Formation. Based on their understanding of warfare, this would be the best way to counter a tactic that relies on deception.


    But they quickly realized that deception or not, warfare is all based on a battle of numbers. With three hundred soldiers on the Head Unit and two hundred on both Body and Tail, controlling a mere hundred soldiers were nothing but a walk in a park!


    Through the advantages of two against one, Qin Lan doesn''t even need to adjust his path as they surrounded Xu Xin Cheng from the direction he came into the battle. And at this moment, the main forces led by Xu Xin Cheng finally engaged against Expert Yi''s soldier.


    "Name yourself! I, Xu Xin Cheng, will not dirty my hand killing a nobody!" this disciple from the Evil Infant Sect said.


    "Yi Xun Cheng! I am one of the proud half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer Expert of his highness, ninth prince Sun Wu Jian! Bring it on, you evildoer from Evil Infant Sect!" expert Yi epted the challenge and exchanged a blow against Xu Xin Cheng.


    At the same time, Expert Xie and Expert Shun had already started their battle against Peng Yan''s soldiers. As there was no disturbance like Qin Lan''s unit attacking them from elsewhere, this allowed her unit to focus solely on Expert Xie and Expert Shun.


    Smiling on her own specially decorated cart, Peng Yan seductively opened her leg wide. There are just a few pieces of thin garments covering her flesh. Her action made all the soldiers uncontrobly turn their heads and stealing a nce at her.


    "Do your best, soldiers... Those that managed to kill over five opponents today will be granted the privilege to impregnate me with everything you have."


    "Don''t you want to have a taste of what I have?" Peng Yan shamelessly said as she started to rub herself in front of her soldiers.


    "Woah!!!" cries were soon heard as they were aroused.


    "Let''s get rid of their vicemander first! As long he fell, the iing soldier from our rear side won''t be a problem!" Lang Xue said.


    "Then... What are we waiting for? Move out!" Xiong Jie said. Beside him, Tang Ying and Bai Yuan followed. Leading close to a hundred soldiers with them, they made their way forth as they get ready to engage against Shan Xiong Xin''s elite unit.


    Just like this, the soldier from all over the ce joined this battle. It was now time to see who will eventually reign over this me Demon Mountain.

 Chapter 135: Upcoming Battle (4)

    Chapter 135: Uing Battle (4)


    "Faster! We''ll need to be at the battlefield before it''s toote!" Sun Wu Jian ordered as he whipped the horse he''s riding. In this battle now, speed was the essence to determine which side will eventually be victorious.


    "Your highness! Please let us take the lead. It will be too dangerous for you to move in recklessly!" the three half-bone experts said as they volunteered to be the vanguard against Lang Xue''s rear unit.


    "We''ll move together! There''s no need to separate our forces just for the sake of my safety!" Sun Wu Jian replied. His expression was very determined as they close the distance between the two sides.


    "Then... We''ll follow your highness. Everyone, get ready for battle!" the experts yelled as they prepared to engage with Lang Xue''s forces.


    ...


    "Oh... Look at the youngsters..." said an elder who was seated on top of a Yao Beast. The beast below him resembles a crow, but size-wise, it was twice the size of the Crimson King.


    Right across him were two other cultivators with about the same cultivation as he does.


    One was an elder with a whisk on his hand. On his back was a in-looking sword with the word "Yun" on its decoration piece. He was dressed inpletely white attire, almost looking like a piece of cloud himself. As for the Yao Beast below him, it was a white feathered crane.


    And the one beside him was an elder with red and golden embroideries. He hardly smiles, but the sword on his back was the same as what Sun Wu Jian has. A simr Bloodline Awakening Aura can be felt from him, which exined his identity without further introduction.


    Below him was a half-breed Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacock. Although it was the weakest Yao Beast amongst the three, the spiritual energy it releases does not lose to the other two.


    "Don''t worry, two brothers... I am here just to make sure that my little Wei is safe from any harm." the elder on top of the crow said. His appearance does resemble the people from Evil Infant Sect.


    "What about you, brother Yang Wen? Who''s the brat you''re protecting this time?" the elder asked the one on top of the white-feathered crane.


    "All of my Cloud Plucking Sect''s disciple." the elder in white, Yang Wen, replied.


    "All? Too greedy... Too greedy... This is why the me Demon Mountain fell into our hands. But speaking about greed... Doesn''t the royal family seem like that too?" the elder on top of the crow said,


    "This Yunshan Province belonged to the Wu. All resources, manpower, and even a de of grass are ours. There''s no space for you to talk about greediness here." the elder on top of the Golden Peacock said.


    "Hahaha! Good word! This province belonged to the Wu... How long have I been waiting to hear this sentence..." the elder on top of the crowughed.


    "If I am you, I''ll ce ayer of defense around our chosen. In case they are destroyed by the aftermath of the battle," he added.


    The two elders looked at each other solemnly as they considered his words.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "To battle!"


    "Kill them!"


    "I''m going back tonight! I''m going to be the one to release my load into themander!"


    All kinds of cries can be heard throughout the battlefield. Some were fighting for themselves. Some did it for the country. While some bet their lives to satisfy their lust.


    But eventually, none of them were doing this pointlessly. With lives worth about the same as a doll woven from straw and grasses, only those that managed to survive are qualified to be called the winner.


    It was a difficult battle, especially on the Right nk belonged to Shan Xiong Xin''s side. Handling a thousand healthy, unexhausted soldiers led by Peng Yan and the urge to bed her makes her soldier so far the strongest on this battlefield.


    As for Qin Lan, there''s a need for changes in his n because Xu Xin Cheng is no longer falling to his Slithering Snake Formation.


    His formation was a fierce one, but that''s if his opponent keeps sending mice to feed him. Without a detachmenting out, there was nothing he can do except keep taunting his enemies.


    **Xiu**


    Qin Lan whistled. His unit that acted as the bait of his formation finally dispersed as You Qing, Han Xue, Qiang Shou, and Yi Feng led their team and returned to the army of 670 people.


    An order of restructuring their formation soon came to the ears of all Qin Lan''s officers. From the bird-eye view, it suddenly turned into a pile of mess.


    Even the elder above the white-feathered crane is puzzled by Qin Lan''s sudden change.


    "What happened to this brat? From a brilliant tactic into something like a pile of sand... Don''t tell me that''s all he amounted to?" the elder named Yang Wen asked himself.


    He was actually here for the reason to keep Shan Xiong Xin and Sun Wu Jian in check after knowing that the Evil Infant Sect had a part in this battle. But out of his surprise, there was someone like Qin Lan between the two.


    But as he was filled with anticipation of what Qin Lan is capable of doing, he was given something like this in return.


    "Don''t disappoint me, little b**tard..." the elder tapped his finger on the back of his other wrist as he continues to monitor the battle.


    ...


    ...


    "What are we trying to do here?" the soldiers waiting for Qin Lan''s order were puzzled by the changes.


    "Order from themander! Join the battle!" an order was ryed around.


    "Join the battle!"


    "Join the battle!"


    "Join the battle!"


    "Follow themander''s g! There will be no stop as we start to rush! Our destination is to chase themander''s g wherever it goes!"


    "Activate the talisman now!" the moment their order came, a sudden surge of Spiritual Energy is released from the pile of mess created by Qin Lan.


    The troops led by Qin Lan soon turned into something like a centipede. de''s aura was swirling around as it acted like a reaping scythe. And with over a hundred gs were raised, the army started to move.


    ''This... This is not a pile of a mess... It''s a beheading guillotine going to fly around the battlefield searching for head to chop!'' Elder Yang Wen''s jaw can''t be closed as he was amazed by Qin Lan''s sudden change in his tactic.


    ''Had he been nning for this?'' he wanted to go down there and ask Qin Lan. But right now, there''s no chance for him to do so. As he was amazed by Qin Lan''s execution, thetter had started by charging through the foot soldiers abandoned by Lang Xue and cutting them into two sections.


    "KILL! KILL! KILL!!!" Qin Lan screamed as the Qin Faction led the ughtering fest across the battlefield.

 Chapter 136: Warfare - Primordial Against Current (1)

    Chapter 136: Warfare - Primordial Against Current (1)


    "Fasten your pace! Support Commander Qin''s movement as we charge into our enemy''s rank!" Sun Wu Jian ordered as his weapon is raised above his head.


    Their coboration is unmatched. One running horizontally and one vertically across the battlefield, Lang Xue''s troops were crushed the moment Sun Wu Jian''s soldiers charged forward on their horseback.


    "The elite soldiers are here!" a few bandits screamed, but following after that is their head flying from getting decapitated by swords or polearms swung around.


    "What to do now, stronghold leader?" a few bandit officers that remained by Lang Xue''s side asked. It won''t take long for Sun Wu Jian to face Lang Xue and the others.


    "We fight! Gather all peak Flesh Refining cultivators by my side. Let us teach this royal prince a lesson he won''t forget!" Lang Xue said.


    ''About time... Are the two of you ready?'' the one called Wei whispered to the two cultivators standing guard behind him. From the energy undtion they released, their strength is not to be underestimated either.


    "Fellow Disciple Wei... I''m only afraid there are not enough victims for me." one of them said. The other guy remained quiet, but from how he twitched in excitement, he''s likely one of the abnormal cultivators as well.


    Coming out on the other side, Qin Lan finally found himself at the far right of the battlefield. At this moment, he''s pitting his troops into a battle against Peng Yan''s army.


    As for Sun Wu Jian, there''s nothing more he can do except praying that they''ll able to stand on their own against Lang Xue and the other experts.


    "Vice Commander! The troops that swallowed five of Xu Xin Cheng''s units have arrived at our battlefield!" one of Peng Yan''s subordinates replied. On his face was aplicated expression as he tried to control himself from looking straight at his superior.


    "Ah..." Peng Yan moaned. Hearing the report about somebody as fierce as Qin Lan arriving at her battlefield made her excited.


    "Order four of our units into a Rampart Formation. If they don''t charge in, we''ll stay defensive. If they did, then add anotheryer on where they attacked. I want them to... Ahhh... Ahhh.... Ahhh..."


    "Stay - Stay there until I''m done..." in-between of hermand, Peng Yan moaned like she found her climax from satisfying herself. But she eventually managed to finish giving out her order as she continued.


    "En... Uh! Come and give me more..." Peng Yan continued. Embarrassedly, the officer quickly left to deliver her instruction to the officers leading the four units.


    Aftering out from Lang Xue''s defense, Qin Lan took close to five minutes to restructure his army. With a little over 600 men still at his disposal, Qin Lan would have toe with a brilliant idea to use all of them efficiently.


    "Expert Xie! The pressure around us is much weaker than before. Do we keep pushing or stand firm on our ground?" a soldier beside Expert Xie asked. A simr question was asked at Expert Shun as well from where he was positioned.


    "We push forward!" both experts made a simr decision.


    ...


    "Vice Commander, the Slithering Snake Formation Unit is now at Expert Peng Yan''s side." one of Xu Xin Cheng''s officers came to report.


    Currently, Xu Xin Cheng is taking a break from his one on one battle against Expert Yi. Simrly, his opponent is taking a break now as both of them exhausted their spiritual energy.


    "Expert Yi... An order from Vice Commander Shan Xiong Xin." one of expert Yi''s officers came forward.


    "Speak." Expert Yi nodded.


    "Maintain your position and hold on as long as you could." the officer repeats what was told by Shan Xiong Xin.


    "Roger. Pass my order to all our soldiers. We''ll stay guard here." Expert Yi said.


    ...


    "Young Master, our enemy is trying to use the Rampart Formation against us. Are we going to charge forward?" Lu Yi asked. He was eager to continue.


    "No... The Talisman I gave everyone is going to lose its effect soon. What we need is a new tactic, not bravery." Qin Lan said as he studied their situation.


    ''To use a Rampart Formation immediately even before I finish restructuring my soldiers... What kind of warfaremander am I facing right now?'' Qin Lan asked himself. He''s somewhat impressed by the current Vice Commander of the Right Army.


    Furthermore, to prevent him from going overboard, two additional units were hidden in between to cover their back if the Rampart Formation is broken. This made Qin Lan unable to recklessly moe before he managed to decipher his opponent''s ability.


    ''Still waiting?'' a sex toy in the shape of male genitalia fell as Peng Yang stands up from her custom-made cart. The two eventually exchange a gaze as they studied their opponent''s uing move.


    "Heh... Challenging me?" Qin Lan chuckled. From his previous reincarnation, there are indeed a few potential warfare opponents like Peng Yan. Against someone like her, all traditional strategies are considered useless.


    And right now, to be fated to face such an opponent again made Qin Lan felt utter excitement.


    ''What a smart-looking man... I wonder how delicious he would be when I bed him for three days and three nights without stopping? Would I need more Vigor Enhancement Pill to feed him so I can suck him dry?'' Peng Yan bites her fingernail as she felt a current surging throughout her body.


    To her, only a man like Qin Lan is capable of making her feel this way.


    "Boys... Come here..." Peng Yan called. The toy that now sits on top of her cart was kicked away as her gaze turned serious.


    Leave two units to handle those behind me. I want all my remaining soldiers to turn around and face them." Peng Yan ordered and pointed her finger at Qin Lan.


    It surprises the elder on top of the crow as soon as she gave out hermand.


    "Hohoho... Did that girly from the Pengs found her target atst?" he chuckled. His remark on the name ''Peng'' made the two other elders steal a nce at him for a split second.


    "Peng? Don''t tell me it''s someone rted to the genius warfare general, Peng Likun?" they''re asking themselves.

 Chapter 137: Warfare - Primordial Against Modern (2)

    Chapter 137: Warfare - Primordial Against Modern (2)


    "The battlefield on the right nk is too quiet... Did something happened over there?" Lang Xue and Sun Wu Jian averted their gaze at Qin Lan and Peng Yan''s battlefield.


    The silence over there somewhat made them uneasy. Even Sun Wu Jian started to consider if he should send some of his men over to help his brother.


    "What are you waiting for, little prince?" Lang Xue took his weapon out as he gets ready to face Sun Wu Jian.


    "Your highness, let us face his challenge on behalf of you!" the twelve elite guards of Sun Wu Jian rode their horses forward.


    "Hey - Hey - Hey! We''re still here!" the other experts with Peak Flesh Refining strength came forward.


    "It looks like we''re somewhat equal in the number of people and strength." Lang Xue chuckled.


    "Are we?" Sun Wu Jian smiled.


    ...


    "Vice Commander, our men are ready to move at any time." the officer that''s been reporting to Peng Yan since the start until now said. The current view is much better than before as he kept wishing that the wind would blow stronger to lift Peng Yan''s skirt up.


    "Keep your eyes back to where it was. Now is not the time for you to fall into lust..." Peng Yan said. Her gaze turned fiercer as she changed from a nympho into amander from exchanging a stare with Qin Lan.


    ...


    "You''re mine!" Shan Xiong Xin made his point as his weapon stabbed through Bai Yuan''s right chest. A cheer came from Shan Xiong Xin''s forces the moment Shan Xiong Xin sessfully defeated Bai Yuan, one of the bandit leaders of Hushan Bandits.


    "Come! I''ll be your opponent next!" Tang Ying said. He rides his horse forward into the encirclement created for them to fight Shan Xiong Xin in a one-on-one battle.


    ...


    "Lu Yi,"


    "Zunjie,"


    "I want both of you to take advantage of my force and go for a pincer attack. Attack all the ces where I left a g after I move in, get it?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes, young master!" the two immediately nodded.


    "You Qing, Han Xue, Qiang Shou, Yi Feng, you''ll be my guards. Stop anyone below Bone Reconstruction Layer from getting close to me." Qin Lan turned his attention to the four subordinates he recruited after Qin-Zhou Medicinal Store is established.


    "Yes,mander!" the four of them nodded.


    "Second Sister, Lu Qing Yun. Both of you will follow me. Our target will be all the officers and experts in Bone Reconstruction Layers. Ignore all the other weaklings. Just kill and move on. The more you found and kill, the better." said Qin Lan.


    "Y - Young master... Qing Yun doesn''t have a weapon... I''m afraid that..." Lu Qing Yun lowered her head as she felt ipetent for losing the Heaven''s Strings Qin Lan gave her.


    "That''s fine. I was supposed to give you this anyway." Qin Lan pped his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade and took a whip out. Like Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s Offensive Treasure, this one is also a precious Precelestial Heaven''s Grade Treasure.


    "This Offensive Treasure is called Violet Queen Whip. As I knew, you like whips, correct? The next time if those two are acting recklessly, just use this to whip their butt." Qin Lan smiled. As her master, how can Qin Lan be clueless about Lu Qing Yun secretly practicing how to use a whip?


    If it wasn''t because Heaven''s String and this Violet Queen Whip might get in her way, it would be given to her a long time ago.


    "Thank you... Young Master..." Lu Qing Yun lowered her head as she epted Qin Lan''s gift with both hands.


    "That''s all. Get ready. I will be participating in this battle as well. Take an Essence Transformation Pill and replenish all your spiritual energy before we''re getting out. Go now!" Qin Lan ordered.


    Five minutes after he given all his instruction, they finally move out.


    Two units of a hundred men each followed Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie and separated from Qin Lan''s core army when he moves. Splitting up the four hundred soldiers into four forces, Qin Lan ordered them to march forward.


    "Attack! Destroy all four Rampart Formation at the same time!" Qin Lan''s voice echoed throughout the battlefield as the two sides of the army engaged in a heated battle.


    "He actually dares to charge right at my Rampart? Did my defense appear like a stack of unstable rock fortress?" Peng Yan chuckled. With a foot lifted and ced on the handle of her cart, she had her crotch opened a little wider as her eyes stare intensely into the battlefield.


    "Deliver my order! Move the four backup units to support the Rampart Formation!" Peng Yan yelled.


    **Woo!**


    **Woo!**


    Four units immediately move in.


    "Aargh! Don''t kill me!" one of Peng Yan''s officers begged as a sword slits through his throat ruthlessly. Moving on from one officer to another, Qin Chan went into a ughtering fest as her sword reaps the officer''s lives wherever she goes.


    As for Lu Qing Yun, her act is much more graceful. The Violet Queen Whip works like an extension of her hand while controlling her battlefield by killing the officers around her level at ease. Although her momentum wasn''t as fierce as Qin Chan, she doesn''t lose too much either.


    "Raise the g!" both of them shouted almost at the same time. This made Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie charged into the battle from two different directions. And by using the momentum built, the two punched through their enemy''s defense effortlessly.


    "Vice Commander! The two of our Rampart Formation are destroyed!" a report immediately came to Peng Yan.


    "Support the firstyer of the defensive line as soon as possible! Get the two middle formations to move left and right topensate for their losses.


    "Vice Commander! We''ve lost six officers. All four primary Rampart Formation Units are requesting support!" another soldier came.


    "Rejected. Maintain the position until thest man is standing!" Peng Yan said. She suddenly extends two fingers out after she finished giving out her order.


    "Young miss, you called?" an expert of half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer came forward.


    "Ah-Er, Lead ten men and get rid of one of the two bitches messing with my formation." Peng Yan said.


    "Yes, Mdy. I will go now." the follower called Ah-Er nodded as he waved his hand to some men positioned near Peng Yan''s cart. From the way they looked, all of them were peak Flesh Refining experts.

 Chapter 138: Warfare - Primordial Against Modern (3)

    Chapter 138: Warfare - Primordial Against Modern (3)


    "Captain, which target we''re going for?" one of the ten men following Ah-Er asked as they rode their horse closer to the two Rampart Formations in the middle. There was a scar extending from the left side of his eyebrow all the way until his chin.


    "Scarface Loong, don''t be impatient. Did you forget ourdy''s teaching? Always go for the highest value targets." Ah-Er replied. He''s still calcting the value between Qin Lan, Qin Chan, and Lu Qing Yun.


    He was torn in between the three targets as everyone seems valuable in his opinion.


    ''Who should I go for?'' Ah-Er asked himself as his team approaching thest stretch where changing their direction is no longer possible.


    ''Hmm... Taking down the first-level Bone Restructuring Layer Cultivator will take some time... Let''s take down the whip user before we y the middle target. We''ll ce the Bone Layer cultivatorst on our list!" Ah-Er ordered.


    The team of eleven men quickly adjusted their direction toward Lu Qing Yun.


    ''A detachment force? Did themander of this army read my intention in this battle?'' Qin Lan stares at the eleven soldiers heading towards Lu Qing Yun.


    "You Qing, Han Xue, you''ll be leading the attack here. Keep building the momentum until I''ve returned." Qin Lan ordered. A hint of Spiritual Energy is injected into the Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade as he headed to where Lu Qing Yun was.


    "Do not falter! Move forward!" Lu Qing Yun ordered. Another life belonged to an eighth-level Flesh Refining cultivator were taken by her as she finished her sentence.


    "Understood!" the soldiers under Lu Qing Yun''smand replied as they push forward. But their momentum didn''tst long. Barely moving forward by ten or so steps, eleven spears belonged to their enemies came and reaped their lives.


    "Not good!" Lu Qing Yun noticed their arrival a little toote.


    "Die!" a spear attack came at Lu Qing Yun''s left chest fiercely as it tries to take her life in a surprise attack.


    **Ding!**


    A loud exchange of two Offensive Treasures almost deafens the ears of those around Lu Qing Yun and her attacker. Barely deflecting the attack aside, Lu Qing Yun bounced back by a few steps along with her horse.


    "Strong... No wonder you''re assigned to hunt for valuable targets like our team." Ah-Er praised Lu Qing Yun for her reaction speed. Furthermore, the quality of her Offensive Treasure made Ah-Er jealous.


    ''Did the Precelestial Heaven''s Grade treasure now get traded like white cabbages by the roadside?'' Ah-Erined. Even his own weapon was just an Earth Grade (Half) Treasure.


    Lu Qing Yun remained quiet. She''s now surrounded by Ah-Er and his ten followers. Each of them had their eyes set on her like a pack of wolves hunting a docile sheep.


    "Humph..." Lu Qing Yun harumph as she sent ash on the floor. A hand of hers reached her inner pocket around the chest in search of something. What followed next was a drop of Precelestial Essence.


    "Don''t let her take the Precelestial Essence!" one of the ten followers of Ah-Er noticed what she had in her hand and quickly intercepted. But he was a second toote. The drop of Spiritual Energy replenishing treasure had entered Lu Qing Yun''s mouth by the time his horse moves a step forward.


    "Qing Yun!!!" Lu Yi shouts as he approached them. The Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique makes him look like he wasing in their direction by using the soldier''s head like a stepping stone.


    "Golden Bell... Whoa!" two spear attacks came at him from a different angle as he tries to execute his martial technique.


    "Do you take the ten of us as mere decoration?" two of Ah-Er''s followers turned their attention to Lu Yi as they tried to stop him from interrupting their hunt.


    "Little girl... Be obedient, and let us finish you quickly. This way, you will suffer less pain from getting cut all over before you die..." Ah-Er said.


    And in reply to his taunting, Lu Qing Yun sent ash of her whip over. The swift attack was surprisingly fueled with the energy of a peak Flesh Refining Layer.


    **Ding!**


    Ah-Er defended against the attack. But this time, he was the one that retreated for about ten steps.


    "If you''re confident that you can take me down by bringing over a few crabs and shrimps with you, then you''re overestimating your strength too much!" Lu Qing Yun said. The whip coiled and returned to her hand as soon as she finished with her sentence. Furthermore, it started to look different from before as Lu Qing Yun injected more Spiritual Energy into the Offensive Treasure.


    "Bring it on!" Lu Qing Yun raised her voice.


    ...


    ...


    Thatss is quite a feisty one... Shouldn''t she be docile like amb based on that appearance?" the elder standing on top of the crowmented.


    While at the same time, the other two elders are focusing their attention on their own valuable assets.


    ...


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Lu Yi punched the face of his opponent as he exchanges a blow with his two opponents.


    "Damn it! He''s just a seventh-level Flesh Refining Layer! How the hell did he have so much power to fight against both of us?" the other soldier panicked. Without channeling enough Spiritual Energy into the spear in his hand, he delivered a few thrusts at Lu Yi.


    **Dang!**


    The sound of two Offensive Treasures shing is heard as Lu Yi forcefully chopped his Copper Xuan Sword downward.


    "What??? Even this guy''s weapon is a Precelestial Heaven''s Grade!" Ah-Er''s follower cried as the spear in his hand was robbed from his hand due to the numbing sensation from Lu Yi''s brutish force.


    "Stop! No!" the soldier panicked.


    "Urgh!" choosing not to listen to his words further, Lu Yi stabbed his Copper Xuan Sword straight into his opponent''s chest. This change of event surprised Ah-Er and the other followers as they never thought that one of them would be the first to die in this battle.


    "Oh, shit!" the soldier that had a concussion from getting punched by Lu Yi now finally realized what kind of monster he was fighting against.

 Chapter 139: Warfare - Primordial Against Modern (4)

    Chapter 139: Warfare - Primordial Against Modern (4)


    "Urgh!" another soldier of Ah-Er fell.


    Out of sudden, three of his followers fell to the hand of these two.


    "Thunder Unit, regroup!" Ah-Er ordered as he used his spear to deflect another attack from Lu Qing Yun. He started to ask if there were something wrong with his calction.


    "Captain... This bitch is quite strong... How can her Spiritual Energy seem to be limitless?" the others were curious as well. By right, Lu Qing Yun should be out of breath right now from fighting against all of them.


    "Who knows? But since we''re already here, we might as well take down both of them before moving to another target. Be serious! We''re the proud Thunder Unit belonged to Lady Peng Yan!" Ah-Er said.


    ...


    Meanwhile, on the Army of the right Headquarter,


    "Vice Commander... Only eight people left in the Thunder Unit." the messenger said. He was drooling and unconsciously touching his private part as he was given a full view of Peng Yan''s beautiful and white backside.


    ''God of Wind... Thank you!'' his prayer was realized.


    "Ah-San!" Peng Yan''s gaze changed. There was a feeling of being fooled and plotted clouding her mind right now.


    "Mdy," the one called Ah-San came forward.


    "Go out there and help Ah-Er," she ordered.


    "Roger that." without asking too much, Ah-San left with his own unit of ten soldiers.


    ''How dare you y with me... If that what you''re asking for, then bring it on!" Peng Yan continues to study the flow of the battle.


    ...


    "Captain! Ah-San ising at us!" one of the soldiers following Ah-Er said the moment he noticed the g of ''San'' ising out from their headquarter.


    "Good! Then let''s keep them busy here. The moment Ah-San came, they''ll be as good as dead!" Ah-Er said.


    "Qiang Shou! You''ll take care of this. I''ll head to where Qing Yun and Lu Yi at. Huo Zunjie, let''s go!" Qin Chan ordered. Returning to the horse she abandoned earlier, the two of them rode their horse out of their enemies surrounding and headed straight to where the battle is getting more exciting.


    "Good! All of you shall gather at one ce so I can get rid of you all at once!" Peng Yan said.


    "Ah-Yi,e forward!" Peng Yan summoned thest servant of hers over.


    "Mdy..." Ah-Yi came forward. Amongst all of her personal subordinates, this person was the strongest.


    "Bring your people there. Capture the enemy''smander and bring him back to me. I want him alive." Peng Yan said.


    "Ah-Yi understands." her subordinate left after simply replying to Peng Yan''s request.


    ...


    Another incense worth of time passed as the battle continued.


    As there was ack of officers tomand the battlefield, this battle slowly shifts to Sun Wu Jian''s advantage. The excitement brought by Qin Lan and Peng Yan''s match also made the other battlefield lose their attraction as they started to move around without engaging in a further battle.


    Soon, the two other battlefields separate and recall all their troops as they returned to their respective camp. Those from the Hushan Bandits and Evil Infant Sectbined into a force under Peng Yan.


    "Your highness." Shan Xiong Xin returned to Sun Wu Jian''s side.


    "Is that all we have?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Yes." Shan Xiong Xin nodded. There''s a hint of regret in his heart because they''re currently left with less than a-sixths of what they have when leaving the Fuyun City.


    Furthermore, the battle earlier also cost them the lives of three experts following Sun Wu Jian. Right now, there are only three half-step Bone Reconstruction experts who remained in Sun Wu Jian''s army.


    The situation was about the same for the Hushan Bandits as well. Except for Lang Xue and Xiong Jie, almost all their experts were either captured or killed in the previous battle.


    "Junior sister Peng, why are your men still battling?" Xu Xin Cheng asked. His action was as atrocious as his attitude the moment he came beside Peng Yan.


    "Of course, because I wanted to capture themander of this right army." Peng Yan replied. It was a perplexing sight because Peng Yan pped Xu Xin Cheng''s hand away before hends his hand on her waist.


    "Why are you pping my hand away for? Did you forget about all the sweet time both of us enjoyed when we''re still in the Evil Infant Sect?" Xu Xin Cheng chuckled.


    "That''s because I''m bored of you. Don''t you realize how ugly you did earlier when the battle started? I''ve lost my interest in you, so get the hell out of my face." Peng Yan said.


    Her gaze remained at the battlefield between her and Qin Lan.


    "Urgh!" one more subordinate of Ah-Er died under Lu Qing Yun''s whip as the battle continued.


    "Damn! This bitch is starting to get on my nerve!" Ah-Er starts to lose his patience as he is still unable to get rid of this valuable target. But from the way it looks, Lu Qing Yun should be out of Spiritual Energy soon based on how tired she looked.


    As for Lu Yi, this guy already out of stamina a long time ago.


    "Captain, Ah-San is here!" Ah-Er''s subordinate reported. Everyone''s gaze became sharper as they''re getting much more confident right now.


    "Great. San, help me to get rid of thisss here." Ah-Er said.


    "Alright. Ourdy asked us to quickly capture theirmander. Did you see where he is?" Ah-San asked.


    "That weakling? He''s gone. I think he has already escaped the moment he noticed our arrival on this battlefield." Ah-Er said. There was indeed some fact in his words because Qin Lan is currently nowhere to be seen.


    "Qing Yun! We''re here!" Qin Chan shouts as she came onto the battlefield with Huo Zunjie following behind her. The two of them had taken enough Precelestial Essence to replenish their Spiritual Energy and are in their optimal condition right now.


    "Hah - Hah - Hah..." Lu Qing Yun pulled the Violet Queen Whip back and wiped the sweat away from her forehead. She''s almost copsing for fighting against so many opponents on her own.


    But their happiness doesn''t stay for too long.


    The pressure of a peak First-Level Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator surprised Qin Chan and the others the moment Ah-Yi appeared onto the battlefield as well.

 Chapter 140: Qin Lan (1)

    Chapter 140: Qin Lan (1)


    "Beauty, I will be your opponent." Ah-Yi took his sword and pointed at Qin Chan as he issued his challenge at her. The way he entered the battlefield made everyone below the Bone Reconstruction Layer tremble in fear.


    "Is this the power of Bone Reconstruction Layer we''re yet to achieve?" a few soldiers started to lost their reason to battle as the spiritual force emitted by Ah-Yi pressuring down on them.


    The feeling was like getting crushed by a pair of invisible hands ced on top of you.


    "Ah-Er, Ah-San, handle the others. Leave this target to me," he added.


    "Yes, big brother!" the two replied in tandem. With the Offensive Treasure in their hand, the two charged at Lu Qing Yun confidently.


    **Xiu...**


    Suddenly, a whistling sound came into their ears. The feeling of uneasiness started to cloud the uracy of their perception. At the moment the whistle stopped making a sound, an energy st came.


    "Sneak attack! Be careful!" Ah-Yi put on his Spiritual Energy to defend against himself. The attack vanishes in a split second, but the shooter is nowhere to be found.


    What was left after the attack is four corpses lying on top of each other as they breathed theirst.


    "N - No!!!" Ah-Er shouts. It never crossed his mind that one single attack from this mysterious individual is enough to kill four of his men at once. Furthermore, all of them were a peak-leveled cultivator of the Flesh Refining Layer.


    "What weapon is that?" the three elders on top of the battlefield suddenly showing an interest in Qin Lan''s Offensive Treasure.


    "Vice - Vice Commander! Four of Ah-Er''s subordinates..." the messenger quickly reported, but Peng Yan gave him a p in return.


    "Shut up! I''m not blind!" Peng Yan bites her fingernail as she stares intensely on the battlefield between her and Qin Lan. To her, losing a cultivator or two at once wasn''t a big deal if they could drag along a few opponents before dying.


    But dying this way without knowing who''s the one killing them were considered a waste of resources. To her, this is akin to delivering gifts to your enemies before you feeding yourself.


    "Heh... Junior sister Peng, I thought your skill in warfare is much better than I am. How can you suffer this kind of loss in a sh?" Xu Xin Cheng chuckled.


    What was happened was like a p back to Peng Yan as the situation of the battle changed.


    Out of a sudden, the pressure from Ah-Yi''s spiritual force is no longer something worrying to them.


    **Xiu...**


    The whistle blows again.


    Only this time, three of Ah-San''s followers were murdered by the shot. By the time Ah-Yi''s subordinate arrived at where the three fellow colleagues of theirs fell, only a hairpin was left by the side of their dead colleague.


    "Come out! Whoever this bastard is, I''ll make sure you''ll pay for this!" Ah-San shouted. Unable to get a ce to vent his anger, he charged into a crowd full of Lu Yi''s soldiers and decided to enact an act of revenge for his dead followers.


    "Have you ask my de first?" Lu Yi appeared beside him and swung his sword upward. Although the attack didn''t manage to get Ah-San, it still forced him back two to three steps.


    "Fine! Since you''re so eager, I''ll kill you first!" Ah-San charged at Lu Yi with the spear in his hand. As for Ah-Er, he''s engaged in a stalemate battle again against Lu Qing Yun.


    The other subordinates of the three experts also dispersed to look for their own valuable targets. Knowing that Qin Lan would take further action when the moment is here, Huo Zunjie decided to go for those opponents that prefer to act alone.


    "Junior sister,mand the other troops and strike them. What are you waiting for?" the one named Wei raised his voice towards Peng Yan.


    "Tsk..." she clicked her tongue. But knowing that it would be pointless for her to say anything, she decided to went along with it.


    **Xiu...**


    Again, another arrow came from a blind spot and killed four of Ah-Yi''s subordinates this time. In total, Qin Lan already destroyed an entire group of Peng Yan''s elite without even showing himself.


    "I - I found him!" instead, it was some random soldier that managed to spot where Qin Lan is. The shout immediately attracted the attention of three experts as they charged to where the rm came from.


    Qin Lan immediately bes the highest priority target with eleven kills without getting a scratch on himself.


    "Kill him! Do not let him live!" Ah-Yi said.


    "Yes! Let''s kill him! He cannot be left alive with that kind of ability!" Ah-Er and Ah-San nodded as they forced all their Spiritual Energy out to make sure that this target is killed.


    Like three arrows fired in the same direction, Qin Lan found out that he''s been pincered in between without a way to go. There was a smile on his face right now.


    "This brat... I can''t let him die..." the elder on top of the white-feathered crane decided to make a move. But before he happened to do anything, the elder on the crow came forward to disturb him.


    "Brother Yang Wen, this is not correct. If you''re insisting, then don''t me me for taking action as well..." he said.


    "This..." the elder named Yang Wen kept his hand back on his back. But in his mind, he''s getting ready to make a move at any time if something were to happened on Qin Lan.


    Calmly looking at his opponentsing from three different directions, Qin Lan chuckled. The spiritual Energy on the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush was retracted as it turned back into a pen in Qin Lan''s hand.


    "A brush? Men, attack! That weapon of his is a mere writing pen!" the officer that exposed his whereabouts shouted and gave an order to the others to attack Qin Lan.


    "Are you sure that this is just a mere pen?" Qin Lan grinned as nine pieces of Offensive Metal Ingot hover around his iplete treasure.


    "Pir of Kuangshan." Qin Lan gently whispered. The moment the shape of a spear starting to take form in recement of Qin Lan''s Eight Transformation Treasured Brush, the head of the offer has already be crushed into pulp from a simple thrust by Qin Lan.

 Chapter 141: Qin Lan (2)

    Chapter 141: Qin Lan (2)


    "The brush turned into a spear this time?" the three elders stared at Qin Lan excitedly.


    Six ingots turned into a six-foot-long body. Added with the tip of the spear and its pommel, it was a seven and a half foot long weapon. As for the ninth Offense Metal, it turned into the decorative tassel.


    Even after taking down the officer with a big mouth, the Pir of Kuangshan remained pristine without a hint of blood stuck on the weapon.


    "Spear! He''s a spear user as well?" The others from the Evil Infant Sect was finally able to look clearly at Qin Lan''s characteristic. Neither tall nor bulky, he''s a representation of a schr wearing Sky-Azure-colored clothing.


    The reason they seem surprised was that polearm techniques were considered a part of their heritage weapon. In the Evil Infant Sect, close to 90% of their disciples, elders, and Sect Master were Spear, ive, and staff users.


    This was also the first time Peng Yan felt something else except a throbbing sensation in her private part. It felt like a part of her soul was mesmerized and taken away the longer she looked at Qin Lan standing there with a spear in his hand.


    ''What happened to me? Why is my heart beating so fast right now?'' Peng Yan asked herself. Unconsciously to her, she no longer felt as lustful as before. The current Qin Lan before her was like a spear that can fill herpletely. All that awaits her was sending herself over as a tribute and get the deed done.


    "Ah... I - I want this man... He''s perfect..." Peng Yan whispered. But what she had no idea is her word made the two men beside her became jealous.


    In the Evil Infant Sect, Peng Yan is well known for her insatiable lust due to cultivating a forbidden martial art. To strengthen her cultivation, all she needs is to engage in sexual activity with one or more male partners. Their bodily fluid was like the world''s best tonic to her.


    But there was a w in this martial art. The higher is her cultivation, the more she''ll has to be satisfied sexually. Unable to do so will result in her getting into a Spiritual Qi Deviation. That is also why she was seen traveling on a customized cart like the one she''s using right now.


    Even the two men beside her were a few of her rumored cultivating partners. Hearing her mentioned that Qin Lan was a perfect one for her would eventually make them jealous.


    "You bitch... If you need a man, all you need is just ask us. If one of us is not enough, both of us cane forth and satisfied you for three days three night." the one named Wei said. He''s unwilling to be underestimated by Peng Yan just because she had her eyes on Qin Lan.


    "You? Heh... Even ten of you weren''t enough to fill me for a night, let aside three days. Senior brother Wei, perhaps you should stop visiting the brothel too often and preserve your stamina..." Peng Yan replied with a squinted look.


    Their two faces turned uglier after hearing what Peng Yan has to say about their "performance."


    As for Peng Yan, her eyes continue to stare at Qin Lan intensely as she tries to measure how amazing could this man be on the bed.


    "Don''t disappoint me... Heh..." she chuckled.


    "Er! San! Keep him busy! I''ll make sure he''ll die in a single move of mine!" Ah-Yi said. He purposely lowered his speed as he gathered a sizeable amount of Spiritual Energy on the tip of his spear to deliver a one-shot-kill attack.


    "San, let''s go!" Ah-Er nodded. The two of them immediately engaged in a heated battle against Qin Lan once they got into the range of their Offensive Treasure. Three polearm ss weapons shed against one another as they''re trying topete in terms of spear mastery.


    **Tang - Tang - Tang**


    *Zup!*


    Qin Lan effortlessly created a few cuts on their shoulder and waist without the need to extend his weapon''s reach. There''s not even a hint of worry shown on his face as he was forced to fight against two peak-level Flesh Refining Cultivators at once.


    ''How the hell can a seventh-level Flesh Refining fight against two of us equally? This guy is much monstrous than the girl there!'' Ah-Erined in his heart as he was still unable to break Qin Lan''s defense.


    Worst of all, the two of them were instead suppressed by Qin Lan effortlessly as they struggle to break his tight defense.


    "Good! What a good seed!" the elder on top of the white-feathered crane praised Qin Lan as he felt at ease. But across him, the elder on top of the crow is showing a hint of dissatisfaction.


    "What are the two doing? And that first-level follower of thatss... What is he waiting for?" a hint of impatience is shown on his face as he hopes that they''ll get rid of Qin Lan faster before he continues to grow.


    "Brothers! Let''s do this!" Ah-Yi shouted as he appeared about ten steps behind Qin Lan. A red pill was fired at the ground five steps before reaching Qin Lan to creates a cloud of red mist that blocks Qin Lan''s vision.


    "Poison?" Qin Lan chuckled.


    "You should feel honored to die under the formation attack of us three!"


    "River Flowing Spear Technique! Triple City Toppling Formation!" Ah-Er said. The power behind his spear is akin to a broken dam where the water is spilling nonstop to flood the city. In this case, Qin Lan was the city that had its freedom restricted.


    "Descend of hundred Pengs! Triple City Toppling Formation!" Ah-San continued. Launching his attack from above, his spiritual energy behind the spear came at Qin Lan like a blizzard rain. Each of his attacks is strong enough to topple the towers and walls.


    As for Ah-Yi, his attack is not as shy as the other two.


    "Horned Dragon Entering the City! Triple City Toppling Formation!" Ah-Yi''s attack was like a charging dragon on its course. There was nothing on this battlefield is capable of defending against his charge.


    "Heh..." Qin Lan chuckled as he faced the three strikesing from different directions.


    "Tomes of Kuangshan Lu Sect! Sect Destroying Spear!" bluish Spiritual Energy gathered on the tip of Qin Lan''s spear, destroying everything in its path.


    Even the elders were surprised by Qin Lan''s move.

 Chapter 142: Qin Lan (3)

    Chapter 142: Qin Lan (3)


    A blinding azure light appeared at Qin Lan''s battlefield.


    In that split of a second before the attack arrives, Qin Lan made his move. His usual golden Spiritual Energy turned into azure-colored the moment he pushes them to his limit.


    Although the appearance he triggered was simr to what his opponents did with their weapons, it wasposed uniquely.


    If what Ah-Yi, Ah-Er, and Ah-San did with their Spiritual Energy is resembling how a piece of wet y is pped onto their treasure, what Qin Lan was doing is akin to fixing an arrowhead into the shaft.


    What his opponent did was known asyering. It was merely a method that branches out from the application of Spiritual Energy. Layering made the weapon distinct, flexible, and more durable. It was akin to putting ayer of protective film on top of the treasure.


    A simr technique can be used on the cultivator''s flesh too. Although it can be applied using a simr method, the procedure is slightly different. That''s because too durable would make it harder for the cultivator to move, and too weak would render all the effort pointless.


    But such a challenge was not worthy of mentioning in front of Qin Lan at all.


    To Qin Lan, their method of application is akin to the work of an inexperienced pottery craftsman. Although theyering itself was applied thoroughly without a leaking point, that was all they could do.


    It was on a totally different levelpared to Qin Lan''s method of application.


    Instead of merelyyering his Pir of Kuangshan with the rough and unpolished Spiritual Energy, Qin Lan chooses to coat his treasure with ayer of refined Foundation Qi.


    And what is Foundation Qi? Like everyone else, the Spiritual Energy within one''s bodyes in golden color under its default setting. But only those with higherprehension are capable of refining the Spiritual Energy, in this case, Spiritual Qi, into Foundation Qi.


    Hence, the differences in the color and their quality.


    Their differences were likeparing a Flesh Foundation Pill with Bone Foundation Pill. Although the value of a physical number is still the same, the content hidden within the physical number itself is vastly different.


    Only those with the cultivation above the middle-attainment rank in Bone Reconstruction Layer couldprehend the mysteriousness behind the azure-colored Foundation Qi used by Qin Lan.


    Of course, not being able toprehend the Foundation Qi wouldn''t impede them in their aim to reach the peak of the Spiritual Root Layer. But it will undoubtedly limit their growth within this Precelestial Realm.


    Perhaps in the entire battlefield right now, only the three elders hovering above the battlefield could understand how Qin Lan overpowered three opponents stronger than him effortlessly.


    ''This brat... What kind of fortunate encounter or master did he meet to achieve such an understanding in the world of cultivation?'' the three elders asked themselves.


    Amongst the three of them, only the elder on top of the Golden Peacock managed to grasp a hint of knowledge rted to the Foundation Qi. Furthermore, that''s after his royal brother spent tons of resources in exchange for that short brief moment of enlightenment.


    At this moment, Qin Lan immediately bes the prioritized target in the eyes of the three elders.


    For the first time ever, all three of them had a collectively same opinion about Qin Lan.


    (If I cannot keep him with me, then he''ll have to be killed before he grew into a threat!)


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Three opponents, two of them in the peak of the sameyer and one with ayer above, ended up in a failure as their lives were taken by the Offensive Treasure in Qin Lan''s hand.


    In front of Qin Lan''s Pir of Kuangshan, the trio with cultivation above him were no different from figurine made from soft y.


    His first attack went to Ah-San first.


    Using the "One Spear Thrusting Through the Mountain" signature Technique, Qin Lan spear extended two-foot further beyond his reach. The attack impaled Ah-San before he could scream.


    After that, the spear itself turned into a de of energy as Qin Lan swung the spear downward. Treating the spear as a de, he cut Ah-Er into two before turning his attention to Ah-Yi behind him.


    It was a perfect execution of three martial moves in a second.


    By changing how he holds the spear, Qin Lan ended this battle with a bang as the Pir of Kuangshannded on the ground. Perhaps even Ah-Yi himself couldn''t believe that he was beheaded by Qin Lan using a simple half-moon swing technique.


    The battlefield returned to its silence after everyone witnesses how Qin Lan effortlessly killed three valuable targets from the Evil Infant Sect.


    "Wo..."


    "Wo..."


    "Woah! Praise themander!"


    "Praise our mightymander!"


    Loud Battlecry deafens the entire battlefield as the enemy''s Rampart Formation copsed. With only thirteen elites remained out of thirty, they''re no longer fit to continue the battle.


    They were escaping from the battlefield in multiple directions, and some even killed themselves out of desperation. The scene was mind disturbing for a moment as Qin Lan''s troops went forth and captured as many they can before returning to their main force.


    "Junior sister Peng Yan... Call all of them back here." the one named Wu ordered as he turned around and left. Xu Xin Cheng was remaining quiet as well. Without making ament, he too left and returned to his own tent.


    At that night, the location between the Ninth Milestone and the entrance to Ten Miles in became their resting area before resuming the battle tomorrow morning,


    "Commander!"


    "Commander!"


    "Commander!"


    Everyone was greeting Qin Lan in a full salute wherever he goes.


    Lifting the curtain that blocked the visibility into themander''s tent, Qin Lan entered and greeted everyone who waited for him.


    "Brother Qin." Sun Wu Jian cupped his hand together the moment the hero for today entered the tent. Everyone quickly followed Sun Wu Jian''s gesture as they collectively stand up before Qin Lan.


    "At ease, everyone. Let''s skip the formalities." Qin Lan replied.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    == == == == ==


    Readers. We''re getting closer to the end of volume 3 in the next ten or so chapters. Would you mind giving me an idea of what you''re looking for in the next arc?


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 143: Qin Lan (4)

    Chapter 143: Qin Lan (4)


    "Elder." the three Evil Infant Sect disciples kneeled before the elder with a crow.


    "Humph! What a disappointing performance today. To think that the disciples from our Evil Infant Sect just amounts to this..." the elder threw the cup away as he harumph. Staring deep into the eyes of the three youths, he had the urge to give them a p right on the spot.


    "Especially you! What were you doing from the beginning of the battle? Losing five units in a blink of an eye... Did the Evil Infant Sect feed you with mud for you to perform this badly?" the elder throws a ball of Spiritual Energy to attack Xu Xin Cheng.


    "Urgh!" the pitiful Xu Xin Cheng coughed a mouthful of blood out as he rolled on the ground after receiving the attack.


    "El - Elder..." Xu Xin Cheng quickly kneeled as he worried about incurring more of his wrath.


    "Get the hell out of my tent. You too, Wei-Er." the elder waved his hand and ordered both of them to get lost from his sight before they make his mood worst.


    Like they were released from the prison, Xu Xin Cheng and the one surname Wei cupped their hands together and left the tent in a hurry. From the look of it, they''re afraid that the elder will change his mind if they were a second slower.


    "Peng Yan... I''m very disappointed with what happened today. How am I going to tell your father and master when we get back?" the elder shook his head to show his disappointment in her performance today.


    "Peng Yan will do better tomorrow. Please forgive this disciple for performing poorly today."


    "You better be. Don''t repeat what you''ve done today." the elder said.


    "Also... Make sure you use those from the Hushan Bandits as the vanguard tomorrow. They''re starting to lose their value for our Evil Infant Sect, so dispose of them if it''s possible.


    "Yan-Er understood. I shall not disappoint the elder''s expectation tomorrow!" Peng Yan cupper her hand and left the tent to prepare herself for the battle tomorrow.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Brother Qin, let''s drink." the situation on the camp across the Evil Infant Sect is different. After attending the elders in their respective tents, those from the same generation gathered as they proposed a toast for today''s victory.


    The scene of Qin Lan in three of his opponents effortlessly is still clearly glued in their minds. It was followed by the scenes of how his Slithering Snake Formation and Guilotoine Formation moves next.


    Their drinking party went on for an hour, but after that, some people left the tent when it was time for them to speak about crucial matters.


    Only Sun Wu Jian, apanied by Huang Ping, Wang Xun, Qin Lan, and Shan Xiong Xin, was left in the tent after sending everyone else away.


    "Let us get back to the topic. Brother Qin, I would like you to lead our remaining army for our final push tomorrow." Sun Wu Jian said. Based on the silent treatment shown by Huang Ping and Wang Xun, both of them had likely agreed on this proposal before bringing it up in front of everyone.


    As he finished his sentence, Sun Wu Jian pushed a golden tiger tally over to Qin Lan. This tally was the holder of authority for allmanding rights of an army. Not even Huang Pingid his hand on it before.


    "Your highness, please forgive Qin Lan for saying this, but the final battle would have to bepleted by your own hand. This is not my battle, but yours." Qin Lan said as he pushed the tally back to Sun Wu Jian.


    "Brother Qin, the battle tomorrow is going to be thest. Without you, I''m afraid that..." Sun Wu Jian stopped the golden tiger tally froming further back to his side. But he eventually did not finish asking the question because Qin Lan is very firm when ites to his decision.


    "May I know why?" after considering all the possibilities, Sun Wun Jian asked.


    "You''re a ruler. I am just a general. This is not a battle for me to rose to fame. It is yours. I hope that you''ll understand this simple fact." Qin Lan moved his hand away from the tally and went to grab the cup of wine before him.


    The moment the cup of wine moistened his throat, Qin Lan sighed.


    "Sun Wu Jian... You should stop caring about things that weren''t in your control. This is not befitting a ruler that pursuing the path of virtue." Qin Lan said.


    ...


    Unknown to the five of them, their conversation was actually monitored by the two elders.


    ''What a good word. You''re a ruler. I am a general.'' the elder with the golden peacock nodded after hearing Qin Lan''s words.


    Likewise, the elder with the white-feathered crane as well.


    "Brother Yang, the Cloud Plucking Sect have found themselves a good seed. If he was groomed with all your resources, I''m sure that the Cloud Plucking Sect wouldn''t lose in the three great sects selection when it''s time for the gathering." said the elder in his royal robe.


    "Let''s not think too much for now. The Cloud Plucking Sect has no intention topete with the other two." the elder replied.


    "Intentional or not, there are only three great sects in our Country of Wu. Willingly or not, the Cloud Plucking Sect would have to be a part of it."


    "With nine princes and princesses pitting against one another for the position of the crown prince, don''t you think it is time to choose one? Look at the youngsters. This is a path they''ll have to walk no matter what."


    "It will be the same to the Cloud Plucking Sect. You can either continue to walk forward or be left behind..."


    ...


    "Then... Brother Qin, please support me." Sun Wu Jian raised his cup before Qin Lan and earnestly asked.


    "Of course!"


    "Let''s start by taking off your clothes." Qin Lan said.


    "What? Our... Our clothes?"

 Chapter 144: Final Battle (1)

    Chapter 144: Final Battle (1)


    "Get yourself ready. Polish all your weapons and feed your horses! This battle today will be ourst, so put in everything you have to win this for his highness!" the officers making their rounds from one tent to another said.


    There are only a total of 900 soldiers remained in Sun Wu Jian''s camp. Furthermore, this figure is after it added up with the remaining troops under Qin Lan''smand. That was less than one-sixth of the total force remaining.


    That was the ugly truth in this world dominated with strength. Only those with luck, ability, and persistence survive.


    Walking out from his tent, Huang Ping revealed a sharp gaze as he recovered a part of his strength. Although it was just a seventh-level Flesh Refining cultivation, that is more than enough for him to participate in this final battle.


    Along with Wang Xun beside him, the two went into Sun Wu Jian''smander tent for a final briefing before engaging in a battle of wits against their biggest enemy across the Ten Miles in.


    "Your highness," Huang Ping and Wang xun greeted their liege the moment they entered his royal tent. A few other people have already been waiting inside even before the two arrived.


    "Commander Huang. Vice Commander Wang," the three experts of half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer greeted the two when they step inside the tent. Two soldiers immediately dusted the chair beside Sun Wu Jian for them to have their seats.


    "Three experts are too polite. Please return to your seats." Huang Ping and Wang Xun returned their gesture.


    "Commander, Vice Commander, please have a tea and breakfast first..." some female attendants soon came forward and served them both with some deep-fried cakes and dough sticks.


    "Brother Sun," Shan Xiong Xin was the next one toe into the tent. He was quickly served simrly to the others.


    Qin Lan was thest to arrive in this tent. His group was also thergest as he came with Qin Chan, Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie. The twelve of them were people with the highest authority in this army right now.


    They were seated on the left side of Sun Wu Jian.


    "Since everyone present, let us start our strategy meeting for today''s battle. There are a total of 900 soldiers left at our side. As for our enemies, the scout reported that their number is around 1,200."


    "The interrogation on our captives also allowed us to roughly estimate the number of experts still left in the opposition side. We believe that only Lang Xue and Xiong Jie are the only two who remained of the Hushan Bandits."


    "As for the Evil Infant Sect, we believe that there''s close to eight peoples. Two amongst them were first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer experts." Sun Wu Jian repeated what was reported to him this morning.


    "This battle is going to be a difficult one... Handling the two first-level experts is going to be trouble," said Qin Chan. Right now, she was the only first-level Bone Reconstruction expert in the tent. Furthermore, Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, Huang Ping, and Qin Lan was still a seventh-level Flesh Refining expert.


    In her opinion, no matter how skillful are their own people, forcefully engaging against an opponent stronger than themselves would alwayse with a risk.


    "This is the reason I gathered everyone here today to discuss what will be our n. In everyone''s opinion, which one of these experts will be our biggest threat in this battle?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    Everyone started to look at each other as they think about which name to be brought to their attention.


    "I''ll start first." Sun Wu Jian raised his hand up.


    "Lang Xue, from the Hushan Bandits. Wei Hu Xuan and his nameless subordinate, both from Evil Infant Sect." Sun Wu Jian''s pick was indeed the top three of their concern. They were also the experts who killed three of Sun Wu Jian''s most dependable half-step Bone Reconstruction cultivators.


    "Your highness, please include us as part of your force to keep one or two of their experts upied." one of the Elite Soldiers of Sun Wu Jian said. There are only nine of them left out of twelve. If it was not because Qin Lan was making a great wave on his battlefield yesterday, perhaps more than half of them are dead by now.


    "No. Even if all of us died, the nine of you must be by our prince''s side. You''re not allowed to move more than ten steps away from his highness," said Huang Ping.


    "But,mander!" one of them cupped their hand and tried to kneel.


    "No, This is an order." Huang Ping then tossed a token on the floor between them and Sun Wu Jian. It was a modest token made of wood. Except for the fact it was carved using hand from one stroke to another, there''s also a word (Chancellor) engraved on the token.


    "That''s... That''s the order of the chancellor!" the nine elite soldiers gritted their teeth hard as they unwillingly obeyed Huang Ping''s order. It even surprised Qin Lan because such an effect can be achieved by bringing out a simple token.


    ''I wonder who exactly is this chancellor and teacher of Sun Wu Jian and Huang Ping? To control nine peak Flesh Refining Experts with his token alone... How amazing could he be?'' Qin Lan stares deeply into the token and studies the humble te from afar.


    ''What? To think that there''s a Formation of Heaven''s Blessing hidden within the token... No wonder he''s able to get their respect... What a virtuous figure... I can''t wait but to meet him.'' Qin Lan nodded and took a sip of the tea on his table.


    "Let me handle the one called Wei Hu Xuan from Evil Infant Sect. Even if I''m unconfident about killing him, keeping him upied until the battle ended shouldn''t be a problem for me," Qin Chan said. As the one with the highest cultivation in this tent, it was her responsibility to keep the strongest one in check.


    "As for the other first-level Bone Reconstruction expert, let both of us face him together. We might lose our lives, but we''ll promise that we will keep him upied until the end of the battle." Elder Shun and Elder Xie offered to face the next Bone Reconstruction expert.


    "What about Lang Xue?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Let me handle him." Shan Xiong Xin offered to take the challenge. But Expert Yi has a different point of view.


    "Commander Shan, the job to handle Lang Xue should be left to me. After all, I am the only half-step expert here without a proper opponent." Expert Yi said.


    "No, Expert Yi. Although Lang Xue might be a difficult opponent, he''s still a peak Flesh Refining Layer cultivator. You have experience fighting against Xu Xin Cheng from the Evil Infant Sect before, so please continue to dy him as long as you could." Shan Xiong Xin said.


    "Then, let both of us give you a support, Expert Yi!" Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie volunteered to give Expert Yi a hand and face against two helpers standing beside Xu Xin Cheng.


    "That''s great! With the help of you two, I''m confident that even if I can''t win, keeping him upied won''t be a problem at all!" Expert Yi cupped his hands together at Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie as he expressed his gratitude for their support.


    But before that, the two still need Qin Lan''s approval.


    "Why are both of you looking at me? If you''re confident, then go for it. The Kuangshan Lu Sect disciples are all heroic experts, not underhanded cowards." Qin Lan smiled as he was happy that the two had now started to have their own target in their lives.


    Although he was responsible for grooming them, what Qin Lan was looking for is experts capable of thinking and deciding for themselves.


    "Then... Please allowed both of us to apany Expert Yi and keep the opponents in check. We will not bring shame to the Qin Faction and our young master!" the two of them bowed slightly and said.


    "Good!" Qin Lan mmed the cup of tea in his hand down on the table. The preciseness of his use of strength was so sharp and refined, where it only leave a dent on the ground, but not the table nor the cup.


    "What the... Is this something one can do after mastering the use of Spiritual Energy?" everyone was quiet as they wait for Qin Lan''s word.


    "Me and Wang Xun will handle the remaining expert serving Wei Hu Xuan and Xiong Jie." Huang Ping said.


    Then... Me and Qing Yun will face Peng Yan and her subordinate." Qin Lan said.


    "Good! Let''s go with this arrangement." Sun Wu Jian said. With all the targets has been marked, they appeared in front of their loyal soldiers.


    "All soldiers of the ninth prince Sun Wu Jian, listen to your order!"


    "We''ll divide you into three different armies. The first army will follow Commander Qin, the second army with Commander Huang, and the third army with me!"


    "Our target is destroying the Hushan Bandits, kicking the men from Evil Infant Sect out of the me Demon Mountain, and take control of this region of Yunshan Province!"


    "Soldiers... This will be our final battle. Victory to the Country of Wu!" Sun Wu Jian shouted.


    "Victory to the Country of Wu!"


    "Victory to the Country of Wu!"


    "Move forward! Our target is to defeat our enemies and kick them out from this me Demon Mountain! March forward!"


    Simrly, those from the Evil Infant Sect are prepared to end this war today.


    "All soldiers! Move forward!" Peng Yan ordered as she changed into a battle robe that covered her modesty. Right now, she resembled a qualified general of an army.

 Chapter 145: Final Battle (2)

    Chapter 145: Final Battle (2)


    "Forward!" Peng Yan ordered. The two gbearers by her side keep waving the gpoles in their hand to give themand to those moving forward.


    With 1,200 men at her disposal, Peng Yan divided her troops into four armies. It was helmed by Wei Hu Xuan, Xu Xin Cheng, Lang Xue, and herself.


    Except for her army, the other three all move forward to engage against Sun Wu Jian''s troops. The first army led by Sun Wu Jian will intercept Wei Hu Xuan, with Huang Ping against Lang Xue and Qin Lan against Xu Xin Cheng.


    "Looks like I''m going to face you in our decisive battle today!"


    "Come! Let me see what ability you have!" Xu Xin Cheng pointed his weapon forward and led his three hundred soldiers toward Qin Lan''s army. Following beside him are his two subordinates, likely from the Evil Infant Sect too.


    "Let''s go!" Qin Lan followed. The Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in his hand took the shape of Qiankun Golden Sword this time as he led his army forward. Apanying beside him are Expert Yi, Lu Qing Yun, Lu Yi, and Huo Zunjie.


    "Let''s do it!" the two armies immediately engaged in a heated battle without any deception in this frontal attack warfare. There was only Spiritual Energy, martial arts, and bravery in ount here as the blood started to pour from their wounds.


    "Kill." both sides howled and exchanging their attack.


    Likewise, Shan Xiong Xin, Huang Ping, and Wang Xun traveled together against Lang Xue, Xiong Jie, and one of Wei Hu Xuan''s subordinates. The battle over here started almost the same time as Qin Lan''s battlefield.


    Only Sun Wu Jian''s battlefield remained quiet as they took things slowly by sending out a third of the 300 soldiers to battle. As the opposition side only sent another follower of Wei Hu Xuan out, Expert Shun and Xie are sent out to keep him upied.


    "Hahaha... Looks like the prince is trying to keep me here upied. Who is the expert he sent out to handle me?" Wei Hu Xuan smiled as he checked the battlefield for potential targets.


    "Don''t tell me... Is that girl?" he chuckled as he noticed Qin Chan''s arrival in Sun Wu Jian''s army.


    "A girl again! Good!" Wei Hu Xuan''s mood was delighted as he equipped the two Heaven''s Grade Treasures and started to move forward with the remaining two-thirds of his troops.


    "He''s the one that injured Qing Yun and Jia-Jia?" me of anger appeared in Qin Chan''s eyes as she tightened her fist hard. A few bone-cracking sounds are heard from what she was doing.


    ...


    ...


    "Commander... Are we going to stay idle here without moving?" Peng Yan''s messenger asked. From the way he looks, he seems to be eager to join the battle as well.


    "Be patient. It is not our time to move yet. Just make sure you monitor the battlefield between Xu Xin Cheng and their opposingmander closely..." Peng Yan yed with her hair as she replied. From the way she looks, she still not giving up on possessing Qin Lan.


    To her, a man like him was one in a million. Perhaps not even Wei Hu Xuan is capable of repeating what Qin Lan had done yesterday.


    "Expert Yi, I''ll depend on you to keep this guy in check. Lu Yi, Huo Zun Jie, do your best as I lead the soldiers forward," said Qin Lan.


    "We understand. Young master, please go ahead without worrying us." Lu Yi nodded. With the Copper Xuan Sword and Silver Ling Sword in their hand, the two participates in battle by following behind Expert Yi closely.


    "Qing Yun. Bring a unit and attack them from the left. I''ll take control of the right. Let''s march forward and destroy as much as we could and force Peng Yan to join the battle!" Qin Lan ordered.


    "The enemy expert ising over! Prepare the weapon!" an officer from Xu Xin Cheng''s army ordered as he pointed at the iing Qin Lan from not far away.


    A weapon like a ballista is then raised and aimed at Qin Lan before it was fired. By absorbing a few Flesh Refining expert''s Spiritual Energy, a bolt was shot at where Qin Lan stands.


    And although the weapon''s rate of fire is low, it was urate. Even Qin Lan was forced to defend against that attack using all his might.


    Bounced back close to ten or so steps from taking the attack, it made Lu Qing Yun anxious as her attacking momentum stops right on her track without moving forward.


    This allowed their enemy to keep pushing forward after Lu Qing Yun is distracted from what she was supposed to do.


    Angrily, Qin Lan pointed his finger in Peng Yan''s direction as an order to the attentive Lu Qing Yun. But s, his action was a little toote because, at this time, Xu Xin Cheng''s forces led by two other officers from Peng Yan''s camp had been ready for them.


    "Move forward and don''t allow them to restructure their formation!" one of the officers said. The formation of the Shield and Sword of his was powerful, to the point that even Qin Lan found it hard for him to punch through unless he put more effort to creates a difference.


    After sessfully keeping Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun on the spot, anothermand came from Peng Yan after the army marched ten steps forward.


    "I''ll see what warfare and deception you''re going to show me today," said Peng Yan. Her expression is much more resolute than yesterday as she ced all her attention in orchestrating today''s battle.


    "I might have lost close to 700 soldiers to your hand yesterday, but you shouldn''t take me lightly. On a battlefield between two strategists, only one opportunity is needed to pull apart the differences between two sides for one to achieve a victory.


    "And today, I will not lose to you again!" said Peng Yan as she raised her hand again and giving out anothermand.


    ...


    "Brother Qin seems to be in trouble!" Sun Wu Jian was slightly worried about the situation at Qin Lan''s battlefield as it wasn''t as exciting as yesterday. But at the same time, he was upied on his own battlefield. The remaining two-thirds of his army is yet to participate in the battle because of Wei Hu Xuan''s dy.


    Both sides were waiting for a decision toe out in the battle between Expert Shun and Xie''s fight against Wei Hu Xuan''s first-level Bone expert.


    And just like Qin Lan and Lu Qing Yun''s battlefield, this battle is as exciting as it could get because of the fight between three Bone Reconstructuring experts.


    "What the two of you were doing is just buying a few minutes for your liege before we eventually trample all of you! Why do you insist on struggling so much if you know you''re going to lose anyway?" the subordinate of Wei Hu Xuan asked.


    Suddenly, his hand agilely moves. He was imitating the action of a snake trying to imnts its fang into the target''s chest. Furthermore, his palm was covered in a red blob of Spiritual Energy as he tries to aplish his purpose.


    "Urgh!" Expert Shun felt like his ribcage has curved in from the attack. Gritting his teeth together hard, he tried his best to defend against this blow as Expert Xie''s fist aimed at Wei Hu Xuan''s subordinate.


    "You''ll soon know that it is pointless to try and break the defensiveyer of a fully advanced Bone Reconstruction Cultivator!" Wei Hu Xuan''s subordinate said.


    "Eh? What is this?" but before he couldugh, he noticed that the w of his on Expert Shun does not feel as satisfying as he thought after his attack arrived.


    The clothing over Expert Shun''s chest was torn off after that as he revealed a thinyer of Poisonous Scale Lizard Armor. This was what he prepared today with Expert Xie to bring their opponent down with them.


    "Poi - Poison! To think there''s a Scale Lizard Armor protecting your flesh!" the subordinate of Wei Hu Xuan tried to retreats. But Expert Xie''s fist came and struck his spine like a blow from a hammer.


    "Urgh!" the subordinate coughed a mouthful of blood after receiving that attack absent-minded.


    "Foolish..." Wei Hu Xuan''s expression immediately changed after witnessing what was happening on the battlefield. Raising his palm up, he swings his hand forward as hemands the two hundred soldiers behind him to take action.


    "Expert Qin, it''s your turn!" Sun Wu Jian said. His hand was raised just like Wei Hu Xuan.


    "Leave everything to me! I promise I''ll keep him here without a chance to move forward!" Qin Chan responded. The imitation Qiankun Golden Sword appeared in her hand when she released her Spiritual Energy. Apanied with a loud roar, Qin Chan bes the first person to ride her horse forward.


    ''Qing Yun, Jia-Jia... I''ll make sure to grab the Precelestial Grade Heaven''s Treasure back from this bastard for both of you! Let me show all of you how powerful is your second sister!'' Qin Chan whispered.


    "All soldiers! Charge!" Qin Chan yelled.


    "Attack!" Sun Wu Jian''s order followed.

 Chapter 146: Final Battle (3)

    Chapter 146: Final Battle (3)


    "I can''t believe that there are two idiots like you both are here. Did the Cloud Plucking Sect out of people? To send two seventh-level Flesh Refining cultivators to fight against both of us?" Xu Xin Cheng''s subordinates, who were a pair of twins, said as they mocked both Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie.


    "Idiots? This is the first time I''ve seen two ninth-level experts mocking people two levels below them as idiots. If we''re idiots, then our master would be one too for letting us have two Precelestial Grade Heaven''s Treasure to have fun with." Lu Yi replied.


    The Copper Xuan Sword in his hand was unsheathed and sheathed repeatedly to annoy his enemies.


    "Don''t mind their word, you idiot. You see, this is why they''re calling you an idiot. It''s because you''re always answering things that shouldn''t be answered." Huo Zunjie used his sword to give Lu Yi a tap on his back.


    "That''s quite a nice sword you both got there. What about sharing it over so we can enjoy ying with some sword technique as well?" the two continued.


    "Sure! If you can take it from us, I don''t mind letting you have fun with it," replied Huo Zunjie.


    "Of course, if you manage to grab it..." on the next moment, he appeared right beside one of them as the Silver Ling Sword shed against their spear.


    One of the twins retreated two steps to stabilized himself. Following that, he made a quick turn as he changed the way how he holds the spear. The weapon soon punches out like a battering ram as it shed against Huo Zunjie''s sword for the second time.


    "Quite a fast reaction you got there! Not bad at all..." Huo Zunjie continued. Like a willow tree that rooted firm on the ground, his attack came in all kinds of directions akin to a tree responding to the wind.


    "Not so fast! Where are you looking?" and as they''re trying to gang against Huo Zunjie, Lu Yi shouts.


    "Heaven Firmament Art! me Eyes of Heaven!" a spiritual attack kicked in and forced one of Xu Xin Cheng''s subordinates to kneel on the ground.


    "Spi - Spiritual attack! How can it be this strong?" Lu Yi''s opponent struggled as he was greatly affected by Lu Yi''s move. Even Lu Yi himself was surprised by the power of his spiritual attack.


    "When did it has such quality changes? Even I am clueless about this!" Lu Yi smiled. Enjoying the feeling of pressing his enemy down on the spot, Lu Qi continued to exert the pressure as he forced his opponent to stay on where he is.


    "Two useless pieces of rubbish!" Xu Xin Cheng threw profane words at both of them for being hindered by two seventh-level weaklings.


    But at the same time, he was not doing too well either.


    "Where are you looking at? Come back here and fight seriously!" Expert Yi used the same tactic he employed to fight against Wu You before against this Xu Xin Cheng.


    "Damn this treasure!" Xu Xin Cheng tried to unbind himself from getting tied together with Expert Yi.


    While in the other section of the same battlefield, the other two battles were as heated as everywhere else. Huang Ping was fighting against Xiong Jie and Wang Xun against another follower of Wei Hu Xuan.


    Out of everyone''s opponent, they''re the ones having it the toughest. It wasn''t because their cultivation is lower, but because they were injured before the battle. Especially in Huang Ping''s case, engaging in a prolonged battle would only make his condition worst.


    And since everyone is giving their best in this battle, Huang Ping can only put up with it by taking in the pain as he fought. Luckily, the current Xiong Jie was not as dangerouspared to before. Even Wang Xun is capable of keeping him in check.


    **Xing!**


    A thunderous noise is created from two broad des as they struck at one another in a battle of power.


    "What a powerful individual... You''re the strongest Flesh Refining cultivator I''ve ever met so far... But no matter what, you''ll be going to meet your maker today, not me!" said Lang Xue.


    "What makes you so confident? I wonder if what you prophesized is really going to happen." Shan Xiong Xin smiled as he destroyed the ground with every punch and step of his. The way Shan Xiong Xin moves is akin to a rampaging golem that''s getting out of control.


    ''Keep on wasting your energy...'' Lang Xue grinned as he tried to dy as much time before going in for a deadly strike. But to his surprise, Shan Xiong Xin''s energy seems to be limitless as the situation has already kept on going for half an hour.


    ''Another one with an excess of Spiritual Energy inside their Dantian. What is their secret?'' Lang Xue retreated a few steps and unable to control himself but curious of their secret.


    ''This is the worst thing ever happening to my Hushan Bandits... To think that after today, no matter winning or walking, it won''t be good for me. Without enough manpower, what am I going to do to fulfill those tasks they requested?''


    Lang Xue''s expression was uglier than before. Only Xiong Jie still remains next to him after he excluded Gou Ye from the final battle.


    "Where are you looking? If you have time to dream, why not you take one hit from me?" Shan Xiong Xin appeared by his side and sent out a deadly attack out at Lang Xue fiercely.


    "Demonic me Palm!" Lang Xue immediately retaliates. His Spiritual energy,parable to a half-step Bone expert, was all taken out topete against Shan Xiong Xin''s attack.


    The exchange between the two created a thunderp that blown both of them away from their initial spot.


    "Darn! This guy is even better than the others. No wonder they''re a part of the Cloud Plucking Sect... Can''t this gap of differences in cultivating resources be shortened or removed?" Lang Xue adjusted his posture whileining in his mind.

 Chapter 147: Final Battle (4)

    Chapter 147: Final Battle (4)


    "Young master, please let me and Qiang Shou bring a surprise attack at them!" Yi Feng step forward for Qin Lan''s permission to attack, But to his surprise, it didn''t take Qin Lan too much time to think before he rejected his proposal.


    "Rejected. Both of you shall remain by my side until I give you an order, understood?" Qin Lan banned Yi Feng''s idea for a surprising attack as he had more in his mind waiting to be executed.


    If it was conducted recklessly or carelessly, such a mistake might change the favor in this battle. This is also why Qin Lan would remain passive until now without creating a wave here and there.


    "Where did the aggressivemander that made me horny yesterday? To think that he''s being so passive today!" Peng Yan pairs of eyes stare intensely at Qin Lan. There are close to ten methods are in her mind right now as she anticipates the next move from Qin Lan.


    "Move ten steps forward!" her order came as the soldiers proceed calmly closer to Xu Xin Cheng''s battlefield.


    "Raise the arrow g at the girl. Fire on my sign!" Peng Yan was not in a yful mood today as she ordered the siege weapon to be aimed at Lu Qing Yun. The hint of threat immediately caught Lu Qing Yun''s attention as she pulled her Violet Queen Whip back into her grip.


    "The weapon is targetting me? Good. Let me see if I can repeat what my young master did earlier!" Lu Qing Yun''s Spiritual Energy came out of her body as it turned into an image of a white lotus surrounding her.


    There was a hint of worry in her eyes, but that didn''t discourage her. Patiently, Lu Qing Yun stares at the three experts controlling the ballistic weapon. A hand of theirs was ced over the inscription circle as it continued to absorb their Spiritual Energy.


    "Attack her!" two peak-leveled Flesh Refining experts suddenly came from behind Lu Qing Yun for a sneak attack.


    "How dare you try to sneak on ady!" Lu Qing Yun took a leap from her horse. Using the Violet Queen Whip in her hand, she sentshes uponshes on the two until they''re filled with wounds all over their body.


    "I''ll have to be careful with that weapon..." Lu Qing Yun remained observant as she''s worried about getting caught unprepared by her opponent.


    "Hehe... I''ll see how long can you maintain that state..." Peng Yan smiled at Lu Qing Yun viciously. Maybe it was fueled with some jealousy and hate... The moment she thought about Lu Qing Yun is marching forward beside Qin Lan, it irritates her to no tomorrow.


    "Keep theming! Why are you stopping?" Lu Qing Yun gets fired up the longer she has to remain observant. She decided to ept this provocation from Peng Yan as a challenge.


    Returning to her horse again, Lu Qing Yun ced a few Kunlun Lesser Dragon Pill into her mouth. But as she tried to recover her storage of Spiritual Energy, more soldiers turned up before her as they''re trying to keep her upied.


    "To think that she cane up with cunning warfare by adjusting the killing intent from a weapon to Lu Qing Yun... There''s more for Qing Yun. This is indeed a good experience for her." Qin Lan praised Peng Yan. If it was not because of the differences in their origin, perhaps he and Peng Yan may be a bosom buddy that enjoyed exchanging pointers about warfare and chess.


    Although her method was considered unpolished in Qin Lan''s opinion, to produce a result like this with a mere 300 soldiers is counted sessful in his opinion.


    To Peng Yan, exhausting Lu Qing Yun''s stamina before the army reaches her is equal to achieving half of the victory before their battle started. Furthermore, in warfare, the final result is always determined by which side is victorious.


    Han Xue! Bring me the bow!" Qin Lan shouted.


    A bow was thrown at Qin Lan''s hand immediately along with the quiver. And in a very swift action of his, Qin Lan grabbed the bow into his hand while pulling three arrows out at the same time.


    "I''ll let you see some mastery in archery!" Qin Lan pulled the bowstring confidently as he aimed at the ballistic weapon.


    "Blow the horn! Protect the siege weapon from getting destroyed!" Peng Yan gave an order instantly as the gbearer immediately changed the way he moves the g. The response of hers and Xu Xin Cheng''s army was so fast that ayer of protection is established as soon as Qin Lan released the arrow.


    **Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!**


    The three experts fell after taking an arrow from Qin Lan. There''s not even time for them to cry from the pain.


    "Bravo,mander!" Qin Lan''s soldier praised him for his sharp archery skills.


    "Charge forward! Qiang Shou, Yi Feng, You Qing, take the lead! Han Xue, follow me with your team!" Qin Lan''s order came as they least expecting it.


    In that instant, Qin Lan''s passiveness suddenly turned differently as the momentum of his army changed. The soldiers that were battered to no tomorrow by Peng Yan''s soldier turned into a row of death reapers suddenly and cut them down ruthlessly as they march forward.


    ''Did... I fall into his trap again?'' Peng Yan bites her fingernails as the frustration start to pile around her.


    "Stop them right there! All soldiers, get ready to advance at any time!" Peng Yan ordered.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "How - How can this be!" Xiong Jie''s eyes were opened wide the moment Huang Ping behead him with a ruthless sh across his neck.


    "Second brother!" Lang Xue shouted as he witness the death of thest remaining member of his Hushan Bandits. With only him left here on the battlefield, be it if he survives or not, the Hushan Bandit is no more.


    "Lang Xue! You''re next!" Shan Xiong Xin''s fist came as he pushes the power of his Sky Dragon Turbulence Body Art into the peak.


    "Sky Dragon Descending Blow!"


    "Demonic ughtering Palm!"


    The two of them exchanged another blow. But this time, Shan Xiong Xin was the one that got thrown behind as he rolled on the ground a few times before he came to a stop.


    "Half - Half-step Bone Reconstruction?" Shan Xiong Xin said as a row of blood flow from the side of his lips.

 Chapter 148: Final Battle (5 - Upper Part)

    Chapter 148: Final Battle (5 - Upper Part)


    "It''s the Demonic Transformation Pill again! This demonic alchemist must be rted with the Evil Infant Sect!" Qin Lan''s hand tightened and broke the arrows in his hand.


    There''s no one else present on this battlefield that knows better than Qin Lan about the horror a Demonic Alchemist can bring to thend they''re standing right now.


    "Look''s like he has no other option except taking the Demonic Transformation Pill..." Wei Hu Xuan chuckled. As someone from the Evil Infant Sect, the pill is not a big secret to them. But having them and using them are two totally different matters.


    Even Peng Yan and Xu Xin Cheng chuckled after seeing how desperate Lang Xue is right now.


    After taking the demonic pill, Lang Xue''s attitude slowly turned maniacal as he growls like a wild beast. His appearance was no different from Jiao Heng when thetter had taken the same pill.


    "Commander, we''re here!" a few elite soldiers approached Shan Xiong Xin. But the Cloud Plucking Sect disciple simply raised his hand at them to stop them froming further. Shaking his hand outward, he signaled them to retreat. After that, he used his other hand to wipe the blood off his mouth.


    "Go - Go back to your position. I''ll handle this myself," said Shan Xiong Xin. A Flesh Mending Pill came out from his wrist protector and flicked into his mouth to helps with his recovery. To hasten the process, Shan Xiong Xin started to circte the Spiritual Energy inside him guide the pill''s medicinal effect.


    "He''s not shaken by the changes that happened on Lang Xue? How brave, how brave..." Wei Hu Xuan said as he continues to march forward on his horse. Turning his attention back to the frontline, he raised Hu Jia''s sword high as he gets ready to sh against Qin Chan and the army following behind her.


    "Battle!" Wei Hu Xuan and Qin Chan shouted the moment their sword shed against each other. The two armies that followed behind them crushes like two torrential waves trying topete in a battle of strength.


    "Wicked cultivator from Evil Infant Sect! Let me, Qin Chan, get rid of you. I''ll take back the two treasures from you as well as your life for injuring both of my sisters on thest battle!" Qin Chan said. More Spiritual Energy is channeled into her Offensive Treasure as she swung her de towards Wei Hu Xuan''s neck.


    "So, that two girls are your sisters, huh? Bring it on then! Let me see how strong is the disciple of Cloud Plucking Sect!" Wei Hu Xuan retaliates with Hu Jia''s sword in his hand. An ear-piercing ng came when the two treasures made by the same department master ended up fighting each other.


    "Evil Lotus Sword Style!" Wei Hu Xuan skillfully swings the sword in a circr motion. Following his movement, de energy came fiercely at Qin Chan with the will to cut everything across its path into two.


    But Qin Chan is neither a weakling either. Using her understanding of the Silver Willow Sword Technique, Qin Chan deflected the attack aside without difficulty. Unlike Huo Zunjie''s technique that focused on flexibility, Qin Chan''s sword technique focused on killing her opponent.


    "Silver Branches Sweep!" Qin Chan followed up with an attack after deflecting Wei Hu Xuan''s blow. With a hand on her sword and another holding the sheath, her movement is akin to a dancing phoenix.


    **Dang! Dang!**


    "You''re much stronger than the two girls from before. It seems thating here to have fun is not a mistake at all," said Wei Hu Xuan as he defended against Qin Chan''s attack. Although he was forced to retreat a few steps to mitigate the remaining force from Qin Chan''s blow, a smile is still hanging on his face.


    "Take this!" Qin Chan shouts.


    "Silver shes of the Serene Willow!" using both the sword and sheath, Qin Chan''s attack was like a torrential rain thating ruthlessly at where Wei Hu Xuan stands.


    Her attack was so strong, it forced Wei Hu Xuan to activates the Defensive Treasure, Heaven''s Strings he robbed from Lu Qing Yun.


    But even with that treasure, it stills forced Wei Hu Xuan back for about ten to twelve steps.


    "You''re not qualified to use these two treasures! Return them, now!" Qin Chan charges forward. She''s looking no different from an angered lioness at this moment.


    "Why should I? Although the weapon looked feminine, I''m sure I can use them much better than both of your sisters. Since that''s the case, why should I return them to you?"


    "At most, I''ll just give them out to some girls when I''m back to my sect. I''m sure that they won''t mind sleeping with me and apany me to explore the wonderful experience between man and woman inside my room." Wei Hu Xuan mocked Qin Chan as he defended against her attack again.


    "Huh - Huh - Huh..." Qin Chan takes a few deep breaths as she calmed herself after delivering blow after blows at Wei Hu Xuan.


    "What happened to you, my lioness? Getting tired?" Wei Hu Xuan mocked Qin Chan again after she came to a stop. He gently pats his clothing as he moves forward. From the way he looks, there''s not even a single injury is found on his body.


    "He''s actually unharmed?" her hand trembled once after noticing that. Based on her understanding, even the eldest of the Qin Family, Qin Fan, couldn''t do this.


    "You''re indeed fierce, but you''ve underestimated my Evil Lotus Sword Technique. As long there''s a sword in my hand, there will be no sword technique is capable of breaking my defense," said Wei Hu Xuan.


    ''This is impossible!'' Qin Chan quickly swallowed two Precelestial Essence drops and circted the Spiritual Energy from them into her Dantian.


    "It should be my turn now?" Wei Hu Xuan vanishes from his spot along with a smile like a sly wolf that couldn''t wait to toy with his food.


    "Lotus Embrace!" a wound quickly appeared on Qin Chan''s wrist once Wei Hu Xuan speaks. Blood was spraying out from the wound like a thermal spring as Wei Hu Xuan remained hidden.


    "He''s as fast as Lan-Er!" Qin Chan swung her de randomly, but that''ll only make her more exhausted the more she tried.


    "Bring it on! I''ll get you for sure!" Qin Chan calmed herself. Pulling out the decoration in the hilt of her sword, she dug a blob of mucous ointment out from that secret container and applied it over her wounds.

 Chapter 149: Final Battle (5 - Lower Part)

    Chapter 149: Final Battle (5 - Lower Part)


    The bleeding was immediately stopped after Qin Chan applied the balm evenly.


    It quickly caught Wei Hu Xuan''s interest as he tried to do the same on Hu Jia''s sword and Lu Qing Yun''s protection gear. But it was a total disappointment.


    "What an unusual medicinal ointment you got there... Can you give me some too when you manage to cut me?" Wei Hu Xuan teased Qin Chan to hide his disappointment. But in the next moment, another sword wound appeared on Qin Chan''s waist.


    "AH!" Qin Chan screamed. She swung her sword fiercely,


    "Since you''re unwilling, then let me entertain you like how I did with your two sisters previously! As a Bone Reconstruction Layer Cultivator, I hope you can hold yourself better than they do!" Wei Hu Xuan moved like a ghost and appeared all around Qin Chan.


    In a blink of an eye, over ten sword wounds appeared all over Qin Chan''s body, to the point her bare skin is almost exposed.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Damn! His power surpasses what I imagined." Shan Xiong Xin couldn''t help but spouted some profanity words as he was pushed back by Lang Xue.


    After taking the Demonic Transformation Pill, Lang Xue''s strength has increased by almost a half-fold. Right now, his fighting strength isparable to Qin Chan and Wei Hu Xuan.


    This made his advantages as a Body Tempering Cultivator ended up bing a punching bag before the fierce Lang Xue. Although his body was as strong as a metal wall, all he can do right now is defend himself while Lang Xue is raining down his torrential fist at him.


    Facing against an opponent no longer having a sense of pain and rationality is the most dangerous to a Body Tempering Cultivator. Until the medicinal strength started to lose its effect, even Shan Xiong Xin dare not to move recklessly.


    "Damn... Each of his punches is strong enough to create an indent on an iron wall..." Shan Xiong Xinined because he''s getting battered by Lang Xue ruthlessly.


    "Huh - Huh... Aargh!"


    "Demonic Blood Altar!" Lang Xue suddenly changed his tactics. His bloody Spiritual Energy started to converge into a totem right in front of him. Seating down on the ground like a monk, he began to repeat a mouthful of demonic scriptures that nobody understands.


    It took him a few minutes toplete the blood altar. Following itspletion is an eerie feeling that came from nowhere. It creates a disturbing image to all the cultivators positioned on the battlefield under Huang Ping and Lang Xue''smand.


    Slowly, the natural Spiritual Energy surrounding this area started to adapt to the color of the bloody altar in the form of a crimson mist.


    The soldiers from both sides waved their hands to removes the mist from blocking their line of sight. But their effort was pointless as the fog was getting thicker with every second past. In a sh of an eye, the area in between the two battlefields is no longer visible.


    "Let''s get out from this ce."


    "Stop fighting, stop fighting!" the soldiers cautiously speak as nobody wanted to die in a situation like this. With their weapon is lowered, the soldier starts to look around for a path to leave this bloody mist.


    Qin Lan shook his head as he looks at the battlefield where Huang Ping, Wang Xun, and Shan Xiong Xin is.


    "The Demonic Alchemy is still the same as before..." as the only one with more knowledge than anyone else on this battlefield, Qin Lan took his medicinal cauldron out.


    "Bitter Spirit Grass. Blood Honeysuckle. Rocky Longevity Fungus."


    "Alchemize!" Qin Lan performs his alchemy right in the middle of his battlefield and created close to a hundred pills from a single cauldron using less than ten minutes.


    His action once again gathered the attention of the three elders watching above the battlefield.


    "To think that even his alchemy skill is this good..." the elder standing on top of the white-feathered crane praised Qin Lan.


    "Did that brat found out about the crimson mist, the Demonic Art, and the secret behind the Blood Altar?" the elder from the Evil Infant Sect chuckled. He couldn''t help but started to get interested in what Qin Lan is going to do next.


    "Maybe yes, maybe no. But the Evil Infant Sect should be prepared. The Royal Force will not allow a demonic alchemist to exist in our country as long we''re still breathing. If you''re smart, you better kill him right now before the kingdom takes action!" the elder with red and golden embroideries on his robe said.


    "If the kingdom is going to take action, then the Evil Infant Sect will not sit and wait for our death. I wonder if you''re prepared for a bloodbath that will cost you half of your people from three provinces?" the elder on the ck crow chuckled as he replied.


    "Then, let''s meet on the battlefieldter!" the elder on the golden peacock said.


    ...


    ...


    "Soldier of the Ninth Prince Sun Wu Jian, open your mouth!" Qin Lan ordered. The soldiers surrounding him obeyed his words and opened their mouths as wide as they could.


    With a flick of his finger using the Heavenly Flicking Finger, Qin Lanunched the hundred or so pills into the soldier''s mouth. They''re mainly given to those located closest to the bloody mist.


    "Pull back from that area if you want to live."


    "Evil Infant Sect''s soldiers. If you don''t want to die, surrender now before it is toote!" Qin Lan gave out two orders at once as Lu Qing Yun prepared herself to execute his followingmand.


    Some stubborn soldiers decided to retreat closer to the bloody mist. As for those surrendering, they immediately went under Qin Lan''s soldiers as a captive of theirs. He proceeds to concoct two more cauldrons of pills to be given to all the other soldiers before it was toote.


    "Young master, what is that bloody mist is all about?" Lu Qing Yun asked. Her attention went to where Peng Yan and her soldier is. By right, they were supposed to engage in a battle. But was disturbed by Lang Xue''s action moments after he swallowed the Demonic Transformation Pill.


    "The bloody mist is nothing much, but the Demonic Art and the Blood Altar is," said Qin Lan. The bow in his hand is also thrown aside as Qin Lan used three Offense Metals to be formed into the Qiankun Golden Sword.


    "Qing Yun, always remember my word." Qin Lan suddenly decided to talk about it a little more.


    "Although there are many paths in this world that are open for us, we must remember to not choose the road of mass genocide. Cultivation that followed this path might allow you to see further, but it wasn''t the end of what we''re pursuing."


    "Whates out from the bloody mist is the abomination that''s neither human nor beast. Shan Xiong Xin might not have any trouble, as he was a body tempering cultivator, but I can''t say the same to the others. If theye out like Lang Xue, kill them, no matter it''s our own people or theirs." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 150: Final Battle (6)

    Chapter 150: Final Battle (6)


    "Retreat if you don''t want to die." Peng Yan, Xu Xin Cheng, and Wei Hu Xuan ordered their soldiers to retreat with a simple warning. From their response, it seems this wasn''t their first time encountering such an incident.


    As for Sun Wu Jian''s troops, they''re confused. But through the intuition of a cultivator, everyone managed to keep their distance from getting involved in the bloody mist.


    "Let''s stop the battle for a while. I can''t wait to see what kind of thing woulde out from that mist," said Wei Hu Xuan. There was a hidden clue or two from the way he speaks.


    Very soon, three silhouettes came out from the bloody mist. At this time, only Qin Lan''s troop of about two hundred and forty soldiers are getting ready to engage.


    "Young master, what ising out from there?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "Soldiers. But neither ours nor theirs. Once you''re getting caught in the fog, you''ll be bombarded by negative thoughts collected by the person that used his blood and spiritual energy to form the Blood Altar."


    "The negative thoughts will constantly destroy your sanity and eventually corrupt your Spiritual Qi, turning you into one of the Lesser Mo. This fiendish path once terrorized both humanity and Yao Beast''s world during the primordial period," said Qin Lan.


    "Te - Terrorized both Humanity and Yao Beast in the Primordial Era? How powerful are they?" Lu Qing Yun''s palm is sweating uncontrobly after listening to what Qin Lan just said.


    "How powerful? Very powerful. They''ll be aplete bloodsucking demon when cultivating. People that had their blood sucked will be nothing but a living corpse terrorizing viges and towns. They would keep spreading like a disease if it wasn''t controlled." Qin Lan added.


    "Then... What are we going to do if they''re really turning into demons like what you said, young master?" Lu Qing Yun asked.


    "Don''t be afraid. How can a disciple of the Kuangshan Lu Sect lose her calmness from hearing about them?" Qin Lan smiled. His hand went to give her a pinch on her cheek.


    "Remember. As long your cultivation foundation is firm, diseases and gue from this wickedness can''t do anything to you. And don''t forget, you had the most effective technique against them." Qin Lan chuckled as he let go of her cheeks.


    "Most effective technique?" Lu Qing Yun tilted her head slightly as she reflects on Qin Lan''s words.


    "Kuangshan Spiritual Palm, Kuangshan Lu Sect''s Healer''s Art, Heaven Firmament Art, Persistence Tempering Art. All of them are the bane of the demonic paths." Qin Lan said.


    Stepping forward to the three silhouettes thating out from the bloody mist, Qin Lan''s sword revealed a golden brilliance. In an instant, he cuts the three silhouettes into halves as they cried in anguish and disintegrated into ashes.


    "Heed my call. The pill that you''ve just swallow is known as the Heart Firmament Pill. As long your conscience is strong regarding your action, proceed without regret and ughter those abominationsing out from the bloody mist."


    "Get your formation ready! We''re going to stop the demons from guing the Yunshan Province!" Qin Lan said.


    "Yes, sir!" the soldiers listening to Qin Lan''s order replied as they firmly positioned themselves surrounding the bloody mist perimeters.


    "Good! Come out, Talisman of Exorcism! Dispel the influence of demonism before me!" Qin Lan fired a talisman after another and started to get rid of the bloody mist.


    His action quickly caught the elders and the disciples from the Evil Infant Sect''s attention and viewed him differently.


    ''He must be eliminated. Or else, there will be no ce for our Evil Infant Sect in the future!'' the elder on the ck crow thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Golden Bell''s Resonance!" Lu Yi''s Copper Xuan Sword cuts downward as he presses his opponent down on a knee. His attack was getting stronger the more he fights.


    "impossible! How can he gather such an immense strength than before? He should be tired by now!" one of the twinsined while he struggles to defend against Lu Yi''s deadly blow.


    He was partially regretful right now. Never once it crosses his mind that Lu Yi would be such a hard nut for him to crack.


    But as they say, there was no medicine to cure regret.


    "Urgh!" As he was forcing his Spiritual Energy out to its limit, Lu Yi suddenly gave him a kick on his chest. Coughing a mouthful of blood as he rolled further away from Lu Yi, this opponent of Lu Yi swallowed a few medicinal pills.


    "I don''t believe this! No matter what, I am still a peak-leveled Flesh Refining expert!" turning his spear for aplete circle, this half of twins swings his spear with all his might towards the iing Lu Yi.


    **Bang!**


    The two weapons shed. As the weaker one between them, Lu Yi was thrown back more than ten steps before he managed to get his feet back firmly on the ground. His hand is still shaking from the exchange that almost breaks all the bones on his hands.


    But behind the shaking hands hides the smiling face of Lu Yi.


    "Now what?" Lu Yi taunts his opponent with a smile on his face. Moving forward one step at a time, he took this opportunity to keep absorbing all the Spiritual Energy present around him to replenish what he had used earlier.


    "I won''t lose to you! With my pride as a peak Flesh Refining expert, I will not lose to a cultivator two minor levels below me!"


    "Temple of Blood!" the expert came forth once more with the spear in his hand. His Spiritual Energy was pushed to its limit as he makes this the final and decisive blow of his to defeat Lu Yi.


    "Good attack! Bring it on!" Lu Yi once again chuckled. The Copper Xuan Sword in his hand also bathes in brilliance golden light as it receives Lu Yi''s Spiritual Energy.


    "I''ll use you to try my newbination technique! Golden Lord''s World Dividing sh!" raising both of his hands above his head as he yelled, Lu Yi bring the sword down fiercely as his blow cuts apart everything in front of him.


    "No!!!" the attack splits his opponent into two halves as Lu Yi''s swordnds on the ground. Destruction is what remains right in front of him as he ended the battle with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 151: Final Battle (7)

    Chapter 151: Final Battle (7)


    "Golden Lord''s World Dividing sh!" Lu Yi''s attack was like sword energy capable of cutting the sky into two sections. Although it cost him considerable Spiritual Energy to executes, the result from this blow is satisfying.


    All vegetation, trees, and rocks a hundred steps from where he swings his de has been disintegrated into nothing but ashes after his attack. What was remains aftermath is a smooth cut visibly seen on the ground.


    Smiling from the happiness deep inside his heart, Lu Yi stuffed a few Flesh Foundation Pills into his mouth as he searched for Huo Zunjie''s current location.


    Based on his estimation, the battle between Huo Zunjie and the other half of the twins should be ending soon.


    And just like his guessing, the battle was getting closer to a conclusion. Standing firmly with the Silver Ling Sword on his right hand, Huo Zunjie confidently points his sword towards his opponent.


    "What is that sword technique you''re using?" the remaining half of the twins coughed a mouthful of blood as he struggles to stand up. His body is in pain right now as they''re over a hundred cuts and bruises all over him.


    "Silver Willow Sword Technique. This is one of the most profound Sword Technique from our Kuangshan Lu Sect''s Martial Tomes." Huo Zunjie proudly mentioned the name of the Kuangshan Lu Sect in front of his opponent.


    "Kuangshan Lu? Never heard of it before. Shouldn''t you learn the martial arts from the Cloud Plucking Sect if you''re one of their disciples? What is wrong with your head?" his opponent taunted him after listening to his reply.


    "I am a disciple of Cloud Plucking Sect. But at the same time, I am a disciple of the Kuangshan Lu Sect as well. One is a responsibility, another one is a doctrine. They don''t sh, in my opinion." Huo Zunjie replied.


    His sword remained steadily pointed at his opponent as he answered.


    ''Damn... If he doesn''t lower the sword, how can I fire the secret weapon on my back? I''ll have to keep his attention until he revealed a weakness...'' the half of a twin thought.


    "sh? You''re joking. Is there such a word call shed in our Martial World? Human lives are as cheap and worthless as straws and grasses on your feet. Only the strong can survive. If you''re not taking advantage of everything, then you''ll be the one that got taken advantage of!" he continued. From the way he speaks, there''s a hint of despising the world is seen on his face.


    "That''s because your starting point is a wrong one. Still, choosing the path of evil and wickedness is not an option." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Wickedness? What wickedness are you saying? Is it because I''m cultivating using infants and women as my resources? Don''t talk to me about all these nonsenses!" he retaliates. Throwing his spear away as he stands up, the half of a twin slowly steps forward with a hand pointing at Huo Zunjie.


    "You''re just a fake cultivator with distorted morals. How am I evil for using those as cultivating resources? What about those using Yao Beast, spiritual herbs that lived over a thousand years to cultivate? Are those not lives?" he said emotionally.


    "They are. We''re indeed living in a world with contradiction. Just as you said, the strong dictates the weak, and it was the same in your case too." Huo Zunjie replied.


    "But..." as he was going to continue to speak, Huo Zunjie moved his head slightly away from staring at his opponent.


    A smile immediately came into the face of the half twin as the chance for him had finally arrived. He immediately straightened his finger with a ring connected to a string. The string then activated the weapon strapped on his back as it was getting ready to fire at Huo Zunjie.


    "Die!" he screamed. Bowing slightly towards where Huo Zunjie is standing, a weapon like a re fired into the sky soon lit up and shot at Huo Zunjie.


    "Do you think I don''t realize what you''re trying to do?" Huo Zunjie said as he appeared by his side. No longer having a hint of hesitation in his mind, Huo Zunjie stabs his heart using the Silver Ling Sword in his hand.


    "You - You!" the de that slowly stabs into his heart made him screeched as he trembled. Itsted all the way until he''s finally breathed hisst.


    "Pulling his sword out without a hint of remorse on his face, Huo Zunjie swings his de hard to removes the bloodstain before it returned to the sheath.


    "You''re done?" Lu Yi asked as he approached Huo Zunjie. The two of them then turned their head over to where Expert Yi is still fighting against Xu Xin Cheng.


    "Let''s give him a hand." Huo Zunjie said.


    "Agreed. Let''s go." Lu Yi ced a few more Flesh Foundation Pills into his mouth as they made their way to where Expert Yi is fighting.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Young master! Help me!" the subordinates of Wei Hu Xuan that fought against Expert Shun and Xie begged as he approached his young master as fast as he could.


    After getting poisoned by the Scale Lizard Armor, hisbat ability is reduced to about the same as a half-step Bone Reconstruction Cultivator. This made the fight slowly moving in Sun Wu Jian''s favor.


    And because the situation is getting worst, the expert finally decided to ditch this battle for the sake of keeping his life intact.


    "Useless trash! How dare you return to me with that appearance!" Wei Hu Xuan suddenly explodes in anger as he looks at the desperate sight of his subordinate.


    "Golden Bell''s Resonance!" Qin Chan grabs the opportunity as his attention is divided to deliver one of the deadliest blows from the Golden Bell Sword''s Technique.


    **Whoosh!**


    The sword that cuts upward sessfully removed the armlet from his arm as he failed to dodge the sudden attack.


    "Bitch! How dare you attack me while I am talking!" Wei Hu Xuan lost his temper. With Hu Jia''s sword in his right hand, an insane amount of Spiritual energy was injected into the weapon as he raised his voice.


    "Distortion Edge." Wei Hu Xuan swung his de down at Qin Chan. The violet Spiritual Energy he released cuts into Qin Chan''s chest as blood gushes out uncontrobly.


    "No! Expert Qin!" Sun Wu Jian shouts.

 Chapter 152: Are You Married?

    Chapter 152: Are You Married?


    "Expert Qin!" Sun Wu Jian shouts as he charged into their battle. Knowing what their master wanted to do, the nine peak-level Flesh Refining experts made their move first by disying all their might in their attack.


    In a sh, six attacks came at Wei Hu Xuan.


    "Petty moves!" he screamed. With a simple swing of Hu Jia''s sword in hand, Wei Hu Xuan effortlessly deflected their attack. The result was just as what he told Qin Chan at the start of their battle.


    "As long there''s a sword in my hand, there will be no sword technique is capable of breaking my defense."


    "It''s your turn." Wei Hu Xuan smiled as he swings his sword swiftly towards one of the elite guards.


    **Ding!**


    Luckily, the three remaining experts managed to be ready on time. This eventually saved one of theirpanions before he was separated into two by Wei Hu Xuan''s attack. Although their ability is mediocre in Wei Hu Xuan''s eyes, the coordination and teamwork are iparable.


    At this moment, he was somewhat elevated for killing three of them in their previous engagement before all the trouble piling up at him right now.


    "Keep him upied. Expert Qin, take this Flesh Mending Pill!" Sun Wu Jian get down from his horse and fed a medicinal pellet into the injured Qin Chan. As there''s no time for him to be bothered about the taboo between a single male and female right now, he ced his hand right on Qin Chan''s chest.


    Pure Spiritual Energy was slowly transferred from his hand to her body and help to restore the sword wounds.


    The itchiness and pain Qin Chan suffered made her hugged Sun Wu Jian unconsciously. Due to the severe blood loss that happened earlier, her mind is in turmoil as she lost all her reasoning.


    "I mustn''t die here... I mustn''t die here..." that was all in her mind right now as the Spiritual Energy inside her body worked hard to restore her wounds.


    Suddenly remembered that Qin Chan had a special ointment in her weapon, Sun Wu Jian grabbed the sword using his Spiritual Energy. Using his finger as a scoop, he dug out the cream from the hiddenpartment and applied it quickly on her wound.


    ''Please work...'' Sun Wu Jian begged. His current action was like a prince in love when witnessed by the elders above the battlefield.


    "Young master!" the first-level Bone Reconstruction subordinate finally reached Wei Hu Xuan''s side. But this means the two of them were surrounded by eleven experts right now, included Expert Shun and Expert Xie.


    "You fool..." Wei Hu Xuan looked at him and reprimanded him. The subordinate could only lower his head without saying anything. Based on his understanding of his young master, it will be like forfeiting his life if he tried to exin.


    "Retreat. There''s no longer anything fun over here." Wei Hu Xuan said. Even he is not confident about fighting eleven experts and leaving uninjured.


    "Understood. Then I''ll..." the subordinate acknowledged and prepared to blow the horn from the Qiankun Pouch. But before he did, Wei Hu Xuan chuckled and stopped him from continuing.


    "Why bother about those useless cannon fodders? They won''t be following us back to the sect." Wei Hu Xuan chuckled. Steadily walking towards the checkpoint of the Ninth Milestone, there was nobody dare to stop them.


    "Your highness... Shall we pursue?" a few elite guards of Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "No... Let''s leave them. Capture all the soldiers he abandoned. Those still retaliating will be killed without mercy!" Sun Wu Jian ordered.


    The battle is considered to end prematurely as each battlefield yields an unexpected ending.


    Out of the three battlefields, Sun Wu Jian''s end is considered as a victorious battle after it was abandoned by Wei Hu Xuan and his subordinate.


    It was the same at Qin Lan''s end. With only Xu Xin Cheng is left, the battle is expected to end about the same way as Sun Wu Jian''s battlefield.


    But the situation on the battlefield where Shan Xiong Xin and Huang Ping against Lang Xue is harder to say.


    "Old man, let''s end this battle here. I''m not interested in fighting against you anymore!" Xu Xin Cheng put a little more force in his spear as he pushes Expert Yi away with a heavy sweep attack.


    With both of his subordinates was killed in this battle, nothing is holding him back from abandoning this battlefield. To him, the soldiers were all expendable fodder that can be easily harvested from neighboring viges and towns at any time they wished.


    As for Peng Yan, she also decided to retreat, but not before she finished what she intended to do.


    With only the messenger apanying her, Peng Yan actually rode her horse over to where Qin Lan and his troops retaliating against the demonsing out from the bloody mist.


    By the time she reaches Qin Lan''s position, her troops were already set free and scattered all over the ces in this Ten Miles in.


    "Stop right there!" Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie were the firstyers of defense between Peng Yan and Qin Lan''s meeting. With the sword in their hand, the two of them delivered blow after blows, but none managed to reach Peng Yan due to her weird horse riding technique.


    "How can this be happening?" Lu Yi was stunned by her weird ability. To dodge a direct sword blow without retaliating while riding on a horse is unheard of. Nobody would believe him even if he were to share this with others.


    "Willow Tree Sweeping Defense!" Huo Zunjie was unwilling to give up. Pushing his Spiritual Energy to its limit, he delivered another blow at the two. But it was met with the same ending as Lu Yi''s attack.


    Now exhausted and tired from all the battle before, both can no longer chase Peng Yan and her messenger.


    "Shit! We''ll have to stop them from getting close to young master!" Lu Yi struggled.


    "Let me do it!" Expert Yi came from behind them and moved forward like a flying arrow. Using all the avable strength as a half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer expert, he prayed that he can stop them before the two could reach Qin Lan''s side.


    "Stop right there!" Expert Yi attacked the moment he caught up to the two.


    Once again, Peng Yan uses the weird demonic art of hers to dodge the attack. As for the messenger, he reduces the speed of his horse. He casually moves his hand to block Expert Yi''s next attack.


    "What? Another first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer expert?" Expert Yi was thrown back for over ten steps. His hand was trembling right now from the exchange.


    "Young master!" Lu Qing Yun turned her head around and prepared to attack Peng Yan. In her eyes, this vixen must be here to harm her beloved young master. And as a woman, how can she allow another fox to approach Qin Lan? Especially when there are already Hu Jia and Lady Zhou Mei waiting for him back home?


    "Qing Yun, focus! Less distraction in your mind!" Qin Lan yelled at her.


    His words made Lu Qing Yun bite her lower lips as she swings her whip towards the iing Lesser Mo. Their appearance is like a madman with ragged hair and bloody red Spiritual Energy.


    "Die!" Lu Qing Yun killed a few of them without mercy as she looks at Peng Yan approaching her young master.


    "You''re Qin Lan?" Peng Yan speaks the moment her horse stops beside Qin Lan''s. If one has no idea that these two were opponents before this, they''ll assume that these two were a pair of dating couples.


    "I am. From what I heard from my subordinates, you''re known as Peng Yan?" Qin Lan descended from the sky the moment Peng Yan formally greeted him. Since she was here to speak, Qin Lan decided to entertain her and see the reason behind her entric intention.


    "Correct. I am Peng Yan. The only daughter of Genius Warfare General, Peng Likun." she introduced herself formally before Qin Lan. Now with amander uniform, she looked more like a proper officer.


    "Ah! No idea who you''re talking about." Qin Lan simply pushes away all her other self-introduction except for her name. To him, any background would be useless if one is incapable of upholding it.


    "Of course. I won''t me you because my father''s fame is his own." Peng Yan chuckled. This is the first time someone replied to her in such a way. To think that he won''t even give a face to her father, who was a general and a titled Marquis of the Country of Wei.


    "So, what isdy Peng''s visit here? Please don''t tell me you''re trying to scout me to be one of you or your father''s vessel. I am not interested." Qin Lan said. At the same time he finished his sentence, he flicked two hairpins out to kill two approaching Lesser Mos.


    "Vessel? No, you''re mistaken." Peng Yan chuckled.


    "Are you married? If you are, are you interested in taking a concubine?" her question made Qin Lan almost choke to death with his own saliva.

 Chapter 153: He Hasnt Promised to Marry Me Yet!

    Chapter 153: He Hasn''t Promised to Marry Me Yet!


    "Wh - What are you talking about here? Why is our discussion heading to this subject?" there''s confusion all over Qin Lan''s face as he tried to rify her motive behind such a question.


    "Based on your reaction, I''m sure you''re married. But that''s fine. I don''t mind bing a concubine anyway. Good men are usually hard to get, especially if it''s someone like you." Peng Yan stares at Qin Lan with a dirty look.


    "Lady Peng, if there''s nothing serious to talk about between us, I would like you to excuse me as I continue to get rid of all this trouble left by your people." Qin Lan turned around and prepared to ignore Peng Yan.


    "Is all the men from Cloud Plucking Sect is so rigid and clueless about how the world works? Or perhaps that''s because I''m from the Evil Infant Sect?" Peng Yan controlled her horse further to stop Qin Lan from leaving.


    "Lady Peng, please mind yourself." Qin Lan fired a few more hairpins out to eliminates the approaching Lesser Mos around them.


    "I''m actually controlling myself right now. Why do you think I''m here talking while I can simply take you away as I like?" Peng Yan''s sudden change of tone made Qin Lan getting rmed by being by her side.


    **Zing!**


    His sword stops by Peng Yan''s neck the moment she finished her sentence. Qin Lan''s facial expression was stern as he warned her through his gaze.


    "Don''t worry. I hate to force things that weren''t mine. And you''re totally my type of man. Based on your attitude, I''m sure you''re an amazing one on the bed as well, am I correct? Four days? Five days?" Peng Yan continues to tease Qin Lan.


    And worst of all, her guesses were all urate. It was to the point Qin Lan was stripped naked for her to study. Jumping off her horse andnded in between Qin Lan''s crotch, she gently touches his face before Qin Lan could react.


    ''Spiritual Seduction!'' Qin Lan let go of the rein to his horse and retaliates. But Peng Yan moves at the same time. The two of them wrestled on top of the horse for a minute as Qin Lan soon overpowered her.


    "Ah... I don''t know that you''re actually so aggressive. Do you actually prefer doing it in an officer''s attire? I could satisfy your wish if you''re willing to take me as a concubine of yours." Peng Yan had her arm locked by Qin Lan.


    But that only made Qin Lan lost his rationality further as he felt that somebody is waking up around his crotch.


    ''This woman is dangerous.'' Qin Lan tried to toss her off from his horse. With a tug of his hand, he pulled Peng Yan away from the horse. But it ended up as a pointless effort as Peng Yan moves like a slithering snake to his back.


    Their wrestling continued.


    Unconsciously, Qin Lan added strength to his arms as he put in more effort to catch this body-hugging snake moving around his body. It was his first time encountering someone as troublesome to handle as her.


    **Xiu!**


    Qin Lan fired a few more hairpins on the iing Lesser Mos around him. The Lesser Mos was much closer than before because Qin Lan was distracted by Peng Yan''s action.


    "Lady Peng. This is my final warning. You can''t me me for being inconsiderate if you kept doing this!" Qin Lan raised his voice a little.


    "Oh? How inconsiderate can you be? Would you like to tear apart my clothes and subjugate me right here on top of your horse? If that''s what you want, I''ll follow your wish and let you ravage me immediately."


    Using Qin Lan as a wall to lean her back on, Peng Yan sticks herself closer to Qin Lan. It went to the point that just a turn of her head would allow her to nt a kiss on his juicy lips.


    "Lady Peng. Please forgive me for not knowing how to appreciate you!" the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush that was nicely tucked in his sleeve pocket appeared once again. Taking in the shape of a golden energy sword, Qin Lan swings his de with killing intent as he forced Peng Yan to a tight spot.


    She was still smiling, even when the tip of Qin Lan''s sword is just a millimeter away from her neck.


    *Ting!*


    A spear came between Qin Lan''s sword and Peng Yan as it blocked his attack effortlessly. Knowing that another expert hade between them, Qin Lan decided to take their provocation seriously.


    Leaping off from his horse as he chased the expert that blocked his attack, Qin Lan found out that it was the messenger standing by Peng Yan''s side at all times.


    ''To think she had an expert protecting her by her side all the time.'' Qin Lan smiled. Thinking about her action, it was no wonder she dares toe and tease him to the point she''s even willing to offer her body to Qin Lan if he wanted to.


    "Then, let me see what kind of cultivation strength you have for her to behave as reckless as this!" Qin Lan swung his sword upward. The golden sword in his hand turned into an azure-blue the moment Qin Lan get serious.


    *Whoosh!*


    Qin Lan''s energy sword collided against the spear seriously for their first time. And to his surprise, Qin Lan was the one to be pushed back three steps. A hint of numbing sensation is also felt on his right palm as Qin Lan checked his opponent.


    ''Heh... A second-level Bone Reconstruction Layer expert. So the word about she''s the only daughter of the Genius General Peng Likun should be true as well...'' Qin Lan chuckled.


    He had no idea that this expert could actually keep his identity as a secret for this long. For the first time, Qin Lan is feeling both excited and threatened by his existence.


    "Golden Bell Resonance." using just a hint of Foundation Qi at his disposal, Qin Lan delivered an attack as fierce as Lu Yi''s strike with all his might.


    The attack came like a wave of echoing bells towards Peng Yan''s messenger. But to everyone''s surprise, all he needs is a powerful swing straight to the ground to diverts the power of Qin Lan''s attack aside.


    He was as calm as a pot of water without a ripple. The spear in his hand is firmly staying in the same position as he waited for Qin Lan''s next attack.


    "Good. This is interesting." Qin Lan said. Slowly descending onto the ground with the sword in his hand, Qin Lan injected a little more Foundation Qi this time. The Golden Bell Resonance attack he executes earlier ended up as two torrential waves as they crash into theyer of bloody mist created by Lang Xue.


    "Thunderous Spear Piercing the Heavens!" the messenger immediately realized the danger behind Qin Lan''s sentence. And to make sure he won''t fell right here from underestimating his opponent, he executes one of the best strikes associated with Peng Likun.


    The martial art that belonged to the Thunder-Roaring Pce came at Qin Lan like a lighting dragon.


    **ROAR!**


    A dragon roar apanied the attack as it came at Qin Lan fiercely.


    "Heh... Reversing Qian and Kun!" Qin Lan whispered as his sword was stabbed into the iing lightning dragon and directed its flying path. Using less than a minute to subdue to dragonpletely, Qin Lan returned the attack that yet to dissipates back to his opponent.


    "What on earth is this art?" the messenger panicked. Pushing his Spiritual Energy once again to his limit, he delivered another same attack to counter this blowing at him.


    But to his surprise, the lightning dragon Qin Lan returned at him ended up as more ferocious than before as it swallowed the second lightning dragon.


    Having no idea how to defend against this attack, the messenger could only rely on the Protection Treasure he had. And to use this treasure, he had to sacrifice more than just Spiritual Energy to activates it.


    ''Go! My blood essence!'' Peng Yan''s messenger punches his chest to cough three drops of blood. The moment his blood essence smeared the surface of his body armor, it gave out a reaction surpasses all Qin Lan''s expectation.


    "City Protecting Treasure?" Qin Lan chuckled. How precious is Peng Yan''s life to have a guard beside her wearing a City Protecting Treasure?


    A circle of defense was created and swallowed the lightning dragon without resistance.


    *Crack!*


    A crack appeared on the armor he''s wearing after it swallowed Qin Lan''s attack. Even Peng Yan was surprised by the exchange.


    "Heavens... How amazing he had to be?" Peng Yan felt that her womb is twitching in excitement as she looked at Qin Lan''s might. But as she tried to step forward to embrace Qin Lan, the messenger suddenly grabbed her hand and took her away.


    "No! I don''t want to leave. He... He hasn''t promised to marry me yet!" Peng Yan screamed as the messenger pulled her away from the battlefield. At that moment, her scream soundedical.


    Even the elders above the battlefield are speechless as they questioned the reason for her toe here.


    ''Thisss... Is her persistence a good thing or a bad thing?'' they asked themselves.

 Chapter 154: Back to Fuyun City

    Chapter 154: Back to Fuyun City


    "Two brothers... Please excuse me." the elder on top of the ck crow left after cupping his hands together at the other two elders.


    Moving in a sh, the elder took all the disciples from the Evil Infant Sect and left in a hurry without looking back.


    A correction... Except for Peng Yan, who''s unwillingly left.


    Now, without outsider''s disturbance, the process of capturing all the bandits and remnants of the Evil Infant Sect soldiers went on without a hitch. It was controlled almost the same time the bloody mist created by Lang Xue dissipates.


    There were less than five people who remained inside after the mist dissipates.


    The first one is Shan Xiong Xin, who protects himself using his Sky Dragon Turbulence Body. The next would be Huang Ping and Wang Xun, who were hiding inside the Curtain of Royalty.


    As for the two remaining people, they were officers serving under Xu Xin Cheng. Unfortunate for Lang Xue, his life was forfeited the moment he executes the Demonic Altar technique. His corpse has turned into a stone by the time all there''s no longer any bloody mist remained.


    After the soldiers gathered together and gotten all the information they required from the surviving bandits, Sun Wu Jian personally led an army to capture all the bandit''s stronghold.


    This rolled down the curtain of their subjugating mission to retake the me Demon Mountain from the hand of the Hushan Bandits and Evil Infant Sect.


    By the time they returned to Fuyun City, everyone was hailed as heroes. The southern city also organized three days and night banquets to wee all the heroes home.


    And just like this, a week has passed.


    It was naturally a busy week for Sun Wu Jian as there was too much for him to do after retaking the me Demon Mountain. But coincidence or not, the capital was having a migration n going on. This allowed the Yunshan Province to have a steady flow of poption and manpower Sun Wu Jian needed to retake the me Demon Mountain for his own.


    The captives they caught during the subjugation mission also allowed the Yunshan Province to have an influx of workers ready for Sun Wu Jian''s disposal.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Beloved husband," Hu Jia came to Qin Lan''s side. Her appearance was like a blooming flower by his side, bringing him smiles worthy of toppling the city walls.


    Beside her were Zhuge Xinyu and Zhuge Yanyu, the two youngsses who''ve been improving their skill in alchemy during his absence. After knowing that their teacher''s wife was injured and losing her years of cultivation achievement, the two were seen apanying Hu Jia wherever she goes.


    "Yes, my beloved wife." Qin Lan rolled the bamboo scroll up and stashed it aside. Smiling as he faced Hu Jia, he decided to give her all the time she wants whenever she came to him. At the very least, this is what he can promise to do for her.


    "I''ve talked with Mei-Er... Do you still remember what it''s about?" Hu Jia asked. The twosses quickly moved the cushion to Qin Lan''s side so their teacher''s wife can sit by his side when they''re talking.


    And to make it considerate, the two immediately brought a few Jeweled Lotus Candies on a tter along with some tea to serve them before leaving the two inside the room.


    "Don''t you feel that the two youngsses have grown up by a lot from the moment you came back?" Qin Lan chuckled as he yed with Hu Jia''s hair. Looking back on this woman seated by his side, Qin Lan felt somewhat guilty back then.


    "You''re changing our topic again." Hu Jia pouted because Qin Lan tried to move the subject of their conversation again.


    "But... Yes, the two have been growing up beautifully. Aren''t you impressed by their talent in refining pills? They can even refine the Flesh Foundation Pill nowadays." Hu Jia smiled after she pouted for a minute. There were no reasons for her to keep insisting on what Qin Lan doesn''t want to talk about.


    Furthermore, she knew that the issue with the me Demon Mountain is yet to over. It was just a short honeymoon period for both of them before Qin Lan has to make a trip over to the ex-bandit stronghold.


    Even right now, Sun Wu Jian is yet to return from the expedition because it was too much for him to handle. If it''s was not because Qin Lan and the others were helping from here, it would take Sun Wu Jian over a year to deal with the me Demon Mountain.


    "I am. To think that our Qin Faction would have two more talented experts in Alchemy made me happy. What have you been doing recently in your free time?" Qin Lan asked. Knowing that Hu Jia wasn''t someone that willingly sat down and basked under the sunlight and moonlight like a flower, Qin Lan shows a hint of curiosity about her day-to-day activities.


    "What else? I''ve... Spend some money... Of course..." Hu Jia was almost raising her voice as she speaks, but thinking about spending Qin Lan''s money made her lowered her voice again. To her, using her husband''s money recklessly was seen as an act of immaturity in her eyes.


    "Are - Are you unhappy that I spent too much recently? If you do, then I''ll stop wasting them, alright?" Hu Jia said. Her two index fingers were tapping at each other as she lowered her head while speaking.


    ''Is this still my lioness wife? The one that controlled over a hundred workers of the Qin-Zhou Medicine Store?'' Qin Lan grinned. He felt clueless because he felt that he had a hard-on by looking at Hu Jia behaving like this.


    Qin Lan had an urge to grab her and nt a kiss on her lips the moment he sees her like this. If it wasn''t because they''re currently in the Medicine Store''s office, he would jump on her right now.


    "Husband... Mind yourself!" Hu Jia pped his chest. As his wife, how can she be oblivious when she sees something is standing up around Qin Lan''s crotch area?


    "What is there for me to mind about? I am with my wife, in my shop, in my office." Qin Lan chuckled. Extending his hand out and grabbing her waist by surprise, Qin Lan pulled her to his side.


    "I''m not going to lose to you this time. I''ll - I''ll... Ah..." Hu Jia resisted. But she eventually failed. Moaning for the entire afternoon, the two of them finally ended their adventurous session the moment the moon finally came into sight.


    "I''ve purchased a textile shop, a restaurant, and a yware workshop nearby. I am thinking about making a few things to sell when there''s time." Hu Jia said as she leaned on the top of Qin Lan''s chest and listening to his calming heartbeat.


    "That sounds nice. Have you thought about what you''re going to sell from the shop?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Of course! I''m going to make the Qin-Zhou Medicine Store promote my own clothing line first. The yware Workshop will also produce some good quality pill bottles for the medicine store." said Hu Jia.


    "Then... What about the restaurant?" Qin Lan asked.


    "The restaurant... I''ll be using that to promote a few signature dishes that you really like. I wanted to sell something vorful there," asked Hu Jia.


    "But I have no idea what I wanted to sell for now... I''m still looking for people to search for some culinary ingredients for me right now," she added before rubbing her face on Qin Lan''s chest.


    "Do you want me to give you some help?" Qin Lan asked. Based on his own knowledge and ways, it will be as simple as a flick of his finger if Qin Lan wanted toe up with something.


    "No! I know you''re resourceful, but I hate to rely on you with everything. This made me seem useless when I am by your side. I - I wanted to show everyone that I am someone capable too... I''m not some uselessdy who can only rely on my husband for protection." Hu Jia said.


    "Well... Since that''s what you want, I''ll keep myself filled with expectation as I wait for you to show me what you can do. But you''ll have to promise me that you won''t hesitate to ask me if there''s anything you need me. Do we have a deal?" Qin Lan ced his hand on Hu Jia''s cheek and gave her lovely dimple a pinch.


    "En!" Hu Jia nodded.


    "So... Shall I bring you out to the Spiritual Herb Garden to catch a few fishes so we can have a grilled fish together as our dinner tonight? I''ve heard that the fishes they caught there are fleshy and sweet because they''re fed with the roots and leaves from the spiritual herbs all the time." said Qin Lan.


    "You! I know you''re doing it on purpose... But I really want to eat the grilled fish... Can we go after... One more?" Hu Jia lightly hammered Qin Lan''s chest as she replied. And to Qin Lan''s surprise, she''s still energetic enough to ask for another round of special treatment.


    **AHH...**


    Once again, the seductive sound came. By now, the workers have already get used to it.


    "They''re at it again? We''re going to expect a little young master soon if this continues." the worker said.

 Chapter 155: Developing Demon Mountain Fort

    Chapter 155: Developing Demon Mountain Fort


    "Greetings, Commander Qin. Wee to the Demon Mountain Fort." Huang Ping smiled as he received Qin Lan right outside of the fort''s doorstep. He appeared to be doing much better right now after recovering from all the injuries he suffered during thest battle.


    "Commander Huang." Qin Lan cupped his hands together to return the gesture. Handling the rein for his steed to the horse master standing beside him, Qin Lan took a leap down and approached Huang Ping with a smile.


    "Looks like themander is doing much better than expected. What about captain Wang?" he asked. Walking side by side further into the Demon Mountain Fort, Qin Lan was awed by the majestic appearance of the renovated fort.


    "Wang Xun is currently trying to advance into the eighth level of Flesh Refining Cultivation. I''m afraid that he won''t being out in this one to two months." Huang Ping shared the news about Wang Xun with Qin Lan.


    "What do you think about this natural fortress? Even our master builders were surprised by it." Huang Ping said as he takes another view of this fort. Even Qin Lan can''t keep his curiosity hidden as he studies the natural formation scattered all around him.


    "A treasure amongst treasure. As long our highness managed to manage this ce properly, the benefit it will bring will not be any lesser than the Fuyun City." Qin Lan gives it an honest evaluation.


    "I will need brother Qin''s help to make sure I can manage this ce properly then. Brother Qin, you must help me." Sun Wu Jian said from afar as he approaches them. Following by his side are three of the nine elite guards always seen around him.


    "Brother Sun," Qin Lan greeted Sun Wu Jian and the other guards behind him.


    "Brother Qin, let us walk together. I have something I am eager to show you immediately." Sun Wu Jian came to Qin Lan''s side as he suggested. Walking side by side, the two soon came to a vast field with over ten kinds of Spiritual Herbs growing in it.


    "Surprised? This is just one of the six fields we have. At first, I am curious about how the Hushan Bandits capable of supporting themselves. But after looking at this, I think I know where did their financial supporte from."


    "To think that they''re actually this wealthy... I must be blind to miss this for so long." Sun Wu Jian chuckled whileughing at his own foolishness.


    "Brother Qin, what do you think about this? Can you teach my people how to manage this farm efficiently?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "Of course! Honestly speaking, I am very eager to see what we can make from this. Give me five hundred workers with skills in botany and prepare a ce for me to refine them." Qin Lan replied with a smiling expression on his face.


    After giving Sun Wu Jian a pat on his back to assure him he will try his best, Qin Lan flexed his limbs and neck as he prepared a working frame on what they''ll be used for.


    ...


    ...


    "Delivery! I am here on behalf of the Qin Family''s yware Workshop!" a rider came to the Demon Mountain Fort''s entrance in a rush. On his hand was a token with the word (Qin Family) engraved on one of the smoother surfaces.


    "Go straight and turn right. That''s where you''ll be going. Now, hurry before you disturb another envoy." the guard smiled at the rider on horseback and allowed him to enter the fortress. And not even five minutes have passed, another rider followed.


    There was a Qin Family Token in his hand as well.


    "The flow of Qin Family employees ising without stop these days... Do you think I should ask my two younger brothers to joinmander Qin''s faction?" one of the guards asked.


    "What for? Be it the Qin Faction or our ninth prince faction, we''re one big family. Just make sure you do your job well. Just appreciates what you have now and cultivate diligently." another guard used the back of his spear to knock his colleague''s shoulder.


    "I heard that those working in the Qin Faction have better food to eat too. I wonder will that kind of treatment came to us in the future." the other guard continued.


    "Hahaha, get ready to starve tonight if the kitchen chief heard what you''ve just said!" the guardughed. Of course, in his mind, he too agreed that the food prepared by the kitchen chef is pale inparison to what the people from Qin Faction are eating.


    But to Qin Lan''s understanding, it was not weird. Currently, the Qin Faction is undergoing a transition. With the right to control the ounting department of the Qin Faction fall to Hu Jia''s hand, they''re currently expanding their reach in different types of businesses.


    A week ago, their business was still focusing on medicine alone. But right now, textile, pottery, and culinary arts were added to Hu Jia''s sessful portfolio. Her method impressed even the Magistrate''s Office by providing jobs and ie to over a quarter of residents living inside Fuyun City.


    ces like the slums where You Qing, Han Xue, Yi Feng, and Qiang Shou originated from are now undergoing renovation because Fuyun City is expanding once again.


    As for Qin Lan, he hadn''t been home for close to half a month now.


    "Chief Alchemist! We''re out of me Essence Grass and Starry Spiritual Flower! The production of Turbulence Pill is on halt right now!"


    "Chief Alchemist! We need some help right here! Half of the Spiritual Herb doesn''t seem to reach the minimum quality we need to refine the Flesh Foundation Pills you''re asking for!"


    "Chief!"


    "Chief!"


    There was a call from all over the ce asking for Qin Lan''s attention. Right now, this ce in Demon Mountain Fort is the hottest ce for all aspiring alchemists. It was filled with half of the disciples from Eighth Elder''s Dwelling and Sun Wu Jian''s personal Alchemist recruits.


    Close to forty types of pills were concocted in this ce daily as they''re trying their best to clear all the avable Spiritual Herbs nted in the six Gardens. Of course, there was a reason behind this great project.


    Qin Lan was nning to reim thend infested with all kinds of random spiritual herbs nted in the six gardens. And since Sun Wu Jian had already given him the green light to proceed however he wishes, Qin Lan decided to make this project one of the biggest for now.


    From the initial 500 ve workers, their number has now increased to close to a thousand. But even with a thousand workers, it was still proceeding slower than what he expected.


    "Get the token holders over to my private refining hall. Tell them my ss will start in another half an hour," Qin Lan ordered an assistant as hepleted yet another batch of pills. Using his Spiritual Energy like an extension of his limbs, Qin Lan flicked his hand simply to fill the bottles to the brim.


    "This subordinate understood. I will immediately aplish the task as soon as I can." the assistant left in a hurry. After he left, Lu Qing Yun appeared. Coming to Qin Lan''s side with a silk handkerchief in her hand, she wipes away the filth and sweat from Qin Lan''s forehead.


    "Young Master, you''re working too hard recently... Please take a rest when you have some timeter," said Lu Qing Yun.


    "I have too much to do right now. There''ll be more time for me to restter, so let''s make sure that we had everything done first." Zhang Qin Feng replied. Turning his head around to a corner of the refinement hall, Zhang Qin Feng took a nce at another two disciples of his.


    "Little princesses, can you please inspect the pills in our hand?" a few youngsters below fifteen years old came to Zhuge Yanyu and Zhuge Xinyu''s side. There was a tray of Fasting Pill, Bone Clotting Pill, and Jewel Lotus Fruit for inspection.


    "This is eptable. This is not. You''ll have to do much better than this if you want to be as good as us in pill refining."


    "You''ve must have forgotten about controlling the me. Look at this... Although it was aplete pill, you''ve burned it. This makes the tablet much easier to spoil and harder to swallow. Redo it again." Zhuge Yanyu said.


    "The two of them have grown up so much." Lu Qing Yun said.


    "Well, I''m not worried about the two littlesses, but the three of you. What is the foolish Lu Yi doing nowadays?" Qin Lan asked as he swallowed one of the grapes Lu Qing Yun fed to his mouth.


    "That fool? If I''m not wrong, he should be fighting against his highness'' peak leveled officers in the training ground," she replied.


    "You''ll have to remind him to not waste his time. If he''s going to fool around like this, he''ll be learning about the Foundation Qiter than the two of you. By that time, he can''t me me for being impartial." Qin Lan said.


    "Qing Yun will make sure to remind him about it." Lu Qing Yun nodded.


    "Chief Alchemist, everyone is present. We''re ready to go into your Private Refinement Hall now." the assistant came back with close to ten alchemists behind him.


    "Great. Let''s get it started. Girls! Come with me into the ss!" Qin Lan called the two.

 Chapter 156: Battle Again? (End of Volume 3)

    Chapter 156: Battle Again? (End of Volume 3)


    "This is the mostprehensive Alchemy ss I''ve ever attended in my life... To think that the pill''s effectiveness can be decided from the quality of me alone." one alchemist from the group of fifteen said. A surprised look is still hanging on his face after he''s enlightened by Qin Lan''s theory ss.


    "I can''t believe it either! Imagine to what quality of pills I can make if I followed this theory from the start? What a great point of view he made in his ss regarding the extraction and nourishment process."


    "But I am still curious... How can a simple fire-controlling ss turn up to be so extensive, to the point it determines the efficiency and medicinal value of the pill? Not even the referencing book that I''ve read before talked about this." the students exchanged their views with one another after Qin Lan''s ended the ss.


    Right now, he was speaking with the receptionistdy who entertained him before when he was still a member of the Dan-Xin Dwelling, Luo Yunxi.


    "Senior sister Luo, what kind of question you have in mind?" Qin Lan humbly addressed her as senior sister due to the differences in their age, status, and interest.


    "My question would be regarding the process of refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill. Will this topic be too challenging for you?" Luo Yunxi smiled and ced a few ingredients on top of the table. This table was provided in case there''s a need to refine a pill in front of everyone.


    "Marrow Cleansing Pill... A pill from the Bone Reconstruction Rank. Refining it won''t be a problem, but can I know what kind of questions senior sister had in your mind?" Qin Lan opened the lid of the pill cauldron and tossed a piece of burning gs inside.


    Using his Spiritual Energy like an extension of his limbs, he made use of the "fireball" to sanitize the cauldron''s internal surface. This process made the inneryer cleaner before they begin.


    "Since you''ve talked about fire in the ss today, let''s continue with that. Tell me how you''ll refine this Marrow Cleansing Pill using the method of firing you''ve taught us." Luo Yunxi smiled.


    "If that the case, then let this junior brother shamelessly show some of his petty little tricks in front of senior sister Luo. I hope that you won''t mind helping in case Qin Lan is out of Spiritual Energy in between." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Are they going to refine a pill? Let''s have a look!" the others quickly came forward and gathered around them. Even Zhuge Xinyu and Zhuge Yanyu are no exception.


    "Those that can''t refine any Flesh Refining Rank Pills shouldn''t watch. Learning about this will only make you getting impatient for sess and forget about the basics." Qin Lan waved his hand and telling some of them to get out from his Private Refining Hall.


    "Ahh..." half of them were dejected. As Qin Lan said, their current achievement is yet to reach the qualification to start learning about Bone Reconstruction Rank pills.


    Out of the fourteen remaining students, only two were qualified to stay and witness the process. Even the two Zhuge sisters are not allowed to watch.


    Cupping their hand and excused themselves from Qin Lan''s Private Refining Hall, everyone left. Only Qin Lan, Luo Yunxi, and two other students who belonged to Sun Wu Jian''s faction stays.


    "Let us begin. I will start by using the mixture of natural and spiritual mes for the first pill and purely spiritual mes for the second pill." Qin Lan exined.


    ...


    "Huh - Huh... Is this the Demon Mountain Fort they''ve been talking about? To think that Yunxi came here without telling me. How can this Lan-Er be so unsupportive to his only older brother?" Qin Fan took a few deep breaths as he gets closer to the fortress''s entrance.


    "Halt right there! Do you have the permission to enter the Demon Mountain Fortress?" a soldier asked.


    "You need permission to enter? This is bad. I totally had no idea about that... What kind of permission, and from who do I get it from?" Qin Fan asked.


    He can be said to be the most clueless individual about what happened not long ago. Although the current Qin Fan is a fifth-level Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator, he is still as confused as before without Qin Chan by his side.


    "From whom? You must be joking with me. Who doesn''t know that this fortress is currently upied by his highness, the ninth prince Sun Wu Jian?"


    "Please do not disturb the entry of the others here if you couldn''t provide your token of entry. Many people are waiting behind the line. Next!" the guard ordered Qin Fan to get aside.


    "Hey, no matter what, I am still a fifth-level..." Qin Fan was about to raise his voice but ended up swallowing this mouthful of anger because it was the Min-Ren Dwelling''s doctrine to be considerate to the public and the government.


    Turning around and stops by the side of the road, Qin Fan sat down quietly as he hopes that he can meet one or two acquaintance that could bring him into the fortress. Not too long after that, his existence caught the attention of two of Sun Wu Jian''s elite guards and Expert Yi on top of the fortress''s wall.


    "Get some of our men to prepare around here. Why is there a fifth-level Bone expert right outside of our fortress?" Expert Yi ordered.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside the Private Refining Hall.


    "Although this ismon knowledge, what kind of fuel shall we use in the process of refining a Bone Reconstruction Rank Pill?" Qin Lan asked. Three types of fuel sources were taken out from his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade as Qin Lan finished his sentence.


    "I would say it''s the Mineral mestone. This is considered the best fuel source capable of refining even a high-grade medicinal herb and spiritual ore. Furthermore, the mineral value inside the Mineral mestone is also beneficial to the pill." said one of the two alchemists who came from Sun Wu Jian''s faction.


    "Brother, I think you''re too reckless in answering this question. There must be a trick behind why our teacher is bringing out the Mineral mestone, Smokeless Sandalwood Charcoal, and Precelestial Ashwood before us." another alchemist said.


    "I''ll choose thebination of Mineral mestone and Smokeless Sandalwood Charcoal. The reason behind my choice is because thetter is known for its nourishing Yin properties when burning," he added.


    "Senior sister, what about you?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Based on how tricky I know about you... And the fact there are six types of ingredients here to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill... I would say that we''ll be using all of them. But how you''ll go with... I''m not sure." Luo Yunxi replied.


    "Actually, using any of them in the refining will not bring a significant difference in the refining process. The problem you have right now is confidence and understanding about the ingredients." Qin Lan chuckled.


    Sweeping his hand over the table, Qin Lan took two more cauldrons out and fired all three of them at once. Each of them had a different fuel source ced inside to bring the pot up to a suitable cooking temperature.


    "Marrow Cleansing Pill. The main ingredient includes the Two kinds of Demonic Marrow from Bone Reconstruction Yao Beast, Heart Cleansing Lotus, Spirit Calming Flower, Boneyard Twilight Grass, and Purified Corpse Extract."


    "In between the six of them, the demonic marrow is the most troublesome ingredient to process. To make sure that we could get it ready alongside the other four, cooking it with Precelestial Ashwood and the me of Yang properties is very important."


    "The Heart Cleansing Lotus, Spirit Calming Flower, and Boneyard Twilight Grass shalle together in the second cauldron next. The lotus cleanses, flower calm, and twilight grass nourish. I''m sure you know which pot they should go in." Qin Lan continues to test their mindset.


    "The Smokeless Sandalwood Charcoal!" the three of them gave the same answer in tandem.


    "Then there it goes." Qin Lan tossed the Spiritual Herbs into the second cauldron. Now, only the Purified Corpse Extract and thest pot with Mineral mestone are left.


    "Are we going to add the extract and Mineral mestone together? I''ve tried twice, the result wasn''t pretty..." Luo Yunxi shook her head. She still remembered how troublesome it will be when the extract and mestone went together inside the pot.


    "We are, but not now." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Huh?" Qin Lan''s answer confused her.


    "Ah! I remembered! I''ve once read a book regarding the Mineral mestone. Although the burning me stone indeed adding value to the medicinal pill''s effect, the most potent part of it wasn''ting from the me but from the dregs!" the second alchemist said.


    **Click!**


    Qin Lan flicked his finger once to praise the alchemist''s answer.


    "No wonder! I remember I''ve read about that book too! The reason behind those vtile reactions is not because they''re notpatible, but because I''m mixing them too recklessly!" Luo Yunxi quickly caught the reason behind her few failed attempts.


    ...


    While outside of the Demon Mountain Fortress, things were getting much more confusing.


    Zhou Mei came to the fort on her own after she was pestered by Hu Jia without stopping. But across her path, there''s another troubleing to her.


    They were the people from the Country of Wei. The leader for this group is surprisingly turned up to be Peng Yan.


    (End of Book 3)

 Chapter 157: Envoy From Country of Wei (1)

    Chapter 157: Envoy From Country of Wei (1)


    "Father, please allow Yan-Er to go on behalf of you as the peace envoy from the Country of Wei." Peng Yan rubbed her face on the chest of a handsome man seatedfortably on hiszy chair. Only a single sight is enough to discern that his social status is neither simple from the design of the chair and decoration around this pavilion.


    He was about forty at most from how young he looked.


    "My dear daughter... This trip to the Demon Mountain Fort is not for fun. You''re lucky that the government didn''t put the me on your inability to win the war. Why to bother to go back to that ce again?" the handsome man said. Even the way he speaks sounded just like Qin Lan.


    It was sophisticated, well-mannered, and calm.


    "That''s because your daughter found somebody she really likes. He''s a good-looking, gentlemanly, and graceful man just like you, father." Peng Yan said. Once again, she rubbed her face on this man''s chest.


    "That''s not enough to be a reason for me to let you go there. This is not a matter to joke about. You have to know that if this discussion does not go as sessfully as we want, I will be forced to take action and liberate the entire me Demon Mountain?"


    "There are too many things to be considered here. If I know that the Evil Infant Sect is this useless, I will not allow them to borrow the crack soldiers away and wasted them. I would rather let Yang Yuan borrow them instead." the handsome man added.


    (Recap: This Yang Yuan is the one in Chapter 80-83, Thunder Roaring Pce''s Yang Yuan)


    "Father, you''re talking about that crazy man again. Why do you have such a good impression on him?" Peng Yan pouted and crossed her hands together around her chest.


    "That''s because he''s one of the most talented individuals in the Thunder Roaring Pce''s Outer Sect." her father said. From the way he speaks, it seems like the youth has left quite an impression in the eyes of this Genius Warfare General of Wei, Peng Likun.


    "In my eyes, he''s nothing but a barbarian," said Peng Yan. To her, a crude man like Yang Yuan, who can pige, rape, and kill without a hint of hesitation shown in his eyes, was a pitiful man lost in his own world.


    And whenparing him beside Qin Lan, thetter is, of course, does much better.


    "Father... I want to go... Let me be the envoy, Yan-Er promise I will make sure that the negotiation will go on properly this time..." Peng Yan continues to beg her father.


    "Alright, you brat. Tell me your reason to keep pestering your father about this matter. I''m sure it''s not as simple as he''s handsome, gentlemanly, and graceful-looking." her father said. At the same time, he felt that it''s been too long that he didn''t properly look at his one and only daughter.


    ''Would it end up differently for my dear Yan-Er and my deceased wife if I didn''t act recklessly during my youth?'' Peng Likun lovingly stares at his daughter''s eyes as he reminiscence about his youth. And hidden behind this handsome-looking face is a secret that only he can understand.


    "Yan-Er," he called his daughter suddenly. It was like a shock to Peng Yan as her father rarely addressed her this way. The reason is likely because her mother was also called Yan-Er.


    "Fa - Father..." Peng Yan released the knot of her hand and held one of her father''s hands. As a pair of father and daughter connected by blood, how can she not know what was in her father''s mind?


    "Did you went out to satisfy your lusttely?" Peng Likun asked. Although it sounded like an embarrassing topic to talk about between father and daughter, it was understandable because they both cultivate the same art.


    "I did not..." Peng Yan lowered her head as she replied. Seated on top of her father''s thigh, it felt like she went back to the shy Peng Yan before she learned this forbidden martial art.


    "Then... Just go. Make sure you know how to differentiate between what is a priority and what''s not. I''ll get two of your uncle to follow you there, along with some Peng Family guards." Peng Likun gives it another thought and finally surrendered to his daughter''s request.


    "Really? I love you, father!" Peng Yan hugged his neck. In reply to his daughter''s sudden warmness, Peng Likun can only smile.


    ''Let''s hope she can solve this heart demon in her before it gets worst to what I am suffering right now...'' Peng Likun touched her hair gently...


    ''Yan-Niangzi... Can you protect our daughter from up there?'' Peng Likun looked at the sky and prayed solemnly...


    (Niangzi = Wife / Wifey. Since Peng Yan''s mother name is only known as Yan-Er, just like herself, so addressing her as Yan-Niangzi would sound much appropriate)


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Hehehe! I wonder what kind of reaction will be when he saw me!" the same sentence appeared in two maiden''s mind as they encountered one another on the road to Demon Mountain Fort.


    ''Huh? Aren''t those clothing is often worn by nobles and royalties from the Country of Wei? What brings a group of people like them here?'' Zhou Mei thought.


    ''That carriage... Zhou Family? Don''t tell me the Zhou Family has some connection with this ninth prince too? If that''s the case, this negotiation is going to be more troublesome than I''ve expected...'' thought Peng Yan as she steals a nce at Zhou Mei''s private carriage.


    The two traveled side by side as they approach the entrance to the Demon Mountain Fort. It was a pure coincidence that Zhou Mei was on the other side from where Qin Fan rested. This makes them failed to notice each other as the carriage drove past.


    But to those on top of the wall, their heart almost stopped beating. To expert Yi and the others, it looks like the fifth-level Bone Expert ismunicating secretly with the passenger from the Country of Wei!


    "There are people from the Country of Wei is here! Notify Commander Huang, Commander Qin, and his highness! Everyone else in Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivation shalle with me!" said Expert Yi.


    Making a grand entry onto the fort''s entrance, Expert Yi obstructed Peng Yan''s carriage by bringing over twenty cultivators in between half-step to second-level with him!


    "Stop right there! State the reason behind your visit!" Expert Yi bravely stands right in front of the carriage. He indirectly blocks Zhou Mei''s carriage as it was sandwiched between the carriage and thoseing by foot or horses.


    "A few of you, search the man idling over there as well." Expert Yi pointed at Qin Fan, who was nibbling on a branch he plucked from a nearby shrub.


    "Eh? What is wrong with me?" Qin Fan was puzzled. To think that even sitting over here will rm the guards.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "I think I can see some hope in this Marrow Cleansing Pill..." Luo Yunxi excitedly said as she focused all her attention on the three burning cauldrons. The medicinal fragrance released from the tiny venttion gaps is getting stronger with every second passed.


    "Are we going to put them together now?" Luo Yunxi asked after the Mineral mestone has burnt out. Right now, only the Purified Corpse Extract is yet to be added into the cauldron.


    But once again, Qin Lan uses an unconventional method in mixing the Purified Corpse Extract with the dregs from the Mineral mestone. A frigid cold Spiritual Qi was used instead of the usual Yin or Yang properties me when pouring the extract into the piping hot cauldron.


    *Sssh...*


    It was like a boiling hot pot was doused by freezing cold water. The cauldron instantly lost all the warmness as it changed color from molten red to earthen brown.


    "This... This..." Luo Yunxi and the two other alchemists were speechless with Qin Lan''s entric and unconventional preparation method. In their eyes, this was like heating up a pot for the sake of cooling it down afterward. Perhaps, not a single alchemist will repeat what he was doing because this act is akin to destroying their treasured medicinal cauldron.


    Their surprise does not end here. When the extract inside the pot picking up its heat again, a distinctive aroma different from what a Purified Corpse Extract should smell came out for the first time.


    "How can the Purified Corpse Extract smells like this?" they were shocked by the wooden gum aftertaste fragrance that came from neither hot nor warm cauldron.


    "The preparation is nowplete. Let''s put everything together!" Qin Lan controlled his Spiritual Qi and pulled the content from three different cauldrons out.


    The milky juices from the Yao Beast''s Marrows. The essence from the three kinds of herbs. And the warm Purified Corpse Extract. When the content is mixed together, theposition turns the unfinished elixir into a brownish blood color. A stench of blood seeps out, although there''s no blood is in used here.


    "Now, we''re left with firing the cauldron." Qin Lan smiled as he drops the blob of elixir back into the third cauldron.


    Everyone else was grinning on their face as they already can guess what''s the sess rate for this Marrow Cleansing Pill in front of them.


    **Knock - Knock - Knock!**


    "Commander Qin, a problem at the Fort Entrance! We have a carriage with envoys from the Country of Wei and a wandering fifth-level Bone Expert!

 Chapter 158: Envoy From Country of Wei (2)

    Chapter 158: Envoy From Country of Wei (2)


    "I''ll be there soon. Dismiss for now," said Qin Lan as he told the soldier to leave his Private Refining Hall. That''s because no matter how nice he is, getting disturbed while refining a pill is taboo to all alchemists.


    "Let us continue with the refining process. While we''re waiting, how about sharing our insight about this Marrow Cleansing Pill?" Qin Lan suggested. His palm was pointed at one of the two Sun Wu Jian''s alchemists to starts first.


    "Then, do let this surname Situ start first." the alchemist cupped his hands together and decided to give it a try. Such a mentality is what all the alchemist needs to have for the sake of producing high-quality pills.


    "As the name suggests, Cleansing Marrow Pill belongs to the category of body tempering pill. And the main reason the cultivator took this pill while cultivating was to expel the impurities that seep into our bone and marrow."


    "Once a cultivator entered the threshold of Bone Reconstruction, the way of cultivation will have to change slightly too. It was said that Flesh Refining renew our frame, Bone Reconstruction stabilize our base, and Spiritual Roots created a foundation."


    "But herees the question. If a framework takes years to renew, won''t stabilizing the base takes ten or more? And if that''s the case, is there hope to reach the Spiritual Roots, which equals constructing a foundation?"


    "And the Marrow Cleansing Pill is the answer to this theory." Alchemist Situ said. Although the introduction part of his was information everyone knew about, it wasn''t bothersome to listen again because everyone had their own opinion and belief on cultivation.


    "In the Bone Reconstruction Layer, stabilizing the base means strengthening the bones and purifying the marrows. Although the concept is simr, the process was different."


    "What the Marrow Cleansing Pill could do to our body is to remove the impurities in the marrows little by little, from inside out. At the same time, it will also introduce our skeletal frame to Spiritual Qi, making it sturdier andparable to the density of the metal."


    "The lesser the impurities in our marrows is equaled to a base without blemishes. And the fewer blemishes our base have, the sturdier it will be after it was strengthened and bathed with Spiritual Qi."


    "If there''s anything this surname Situ mentioned wrong, please feel free to correct my mistake." the alchemist said.


    "Brother Situ''s insight was exined clearer than how our teacher taught us when we''re younger. Even this junior might be unable to share the insight as detailed as yours." the other alchemist said.


    "What about the senior sister? Do you have your own inside you''ll like to add?" Qin Lan asked. What he was most curious is about how the current generation deciphers the teachings.


    Listening to what Alchemist Situ said was also interesting in his opinion.


    ''Who would have thought that an Inner Marrow Pill I created in the past will have such a reputation?'' Qin Lan chuckled. His memory then brought him back to an incident that happened in the past.


    ...


    ...


    "Venerable Sect Master, please save my entire family from this disease... I beg you to help the 151 people of my household to ovee this bone disease." the patriarch of a cultivating family begged for Qin Lan''spassion.


    During that time, there was no such thing as a concept of tempering the body, consolidate your cultivation, or growing your Spiritual Root. It was an era where people''s life was much more worthlesspared to a farming tool.


    At that time, Yao Beast was running amok. Not even Qin Lan himself can promise that he could protect everyone he came across. There''s been a few asions where the people who received his grace were in by the Yao Beast the next day.


    But his heart thinks otherwise at this moment.


    Perhaps it was due to a young little girl standing by the side of the patriarch. From the simrity between the two, she''s likely the daughter of this patriarch. She was too young at that time, merely ten or eleven.


    It was unfortunate because, in Qin Lan''s opinion, this girl could grow up into a properdy in the future. Not only her gaze revealed a hint of maturity others couldn''t have, but she''s alsopassionate.


    Even her father couldn''t notice the fact she was tortured by the so-called bone disease too. If he knew, would her father still brought her out to beg before Qin Lan?


    "Lass. Can you fetch a chair for this elder to have a rest?" Qin Lan said. It was at this moment his heart softened. By telling himself that this will contribute to his good karma, he taught this girl a recipe that was created on a whim.


    "Listen well,ss. Your family''s future will be depending on how much you can understand what I will say." Qin Lan gave her head a pat as he sat down on the chair she brought. In his heart, he was smiling because his eyes did not misjudge the character of this girl.


    "Bitter Heart Lotus... Bone Marrow from two Bone Reconstruction Realm Beast... Spiritual Calming Grass, Screaming Root, Corpse Extract..."


    "Collect them together and make it this way... Using their strength, you''ll adjust the way on how this medicine is to be cooked. Then..." Qin Lan transferred the knowledge on the initial creation of the Inner Marrow Pill to her.


    Also, at the same time, a surge of transparent Qi above the Precelestial Realm protected thess from getting tortured further by the illness she had.


    Although it won''t be enough for her to suddenly have a growth in her cultivation, it wouldn''t be a problem for her to live past 500 years old from a hint of Qin Lan''s protective Qi.


    Her father could only remain in the kowtow position as their family was given another chance to keep on living. Be it working or not, there will be no other regrets in his heart.


    But to think that after so many millennia, this pill was still here made Qin Lan somewhat smiled.


    ''I wonder... Did the girl managed to live well after I left?'' Qin Lan retracts the Yang Properties me back as the Marrow Cleansing Pill is finallypleted. A medicinal fragrant explodes out of the cauldron as it is apanied by Qin Lan''s smile.


    "It''s a sess!" the other three smiled as they looked at one another.


    ...


    ...


    "What is the meaning of this?" one of the two elders beside Peng Yan came out and questioned Expert Yi''s decision to stop them from entering the Demon Mountain Fort. It was akin to a pile of wet mud smeared on their face.


    "Please forgive this surname Yi for temporarily blocking your carriage. May I ask you to provide your documentation that state your reason for this visit?" one of his hand was on the sword''s handle as Expert Yi speaks.


    The way he handled this was considered proper, but at the same time, overly formal. And it was easy to be misunderstood due to the differences in people''s mentality.


    Feeling that expert Yi was purposely holding them here for no reason, one of the elders gave a harumph at Expert Yi as a reply. This reaction might be seen as a dissatisfied response back where he came, but right now, this is not theirnd.


    This is thend that belongs to the Wu and not Wei.


    **Zing!**


    Expert Yi pulled half of his sword out. As the one overseeing the operation of this entrance, he has the right to draw his sword right here!


    "You! Tell us your intention for visiting this Demon Mountain Fort uninvited!" another officer repeated what Expert Yi was doing in front of Qin Fan. This made Qin Fan felt confused out of a sudden.


    ''W - W - What did I do wrong? I was just nibbling on a branch, for heaven''s sake!'' Qin Fan was nervous. He was worried that if something gets wrong here, he might not meet Luo Yunxi today!


    His action made the others felt suspicious as he searched his pocket for something to represent his identity.


    "I want to see your superior. The envoy from the Country of Wei is here for an audience with the ninth prince." suddenly, Peng Yan made her appearance from the carriage. Her beauty strikes the lust of the men, the jealousy from the women, and the fear in Sun Wu Jian''s soldiers.


    "That... That''s the demonmander of the right. The one that disturbs ourmander Qin before leaving." one of the soldiers blocking the carriage said. Coincidently, he was standing close to Zhou Mei''s carriage, and everything he said was heard by her.


    ''The one that pestered Qin Lan?'' Zhou Mei opened the door of her carriage and came out to take a look. For the first time, she''s looking straight at Peng Yan''s appearance.


    ''What a fox!'' even she felt a hint of jealousy looking at Peng Yan''s devilish figure and sluttiness.


    ''The passenger of that carriage came out. She... Is she the one from the Zhou Family? That brooch on her hair... To think that she''s one of those fake virgins from the Ice Maiden Temple!" Peng Yan revealed an irritated expression as she steals a nce at Zhou Mei.


    It seems that the two are fated to be as ipatible as oil and water even before Qin Lan appeared in between them.


    "Commander Huang has arrived!"


    "Commander Shan has arrived!"


    At this moment, twomanders made their appearance here at the entrance.

 Chapter 159: Envoy From Country of Wei (3)

    Chapter 159: Envoy From Country of Wei (3)


    "What is wrong over here?" Huang Ping asked. Shan Xiong Xin was also following behind him as he came on behalf of Sun Wu Jian to maintain the prince''s prestige as the owner of this fort.


    "Commander Huang. Commander Shan." the half-drawn sword was returned into its sheath when Expert Yi turned around and greeted the two officers above his rank.


    "Please allow this subordinate to exin the situation here." Expert Yi started to whisper in between Huang Ping and Shan Xiong Xin as he guided them through from when Qin Fan sat by the side of the road.


    "Ah! I remembered. Will this works?" Qin Fan, who was still clueless about what is happening around him, took a golden token out. Because he rarely needs to show his identity to others, Qin Fan has totally forgotten that he had something like this on his neck.


    "Heh..." the soldier looking at Qin Fan''s token chuckled as he was unsure if Qin Lan was mocking him or he was purely stupid.


    "What''s so funny? Look? There''s a word (Qin) here. I''m the eldest of the Qin Family''s younger generation, Qin Fan. Yourmander, Qin Lan, is my third siblings." Qin Fan said.


    "Expert... Everyone guarding the door knew that Commander Qin hates exhibiting wealth and power in public. Even if you''re trying to imitate his elder brother, shouldn''t you follow the others and engrave it on a stone or wooden te like the others?" said the soldier. He shook his head as he speaks.


    But the token caught a mixed response from the others.


    "Fan-Gege?" Zhou Mei finally noticed Qin Fan on the other side of the road. Even she had no idea that they could end up noting across each other just because another carriage is blocking her view. Luckily, they were all stopped here because of some misunderstandings.


    "Ah! Xiao-Mei!" Qin Fan waved his hand and greeted her back.


    "Look at there, that''s my future sister-inw, yourmander''s second wife. She can verify my identity, so go to her, would you?" Qin Fan said. Although he didn''t speak loudly, it was clear enough for those with some cultivation to listen to him audibly.


    Zhou Mei lowered her head a little by being addressed as "sister-inw" by Qin Fan right in public. Of course, she was happy that more than one person approved the wish she had in her mind, but saying it like this was like she''s trying to announce her engagement out aloud in public.


    Shan Xiong Xin, Huang Ping, and Expert Yi could only look at each other and grinned when ites to things like this. They were also the other few people that knew why Qin Fan produces a golden token and not from stone or wood.


    "Soldiers, you maye..." the misunderstanding was eventually solved. But as Expert Yi tried to recall the soldiers around Qin Fan, something else happened.


    ''Second wife?''


    ''Sister-inw?''


    Peng Yan''s expression turned sour the moment she overheard the conversation between Qin Fan and Zhou Mei. It never crossed her mind before that she would be stuck in between the two.


    "The two of you must be associated with one another. Who is the one sending you here to mess with the enjoys from the Country of Wei?" Peng Yan said. The horseman on her carriage approached Zhou Mei to capture her in case she tried to escape.


    At the same time, one of the two elders went to apprehend Qin Fan.


    "Surrender obediently! It will only get worst if you resist!" the elder said. Like Qin Fan, he''s also a middle-attainment rank Bone Expert.


    "How can a fight happened out of sudden?" Shan Xiong Xin and Huang Ping were puzzled by the sudden changes of events before them. Right here, perhaps only Expert Yi had a slight idea of what was going on.


    "Expert Yi, exin this!" Huang Ping asked. In thest battle, both he and Shan Xiong Xin missed the scene unfolding between Qin Lan and Peng Yan. During that time, they''re still trapped inside the bloody mist created by Lang Xue.


    "How should I say about this... I think it''s jealousy between the girls. Is it legit that Lady Zhou is engaged to Commander Qin?" Expert Yi asked. Even he''s confused. As for the soldiers, it was natural for them to be clueless about everything happening right here.


    "Country Protection Fist!" the power of Spiritual Energy belonged to a middle-attainment Bone Expert approached Qin Fan like a falling meteor. The pressure alone is enough to force all the soldiers around Qin Fan to copse on the ground, awaiting death.


    "Aargh!" the strongest one amongst them, which is also the one that grabbed Qin Fan''s token for inspection earlier, only capable of groaning as he stuck on the ground.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Qin Fan casually retaliates the moment he sees there''s no space to mitigate the misunderstanding. And since he''s yet to get in a fight against someone in the same cultivation rank as himself, this was a chance for him to test himself.


    The achievement of his martial art from the Golden Lord''s Temple is much higher than everyone else. The moment Qin Fan threw his fist out, the Spiritual Energy within him manifest into a silhouette in golden carapace armor.


    "Martial Manifestation!" even the elder was shocked by Qin Fan''s counterattack as he was forced to retreat. The collision between the two attacks seems simple to the others. But in the eyes of another middle-attainment rank elder, it was enough to force him to make a move.


    "Brother Li-Xun, let me help you!" the other elder approached Qin Fan when he noticed that this opponent is not somebody to be underestimated. Although both of them were capable of Martial Manifestation, it was not as casual as how Qin Fan did.


    "How dare you make a move on the Zhou Family''s member! Are you getting tired of living inside the Country of Wu?" Zhou Mei''s guard speaks after blocking the attack from Peng Yan''s horseman.


    The battle of two half-step Bone Cultivator over here were not as exciting as the one between Qin Fan and the two elders. But the Spiritual Energy they release still managed to cause disturbance to the people queuing around the fort''s entrance.


    To some people with cultivation, this was a chance for them to witness a battle and received enlightenment from studying it. But to the old and weak, it was like getting caught in between a few eyes of the wind that could easily tear their flesh apart.


    "Protect the people from getting involved in their fight! Stop them from fighting!" Expert Yi said.


    Those soldiers that still idle immediately executed Expert Yi''smand. The experts following him also immediately interrupted the battle between Zhou Mei''s guard and Peng Yan''s horseman from escting further.


    But their involvement in this also made the other guards who belonged to Peng Yan joining the brawl. Fights immediately break out in the time enough for two breaths.


    "What a mess!" Huang Ping and Shan Xiong Xin stare at each other. Even Expert Yi is forced to join the fight to stop them from turning this into a bloodbath.


    The fight even caught Sun Wu Jian and Qin Lan''s attention when the Spiritual Qi started to converge around the fort''s entrance.


    "Shouldn''t they be going there to wee the envoy from the Country of Wei? Why would they ended up fighting?" Sun Wu Jian ced the brush back on the holder as he lost his mood to continue marking his paperwork.


    As for Qin Lan, he had just left his Private Refining Hall. The start of a fight is indeed troubling to Qin Lan, but he was preupied with another matter right now. He was bombarded with more than twenty problems rted to alchemy the moment he stepped outside.


    "Change this spiritual herb to..."


    "Stop refining..."


    "Get a new cauldron before you continued..."


    "Go to the supplies office and ask them where are the containers and boxes for the pills..."


    "Do this... Do that..."


    Even Qin Lan himself felt overwhelmed as the workers inside the Pill Hall is too inexperienced. Luckily, someone would be here soon to help.


    "Teacher! Teacher!" Zhuge Xinyu and Zhuge Yanyu came to Qin Lan when they saw him finished instructing everyone on what to do.


    "Had you finish with your work today? If you do, go out and have fun. Just don''t finish your pocket money from buying useless stuff." said Qin Lan.


    "We''re not going to shop, teacher. Did you forget that big sister Zhou wille to the Demon Mountain Fort today? Let''s go to pick her up at the entrance!" Zhuge Xinyu said. She was the closest to Zhou Mei because the two were alike in their personality.


    As for Zhuge Yanyu, she''s closer to Hu Jia because they''re both reckless, hurried, and daring whenever they''re doing something.


    Then both of you should follow me. I am going to the fort''s entrance anyway. Let''s go over there and have a look." Qin Lan smiled as the two follow him like a pair of fluttering butterflies around him.


    "Stop them from fighting!" Expert Yi finally separates them apart. Panting as he kept them from continuing, he was stuck in between Zhou Mei and Peng Yan''s rivalry.


    Right now, the only problem left is between Qin Fan and the two elders. He was torn and clueless about what to do to stop them from fighting.


    "Should we let them fight until they got tired?" Huang Ping asked Shan Xiong Xin.


    == == == == ==


    Readers, check my Dimensional Store System in Apocalyse for update on what happened today. Also, do check out my Author''s thought often as I will keep my readers updated about me here and there.


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 160: Envoy From Country of Wei (4)

    Chapter 160: Envoy From Country of Wei (4)


    "Fleeting Cloud Steps!" Qin Fan shifted his position a few times in a sh. From how confident he looks, it was evident that Qin Fan is not taking this battle seriously. It was the same for the two elders because the situation is yet to get to the point of no return.


    But that was enough for Qin Fan to show his dominance. Perhaps except for the elder protecting Sun Wu Jian in secret, there''s nobody capable of giving him a hard time here in Demon Mountain Fort.


    "Envoy Peng, please control your subordinates." Huang Ping speaks as he approaches Peng Yan.


    "Both of them were not my subordinates. If they think they should stop, they will. Let''s hope they won''t get overboard with their enthusiasm." Peng Yan rested on a seat nearby, but her eyes are still ring at Zhou Mei.


    ''Fan-Gege? Let me see if you''re really her woman or not!'' Peng Yan tightened her fist to the point cracking sound is heard.


    "Country Protection Martial Art! Lightning Fist!" the elder called Li-Xun quickly retaliates against Qin Fan that moves like an eel swimming along with the mud.


    "Whoa!" Qin Fan gave out an expression of shock as the attack locks him in a tight spot. Without a path to proceed or retreat, he can only choose to retaliate before a consecutive attack came at him.


    "Country Protection Martial Art! Hammering Mountain!" just as Qin Fan expected, the next attack indeed came once he stops moving around. The other elder blow was like a hill toppling down at where Qin Fan stands.


    "Heh... Martial Manifestation!" Qin Fan moves both hands to create a seal. By gathering the surrounding Spiritual Energy around him, the silhouette once again appeared above Qin Fan.


    "Golden Lord''s! Holy Fist!" the attack fueled with the strength of a proper middle-attainment rank cultivator explodes. Both martial arts executed by Peng Yan''s subordinates were broken by Qin Fan in a single blow.


    "How - How can this happen?" one of the elders retreated. The counterattack from Qin Fan surprises him as his Spiritual Energy is running amok right now.


    "Brother..." the other elder called Li-Kun came and helped by pouring some of his Spiritual Energy to calm the disturbance happening in the other elder''s body.


    "Let''s stop here," he said and cupped his hands together towards the two elders. It was already counted as amicable for Qin Fan to speaks politely with them after getting attacked by them first.


    "Come, stand up," Qin Fan turned his attention to the soldier again and gave him a hand to get back on his feet.


    "Fan-Gege..." Zhou Mei left her carriage and made her way to Qin Fan''s side. Although she''s still clueless about what happened until now, she knew that a part of it came from her.


    "Everyone, please calm down. Let us put this misunderstanding aside and get friendly with one another here. After all, everyone that came to our Demon Mountain Fort shall be treated as a guest of our prince." Huang Ping said.


    "This brother, I am Shan Xiong Xin, one of the brothers of Qin Lan. May I get the honor to escort you into the fort?" Shan Xiong Xin approaches Qin Fan to quickly bring him away before everything esctes further.


    "Of course!" Qin Fan shook Shan Xiong Xin''s hand and agreed with his suggestion. As for Zhou Mei, she''ll be following them naturally because she knew Shan Xiong Xin all along from Sun Wu Jian''s manor until now.


    "Envoy Peng. Please follow me as I bring you to meet our prince." Huang Ping said. But the moment he lifted his head up, Peng Yan has already vanished from her seat.


    "Eh? Where did the envoy go?" he was surprised. Although his strength as an eighth-level Flesh Refining might be meager in front of Peng Yan, it shouldn''t be weak to the point she can slips away from him without rming him.


    Furthermore, Peng Yan was just a half-step Bone Expert like Expert Yi.


    It was already toote by the time he turned around. Peng Yan was on her way to create another mess.


    Zhuge Xinyu was the first to run to Zhou Mei and hugged her after not seeing her for too long. As for the otherss, she''s still holding Qin Lan''s hand while they came out from the fort.


    "Qin..." Zhou Mei wasing to Qin Lan''s side with Zhuge Xinyu holding one of her hands, but who knows that there''ll be an obstacle barging in between them.


    Although this wasn''t his first time encountering Peng Yan''s slithering movement, it was shocking for him to get tangled by her again for the second time. This time, she''s much more daring as she kissed Qin Lan right in front of so many people.


    With only one hand capable of moving around, Qin Lan resisted.


    His hand immediately went to Peng Yan''s neck and gave his hand a pull to separates her lips from his. But Peng Yan''s persistence surprises Qin Lan for the second time as shetched on Qin Lan like a body-hugging spider.


    Once again, Qin Lan was put in a sticky situation as the envoy from the Country of Wei kisses him for the second time.


    The girls were dumbfounded. Zhuge Yanyu is still holding Qin Lan''s hand without letting go. Afraid that he''ll hurt thess''s wrist if he swings her hand away, Qin Lan can only continue to struggle with one arm.


    "Huh... Huh... S - Stop right there! What are you doing with my man!!!" Zhou Mei finally lost her temper. The calmness of a rich young miss from the Zhou Family is no longer the most important thing in her mind right now.


    "This... What is happening today, for heaven''s sake?" Huang Ping, Shan Xiong Xin, Expert Yi were all speechless with everything that happened around them. Even the two elders escorting Peng Yan here were surprised by Peng Yan''s attitude towards Qin Lan.


    ''To think that there''s someone like this brat existed in this world... Is this why the general allowed her toe on his behalf?'' they thought.


    "Qin Lan! How can you do this and allowed another woman to kiss you right before me? Can you face Hu Jia like this?" Zhou Mei pushes Peng Yan away as she retakes the spot that was supposed to be hers.


    "Huh - Let me breathe first. Yanyu! Let go of your teacher''s hand now. Do you want to get me into trouble?" Qin Lan finally gets to talk after Zhou Mei interrupts. He did not think that thess could actually get stunned to the point of not letting him go after witnessing something like this.


    But it was normal.


    Even the spectators around them were stunned by Peng Yan''s straightforwardness when she came at Qin Lan and kissed him on his lips before saying anything.


    With his right arm now movable, it is easier for Qin Lan to gather some strength to pull Peng Yan off from him. But alternately, there''s another problem on his left side.


    Zhou Mei was hugging him much harder than Zhuge Yanyu. It was the same situation all over again with Zhuge Yanyu, only this time, it was on his left instead of right.


    ''Who''s karma did I do wrong to be put in this kind of situation right now?'' Qin Lan sighed.


    "Yunxi!" Qin Fan''s face immediately turned bright the moment he saw the woman he loved. Like a puppy saw his mastering out from the door, Qin Fan darts over to Luo Yunxi''s side.


    And what happened next was the exact opposite of Qin Lan.


    One was bothered by women, and another was bullied by a woman. Without replying to his words, Luo Yunxi locked her arm around Qin Fan as she started to flick his forehead sessively.


    "Look at all this trouble you caused. And you still have the guts to Yunxi me." as a woman, it was natural for her to understand what was happening here.


    With Qin Fan holding Zhuge Yanyu and Zhou Mei off from Qin Lan, and Luo Yunxi tugging Peng Yan away, Qin Lan finally could take a breather.


    "Huh - Huh... Girls... Calm down." Qin Lan retreated a few steps back as he tried to calm himself down.


    "Alright, let''s get back to Cloud Plucking Sect." looking at Qin Lan''s situation, Luo Yunxi couldn''t help but chuckle at his good luck. Perhaps all the other men would be willing to die ten times to have a fragment of luck with women like he does.


    "Lan-Er... I''ll leave first." Qin Fan looked between Qin Lan and Luo Yunxi indecisively. But he eventually followed Luo Yunxi away as she was his concern.


    "Everyone, shall we get into the fort?" Huang Ping, Shan Xiong Xin, and expert Yi said as the situation here seems to be handled atst by Luo Yunxi''s interruption.


    "Please, brother Qin, Miss Zhou, and Lady Peng," said Shan Xiong Xin as he took the lead to block Peng Yan from getting close to Qin Lan.


    But it seems the envoy from the Wei is unwilling to give up as she is soon stuck in one of Qin Lan''s arms forcefully. The smell of rivalry is evident as they made their way to Sun Wu Jian''s quarter.

 Chapter 161: Im The Alchemist Youre Looking For

    Chapter 161: I''m The Alchemist You''re Looking For


    ''What situation is this?'' Sun Wu Jian wanted to ask. But he decided to keep his curiosity in control as the visitors came to his guest hall. Almost everyone came either on themselves or in a pair, except for Qin Lan.


    "Adjutant Advisor of General Peng, Wang Li-Kun, greets your highness, ninth prince of Wu, Sun Wu Jian!" one of the two elders cupped his hands together as he kneeled on a knee.


    "Adjutant Advisor of General Peng, Wang Li-Yuan, greets your highness." the second elder followed.


    "Both advisors, please take a seat. We''ve been expecting you for a while now." Sun Wu Jian replied politely while pointing his palm on the right side.


    After attending to the two elders, it was the time for Huang Ping, Shan Xiong Xin, and Expert Yi''s turn. They''re seated freely on both sides to even up the numbers.


    Right now, there'' only three more seats avable inside this guest hall. But the cement seems a little awkward to both the guest and the host.


    By right, Peng Yan should be seated nearest to Sun Wu Jian due to her position as the envoy of Wei. But right now, both nearest seat to him has to be given to Huang Ping and Shan Xiong Xin to amodate Qin Lan''s difficulty.


    "Peng Yan, daughter of General Peng Likun, greets your highness as the envoy of Wei." she greets Sun Wu Jian with proper etiquette the moment she''s in the hall. But the motive behind her action was quickly exposed when she grabbed the middle spot of the three remaining seats.


    "..."


    Qin Lan was speechless. He knew that Peng Yan would do something like this, but to think that she would do it right in front of Sun Wu Jian is akin to giving a p at Zhou Mei''s face.


    "Zhou Mei, the daughter of Zhou Shen, pay her respect to the ninth royal brother today." her greeting to Sun Wu Jian was different from what the other expected. It immediately garnered everyone''s attention right on the spot.


    "Has elder sister agreed to the royal consort''s request to be her daughter-in-name?" Sun Wu Jian smiled. It seems that there was something private dealing between them that not even Qin Lan knew about.


    "Yes, royal brother." Zhou Mei smiled. A simple word from her immediately escted her position further than anyone inside of this hall.


    "Men, prepare the princess a seat beside me. Royal sister, please sit beside me as you apany me with the matter of Demon Mountain Fortress." Sun Wu Jian ordered.


    A slightly sour face can be seen on Peng Yan as her n to separates Qin Lan from seated beside her has failed. By having her sitting beside Sun Wu Jian, Qin Lan would have more time to look at Zhou Mei instead of her.


    ''Aargh! Hateful!'' Peng Yan wanted to yell, but it was not the correct time for her to lose her temper.


    ''Don''t worry... So what if she''s a royal sister of the ninth prince? Behind me is the Country of Wei. The ninth prince would have to give me some face no matter what to maintain our current trading rtionship.'' Peng Yan calmed herself.


    She believes that she''s yet to fall within this fight for Qin Lan''s attention.


    "Qin Lan greets your highness." Qin Lan casually greeted Sun Wu Jian and went to the seat between Shan Xiong Xin and Peng Yan. The moment thest person was seated, female dancers entered the hall.


    They were entertained with a few dances and martial performances to bring up the mood. While watching the show, food was also served to everyone to quench their thirst and fill their stomach.


    Following that is Qin Lan''s signature Plum Flower Fragrance wine, which was used to bring the drinker back to the world and remembered their responsibilities.


    "Good wine!" the two elders with the surname Wang praised the wine presented to them. As someone obsessed with good wine, it is impossible for them to not notice the quality of Qin Lan''s wine after the first cup.


    "Your highness, please allow this older one between the two brothers to thank your highness for serving such a good quality wine in this meeting." Wang Li-Yuan said. The vorful plum flower is still lingering in his mouth as he speaks.


    If it was not due to politeness, he would have taken the entire bottle and start chugging it down like no tomorrow.


    Also sharing his sentiment is Wang Li-Kun. The vorful plum flower and the alcoholic taste from the fermented rice made him appreciates the wine even more.


    "If both adjutants enjoyed the wine so much, I''ll order some of my soldiers to deliver them to your prepared amodation. Although this prince had nothing much in my pitiful fortress here, we have ample supply of this Plum Flower Fragrance!" Sun Wu Jianughed.


    Sun Wu Jian''s word made him seems humble and courteous towards the two elders. Also, it was good for him to build a friendlier rtionship between the two countries by using the wine to break the ice between them.


    "Then..." the two elders looked at each another...


    "These two elders will be shameless for once and epted your highness''s kindness." both of themughed. It was evident that their heart had been bought by the wine served to them.


    "Servants. Fill the cup of the two elders. May I propose another toast to everyone?" Sun Wu Jian raised his wine cup as the female servant came to everyone''s side to fill their cup to the brim.


    "To friendship between the Wu and Wei!" said Sun Wu Jian.


    Everyone finished the wine in their cup before it was ced on top of the table by their side.


    And with the performance, meal, and digestif is served, it was time for them to discuss the serious matters.


    "I think we''re ready for our talk now. May I know the country of Wei''s concern regarding this me Demon Mountain and this fortress?" Sun Wu Jian''s word was direct.


    It wasn''t a secret that the Hushan Bandits used to deal with the people from the Kuanglei Province, Evil Infant Sect, and the country of Wei. Furthermore, losing the supply of medicinal herbs from this ce will be detrimental to their own growth.


    "Since your highness is speaking frankly, then please allow this envoy to answer without twisting our words too. The country of Wei wished that we differentiate the business and territorial matters."


    "The situation between Kuanglei Province and his highness brother, the second prince, is not a secret. I''m sure of that." Peng Yan brought up the current battle between the second prince''s subjugation force against the Thunder Roaring Pce happening right now into their discussion.


    "Of course, Envoy Peng. What you''ve said is correct. Business is business. The territorial dispute shall not be included in our discussion. Please feel free to bring up your concern to me. This prince will make sure to give you an adequate reply as long I can help it." Sun Wu Jian said.


    The discussion between them went on for hours, from medicinal pills to Yao Beast scattered around the area. This me Demon Mountain was indeed a trove of treasure all over. Not only that but the six Spiritual Herb Garden under Sun Wu Jian''s control is also an irresistible piece of fat meat in everyone''s eye.


    But a discussion rted to tens of thousand pieces of Precelestial Essence every month is impossible to bepleted in a single day. With the time is gettingte right now, it was only proper that Sun Wu Jian suggested that they continue their discussion tomorrow.


    "Guest from the Country of Wei, let us stop here for today and continue tomorrow, shall we? I believe everyone should be tired from all the traveling and inconveniences," he said.


    "This elder has no objection. I heard that there''s a proper restaurant here in Demon Mountain Fort. May we get the chance to enjoy a meal there?" said one of the two elders.


    "Of course, elder. If both elders don''t mind, please allow thismander to be the host tonight and entertain everyone in the best restaurant in our Demon Mountain Fort." Huang Ping said.


    "Then, we''ll be disturbing you." the two elders cupped their hands together as they appreciate Huang Ping''s kindness.


    "Your highness. May this envoy made a request too since I was not favored as much as the two adjutants?" Peng Yan said as she felt she was neglected. She was pouting when she made her request.


    "May I know what is in Envoy Peng''s mind? Wu Jian will make sure to fulfill your request if it is in my ability." Sun Wu Jian replied.


    "I heard that there''s a skillful alchemist by your highness side. Can I request to befriend him or her to exchange insight about alchemy?" Peng Yan said. It was an unexpected request because no matter where they look, it is hard to put Peng Yan and Alchemy together.


    Zhou Mei''s expression changed after she heard Peng Yan''s request.


    ''VIXEN!!!'' she wanted to shout at Peng Yan so much for purposely looking for the chance to get closer to Qin Lan.


    "This..." Sun Wu Jian tapped his finger on the chair as he considered Peng Yan''s request.


    "Is it impossible?" Peng Yan asked.


    "Perhaps asking brother Qin would be the best." Sun Wu Jian decided to push the decision to Qin Lan and let him settle it himself.


    "Oh? Darling Qin, are you close to the alchemist?" Peng Yan asked.


    "..."


    "I''m the alchemist you''re looking for." Qin Lan replied.

 Chapter 162: Qin Lan - Qin Lan - Qin Lan

    Chapter 162: Qin Lan - Qin Lan - Qin Lan


    "I''m hungry." Peng Yan said while following behind Qin Lan and Zhou Mei back to where they''re supposed to stay.


    "Shouldn''t the envoy go with both elders to the restaurant for a proper meal? Why would you follow us back to the dirty refinery hall where people are busy refining herbs and medicine?" Zhou Mei said as she tried to send Peng Yan away.


    Unfortunately, no matter how unhappy she is, she''ll have to choose her word carefully to avoid a misunderstanding between the two countries. Especially when her man, Qin Lan, is stuck in between.


    "Why would I eat with the others? They had their own activities after their meal. As a woman, can''t I be understanding about my escort''s needs and let them do what they want? I deserve my own private time, don''t you think so?" Peng Yan said with a smile on her face.


    "We''re here. Envoy Peng, this is the best room in our Refining Hall. If you have any questions, please bring them up tomorrow during the discussion with his highness. Please excuse this surname Qin for now." Qin Lan pointed his hand at the guest room that was prepared for Zhou Mei''s amodation.


    "I just told you I''m hungry." Peng Yan pulled Qin Lan''s sleeve, unwilling to let him go. Angered by her action, again and again, Zhou Mei finally lost to her temper and pped Peng Yan''s hand away.


    "Envoy Peng, some servant will be delivering some food for youter. If you may excuse us, there are more things we need to do here. Farewell." Zhou Mei gently gives Peng Yan a noble curtsy before she pulled Qin Lan and left.


    ''Zhou Mei...I hate you!'' Peng Yan stomps her feet on the ground as there''s no ce for her to vent her anger. It seems that her attempt to keep Qin Lan here to apany her was a failure today.


    "Men!" Peng Yan shouts as she pushed the door into the room open.


    The moment she''s inside the room, there was a smile on her face once again. She was unaware that the room was actually prepared for Zhou Mei by the two youngsses. It somehow promotes Peng Yan''s misunderstanding over Qin Lan by thinking that there''s a warm and passionate heart behind that cold face.


    ''I know he''s not that cold. Look at the decoration of the room... How beautiful...'' Peng Yan rolled on top of the beddingfortably and started to dreamt about what Qin Lan would do to her next. Maybe because the Plum Flower Fragrance wine was too intoxicating, she fell asleep instantly before anyone answering her call.


    "Commander..." the messenger that has been by her side all the time came not too long after that. Looking at the sleeping beauty on the bed, he almost lost his sanity.


    "Oh, my heavens! How can mdy sleep like this at a stranger''s ce?" he immediately went outside and shut the door tight. The image of Peng Yan sleeping on the bed and her well-shown figure behind the dress still lingers in his mind.


    *p! p! p!*


    "Get that thought out from your mind, you ve. That''s your master, for heaven''s sake!" the messenger pped himself three times to get rid of all those lustful thoughts towards his master.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Are you unhappy that I am disturbing you here? If you want, I can leave immediately. I won''t tell Sister Hu Jia about today." Zhou Mei said as she followed behind Qin Lan like an obedient wife.


    "Why would you say so?" Qin Lan slowly turned his head at Zhou Mei and stole a nce at her lips and eyes. If they weren''t in a public ce right now, perhaps Qin Lan would have given her a kiss as an assurance in her heart.


    "She''s much better, right? She''s a passionate, daring, initiative, and furthermore... She''s the daughter of a general. I''m sure you prefer someone like her over the daughter of a merchant like me." Zhou Mei said.


    "..."


    Qin Lan grabbed her waist after hearing what Zhou Mei just said. Surprised by Qin Lan''s atrocious action even before they''re officially married, Zhou Mei almost screamed right away.


    "Teacher..." by the time Zhuge Xinyu and Zhuge Yanyu came out from Qin Lan''s room to greet the two, they''ve vanished.


    "Eh? Where did they go?" the twosses asked. They''re questioning if their eyes had a problem after running out from Qin Lan''s room.


    ...


    "Qin - Qin Lan! What are you doing?" Zhou Mei was in Qin Lan''s hug as both of them traveled out of the Demon Mountain Fort. It took them close to an incense stick of time to reach a mysterious ce Qin Lan wanted her to see.


    And to Zhou Mei, this was their first actual body-to-body contact after Qin Lan took advantage of her in the Dragon Phoenix Inn. Thinking about that time, she was somewhat like Peng Yan''s attitude during that time.


    (Recap: chapter 26, Taking Advantage of another Maiden)


    "Where - Where is this ce?" she finally opened her eyes after Qin Lan loosen his grip over her waist and shoulder. A part of her mind is still intoxicated by Qin Lan''s smell while she''s still in his powerful grip.


    Like a kid that afraid to fall on the ground after getting lifted up for so long, she stilltching herself to Qin Lan. The warmth from Qin Lan was so intoxicating to her.


    ''Ah... I can do this for days and months. No wonder that vixen did this first the moment she saw him... I''ll have to savor this as much as I could...'' Zhou Mei sneakily steals a sniff of Qin Lan''s smell.


    To the others, he might smell earthy, bitter, and sweaty due to all the dirt and impurities from refining so many medicines. But to a maiden in love, Qin Lan smells phenomenal.


    "Zhou Mei..." Qin Lan called her.


    "A little more... Just a bit more..." she rubbed her face on his cor, unwilling to let go. Such a positionsted for ten or so minutes. And after that, she embarrassedly followed Qin Lan by holding his hand as she noticed that they weren''t the only people here.


    "AHH!!!" Zhou Mei felt like searching for a hole to hide from all those shameful acts she just did. But in Qin Lan''s eyes, there was nothing wrong at all.


    The two of them soon came into a garden filled with plum flowers, osmanthus, and Royal Peonies growing all over the ce. It was purposely kept because Qin Lan believes that his women will be happy to be brought here by him once in a while.


    "So - So beautiful..." her mood immediately brightens the moment she was greeted by the flower''s fragrance, ambiance, and delightful mood from the colorful sight.


    "Qin Lan, I..." Zhou Mei turned around as she was going to say something. But before she managed to continue, Qin Lan had lowered his head slightly to give her a kiss on her lips.


    Such an action of his came to Zhou Mei like getting struck by a lightning bolt. Her mind waspletely empty at this crucial moment. No longer able to decides what is right or wrong at this moment, Zhou Mei lost herself.


    She was intoxicatedpletely. In her mind, there''s only a name.


    Qin Lan - Qin Lan - Qin Lan.


    There was only "Qin Lan" in her vocabry right now as she surrendered herself to him.


    Knowing that he shouldn''t waste this moment, Qin Lan released his Foundation Qi to surround the garden of three flowers. A curtain that disturbs all preying eyes and sounds froming into this sanctuary is created to provides them with amply privacy.


    Veiled by the Foundation Qi and dim moonlight, the two shared a passionate night together. It might not be the first sexual intercourse for Qin Lan, but it was for Zhou Mei. Her moaning almost vibrated across the veil created by Qin Lan as both of them shared the warmth of each other through skin contact.


    She was shy on their first time. Her eyes were closed throughout the session as Qin Lan gently assured her that everything would be fine.


    When ites to their second time, she was slightly more "active than before. But her activeness was soon reced by shyness once again after she noticed the bloodstain on the ground. A heavy feeling soon came into her heart as she understands one fact.


    That from this moment... She''s officially a woman who belonged to this man embracing her.


    Like a restriction that has been removed from her, Zhou Mei shows more eptance on their third time. The shyness is now reced by curiosity.


    As the sky slowly brightens up to wee the morning, the couple seems rejuvenated as they cuddled together, side by side. It was one of the best nights ever in Qin Lan''s experience as he captured the soul and body of the maiden beside her.


    For Zhou Mei, it was an entirely new experience too. She finally understood why Hu Jia made such a sound that night back in the Qin-Zhou Medicine Store.


    After cuddling for a little more, Zhou Mei finally took a set of dresses out from her Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade. She exudes a different type of confidence as she put on the clothing. Even her hairstyle changed as she ced two hairpins on her.


    It was like she''s announcing to the world that right from this moment onwards, she belonged to this man called Qin Lan.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 163: Treasure

    Chapter 163: Treasure


    "Teacherrrrr..." the two youngsses came straight to Qin Lan''s side once they caught him in their sight. There was a slight annoyance in their eyes as if they''re running from somebody.


    "What''s wrong with you two? Did somebody bully you two?" Qin Lan rubbed their head and gave them a Jewel Lotus Fruit. It was a habit of his from the first day they met.


    Thinking about that time, the two of them has grown up beautifully. It seems that the word about a girl''s appearance is judged by their happiness and dressing is true. Zhuge Xinyu looks cold and calm from the outside, while Zhuge Yanyu seems warm and feisty mixed together.


    The two of them were like a mix of fire and water, yetplement one another.


    "She... She came in and took over all our job! Nobody is bothering us now!" Zhuge Yanyu pointed at ady standing before one of the cauldrons. Her sleeves have been folded to the level of her elbow. There''s also a string holding the extra clothing around her from getting in her way during pill-refining.


    A crowd of alchemists is gathering behind her as they observe her skill in pill refining.


    "Yin Essence Beguiling mes!" using her Spiritual Qi as the source, it was converted into a unique type of Yin mes. This was one of the few Pill-Refining Techniques that was considered to be a treasure between the alchemists.


    "Look at how the mes move. To think that refining a pill can be done this way..." a few alchemists was intrigued by her control over the mes.


    One by one, the medicinal herbs entered the cauldron as they mixed into one fragrant concoction.


    After a few movements akin to dancing, a tray of pills were soon prepared as she ced them on top of the table for their inspection.


    "Six veins! All of them have six veins on the pill surface." an alchemist with better eyesight immediately inspects the pills on the tray and announced the quality out aloud.


    "Does that means she''s capable of refining Huang-Grade Pills?" whisper can be heard around the Pill Hall.


    "Ahem... Nothing to do?" Qin Lan coughed as he warned them to return to their position. In a blink of an eye, everyone vanishes from the spot.


    "Did the envoy get a proper rest yesterday? I hope that the meal we serve suits your taste." Qin Lan politely greets Peng Yan. Even Zhou Mei followed his gesture in a curtsy of a noblewoman as she smiled while facing her.


    ''Her face... Her hair... This woman...'' Peng Yan was smiling as she saw Qin Lan, but when she caught Zhou Mei by his side and her appearance, the jealousy and the sixth sense of a woman immediately kicks in.


    Looking at the two hairpins on Zhou Mei''s hair made Peng Yang noticed the differences in Zhou Mei today. Her cheeks also look rosier than yesterday without a sign of makeup is applied on her face.


    ''The hairpin was the same as the one he used when attacking the Lesser Mo. As for the dress... It is different from the one she wore yesterday. I''m sure something happenedst night while I was asleep.'' Peng Yan guessed.


    "The room was very well decorated. It made this envoy felt honored to be given such a room to rest herself after all the travel from Wei''s capital until here."


    "If Alchemist Qin doesn''t mind, would you be willing to bring me around and visit this Demon Mountain Fort? Of course, the royal princess may follow if she likes toe along." Peng Yan said as she slowly moves closer to Qin Lan''s side.


    "Let''s not disturb the alchemist as there''s still work for him to be done inside the Pill Hall. This princess can apany the envoy to visit around today if you don''t mind. Xinyu, Yanyu,e with us and bring us around the ce, would you?" Zhou Mei stepped forward awkwardly and held one of Peng Yan''s hands before she had Qin Lan''s cor.


    "Alright!" the twosses nodded in agreement. They were still too young to notice the rivalry between Zhou Mei and Peng Yan right now.


    "Envoy Peng, please," Zhou Mei said as she blocked Peng Yan from approaching Qin Lan.


    "Please, royal princess." Peng Yan smiled as she replied to the gesture, but a hint of irritation is very well shown on her face as she failed to get a hold of Qin Lan before leaving.


    ''Phew... One trouble is gone, atst...'' Qin Lan exhaled the mouthful of air held inside him as he felt relief.


    "Young master... The preparation is ready. " Han Xue appeared after everyone had left.


    "Let us begin. Guard the entrance until Ie out." Qin Lan ordered as he returned to his own Private Refining Hall. After activating a few mechanismstched along the wall, a secret entrance is soon opened in between the floors.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "You''ve changed, princess. How does it feel?" Peng Yan initiates a conversation with Zhou Mei after they left the Pill Hall. Her suspicion was rified when she notices that Zhou Mei''s walking wasn''t as smooth as it should be.


    From her experience, such awkwardness could onlye from one reason.


    "I felt refreshing. Able to walk with Envoy Peng on a beautiful day like this was like a blessing to this princess." Zhou Mei replied.


    "Me too... As a woman with a generous heart, how could I hate my beloved for sleeping with his own women?" Peng Yan replied without giving Zhou Mei a chance to continue.


    "Envoy Peng, you must have misunderstood our dear Qin Lan. He''s someone with a kind heart, so it is easy for others to misunderstand his action of being too affectionate. I hope Envoy Peng will control herself a little more as it will make our position a little awkward if you keep doing these things with him."


    "After all... It''s not good for your reputation if you were seen around a married man. Furthermore, don''t you think that he has a public image to be maintained? I hope you''ll be understanding and stop disturbing him." Zhou Mei said. Her word was harsh, but there''s a point behind them.


    "Unless he''s the one that tells me that, I will not give up. What makes you think that you''re qualified to tell me what to do?" Peng Yanshes out as they came to a serene and quiet pavilion surrounded by water and flowers.


    "Why am I unqualified? I am his wife!" Zhou Mei retorted. After having her virginity taken by Qin Lanst night, Zhou Mei was much more confident about herself.


    "Wife... Hahaha! Can a disciple of Ice Maiden Temple get married? What are you going to say when they summoned you back to the temple?" Peng Yan suddenly brought out some information that not many people knew about.


    "You!" Zhou Mei covered the brooch on the cor of her dress.


    "Are you going to say that you''ll leave the Ice Maiden Temple for the same of dear Qin Lan? Let me tell you, in this world, at least right now, there''s no one else more suitable than me to be his wife. Even at most, you''ll be a mere concubine of his!" Peng Yan''s word was sharper than the knife.


    "And where does your confidence came from? As a disciple of an evil sect, how dare you tried to charm a disciple from an orthodox sect?" Zhou Mei immediately retorted.


    "I can just leave my sect. Even if I did, I am still the only daughter of Genius Warfare General, Peng Likun. By marrying me, it means that dear Qin Lan will have all the support from the Country of Wei''s royalty in his grasp." Peng Yan retaliates.


    The two of them continue to argue right at that pavilion. This made the twosses both surprised and fascinated to the world belonged to the adults.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Young Master, I''ll be going out first." Han Xue cupped his hand and left Qin Lan alone inside the secret chamber. There was only a cauldron and few boxes of medicinal herbs inside here.


    "En. Get Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie to wait upstairs while I refine this batch of pills." Qin Lan said. After the door leading outside was shut, Qin Lan flicked his finger once. The two Night Glowing Pearls that he obtained from the secret cave are finally usable right now.


    Opening the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting that''s hidden inside of his spatial jade, Qin Lan flicked another drop of his blood onto the painting. A hint of dragon roar soon came out as it unrolled and fastened itself on the wall.


    "You''ve grown, Kunlun''s Hill Dragon Moss." Qin Lan chuckled as he looks at the spiritual treasure staying lifelessly on the surface of the painting.


    "Not reacting? Should Ie in and talk with you then?" Qin Lan chuckled. In a blink of an eye, Qin Lan, the cauldron, and all the spiritual herbs vanished. A man holding a pot and a few chests by his side are added to the painting.

 Chapter 164: Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting (1)

    Chapter 164: Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting (1)


    This was a world hidden inside the painting.


    ''As usual... The atmosphere inside the painting is always beautiful like this...'' Qin Lan praised his surrounding that was covered by ayer of fog. The Spiritual Energy inside here is extremely dense, almost to the point it could overwhelm a cultivator if they stayed here for too long.


    Unfortunately, the Spiritual Energy inside here is not maintained by the Five Governing Law of the World. It was running in a cycle known as self-sustainability.


    **ROAR...**


    The cries that sounded like a dragon came from somewhere not too far from Qin Lan. If this sound were to be heard by a regr cultivator, they would be running for their life right now.


    ''What are you trying to do? Didn''t I treat you some of my blood earlier?'' Qin Lan chuckled as he used some Foundation Qi to start plowing the soil beneath his foot. The process was a struggling one as he barely manages to scrape enough to nt a row of spiritual herbs.


    "Are you not going to help me?" he yelled out of sudden towards a foggy area. But as expected, there was no reply as he was the only human within this Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting.


    "Looks like it will take some time before you''re able to get your treat then! Ahh... What a pity..." Qin Lan continued to speak by himself as he continues to take his time plowing the soil. It took him close to an entire day to create three rows of an arable plot to nt the seeds he kept inside the crates.


    Once again, it was a spiritual herb that''s believed to be extinct in this Precelestial Realm. It took Qin Lan almost all the effort to clear all six gardens for the sake of cultivating this nt back to life.


    A stench of sweet and fragrant blood came from the storage chest when Qin Lan opened the cover carefully. His action was like treating the nt as if it was a stack of highly sensitive explosive that could take his life if exploded.


    **Roar!!!**


    A hint of excitement can be observed behind the dragon''s roar. Even the tone itself is much tuneful than before as Qin Lan slowly nted the first sprouting into the loosened soil. The process was repeated fourteen times as the fifteen sproutings rested in care inside the earth.


    **Roar...**


    The dragon''s roar came again. This time, it sounded like pleading for Qin Lan''s generosity as it no longer seems haughty and fierce.


    "Since we''re going to rely on one another for a pretty long time, what about we help each other mutually? You''ll be taking care of them for me while I''ll keep searching for the treasure to be brought into this painting for you to recover your strength."


    "Also, in exchange for these, I want the extract from you frequently." Qin Lan said as he took a jade bottle out and uncapped the cork. His action was like testing the sincerity and decision of the one creating the dragon''s roar.


    Of course, no reply came from the curtain of fog. But that did not make Qin Lan impatient. He knew that mutual trust is not something that can appear in a single day. Even right now, they''re not counted as mutually dependent on each other.


    He calmly sat down where he was and started to absorb the Spiritual Energy to hasten the maturity of the Spiritual umtion Pills he had with him.


    He maintained this attitude for an entire day.


    As for the ten matured Spiritual umtion Pill, they have been digested by him long ago. The bottle on his hand is currently the second bottle taken out from his spatial jade.


    "Are you sure you want to continue to consider? Time waited for nobody... Even if you have an unlimited lifespan, how long could you wait before you returned to your previous state of inanimation like before?" Qin Lan continues to speak to himself.


    Finally, on the third day, something else happened.


    **Roar**


    The sound of the dragon''s roar is milder than before, which sounded more like a submission to Qin Lan''s persuasion. Very soon, the dense fog of Spiritual Qi seems to be sentient as it condensed into multiple drops of pure Dragon Moss Extract.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t just a few drops that were created. A total of a hundred drops entered the bottle soundlessly and brought a smile to Qin Lan''s face.


    And in return for the gesture, Qin Lan took a bottle of Changshen Dew out from the spatial jade and poured a few drops onto the fifteen nts. The nts seem livelier the moment they absorbed the nutrients from the dew.


    A thicker stench of blood is quickly permeated out from the sprouting with every drop of Changshen Dew is administered on the mysterious nt. Five drops of the dew per nt, he used three-quarters of what''s avable from the bottle in a sh.


    The sproutings seem to be dancing with a blushed appearance as it twirls at where it was nted. But perhaps it was just an imagination.


    "You want some? There are around twenty-five drops of the dew is left here." Qin Lan chuckled as he shakes the bottle in his hand. The sloshes of the liquid inside the bottle created an irresistible sound to the owner behind the dragon''s roar.


    **Crack...**


    **Shh...**


    Mysterious web-like roots appeared around Qin Lan soon after he finished his sentence. It seems hungry for the nutrients in Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Take it." Qin Lan kneeled a little and poured the dew in a circr gesture to evenly coat the entire surface his hand could reach. The surroundings returned to their tranquility very soon after the roots returned inside the soil.


    The third day ended by the time the Spiritual umtion Pill matured. Opening his eyes again to look at what''s before him, Qin Lan realized he had returned to the secret chamber again.


    ''Looks like I can only stay inside the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting for three days each time. Let''s have a look at the scroll and see what changes it had.'' Qin Lan went closer and started to inspect the painting.


    Three short lines were added to the painting. It was simr to a stroke from a pen, but as if they were drawn using a single hair and not the whole brush.


    ''ording to my understanding, the Mountain and Sea Sublime Paintinges in three different grades. Precelestial, Pericelestial, and Postcelestial. This scroll I''ve gotten is likely a Precelestial-Grade Sublime Painting.''


    ''Once again, I have to say that I am amazed by the depth of the Ancient Race''s understanding rted to Spatial Dao. Even I can''t recreate this inheritance they left in this world using my knowledge as the mentor of the first Supreme Emperor...'' Qin Lan shook his head.


    After he had done remembering his past, Qin Lan collected the two Night Glowing Pearls and left the secret chamber.


    "Young Master." Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie immediately greet him when he came out from the hidden entrance. They were all surprised by Qin Lan''s sudden increase in his cultivation.


    "What''s wrong? Do I look like a monster in your eyes?" Qin Lan jokes.


    "N - No... We''re just shocked by the young master''s cultivating speed." Huo Zunjie immediately answered Qin Lan.


    "What is so shocking about it? If I wanted to, I could even do much better than this," said Qin Lan while chuckling by himself. He then tossed the bottle with 100 drops of Dragon Moss Extract into Lu Yi''s hand.


    "Use them sparingly. As for Qing Yun, I''ll give you a bottle when I had more with me. Let them use it first for now." he said.


    "Qing Yun will follow the young master''s arrangement devotedly." Lu Qing Yun immediately replied. By the time she finished her sentence, she''s already by Qin Lan''s side wiping away some of the mudstains on his forehead.


    "If there''s nothing, return to your own ce and start cultivating. There''ll be something new for you when your cultivation entered the half-stepyer for Bone Refining." Qin Lan added.


    "We understand!" they left after replying to Qin Lan.


    By the time he came out from his Private Refining Room, another problematic issuee.


    "Young Master... Lady Zhou Mei and the envoy is arguing near the Yellow Dragon Pavilion. Do you want to go and have a look?" Han Xue appeared by his side and asked.


    "Yellow Dragon Pavilion... That''s literally twenty minutes walk from our Pill Hall... How long have I been inside my room?" Qin Lan shook his head.


    "Close to three and a half hours." Han Xue replied.


    "Three and a half hours..." Qin Lan nodded and made his way towards the pavilion. From his looks, he was on his way to mediates them, but in fact, something else is in his mind.


    ''So... One hour in our world is equivalent to one day inside the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting... This means as long I''m capable of retaining the Spiritual Qi inside the painting, it will be capable of producing what I need in two to three days?''

 Chapter 165: Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting (2)

    Chapter 165: Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting (2)


    "Husband?" was the first wording out from Zhou Mei''s mouth when she saw Qin Lane in between them. There''s also a hint of embarrassment on her face as she felt like she was caught doing something she shouldn''t do in public.


    "Wha - What brings you here, my dear?" Peng Yan behaves about the same as Zhou Mei. A hint of panic can be seen on her face as she tried to cover the ugliness she might have shown while arguing with Zhou Mei a little while ago.


    "Let''s go, shall we? I''ve done what I need to, so let''s take a walk together as we headed to his highness'' manor. I sure he has been expecting our visit." Qin Lan said. He neither hold any of their hands nor reprimanded them for arguing just now.


    On his face, there''s neither calm nor disappointment shown. It was emotionless.


    ''Not good... Did we piss him off?'' for the first time, they looked at each other''s eyes as they''re guessing what is in Qin Lan''s mind right now. To them, even bloodshed wouldn''t make them falter or retreat.


    But an angry harumph from Qin Lan would.


    **Growl...**


    The belly from one of them decided to make a sound as they went on their way to Sun Wu Jian. Turning his head back at them, Qin Lan looked at them both as he tried to guess what was in their mind.


    "Hungry?" he smiled as he asked them a simple question. The two of them nodded obediently for the first time.


    "Xinyu... Yanyu... Where is the stall you mentioned before?" Qin Lan turned his attention to the twosses.


    "There, on the corner beside the tearoom." Zhuge Yanyu pointed her finger at the ce not too far from them. A trail of smoke wasing out from the stall constantly without a hint of slowing down. Perhaps, this was the best evidence about how good is the stall''s business in a single day.


    "Go get something for everyone, would you two?" Qin Lan gave the girls a bottle of Flesh Foundation Pills to purchase some food for everyone.


    In the meantime, he took two bottles of the Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine out and gave them to Zhou Mei and Peng Yan.


    "This wine seems to be the same as the Tao-Hua-Xiang, but it''s also different. What was the main ingredient used to make this wine?" Peng Yan asked. Although her interest in wine wasn''t as strong as the two elders, she still drinks asionally.


    Shi-Lian-Xiang.


    "Rock Lotus Fragrance... By Rock Lotus... You mean the one we won''t even bother to..." Peng Yan hesitates to finish her words as she''s unsure how Qin Lan will look at her if shepleted her sentence.


    "Yes. That''s what used to make this Rock Lotus Fragrance." Qin Lan nodded and took a sip directly from the bottle in Zhou Mei''s hand. This indirect kiss made the noblewoman blushed as the image of what happenedst night appeared in her mind again.


    "The food is here!" Zhuge Yanyu was the first one to return with three sticks of grilled fish in her hand. Following behind her is Zhuge Xinyu, with one on each side.


    After getting a bite and some drinks, the five continued towards where Sun Wu Jian is. The discussion that was going halfway was immediately lightened up with the arrival of the three of them. As for the two girls, they went outside to y with the others.


    Such a peaceful discussion continued for the next two days. And during that time, it was great learning between Zhou Mei and Peng Yan as they turned from the difference between oil and water to debating opponents.


    The sharp tongue of theirs managed to bring up multiple concerns in between the discussion. This gave them even more insight to both sides to learn about the differences in their culture and habits.


    As for Qin Lan, most of his time was spent in either the secret chamber or his Private Refining Hall.


    Third-Day.


    The two Night Glowing Pearls are once again taken out and ce in the middle of the secret chamber as Qin Lan repeated what he had done previously.


    A drop of his essence blood is flicked over to the painting to creates a temporary link between the two worlds. As for the method of travel, it was unsophisticated at all. All they need is to inject a hint of their own spiritual energy into the Night Glowing Pearl before going into the world within the painting.


    **Roar...**


    The owner of the dragon''s roar once again expressed its impatience as more and more roots with the texture of a spiderweb appeared around the fifteen nts with a sweet blood stench.


    ''What are you getting impatient for? There''s half a day more to go before the Blood Balsam Leaves reaches its maturity." Qin Lan continues to loosen the soil around the nts. But this time, the nting method is much more entric than thest.


    A rotting willow log is nted deep into the ground to act as the foundation before grain-like seeds are scattered all around the soil. Next, saltwater was used to provide sufficient water content as Qin Lan shifted his attention back to the Blood Balsam Leaves.


    "Look at how beautiful they''ve grown into. What do you think?" Qin Lan continued to speak to himself. His finger was working like a maiden choosing for the freshest leaves to harvest.


    Every single leaf was sulent and juicy to the point red extract can be easily pressed out like a lemon peel. Close to a hundred of the leaves were needed to fill a single bottle with the Blood Balsam Extract.


    The reward for his three days of hard work is umted into 22 bottles of Blood Balsam Extract. But again, not everything here belongs to him. He would still have to honor the agreement between him and the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss.


    But this time, the root with the shape simr to spiderwebs didn''t turn up around Qin Lan''s side. It was instead reced with a smaller being that capable of moving around.


    The being indeed carrying a simr appearance to a frilly dragon about half a meter long. Brown and green in color, a gentle roar came from its mouth each time when it tried to catch up with its own breath.


    "Is this your core body?" Qin Lan asked.


    The tiny dragon before him replied with a nod. It was hard to believe that the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss had developed its own consciousness.


    This is also what makes Qin Lan came into agreement with the owner behind the dragon''s roar. even a fool would know which one is more precious between the ten or so Blood Balsam Extract and the Dragon Moss.


    "So... How many bottles of the extract do you want to take now?" Qin Lan asked.


    His question made the tiny dragon hesitated. Moving around and checking out its surrounding, the mythical creature soon struggles to open its wings to cover all the Blood Balsam Extracts it could.


    ''Heh... Greedy little one.'' Qin Lan chuckled as he felt funny about how human-like is the Dragon Moss moving around in front of him.


    Opening the bottle one after another, Qin Lan poured the Blood Balsam Extract out carefully as it was swallowed by the mythical creature a few drops at a time.


    The browning parts of the tiny dragon soon get much better the more Blood Balsam Extract was taken into the system. But the moment it was turned into aplete green creature like a fresh patch of running moss, it stopped taking the extract and ran away in a hurry.


    "Hey! There''s half of them left!" Qin Lan shouted while keeping a smiling face on him.


    And since there''s no response from the Dragon Moss, Qin Lan decided to follow what he''s been doing for the past few days. The Spiritual umtion Pills are once again matured after nourished with Spiritual Qi for a few hours.


    ''I''m getting very close to the border between the seventh and eighth level... Looks like my advancement is not too far from me right now.'' Qin Lan smiled to himself as he continues to temper his Flesh Refining foundation.


    The end of the third day is getting closer. But weirdly, the Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss is still nowhere to be found. And knowing that there''s nothing he can do, Qin Lan decided to leave the world within the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting.


    The first thing Qin Lan did aftering back to the lower realm is ordering Han Xue to search for a few materials within his reach.


    "Han Xue, go out there and gather ten kinds of Yao Beast''s blood for me. Additionally, try to search around the fort if anyone knows the secret behind something known as Fire Elemental Bloodstone." Qin Lan ordered.


    After receiving his two orders, the leader of the Assassin Team left covertly to aplish Qin Lan''s request.


    ''Now, all we need to do is wait for the about the Fire Elemental Bloodstone. When the other two materials are finally collected and ready to be used in our pill refining, the Blood Genesis Pill will appear in this world once more!''


    ''And by that time, who dare to underestimate the strength and foundation of our Kuangshan Lu Sect?'' Qin Lan chuckled.

 Chapter 166: Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting (3)

    Chapter 166: Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting (3)


    "Splits around and asked the people politely. Make sure that you questioned everyone local if they had an idea about something called Fire Elemental Bloodstone." Han Xue ordered.


    "We''ll get it done perfectly! Everyone spreads around and starts asking!" another hot-blooded member of Han Xue''s Assassination Team replied. Their action was like sweeping across the few smaller strongholds and leaving no secret unrevealed.


    "Old man, how long have you been living here? Two generations?"


    "Is there anything rted to Bloodstones or Fire Elemental resources that appeared before in this me Demon Mountain?"


    "Please share with us everything you know... We''re doing this on behalf of Commander Qin or Alchemist Qin."


    They went from one stronghold to another. And it was not a simple one-day task. Even with manpower of close to two hundred people, it still took Han Xue three days to barely finish his mission.


    But finishing doesn''t meanpleting.


    The information taken from close to ten thousand local residents will need to undergo a vetting process before it can bepiled into a detailed report. Only after going through all these processing can this report be qualified to rest on top of his respected young master''s table.


    And to Han Xue, such a task is like a test of his ability.


    ...


    Another three days have passed after Qin Lan entrusted Han Xue to search for the Fire Elemental Bloodstone. As for the Yao Beast Blood, it had increased to sixteen types. This shows how abundant are the resources around this area.


    While to the people from the Country of Wei, they''re already here for an entire week.


    Although Peng Yan seems to be having fun and flirting with Qin Lan all the time, she still managed to get her work done. The trade business between the Country of Wei and Demon Mountain Fort actually went on smoothly, thanks to her friendly attitude and willingness to share the information privy to both sides.


    "I''ve heard that you''re looking for something called Fire Elemental Bloodstone. At least that''s from what my people told me." Peng Yan initiates a conversation with Qin Lan as she stands obediently beside him.


    Thetter was in the middle of refining a few batches of Turbulence Pill and Essence Transformation Pill at the same time.


    "Your informationwork is quite good. What''s about it? Are you interested in the Fire Elemental Bloodstone as well?" Qin Lan replied to her words with a chuckle. It was done while he''s still controlling two mes with different intensity.


    In the eyes of the other alchemists, Qin Lan''s fluid movement is like how a painter produces a drawing. It was literally a work of art.


    ''No matter how many times I have seen him refining pills, his movement and technique are still as bizarre as always. To what extent has his mastery over Spiritual Qi has reached to enable him to control them like an extension of his own limbs?'' Peng Yan asked herself.


    The pill refining process is getting closer to itspletion while Peng Yan kept herself quiet. As a fellow alchemist, she understands the importance of this final step because it will determine the quality of the finished pills.


    Even Peng Yan herself would have to concentrate and give her all when ites to this step during a pill refining. Not to mention that Qin Lan is controlling six cauldrons at once.


    "Trays!" Qin Lan''s order made the medicine boys standing by around him move quickly toplete his order.


    Medicinal fragrance soon bursting out from the six cauldrons as the pills fly out of the cauldron andnded on top of the six trays. They''re still glowing in red because the heat from the mes is yet to dissipate.


    "Clean the cauldrons. Bring in the next batch of ingredients," said Qin Lan as he turned his attention to Peng Yan. Recently, her attitude was much better than her clingy self like a fox in heat. Although Qin Lan had some questions in his mind, he eventually decided to ignore asking her.


    "What tricky idea you have in your mind again?" Qin Lan asked.


    He reached his hand to the cup of tea beside her to moisten his throat.


    "Are you not afraid that I''ll drop some Seven Night of Pleasure into your drink?" Peng Yan suddenly whispered beside his ear. The tone behind her words was filled with a hint of the temptation from a subus.


    "Seven Night of Pleasure? If you have to resort to that, then you''re no better than a mere Yao Beast we''ll find on some random forest. Is that even something the gorgeous and confident Lady Peng will consider using?" Qin Lanughed.


    "Humph!" Peng Yan smiled. Although there were some hidden improper remarks behind Qin Lan''s answer, she was satisfied by the overall meaning of his reply. To be called gorgeous and confident by Qin Lan means she had such a presence inside his mind right now.


    "I''ve heard something previously on my first visit here. It was still under the control of Lang Xue and the five other bandit bosses at that time." Peng Yan brought up what she was going to say earlier.


    "And what is that?" Qin Lan showed an interest in what she''s going to say.


    "There was an abandoned mining shaft near the Third Milestone. The reason it was shut was unclear, but from what the bandit bosses said, it''s because the fire element around there is too intense formoners."


    "Since it''s not profitable, they decided to bury that ce to prevent it from bing a nest for some Yao Beast." Peng Yan shared what she knew.


    "So... There''s something like this... I might have my people search for it and have a look. What reward you want if it turned out to be what I''m looking for?" Qin Lan nodded. Looking at Peng Yan''s face, he decided to ask what reward she wants for telling him such a piece of information.


    "Whatever you''re going to make from it, I want to be a part of it." Peng Yan said.


    "That''s quite a big appetite you got there, Lady Peng." Qin Lan smiled. He neither agreed nor rejected her demand.


    Turning his back on her as he considered her proposal, Qin Lan once again continued with his day-to-day responsibilities. Peng Yan was soon escorted away by Zhou Mei and the twosses under the pretense of walking around the fort.


    On the same evening, Han Xue''s finally returned with a detailed report of what his master ordered him to do. By narrowing the search to some keywords, there are three locations around this me Demon Mountain with rumors regarding the Fire Elemental Bloodstone.


    And out of the three rumors, two of them came from the same ce as Peng Yan''s information. The other remaining one was about a Fire Elemental Yao Insect called Crimson me Scorpion.


    "So... You believe that the ce with rich Fire Element might be where we can get the Bloodstones, correct?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes, Young Master." Han Xue replied.


    "Go get Yi Feng and Qiang Shou to help you with this matter. Explore that rumored ce near Third Milestone, and report back to me as soon as you determine the uracy of the rumors." Qin Lan ordered.


    "This Han Xue understand! I will get this verified as quickly as possible!"


    After he left, Qin Lan once again went to the secret chamber and repeated what he''s been doing daily. A hint of his Formation Qi is injected into the Night Glowing Pearl to authorize his entry before cing his palm on the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting.


    And in a sh, Qin Lan appeared on the other side.


    It was still as foggy as usual due to the density of Spiritual Energy surrounding this piece. The only difference between this ce and before was the number of Blood Balsam Leaves has now increased from fifteen to thirty nts.


    As for the grain-like seeds he once scattered around the Willow Logs, they have now grown into climbing vines wrapping around the wood as its foundation. Tiny flowers have started to grow all around the vines.


    "Dragon Moss." Qin Lan called. It took him quite a while, but the tiny creature eventually turned up like an obedient pet near Qin Lan.


    "Do something for me. Find me a ce with a high concentration of Fire Element. I might bring in some high-quality Mineral Veins if I''m lucky. You know how significant it is, right?" Qin Lan said as he slowly poured the Blood Balsam Extract into the mouth of the creature.


    And after repeating what he''s been doing each time, Qin Lan returned to his Private Refining Hall once more.


    == == == == ==


    (Note: Following the storyline from volume 3, me Demon Mountain is, in fact, a piece ofnd as spacious as a quarter of Yunshan Province. It was just neglected previously due to many untold reasons.


    Of course, there are still people living here, just not as loyal as the residents in Fuyun City (Yunshan''s Capital), Xiyun City (ex Fu-Rong Town), and others. The reason Hushan Bandits are capable of controlling part of this ce was that they''re supported by people (locally), Financial (by Country of Wei through business), and Security (by Evil Infant Sect)


    Remember that there are six stronghold leaders? This is why there''s one fort, five strongholds, and six spiritual herb gardens. The me Demon Mountain Arc is a tedious part of my story as it will be the foundation for Kuangshan Lu Sect in the future, so please stay tuned, and forgive me if I''m stillcking in my writing to express things clearly from my POV)


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 167: Bloodstone Vein (1)

    Chapter 167: Bloodstone Vein (1)


    "Get rid of that Yao Beast!" Qiang Shou charged forward with Spiritual Qi wrapped around both of his fists. The others were following his lead as they surrounded the giant insect from different directions.


    "Pummel it to death!" like a street boxer, Qiang Shou delivered his blow fiercely on the head of the scorpion. Amongst the members from his Fist Fighting Team, one of them tried to control the scorpion''s stinger as he tried to keep it busy.


    "Damn! I got cut by the spikes around its legs!" another member kneeled nearby as the wound on his thigh turned dark purple. It was so poisonous that the blood oozing out from the cut has started to smell foul.


    "Quickly take a Thousand Antidotal Pill refined by the Pill Hall. Circte your Spiritual Qi to stop the poison from spreading." Qiang Shou said as he sends a blow to one of the scorpion''s joints.


    *Shua!!!*


    One of its eight legs was broken by that attack. But that was the start of their nightmare. The poisonous part of the Insect Beast is not only on the stinger and spikes but the blood too.


    The Insect Beast sttered its blood almost everywhere as it got panicked from losing one of its limbs.


    "Ahh!!!" the member hugging the stinger got thrown far from the battle atst as he loses his grip over the tail. He was moaning in pain on the ground as he crashed into two trees before stopping.


    "Sh*t."


    "How can an eighth-level Flesh Refining Yao Beast turned out to be this powerful? To think that a group of eight seventh-level Flesh cultivators can''t control it.


    **Xi? Xi? Xii-Yaa!!!**


    The Insect Beast spits a breath of me suddenly. If it wasn''t because the preparation of the attack was too clear to them, perhaps half of them would be roasted into a brick of charcoal right now.


    "Holy Heavens... This Insect Beast can spit fire!" one of the members said as he runs away from the path of the mes.


    "Mysterious Steel Gauntlet! Help me defeat this Yao Beast!" Qiang Shou leaped above the Insect Beast and hammered the scorpion''s head with both hands. His attack finally brought him some results when the beast lost its bnce out of sudden.


    "Again! I''ll take your life with this blow!" Qiang Shou tried to repeat his attack, unaware of the stinger ising straight at him.


    **Whoosh!**


    A silhouette drags Qiang Shou away before he managed to deliver the killing blow onto the Insect Beast''s head. But that swift escape ended up helping them as the stinger ended up stabbing the scorpion''s own head as it writhes on the ground.


    It was like two different entities trying to end the battle. Soon, the struggle finally stops as the scorpion no longer responsive.


    "Huh... We won..." the other members sat down on where they''re standing earlier and quickly take a few pills to recover their strength. Minutester, more people are appearing from the cave protected by the scorpion.


    "You reckless oaf. Are you trying to end up like senior brother Lu Yist time?" Yi Feng gave the back of Qiang Shou''s head a p. If he did note at thest second to drag this brute away, he might be twitching on the ground due to the poison right now.


    "So... Did we found it?" Qiang Shouughed as he scratched his head.


    "Make a guess?" Yi Feng replied to him back with a question.


    "Who wants to stay here between you two?" Han Xue asked as he stored the corpse of the Yao Beast into a different Qiankun Pouch.


    "I''ll stay. The two of you were the fastest in our four teams, so you''ll be responsible for bringing what our young master wants immediately. I''ll stay here to make sure nothing happened." Qiang Shou offered to stay.


    "Then... Let''s depart right now. I''m sure our young master is dying to get his answer." Han Xue said.


    "I''m dying for an answer too. Let me have a look first, alright?" Qiang Shou pulled Han Xue''s sleeve like a kid.


    "Nah! Take a look." Han Xue took a piece of beautiful ruby crystal out from the Qiankun Pouch. It was shaped roughly without a definite pattern. A mild smell like blood is diffused from the crystal when it came in contact with Spiritual Qi.


    "Weird... How can it be Fire Elemental Bloodstone if the me concentration inside this stone is barely as intense as our own mes created from Spiritual Qi?" Qiang Shou asked.


    "Who knows? But I''m sure that this is what our young master is looking for." Han Xue took that Bloodstone back and prepared to leave.


    "Take care of this ce properly. We''ll be back faster than you think." Han Xue added as he brought half of his teammates and left. Yi Feng was doing the same as well before leaving.


    ...


    ...


    "What were the two of you doing?" Peng Yan''s head pops out from the opened window as she took a peek inside Qin Lan''s office. It was located in the small courtyard right beside the Pill Hall.


    "We''re not doing anything!" Zhou Mei replied like a rabbit that got caught trying to steal a carrot.


    "Is that osmanthus cake you two eating there? I''m hungry too... Can Ie in?" said Peng Yan.


    "Your nose is much more sensitive than a mouse. How can you be here all the time whenever we''re having the osmanthus cake?" Zhou Mei added. But her words were not the same as her action because she''s walking to the door while she speaks.


    The two beauty walked side by side as they came to the table.


    Gracefully, Peng Yan used some Spiritual Qi to hold the cake between her fingers without touching it. From the te to her mouth, the whole process was done while she kept her gaze at Qin Lan.


    "Are you eating or practicing mind-controlling technique?" Zhou Mei dissed her for acting as such in front of her and Qin Lan.


    "I''m just a pitiful woman stranded in a fort without day and night. Can''t I try to get a hold of my own happiness too?" Peng Yan pouted as she answered Zhou Mei''sment about her.


    "You? Pitiful?" Zhou Mei chuckled.


    "Young Master, this is Han Xue and Yi Feng. We would like to have an audience with you privately." the two finally returned from the abandoned mine near the Third Milestone.


    "Come in," Qin Lan responded with a wave of his hand. The Spiritual Qi blows the door open wide as he allowed the two to enter his office.


    "This..." Han Xue somewhat hesitates to speak after seeing Peng Yan''s attendance inside the room.


    "Lady Peng Yan was one of the contributors for the information regarding the abandoned mine. Feel free to talk about your finding rted to the Fire Elemental Bloodstone," said Qin Lan.


    "If that''s the case..." Han Xue took the two Qiankun Pouches out from his waistbelt. The corpse of a Yao Beast was taken out and ced in the middle of the room.


    "Crimson me Scorpion... Looks like the rumors about the abandoned mine are authentic. Is there anything else except for this?" Qin Lan asked. With the appearance of this Yao Beast in sight, that means the possibility of Fire Elemental Bloodstone is around this ce is going to be highly possible.


    "Young Master, please take a look at this." Han Xue took a piece of ruby crystal out from another Qiankun Pouch. It was much bigger than the one he let Qiang Shou y with.


    "Is this the Bloodstone you''re looking for? It seems pretty normal to me..." Zhou Mei said. Her response was the same as Qiang Shou, but that''s normal in Qin Lan''s opinion because they''re not an alchemist.


    In Qin Lan and Peng Yan''s eyes, this stone is a treasureparable to Precelestial Essence. The eyes of the two lit up when it was ced in between them.


    "A Fire Elemental Bloodstone like this... How many Fiery Lesser Pill can it be turned into?" Peng Yan asked. The Fiery Lesser Pill, or known as Huoyan-Shao Pill, was a specialty product from the Northern Wei.


    It was a pill sought after by many cultivators who followed the path of body tempering. In terms of quality, it was more precious than the Turbulence Pill Shan Xiong Xin used.


    "Based on the size of this ore... I would say around a hundred." Qin Lan answered. Han Xue, who listened beside them, revealed a look of a surprise after hearing Qin Lan''s reply.


    ''Wouldn''t it ended up as a few thousand pills if I poured what we have inside this Qiankun Pouch out?'' Han Xue stares at the bag he''s holding.


    "So... What are you nning?" Peng Yan asked. She''s getting more interested in what Qin Lan is nning to do with them.


    "Let us go there and have a look first. A decision can be madeter after we rify that it''s really a proper Bloodstone Vein there," Qin Lan said while looking at Peng Yan.


    "Han Xue, get You Qing along. If Lu Yi, Qing Yun, and Zunjie are not cultivating in seclusion, get them toe as well. Yi Feng, stay here. I''ll need you to bring a letter to his highness before we depart." Zhang Qin Feng said.


    "Mei... Get back to your room first. I''ll be away for a few days." Zhang Qin Feng said as he gave her a kiss on her lips before sending her away.


    About an hourter, close to eighty people on horseback left the fort a little before midnight.


    Their destination?


    The Third Milestone of Demon me Mountain. An abandoned mine, to be exact.

 Chapter 168: Bloodstone Vein (2)

    Chapter 168: Bloodstone Vein (2)


    "What time did Alchemist Qin and the others left?" Sun Wu Jian was standing by the window when he asked. he letter that was delivered to him in person by Yi Feng meant that whatever inside the letter shall be only between them.


    "They left about an incense stick of time ago. Is there something urgent that your highness is asking about Alchemist Qin at this time?" Huang Ping replied.


    "Nothing. Huang Ping, how many soldiers do we have right now? Do you think it will be enough for us to control a part of the Kuanglei Province?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "We have 3,000 soldiers to spare for now if we did not include the fortress security department. A-tenth of them is a skillful cultivator in their half-step and first-level in Bone Reconstruction Layer." Huang Ping immediately replied Sun Wu Jian.


    "Then... We''ll start from those in their half-step cultivation first. Summon all of them to my courtyard tomorrow. I have something I''ll need them to do." Sun Wu Jian said. He ced Qin Lan''s letter into his personal Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade at the end of his sentence.


    "What do I have to tell them?" Huang Ping asked.


    "Just say that... We have a breakthrough in the field of alchemy." Sun Wu Jian said. He let go a chuckle the moment he finished his sentence. Even he wasn''t too confident about what Qin Lan mentioned in his private letter.


    "I''ll go and get them done right now!" Huang Ping excused himself.


    ''Brother Qin... I hope what you''re telling me in the letter is going to be true. Because if this happens, the fighting strength of this ninth prince force will grab all the attention of other princes and princesses when we''re gathered in the capital...'' Sun Wu Jian whispered to himself.


    Even himself was excited as it means his own strength will grow by an amount too when the medicine stated in the letter by Qin Lan is produced in bulk.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Are you still not going to tell me what you''re nning to do with the Bloodstones?" Peng Yan asked. It seems that only the messenger that followed her around ising with her on this trip.


    "Didn''t you already guess it earlier? It will be used to refine the Fiery Lesser Pill, like how you say." Qin Lan entertained her as his mood was insanely good right now.


    His reply made the one and only princess of Genius Warfare General feel like giving him a knock on his head. Peng Yan immediately bombarded him with questions as she caught up with Qin Lan''s horse.


    "Do you think you can treat me like a fool? Who will believe that you''ll make that effort just to refine some Fiery Lesser Pill? Speak, or I''lltch myself on you like that day." Peng Yan tried to grab Qin Lan''s clothing as her horse getting closer to him.


    "So... What you wanted to know?" Qin Lan asked her innocently. It is up to him right now to choose what kind of lies he''s going to feed her... Because only himself have the recipe of what he was going to make from the ingredients he has.


    "I know that the rtionship between you and the ninth prince is not a simple master and servant. Furthermore, he''s been calling you brother Qin once in a while along with Shan Xiong Xin." Peng Yan said.


    "In my opinion, this Bloodstones is going to be used to strengthen the ninth prince''s army. But the method will not be merely to produce arge quantity of Fiery Lesser Pills. Even if you ended up making a million or two pills out of what you''re going to mine from here, it would be a facade for a bigger secret behind it."


    "A fortress... Yourrge-scale Pill Hall establishment... Don''t tell me... You guys are aiming for the throne to the Next King of Wu? I also heard about something rted to a sect from your servant''s word."


    "Something... About..." Peng Yan continued to talk and kept it mysterious as she noticed that Qin Lan had slowed his horse to match hers.


    "About what, Lady Peng?" Qin Lan asked as the two continue on their journey to the abandoned mine apanied by 78 followers. They were currently in their own small world, undisturbed by everyone else around them.


    "Look at the two... Do you think our Young Master will get another wifeter?" Yi Feng asked his brother, Han Xue, beside him.


    "Talk less crap. Do you think it''s possible? She''s still somebody who belonged to the Wei. Unless she gives up everything for our Young Master, I will maintain my de pointing at her at the cost of my master''s hatred." Han Xue replied.


    Behind the two, Lu Qing Yun was somewhat in a sour mood as she looks at how close is her Young Master with Peng Yan. A fit of slight jealousy cloud her mind, but thanks to the Clear Cloud Lotus Art, it stopped before growing into something more than jealousy.


    "What''s the connection between The Qin Forces with Kuangshan Lu Sect? From my knowledge, there''s no such sect in between the three countries." Peng Yan asked. Thinking about the bizarreness of martial arts they cultivate, Peng Yan had a suspicion that the sect is likely does not originate from thisnd.


    "Lady Peng, sometimes curiosity kills the cat. Why would you bother with something like this? It might be just a random belief amongst us." Qin Lan smiled and gave her a random answer instead.


    "Humph... Keep getting mysterious if you want. But believe me, if I can get this information myself, the others would know about it too. The news about your Kuangshan Lu Sect is not as secretive as you think." Peng Yan harumph and picked up her speed.


    ''Golden Lord''s Technique... Golden Bell''s Sword Technique...''


    ''Clear Cloud Lotus Art... Heaven Firmament Art... Silver Willow Sword Technique...''


    ''Kuangshan Healer''s Art, Peak Protection Saint Art, Kuangshan Basic Sutra... And also your wine brewing, alchemy, knowledge, warfare... I''m sure that you''re not someone who originated from thisnd.'' Peng Yan whispered.


    ''Why can''t you just try to listen to my heart once and let me find a solution for my cursed body?'' her horse went faster as she separated herself from the group.


    "Young Master... Shall we gave a chase?" Yi Feng came forward and asked.


    "No. Continue leading the way. We''ll get busy soon enough," said Qin Lan. With another incense stick of time passed, the group finally reaches the abandoned mine surrounded by Qiang Shou and the others from Qin Faction.


    Adding their numbers together, it was a group of 100 men strong. In everyone''s hand was a set of weapons and a pick to mine for the Fire Elemental Bloodstone. The sample of the Bloodstone was distributed to each one of them to study. In less than half an hourter, everyone entered the mine cautiously except for Qin Lan.


    He was still waiting at the entrance for the arrival of someone else.


    Soon, Peng Yan returned while riding the horse. There was a tinge of redness on her cheeks. It''s like she just had a marathon or a fit of anger after leaving the group on her own.


    "What makes Qin Darling wait outside this abandoned mine? Shouldn''t you be the person that most excited about finding this Fire Elemental Bloodstone?" Peng Yan said. There was a hint of weakness on both her legs. Although she tried to hide this fact from Qin Lan, it still failed to escape his sharp eyes.


    "Why - Why are you keeping quiet?" Peng Yan suddenly felt a hint of difference in Qin Lan''s intense gaze. The way he''s looking at her is different than how it is usually. A slight chill punctured all her nerve system as she looks at Qin Lan''sposed gaze.


    "Come over here." Qin Lan said. One of his hands interlocked on the back of his waist is taken out as the Formation Qi gathered around Qin Lan''s palm.


    "E - Eighth-Level... No... Ninth-Level? You''ve broken through two minor levels in this short period?" Peng Yan was shocked. Even she won''t be capable of repeating what Qin Lan did.


    "Are you going to kill me out in the wild without the protection of my two adjutants? That''s your aim for bringing me out?" Peng Yan trembled. If it was the Qin Lan before this, she wouldn''t be too worried. But right now, it is hard for her to say.


    There was a hint of weaknesses from her action and words. It was an inexplicable reason why Peng Yan is so flustered right now as she stands before Qin Lan.


    "Don''t make me repeat myself. Come here." Qin Lan ced his palm facing Peng Yan. The Azure-colored Qi instantly grabbed her from afar as it pulled her over to him by force.


    To her surprise, Qin Lan''s power is three times stronger than a regr peak Flesh Refining Cultivator. Perhaps even a second-level Bone Cultivator won''t be his match in a one-to-one battle.


    A dreaded feeling came to Peng Yan''s heart as she was pulled to Qin Lan by force. Two kinds of thought appeared in her mind at this crucial moment.


    ''Had I... misjudged his personality? Was what I''ve said before this went overboard or pried to his untold secret?''


    "Or... Had he been holding himself all these while just so he can put his hand on me without people looking at him?''


    Peng Yan closed her eyes as she was an arms reach away from the forceful Qin Lan. But the sensation of her body turned out to be unexpected as Qin Lan''s hand grabbed one of her voluptuous breasts.


    "Ha?" both of them revealed the same embarrassed sound at the same time.

 Chapter 169: Blood Genesis Pill (1)

    Chapter 169: Blood Genesis Pill (1)


    ''Huh... Huh... Why would this symptom re uncontrobly? I should have it under control by taking the Muscle Rxation Essence... Was it because I''ve spilled some of them this morning?'' Peng Yan felt flustered out of sudden after she finished her previous sentence.


    ''Golden Lord''s Technique... Golden Bell''s Sword Technique...''


    ''Clear Cloud Lotus Art... Heaven Firmament Art... Silver Willow Sword Technique...''


    ''Kuangshan Healer''s Art, Peak Protection Saint Art, Kuangshan Basic Sutra... And also your wine brewing, alchemy, knowledge, warfare... I''m sure that you''re not someone who originated from thisnd.'' Peng Yan whispered.


    ''Ah... I can''t control this... Not good...'' Peng Yan felt a hint of me burning all over her body. Afraid that she''ll shame herself in front of so many people, she urged the horse to pick up its speed and split itself from the group.


    "Young Master... Shall we gave a chase?" Yi Feng came forward and asked.


    "No. Continue leading the way. We''ll get busy soon enough," Qin Lan said.


    ...


    ''This ce should be safe...'' Peng Yan tied the horse to one of the trees before she went deeper into the shrubs. Seating in a meditating position, she tried to calm her mind by taking another bottle of Muscle Rxation Essence.


    But her effort yields no result as her Spiritual Qi betrayed her and running out of control. Unable to control her own Spiritual Qi, it has now turned against Peng Yan by attacking her most sensitiveher region.


    "Ah!" Peng Yan couldn''t help but moan as the Spiritual Qi of hers turned into needles capable of making her lose all her sense of decency and sanity. Against her own Spiritual Qi, the aphrodisiac called Seven Nights of Pleasure was nothing but a child y.


    She struggled to keep the ring symptoms in her body as she kept losing control of herself before regaining it back. It wasn''t the first time, but it was the worst. Perhaps the ring was due to the fact the dosage of her medicine wasn''t administered correctly.


    Added with the fact she''s been riding on a horse on their way here made her condition worst.


    ''No... Ah... No... No...'' the urge to satisfy herself by ying on her own made her face flustered to the point there is no longer a spot for her blush to upy. All her muscles went cramp and stiff to the extremity she couldn''t even keep herself sane.


    The "toy" that she''s been using before she knew Qin Lan was in her hand as she was close to losing herself to her urge. But her conscience once again returned to her as she thinks about Qin Lan.


    ''Please... Huh...'' she was rolling on the ground and twitching until all the ring symptoms have gone. There was nothing tidy on her after the struggle to keep her sanity. Knowing that the symptoms will not return for the next 3 to 5 days, Peng Yan changed what she''s wearing and returned to the horse tied beside the tree.


    "Neigh!" the horse couldn''t recognize her at first. But luckily, she still carries the herbal grass she fed the horse earlier. Riding on the horseback as she allowed it to walk freely, Peng Yan took the time to redo her hair without looking at a mirror.


    The tinge of redness on her cheek is still there as she finally reached the abandoned mine they were talking about.


    ''Eh? Is that not Qin Lan? What would he stand here alone without people apanying him? Did he wait for me on purpose?" Peng Yan had a smile on her face when she thinks about the possibility.


    "What makes Qin Darling wait outside this abandoned mine? Shouldn''t you be the person that most excited about finding this Fire Elemental Bloodstone?" Peng Yan said as she tried to get down from the horse.


    But she almost stumbled and fall on her butt as her leg decided to give up halfway.


    ''No... I can''t fall down here...'' Peng Yan struggled to keep herself standing. And because she was so preupied with her own matters, she failed to notice Qin Lan''s sharp gaze on her.


    Then, a chill, nerve-puncturing gaze came to her as Peng Yan felt Qin Lan''s cold stare at her. It felt more like a predator nning to swallow her whole. Somewhat worried, she asked him why he''s so quiet.


    "Come over here." Qin Lan''s word made her heart trembled. She felt like she''s been waiting for this sentence from him for ages. But the problem is... Not at this moment, and not with this kind of tone.


    Furthermore, Qin Lan''s action made her felt threatened after Qin Lan revealed his actual cultivation level.


    "Ninth - Ninth-Level of Flesh Refining Layer..." a hint of weakness came from her voice as she trembled lightly before Qin Lan''s power. Added with the Formation Qi gathered in his palm, Peng Yan started to worry if Qin Lan was considering killing her right here.


    "Don''t make me repeat myself. Come here." seeing that Peng Yan does not respond to his words, Qin Lan made his move. With a pull, he brought the weakened Peng Yan over to where he stands forcefully.


    ''To think that this will be my... Eh?'' Peng Yan blushed as her breast was fondled by Qin Lan by surprise. For a moment here, her thought about Qin Lan went from a killer to a pervert immediately.


    "Ha?" both of them revealed the same embarrassed sound at the same time.


    "You could have just..." Peng Yan immediately says, but Qin Lan stopped her from making the misunderstanding deeper.


    "You misunderstood me." Qin Lan removed his hand from her breast and adjusted his hand to her spleen area. A new blob of Formation Qi has then formed again as Qin Lan forced his Spiritual Energy into Peng Yan''s body to give her a form of treatment.


    "What are you doing to me?" Peng Yan asked. She''s currently in her worst condition now because she had just consumed the second dosage of Muscle Rxation Essence. If Qin Lan were to make a move on her, all she could do is to obey all his wishes, no matter she likes it or not.


    "Don.t you know that taking the Muscle Rxation Essence will make your symptom worse as it goes?" Qin Lan said. Right now, the Peng Yan leaning on his shoulder were as obedient as a kitten while she received his treatment.


    "Then what can I do? You''re the one that contributed to making it worst!" Peng Yan throws her tantrum while secretly smile inside Qin Lan''s hug.


    "Anyway... How do you know that I... Had my thing?" she shyly turned her head away as she asked Qin Lan a sensitive question.


    "Do you think that all women in this world will turn that red when they''re flustered? You''re the only one I''ve seen turning into as red as a peach when you''re aroused. And based on your action and asionally lost appetite to eat except something sweet like the osmanthus cake, it''s too obvious." Qin Lan replied.


    "Do you mean you''ve been paying attention to me all the time?" Peng Yan smiled. Hearing what Qin Lan is saying now made her happier than hearing Qin Lan says he loves her.


    "Do I have a choice? An envoy like you came to have fun in my Pill Hall... Who knows if you''re here to cause trouble or trying to steal what our Pill Hall knew?" Qin Lan said.


    "How stingy... To think that I actually fall in love with a cheap bastard. Give back everything you took from me!" Peng Yan started to misbehaves as her body starts to feel better with Qin Lan''s treatment.


    "What did I took from you?" Qin Lan said. In fact, he wasn''t wrong. Except for that ident of fondling her chest earlier, Qin Lan had actually taken nothing from her.


    "My heart!" Peng Yan struggled. But with the Formation Qi surrounding her, she could only squirm like a worm until her treatment is over.


    "How long would the treatment takes?" Peng Yan suddenly felt embarrassed as she softly asked Qin Lan.


    "Half an incense of time, perhaps?" Qin Lan answered her. In fact, he can force this process to be faster as he wished, but sometimes, a license to take advantage of a maiden like her hardly came by. And although Qin Lan did mention before that he was a man of virtue and gentleman, he forgets to add the word perverted in front.


    "Then... What about telling me honestly about what you''re trying to do with the Fire Elemental Bloodstones?" once again, Peng Yan''s curiosity came back to the matter with the Bloodstones.


    "Well... Have you heard before the pill known as Blood Genesis Pill?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Blood Genesis Pill? Is there something like this pill? What is its effect?" Peng Yan asked.


    "EH?" Zhang Qin Feng''s attention suddenly went to the abandoned mine. He felt like there''s a mouse or twoing out from the tunnel.


    Meanwhile...


    "Senior sister Lu!" Yi Feng and Qiang Shou rush to Lu Qing Yun''s location after witnessing how Peng Yan is seated on top of Qin Lan''s thigh. Those two busybodies immediately told everything to Lu Qing Yun when she''s still busy mining all the avable Bloodstones in this area.


    "Had you two finish what our Young Master ordered us to do here?" Lu Qing Yun asked them what they''re doing right now.


    "We''re just taking a break." the two of them sat at one of the boulders around them.


    "Great. Take the pickaxe out. You''ll mine from here today." Lu Qing Yun ordered them.


    "But senior sister Lu, you''ve already cleaned this wall. What about we try the next one further down the tunnel." the two continued. But they soon noticed her angry face as they required to mine at the wall without getting any bloodstones.

 Chapter 170: Blood Genesis Pill (2)

    Chapter 170: Blood Genesis Pill (2)


    "I don''t believe you..." Peng Yan said as she listened to Qin Lan''s description about the Blood Genesis Pill. It was like a test to her wisdom if she chooses to believe Qin Lan''s word.


    "You can choose to not believe what I''m saying, but it will be your loss." Qin Lan chuckled. Peng Yan''s reaction wasn''t unexpected. He also mentioned the same thing in his letter to Sun Wu Jian.


    "Hmm..." Peng Yan was staring passionately at Qin Lan as she wanted to see how much truth was behind Qin Lan''s words.


    ''If it''s brother Sun, he''ll believe all my words without a hint of suspicion...'' Qin Lan chuckled.


    ...


    "When did we make senior sister Lu unhappy?" Yi Feng asked Qiang Shou as he continued to dig further into the wall where they believe that there''s Bloodstone hidden inside. But it''s been close to half an hour now, and not a single crystal was found.


    "I don''t know... You know that I''m the worst when ites to reading a woman''s heart. How the hell I know that she''ll be angry after we tell her about our Young Master taking advantage of Lady Peng Yan outside of the cave?" Qiang Shou replied.


    Bulky like Shan Xiong Xin, but less bright than him, Qiang Shou once again speaks without considering that Lu Qing Yun was just behind him. She doesn''t even need to bend herself slightly to listen to their loud whisper.


    "You two are still having fun, huh?" Lu Qing Yun bites her underlips as she raised her Violet Queen Whip.


    **PIA!**


    Their buttock was whipped by her twice as she taught them to not spreading baseless rumors again.


    If Qin Lan was to guess, the two would be the main suspects behind how Peng Yan gets to know so much about their Kuangshan Lu Sect. It''s because both of them weren''t bright enough to realize what they should talk about and what they shouldn''t.


    They''re lucky that Peng Yan can be considered half an ally of their Qin Faction and Ninth Prince''s Faction.


    "Ouch!" the two screamed. Even the Peak Protection Saint Art couldn''t protect their buttock from getting beaten ck and blue by Lu Qing Yun.


    Some of the Qin Faction members chuckled as they noticed that the two were digging at an empty wall. Even the blind could understand that Yi Feng and Qiang Shou must have incited their lovely senior sister''s wrath.


    **Ding!**


    "Eh?" a unique sound from the pickaxe''s response made Qiang Shou stops digging. He immediately removes the tool from the hole he made as he gives Yi Feng a push to get him aside.


    "Hey! Why are you pushing me down onto the earth here?" Yi Feng turned to Qiang Shou with his angry face smeared by the dust and soil they dug.


    But his anger was reced by curiosity as the three of them were staring at that red light tried to escape from the hole Qiang Shou made.


    "Senior sister..." Qiang Shou points his finger at the hole where the red light ising from.


    "Ma - Make a wider hole..." Lu Qing Yun stuttered as she was captivated by the beautiful light from the gap.


    **Ding!**


    **Ding!**


    The light was so significantly bright, it almost illuminated the entire part of the tunnel they''re at. But the moment Qiang Shou extends his hand over to pry one of the loose rocks around that light, an ident happened.


    *BAM!* that location suddenly blew up and thrown all three of them back from that spot. A pair of pincers soon pops out from the gap as it demolished the entire wall to reveal a hollow space behind it.


    "What the heck is that thing? Quickly inform the young master and the others!" they''re in a mess as a Yao Beast suddenly appeared from the hollow part of the wall.


    Even Qin Lan, who''s still busy with his treatment on Peng Yan''s unique condition, is rmed by the explosion.


    "Young master! There''s trouble inside the abandoned mine! There''s a gigantic scorpion that looks like the Fire Elemental Bloodstone is inside! We''re unsure about the senior sister and two senior brother''s condition now!" one of the members from Yi Feng''s team came out in a hurry.


    "Gigantic Scorpion that looks like the Bloodstone?" Qin Lan gently put Peng Yan down and followed the member into the abandoned mine in a hurry. As for Peng Yan, her face is still filled with embarrassment as she secretly smiled due to happiness.


    ''Heavens had opened its eyes... To think that he would hug me for so long and even taken advantage of me. Hehehe!'' she hops like a cheerful bunny outside the mine.


    ...


    ''Crystal-like Yao Beast... If I''m not mistaken...'' Qin Lan''s heart palpitates in excitement as he followed the member of Yi Feng''s team further into the maze-like tunnels. The two soon came into arger mining chamber lit with dazzling red light.


    "Back off!" Qin Lan pulled the member''s cor as he drags him away from the chamber''s entrance. A ze of me suddenly sweeps around the gap as it came and gone in a sh. All that was left from that sudden outburst was the rocks glowing in red from all the mes.


    "You - Young Master..." the member almost peed in his pants from brushing off with death. If Qin Lan wasn''t there for him, he would have turned into a block of cinder from that deadly me.


    "Stay here!" Qin Lan said and entered the mining chamber with the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in his right hand.


    "ROAR!" the Yao Beast was going amok like it was disturbed from a great sleep. The two pincers were at least two meters long, as this creature stands at around ten meters long and close to two and a half meters tall. If it wasn''t because there''s a height limit inside this cave, it might be possible to grow taller than this.


    ''What kind of luck is this?'' a drop of sweat rolled down to his chin as Qin Lan revealed a smile on his face.


    "Young Master..." Han Xue and You Qing came forward. As for everyone else, they''re gathered behind Peng Yan''s subordinate as he kept the City Protecting Treasure activated.


    "Is there any casualties?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Two deaths... Should we retreat? This beast is aplete first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer demon." You Qing said. It was evident that the fight against this creature was arduous to them by looking at You Qing''s haggard look.


    "You guys retreat. I''ll take care of it on my own." Qin Lan''s replied was unexpected to the two as they got stoned where they stand.


    "Impossible, Young Master! Let''s retreat together!" the two quickly controlled their young master from acting recklessly.


    "Just listen to my instruction. Did the two of you grow wings now to stop me from doing something?" Qin Lan shook his shoulder to release himself from their grasp.


    "ROAR!" perhaps it was bored from listening to the conversation between Qin Lan and his two subordinates... The Yao Beast once again gathered its Spiritual Energy around the mouth and sprayed the me at them.


    "Silver Willow Dance." Qin Lan proficiently disyed one of the forms of the Silver Willow Sword Technique to redirect the attack. And with a push from his hand, he had You Qing and Han Xue retreated into the protection of the Country Protecting Treasure.


    "Bring everyone and leave. Nobody shalle in without meing out from this mine." Qin Lan said.


    The disy of his Formation Qi and peak-level Flesh Refining strength quickly stunned everyone present. Not even one of them knew that Qin Lan was already a peak-level cultivator in the Flesh Layer.


    "Young Master is a peak-level cultivator!!!" one of them cheered. And soon, more of them cheered as they followed Peng Yan''s subordinate and retreated back to where they came from.


    ''These idiots... Quickly leave...'' Qin Lan pointed his sword at the Yao Beast like he''s warning the creature. He looked exactly like a valiant general right now in front of the eyes of all his subordinates.


    The moment all of them left, their battle continued. Almost epassing the entire mining chamber with a swing of its pincer, the Yao Beast attacked Qin Lan more ferociously.


    As for Qin Lan, he can only take an evasive stance against this chain of attacks while looking for a gap to counterattack. And unlike a human''s strength where it was limited by how strong is the physical body, a Yao Beast physical attack is not one to be taken lightly.


    It was an attack even the Qiankun Golden Sword is incapable of handling without reinforcement by Formation Qi.


    (Can you speak?)


    Qin Lan tried tomunicate with the Yao Beast using thenguage that belonged to the demon.


    "ROAR! ROAR!" instead of getting the reply he wanted, all he got from the Yao Beast was a few ferocious screams with saliva dripping out from the edge of its mouth.


    ''Look''s like it''s just a mere Yao Demon. How good could it be if you''re a Yao Soldier instead?" Qin Lan shook his head. By putting more Formation Qi into his brush, he vanished from the spot instantly as one of the pincers mmed at where he stands.


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!" Qin Lan sent a de force over at the Yao Beast and forced it to a retreat. Deciding to not giving it a chance to recover, Qin Lan charged forward in an attempt to break the Yao Beast''s sturdy defense.


    "That''s my chance!" Qin Lan finally created a gap between the hard exoskeleton from all his attacks and prepared to give it a deadly blow. But it seems that the Yao Beast is preparing for a killing blow because the stinger had transformed into something akin to a morning star.

 Chapter 171: Blood Genesis Pill (3)

    Chapter 171: Blood Genesis Pill (3)


    Morning next day, Ninth Prince''s Manor.


    "Your highness... All the avable half-step Bone Cultivators are here in response to your summon. We humbly request your presence in this square." Huang Ping said as he knocked on the door to Sun Wu Jian''s office three times.


    It remained quiet. This made Huang Ping slightly nervous as he had no idea what was in Sun Wu Jian''s mind.


    "What do you think about Commander Huang Ping''s word? Can they be trusted?" some of the half-step Bone Cultivators asked as they exchanged their opinion with one another. As someone facing trouble to advance their cultivation, the news about an alchemy''s breakthrough cannot be taken lightly.


    The reason behind this is likely because it might create a revolution in the alchemy world. And in this world, there won''t be a single cultivator that will be uninterested in a piece of news like this.


    Furthermore,ing up with a new pill that aids them in cultivation will also contribute to their cause to ovee the threat from the Yao Beast.


    "I have less faith if you want me to answer honestly, but I''ll choose to believe Alchemist Qin''s word! Didn''t all of you already witness the miraculous skill of the Chief Alchemist?" someone speaks out as they''re waiting for Sun Wu Jian toe out.


    **Whoo...**


    The door to Sun Wu Jian''s office is opened as the prince stepped out with a letter in his hand. There was a distinct "Qin" word on top of the envelope, which means this letter has indeede from Qin''s Faction.


    "Everyone, allow this ninth prince to thank all of you that willing toe here from a mere summon of mine," said Sun Wu Jian as he cupped his fist and bowed to the experts before him.


    "Your highness!" everyone else returned the gesture with more respect than before. To the experts, it was already an honor to be summoned by their lord.


    "I believe that everyone here is impatient about what kind of breakthrough our Chief Alchemist had in his alchemy achievement. And right here, I am happy to share this with all of you."


    "Blood Genesis Pill." Sun Wu Jian suddenly mentioned the name of a pill nobody has heard before.


    "This is what our Chief Alchemist created. He''s currently outside of the Demon Mountain Fortress, looking for the ingredients while we''re speaking here right now."


    "As long we managed to obtain the few crucial resources to refine this Blood Genesis Pill, entering the Bone Reconstruction Layer will be just a month away!" Sun Wu Jian announced. His word immediately caught all the experts by surprise as he mentioned the keyword.


    "Just one month for all half-step Bone Experts here to advance into the first-level?" they''re both surprised and excited.


    "Is that even possible?"


    .......


    "Mountain Splitting Strike!" Qin Lan''s energy sword stabs deep into the Yao Beast. At the same time, he was holding an empty wine jar in the other hand and secured the blood oozing out from the wound.


    "Roar!" the Yao Beast cried in horror. The stinger that bulged up into a morning star hammered the ground relentlessly in its attempt to force Qin Lan to a retreat.


    But Qin Lan was like a blood-sucking leech. Changing from one wine jar to another, he only stops when the blood flowing out started to slow down on the third jar.


    ''Shall I open another wound?" Qin Lan chuckled.


    The process was repeated a few times until the Yao Beast was hugely weakened by Qin Lan from extracting most of its blood while it is still alive. Soon, when the creature no longer has value to its existence, Qin Lan delivered a killing blow to ends its misery.


    ''Are there more further inside this mine?'' Qin Lan chuckled as he stored the corpse of the Yao Beast into his spatial jade and went deeper inside.


    "Are you still going to keep hiding?" Zhang Qin Feng said before he went ahead into one of the few tunnels. From how he speaks, it seems he has caught the sneaky rat peeking on him for quite some time.


    Peng Yan soon walked out from the tunnel where he came after she was exposed by Qin Lan. A hint of blush is still on her cheeks as she walked over to Qin Lan''s side and gives his sleeve a tug.


    Undisturbed, the two of them walked further into the mine.


    "By the way... What is that Yao Beast? To think it was so beautiful despite its insectoid appearance..." Peng Yan asked.


    "This Yao Beast is known as the Bloodstone Scorpion. They''re like the cousin of the Crimson me Scorpion butrger in size and strength." Qin Lan answered. He did not proceed to hold Peng Yan''s hand, but walking like this with her side by side still make their journey inside this damp and dark tunnel enjoyable to a certain extent.


    "If I know we''ll be exploring a ce like this, I''ll ask my father for one of the tiny Night Glowing Spirit Stone..." Peng Yan pouted as she found it hard for her to get a clear look at her surrounding. But even if she was given the stone, it will be mainly used by her to have fun anyway.


    And in reply to her words, Qin Lan took one of the Night Glowing Pearl out from his spatial jade.


    "Oh my god! What is this!!!" Peng Yan was stunned by the beauty of the Night Glowing Pearl in Qin Lan''s hand. It was a mesmerizing sight to someone that never seen such a beautiful glow on a pearl about the size of an adult''s fist.


    Qin darling... What is this? I want to have one too..." Peng Yan shook the sleeve she''s tugging and acted cutely in front of this man her interest lies. It never crossed her mind that such a treasure could actually appear in a rural ce like this.


    "Night Glowing Pearl. I don''t think you can get another one in this continent." Qin Lan smiled as he replied to her question. None of his words is exaggerating because the producer of this pearl, the Nightlord Oyster, is by right a being above the level of Spiritual Root Yao Beast.


    "Then... This..." she continues to pout as her eyes stay on the Night Glowing Pearl.


    "I can''t give you think... But I''ll give you something else in the future if you obediently stop harassing me in public." Qin Lan said as he suddenly moved the Night Glowing Pearl in a specific direction.


    "What happened?" Peng Yan asked.


    "Stand back." Qin Lan moved his hand back and had Peng Yan took a few steps backward. With a hint of Formation Qi gathering around his fist, Qin Lan gave the wall a hard punch as he forced one of the hiding scorpions to reveal itself.


    But whates out next was a swarm of Crimson me Scorpions with two smaller-sized Bloodstone Scorpions.


    The two of them were immediately ambushed by the iing attack from over twenty scorpions hiding behind that empty space behind that wall.


    "Qin Darling, what are we going to do?" Peng Yan retaliates. With the strength of both of them, it wasn''t a problem for them to ovee the Yao Beasts. But for them to do it without getting injured will be likely difficult to achieve.


    "Put this on yourself. Focus on the weaker scorpions and leave the bigger one to me." Qin Lan flicked a piece of Demonic Amulet to Peng Yan and charged forward.


    "Qiankun Golden Sword!" Qin Lan attacked without using any fanciful sword techniques. And still, his attack was as deadly as when he''s using them. Close to five Crimson me Scorpions is cut into half as he approaches one of the two Bloodstone Scorpions.


    ''He''s going forward to suck the scorpion''s blood again?'' Peng Yan''s eyes opened wide as she watches how fast Qin Lan moves. If she were to repeat what she had done around Qin Lanst time, its likely be taken out by him in a sh before she noticed.


    And just like what she guessed, Qin Lan was extracting the blood from the Bloodstone Scorpion openly. He was no different from a bloodsucker that came in for the sake of sucking them dry.


    "Light Amulet, active!" Peng Yan activated the amulet Qin Lan gave her. A sphere of light instantly appeared around her and blinded the scorpions with sensitive sight. A few even cried in pain as the light hurts their eyes.


    ''Chances is here! Die for me!'' Peng Yan stabs her sword into one of the Crimson me Scorpions before moving to her next target. The twenty or so scorpions were quickly disposed of by them without too much trouble. But their body was stillcerated with injuries here and there due to the restricted space inside this tunnel.


    "Come here and take this pill." Qin Lan gave her a Flesh Mending Pill to recover herself, along with an Essence Transformation Pill.


    "Is this the pill that all of you use when we''re fighting on the Ten Miles in?" Peng Yan asked. She was once again shocked by the instantaneous medicinal effect that kicks in less than a minute after taking it.


    "Correct. That''s the Essence Transformation Pill, also came from my hand." Qin Lan nodded while he collected the corpses and went to the wall to removes some of the Fire Elemental Bloodstone.


    "Now I know how you ovee us with an army three times smaller than us..." Peng Yan said. A thought was running across her mind as she thinks about what kind of warfare wonder she could create with a few treasured pills from Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Qin Darling..." like she found enlightenment in her mind, she called out to Qin Lan while he was still busy knocking down the walls.


    "Yes?" Qin Lan turned around and looking at her.


    "I''ll trust you," she said.

 Chapter 172: Blood Genesis Pill (4)

    Chapter 172: Blood Genesis Pill (4)


    "Young master!" Han Xue, You Qing, Yi Feng, and Qiang Shou called out to Qin Lan when he came out from the abandoned mine with some cuts here and there on his clothing. Peng Yan was following behind him too, like an obedient kitten.


    ''Look atdy Peng Yan... Did our Young Master captured her heart when they''re inside the mine?'' a few of them thought as they studied her expression. It was hard for them to believe that a little over a month ago, they''re still enemies fighting on the battlefield called Ten Miles in.


    "I''ve cleared most of the nest belonged to the Crimson me Scorpion and Bloodstone Scorpion. But still, proceed carefully, as I might have miss one or two nests in between." Qin Lan said as he slowly walked to where Lu Qing Yun is.


    This girl was still meditating after taking the brunt attack from the Bloodstone Scorpion earlier.


    "Are you alright, Qing Yun?" Qin Lan asked. Although there is no sign of injuries on the surface, he''s still worried because it is not her first time hiding her injuries from Qin Lan.


    "I''ll be fine after some rest. Young Master doesn''t have to worry." Lu Qing Yun smiled and replied to Qin Lan''s question.


    "Alright. Then give me your right arm." Qin Lan put his hand out as he asked for her arm.


    "Young Master... Qing Yun is meditating..." Lu Qing Yun lowered her head as she felt like she was caught doing something wrong. Her hesitation made it clear that she was not doing well at all.


    "Peng Yan, go have fun around. I''ll have to give her a treatment." Qin Lan immediately sat down beside Lu Qing Yun with his palm ced beside Lu Qing Yun.


    "What are you waiting for?" Qin Lan said.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Your highness, we''re not trying to doubt the Chief Alchemist''s ability, but is that even possible?" one of the hundreds of half-step Bone Experts asked. From his expression and age, it is evident that he had stuck at this level for too long.


    And stuck here without a path to move forward nor retreat is the most tragic ending to most people. Usually, people like this are ended bing cannon-fodder or ving themselves to small to moderate families until the end of their lifetime.


    Thus, it was understandable for him to asked such a question.


    "Please forgive this prince for unable to answer this expert''s question as I don''t have the pill in my hand now. But I believe the Chief Alchemist. I dare to use my life to trust the Chief Alchemist and the miracle he could create." Sun Wu Jian answered the question uniquely.


    "Since high highness dares to use his life as the bargain that this pill will be a sess, it won''t hurt for us to give it a chance too... After all, most of us were here because we''re incapable of making that half a step further to be a Bone Reconstruction Expert." said one of the experts.


    "But what is his highness''s requirement for us to obtain this cultivation pill?" another expert brought up his opinion regarding this.


    "Yes! We want to know the price for us to be given the right to ess this cultivating resource!" the experts asked Sun Wu Jian for his price.


    "Ten years of service or until this battle for the crown prince position ended. The benefits following this will only increase as my status grow further. You may also bring up to ten of your family members to join under your name to enjoy the same number of resources allocated monthly." Sun Wu Jian''s selling pitch started strongly.


    Ten years of loyalty in exchange for a hint of possibility to enter the Bone Reconstruction Layer is not a bad deal at all.


    The experts around this square were immediately divided into three distinct groups once Sun Wu Jian brought up the requirement to enjoy this privilege. Those that epted the deal without the need of further consideration, those willing but wanted more, and those unwilling to be tied down to Sun Wu Jian''s faction.


    Everything was in Sun Wu Jian''s anticipation as he took three types of sycee ingots out from his spatial jade.


    "Those that willing to follow me unconditionally, step forward." Sun Wu Jian asked. Only close to fifty experts from the three hundred willingly came forth to Sun Wu Jian.


    Without telling them anything about their deal, Sun Wu Jian distributed fifty gold sycee to their hand and allowed them to leave.


    "Your highness... We..." all of them were surprised by Sun Wu Jian''s silence. Shouldn''t they be the ones to be given the most benefit for willingly follow him through thick and thin without demanding anything?


    Huang Ping immediately caught Sun Wu Jian''s intention and escorted them away. A few of them hesitated, but in the end, they leave without bringing up anything in their mind.


    ''Thank you, senior brother... I''ll rely on you to pacify them for now...'' Sun Wu Jian turned his attention to the middle group. They were the ones that demand the proper price for their service.


    "I''ll be honest. Three hundred Blood Genesis Pills a month, along with one Precelestial Realm Huang Grade (Full) Offensive or Defensive Treasure. Your tenure of service will be ten years. If you think you can ept my offer, stay. For those that feel you can get better pay outside of my Demon Mountain Fort, you may leave." said Sun Wu Jian.


    The remaining experts take a look at one another. Some hesitate, some decided to stay, and some left without looking back. Close to a hundred of them were gone before Sun Wu Jian made a headcount.


    "Your highness..." one expert came forward.


    "Feel free to speak what''s in your mind." Sun Wu Jian replied.


    "Then... Please allow this subordinate to speak recklessly on behalf of everyone else. Everyone demanded that your highness increased the reward by 50 Blood Genesis Pill every ten days. That will even out at 450 pills by the end of the month."


    "Very reasonable. Continue." Sun Wu Jian interrupted in between as he suggested the expert continue what is still yet toe.


    "We also request that we''ll be given the ownership to the Huang Grade (Full) Treasure even after leaving. The tenure period shall be shortened to five years and renewable depending on your highness''s ability at that time."


    "We hope your highness is willing to ept our request." the expert made his request sounded proper. Because at the end of the day, those with resources are much better than not having anything at all.


    Furthermore, to these groups of people, this was just a job for them. As long the pay couldpensate the risk they''ll be taking, they''ll be willing to do anything.


    "Five hundred Blood Genesis Pills and a Precelestial Realm Huang Grade (Full) Treasure. Those that serve me for ten years will be allowed to leave with the treasure. Those that choose to stay with my Ninth Prince''s faction for lesser can only bring them away if their merit is high enough." Sun Wu Jian countered their offer with one of his own.


    Unexpectedly, from the 150 remaining experts, only ten chooses thetter option.


    After distributing the sycee to them, Sun Wu Jian went to the back of his office, seemingly eager to meet with some people.


    "Your highness!" the fifty experts that left the earliest was here waiting for Sun Wu Jian while they''re apanied by Huang Ping.


    "Fellow experts, thank you for your support and willingness to stand with me through thick and thin. Please trust Wu Jian that I will not waste your trust and faith towards me." he cupped his fist while facing the fifty experts with a zing gaze.


    "Your highness, this honor is ours!" everyone replied without a hint of hesitation seen from their face.


    "Great... I am contempt just by hearing this word from everyone." Sun Wu Jian smiled.


    "But your highness... Can we know what we will be given? If there''s any ident happened in between, may our sessor be given the opportunity instead?" a few experts asked embarrassedly.


    "Ah! Thank you for reminding me. To think that it went through my mind before I mentioned it out." Sun Wu Jian pped his knee as he was thankful that the expert reminded him.


    "Alchemist Qin had spoken in his letter. Those that willingly follow this prince through all of this will be given priority first until they have broken through the half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer."


    "Subsequently, they''ll be given 1,000 Blood Genesis Pills every starting of the month for their personal use. Additional Blood Genesis Pills can be exchanged based on their merits. This advantage is applied to up to ten subsequent family members."


    "Also, the Chief Alchemist will craft a tailor-made armament and weaponry of Precelestial Realm Earth Grade for each of you. The Pill Hall will also be open for you to request for a specific pill once a month, as long you can provide the ingredients." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "This... This!!!" the fifty experts felt that their knees were giving up on standing as they listened to what Sun Wu Jian read from the letter in his hand. If it weren''t because there''s a fellow expert beside them as they listen to Sun Wu Jian, they might be seated on the ground due to all these surprises!


    "Your highness! We''ll be faithful and loyal to you as long we''re alive! Ours and our sessor''s lives will be up to your highness use as to how you wish!" the fifty of them kneeled. This was more than just getting handed with an olive branch.


    To them, this is a turnaround in their life!

 Chapter 173: Advance (1)

    Chapter 173: Advance (1)


    "Let''s go back. There''ll be some people that wille soon to rece your shift, so get to work and make sure to harvest as much as possible!" Qin Lan finished what he was going to say and get on the horse.


    "Leave this to us, Young Master. We''ll take care of this ce." You Qing replied as he sent Qin Lan off from the abandoned mine. They were already here for around three days, and it was time for some of them to return to the Demon Mountain Fortress.


    But only Lu Qing Yun, Yi Feng, and Qiang Shou are following Qin Lan and Peng Yan back. As for Han Xue, he''s tasked with the mission to search for another vein nearby, in case there''s more of them hidden around this Third Milestone marker.


    After traveling for half a day, the group finally returned to the fortress. Everything seems to be running smoothly even without him.


    "Qin Darling... Can Ie to..." Peng Yan wanted to say something, but Qin Lan stopped her before she managed to finish what she was trying to say.


    "Lady Peng, I hope what''s happened out there won''t change the situation between us. As I was away from the Pill Hall for three days, there are a few matters I would have to attend to first before that. Once what I promised you is ready, I''ll send Zhou Mei or the twosses to look for you." Qin Lan said.


    Putting on his stern-looking expression on his face, Qin Lan steered the horse as he returned to the Pill Hall in a hurry.


    Luckily, a few of the paperwork has been handled by Zhou Mei during his absence. This gave him more time to work on his personal matter. And going straight to his own Pill Refining Hall, the sign do not disturb is hung between the doors as he entered the secret chamber.


    "Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting!" Qin Lan gathered his formation Qi and entered the painting once his presence is marked. He was immediately greeted by the tiny creature that looked like a dragon when he stepped on the soil inside the isted world.


    "Roar!" the dragon-like creature hops around Qin Lan as it urged him to quickly collect the Blood Balsam Leaves that''s overgrown into as thick as foliage shrubs. From the way the creature behaves, it almost looked like ming Qin Lan for not taking care of the nt.


    ''Take this and buried it inside the cave with a high concentration of Fire Element.'' Qin Lan said as he tossed three huge Fire Elemental Bloodstones at the creature. It seems exhrated by the Bloodstone as it struggles to drag it away after listening to Qin Lan''s instruction.


    "Now, let''s get to work." Qin Lan stretched his limbs and warmed his muscle as he starts working with the spiritual herbs. The Thirty Blood Balsam Leaves immediately had a makeover as Qin Lan trimmed it until only the younger leaves are left on the nt.


    Those that harvested are immediately turned into Blood Balsam Extract, which was put neatly inside one of the few chests he brought into this ce on his first time.


    As for the flowers that grow along the Willow Logs nted by Qin Lan, they''re now ready for Qin Lan to collects the fruit of his effort.


    Standing by the side of the first five willow logs, Qin Lan started his extracting process by cing the medicinal cauldron on the ground first. His Formation Qi soon epassed all the flowers growing around the willow logs and forcefully extracted the secretion of nectar located inside the flower.


    Close to a thousand or so drops of the secretion were extracted from his first try. The secretion quickly thickened into something like resin granules the moment it entered his medicinal cauldron.


    And after repeating the same process three times, Qin Lan now had close to half a chest of the resin granules. But in exchange for them, all the flowers growing on the first five willow logs has now withered and died off. Only the climbing vines persisted on the logs.


    The chest is almost filled after Qin Lan repeated the same process on the next row of five logs. By the time he finished with them, it was already nighttime inside this dimension.


    ''Let''s get a rest after I finish absorbing the Spiritual umting Pill." Qin Lan said as he closed his eyes and started to meditate.


    On next morning, he repeated what he had done all the time with the Blood Balsam Leaves. It seems that the dragon-like creature is still busy with the task from Qin Lan.


    ''It''s time to start refining the Fire Elemental Bloodstone...'' Qin Lan whispered to himself as he brings out all the Bloodstones kept inside his spatial jade. Coming out along with the content is ten medicinal cauldrons about half of his height.


    ''How long has it been since I get so serious in alchemy?'' Qin Lan chuckled as he ced the ten cauldrons surrounding him. Before starting, Qin Lan swallowed one of the Essence Transformation Pill and releasing all the Formation Qi from his body.


    "Purify!" the Formation Qi was divided into ten ways as it worked like a filter that started to separates the impurities from the Fire Elemental Bloodstone. Drops of red-colored extract like coagted blood drip out of the cauldron calmly as it gathered in a crucible Qin Lan made for this purpose.


    ''To think that I would struggle with something I canplete while half asleep in the past...'' Qin Lanughed at himself.


    By the time the crucible is filled with the red-colored extract, Qin Lan finally rxed and fell above the ground. His body is entirely void of all Spiritual Energy right now. But in return, ten pieces of Bloodstone Blocks were created.


    ''Let us start refining the Blood Genesis Pill...'' using the advantage from the Essence Transformation Pill, Qin Lan started to refine the Spiritual Energy surrounding him. One unit followed by another, his body is soon filled with a considerable amount of Formation Qi.


    The trusted medicinal cauldron of his soon made its appearance openly as Qin Lan fired the pot using an intense Yang properties me. The tool turned red instantly from swallowing all the fiery force.


    "10 kinds of Yao Beast''s blood above eighth-level Flesh Refining!"


    -


    "Blood Balsam Extract!"


    -


    "Purified Elemental Blood Essence!"


    -


    "Elusive Devilflower''s Resin!"


    -


    "Start the refining process!" the four ingredients instantlybined into one mixture once they entered the medicinal cauldron covered in mes. It was a challenge to controlling the fire once everything is inside the pot.


    The evenly melted concoction soon gives out a reaction like corn kernels is popping from its shell. One rounded pellet followed by another came out as the resin granules absorbed the concoction and hardened into a singr pill.


    By the time the transformation is finished, a little over a thousand pills are created from a single batch.


    Each pill exudes an intense quality of blood sweetness due to the number of blood-rted material is used in its creation. It was a miracle that ten different types of Yao Beast blood could actually end up tasting so sweet after mixing them together.


    The Blood Balsam Extract also yed arge part in the creation process due to its oily texture. It was also the reason why the mixture couldbine into one entity. Furthermore, the Blood Balsam is also known for its mint-like taste and smell, along with a sweet nectar aftertaste.


    This made the Blood Genesis Pill much easier to be epted by the cultivator without feeling like they''re a bloodsucker draining blood straight from the Yao Beast. As for the two remaining ingredients, they''re nothing extraordinary when separated. But by putting them together, they''re capable of enhancing the vitality and Spiritual Energy conserved inside the pill.


    Thus, the Blood Genesis Pill was born.


    It was a Cultivation Pill Variant that carries the same Value of Spiritual Energy as a single Bone Foundation Pill. But different from the Foundation Pill, where only one pill can be taken in at a time, the Blood Genesis Pill has no limitation on how many can be taken.


    It is also considered as a unique-type cultivation resource like the Precelestial Essence. This means it would work like a miracle to those yet to enter the Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    Qin Lan was tossed out of the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting once he reached the three-hour time limit. Smiling on the floor he was sitting on, Qin Lan left the secret chamber and ordered one of the medicine servants to deliver a message to Huang Ping.


    "What did you say? The pill is ready, and I should send five trusted cultivators over to the Pill Hall?" Huang Ping was nervous when he received the message. Almost wrecking his brain due to Qin Lan''sst-minute notice, Huang Ping immediately selected a few people from the fifty gold sycee holders.


    "Make sure that all of you obeyed the Chief Alchemist''s instruction without a hint of hesitation!" Huang Ping added.


    "Yes,mander!" the five cupped their fist as they made their way to Qin Lan excitedly. Their arrival ended up gathering the attention of the fellow alchemist and medicine servants inside the Pill Hall.


    ''So many Half-Step Bone Expertsing to the chief''s private hall... Why does it feel like something is going to happen?'' one particr alchemist guessed.


    "Chief Alchemist Qin." the five cupped their fist together as they greet Qin Lan politely.


    "There''s a mat provided for everyone. Get ready to meditate as you''ll be the first five people to breaking through the half-step Bone Reconstruction tonight." Qin Lan said.


    "To... Tonight?" they stuttered. Who dares to make such a im unless they had a few hundred Precelestial Essence in their hand? And would there be such a cultivator that willingly wastes those precious resources?


    But surprises always came when you least expected them.


    At that night itself, the disturbance created by the five cultivators breaking through their Flesh Refining shell and bing aplete Bone Reconstruction expert turned the entire Demon Mountain Fortress upside down.


    Even Sun Wu Jian was greatly disturbed by Qin Lan''s swift action after returning.

 Chapter 174: Advance (2)

    Chapter 174: Advance (2)


    "Is this the Blood Genesis Pill mentioned by his highness? To think it really existed..." the five half-step experts were busy studying the pills Qin Lan put before them. They were both excited and curious right now due to Sun Wu Jian''s words before and Qin Lan''s statements.


    Get ready to meditate as you''ll be the first five people to breaking through the half-step Bone Reconstruction tonight." what Qin Lan has just said still lingered in their minds. That''s because nobody has the gut he has.


    To im that everyone will have a breakthrough in a single night...


    If it was so feasible... Won''t there be a bunch of Bone Reconstruction Layer experts around them?


    Seating down in their mostfortable meditating posture, the five half-step experts started the breakthrough attempt by taking five Blood Genesis Pill per person. In front of them was a pill-tter with ten Spiritual umting Pills going through its moment of maturity.


    As they''re yet to enter the threshold of the Bone Reconstruction Layer yet, taking the five Blood Genesis Pills is like swallowing 500 Flesh Foundation Pills at a time. There''s also a rush of vitality coursing through their body when the pure Spiritual Energy is rushing out from the pills they swallowed.


    "How powerful...I''ve only had the Precelestial Essence twice in my life, and that outburst of Spiritual Energy is still attached in my mind. To think that such an experience is achievable by taking just five of these Blood Genesis Pill is wondrous." one of the half-step experts said.


    It was indeed a favorable moment when the Spiritual Qi is bursting out from their body. The reason behind this is likely due to the nourishment to their meridian and energy channel when it happened.


    The five of them immediately concentrate as they guide the Spiritual Qi to nourish and attack their core. That''s where all half-step experts often failed when trying to breaking through.


    But failure was not one of their options today. Each one of these experts was given 500 Blood Genesis Pills to break through their Flesh Refining shell.


    And what does 500 Blood Genesis Pills amounted to?


    50,000 Flesh Foundation Pills.


    Or 50 drops of Precelestial Essence.


    One by one, the five experts are trembling in excitement as they focused on directing the Spiritual Qi released by the Blood Genesis Pill to attack their core.


    "Take the Spiritual umting Pills right now! And finish all the Blood Genesis Pill you have! Don''t wait!" Qin Lan''s instruction came at a crucial moment where it was the final hurdle they''ll have to surpass to allow their core to grow.


    Often, the experts failed right here because many factors disturb their sess rate in taking apart this Flesh Refining Shell. But that was not the case today. With Qin Lan here inspecting each and everyone while adding more Blood Genesis Pills on their te, he''s able to force them to advance.


    His existence within this room was not to monitor them but instead to give them a hand. If it wasn''t because Qin Lan was the creator of this Blood Genesis Pill, they might not allow a total stranger to apany them, let alone five.


    "Aargh!" while the outburst of Spiritual Qi inside their body is a pleasurable experience, giving too much for the body and core to take is still torturous. It was akin to a man who was given apanion for a night.


    Having a partner or two made the night pleasurable, but what if he was given a hundredpanions to satisfy on that particr night? Even if he had the heart to do them, he couldn''t.


    The overflow of Spiritual Qi soon breaks their body. It was like a dragon was finally released from its chain when the outeryer of the core was broken apart. Feeling like they just shed the outer shell that was imprisoning them for so long, the five experts gave out a loud roar.


    A satisfying, loud, and menacing roar akin to a dragon that was imprisoned for too long!


    "I''ve done it!!!"


    "Atst! Atst!"


    Thebined force of the five recently advanced Bone Reconstruction Experts even throws Qin Lan back until he crashed onto the wall.


    "Coughed!" blood rolled down from the corner of his lips as Qin Lan kept the pain to himself.


    ''Hahaha... To think that these five can actually consolidate their cultivation to the middle and peak of first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer after breaking through. They must have put on quite some effort to break that wall...'' Qin Lan smiled.


    "Chief Alchemist Qin, please ept three kowtows from the five of us." the experts knocked their forehead three times at where Qin Lan is. Such a favor was one that they''re unable to repay even if they were to die on behalf of Qin Lan''s cause.


    "Fellow experts, please stand up." Qin Lan slowly lifted his hand up as he answers them.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The outburst of the five Bone Reconstruction Experts disrupted the peaceful moment inside this Demon Mountain Fort when their Spiritual Qi converged together. This rmed not only the garrisoned experts on duty but also made everyone restless.


    The experts that were on duty quickly questioned the others, who was also greatly disturbed by the sudden existence of five Bone Reconstruction experts inside the fort.


    Together, they headed straight to the Pill Hall, where the source of Spiritual Energy came from.


    "Commander Huang! You''re here as well." said one of the first-level Bone Reconstruction Expert. A few others were slightly embarrassed because it somehow meant that they''re not doing their job well.


    "At ease, fellow experts. There''s nothing to worry about. But inform the others to maintain vignce while this continues to happen." Huang Ping added. His word turned to be puzzling to them as they''re asking themselves why themander said so.


    It also piques their curiosity when they see the five Bone Reconstruction Layer expertsing out from the Pill Hall. Each of them was about their cultivation strength.


    "Howe all five of them advanced at the same time? I remembered two of them were just a half-step Bone Expert yesterday!" a first-level Bone cultivator said.


    "Advancing together in a single night? What kind of sorcery is this?" the other said. This made the other cultivator curious as they''re clueless about what happened.


    One afternoonter, the momentary calmness was disturbed once more when a surge of Spiritual Qi rises like a tower of energy inside the Pill Hall. More and more people were getting excited to the point cultivators are standing outside of Sun Wu Jian''s manor and Qin Lan''s Pill Hall to have their questions answered.


    Sun Wu Jian immediately summoned Huang Ping to give him and the public an exnation. As for Qin Lan, he was not even bothered by the people gathering outside of his establishment. This made the people desperate for an answer to their curiosity.


    It ended up into a shopping spree as they start to purchase and clear whatever pills the Pill Hall has to offer. This oue was unpredicted because the power of the masses is indeed scary when they''re not well informed.


    Using the reason that he was having a rest, Qin Lan entered the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting to repeat the refining process. But this time, the temperature inside this isted world is slightly warmer than before.


    This greatly enhanced the growth rate of the Spiritual Herbs as they''re showered with freezing dew rich with Spiritual Qi in the morning and a nourishing warmth in the afternoon.


    Even the dragon-like creature seems happier as some of its brown-colored moss turning verdant. There''s even a tiny patch of flowers are growing on its buttock.


    ''What did you do when I''m not around? Look at that flower on your butt.'' Qin Lan chuckled as he patted the head of the young Dragon Moss creature. It had now get used to the habit of getting fed by Qin Lan a few times a day with the Blood Balsam Extract.


    He was kicked out from the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting three hourster. But it was a proper rest for him as it was as long as three days inside that isted world.


    ''I guess we''ll continue with the expert''s promotion.'' Qin Lan poured a cup of tea for himself and enjoyed that short moment of quietness beforeing out of his Private Refining Hall.


    "Get me a Medicine Servant and... Eh?" Qin Lan stopped his sentence in between as he was greeted by close to two hundred half-step Bone Experts outside of his private hall. Such a sight puzzled him as they''re all here before he even summoned them.


    "Chief Alchemist Qin!" everyone greets him with a posture and expression full of respect.


    "Please rise, everyone. It is a surprise to me that everyone was waiting for me here. But may I request that only the gold sycee holder remain? As for the silver and bronze holder, please return to your position until you were called." Qin Lan said with a smile on his face.


    There were two kinds of thought running across the expert''s mind right now.


    To the gold sycee holders, they''re d that they chose to serve Sun Wu Jian full-heartedly. As for the two other sycee holders, regret is all they had in their minds right now. Some of them even wanted to shout and say they''re willing to serve Sun Wu Jian for life, but speaking about anything else at this time would be pointless.


    It was unfortunate because no store sells a potion to cure the feeling of regret. Because even if it does, they won''t be able to buy it anyway.

 Chapter 175: Meeting (Upper Part)

    Chapter 175: Meeting (Upper Part)


    "Bam!" another pir of Spiritual Energy rises up to the sky, indicating thepletion of yet another batch of half-step Bone Experts advancing into the proper Bone Reconstruction Layer. There''s only onest batch of experts is left before the others finally able to enjoy the miracle brought by the new Blood Genesis Pill.


    Those Bronze and Silver Sycee holders have been waiting to the point they''re growing impatient. Some of them even went around, asking if those recently advanced experts had some of the pills to sell.


    But unfortunate to them, Qin Lan''s precaution made that not a single Blood Genesis Pill is exposed to the outside.


    Because this was their only chance to keep the element of surprise to themselves. By the time the news about this miraculous pill hits the market, it will be toote for those intended to take advantage of them.


    Even Peng Yan was no exception.


    "Mdy... I can''t believe that you''re still so calm after what this Alchemist Qin do to you... Shouldn''t he offer this to you first after all the help you''ve given him?" one of her father''s adjutant advisors, Wang Li-Kun, said as he pped the tea table.


    Sharing his sentiment is Wang Li-Yuan, who is seated right beside him. The two of them were not in their mood because they felt they''ve been neglected from the time the first batch of half-step experts have broken through.


    And right now, the envoys from the Country of Wei were not the concern of the people stationed in this Demon Mountain Fort, but what happened to the Pill Hall is. Everyone is excited to the point they''re blindly guessing the debut date of this miraculous pill to public use.


    Since it was locally produced, they''re hoping that the Pill Hall, established under his highness the ninth prince and Chief Alchemist Qin, is priced thoughtfully.


    "Why are the two of you getting impatient before our youngdy? Just wait for our own order instead of getting angry on her behalf. It won''t do good to your health." Peng Yan''s sidekick, the messenger said. He was saying what he thinks while keeping a smile on his face.


    "That''s true... Then what do you think our youngdy is thinking?" the two adjutants nodded. But after that, they''re pointing at Peng Yan, who looks like daydreaming without a concern inside her mind.


    "Mdy?" the messenger called.


    She didn''t respond to his call. Right now, her mind is still lingering in the time while Qin Lan was touching one of her breasts identally.


    ''When will hee to me again? Now I felt like I''ve yet to cultivate enough... How good will it be if hees to me daily to treat my symptoms?'' there are over a hundred questions in her mind, and all of them were rted to Qin Lan this, and Qin Lan that.


    "Mdy!" the messenger called her a little louder.


    "What?" Peng Yan turned to the messenger and flicked his forehead for waking her up from her honey-coated daydream.


    "Lady Zhou Mei is here. Do you want to meet her?" the messenger asked as he rubbed his forehead.


    "Why not? Looks like there''s something in her mind for her toe to me in person." Peng Yan chuckled. After having two female servants to help her put on the robe, she walked out of her room with a proud air around her.


    Looking at her smirking face, Zhou Mei had an urge to give her a p for feeling irritated over her attitude. But since the two of them represent a faction on their back, no one tried to make things difficult for the other.


    At least... For now.


    "What brings you here today?" said Peng Yan as she adjusted her robe. Recently, she started to get herself dressed ording to the fashion sense from the Country of Wu. The more she tried the dresses, the more she likes them.


    "I was going to introduce you to..." Zhou Mei was going to speak, but someone interrupted her before she could.


    "It seems that the envoy likes the design from our Qin Textiles a lot. I am here with a few other designs that you might fancy." Hu Jia appeared with a menacing appearance. Although there''s no Spiritual Energying out from her, her words are still as sharp and fierce as ever.


    "You''re?" Peng Yan was stunned by Hu Jia''s arrival. An invisible hint of oppression was pressuring her as she looks at how docile is Zhou Mei beside this woman. This made her remembered the word from the Wiseman told by her father daily as her life lesson.


    (Even a dragon would have to follow the etiquette when it entered the den of snakes)


    And in Peng Yan''s case, how can someone without a proper statuspete with her position as Qin Lan''s legitimate wife?


    "I am the wife of the current young patriarch of the Qin Family, Hu Jia." the words that were spoken without a hint of spiritual energy were heavier than a mountain. Peng Yan didn''t expect to face Hu Jia this early in her battle to capture Qin Lan''s heart.


    "You-You''re Qin Lan''s wife?" a hint of suspicion is in her eyes as she scanned Hu Jia from head to toe. Except for thecking of Spiritual Energy on her, she''s indeed a rival on Peng Yan''s mission to conquer the man called Qin Lan.


    "Indeed."


    "I''m also the owner of Qin-Jia Moonlight Pavilion, Qin Family Winery, Qin-Zhou Medicine Store, Fuyun Spiritual Garden, Qin Textiles, Qin Pottery Workshop, and many more. They''re all managed by me."


    "Including the Demon Mountain''s Pill Hall." Hu Jia added a smile at the end of herst sentence. This bound to hit her harder than everything else.


    ''YES!'' Zhou Mei almost shouted out as she witnesses how Hu Jia handled Peng Yan.


    "So... It''s sister Hu Jia. Seeing the actual person is much more than just listening to what you''ve done for the Qin Family. I am Peng Yan, the daughter of Peng Likun, Genius General of Wei." Peng Yan introduced herself.


    But in her heart, she was half defeated because of Hu Jia''s excellent resume.

 Chapter 176: Meeting (Middle Part)

    Chapter 176: Meeting (Middle Part)


    "What brings you here? Shall we enjoy a pot of tea while we get to know each other?" Peng Yan waved her hand over to the resting pavilion nearby and invited the two to join her for a tea.


    Luckily, her servant was thoughtful enough to understand the meaning behind his youngdy''s action. Leaving and returning in an instant, he appeared before them with a tray of specialty tea from Country of Wei, some sweet treats, and also gifts.


    "I''ve heard about Envoy Peng''s a long time ago from my husband. And since my sister, Zhou Mei mentioned that you''re here on behalf of your country for a peace and trade talk, I was thinking that if we can show our guest a friendly gesture on our own." Hu Jia answered.


    She pped her hand thrice, and six female servants came in with bamboo sticks where three sets of beautiful female clothing are disyed on the female mannequins. They were all sewn by tailoring experts that were hired by Hu Jia after searching around the Yunshan Province.


    "What - What is this?" Peng Yan lost control of herself as she stands up without asking for Hu Jia''s permission. Herplete attention was captured by the three sets of dresses brought over by Hu Jia.


    But her attention stays on the one in red, which was her favorite color. They were made by having the workers slowly weaving the silk from the young Foul Essence Crimson Antrvae. The textile was then dyed inside a unique solution made from the Yao Beast''s saliva, where the striking red colores from.


    As for Zhou Mei, her attention is on the verdant-colored dress. Although this was her second time looking at the dress, she still finds her eyes unable to leave the dress alone. She was like getting bewitched by the collection that seems as serene as a quiet, lush forest.


    By the time their mind returned to their body, the two noticed that the dress Hu Jia brought here was a test for both of them. She was looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction from them when they''re presented with this one-of-a-kind gift.


    "Sister Hu, let''s not beat around the bush. I hope you can speak what''s in your mind. In respect to your position as Qin Darling''s legitimate wife, I''ll let you be the one to speak first." Peng Yan changed her tone. She knew that based on position alone, she''s iparable to Hu Jia.


    "What bushes are there for me to beat around? If my beloved husband is interested, even the queen of heaven is willing to be his woman. All I am is a faithful wife to him." she said.


    "Just think less about whatever in your mind right now. To a man, what he needs is not a war in his own harem but tranquility. If you are still unable to understand my words, it means you''re yet to reach the state to be Qin Lan''s woman."


    "You should get changed. If I''m not mistaken, Qin Lan is finishing what he''s doing soon. We''ll only have a short moment to talk before he''s taken away by the ninth prince." Hu Jia said while ordering a female servant to bring the red dress into Peng Yan''s room.


    "I''m sure you''ll look stunning with the red dress. This will make Qin Lan unable to take his eyes off you. Let''s meet each other outside the Pill Hallter." Hu Jia gives Peng Yan another smile as she left with Zhou Mei.


    ''She... Did shee to dere war with me?'' Peng Yan was confused by the meaning behind Hu Jia''s visit. Is there a motive behind her visit and bringing over such a precious gift? Furthermore, how do Hu Jia knew that she''ll be enthralled by the red dress?


    ''Heh... Now, this is interesting...'' Peng Yan smiled. Seeing the real deal is indeed more exciting than just listening to rumors.


    ''To think that Qin Darling''s wife is someone of this caliber... Darn, I felt so challenged and threatened. Furthermore, she''s someone without a hint of Spiritual Energy in her!''


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "BAM!!!" atst, the pir of Spiritual Energy appeared for the tenth time. This means that all fifty golden sycee holders have advanced into the Bone Reconstruction Layer sessfully. It only took him less than five days to aplish what other factions usually took months to achieve.


    While the Bronze and silver Sycee holders are still worried about getting on Qin Lan''s bitter side, the golden sycee holders are outside waiting to meet him again. The moment the fivest golden sycee holders came out with Qin Lan, they joined everyone and kowtow to Qin Lan regardless of age and seniority.


    "Chief Alchemist Qin, please ept our gratitude once more." everyone said as the prostate in front of so many alchemists, medicine boys, and visitors inside the Pill Hall.


    Without Qin Lan, advancing into the Bone Reconstruction Layer was just a dream to them.


    "Everyone, please rise," he said as his Formation Qi pulled everyone up from their prostrating stance.


    "And since everyone was here right now, I might as well distributes half of the allocated quota to each one of you first. This is your first five bottles of Blood Genesis Pill and a hundred Spiritual umting Pills."


    "The remaining will be distributed half a monthter. As for the promised Earth Grade (Full) Armament, you can discuss amongst yourself who wille forward first. Make sure you describe them as detail as you could so they can be made to your standard."


    "If there''s nothing else, everyone can leave." Qin Lan finished what he has in mind and prepared to retreat back to his Private Refining Hall.


    "One moment, beloved husband."


    But as he was going to shut the door, the voice of someone he''s been yearning for day and night stopped him from doing so. Her soothing voice is like a typhoon that stirred the calmness in his heart.


    Even without turning his head around, Qin Lan knew who she was. And right in front of everyone else, Qin Lan smiled.


    Still, that was not the only shock. Turning around to keep the door open for Hu Jia, he was surprised by the audience cursed with the "petrification" spell.

 Chapter 177: Meeting (Lower Part)

    Chapter 177: Meeting (Lower Part)


    The crowd was petrified by the arrival of the three beauties. Each of them had a look that capable of crushing a city with just a smile of theirs. Even the man who they love was almost defeated by their charm when his gaze arrived at them.


    "To what sin I had done to be given a test like this today?" Qin Lan smiled as he cursed why he can''t split himself into three copies to enjoy this three times. Perhaps he can do that if he brings them into the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting, but by the time he had done that, it won''t be enough for him as well.


    Because Qin Lan knew that it won''t be enough, even if he had ten sublime paintings in his hand.


    Walking closer to him in steady steps, Hu Jia was the first to enter Private Refining Hall, followed by Zhou Mei and Peng Yan. It was like they had a deal beforeing here.


    Life returned to the crowd minutes after the door was closed, But their heart was still racing when remembering about what just happened.


    "My heart... I think it stopped for a minute or two when they appeared. It seems that the Chief Alchemist was quite a womanizer for having three cities toppling beauty by his side..." one of the Boneyer experts chuckled.


    By the time the experts left the Pill Hall, the news about Qin Lan''s three city-toppling beauties has spread far and wide. Even Sun Wu Jian was smiling as he knows all three of them.


    ...


    "What makes the three of youing here together?" Qin Lan asked as he sat by the tea-table. A few wine jars were taken out and ced on the table as he uses the opportunity to rest his exhausted mind.


    The still awkward Zhou Mei and Peng Yan then sat across Qin Lan. No matter what situation between them, the position beside Qin Lan would always be where Hu Jia would have her seat.


    Coming straight to his side, Hu Jia took his head straight to her chest as she gave his head a rub. It was what Qin Lan needed the most right now after working tirelessly for so many days without rest. Even if he managed to have enough sleep to recover the exhaustion in his stamina, it wasn''t enough to remove the weariness to his mental state.


    "As his woman, you should remember that he''s a reckless one that will not stop unless you give him a reason to do so. So, always find a reason to make him stop whatever he''s doing and bring him to your side. Or else, he''ll forget his priorities." Hu Jia said. She seems to be teaching the other two how to handle Qin Lan.


    "..."


    The two were embarrassed with what they see as they''re both eager and anxious about what Hu Jia said and done. A part of them was imagining how Qin Lan felt while they massage his head.


    ''Would he keep rubbing his face over my chest while I press his acupoint? Should I learn about pressure point massage before letting him do what he''s doing right now?'' they asked themselves.


    Their short session together ended up as an educating ss with Hu Jia. She kept tutoring them on how to serve Qin Lan better as the victim continued to be used as an educating puppet by Hu Jia. Their private time ended after an incense worth of timeter when Sun Wu Jian''s servantes to knock on the door.


    "Do you two get it? If you don''t prioritize your time ordingly, this is what you''ll get. All the other people are going to drag him away from you, and there''s nothing you can do about it." Hu Jia said.


    The two of them were like chicklings that kept nodding as they memorized what Hu Jia has taught them.


    "Beloved wife, I''ll have to go to brother Sun''s ce for a while." Qin Lan said. He gently moves himself off from her breast but finds it difficult to do so. Afraid that he''ll hurt her if he forcefully did it, Qin Lan kept squirming around that part.


    "Last but not least... He had zero tolerance for women. It is up to us to see if the person is suitable for him. That''s what we can do to protect him. Got it?" there was a deep meaning behind herst sentence that not even the two couldprehend.


    "Beloved wife..."Qin Lan rubbed his face over Hu Jia and the fabric around her chest.


    "Alright. Go. Your attendance here is no longer required." Hu Jia let him off after she''s done satisfying herself and her vanity for his attention.


    Feeling like he was used by Hu Jia somewhat, Qin Lan left the room and followed Sun Wu Jian''s servant.


    Only the three of them remained inside the Private Refining Hall after Qin Lan left.


    "Sister, I hope you''ll be kind enough to satisfy one of my curiosity. Why are you being this kind to me? I''m sure you know that I am here not to make friends with both of you... I am here to snatch this man away and make him mine." Peng Yan felt insecure if she still unwilling to bring up this topic to talk between them.


    On the battlefield of love, only the cruel and ruthless may obtain their happiness. It was the same to her father, her dead mother, and herself right now.


    Even Zhou Mei had a simr thought. It just she wasn''t as decisive as Peng Yan, nor as generous as Hu Jia. But no matter how indecisive she was, Zhou Mei understands one fact. Happiness is fought, not given.


    And in response to both of them, Hu Jiaughed.


    "I''ve seen death," she said. Thinking back when she was stabbed by Wei Hu Xuan, she was supposed to die back then. But in the end, Qin Lan brought her back.


    "And I''ve seen despair without him. It was just a sh, but that sh was the scariest moment in my life," she added.


    "Now, I only know about one thing. Based on your ability, mine, all of us, and the entire Qin Family as the bargaining chip... Do you think we can keep Qin Lan by our side?"


    "I''m sure you know the answer inside your heart." the was a sour expression behind Hu Jia''s smile.

 Chapter 178: Possible Disaster Brought by a Pill (Upper Part)

    Chapter 178: Possible Disaster Brought by a Pill (Upper Part)


    While the three are still pondering if they could keep Qin Lan by their side forever, a much more serious discussion is going on at another ce.


    Sun Wu Jian, Shan Xiong Xin, Qin Lan, and Huang Ping were seated in a circle with close to ten bottles of Blood Genesis Pill ced in the middle. Each of them carries a stern facial expression on their face before they even went on with their main subject.


    "Brother Qin, will it be too exhausting if you keep pushing yourself like this? I understand that the Blood Genesis Pill is essential, but you''ll have to keep track of your own health too. Everyone is relying on you now, so we can''t have you copse here." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "I''ll be able to manage it. What was the response so far from the others about this Blood Genesis Pill?" Qin Lan asked after replying to Sun Wu Jian''s concern. His look was much better than before, but that was after he was freshening up by Hu Jia''s embrace.


    It was still far to say that Qin Lan is doing very well right now.


    That''s because Qin Lan was leading a double life right now. Out of the 24 hours he had daily, three of them were worth three days when he''s inside the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting. Of course, it was not a topic he can simply discuss with others.


    Not even those closest to him were allowed to know about the existence of this painting, including his wives.


    "The Silver Sycee holders have been getting impatienttely. All I can say is that the attraction of the Blood Genesis Pill is simply too great for them to be asking it daily."


    "Some of them even tried to bribe their way up into bing a Golden Sycee holder as they promised to serve his highness for twenty years and above. A few even tried to offer their daughter and wives to see if they can forge their way up to obtain the Blood Genesis Pill." Huang Ping said.


    There was a hint of disdain lingered on his face when he mentioned all of these. It had never run across his mind that a cultivator can be this shameless when ites to their own benefit. Once, he almost throws a fit when a half-step expert arrived at his doorstep to offer both his wife and daughter to Huang Ping in exchange for ten of the Blood Genesis Pills.


    "What you''ve been is just an appetizer. It is yet to reach the extremity point yet." Qin Lan smiled and brought out four jars of Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine.


    "Extremity? Why is this not counted as extreme? To what extent can one be shameless for their own benefit?" Huang Ping asked. His hand reached out to catch the wine jar sent by Qin Lan across the table.


    Everyone was doing the same as the wine came into their reach.


    "To what extent? Hahaha... Are you sure you want to know?" Qin Lanughed. His question made the other three curious as they''re trying to guess what kind of answer Qin Lan would give them.


    "The milder action would be resort to bribing other alchemists to help them steal or obtain this medicinal pill with all means. Those crueler and more capable might think about selling this piece of information to others. I''m sure the two other princes or the Evil Infant Sect will be very interested, to the point they''ll get something else in recement."


    "After all, how much could it hurt if they can get a hundred or two drops of Precelestial Essence if all they need is just to sell this secret to the others?" Qin Lan said.


    "This..." Sun Wu Jian, Shan Xiong Xin, and Huang Ping looked at one another as such a thought never crossed their mind before. It somehow turned into an embarrassment because they noticed that they''re still too inexperienced in this regard.


    "There''s still an extremity option." Qin Lan added.


    "What? That wasn''t the extreme option they might do? To what extent can happen if that wasn''t the worst-case scenario?" Shan Xiong Xin asked. Since he was the most straightforward among the four of them, his reaction was expected.


    "If mild desperation can make one simply betray their lord for a slight benefit, what do you think when it was multiplied by many times? Put a few of them together, along with some greed, jealousy, and envy..."


    "By that time, killing a fellow cultivator that just advanced for the pills in their hand is nothing. They won''t even feel guilty for doing that." Qin Lan shared. With his two lifetimes of experience, what kind of sight hasn''t he witnessed before?


    Family betraying one another...


    Disciple turning against their fellow senior, junior, and elders...


    "Brother Qin''s meaning is..." Sun Wu Jian tries toprehend the meaning behind Qin Lan''s words. Soon, he started to understand why Qin Lan purposely stated that they divide the people into three categories.


    "We have to immediately protect those who recently advanced then! They might be in danger right now if there''s a few people from the remaining group who is desperate enough to do what brother Qin has said!" Sun Wu Jian reacted.


    "Calm down, brother Sun. I won''t be giving you guys some wine to drink if it''s really this urgent." Qin Lan chuckled as he poured some alcohol to moisten his throat for talking so much.


    "Brother Qin had expected this to happen? What kind of precaution have you taken?" Sun Wu Jian asked. Suddenly, he remembered something. It''s been quite a while he didn''t hear about the news regarding Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie.


    Added with the sudden arrival of Hu Jia to the Demon Mountain Forest, what could that possibly mean?


    On this particr night, ten Silver Sycee holders were captured while trying to return to the Demon Mountain Fort with some half-step Bone Expert friends.


    Another ten Silver Sycee holders have miraculously vanished from the Demon Mountain Fort without reason. Everyone was nervous when this news spreads all over the fort.


    As for Qin Lan and the others, they have been drinking throughout the night. Close to forty experts were kneeling beside the table, with an unknown fate.

 Chapter 179: Possible Disaster Brought by a Pill (Middle Part)

    Chapter 179: Possible Disaster Brought by a Pill (Middle Part)


    "Have you heard about the disappearance of some of the half-step experts from our Demon Mountain Fort? Some said that they''ve been caught exchanging sensitive information about our fort to outsiders," some of the locals said.


    "Really? Then this ought to be a bad thing... With all the recent progress and all..." another local added. His reaction seems to be genuine.


    Everyone returned to what they were doing after all those small talks about the cultivators. As for one of the locals, he quickly returned to his house and prepared to release a young, flying Yao Beast messenger.


    "Stop it right there unless you want to die." a member of Han Xue''s assassination team stops the local from releasing the flying Yao Beast. The short, cold dagger was held at his throat as he trembled.


    "Have... Have mercy... I''ve been threatened to do this..." the local lowered both hands that holding the flying Yao Beast. Vibrating like a ringing bell, he begged for his life.


    But, out of a sudden, he struggled and tried to release the Yao Beast in his hands forcefully. Unfortunately for him, there is more than one assassin sneaking around the house. It was killed before it flies away.


    "Question him right here. Check who he''s working for and how long it has been." Han Xue''s voice can be heard before he vanishes once again.


    And from one ce to another, such a covert mission continues.


    ...


    ...


    "So... What are we going to do with these people?" Shan Xiong Xin asked as he finished the bottle of wine to itsst drop. Looking at the forty or so experts kneeling beside the table, he had an urge tough at their foolishness.


    Of course, theugh carried a hint of guilt inside. Without Qin Lan nning it from behind, perhaps more than half of these people would be on their way to another province right now.


    And if that happened, who knew how long it will take before more expertse to verify the validity of the information?


    To Qin Lan, a Blood Genesis Pill was just a treasure to speed up their cultivation, but that was for those in lower realms. In reality, all the Blood Genesis Pill can do is speeding up their cultivation by two to threefold when an expert had permanently entered theyer of Bone Reconstruction.


    Because at the end of the day, the amount of Spiritual Qi a Bone Reconstruction expert needed to amass is close to ten times more than what a Flesh Refining expert required.


    The reason Qin Lan brought this pill out wasn''t solely because he wanted to strengthen Sun Wu Jian''s foundation. It is also for his Qin Faction. After witnessing what happened to Hu Jia, it came to Qin Lan''s mind that he has underestimated the extent of what a person can do.


    And with the Qin Family now branching out, with more younger generation gathered under his banner here between Fuyun City and Demon Mountain Fort, the demand for having more Bone Reconstruction experts in his faction is higher than before.


    At the very least, Qin Lan would love to have at least one to two Bone-level experts to protect the crucial members of his Qin n members.


    Of course, there''s a downside to having more early-stage Bone Reconstruction experts.


    Suddenly having a rise in the number of experts will bring up the expenditure for sure. Furthermore, the strength between the master and servant has to be bnced to avoid a situation likest night from repeating itself.


    Through Qin Lan''s experience of two lifetimes, he had witnessed unountable numbers of betrayal, exploitation, and even rebellion.


    "Although I would like to kill everyone here, I afraid that our circumstances don''t allow us to be so wasteful. The lot of you should be d that we''ll spare your lives." Qin Lan said as he looked at them.


    He didn''t deliberatelyy the trap, but it was a sessful lure nevertheless. With their overall strength right now, what is better than having forty or so ves with the cultivation between Peak Flesh Refining to half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer?


    Taking a medicinal bottle out from his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade, Qin Lan tossed the bottle over to Lu Yi so his men can feed the content into each of these ve''s mouth. By pressing on a certain acupoint around their neck, all of them were forced to swallow the bitter medicinal pill with a mysterious ingredient.


    "What... What have you fed us?" the forty or so ves asked as the medicine started to take effect on them.


    The feeling of a thousand ants crawling inside their veins slowly get much more ufortable as their arteries started to has a bulge like air bubbles here and there. All of them instantly shivered on the ground as the difort turning into pain.


    "Aargh! You''re a demon!" they cried in anguish as the medicine Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie fed them started to react inside their body. The suffering is worst than getting scratch to bleed by the Yao Beast daily.


    "Brother Qin, that''s..." Sun Wu Jian asked. He was somewhat troubled because such treatment towards the people who betrayed them shes with the path of a virtuous ruler.


    "Foul Essence Tormenting Pellet." Qin Lan replied.


    "As long you guys obediently serve the ninth prince for ten years, I''ll make sure that the poison pill will not re-up. But remember the more the Foul Essence Tormenting Pellet, the worst it will get. This is just the first." Qin Lan said as he waved his hand towards the forty or so experts.


    A sweeter pill entered their mouth. Everyone swallowed it hurriedly without thinking what that could be. And by the time the second pill takes effect, the shivering and suffering subsided.


    What reces it is a contradicting medicinal effect of a few Bone Foundation Pillsing out from the antidote they''ve taken.


    "This..." they''re unsure what kind of reaction they should give Qin Lan. It was like getting beaten by a stick before fed with candy. Hate and appreciation came together at once, making them unable toprehend what was in Qin Lan''s mind.

 Chapter 180: Possible Disaster Brought by a Pill (Lower Part)

    Chapter 180: Possible Disaster Brought by a Pill (Lower Part)


    "Lu Yi, Zunjie, bring all of them to the Fire Elemental Bloodstone Mine to help. Assign a minimum quota they''ll have to mine before they''re given an antidote once a day. Inform You Qing about it and entrust him with the medicine." Qin Lan waved his hand at them, telling them to get out after he''s done with what he was going to say.


    Everyone soon left the hall except for Sun Wu Jian, Shan Xiong Xin, and Huang Ping.


    "Brother Qin... Do we need to go to this extent?" Sun Wu Jian asked. Although he understands that such a method cannot be evaded if the situation gets worst, he''d still find himself unable to ept it instantly.


    "Do you think I like to use this method to solve the problem? Unless we make them as an example, the same situation will repeat itself in the future. By that time, it will be irreparable because they''ll be ready for us." Qin Lan replied.


    (It takes ten thousand bricks to build a wall, but only one or two has to be taken out to make it fall...)


    "Have you heard about this before?" Qin Lan asked.


    "..."


    They understand Qin Lan''s word, but doing it is a different matter altogether. As the mood was no longer as good as before, their meeting quickly ended not long after Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie''s departure.


    Returning to his ce beside the Pill Hall with heavy steps, Qin Lan''s mood eventually gets better seeing his women waiting under the plum tree. Zhou Mei was still in the breath-taking blue dresses, but Hu Jia had changed back to her usual favorite color.


    It was a simple red dress with some embroidery of clouds and mandarin ducks sewn around her sleeves, cor, and skirting.


    But that didn''t make her look pale inparison. Instead, the red color seems to be a perfect match for Hu Jia''s fiery personality. As if the color was created solely to be put on her.


    "You''re home." both of them said as they waited for him toe to them obediently.


    "Heh... I''m home." Qin Lan chuckled. Nothing was better thaning home with his women waiting for him under the shade of a plum tree.


    If there is...


    Perhaps by making two women waiting into three.


    Peeking from the edge behind the plum tree, Peng Yan wondered if she shoulde out and join the other two. But her status alone does not qualify her to do so. Nevertheless, the red dresses on her made her appearance remain stunning while hiding behind the tree.


    "Did you girls have a good time talking with one another?" Qin Lan asked. He took a beautiful chest out from his spatial jade. Without informing her what''s the content inside, Qin Lan passes the box to Zhou Mei and embraces her along with Hu Jia.


    Peng Yan was still hiding behind the tree. From the look of it, she might stand there forever if Qin Lan doesn''t call or respond to her.


    Knowing that there''s a worry and self-restraint in Qin Lan''s mind, Hu Jia enjoyed her lover''s embrace for a brief moment, then push herself away from him.


    She circled the plum tree and caught Peng Yan''s hand next. Pulling her over to where they''re standing, Hu Jia forced the girl, a being of two higheryers in cultivation above her, into Qin Lan''s arm.


    This action made Qin Lan somewhat confused.


    ''Why would Jia-Jia behave in such a way?'' Qin Lan wanted to ask her, but it seems he would have to wait until the next chance appeared.


    "Don''t you want toe along?" Qin Lan asked as he held both Zhou Mei and Peng Yan in his arms, leaving the middle open.


    "Why would I be greedy? I had you myself back inside your Private Refining Hall, remember?" Hu Jia smiled.


    Letting out a happy sigh, Qin Lan savored the blissful moment together. Since Peng Yan is not considered his woman yet, she returned to the room provided to herter that day. Zhou Mei offered to leave Qin Lan and Hu Jia alone as she knew that they will have many things to talk about.


    Zhou Mei was the first to reach her room first. cing the exquisite case on the table, she slowly lifted up the case''s cover. She was shocked to see it was filled with Blood Genesis Pills, Spiritual umting Pills, and Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pills.


    And there''s also a piece of a handwritten note on the cover.


    {Take this opportunity to consolidate your cultivation. After advancement, use the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill to unlock your cultivating potential. It will strengthen your control over your Spiritual Sense Body)


    What was written in the note was simple, but the meaning behind it held more significant intention towards her. The concern, the way he''s giving this to her, made Zhou Mei smiled as she lifted the exquisite case with both hands until she sat on her meditation mat.


    After taking the entire bottle of Blood Genesis Pill into her body, Zhou Mei started her attempted to break through into the Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    As for Peng Yan, she reaches her room with a contemting mood.


    Although she was happy that Qin Lan was embracing her with Zhou Mei, there''s still a gap between their heart. In between her happiness, there''s a hint of emptiness, as if Qin Lan was absorbed with something else.


    ''Was it because I am a part of the Country of Wei''s citizen?''


    ''Or because I am not considered as a woman of his interest?''


    ''Father... What is love? Why does it hurt my heart whenever I can''t understand why I am doing this?'' Peng Yan leaned on the bed the moment she''s back into her room.


    Then, she noticed a bulge on her waist. It was a Qiankun Pouch that was deliberately stuffed into her while she was unaware.


    ''What''s inside?'' Peng Yan opened the pouch by injecting a little Spiritual Energy into the treasure. Taking out the content from the inside, it was an exquisite case simr to what Qin Lan gave Zhou Mei.


    The only exception is the Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill is not inside. It was instead reced by something different.


    Opening the note that was deliberately left inside the box, Peng Yan read what Qin Lan was trying to tell her.


    (Inside the bottle was a medicine known as Soothing Yin Pellet. Taking them whenever the side effect of your cultivating art re-up will help alleviate the symptoms. If you finished it, alwayse back and get more from me. Remember, although our rtionship is quite awkward right now, I hate to see a woman that soon is mine getting touched by another man. Don''t ask me only when you''re finished with them, because I''ll get angry at you.)


    ''Psh!"


    "Hahaha!" Peng Yan couldn''t control herughter after she finished reading thest sentence written on that paper. For the first time, sheughed to the point tears were rolling down from the corner of her eyes.


    They were filled with a hint of happiness that she never felt before.


    ''I guess... That''s how he shows his love. Not by words or action, but surprises and pills.'' hugging the bottle of Soothing Yin Pill in her hand, she falls asleep.

 Chapter 181: No Such Thing as a Fool Proof Secret (Upper Part)

    Chapter 181: No Such Thing as a Fool Proof Secret (Upper Part)


    "Call for aplete retreat. There''s no longer value in sacrificing more soldiers here just for the sake of taking over this city." an expert of third-level Bone Reconstruction Layer said.


    There was an unconscious individual on one of his shoulders.


    His position in this army could be significant based on the armor colored in golden linings and red paint. But right now, he''s merely an unconscious individual who had to rely on his subordinate to protect him.


    Across their deployment, more gs were raised along the city''s wall as they announced their confidence to repel all invasion attempts from their attackers.


    A pattern of a wolf head and the word "Lei" is printed on each g as they were lifted up as tall as the gbearer could. As for theirmanding officer, he''s observing the battlefield in the tallest tower.


    "Ah... Ah... Ah... Take everything I have to give you!" the officer with a naked lower body moaned as he shot his load into the woman. After finishing the deed, she was thrown aside without a bother whether she survives the crash.


    "Bring me another woman." Yang Yuan said.


    "Yes,mander." the soldier standing beside him went to drag another woman into the room as Yang Yuan speaks with his officers.


    "The few of you... Go out there and capture as many enemy soldiers as you can. Keep pushing them until they cross the border between Yunshan and Kuanglei Province."


    "The more captives you have in your hand, the more the resources our Thunder Roaring Pce will provide you. I''m sure all of you will be excited, correct?" Yang Yuan chuckled as he started to force another woman to go down on him.


    "Your subordinate understands. We will dispatch immediately and make sure to execute your order!" the few officers nodded and left the room in a hurry.


    Soon, the news about the Second Prince''s defeat in his attempt to take over the capital of Kuanglei Province was spread across the three countries. Ignoring the fact that Yang Yuan almost ruined half of the local women''s modesty in the city itself, he was hailed as a hero across the province.


    When the news about Sun Ding Tian''s defeat arrived at the ears of the Wu King, he was furious to the point he smashed the cauldron located on the entrance to his audience hall.


    The king''s imperial mandate was immediately delivered to the Yunshan Province, ordering the three princes over there to take responsibility for the shameful defeat.


    Furthermore, the arrival of the imperial mandate was announced publically, making it harder for the three princes toe up with a solution before the Thunder Roaring Pce responded.


    Letter of a challenge then distributed through merchants, travelers, andmoners as they move between the two provinces.


    The Thunder Roaring Pce proudly announced that they''ll be responding to the King of Wu''s mandate by aiming to capture both Fuyun City and Demon Mountain Fort. The date for their attack was also chosen, which will be a monthter.


    ...


    ...


    "I''m finally broken through the border between Flesh Refining and Bone Reconstruction Layer!" Peng Yan smiled as her strength grown by leap and bound after using the medicine provided by Qin Lan.


    Even the two adjutants were envious because she was lucky enough to enjoy these kinds of resources at such a young age. If they were given the same resources ten years ago, they might have advanced through the Middle-Attainment Rank right now.


    But she was not the only one that enjoyed such a benefit. Zhou Mei, who was living in a courtyard not far from Peng Yan, also broken through. And because she was given an extra Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill to consolidate her cultivation, her achievement is much higher than Peng Yan at this moment.


    With few more days of persistence, getting to the second-level of Bone Reconstruction Layer won''t be a problem for her.


    Unfortunately, the news about the King of Wu''s mandate came at the wrong time. As the few of them were in a sensitive position due to political standing, a cruel decision had to be made.


    First of all, Peng Yan and her entourage were invited to leave the Demon Mountain Fort under the pretense of misunderstanding. The trade between the two countries was also ced at a halt, particrly cultivation pills. It was a sensitive trade right now, where even smuggling is made impossible.


    This hurts the cash flow for the Demon Mountain Fort as it was still relying on cash cows like the Country of Wei to cover their expenditure.


    And secondly, the news about Qin Lan''s breakthrough in his creation of Blood Genesis Pill eventually reaches the ears of Sun Ding Tian.


    The second prince was in a rage when he heard about this and immediately brought a legion of soldiers to rify the validity of this rumor. The atmosphere here was heavier than how it was supposed to be while the two princes were talking.


    "All of us are the people of Wu... Why are our weapons pointed at one another?" some officers areining. They hated to be ced in the middle of all these awkward situations.


    By right, they should be busy preparing to repel the forces that might being from the Kuanglei Province. But it somehow ends up like now because of Qin Lan''s Blood Genesis Pill.


    Furthermore, nobody knows what will happen if a fight started between them.


    And while the two royal princes are in a talk, a few things were happening between the two provinces.


    Peng Yan''s return to the Country of Wei is intercepted by the soldiers from Kuanglei Province. Not even using any formal or informal speech when they met, Peng Yan was invited to the Kuanglei Province''s capital by force.


    If it weren''t due to her position as the only daughter of Peng Likun and the representative for the King of Wei, her fate might be unknown.


    As for another matter, it seems that the seventh prince has returned from his trip to the Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest. Leading close to three thousand soldiers with him, he''s eager to join the discussion between his two brothers on how they repel the attack from Thunder Roaring Pce.

 Chapter 182: No Such Thing as a Fool Proof Secret (Middle Part)

    Chapter 182: No Such Thing as a Fool Proof Secret (Middle Part)


    "is there no deception in everything you told me?" the seventh prince smiled as he steered his horse nonstop toward the Demon Mountain Fort. From the way he looked, it seems that his expedition to the Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest is a profitable one.


    "Yes, your highness." his most trusted subordinate replied as he fired a re to the sky. Soon, they came across a few soldiers with a pair of new horses waiting for their arrival.


    After changing the horse they were riding, the two continue with their way as the soldiers following behind went past this checkpoint about half an hourter. Such thing was repeated five times as they soon arrived at the Third Milestone.


    "Let''s make it quick. I am very interested in my ninth brother''s rumored alchemist as well. To think that he managed to create something that not even the capital has. Do you think... That his talent might be above alchemist Leng Ching?" the seventh prince asked.


    "This subordinate don''t dare toment about this, but I think they''ll be a great match against one another if there''s a pill refining contest. Furthermore, your highness has been preparing for this secret weapon for so long... I think that it is time we take them out in this battle against the Wei." the subordinate answered.


    "Not yet... How can I bring that out right now? Let''s see what my reckless second brother does first. He might be a fool, but eldest brother is not. Taking out that trump card so early in this session match will be a demerit to my chances to sit in the position of the crown prince."


    "How far are we from the Demon Mountain Fort?" he asked. The Demon Mountain Fort can be seen from its current location.


    "Another half an hour, I suppose." the subordinate replied his seventh prince.


    "Great. I can''t wait..." the seventh prince was smiling as he finished his sentence.


    ...


    ...


    "Ninth brother, do you need to be that cautious against me? Our mutual enemy right now is the Thunder Roaring Pce. They''re going toe at us in less than a month," Sun Ding Tian said as he took a sip of the Rock Lotus Fragrance served to him.


    "Good wine. What about you, beauty? If you''re willing to serve this prince, I''ll make sure that you''ll be the next princess consort." Sun Ding Tian''s hand reaches out to grab the female servant''s bum without bothered if his lechery act annoys Sun Wu Jian or not.


    "We''re in a discussion here. All of you, leave the room." Sun Wu Jian ordered. Although his order was given out in a considerable harsh tone, it was also done to protect them.


    Sun Ding Tian''s temper and attitude are well known between the royal capital for taking people''s lives as he wished without a proper reason behind it. Up to date, those innocent people that died under his hand amounted to no less than ten thousand.


    "Yes, your highness." everyone bowed and left the room in a hurry. But none of the servants felt relief yet because they''re still under the monitoring of Sun Ding Tian''s people. If they were caught doing so, their fate would be worst than getting killed on the spot.


    "Is this the alchemist that created the Blood Genesis Pill?" Sun Ding Tian asked. Standing behind him was Da-Lang and Er-Lang from the Lang (Medicine) House.


    "Qin Lan pay his respect to the second prince. I am indeed the alchemist your highness heard about." Qin Lan greets the second prince. Although he''s irritated by Sun Ding Tian''s attitude, this person seated before him is still the prince of a country.


    "That''s great. Since we''re going to work together to resist the invasion from the Thunder Roaring Pce, why not we keep all the pretense aside? My two alchemists are here to learn the recipe for the Blood Genesis Pill, so I hope alchemist Qin would be willing to guide both of them on the refining process."


    "When the war is over, I won''t be mistreating you nor the ninth brother. In fact, I can even rmend you to the imperial court. With your kind of talents, your opportunity over there will be much better than wasting your time here with my ninth brother." Sun Ding Tian said.


    His word shows a hint that he''s not putting Sun Wu Jian in his eyes at all.


    Furthermore, his order was akin to robbing someone else''s wealth while giving out empty promises in return, which Qin Lan hated the most.


    "Second prince''s offer is hard to resist, but Qin Lan is used to freedom. If the two alchemists are interested, pleasee to the Pill Hall after this to guide them through the refining process." Qin Lan smiled as he replied.


    As for Sun Wu Jian, there was a hint of relief as Qin Lan maintain his attitude towards Sun Ding Tian''s ridiculous request. The act of tantly asking for another alchemist''s pill recipe is akin to not treating them as a Treasure Master at all.


    "Hahaha, alchemist Qin misunderstood my meaning." Sun Ding Tianughed as he listened to Qin Lan''s reply. pping his hand on the table until the wine fell and pouring out from the jar, he continued.


    "What I mean is that you should just follow us back and start refining the Blood Genesis Pills together. As for your belonging here, I''m sure the second prince''s manor will have them too. Why bother to stay at this tiny fortress and restrict yourself?" Sun Ding Tian said.


    "My second brother, please mind your speech." Sun Wu Jian raised his tone slightly after listening to what his brother said.


    "I''m afraid I cannot follow what the second prince asks for." Qin Lan replied. His words surprised both Da-Lang and Er-Lang as they thought Qin Lan would ept the arrangement without resistance.


    "Alchemist Qin, you might not hear about this before... But I, Sun Ding Tian, hate to have people objecting my opinion." Sun Ding Tian said.


    "Then please treat that the Blood Genesis Pill didn''t appear before. Weck the ingredient to mass-produce them anyway. What we''ve got right now is barely enough to support the ninth prince, let alone the second prince''s people." Qin Lan replied.

 Chapter 183: No Such Thing as a Fool Proof Secret (Lower Part)

    Chapter 183: No Such Thing as a Fool Proof Secret (Lower Part)


    "Brother Qin!" Sun Wu Jian panicked for a moment as he was afraid that Qin Lan would get into an argument with his second royal brother. Furthermore, they''re not supposed to get into a disagreement right now because there''s an imperial mandate waiting for them toplete.


    Brothers turning against one another was the worst thing that could happen to them right now.


    But the arrival of someone else eventually gets rid of this problematic issue. The seventh prince, Sun Chen Long, turned up inside the room uninvited.


    Following him was a third-level Bone Reconstruction expert. Leng Ching was also apanying him as they walked into the room in a rxed manner.


    "Am Ite for something? Is that wine?" Sun Chen Long grabbed the wine ced at a corner and took a sip before anyone answering his question.


    "Ahh... The taste of this wine is heavenly. Adjutant Xiang, brother Leng, try some." Sun Chen Long simply passed the bottle to his subordinate and came to the table that smells slightly burnt from all the mes burning in between them.


    "What did I miss? Are you guys talking about the Blood Genesis Pill right now?" as if he can read people''s minds, Sun Chen Long guessed the reason behind this heated discussion. And he got that correctly.


    "It was nice to see you here, seventh royal brother. How''s your expedition into the Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest?" Sun Wu Jian greets him after putting aside the awkwardness caused by the discussion earlier.


    "Qin Lan greets the seventh prince and senior brother Leng Ching." Qin Lan cupped his fist and greeted the two. As for the third-level Bone expert, he exchanged a polite bow with him as a friendly gesture.


    "It seems that junior brother is always creating a miracle wherever you went." Leng Ching said. He was still as casual and unrestrained as always. With the cultivation of an eight-level Bone Reconstruction Layer, he can be considered as the strongest cultivator inside this fort right now.


    "Senior brother''s praises were too much for this junior brother. I''m just lucky to have the required ingredients at the right ce and time. Did senior brothere here to study the Blood Genesis Pill as well?" Qin Lan asked.


    For him, sharing the recipe wasn''t an issue, as the outsider would have the difficulties to search for the ingredients for sure. Although a recement for some spiritual items, such as the Elusive Devilflower''s Resin, is avable, they''re considered less effective.


    The rate of failure would increases by one to two-fifths due to the lowpatibility between the spiritual ingredients.


    "You can just treat that I''m not around. In fact, I don''t even want toe... But the eighth elder is nagging too much... So I ended up sneaking out from the Dan-Xin Dwelling ande here to have a breather." Leng Ching smiled as he talked about all these.


    His free and easygoing attitude was well known by all the outer disciples from the first day.


    "If senior brother would like to stay here and take a look, feel free to do so. The Demon Mountain Fort''s Pill Hall is always opened for all the members of Dan-Xin Dwelling." Qin Lan smiled.


    He remembered that he still owes Leng Ching a favor for borrowing him the Obsidian Dragon Cauldron when Qin Lan arrived at the Dan-Xin Dwelling. In a blink of an eye, it has been almost a year since that day.


    "I''ll do so. Junior brother... Do you think you can... Share something?" Leng Ching winked and flicked his fingers as he seems to ask for something from Qin Lan. And knowing how much of an alcoholic is his senior brother...


    "Here, senior brother. If it''s not enough, just ask for more from Lu Qing Yun or Lu Yi." Qin Lan said.


    "Great. Then I''ll be going to get a ce to sleep. Seventh prince, good night." Leng Ching left without bothering about everything else. For him, nothing was worth his attention except for booze and medicine.


    And since Qin Lan just gave him a Qiankun Pouch full of wine, won''t he''ll regret it if he didn''t manage to get a ce to rest and get tipsy?


    "Brother Leng is still as casual as always." the seventh prince chuckled.


    But the friendliness of their discussion irritates the second prince, Sun Ding Tian. Knowing that there was nothing for them to continue here, he decided to leave as his main objective to get his alchemists to learn the recipe was done.


    "Ninth brother... I''m not sure about what trump card you have with you, but remember that our opponent this time is the Thunder Roaring Pce. I''m sure you know what''s the history between them and our royal father..."


    "Good luck. I''ll rely on you because all my men will reach here before evening. I hope you''re kind enough to amodate them." said Sun Chen Long before he left with his adjutant.


    Only Da-Lang and Er-Lang remained here while waiting for Qin Lan.


    "Ninth Prince, I''ll leave as well to guide both alchemists in the art of pill refining. If there''s anything that needs my attention, please feel free to summon me over," he said before turning around and leave with the two alchemists following him.


    And without a hint of hesitation written on his face, Qin Lan taught the recipe to both Da-Lang and Er-Lang. He even showed the refining process twice to makes sure that they know what they''re doing.


    The legion that followed the second prince finally left as the soldiers belonged to the seventh prince finally arrived outside of the Demon Mountain Fort.


    After making sure that these problems have been solved, Qin Lan returned to the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting once again. Bypleting what he had to do in that three days, Qin Lan can finally distribute the end product to those silver sycee holders serving Sun Wu Jian.


    Meanwhile, not long after Qin Lan has left, Huang Ping came to his ears and whispered about something.


    "We''ve failed to catch the culprit that spread the news outside the Demon Mountain Fort. Should I keep searching?" Huang Ping said.


    "No. We should have known before this that no paper is capable of keeping the fire away. It''s the same to the secrets. There''s no such thing as a foolproof secret." Sun Wu Jian said.


    "Consolidate your strength. I''m sure Brother Qin must be ready for us now," said Sun Wu Jian.

 Chapter 184: Battle! Wang Xun (Upper Part)

    Chapter 184: Battle! Wang Xun (Upper Part)


    One monthter.


    "Move forward!" close to thirty-thousand soldiers moved together as they invade the border between Kuanglei and Yunshan Province. More than a hundred experts were watching this battle from afar.


    Leading the troops in the middle were Yang Yuan and two top outer sect disciples from the Thunder Roaring Pce.


    "Brother Yang, who are you going to after this time?" one of the two experts, Zhu Tingyi, asked. He was a cultivator as tall as Shan Xiong Xin and is also a Body Tempering Cultivator. On his back was a two meters long hammer known as Demonic Lightning Crusher.


    "I''m taking the seventh prince. The two of you will take the second and ninth prince." Yang Yuan replied without a space for negotiation. But from the expression of the other two, they don''t seem to mind what Yang Yuan has decided to do.


    "What about you, brother Xu Hu?" Zhu Tingyi asked another guy riding beside them.


    "I will take the second prince. Is that alright with you?" Xu Hu was slightly well-mannered between the three. Simr to Zhu Tingyi, he''s also a Body Tempering Cultivator. His choice of weapon is a blunt 1.7 meters long mace with wolves'' fangs embedded all over his weapon''s body.


    "Of course! Then I''ll be taking the ninth prince'' army on my own. I heard that he had a very talented alchemist with him. I can''t wait to see what kind of thing he can do when the battle starts between us." Zhu Tingyi said.


    About thirty minutes across the border, the soldiers from Kuanglei Province finally encountered their opponent that waiting for them in between the path leading to Fuyun City and me Demon Mountain.


    Each one of their opponent''s army was holding a different g in their hand.


    "So... Let''s get our targets. Good luck to both of you." Zhu Tingyi said as he steered his horse towards where the g of Ninth Prince Army is. Ten thousand soldiers followed his lead as his soldier down the path towards the route leading to me Demon Mountain.


    "Prepare for battle! Tian-Gang Unit, Tian-Jian Unit, be the vanguard and move forward to test our enemies!" Zhu Tingyi ordered. Following hismand, two officers with the strength of half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer moved forward with a thousand calvaries in theirmand.


    ...


    "Commanders, the enemy has sent out two units from their army of ten thousand. What is your order?" a messenger reported to Sun Wu Jian''s camp as they''re seated together at an elevated position viewing the battlefield.


    "Brothers, look like our opponent decided to test us out. What kind of suitable response should we give them in reply?" Sun Wu Jian asked. There was a hint of confidence originating from him.


    "Since our opponent decided to test us for now, it will be only proper if we do something in return. Let''s get Wang Xun out there to handle them."


    "Wang Xun, are you willing to be the vanguard for our ninth prince army and defeat the two units?" Sun Wu Jian asked.


    "It will be an honor for me to be sent out first. This Wang Xun will make sure to not disappoint the ninth prince''s expectation." Wang Xun came to the camp and epted hismand token.


    "Qiang Shou, You Qing, both of you should provide assistance and advice if necessary. Feel free to get wild." Qin Lan said to the two as he gave each of them a piece of Qin Military Token.


    With the Qin Military Token, it will allow each of them to bring a hundred men into battle. Along with Sun Wu Jian''smand token, it will allow 1,200 soldiers to join this battle under Wang Xun''s banner.


    "Captain Wang, we''ll follow your order. Feel free tomand us if you think you need our assistance!" Qiang Shou and You Qing cupped their fists at Wang Xun as they move together to engage Zhu Tingyi''s Tian-Gang and Tian-Jian Units.


    "Great! Let''s give them a battle they''ll never forget!" Wang Xun roared.


    The same situation was happening on all three battlefields. Since it was just their first day, nobody was willing to immediately show their trump card to bring the element of surprise forward. Sun Ding Tian, who has too many soldiers in his hand, sent out three thousand soldiers to face one of Xu Hu''s officers in a direct battle.


    As for Sun Chen Long, he was a little more entric than his two brothers. He only sent out two squadrons to answer Yang Yuan''s provocation. Such an action from him is no different from purposely provoking his opponent.


    ...


    "What do you think about this?" one of the elders seated on top of their respective flying Yao Beast asked. From the way he dressed, he''s likelying from the Country of Wei. His hand was pointed at the battlefield between the seventh prince and Yang Yuan.


    "Two hundred soldiers against a thousand. Let''s see what kind of trump card he have to make such a bold move." an elder with the dressing code of the officials of Country of Wu said.


    As for the elder on top of a white feathered crane, his attention is on where Qin Lan is. There was a hint of eagerness in his heart as he anticipates what kind of surprises Qin Lan and his people can give him.


    "It''s started!" the elders scattered and choose the battlefield they''re interested in.


    ...


    "Let''s get them with a full-frontal attack! Heavy Calvaries, take your position and charge forward!" Wang Xun ordered. With the formation of 100 horsemen each line and twelve columns, they charged forward with their maximum speed.


    "Hahaha! Those idiots! How dare they tried to face our Tian-Gang Unit using heavy calvaries? Had they never heard about the terror of the Thunder Roaring Pce''s Tian-Gang Gate?" the officer of Tian-Gang Unitughed as he raised his hand up.


    With a simple hand gesture, the Tian-Gang Unit took the frontal position as they positioned themselves into a scythe formation. The Tian-Jian Unit then ced themselves a little further as they were shaped like a spearhead.


    "Less than ten breaths to impact!" Wang Xun said.


    "Seven!"


    "Six!"


    "Five!"


    "Running Amulets, Now!" Wang Xun ordered.

 Chapter 185: Battle! Wang Xun (Middle Part)

    Chapter 185: Battle! Wang Xun (Middle Part)


    "What''s with the golden light wrapping around them?" the frontmost calvaries in Tian-Gang Unit asked themselves five breaths before they engaged in a direct battle.


    "!!!"


    Their mind went into disarray when both sides shed with one another. The entire row of calvaries was thrown aside like an uprooted tree as the heavy calvaries belonged to Wang Xun''s unit continue to move forward.


    "Impossible!" the officer of the Tian-Gang Unit had a hard time believing what just happened to his men.


    "Stand your ground, don''t let them continue to push forward!" he immediately rys his order to the frontline and takes the chain ofmand by himself. But unfortunately for him, the only option left for him is to overpowered Wang Xun''s men in brute force.


    The battlefield instantly turned bloody as the men and horses were bathed by the blood of their opponents and themselves. Their spirit was at the highest point right now while executing their best martial technique to ovee the target before them.


    Until...


    "Make way! Make way!" a shout came from the back of Tian-Gang Unit. A few columns of spaces between the soldiers soon vacated to allows additional soldiers to join the fray.


    "Do not allow them to... Urgh!" some of Wang Xun''s soldiers tried to warn their fellow colleagues but ended up dying before they finished their words. Close to a hundred soldiers were ruthlessly killed when the Tian-Jian Unit joined the fight.


    This sudden turnaround on the battlefield made Wang Xun anxious.


    "Brother You Qing. Brother Qiang. I''ll have to bother the two of you to lend me a hand here." Wang Xun politely asked.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll help you to turn this battle back to our favor." the two smiled as they move forward with their squadron following behind them.


    "So... Who are you going for?" Qiang Shou asked You Qing.


    "I''ll get the officer at the back. Since you like using brute force so much, I''ll leave the burly guy at the front to you. Open the way, you ape." You Qing chuckled as he used his soft de to p Qiang Shou''s buttock.


    "I told you to not call me ape." Qiang Shou swung his arm at You Qing, but it missed.


    Then, his expression was reced with a serious look as he focused all his attention on the leader of the Tian-Gang Unit. After making sure that he marked all potential targets around the officer, Qian Shou shouted with his fist raised above his head.


    "Move out! Destroy all targets in our path!" Qiang Shou ordered.


    A hundred specialists move forward in a sh as they battered their opponents using all sorts of blunt weapons and both fists.


    "How dare youe here with such a small..."


    "How can this possibly be happening to us?"


    "What is wrong with this unit?" the soldiers from Tian-Gang Unit screamed as they felt like they''re marked by death.


    Their engagement against Qiang Shou was like a one-way ticket to hell as they were ughtered without a chance to retaliates. The further Qiang Shou and his squadron move forward, the more corpses littered both left and right.


    "Retreat! We''ll have to retreat! These people are not soldiers! They''re killers!" the soldiers from Tian-Gang Unit immediately lost their fighting spirit as they came into the gaze of Qiang Shou and his squadron.


    It was an exchange of sacrificing two hundred people to kill five of their opponents.


    "Those that retreat without approval will be treated as treason and killed immediately! Move forward and keep attacking your enemies!" the officer of the Tian-Gang Unit warned them as he beheaded one of the soldiers screaming for a retreat.


    Forced by both sides with nowhere to go, the soldiers could only continue to do what they''re ordered to. The fierce battle continued.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "How... How could this happened?" a first-level Bone Reconstruction expert stuttered as he remained as thest soldier standing on the battlefield.


    Even Yang Yuan was shocked by the result of the battle that ended in less than an hour.


    Smiling, an officer from Sun Chen Long''s army stepped forward as he beheaded thest surviving soldier from Yang Yuan''s thousand men unit. The head was then tossed over to Yang Yuan''s camp as a gift.


    "Good job, everyone. I think this will be enough for us to warn those from Thunder Roaring Pce not to mess with the seventh prince army." Sun Chen Long said.


    Meanwhile, on Xu Hu and Sun Ding Tian''s battlefield, it was a considerable loss for both sides as the ground is littered with corpses all over.


    "Good job, all of you." Sun Ding Tian chuckled as he seems happy with the result of the battle.


    ...


    "Urgh!"


    "D*mn! To think that I''ll get injured by a mere peak-level Flesh cultivator." the officer of Tian-Gang Unitined as he retreated a few steps from Qiang Shou. He was already started to consider if he should pull back from this battle.


    As for his other fellowpanion, he''s not doing too well either as he fought against You Qing.


    "Stop moving around like a mouse and fight against me properly!" the officer from Tian-Jian Unit was pissed by You Qing''s tactic as he finds it hard for him to hit the target.


    But unfortunately for him, You Qing temperament was as calm as Han Xue. Each of him movement was precalcted before it was executed.


    This only made the officer of the Tian-Jian Unit angrier as he felt into You Qing''s tempo like he was ying a game of chess.


    "Hundred Beast Roar!" impatient and angry, the officer retaliates using one of the martial art belonged to the Thunder Roaring Pce.


    But it still missed You Qing. It was not even close to hitting him.


    *Zup!*


    A dagger pierced through the officer''s defense out of sudden without warning nor killing intent. All he know was that the knife came from nowhere.


    "How... Howe???" he almost couldn''t believe it as blood is oozing out from the wound. Standing in front of him, You Qing smiled as he revealed his left hand with a string on his fingertip.


    "Bye." without talking too much, You Qing turned out to be the first to ughter an officer on this battlefield.

 Chapter 186: Battle! Wang Xun (Lower Part)

    Chapter 186: Battle! Wang Xun (Lower Part)


    "Get in there and surround them! Do not allow a single enemy soldier to escape from this battlefield today!" Wang Xun ordered as he splits his troops into a few divisions and encircles his enemies, preventing them from escaping.


    With the loss of the Tian-Jian Unit''s officer, they''re now just like a pile of loose sand that can be toppled even by a touch of wind.


    The officer from the Tian-Gang Unit wasn''t doing too well either, as he was filled with wounds and bruises from getting attacked repeatedly by Qiang Shou.


    Their defeat is inevitable.


    "I don''t believe this!" the Tian-Gang Unit''s officer screamed. Taking out a few medicinal pills from his Qiankun Pouch, he chuckled as he looks at Qiang Shou with a hateful gaze.


    "I''ll drag you down to hell with me!" the officer took the pills in a mouthful.


    "Qiang Shou, be careful." You Qing flicked his dagger and beheaded a few more enemy soldiers as he warned hispanion to take extra note of his opponent.


    "I know." Qiang Shou replied by taking a few Blood Genesis Pill along with an Essence Transformation Pill. This will help him to recover most of his strength in the shortest time.


    "Azure Lightning de!" holding his sword with both hands, the officer finally went crazy as he attacked with all his strength. The medicinal pills he had taken seem to push his cultivation to the peak of first-level in the Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    A deep mark was left on the ground where Qiang Shou was standing. If he got hit by this attack, it wouldn''t be just having a crack or two of his bones. In a worst-case scenario, he''ll likely lose his limb if he tried to defend against that attack.


    "See, I told you." You Qing''s remark came into Qiang Shou''s ear while he was least expecting about it.


    "Not your business." Qiang Shou said. He was still calm as ever.


    ...


    "Commander, should we send some people to rescue them?" another officer asked for Zhu Tingyi''s advice.


    "No... Since the battle has just started, there''s no point for us to rescue the soldiers that failed to perform excellently. If you have something to say, you might as well volunteer to be deployed after this battle." Zhu Tingyi replied.


    The reply made the officer retreated back to his position as a sense of pity appeared in his mind. He shook his head lightly as he knew that there''s no way a thousand soldiers still fighting down there coulde home.


    Soon, the battle entered the climax when less than 500 Thunder Roaring Pce''s soldiers remained on the battlefield. But most of them were captured as the Demon Mountain Fort is facing an issue withck of manpower right now.


    "Captain Wang, should we wrap this battle here?" the squadron leaders from his unit came forward as they asked for Wang Xun''s opinion.


    "Yes. Wrap up the battle and tell everyone to retreat after this." Wang Xun smiled. It''s like they had achieved what they came out to do here.


    *Woo...*


    The horn was blown as soon as Wang Xun gave his order to slowly retreat with all the captives.


    "How could all my men be defeat... Urgh!" the unit leader of the Tian-Gang Unit coughed a mouthful of blood when he turned his attention on the battlefield. But it was a stupid move of his. Taking the opportunity given by his opponent, Qiang Shou made sure to destroy his heart in a single attack.


    "Looks like the battle here is over as well..." with their first battle is over, the elders flying on top of the skies all returned to the nearest mountain peaks where they''re gathering to have a rest.


    Some of them were satisfied by the battle, while some felt disappointed.


    Even the elder riding on top of the white-feathered crane is somewhat disappointed with Sun Wu Jian and Qin Lan''s dull performance in this battle.


    But nevertheless, able to defeat 2,000 opponent soldiers by using 1,200 men means a few talented figures were within Sun Wu Jian''s army.


    Wang Xun returned with close to 500 captives. All of them were sent to the Fire Elemental Bloodstone Mine immediately after they''re fed with the Foul Essence Tormenting Pellet.


    "Good job out there, Wang Xun. Go and get a rest, and leave everything else to us." Sun Wu Jian praised Wang Xun as he ced his hand on Wang Xun''s shoulder.


    "Wang Xun thanked your highness for the kind words." he immediately kneeled after listening to what Sun Wu Jian has said.


    ...


    ...


    When afternoon arrived, the time for their second engagement finally came.


    This time, more soldiers were deployed from both sides. Furthermore, the strength of the soldiers wasn''t too low as the weakest amongst them were at the eighth level of the Flesh Refining Layer.


    The majority of the soldiers were all between Peak-Level Flesh Refining to half-step Bone Reconstruction.


    "To think that everyone is sending out five thousand soldiers on the second battle. I''m sure this is going to be an exciting one. Anyone want to volunteer for this battle?" Sun Wu Jian asked the threemanders seated before him.


    Qin Lan was smiling as he looked at Shan Xiong Xin and Huang Ping.


    "Looks like all of you are waiting for me to show what kind of trick I have in my sleeve. Since that''s the case, I''ll take the helm to lead the second battle." Qin Lan volunteered.


    "Hahaha, then, I''ll leave everything to you, brother Qin!" Sun Wu Jianughed as he tossed a golden tiger tally onto Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Men!" Qin Lan summoned some soldiers toe into the tent.


    "Yes, Commander Qin!" three soldiers came in and kneeled before Qin Lan.


    "Order the kitchen to prepare wine, meat, and other delicacies. Tell them that the Ninth Prince''s army will be having a feast early than the others tonight!" he said.


    "Also, sent someone to inform the elders that if they''re interested, the ninth prince had prepared plenty of good wine for them to taste while celebrating our victory banquet!" Qin Lan''s order was like an announcement to the public.


    It was spoken out loudly on purpose as he tried to make sure that the elders eavesdropping on their conversation knew what he''s intending to do.


    "This brat... How dare he announced his victory even before the battle starts?"

 Chapter 187: Debut of the Crimson Mist Army (Upper Part)

    Chapter 187: Debut of the Crimson Mist Army (Upper Part)


    Following the other two battlefields in the number of soldiers deployed, Qin Lan led five thousand soldiers with him. He was seated in the middle-end of the army of five thousand, on top of a carriage pulled by two red stallions.


    Out of the five thousand soldiers divided into five units, four of them were wearing a crimson-colored cloak on their back, as if it represents something extraordinary.


    Only the unit protecting Qin Lan was wearing the uniform of regr soldiers. But their strength cannot be underestimated as the weakest amongst them is a Peak-Leveled Flesh Refining Expert. There are even a few second-level Bone Reconstruction Experts serving Qin Lan as his Squadron Leaders.


    "Hahaha! Look at the color of their uniforms. Are they crack soldiers that got assembled in a rush topensate for theck of numbers?" Zhu Tingyiughed as he was the one leading the troops personally.


    "Move forward! Let us ughter our opponents like we always did. In this battle, we will be the first to finish the fight before the other two battlefields did!" Zhu Tingyi said as hemands his battalion of five thousand soldiers to move forward.


    == == == == ==


    (Note: Qin Lan''s formation)


    -[1]-[2]-


    [3][C][4]


    == == == == ==


    (Note: Zhu Tingyi''s Formation)


    -[1]-[2]-[3]-


    ---[C][4]---


    == == == == ==


    "What kind of battle will the two show us?" the elder from the Royal Family approached the elder on a white-feathered crane unobtrusively. He also seems to be highly interested in Qin Lan.


    "From what I know, thatd, Zhu Tingyi, was a talentedmander in the western side of the Wei. I heard that he''s been leading the army to fight the wild barbarians from the west and has never lost before," the elder from Royal Family added.


    "I''m not sure... But from what I know, he''s not someone that will spout nonsense." the elder on the white-feathered crane said.


    "Then... Shall we have a look at them while enjoying this bottle of wine?" the Royal Family elder handed a jar of Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine to the elder on top of the crane.


    "Haha... Did you grab this from the youngsters? Don''t you worry it will be treated as a bribeter?" the elder on top of the crane said.


    "What bribe? That Qind is the one that says this wine is for us to taste." the royal elder pressed his thumb into the jar and took apart the paper seal.


    ...


    ...


    "Commander, we''re ready to go at any time." Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, Huo Zunjie kneeled before Qin Lan. Beside them were Expert Yi, Xie, and Shun. The three experts were one of the few that managed to break through into the second-level Bone Reconstruction Layer after using the Blood Genesis Pill.


    "No need to be nervous. Just take it easy and follow my advice. Lu Yi, you''ll take the first unit. Qing Yun will stay with me on the fourth unit. As for Huo Zunjie and three experts, please take the 2nd and 3rd units and move forward with Lu Yi."


    "Report! Our enemies'' first three units have moved out." a messenger came to report their opponent''s movement.


    "Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, it''s your turn. Strike them using echelon formation from both left and right. Go." Qin Lan ordered.


    "gbearers! Echelon g, first g, and second g!" Qin Lan''s orders were simple and easy to understand. The banner is used as the medium for their long-rangemunication. They stand for Unit one, Unit two, and Echelon Formation.


    In a sh, themand issued by Qin Lan arrived as the two units immediately positioned themselves even before their unit captain takes control.


    "Unit 1 Captain is in position!"


    "Unit 2 Captain is in position!"


    "Move on! Echelon Formation!"


    The two units move out in tandem as they prepare to strike Zhu Tingyi''s three thousand men from two sides.


    But as an experiencedmander that fought numerous battle on the west of Wei, how can Zhu Tingyi not know what Qin Lan was trying to do?


    "Blow the horn! I want them to shift into double spearhead formations and struck both enemy units at once! Tear apart their echelon formation and separates them into four smaller groups!" Zhu Tingyi ordered.


    With the center unit separates into both the left and the right, their strength would be increased to 1,500 men strong. That will be more than enough for him to cut across his opponent''s formation that focusing on a sweeping attack.


    "I''ll destroy that sweeping attack of yours by puncturing through your formation in the middle!" Zhu Tingyi grits his teeth as he waited in anticipation of the collision.


    "Ten breaths to go. Raise the Talisman g." another following order immediately came in as they were ten breaths before contact.


    Both Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie chuckled as they saw the Talisman g was raised.


    "Activates your Thorn Talisman right now! Our signal to stick closely to our opponent is here!" both unit captains ordered. And different from the golden light that Wang Xun used when he''s fighting the Tian-Gang Unit, the Thorn Talisman came in a red aura.


    A Spiritual Energy Shield that looked like the shell of a turtle appeared before them. This eventually gives Qin Lan''s soldiers more confidence to engage in a fight against their opponents.


    The outermost of both left and right were the first to collide first.


    And the collision was extraordinary because nothing went like what Zhu Tingyi assume it to be. Armed with the Thorn Talisman as they fought, the outermost engagement soon spreads into the center as Qin Lan''s two Echelon Formationtched themselves on the spearhead.


    "What the hell is this?" Zhu Tingyi shouted.


    He''s still asking why the spearhead formation would fell to a basic echelon formation. It was supposed to be as easy as trying to break a chopstick into two by attacking the middle.


    "That idiot must be getting really angry right now." across the battlefield, Qin Lan wasughing.


    "He should take this as a lesson because hitting you in a straight line doesn''t mean it''s as stiff as a chopstick. Sometimes, a whip can sweep you as has as a stick does." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Lu Qing Yun!"


    "Expert Yi!"


    Qin Lan shouted their names.


    "Yes,mander."


    "Move forward and strike our opponent''smanding unit with all you have!" Qin Lan ordered.


    "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 188: Debut of the Crimson Mist Army (Middle Part)

    Chapter 188: Debut of the Crimson Mist Army (Middle Part)


    "What? The opponent sent out their two remaining units out to attack me? What guts he has! Do he think I am a pushover?" Zhu Tingyi''s hand shook in anger as there''s nothing for him to destroy out here.


    "We''ll move out!" he made a decision within minutes after looking at how the four units belonged to Qin Lan making their way towards him.


    *Whoosh!*


    The g with the word "Zhu" was raised. This indicates that themander will personally lead them in the battle. With another unit following him, Zhu Tingyi ordered that the calvaries group into one unit as they made a fierce charge into their enemy''s rank.


    "Trying to face my soldier''s head on? He must be dreaming." Qin Lan smiled as he looks at the two thousand soldiersing closer to him.


    "Move forward. We''ll raise the "Center g as we proceed." Qin Lan ordered as his unit marched forward as well.


    With this decision is made, it''s equal to having all ten thousand soldiers participate in thisrge-scale battle.


    Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie continued to face the enemy''s troops on both left and right. Although the first engagement allowed them to keep the advantages of crushing their opponent in a sweeping attack, they''re still 500 men more than their own numbers.


    After the element of surprises subsides, the battle slowly returned to a pace where neither side managed to hold the advantage.


    "That''s their captain! Get rid of him, and the morale of the Ninth Prince Army will surely fall." the soldiers from Zhu Tingyi''s side said after catching Lu Yi in their sight. It seems that their enemies have the tendency to go straight to the officers too.


    "Hahaha, get rid of me, you say?" Lu Yiughed. His Spiritual Energy was pushed to the peak until the Bronze Xuan Sword shed. Sending out a few simple swords techniques, Lu Yi killed all the soldiers that dare toe close to him.


    His action is like a meat grinder the cuts his targets into chunks of flesh.


    "Keep... Keep attacking him!" the soldiers from the Thunder Roaring Pce continue to move forward. They''re like a swarm of ants trying tond a few bites on this beetle. But the problem here is, this beetle seems to grow up eating steel and not mud.


    By the time Lu Yi was done with the soldiers attacking him, the Bronze Xuan Sword has drenched with blood to the point kes were sticking on the de''s body.


    "Captain, we''ve killed close to half of them. Should we pursue the remnants on the rear?" a squadron officer approached Lu Yi for his order.


    But before he managed to reply, another messenger came in a hurry.


    "Report. The (Center) g and (Crimson) g is raised. Themander is on his move." the messenger''s word was short and precise.


    "We''ll not pursue them." Lu Yi said.


    "Gather everyone together and put on your equipment. The time is here for us to turn into ourmander''s sword." Lu Yi smiled. Reaching his hand on one of the horses a squadron leader brought to him, Lu Yi went on the horse and ordered all soldiers to move towards Lu Qing Yun.


    It was the same where Huo Zunjie is.


    After a messenger came to report about the two gs to him, he quickly ceases all engagement against the remnants of Zhu Tingyi''s soldiers.


    "Put on your equipment. We''ll group up at Captain Lu Qing Yun''s position." Huo Zunjie said.


    In an instant, close to 1,600 soldiers came to Lu Qing Yun''s unit dressed in simr equipment.


    "What is wrong with the soldiers?" Zhu Tingyi asked himself as he''s clueless about what Qin Lan was going to do. All the soldiers were in a crimson appearance after putting on an identical Offensive and Defensive Treasure.


    Such a disy of wealth was not something everyone can witness in each battle. The reason behind this was not just because it will cost them an enormous cost to fit everyone with the same equipment, but also because ofpatibility.


    Perhaps only the most famous ones capable of doing something like this would be the Royal Guard''s Army, Emperor''s Independent Army, and the Genius General''s Flying Dragon Army.


    But today, they were greeted by a neer.


    It is still a question of whether equipping them with this equipment will turn the tide of this battle. Furthermore, the overall strength of these soldiers was just between the peak of Flesh-Refining to half-step of Bone Reconstruction.


    After the crimson battalion gathered and positioned themselves into a proper formation, their g changed. The g with "Ninth Prince Army" was reced into a crimson red g bearing apletely different name.


    (Chi-Lan Jun)


    "Crimson Mist Army?" the elders watching above the battlefield got very interested in their action as they focused their attention on Qin Lan''s battalion.


    "Crimson Mist Army? What tricks is he trying to pull here? Thunder Calvaries, take the vanguard position! We''ll crush them in a push and go straight to theirmander''s HQ!" Zhu Tingyi ordered.


    "Yes, Sir!" the soldiers from Thunder Roaring Pce replied as they adjusted their formation and picked up their speed. Based on the distance, fifteen minutes will be enough for them to break apart Lu Qing Yun''s defensive line.


    "Commander, it''s time. Everyone is ready." Qin Lan''s messenger came and reported. It seems that changing the g to Chi-Lan-Jun is not to announce their tricks but to respond to Qin Lan''s order.


    "Great. Blow the horn and raised the (Embrace) g." Qin Lan chuckled. His order made all the gbearers in his unit spread apart and keep waving a new golden g.


    *WOO!!!*


    The moment the horn was blown, the 3,600 Crimson Mist Army vanished from sight. All that was left was a foggy red mist wherever they go.


    "What - What is this?" Zhu Tingyi was puzzled by the sudden appearance of fog that dulls their sense and sensitiveness to Spiritual energy.


    The foggy crimson mist soon spreads apart, covering the entire battlefield with fog. Then, it was followed by a soldier''s dying scream.

 Chapter 189: Debut of the Crimson Mist Army (Lower Part)

    Chapter 189: Debut of the Crimson Mist Army (Lower Part)


    "What is that? Another type of evil martial art?" one of the elders amongst the many asked. From his expression, he seems annoyed by the dying scream given out through the dying soldiers.


    "No... Can an evil martial art exude Yang Energy as potent as this? The mist does note from their cultivation... But the treasure on their head! The soldier''s crimson-colored helm is the cause of this foggy, blood-like mist!" another elder said.


    "But... What kind of treasure is that? Although creating a smokescreen for escape is highlymon in Defensive Treasure, this blood-like mist hardly seems defensive."


    "There must be more secret in the armor, wristguard, and the cloak they''re wearing. What an interestingd. I wonder how long and what kind of strings he had to pull to create something like this out." another royal family eldermented.


    "Fight back! Fight back! What are all of you doing?" Zhu Tingyi howled like an angered beast as he unleashes a wide-area attack using one of the techniques from Thunder Roaring Pce.


    Continue to charge forward!" his technique breaks the facade of foggy mist apart. But as the foggy mist cracked like porcin upon impact, Zhu Tingyi finally realizes what kind of situation he was in.


    The blood fog was just a diversion.


    They were already surrounded by the Chi-Lan Army the moment they''re trapped inside the bloody fog.


    Cut off from the remains of his three other units, Zhu Tingyi''s defeat is almost inevitable.


    The 2,000 soldiers under Zhu Tingyi are surrounded by 3,600 soldiers led by Lu Qing Yun, Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, and the three experts. As long as Qin Lan changed the g, they''ll be ughtered immediately without room for discussion.


    "Im... Impossible!" Zhu Tingyi couldn''t believe his eyes. Even the Flying Dragon Army under Genius Warfare General couldn''t encircle his troops in such a short time.


    "There must be some trick behind this! Spearmen! Charge forward! Calvary! Follow them after ten breaths!" Zhu Tingyi ordered.


    Upon receiving hismand, the soldiers immediately changed their formation and charged outward as they''re ordered.


    "Captain!" one of Lu Yi''s squadron leaders seems to be excited as he raised the crimson sword in his hand and waiting for Lu Yi to make his decision.


    Knowing that his people no longer can calm themselves down, Lu Yi followed what the few leaders under his leadership were doing. His Bronze Xuan Sword was changed into a simr crimson sword just like theirs.


    "Crimson Vanguards! On me! Forward!" Lu Yi''s horse neighed and leaped fiercely into the battlefield. Close to a hundred soldiers from eight different sections of the encirclement move forward after Lu Yi''s order and engaged in a battle against the iing spearmen.


    "Crush them!" the leading officer from both sides screamed as they prepared to make a preemptive strike against the iing opponent.


    But the victory eventually went to the Crimson Vanguards as the first row of spearmen are killed less than a minute upon engagement. Their head either flew aside or rolled on the ground before they managed to scream.


    And after Lu Yi''s excellent performance, calvaries followed. Expert Shun, Yi, and Xie each took close to three hundred horsemen as they charge forward to intercept Zhu Tingyi''s uing attack.


    "Don''t stay idle there! Search for their encirclement''s weak point and get the remaining soldiers outside to provide assistance! Blow the horn for assistance!" Zhu Tingyi ordered.


    Sweat rolled from his sideburn as Zhu Tingyi started to feel that he fell into his enemy''s trap. A hint of uneasiness continues to bother him as he keeps thinking about how to break out of this situation.


    "Commander... Should we provide help?" one the uphill, a messenger is asking for hismander''s opinion to help or ignore Zhu Tingyi.


    "We''ll leave him to fend himself." themander was wearing a set of armor from head to toe to hide his identity.


    "Impossible! Impossible! What are the soldiers outside is doing?" Zhu Tingyi asked, but what he failed to realize is that his remaining thousand or so soldiers were what''s left on this battlefield.


    Just like his prior announcement, the ninth prince''s army will celebrate their victorious feast earlier than the other two tonight.


    Feeling bored with toying with his opponent, Qin Lan changed his tactic once more.


    "Raised the (ughter) g," he said before adjusting his posture to a morefortable one on the carriage.


    Then moment the g with the word "ughter" was raised, everyone''s expression changed. Particrly the Chi-Lan Soldiers as they seem eager to disy what they have on their sleeves.


    The atmosphere changed out of a sudden.


    It felt like the air surrounding Zhu Tingyi get heavier as they had difficulty breathing naturally.


    "What... What happened here?" Zhu Tingyi immediately felt a hint of uneasiness in his heart. Turning his sight to the Chi-Lan soldiers surrounding him, he immediately caught the reason behind the difort.


    "No... This is not warfare... This is a total massacre..." Zhu Tingyi immediately lost his confidence the moment he came under the gaze of the Chi-Lan Army.


    "Kill them." Lu Qing Yun''s order was simple. But the killing intent behind her word is deadlier when Lu Yi and the three experts led the soldiers.


    "Zhu Tingyi going to die for sure... Get the Bronze Dragon Unit ready to be dispatched for a rescue operation." the hiddenmander said.


    "What should I tell the unit captain?" the messenger asked.


    "Tell him, if Zhu Tingyi is on his way returning, then save him, else, take it as a stroll ande back. There''s no need for us to purposely get killed fighting one of the most elite troops under the ninth prince''smand." themander said.


    The Spiritual Energy around the area went amok when Lu Qing Yun''s killing order was given. Everyone was bursting with excitement as they charged forward and started the one-sided ughter.


    "NO! This is impossible!" Zhu Tingyi''s soldiers were literally getting massacred left and right as the encirclement gets smaller. But as the circle almost gets close to him, Zhu Tingyi chooses to do something disgraceful.


    He abandoned his soldiers and escaped.

 Chapter 190: Spiritual Qi Manifestation

    Chapter 190: Spiritual Qi Manifestation


    "Heh... So what if I abandoned you guys? You should be honored that you can die on behalf of this great Zhu Tianyi. I am the hope of Thunder Roaring Pce." Zhu Tianyi smiled as he convinced himself to escape.


    Using a unique amulet to reach a targeted spot a mile away from his initial position when used, Zhu Tianyi made an escape from the Chi-Lan Army.


    And noticing some soldiers wereing down from the slope, the more he believes that the Thunder Roaring Pce is sending people over to rescue him. As long he''s able to make it back to the group, his return to the camp will be as good as secured.


    But an individual made his appearance in between Zhu Tianyi and the Bronze Dragon Unit.


    Except for the elders, Qin Lan was the one who remained calmest. His point of view doesn''t even go to where Zhu Tianyi is as his escape route has been secured from the moment the Chi-Lan Army surrounded them.


    A single soldier wearing the Chi-Lan Soldier''s attire stands before Zhu Tianyi as he pointed his de at him.


    "Are yourmander a fool? To send a mere Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator to stop me? Did you forget who I am?" Zhu Tianyiughed. Although he''s a coward, that does not mean his cultivation is lower than most people.


    He''s still a cultivator in his fourth-level Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    Feeling confident that he won''t have a problem against this mere soldier from Chi-Lan Army, Zhu Tianyi took his weapon out. Strands of Spiritual Qi were injected into his long sword as he prepared to bring the head home.


    "DIE!" holding the sword with both hands, Zhu Tianyi attacked.


    **Seven Star Thundering Impact!**


    An attack that separated into seven parts came. In a sh, two of the seven stars attack struck the soldier''s crimson sword as he parried it without difficulty.


    But the attack only gets stronger as it gets to the fourth and fifth star. It seems that the soldier was also a fourth-level Bone cultivator for him to receive the attack at ease.


    "Do - Do we have such a strong cultivator in our rank?" Expert Yi, Xie, and Shun asked. They''re wondering which expert Qin Lan recently recruited for him to fight against Zhu Tingyi on equal ground.


    While they''re asking the question, the battle here in the encirclement hade up with a conclusion. As per Qin Lan''s announcement, the ninth prince''s battlefield will be the first toplete the second battle.


    Five thousand soldiers from the Thunder Roaring Pce were ughtered. Added with the two thousand men from the previous battle, that''s seven thousand lives lost in a single day. As for Sun Wu Jian''s side, their losses were just a little more than a thousand.


    (This includes a few hundred captive soldiers caught and sent to the Fire Elemental Bloodstone Mine)


    "Fire the (Sun) and (Qin) res up to the sky." Qin Lan said as he ordered his unit to continue forward.


    *BAM!*


    *BAM!*


    Two res were fired into the air and illuminate the still brightened sky. The Chi-Lan Army had retracted and kept their equipment away after receiving the signal.


    "What a discipline... That amount of trust they have in theirmander is almost to the point of blind faith." the royal elder that protected Sun Wu Jian''s safety said.


    He''s in awe as he looks at how organized the army retreated afterpleting their battle. Not even a single soldier seems to be blinded by greed as they were greeted by a field of corpses that''s open for them to loot.


    "But that''s what you''re worried about too, Am I correct?" the elder on top of the white-feathered crane interrupted.


    "Yes. With this youth shining so bright, I''m worried about Sun Wu Jian''s existence when they''re both standing before the King of Wu."


    "Sun Wu Jian would have to work ten times harder if he wanted to be seen as a shining jewel before his royal father''s eyes." the royal elder said.


    ...


    "Impossible! How can you take all seven hits?" Zhu Tingyi was in shock after his opponent parried all seven of his attack without losing his breathing. On the contrary, he was losing his pace as he forced himself to execute the attack without dys in between.


    Zhu Tingyi continued to struggle.


    All he needs to do is to stay alive for five more minutes before the Bronze Dragon Unit arrives to protect him.


    "Bring it on! Why are you not speaking? Are you mute and deaf?" Zhu Tingyi tried his best to fight against the lonely Chi-Lan soldier blocking his way.


    The soldier remained quiet. Until he saw Qin Lan''s unit approaching them with two gbearers still holding on to their gpole.


    (Open) - (ughter)


    "Hehehe..." the soldier chuckled. It was the first time Zhu Tingyi heard the sound he makes after fighting for so long.


    "You... Why are youughing?" Zhu Tingyi felt that death is lingering around him by hearing the soldier''s voice.


    "Why am Iughing? Of course, that''s because I finally get my order to execute you." the soldier put his crimson sword aside and exchanged it with something entirely different.


    It was a golden sword simr to Qin Lan''s Qiankun Golden Sword.


    "Is that him?" Expert Yi recognized the sword as he encountered this man before at the entrance of the Demon Mountain Fort. His puzzling expression made both Expert Xie and Shun staring at him nkly.


    "Don''t... Don''t kill me!" Zhu Tingyi finally realized why he would felt death the moment the soldier speaks. But he realized it a little toote as he was beheaded before he can continue.


    "We''re still toote..." the officer of the Bronze Dragon Unit sighed as there''s only less than half a mile for his unit to reach where Zhu Tianyi and the Chi-Lan Soldier are fighting.


    "If that''s the case, then let us kill the soldier and bring his head back!" two officers from the Bronze Dragon Unit interrupted.


    "Twenty men, on me! Let''s go there and bring his head back to our camp!" they immediately rallied twenty soldiers to charge forward and attack the Chi-Lan Soldier.


    "Stupid! Did they forget what themander says?" the messenger immediately rummage his waist pocket for the retreat re.


    But he''s still toote.


    "Tried to kill me before I go back? All of you are not worthy." the Chi-Lan soldier chuckled. Spiritual Energy gathered at both of his fists as he prepared himself to let them have a gift to remember.


    "Wait... What the hell? Sixth-level?" the two officers noticed the soldier''s strength a little toote.


    "Spiritual Qi Manifestation!"


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" a golden silhouette appeared behind the soldier and created a crater right on where he stands as he fends against the twenty soldiers with a single attack.


    "Is that..." everyone was curious about the identity of the soldier... Until Qin Lan finally arrived at his side.


    The soldier then removes the set of equipment that blocking the others from recognizing him.


    "It''s really him... No wonder Commander Qin allowed him to act independently as he like." Expert Yi shook his head.


    "Let''s go back, big brother." Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 191: Banquet

    Chapter 191: Banquet


    "Congrattions, ninth prince, for achieving that brilliant victory." a few elders from various sects came to express their intention as they enjoyed the banquet.


    There are a few reasons for them to be here, but the main one was the Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine made by the Qin Family Vineyard. Although there were plenty of delicious wines is avable out there, none of them were as ptable as the one served before them.


    Even the second prince and seventh prince''s adjutants were here to deliver their intention to bring back a few crates of the wine for their prince to savor.


    "Ninth Prince, this adjutant hope that your highness allowed a crate of wine to be delivered over to the second prince''s camp. Please take it as this servant is owing to you a favor." a messenger from Sun Ding Tian came here with his request.


    "Your highness, my liege, the seventh prince, sent me here to exchange some of these treasures for a crate of Rock Lotus Fragrance too. Will your highness be kind enough to fulfill the wish of this servant''s master?" another adjutant said.


    "Both adjutants, please rise. Although my rtionship with both princes wasn''t close to the point we''re counted as life and death brothers, we''re still bound together by the blood of our royal father." Sun Wu Jian moved from his position and helped the two adjutants up from their knees.


    "Sparing a few crates of wine was the least I can do for my two royal brothers. Wang Xun, how many crates of Rock Lotus Wine we have left in our Qiankun Pouch?" Sun Wu Jian asked his trusted captain standing by his side.


    "Your highness, we still have a little over a hundred crates in the pouch." Wang Xun cupped his fist together and lowered his posture while replying to Sun Wu Jian.


    "A little over a hundred? Then bring the few crates out and splits them evenly into two Qiankun Pouches." Sun Wu Jian said.


    Wang Xun immediately does what Sun Wu Jian asked and extends his hand out with the two Qiankun Pouches.


    "Adjutants... These are just fifty crates that I manage to give out for now. I hope both of you won''t mind about the small number of wine I had in hand." Sun Wu Jian took the Qiankun Pouch from Wang Xun and stuffed it into the adjutant''s hand in person.


    His action seems regretful as he sounded like ming himself for unable to stock a little more in his inventory.


    But to the two adjutants, how could theyin? From the initial one crate to fifty, it was more than what they''re asking for! Not only Sun Wu Jian''s action turned into doing them a favor, it indirectly influenced their mindset at the same time.


    It might be impossible for him to influence the men under the prince, but different story altogether when ites to the officers and experts. Those with some strength always know what they want and will always be looking for a more serve-worthy master.


    "Thank you, your highness ninth prince." the two adjutants cupped their fists together and bowed towards Sun Wu Jian respectfully.


    "Alright. Both of you should hurry. I can''t wait to let both royal brothers enjoy this wine too." Sun Wu Jian patted their shoulder and created a reason for them to excuse themselves.


    "See you then, your highness!" the two left.


    ...


    "Your highness... Should I bring out some more from the Purple Dragon Spatial Jade?" Wang Xun asked. Evidently, from Wang Xun''s words, there are more inside the said spatial jade.


    "Just take fifty crates out this time. The guest that came next is likely the elders from other factions." Sun Wu Jian nodded. The smile on his face changed into a serious one as he waits for another guest to make his appearance.


    "This is the elder of Thousand des Manor. Could I have the honor to speak a few words with the ninth prince?" the following guest arrived minutester as he asked for permission to speak with Sun Wu Jian.


    "This must be elder Impertinence, one of the three Disciplinary Elders from the Thousand des Manor. Pleasee in." Sun Wu Jian replied. Based on his estimation, he won''t even have time to eat due to what happened today.


    As for the banquet where soldiers, officers, and the others were gathered, everyone was celebrating their first-day victory. Dancers were brought from the Demon Mountain Fort to lighten the atmosphere, with wine and food kept flowing in.


    But the lead for the show today, Qin Lan, was busier than the others as he was approached by a few guestsing over from the second and seventh prince''s camp. Even some elders are fighting for the chance to have a word with Qin Lan.


    "Fellow alchemists, I believe that there will be chances for us to discuss the alchemy very soon. Please do not hesitate to visit the Pill Hall in Demon Mountain Fort in the future as we exchange our knowledge concerning alchemy," said Qin Lan.


    "Regarding the Chi-Lan Army''s equipment? Please forgive this lowly for unable to answer this question right now. In the future, I''ll make sure that we''ll share this piece of knowledge with everyone interested." he turned around and replied to the question from another expert.


    "Qing Yun! Lu Yi! We''re out of wine here! Bring a few more to serve our esteemed guests!" Qin Lan raised his voice as he called for his subordinate.


    All and all, it was a busy night for each one of them, be it the soldiers, the officers, and people from the Qin Faction. It only took a single battle and one night for the Qin Faction to rise in fame within the ninth prince''s faction.


    With the party finally ended at midnight, a few low-profile guests finally extends their invitation to Qin Lan for a meeting. He was greeted by a peak-level Bone Reconstruction Yao Beast that forcefully kidnapped him to a nearby mountain.


    *Shua!*


    The white-feathered crane dropped Qin Lan down on a t surface scattered around the mountain, where two elders are seated side by side waiting for him toe to his sense.

 Chapter 192: Wine

    Chapter 192: Wine


    "Elders," Qin Lan cupped his fist together as he greeted the two elders seated by the marble stone table. On top of the table is two jars of Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine that made others crazy for them. There are also two cups made from a single block of white jade, which is considered the best match when drinking the Rock Lotus Fragrance.


    "Young and humble... Such a proper candidate can be said as a rarity nowadays. How long have you been with the Cloud Plucking Sect?" the elder in white asked. There''s no difficulty for Qin Lan to recognized the rtionship between this elder and the white-feathered crane based on how they looked.


    Even before his reincarnation, people have been dressing and taming the beast ording to their own unique taste. It was almost impossible to put the other elder in red with the crane together as a pair.


    "Answering the elder''s question, this is the starting of the second year for Qin Lan," he answered.


    "Just roughly a year, and yet, you''re able to create the Essence Transformation Pill and Jewel Lotus Fruit that everyone had forgotten. The Spiritual umting Pills and Martial Foundation Pellet likelye from your hand as well. Did I get them correctly?" he continued.


    "Yes," Qin Lan nodded.


    "And now... the Blood Genesis Pill, Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine, and the Chi-Lan Army..."


    "What else are you going to bring out next? Perhaps the intention of establishing what your sect master asked you to do?" the elder in white suddenly changed his tone at the end of his sentence.


    "My sect master? This junior is clueless about what the elder is trying to say. Please borate to let this junior solve the misunderstanding between us. But no matter what, this junior would like to say that everything I''ve done so far has no intention to harm the ninth prince, the Yunshan Province, nor the Country of Wu." Qin Lan said.


    "Then, who is the Pharmacist Lu, and also the Kuangshan Lu Sect? All the martial art possessed by the younger generation of your Qin Faction... Do they alle from this sect I mentioned?" the white-robed elder asked.


    "Pharmacist Lu is a teacher of this junior. There''s no such thing as Kuangshan Lu Sect exist, except its figure within our heart." Qin Lan replied without a change in his heartbeat. His heart remained calm like the water in ake without a ripple.


    The white-robed elder stopped questioning Qin Lan. His gaze turned to the royal family elder for his suggestion, only to get a simple nod as a hint of approval towards Qin Lan''s answer.


    "Then, do you know why the two of us invited you here?" the royal family elder asked. As he speaks, a Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacock came into view as it brought Sun Wu Jian to where the three of them were conversing.


    "Royal uncle..." Sun Wu Jian was shocked to be brought here.


    "Continue. Do you know why the two of us invited you here?" the royal family elder repeated his question.


    "It''s likely because of the Chi-Lan Army today. Both elders seem to be interested in my option, whether I''ll remain by the side of Brother Sun or betraying him after my own force is powerful enough. Am I correct?" Qin Lan answered.


    Listening to Qin Lan''s words made Sun Wu Jian somewhat interested to know how Qin Lan will answer the elders. Although Sun Wu Jian''s trust over Qin Lan is stronger than the bond between him and his blood brothers, he''s still curious about Qin Lan''s opinion towards him.


    ''Do brother Qin treats me just like how I treated him?'' Sun Wu Jian asked himself.


    The atmosphere around this peak was quiet as they waited for Qin Lan''s reply.


    "No matter how the world changed, humanity''s concern shouldn''t be between dynasties, but future. This world might be spacious for us, but there are more out there, far exceed what our eyes can see."


    "What I am looking for is not power, but enlightenment. My path and brother Sun interlinked with one another, but our destination is different. He''s destined to be a king, but I am destined to be an emperor."


    "A Supreme Emperor."


    Qin Lan replied. Half of what he said does not make sense to Sun Wu Jian. But to the two elders, it gave them an entirely different opinion towards Qin Lan''s aim.


    "Did the person name pharmacist Lu tell you about this?" the royal family elder asked. It seems that hisst sentence was the key that made the two elders came up with such a reaction.


    "Both. One part came from self-enlightenment, and the other came from legacy. Do both elders still interested to get the question answered?" Qin Lan asked.


    "You don''t need to. There is no reason for you to do what we''re worried about." the royal elder said. His gaze went to the white-robed elder, who is also agreeing to his reply.


    "Since we''ve rified this matter, I believe that both elders should be thirsty by now." Qin Lan stands straight as he finished his sentence.


    It seems that the elders were too absorbed with Qin Lan''s answer to not notice that the two jars of wine before them were emptied.


    "This is the most precious possession that I have with me for now. I believe that only people with the status of two elders are qualified to take a cup without losing their self-control." Qin Lan walked to the marble table and put away the two empty wine jars.


    His Formation Qi was then used to cleanse the two white jade cups from their impurities through a baptism of his Yang me. And by the time the preparation step was done, Qin Lan withdraws a bottle, or much more urately to called a crystal jar, out from his spatial jade.


    The moment the cork was twisted open, the aroma that was thick to the point it condensed into a dew form started to escape. But with Qin Lan here, the attempt failed.


    The Formation Qi acted like a decanter as it gently pulled the dew from the crystal jar down onto the cup. It was just two mere drops, but each of them worth more than a thousand bottles of Changshen Dew itself.


    "Elders, I hope you like what I presented to you." Qin Lan smiled as he excused himself while pulling Sun Wu Jian with him as he left. As for the two elders, their attention is still on that jade cup lingering with Qin Lan''s bluish Foundation Qi.


    "Brother Yang, is this what I think it is?" the royal elder asked.


    "Yes... I think this is... The Precelestial Blood Essence Wine." the white-robed elder''s hand trembled as his hand gets closer to the jade cup.

 Chapter 193: Battle Royale (1)

    Chapter 193: Battle Royale (1)


    "How can a brat this young possess the Precelestial Blood Essence Wine? Furthermore, from how he behaves, it''s like he''s used to drinking them like tonic every single day..." the royal family elder said.


    "Drinking them like tonic? Do you think he can take the nourishment with his level of cultivation? Perhaps even taking a sniff of the wine will make all his blood vessel explodes. Don''t forget that only those above the Middle-Attainment Rank of Bone Reconstruction Layer can withstand the medicinal strength of the wine." the white-robed elder, Yang Wen, responded.


    "Also, have you seen the jar he used to hold the Precelestial Blood Essence Wine? From what I know, such a wine jar only appeared twice, once in the hand of a half-step Spiritual Root Layer expert. As for the second wine jar, it belonged to the sect master of the Thunder Roaring Pce." Elder Yang Wen continued.


    "Then... The Thunder Roaring Pce''s sect master can''t be giving his Holy Bloodstone sk. This means... There''s only one possibility..." they stared at each other with a wild guess.


    "Don''t tell me... That he is Pharmacist Lu?" the royal family elder said.


    "Maybe. The Holy Bloodstone sk''s existence also has to be considered. For the Fire Elemental Bloodstone Mine to produce such an ore, it has to be left alone to nurture the bloodstones until they changed in quality."


    "At least from what I know, the condition required to develop the piece of crystal ore to be made into a Holy Bloodstone sk is not simple." elder Yang Wen said.


    "Anyway... Let''s get back to our main concern. Are we going to drink this, or are we going to bring them back?" the royal family elder asked. Their attention returned to the cup of blood-colored dew on top of the table.


    Because it was protected by Qin Lan''s Foundation Qi, the Precelestial Blood Essence Wine should preserve the medicinal potency for the next half a month. But after that, they''ll be forced to drink it.


    "I''m sure that if we bring this back, it will be a lifesaving treasure for our next half a month. But are you thinking what I''m thinking?" Elder Yang Wen said.


    "Yang Wen... Yang Wen... You''re still the same as before. If you want to do that, then go ahead. I can''t wait to see how the others will react when they noticed the increase in your strength." the royal family elder said. With a wave of his hand, he kept the jade cup inside this custom-made Spatial Jade.


    "Then, I''ll be bothering you, brother Sun. I''ll make sure to repay you for today''s help." Elder Yang Wen lifted the cup with two of his finger and sipped the wine into his mouth.


    It was a harmonious blend between the taste, potency, and fragrance. But the most crucial point about the Precelestial Blood Essence Wine is how it was matured. The reason it was called Blood Essence Wine wasn''t due to the ingredients but the maturing process inside the precious Holy Bloodstone sk.


    The sk was the lifeline of how the wine was produced. Without this Holy Bloodstone sk, the Precelestial Blood Essence Wine couldn''t bepleted.


    "Brother Sun, I''ll start now." Elder Yang Wen sat at a corner and started to bring the Spiritual Qi within his body out. There were hints of bluish azure-streak within this golden Spiritual Qi, which shows that Elder Yang Wen has been putting in effort for quite some time.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Brother Qin... What''s inside the crystal sk? This is my first time looking at such bizarre things. What kind of trinkets are you still hiding inside that small spatial jade of yours?" Sun Wu Jian asked. The two of them were still running along the ledge as they descend from the mountain peak.


    "That''s not something both of us should be concern about. Keep cultivating, and I''ll give you a cup of it when you reached the Middle-Attainment Rank in Bone Reconstruction Layer." Qin Lan said.


    "Still... I''m curious about what you mentioned to the two elders. What is the thing about Supreme Emperor? Is it a title?" Sun Wu Jian kept asking as the two went on their way.


    "That''s also something you shouldn''t be concerned about. Just pay attention to your trial for session. The information you''re curious about will be open to you when it''s time for you to know. In the meantime, just learn about how to be a ruler, an expert, and a father to a nation." Qin Lan gave Sun Wu Jian a fistbump on his chest.


    "Brother Qin... Thank you for what you''ve done so far. I''m d it was me that approached you that day outside of the Dwelling. If it was not because of that day, who knows where I am today..." Sun Wu Jian smiled as he said those words in his mind.


    "It all in our karma. I''m sure that fate put us together for a reason," said Qin Lan.


    **Dang! Dang! Dang!**


    **Dang! Dang! Dang!**


    **Dang! Dang! Dang!**


    The battle for the second day finally started as it was apanied by the sound of the war drum.


    Two thousand soldiers made their way into their respective battlefield as they were apanied by their leading captain. Although their numbers are less than yesterday''s second battle, it was swarmed with experts.


    The weakest in this battle are those still in the eighth level of Flesh Refining Layer, but their strength cannot be underestimated.


    And the reason behind this is because all the participants for this battle today were chosen elites. There were no discipline, formation, and tactic required in today''s battlefield as this was a free for all battle royale.


    All they need is to bring back the proof of three kills, be it the head of their opponent, the heart to be allowed to return to the camp.


    Even those with a grudge against a fellow member on their own side may solve them out during this battle, as there will be no consequences applied to them.


    "You Qing."


    "Qiang Shou."


    "Han Xue, and Yi Feng. The four of you should be careful. After your performance yesterday, I''m sure you''ll be the prioritized targets out there. Keep as many people from our Qin Faction alive, and make me proud." said Qin Lan.


    "Now go." Qin Lan nodded at them.


    "Yes, master!"

 Chapter 194: Battle Royale (2)

    Chapter 194: Battle Royale (2)


    "We''ll be going, your highness," said a group of cultivators as they cupped their fists together towards Sun Ding Tian. The second prince''s expression remained unbothered as he nods at them before reaching his hand out for something.


    "Wine," he said.


    The female servant that stands beside him immediately passes a bottle of warmed Rock Lotus Fragrance on the prince''s hand.


    "Have you done all the arrangements for today''s battle?" Sun Ding Tian asked. His action was somewhat inappropriate to a royal prince right now based on how he was totally absorbed into the wine and women.


    "Yes, your highness. As per your order, we have prepared two batches of experts for today''s battle. The victory for today''s engagement will be ours for sure." the messenger replied. There was a hint of disappointment stered on his face, likely due to Sun Ding Tian''s manner towards this.


    "Good. Leave me alone. Let me enjoy my drink."


    "You''ll be handling the rest on my behalf." Sun Ding Tian said as he chugged the Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine like no tomorrow. In a sh, he emptied the bottle of wine and put his hand out once more.


    "Wine!" he shouted.


    ...


    "Can we really rely on a prince like that? How can our elder''s eyes be so blind to pledge their loyalty to him?" one of the cultivators from the group of experts said after leaving Sun Ding Tian''s tent.


    "Silence. Without knowing the story behind our elder''s decision, you''re not to run your foul mouth right in front of so many junior and senior disciples. Do you think you''re the only one with eyes to see and a brain to separate right from wrong?" another cultivator, likely the senior of this expert, harshly reprimand him.


    "I - I..." the expert held his fist tightly to the point it was trembling. He eventually followed the other cultivator''s order obediently.


    "Haih... If there is anything in your mind, just me them on your useless elder. It was our mistake to invest wrongly in this spoilt prince." Elder Impertinence from the Thousand des Manor sigh as he looks at the disciples from his force.


    The same situation was going on at the seventh prince''s camp too. But the only difference here is instead of randomly picking a few factions to participate in the battle, they''re fighting for the slot.


    "Who told you that the Medicinal Sword Tower got the quota to fight in this battle? The right has been given to our Frozen Tomb Sect even before the allotment started!" they''re fighting amongst themselves.


    "Your highness, are you doing this on purpose?" Sun Chen Long''s adjutant asked. Yesterday, after he brought the fifty crates of Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine back, a jar of wine was distributed to each of the factions that pledges loyalty to the seventh prince.


    Not a single drop of wine went into Sun Chen Long''s mouth as he was busy scheming behind the scene for today.


    "Purpose or not, does it matter? What we need the most now are spirit and morale. You have to remember that our opponent is Yang Yuan. He''s well known around the Kuanglei Province for his ability to lead soldiers to victory through all kinds of uncivil ways." Sun Chen Long said.


    "But yesterday, we''ve won against Yang Yuan twice. Forgive this subordinate for being honest, but I see nothing extraordinary about this individual called Yang Yuan," he said.


    The adjutant openlyments about Sun Chen Long''s caution towards Yang Yuan. This shows how close is the bond between them for him to speak with Sun Chen Long this way.


    "What if I say... Yang Yuan''s defeat was on purpose?" Sun Chen Long suddenly smiled as he took a sip of the water. cing the cup back on the table, he gave the adjutant''s arm a tug as he hinted him to follow.


    "Yang Yuan is just like me, a schemer. There''s a motive behind his action, and I believe it''s all for today. If not, how do you exin the sudden suggestion for a battle royale through our elders?" Sun Chen Long said.


    The two of them stand by the cliff overseeing the entire battlefield between him and Yang Yuan.


    "In this battle, all kind of tricks, tactics, and abilities is useless. This battle is a scheme, a fight to see who ended up choosing the shorter stick." Sun Chen Long said.


    "Is this why... Your highness made the fodders in our army fought for the chance to go out there?" the adjutant whispered instead of speaking out loudly. He knew that if his word was heard by the passerby and the elders above them, it might end up differently.


    "What fodder you''re talking about? There are no fodders in my seventh prince''s army. If they want to live, then they''ll have to fight with all they have. All I am doing was telling them where the Life-door is located." Sun Chen Long smiled as his gazended intensely across the battlefield.


    Just like him, Yang Yuan is staring back at Sun Chen Long as the two entered a battle of wits through their eyes.


    "Adjutant." Sun Chen Long called.


    "Yes, your highness." the adjutant kneeled on a knee as he ready to listen to Sun Chen Long''s order.


    "Pass my order to the loyal soldiers under the seventh prince''s banner. Move forward and y the invaders from the Country of Wei. For every expert that returned with three kills, I will reward them with a bottle of Blood Genesis Pill, Seventh Manor''s Token, and ten Precelestial Essence drops!" Sun Chen Long said.


    "His highness has given his order! Raise the gs!" the adjutant raised his hand up. Following his hand gesture are over a hundred gpoles rising up by the gbearers waiting behind them.


    "Move forward!" the adjutant said as he swings his hand towards the battlefield.


    And just like this, the curtain to the second-day battle started...


    Half an hourter, Sun Ding Tian and Sun Chen Long were made speechless... As their army of two thousand experts was murdered instantly without killing a single opponent.

 Chapter 195: Battle Royale (3)

    Chapter 195: Battle Royale (3)


    "Hmm?" Qin Lan felt a hint of disturbance in the air as he looks across the battlefield. Slowly but sure, he started to understand why the battle between them turned into a battle royale.


    "It turned out that yesterday''s battle was just a warm-up session for the Thunder Roaring Pce to boost their spirit. Today is where all the elites areing out," Qin Lan said.


    "Qing Yun, prepare a horse for me. I''ll go into the battlefield when the situation is getting worst," he ordered. Panicked as she heard his order, Lu Qing Yun immediately prepared more than just a horse. Even Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie were on standby after getting called over by Lu Qing Yun.


    "What''s wrong, Qing Yun?" Lu Yi asked as he looked at Lu Qing Yun''s flustered face. From the way she looks, it seems that something problematic is bound to happen in the middle of the fight.


    "No idea... Our young master suddenly asked me to prepare a horse for him before the battle even started. If it''s not about something is happening soon, do you think he''ll give out an order like this?" Lu Qing Yun said.


    It was almost a hunch that developed for serving by Qin Lan''s side for so long.


    "True... Based on our young master''s attitude... Unless it''s something concerning the big picture, he will not recklessly take action." Huo Zunje added.


    "Really? Why didn''t I notice about that before?" Lu Yi said.


    "Of course, that''s because you''re an idiot! Has he ever ask you to do something that needs a lot of thought before recklessly charge forward?" Huo Zunjie used the tip of his Silver Ling Sword to knock Lu Yi''s head.


    "Ouch!"


    "Hey, are you trying to pick a fight right now? Since our young master is not getting ready to leave yet, I don''t mind sparring with you until he''s here." Lu Yi took his slightly bulkier Bronze Xuan Sword and walked closer to Huo Zunjie.


    "The two of you..." Lu Qing Yun squinted her eyes as she looks at the two.


    "Do you want me to tied both of you on the horse until our young master is here?" she said.


    "NO, MAAM!" the two quickly went back to their horses and standing straight like a soldier on their duty.


    Lu Qing Yun sighed. After making sure that the two no longer trying to cause trouble while waiting for Qin Lan toe, she returned to his side and wait for his following order.


    "Zunjie, let''s cultivate harder until we surpass Qing Yun''s cultivation. By that time, I''ll see how she''s going to tie me up on the tree or the horse whenever I cause trouble." Lu Yi jokes. But joking aside, Lu Qing Yun''s cultivation is the strongest between the three is a fact everyone knew.


    Right now, the two of them were barely qualified to call themself a proper first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer expert. But in Lu Qing Yun''s case, she''s already standing at the peak stage of first-level, with a hint of touching the second-level.


    Or course, part of the reason her cultivation is much higher than the other two was due to her body''s constitution. Her Lotus Fragrance Body is simr to a hundred thousand years Colored Lotus. The more she cultivates, the better she''ll be without meeting with obstacles in betweenyers and levels.


    While in terms of effort, what Lu Yi gave out to strengthen himself is nowhere lesser than the other two. If it was to bepared, he even uses more resources than Lu Qing Yun and Huo Zunjie to cultivate himself to his level today.


    The reason for him to do so was that Lu Yi is the most ungifted talent between the three of them. Even if taking You Qing, Qiang Shou, Han Xue, and Yi Feng intoparison, his talent is still significantly lower than all of them.


    All and all, Lu Yi was apletemoner without a hint of talent in cultivation. And he knew it.


    "Brother... We knew that even if you''re a Peak-Level Bone expert, you''ll be still going to get tied by her on the tree and getting whipped on your butt. Did you ever think about why our young master teaches her the whipping and subduing technique?" Huo Zunjie shook his head and sigh.


    "Weren''t it to hunt the Yao Beast?" Lu Yi answered. She just prefers using it on us to practice because whipping Yao Beast is dangerous." Lu Yi answered.


    ''Brother... It''s to disciple both of us. And the four that in the battlefield right now... Do you think Qing Yun will have trouble with Yao Beast like us?'' Huo Zunjie''s hand itches to knock Lu Yi again.


    "Anyway, don''t you think the battlefield today is a little too quiet?" Lu Yi noticed something abnormal as he couldn''t listen to the excitement and roar from the battlefield. Even the other two battlefields were totally quiet.


    "That... True..." Huo Zunjie turned his head up to the cliff where everyone was spectating the battle and noticed that most of them had a disturbing expression stered on their face.


    ''What happened?'' Huo Zunjie asked himself.


    ...


    ...


    "Move in and ughter thoseing from the Kuanglei Province! We''ll destroy them in a single push and return for our rewards!" the disciples from the Thousand des Manor were in high spirit as they charged into the enemy''s rank.


    Spiritual Energy was at an all-time high, and all of them are in the mood to start killing their opponents. They''re so confident that taking out a few opponents at the start of the battle is just a matter of time.


    But regret came just as quick as a roaring thunder.


    Close to ten disciple''s head from the Thousand Sword Manor was ''Harvested'' as a polearm came at them. Those with slightly higher cultivation managed to block the attack, but they still coughed a mouthful of blood from getting thrown back by the impact.


    When they finally calmed themselves down to see what actually happened, the ground was already littered with corpses wearing their own Thousand Sword Manor''s uniform.


    "No... No... No!!!" that''s the final word of the few disciples before they joined their fellow disciples. As one of the heads collected and piled on top of a cart.

 Chapter 196: Battle Royale (4)

    Chapter 196: Battle Royale (4)


    "Your highness... Not good." Sun Ding Tian''s adjutant came into the tent in a hurry without asking for his permission to enter. Looking at what was happening inside this tent filled with the vor of lust, he had a sudden urge to throw his uniform down and leave.


    "What happened?" Sun Ding Tian pulled his tool out from the woman as she fell on the ground lifelessly. Judging from her reaction, she''s either exhausted, drugged, or dead.


    ''This useless prince...'' the adjutant wished he could speak what was in his mind right now.


    "Our two thousand experts... Are all dead..." the adjutant said as he lowered his head until his eyes were staring at the ground.


    **Shoosh!**


    An empty wine jar struck the adjutant''s head and shattered on the spot. The impact wasn''t good enough to cause a Bone Layer expert like the adjutant to bleed, but it at least made him look like a mess due to the alcohol smeared on his face and uniform.


    "What happened?" Sun Ding Tian asked the same question for his second time. Listening to the first reply just now already made him lost all his urge to continue to ''prate'' the woman that rested lifelessly on the floor.


    "We''re tricked by our opponent. They''ve sent out the elites from the Country of Wei itself to fight the battle. All our experts are dead. Should we send out the next group of people?" the adjutant asked.


    With two thousand people died right now and a little over three thousand people yesterday, he was left with less than five thousand soldiers in hand. Sending another two thousand is equals to meaninglessly sacrificing his men on the second day of the battle.


    Even Sun Ding Tian knew how to weigh the seriousness of the current situation.


    "Pull back, and defend our camp in case Xu Hu wanted to bring the battle to his disadvantage." he gave out the order as soon as he sobered up.


    ...


    The same situation happened at the seventh prince''s battlefield.


    Close to five hundred experts were beheaded when the battle started. It was surprising to all the other soldiers, but not from Sun Chen Long''s expression. He looks like it''s happened ording to what he had expected.


    "Your highness..." his adjutant wanted to say something, but Sun Chen Long raised his hand to stop the adjutant from continue.


    "It''s a regretful loss, but a battle is a battle... It will be impossible for them to even kill three targets on their own ande back." Sun Chen Long said like he already knows what the adjutant wanted to say.


    "Call everyone to be on alert and defend the camp when necessary. There''s no more grace or rest period for those participating in yesterday''s battle." Sun Chen Long added.


    "Yes, your highness. I''ll ry your order right now." the adjutant left in a hurry. Even the gbearers standing behind Sun Chen Long started to slowly lose their spirit as they witness the massacre happening below the cliff.


    ''You''ve prepared... Yang Yuan, you scheming rat...'' Sun Chen Long wanted to vent the anger inside him but find it inconvenient to do so right now.


    He''s so pissed as he thought he was at least ready for it.


    In the end, he''s still unable to change a thing or make a difference. All he could do is looking down from his cliff while witnessing how his two thousand experts ughtered without scoring a single kill.


    ...


    "Careful... They looked like a troublesome bunch." the four subordinates of Qin Lan were lucky to avoid their killing blow at the start of the battle. But the bit luck wasn''t enough for them if they''re looking to turn the result around.


    And while You Qing and the others were lucky, more of the other experts were not.


    About a third of the two thousand experts who participates in this battle royale were killed from their first engagement. The identity of the participants from the Kuanglei Province also ended up exposed after their first attack.


    "That''s the Blood Lion General''s Beheading Army. To think that one of the Country of Wei''s top three generals actually willing to spare some of his soldiers to help the Thunder Roaring Pce." Sun Wu Jian tightened his fist as he witnesses the battle on top of the cliff.


    Losing close to 700 experts was a heavy blow to Sun Wu Jian. Furthermore, over half of the soldier he had in hand was ''borrowed'' from the mayor of Fuyun City and the Cloud Plucking Sect. Be it victorious or not, he''s expected to pay a hefty amount ofpensation after this battle.


    Furthermore, losing so many experts right now would be detrimental to his following n after achieving a victory here in the Yunshan Province. There''s still the aftermath of a battle to follow as their initial n was to control at least a city in Kuanglei Province.


    "They''reing! Disperse and fight in a team!" You Qing ordered. Bringing his team along with him as he took a detour to escape from their chase, he asionally retaliates whenever the opponents were trying to push their luck.


    "Heavenly Flicking Fingers!" You Qing spreads his arm open as he fired ten or so projectiles over at his opponents. But it was a disappointing move as not a single one of the opponents was killed. In return, more of his men were caught by the Beheading Army and had their heads forcefully separated from their bodies.


    Not only You Qing had it hard. Yi Feng, Qiang Shou, and Han Xue all had their problem. Although their opponents were apromise of half-step Bone Reconstruction experts like them, the two sides were iparable.


    In front of the Beheading Army''s individual, Sun Wun Jian and Qin Lan''s men were nothing but a pile of flowers groomed inside a greenhouse. They were considered fragile and delicate.


    Some of them evenughed as they assume that sending two thousand world-devouring vines like them to trample the delicate flowers was too overkill.


    It was until a horn was blown.


    "Wooo..."


    A lonely cultivator wearing the attire of a Chi-Lan soldier entered the battlefield on his own. The crimson cape fluttered as he rode the horse forward to the nearest group of Beheading Army.


    "One man against us? Test his strength!" one of the senior soldiers of the Beheading Army said as he pointed at the iing expert on the horse.

 Chapter 197: Battle Royale (5)

    Chapter 197: Battle Royale (5)


    **Whoosh!**


    The iconic red sword that each Chi-Lan Soldier has in their inventory came into the soldier''s grasp as he approached the ten or so members from the Beheading Army. The weapon looks incredibly stunning as it was held firmly in his right hand.


    "KILL!" half of the Beheading Army members went in with their favorite weapon.


    **Xing!**


    The Chi-Lan soldier merely swung his de once. And in response, five heads fell to the ground without a word nor sound about the regret. Smiles and excitement were still lingering on their faces as the head fell.


    "What?" the team leader for this group of Beheading Army was shocked. He was surprised to see five of his group members fell without writhing in pain nor agony.


    "Everyone! Charge at him and bring him down!" the team leader was shocked for a moment, but that''s it. Unlike the others in his team, he''s someone with years of experience before promoted as a team leader to 25 men.


    Their Spiritual Energy was pushed to the limit as they came fiercely at the Chi-Lan soldier. But using only one sword in hand, he retaliates as fierce as them. Each of his sword strokes could deflect three to four strikes, and each of his martial steps could bring him out of the situation before it was toote.


    "He''s moving like an eel on the mud. Spread out and restrict his movement!" a senior member from the Beheading Army ordered as he pped the shoulder of a few members beside him. And soon, their formation changed and surrounding the soldier in a circle.


    The spear users thrust their weapon forward. But in a swift movement, the Chi-Lan soldier made a jump and standing on their speartip. His body lightening skill evidently reaches the proficiency of minor mastery to be doing such a feat in the middle of a battle.


    "That... Crimson Mist Forwarding Steps?" a few soldiers that were bestowed with Chi-Lan Army''s equipment were in awe as they watch the battle. Only Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie had a slightly different expression on their face as they tightened their fist.


    "Our young master is too reckless... I know he''s strong, but how can he go out there on his own without us?" Lu Qing Yun said. Amongst the three of them, she was the one worry about Qin Lan the most.


    "Just listen to our young master''s order and make sure to watch his battle." Huo Zunjie added. Although the three of them already mastered the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique to the extent of greater mastery, they''re still far fromparison to Qin Lan''s level of proficiency.


    Added with this Crimson Mist Forwarding Steps, they''ll be no different from a lion with a pair of wings when they finally master this movement as well.


    "This is amazing... To think that the Crimson Mist Forwarding Steps can be used to control so many opponents at a time!" the soldiers were getting more and more excited as the battle continued.


    Of course, none of them noticed that the Chi-Lan soldier on the battlefield was Qin Lan himself.


    "I don''t believe that the fifteen of us couldn''t handle a single soldier like you!" the team leader of the Beheading Army roared and went in fiercely. He''s nning to keep Qin Lan upied and creating an opportunity for the others to attack him whenever a chance is presented to them.


    **Ding!**


    Qin Lan blocked the polearm twice the weight of his sword. But the impact itself forced him back close to three steps.


    "DIE!" a few Beheading Army members shout as they were waiting for this opportunity. Their des were just inches away from Qin Lan''s neck.


    But what they''re expecting did not happen.


    Standing still at where he was forced tond, Qin Lan''s head was still attached to his neck as three des were sticking around the neckpiece of the Crimson Mist armor.


    A hint of Spiritual Energy then flows into the top Defensive Treasure. Like a sea-urchin, a ball of needle explodes right where Qin Lan stands and throws the three Beheading Army members aside. They''re bleeding from their seven orifices due to the explosive impact.


    "I''ve heard about this when the armor is issued to us... The top, bottom, wristguard, and helmet of our Chi-Lan Army are all Huang-Grade (Full) Defensive Treasure..." one of the soldiers said. His hand was trembling in excitement from merely watching Qin Lan''s battle.


    "Aargh!" the three Beheading Army members were writhing on the ground due to the pain. As it happened too quickly before they managed to put on their Spiritual Energy as a shield, the detonation from the Crimson Mist Armor almost destroyed all their sense.


    Feeling kind enough on his part, Qin Lan swiftly swings his sword around to do them a favor. His de was soon pointed straight at where the team leader stands.


    "Go! Don''t stand there!" the team leader panicked. Using his polearm as the tool to push his men forward, he has unconsciously taken a step back from where he stands.


    "KILL..." half of the remaining members of his team move forward. But with a hint of inexplicable fear haunting their mind, all the might they can muster out was just roughly 80% of their best. And in return for their half-hearted resolution, a red light shes through.


    Six heads rolled on the ground as their body fell on knees first.


    With only six more members in the team leader''smand, no one is willing to listen to his order any more. They turned around and chosen the option to escape. With so many kills on their ount, their camp wouldn''t me them even if they ditched the battlefield due to cowardice.


    It''s not like they did not contribute at all.


    "Load the bows." themander that reced Zhu Tingyi''s position ordered as he calmly took the cup of wine on the table. Pushing the mouthpiece up for him to savor the alcohol, a fair and smooth skinparable to a woman''s chin is revealed.


    "If there are any of the soldiers returned to the camp before the battle ended... Kill them," said themander.

 Chapter 198: Battle Royale (6)

    Chapter 198: Battle Royale (6)


    "No!" the soldier screamed as Qin Lan beheaded him. Now, there''s only the team leader is left.


    "Is there anywhere for you to go?" Qin Lan chuckled as he saw the siege crossbows on top of the cliff are armed and ready to fire. Based on his understanding, this team leader is likely to have nowhere to go.


    "I''ll bring you with me even if I''m going to die!" the team leader took a set of three pills as he pushed his Spiritual Energy to his limit.


    "You''re wee to try." Qin Lan ced his left wrist behind him and faced the team leader with the iconic red sword in front of him. And as they''re getting ready to battle, the remnants of You Qing, Han Xue, Qiang Shou, and Yi Feng''s men came and gathered behind Qin Lan.


    "Young..." Yi Feng called Qin Lan by his title, but he was stopped by Han Xue before he finishes.


    "Go back. The battle today is not in our favor. It is our defeat for sure." Qin Lan said.


    "We understood." You Qing cupped his fist together and nodded. Turning their direction and pulling back carefully, the five hundred or so experts that remained gradually move as they made their way back to the camp.


    "Primordial Lightning Strike!" with both hands holding the polearm, the team leader attacked. His attack was like a cleaving de chopping down on where Qin Lan stands.


    "Heh... Not bad." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Chi-Lan Sword! Cut my enemy into two halves!" Qin Lan shouted as more Spiritual Energy entered the weapon. The sharpness of the de was enhanced to the point it could cut the cleaving de apart.


    "Impossible!" the team leader shouted in disbelief. Landing on the ground where he''s formerly at, the team leader lunge forward and exchanges a few strikes with Qin Lan. The two were evenly matched as over a hundred blows were exchanged in less than ten minutes.


    "Again!" the team leader pulled his arm back. With a little more space to fully swing his polearm, he once again tried to strike Qin Lan with the same momentum as before.


    "Your attack was strong, but your level is not there yet." Qin Lan said. As he finished with his words, the wrist guard on his left arm shed. The Spiritual Energy created a tower shield in an instant as it blocked his attack without trouble.


    Following the defensive move was a stab from the Crimson Mist Sword. It was narrowly defended by the team leader by using the body of his polearm.


    "You should pay more attention. Don''t we all have two wristguards?" Qin Lan chuckled. A sword silhouette appeared the moment his right wristguard shed in a crimson light.


    "What?" the team leader was shocked by the sudden appearance of another energy de in Qin Lan''s right hand. It instantly pierced through his body as he coughed out a mouthful of blood from the attack.


    "Im - Impossible..." the team leader struggled as his blood oozing out from his wound. He still finds it unbelievable that he would be defeated by an opponent that still yet to reach the half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    But suddenly, he had a change of mind.


    "I wonder what you can do if both of your hand was restricted?" the team leader suddenly said. Both of his hands were holding Qin Lan''s arm right where it is.


    "Huh?" Qin Lan tried to pull his hand back, but it was held firmly by force. Although he didn''t panic, the struggle to separates himself from the team leader made Qin Lan seems desperate in the eyes of the other Beheading Army soldiers.


    "Good job, Team Leader Ming! Boys, go there and skewer both of them! Don''t waste our team leader''s dying effort!" another team leaderughed as stands between the path for Qin Lan to return to his camp.


    The others immediately charge forward with the spear in their hand. To them, it was a b of fat meat waiting for them to split.


    "Young Master!" Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie were nervous as Qin Lan fell into a dangerous situation that nobody guessed. Getting up onto their horse, the three of them immediately rushes out onto the battlefield without asking for Sun Wu Jian nor the other''s approval.


    "Who''s soldiers are they? Don''t they know they''ll be penalized ording to the militaryw for participating in a battle without approval?" a few second-level bone experts said.


    "They''re the favorites of Commander Qin. Just ignore it." another Bone Reconstruction Expert said as he patted the guy''s shoulder.


    "Let''s die together..." the team leader kept holding Qin Lan''s arm with all the strength he could still muster. Based on the seriousness of his blood loss, a minute is the most he can keep Qin Lan here.


    "Hah... I''ll respect you for your effort to keep me here. You should be proud that you''re capable of keeping me busy for a while. But that''s all." Qin Lan smiled.


    "W - What?" the team leader was stunned to see that was not the extent of Qin Lan''s arm strength. It was childish of him to think he can keep Qin Lan here until both of them were skewered by the others from the Beheading Army.


    "Xiu..." Qin Lan took a deep breath as he pulled his arm off from the team leader''s clutch. By the time he''s done with one deep breath, Qin Lan roared.


    "Aargh!" half of his Foundation Qi was used in executing this shockwave attack. The fifty or so spearmen charging at him from all directions ended up dying without knowing what hits them.


    "This..." even the elders hovering on top of the battlefield were in shock for such a change of event.


    Carrying a smile on his face, Qin Lan pped his Spatial Jade once to pull out over a hundred flying daggers less than ten inches long.


    "Since all of you were here waiting for death, I suppose I cannot disappoint you by leaving without ughtering as much as I could." he chuckled.


    "HEAVENLY FLICKING FINGERS!" Qin Lan waved both his hands like a dancer. The ce he stands immediately turned into hell as soon as he made his move.

 Chapter 199: General of Three Armies (1)

    Chapter 199: General of Three Armies (1)


    "The Country of Wei must not leave this young sprouting to grow. He will eventually be the biggest threat to both Wei and Shu if he were to given freedom." said one of the elders. Killing intent is appearing in his eyes as he speaks.


    "I agree... If we let this youth keep growing, he''ll eventually be a threat to all three countries. Who amongst you here wants him to be the second Peng Likun?" another elder dressed in green said. He was one of the elders from far west, where the Country of Shu is located.


    The reason behind his harshment was because the country of Shu is kind of under Peng Likun''s mercy. After it was defeated again and again by the Genius General of Warfare''s soldiers.


    "Shall we get rid of him right now? I''m sure there''s nobody from Wu who is capable of stopping us if we take action right now." the few elders discussed as if Qin Lan were a fish on their chopping block.


    But when one reaches their strength, there''s nobody dares to question their decision.


    Especially when they''re already counted as one of the ten thousand top experts of thisnd. By achieving this state of cultivation, they''re more than qualified to decide the life and death of a hundred thousand mere individuals.


    Unfortunately for them, their chances were gone before the killing intent within them grew further.


    An expert appeared right before them, ready to challenge all of them at once if they dare to make their move towards Qin Lan. He was standing on top of a white-feathered crane, which is evidently received a boost of strength recently.


    "Yang Wen! This strength!" the elders retreated a few steps back unconsciously as they''re threatened by the intensity of Spiritual Energy released by Yang Wen.


    "This!" the few elder''s hands trembled as they''re surrounded by Yang Wen''s bluish golden streak of Spiritual Energy. Although it was not as pure as Qin Lan''s Foundation Qi, the conversion is considered more than three-quartersplete.


    "80%pletion! To think that you could actually reach this stage of cultivation!" the three elders were unable to withstand the pressure and were forced to retreat.


    Although all of them were considered half-step Spiritual Root Expert, there''s a significant gap between them. Out of the seven elders present, Yang Wen is counted the strongest right now, with the strength nearing the peak of half-step Spiritual Root.


    This hurdle was the toughest, but it''s also the closest to the first level of the Spiritual Root Layer.


    As for thepletion, it stands for how many percentages of Spiritual Qi had he converted into Foundation Qi. Out of all the elders here, most of them were only between 30 to 60%, which is significantly lower than Yang Wen by a big gap.


    His strength even attracts the attention of two other battlefields, as the other elders came over as swift to make sure they knew the reason behind this reveal of intent.


    Meanwhile...


    Qin Lan ced both hands behind him as he finished with his disy of strength. Over a hundred or so experts were ughtered as he calmly took a step back to the ninth prince''s camp.


    Not a single member from the Beheading Army dare to confront him as he walked peacefully towards his destination. At most, the experts only dare to look at him from afar until Qin Lan catches up to Lu Yi, Lu Qing Yun, and Huo Zunjie''s entourage.


    "By the time we''re back, you three will be penalized by his highness for participating in battle without prior approval." Qin Lan chuckled as he continues to walk towards the cliff where Sun Wu Jian is standing excitedly.


    ''Brother Qin... To what extent are you hiding your real strength?'' Sun Wu Jian revealed a smile as he keeps guessing Qin Lan''s ability. From food to pills, textile to wine, and scriptures to medicine, there''s not a single topic he doesn''t know.


    The three of them get down from their horse as they walked behind Qin Lan. One step followed by another, they soon came to there the elevated footpath is waiting.


    Knowing that the soldiers watching the battle were in need to release what they''ve been keeping inside them, Qin Lan removes the Chi-Lan Army''s helmet.


    Sun Wu Jian saw this as an opportunity and quickly supported Qin Lan with a word spoken directly by the prince.


    "Commander Qin! Valiant and unbeatable!"


    "With Commander Qin in Ninth Prince Army, we''re the strongest in Yunshan Province!"


    The two slogan sentences were heard by the soldiers, and it was repeated by them immediately. It only gets louder with every minute passed, where the soldiers repeated the same sentence again and again until nightfall.


    Although they lost the battle today, they did not lose their face.


    It was a simple feast that night. Based on what they understand, the battle for tomorrow should be an exciting one where all soldiers remained will be participating. By winning this battle, it will decide the oue of what''s following after this invasion.


    The battlefield will be shifting to either outside of Fuyun City or Thunder Jade City, depending on the oue of tomorrow''s battle.


    A strand of Spiritual Energy came into Qin Lan''s tent and interrupted him in the middle of his rest.


    "Both elders, feel free toe in if you''re already outside. Do allow this junior to prepare some drink and food for you both like an honored guest." Qin Lan said as he pulled the curtain into his tent aside for the two elders.


    "Hahaha... Then I will not be too courteous." Yang Wen stepped into the tent, followed by the royal family elder and Sun Wu Jian behind him. But there were more guests still waiting outside of Qin Lan''s tent.


    "Both Royal Elders, pleasee in. This junior is honored to be given a chance to host a table for you two." Qin Lan cupped his fists together and lowered his posture slightly as a sign of respect to the guests outside.


    "Greetings, young hero." the two elders greeted Qin Lan with a box of gifts in their hand. Following them closely behind were the two princes, Sun Ding Tian and Sun Chen Long.


    "Based on how smart young hero Qin is, I''m sure you know the reason the four of us are here with the three young princes." the eldest amongst the three royal elders said.


    "Has the decision been made?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes."


    "For the battle tomorrow, young hero Qin Lan will be the General of three armies." the elder said.

 Chapter 200: General of Three Armies (2)

    Chapter 200: General of Three Armies (2)


    "His majesty has a great expectation in the final battle tomorrow, so the three of us eventually came up with this decision after weighing the pros and cons. We hope that young hero Qin will be the one to grab the victory back for our country tomorrow." said the elder.


    There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes while staring at Sun Ding Tian. Thetter could only lower his head down to not getting questioned by the elder unprepared.


    As for Sun Chen Long''s guardian, that elder had nothing much to be talked about, but deep inside, he felt that Sun Chen Long was being too calctive and scheming.


    "What does elder Yang thinks?" Qin Lan asked for Yang Wen''s suggestion before recklessly epting the decision. Because at the end of the day, he''s still a disciple of the Cloud Plucking Sect, and all his decision or action would indirectly affect the reputation of the sect.


    "I believe that this will be the chance for the juniors to show what he knows. Don''t worry about the sect. I will be responsible for all your decision." Yang Wen replied as he took the bottle of wine and poured some to moisten his throat.


    "Eh?" his face changed as the wine seems to be different from the Rock Lotus Fragrance they''ve been addicted to.


    "What''s wrong, brother Yang? Did getting closer to Spiritual Root Layer made your tastebud changed?" Sun Wu Jian''s guardian said and took another bottle on the table. He copied what Yang Wen just did with a smile on his face.


    "This..." his facial expression changed. From surprises to shock, it then ended with a smile more innocent than an ignorant youth.


    "Everyone, please don''t mind the quality of the wine and took a bottle to moisten your throat before we continue." Qin Lan invited them to take a bottle to enjoy themselves. And with a p of his hands, dishes after dishes were brought into the room.


    "All of these were the signature dishes from the Qin Moonlight Pavilion. I hope it suits everyone''s taste," said Qin Lan. A part of him was thankful for Hu Jia to provide him with so many things by his side.


    "Young hero Qin, what is this wine called?" even the two other elders were shocked by the wine brought out by Qin Lan. They thought that the wine Rock Lotus Fragrance was exquisite, but this one was even more suitable right now as they''re having a discussion.


    "Plum Flower Fragrance Wine." Qin Lan answered.


    "Hahaha... Good name. Slightly bitter, but the bitterness wakes up one''s mind the more he was absorbed in the discussion. The alcohol is strong, yet not as strong as the Rock Lotus Fragrance. The vor was identical yet addicting in their own way. Is there some Cliff Latching Ape''s favorite wolfberry inside the wine?" Sun Chen Long''s guardian asked.


    His evaluation of the wine was getting all the crucial points in Qin Lan''s mind when he was making it.


    "So, what''s your decision, young hero Qin?" Sun Ding Tian''s guardian asked.


    "Since the elders have such a high hope on this junior, I can only agree with the request and perform to my best tomorrow. Right in front of everyone here, please give me your support for tomorrow." Qin Lan agreed with their request.


    "Then, you''ll be holding this token tomorrow. The three armies will be under yourmand. I hope you can help us to turn this battle around." the elder tossed a badge to Qin Lan''s hand.


    It was made with abination of Essence and Offense Metal. The spiritual energy contained inside the token was equivalent to the first level of the Spiritual Root Layer. It''s likely to be an authentic token made by the King of Wu in person for his appointed general.


    There''s also a thicker hint of Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacock bloodline inside of the token.


    With this token in hand, giving out his order is akin to delivering the king''s word itself.


    "We''ll be leaving you youngsters tomunicate at your own pace. Do what you need and don''t need to get bothered with us." Sun Ding Tian''s guardian tidied his robe and left. It was followed by Sun Chen Long''s guardian, Yang Wen, and Sun Wu Jian''s guardianst.


    Before thest royal family elder left, Sun Wu Jian made sure that he made a signal of wine through his hand.


    "Elder, please wait." Qin Lan stopped the elder from stepping out of the tent.


    "This is a little gesture from the junior. Please ept it on behalf of all of us here." Qin Lan presented a Qiankun Pouch to the elder with both hands.


    "Hmm... Then this elder won''t be too courteous." the elder epted the Qiankun Pouch and left.


    "Alright... Shall we start talking about what we''re going to do tomorrow morning?" after all the elders had left, the situation inside the tent is getting more serious. The first thing Qin Lan asked them was to hand their authority over all their soldiers.


    Except for Sun Wu Jian, the other two were slightly unwilling as giving up the authority means surrendering the men they''ve been grooming to Qin Lan. This also seals their fate, be it good or bad.


    To the three princes in the session battle, such a move is a bold and daring one.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Brothers... Do you think the youngsters will understand our intention for making things going this way?" Sun Wu Jian''s guardian asked the other two. From his words, it''s evident that there''s a deeper intention behind this decision.


    "I hope they''ll understand. But what worries me the most is not the three brats, but the boy name Qin Lan. If he failed to bring them together, then winning the battle tomorrow is useless. Furthermore, that boy has to understand the cruel differences between a general and a unit leader." Sun Ding Tian''s guardian said.


    "All we can do is to pray that it went well tomorrow. In this matter, the Thunder Roaring Pce is indeed better than us. What I am worried about is not Yang Yuan, but the secret weapon against Qin Lan."


    "Let us pray that the boy is capable of differentiating between house matter and the country''s matter." Sun Chen Long''s guardian added.

 Chapter 201: General of Three Armies (3)

    Chapter 201: General of Three Armies (3)


    **Wooo!!!**


    The horn for the next battle was blown. Close to twenty thousand soldiers marched together as they entered the middle battlefield.


    "Everyone into your position! Follow the orders from your superior!" messengers were moving up and down as they ry Qin Lan''s message throughout the army.


    "Far-Left Army, follow the order of his highness Sun Ding Tian!"


    "Far-Right Army, obey his highness Sun Chen Long''s order!"


    "Middle-Left Army, listen to his highness Sun Wu Jian!"


    "Crimson Mist Army, charge forward!" Qin Fan took the initiative and started the battle.


    "General, Commander Qin has started to move. Should we get the three other armies to start moving?" Expert Yi, Expert Shun, and Expert Xie asked while getting ready to ry Qin Lan''s order.


    "No. We will wait. The time is not here yet for our newly formed army to take action." Qin Lan said as he kept the (Stand) g raised throughout his headquarters.


    His attention is focused on the opposing camp. He''s still guessing who will be the General across the battlefield. If it was Yang Yuan, perhaps the battle will be easier than he has thought. But the situation will be different if the right tomand the army was given to the mysteriousmander recing Zhu Tianyi.


    As they only exchange some tactics from yesterday''s battle, the extent of thatmander''s ability is still unknown to Qin Lan.


    "General. Can this subordinate ask if there''s a reason behind our defensive stance here on our own ground?" Expert Yi asked. Although he might not be as experienced as the adjutants following the three princes, he''s still a veteran on a battlefield like this one.


    To many experts of his level, they have gone to small or big skirmishes for at least five to ten times. For them to voice out their opinion at this time wasn''t weird at all.


    Especially... When the battle could determine that they live through it or met their end right here.


    "Reason? There''s no specific reason. It just because I believe that being defensive would kill more than being offensive." Qin Lan smiled as he replied to expert Yi''s question.


    "What? Is that even possible?" Qin Lan''s reply made expert Yi feeling puzzled without understanding the reason behind his answer. The expert turned his head to his two colleagues standing beside him, but just like him, they''re both perplexed by Qin Lan''s reply.


    ''How can a defensive stance kill more than an offensive one?'' the three of them had the same thought.


    "You log-head, can you understand what our young master wanted to say?" Huo Zunjie knocked Lu Yi''s head as he wanted to see what he had in mind.


    "I think so... The concept was almost the same as my Golden Bell Sect''s martial art." Lu Yi said. Looking at his master''s reaction as he speaks, it seems that he got the answer correct from his first random guess.


    "OH! I got that correctly, I think!" Lu Yi made a fist pump as he felt proud of himself. But Huo Zunjie and Lu Qing Yun gave him a knock on his head anyway, as his face seems like he''s looking for one.


    "All of you should learn from Lu Yi. It is true that on a battlefield, one will have to beware of all schemes and tricks from your opponent. But you''ll have to remember one thing no matter what happens."


    "Sometimes, simplicity works. Standing on our own ground doesn''t mean we have the initiative in killing our opponent like a fish struggling on top of a chopping board. That''s because even a rat would retaliate if it was forced into a corner."


    "What we need to do is to kill them without they knew it. Right here, we''re the pitfall. No matter what we do, we won''t hurt ourselves wherever we go. As for our opponents... Let''s make sure, that be it voluntarily or not, we''re take off ayer of their skin whenever they try to make a move against us."


    "General, the Crimson Mist Army has engaged with our opponent''s Beheading Army!" another messenger came forward with a report.


    "How does it goes?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Evenly matched. Commander Qin is fighting against two fourth-level Bone Reconstruction officers by himself as the others continue to push their opponent back. We''ve lost close to a hundred soldiers from the first contact and killed between a hundred and fifty." the messenger quickly reported.


    "Ry my order. The three remaining armies shall stand guard behind the Crimson Mist Army. Whenever the Chi-Lan Army moves forward, they''ll follow. If the army retreats, they''ll cover their path." said Qin Lan.


    "Your subordinate understood!" the messenger quickly left after receiving his order.


    "Report! Xu Hu has made his move! His target seems to be the Far-Left Army led by his highness Sun Ding Tian!" another messenger came just seconds after the first one left.


    "Look''s like it''s either Yang Yuan or the mysteriousmander..."


    "Ry my order! The second prince is to establish a Rampart Formation to defend against Xu Hu''s attack. Tell them to not move from that position until I sent out three messengers at once!" Qin Lan instructed.


    "Right away!" the second messenger left.


    "Expert Shun, Expert Xie, I have a task for you both." Qin Lan turned his attention to the two experts and took two pieces of Qin Family Token out from his sleeve''s pocket.


    "Your subordinates are waiting for their order!" the two experts immediately kneeled as they wait for Qin Lan''smand.


    "Both of you shall lead a squadron of a hundred first to second-level Bone Experts. The two of you shall be the arrow I shot towards Xu Hu''s army to take him down by surprise." Qin Lan said as he flicked the token into their hand.


    "We''ll obey the general''s order!" the two experts nodded as they prepared to leave.


    "Lu Yi." Qin Lan leaned on the chair he was sitting on earlier as he called Lu Yi''s name.


    "Young Master..." Lu Yi steps forward.


    "Follow Expert Xie and Expert Shun. If I''m not wrong, they''ll struggle a little when trying to punch deep into Xu Hu''s offensive formation. Use whatever means necessary and bring back Xu Hu''s head to me." said Qin Lan.


    "Lu Yi... Understands..." cupping his fist together, Lu Yi left as he put the Crimson Mist equipment on him.

 Chapter 202: General of Three Armies (4)

    Chapter 202: General of Three Armies (4)


    "What do you think about the battle? It seems that the start was a little dull to our liking." Sun Ding Tian''s guardian said as he sat on top of the Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacock belonged to him. In his hand was a bottle of the delicious and fragrant Rock Lotus Fragrance Wine.


    "That''s how he always does. This boy always kept his card hidden well. Look at the two detachments he just sent out. Shall we guess what he''s trying to do?" Sun Wu Jian''s guardian added. He''s also seated on his Yao Beastpanion.


    "There''s one more detachment following from the back. Looks like this boy is hellbent on taking one of themander''s head at the beginning of the battle." Yang Wen pointed at Lu Yi''s group of close to twenty Crimson Mist soldiers.


    "To think that there are still a few of them hidden behind the one that already moves out. How many sets of the equipment do you think this boy has?" Sun Chen Long''s guardian asked.


    "Close to five thousand, perhaps? I''m sure there''s less now since he has lost quite a few in the two previous battles. It will be no surprise if a hundred or two is all he''s capable of taking out." he added.


    "Look... It seems that the other side has made their own preparation as well..." Sun Wu Jian''s guardian pointed at the side where Xu Hu came. It seems that there''s a detachment full of siege crossbows is moving out to counter Sun Ding Tian''s Rampart Formation.


    ...


    ...


    "Woah!!!" a cheer can be heard from the battle point between Qin Fan''s Crimson Mist Army against the Beheading Army. From the way it looks, it seems that Qin Fan''s side was the one cheering in the middle of the battle.


    "Report! Commander Qin has in an officer and heavily injured the other. They''re now pushing further through the enemy''s rank!" a messenger immediately came to Qin Lan and read out his report excitedly.


    "Order the re holder to fire the Qin Family re immediately." Qin Lan revealed a nervous expression after listening to the messenger''s report.


    "Ge - General?" the order puzzled the messenger.


    "Now!" Qin Lan used his Spiritual Qi to pull the messenger up from his knees and urge him to ry his order.


    "Yes! At once!" the messenger quickly left.


    "Expert Yi, go to the battlefield and inform my stupid brother to not fall to our opponent''s Provo..."


    "Bang! - Bang! - Bang!" three explosions happened on the battlefield where Qin Fan is before he managed toplete his sentence.


    "Damn! I''m toote!" Qin Lan cursed.


    "Expert Yi, go and drag my big brother back! Qing Yun! Follow and make sure the core units were uninjured." Qin Lan revealed a panicked expression as he delivered two of his most trusted subordinates into the battlefield.


    ...


    "General, we''ve trapped the leader of Crimson Mist. Please give us your order." a few messengers reported.


    "Great work. Send all the Beheading Army to that battlefield and the others towards Xu Hu. Order Yang Yuan to join the battle and tell him to move wherever he likes." the mysteriousmander ordered without a hint of emotion in his speech.


    It seems like Qin Lan''s worry had happened. His opponent was not Yang Yuan, but this mysteriousmander.


    But what''s weird about this is an elder was standing nearby themander. It was as if she was controlling the action of this individual.


    "Senior sister, don''t you worry it will incite the Genius Warfare General''s wrath by doing such thing?" asked another elder standing beside her.


    "So? Once a disciple of the Evil Infant Sect, she''ll be forever a disciple of our Evil Infant Sect. The King of Wei will be against me as this will be the coteral for him to control the uprising power of the general at the same time." the elder said.


    "Senior sister, I just hope you know what you''re doing." the other elder left as she returned to the sky to witness the battle between the two countries.


    ...


    "Guard your position! Do not allow any of them to get an entry point through our formation!" Sun Ding Tian ordered. His current appearance was entirely different from the one often seen within the tent. Done in a set of protective gear from his chest to bottom, he looked like a proper officer standing on the battlefield.


    ''How good would it be if our second prince kept this appearance at all time?'' his adjutant thought.


    But a flying bolt capable of killing an early Bone Level expert came in at the worst time. Although it missed the adjutant''s vital, he was still heavily wounded from getting scratched by that siege-powered weapon.


    "Adjutant!" a few of his long-serving subordinates immediately turned around after they noticed that the adjutant was on the ground, bleeding profusely.


    Even Sun Ding Tian lost his calmness as he turned his attention around.


    "NO! KEEP FIGHTING! KEEP FIGHTING!" the adjutant struggled and shouted with all the energy he had left. There was a hint of stammering in his words as he stops everyone froming to his side.


    Sun Ding Tian''s hands were trembling as he had difficulty choosing what to do. As he was to leave everything aside and choose the adjutant, two loyal subordinates quickly pulled Sun Ding Tian''s hand and kept him from turning away.


    "Your highness, we''ll go. We''ll go. You can''t leave the battlefield." the soldiers said.


    "Make sure he''s alive." Sun Ding Tian grabbed the cor of the soldier as he finished his sentence. Shifting his attention back to the frontline, Sun Ding Tian tightened his fists as he wished that the three messenger''s order came as soon as possible.


    "Your highness, the second wave of Crossbow Bolts will arrive soon! Take cover, please!" a few soldiers moved left their formation and went to protect Sun Ding Tian as he pointed at his opponent''s formation.


    **Whoosh!**


    *Bang!*


    An explosion happened where Sun Ding Tian stands. The morale of the Far-Left Army was immediately disturbed when this happened.

 Chapter 203: General of Three Armies (5)

    Chapter 203: General of Three Armies (5)


    "Second prince!"


    "Your highness!"


    The soldiers instantly panicked after noticing that the bolt from the opponent''s Siege Crossbow struck where Sun Ding Tian was standing. This made some of the soldiers feeling annoyed as they couldn''t hold the Rampart Formation any longer.


    "Keep the formation up! Do not falter until you''re given the permission to move!" Sun Ding Tian''s voice came as soon as the dust from the impact was cleared. His breathing is still tense as he was just an inch away from death.


    And on his chest piece, an amulet is slowly fading away as the Spiritual Qi imbued inside was exhausted. What was left is some ck ashes on the surface of his armor.


    "Your highness!"


    "Your highness!"


    The soldier was invigorated after listening to Sun Ding Tian''s voice. Their morale was boosted out of sudden without the need for ridiculous promises and speech. This made Sun Ding Tian feeling perplexed as he was used to rewarding his men for the sake of their loyalty.


    ''When did these people be so loyal to me?'' Sun Ding Tian asked himself. Aside from him, the few other soldiers that tried to block the crossbow bolt on behalf of him were safe and sound, as they''re protected by the amulet he''s wearing.


    "My prince, let''s retreat for ten to fifteen steps. You''re cing yourself in danger if you keep standing here." one of the soldiers said.


    "Yes... My prince, you should retreat to the rear and leave this ce to us," the adjutant that was injured said as scabs had started growing on his waist and lower left chest. The armor he''s wearing can be said to be no longer working as a third of it was destroyed from the impact.


    "You''re safe... Have you think before... What am I going to do if you''re not around me? Who tells you that you can die without my permission?" Sun Ding Tian grabbed the adjutant''s neck as he said.


    "Then... All this adjutant needs to make sure is to not die before my prince. I won''t leave even if you''re kicking me away, then." the adjutant smiled as he replied to his master.


    "ORDERS!" one messenger on horse finally here. But with his arrival alone, it wasn''t the best thing the Far-Left Army was waiting for.


    "Just one messenger... That means we''re still going to wait." Sun Ding Tian seems to be epting things quickly now after what happened a moment ago.


    ...


    "Look at that brat... To think that I used the wrong method to teach him since he''s young... If he was like this two battles ago, do you think he will lose to Xu Hu and his pile of a sand army?" Sun Ding Tian''s guardian said while looking at how the second prince epted Qin Lan''s instruction.


    "And surprises alwayse to people that expected less. Look at the two leisurely moving messengers." Sun Wu Jian''s guardian said and pointed at the two messengers about a mile away from Sun Ding Tian''s position.


    It seems that the order for Sun Ding Tian was given out for a while now. The speed of the order came to him was just a matter of time and his attitude.


    "I can''t help but wonder how did the boy know which button to push. The experience he has is just out of what we used to do." Yang Wen said. In his mind, he was fascinated by Qin Lan''s unconventional method.


    ...


    "ORDERS!" the second and third messenger came together. Looking at all three messengers in the core of his Rampart Formation, Sun Ding Tian smiled. It was a smile full of expectation as he was waiting for this order toe from the beginning of the battle.


    The three messengers ced their order together rather than reading the content inside. A messenger then read what was written on the back.


    [Charge forward]


    [ughter the rear formation]


    [Assist Chi-Lan Army]


    "Second Prince Sun Ding Tian, I''m sure you know what the general wanted you to do now." one of the messengers rolled the scrolls together and handed it to the prince.


    "Sun Ding Tian will obey the order from General Qin." he smiled.


    "Adjutant. Ry my order. Full force ahead. Our destination is the Siege Crossbow Unit at the rear. We''ll destroy their entire unit before rallying behind the Beheading Army!" Sun Ding Tian ordered.


    "Your subordinate will move at once!" the adjutant immediately left to prepare.


    "Your highness, what about the Rampart Formation and the enemies right in front of us?" another officer asked. Turning their attention back at the frontline, they''re still in a fight against Xu Hu''s soldiers of four thousand men.


    "We will..."


    *Bam! Bam! Bam!*


    Amotion happened in the middle of their opponent''s battlefield as Sun Ding Tian was going to ry his next order.


    His attention is ced instantly at the contact point. After the dust from themotion subsided, several gs are hoisted high as the gbearers kept marching deeper into Xu Hu''s formation.


    "Hahaha! General Qin! This Sun Ding Tian wille and thank you after today''s battle!"


    "Full force ahead! We''ll leave this battlefield and ughter the Siege Crossbow Unit at the rear!" Sun Ding Tian changed his mind instantly after seeing the gs in the core of Xu Hu''s Formation.


    (QIN)


    ...


    "Charge forward! Our target is Xu Hu in the enemy''s main camp!" Expert Shun and Expert Xie yelled as they punch deep into Xu Hu''s formation to im his head.


    "Two fools! All soldiers focus on the intruders! We''ll ignore the escaping army and kill the attacking uniting to me!" Xu Hu quickly shifted his attention to the two experts as he noticed Sun Ding Tian''s movement.


    But he''s yet to notice that while they''re two arrowsing at him from the front, there''s another life reaping scytheing from the back.


    By the time his army has moved towards where Expert Xie and Shun areing from, Lu Yi was already less than a few miles from his position.


    "Huh?" a soldier noticed the dust that was flying up to the sky from their back. Looking at the direction a little longer, he was shocked to the point words can no longering out from his mouth.


    "In - In - Iing!" only a slight sound came out before he was beheaded.

 Chapter 204: General of Three Armies (6)

    Chapter 204: General of Three Armies (6)


    "Kill! Our target is just one person!"


    "Xu Hu!" Lu Yi said as he swings his sword while riding on horseback. The speed of his attack unit far surpasses what Expert Xie and Shun could do as he cut the distance between him and Xu Hu to half in a sh.


    "Commander! We''re under attack from the rear! A few Crimson Mist Soldier ising for us!" one of Xu Hu''s officers said as he panicked. The feeling where a de ising for your throat made the officer had an urge to abandon the battlefield.


    "What are you getting panic for? It''s just a group of fewer than twenty soldiers. All it takes is a single strike from each of my soldiers to send them to hell. Focus on the frontline where they''re trying to push through. That will be where we have to focus." Xu Hu pointed at the two experts.


    "Expert Xie, there''s a trail of dust behind Xu Hu''s formation. But it doesn''t seem to be made up by him. What I''m thinking is the general must have sent another detachment to keep Xu Hu busy." one of the officers of Expert Xie reported.


    "Be it from the general or not, our mission is to strike into Xu Hu''s camp without fail. Focus on our task and don''t bother with anything else. Our target is only one!" Expert Xie said.


    "im Xu Hu''s head!"


    "Woah!"


    Everyone was spirited as they muster their strength to charge forward. The momentum suddenly gets stronger as the two units push deeper into Xu Hu''s formation, with close to 3600 soldiers remaining.


    Meanwhile...


    "Run! We can''t defend against them!" close to two to three hundred soldiers are scattering everywhere as they''re ughtered mercilessly by Sun Ding Tian''s cavalry forces. The horsemen continued to move forward as they try to intercept the retreating path of the Beheading Army that was focused on a battle against Qin Fan.


    As for the foot soldiers, they proceed with destroying the siege crossbows before following the route taken by their vanguards.


    Everything that happened was done while they''re still in the mysterious general''s sight. It was like a direct provocation and a challenge thrown into his face.


    "Where is Yang Yuan?" the mysterious general asked.


    "Commander Yang Yuan was moving deep into the battlefield where the seventh prince and ninth prince are positioned. From the way he moves, he''s intended to fight both armies at once." a messenger reported.


    "Have you verified the condition of the Chi-Lan Army''smander?" the mysterious general continued to ask.


    "Narrowly evaded the killing blow. Themander is retreating right now, protected by two other experts." the messenger added.


    "We''ll move in as well. Sound the drum. We will assist the Beheading Army and pincer the second prince''s army between us!" the mysterious general finally decided to move. And his first target would be Sun Ding Tian''s army that came to provoke him a while ago.


    ...


    Qiang Shou,e here!" Lu Qing Yun shouts as she called the burly subordinate of Qin Lan to her side. Although he was a little unwilling to listen to Lu Qing Yun''s words, he has no choice as he was injured heavily from the previous explosion.


    As for Expert Yi, he''s busy taking care of the others, such as Han Xue, Yi Feng, and You Qing, as all of them retreated with the core member of their team.


    "To think that they''ve nted the mes of Kuanglei along our route. This time, it''s really our own mistake for not noticing the trap before we stepped in..." Qin Fan shook his head.


    At least close to two hundred of their core servants from the Qin Faction were killed in this st. It was an impactful incident as this will hinder their attacking strength the next time moving forward.


    "The Beheading Army is here! Prepare for battle!" one of the Crimson Mist soldiers yelled as his iconic red sword shed with his opponent''s weapon. A battle immediately started again as they were pursued from behind.


    "Does that means the men we left back there were all killed?" Expert Yi asked.


    "Very likely... Wait... There shouldn''t be so much dusting toward us... Don''t tell me... Yang Yuan is here?" Lu Qing Yun was getting nervous as she noticed the iing trail of dust towards their location.


    "Everyone, get ready for battle!" Expert Yi yelled. The close to 1,500 Crimson Mist Soldiers remained buckled up and prepared to engage against the iing soldiers.


    But the moment the g of (Second Prince) appeared in their sight, everyone released the breath they were holding. Not a single one of them expected that Sun Ding Tian''s army would be here to their rescue. Although their number was merely less than a thousand, it was better than nothing.


    ...


    "Order!" a messenger arrives respectively at Sun Chen Long and Sun Wu Jian''s camp.


    "Speak." the two princes immediately tensed up as the messenger they''ve been waiting for finally arrived at their camp.


    "General''s order! Seventh Prince Sun Chen Long and his soldier of 3,500 men will engage with Yang Yuan immediately. Keep him busy until the general arrives on the battlefield!" said the messenger as he rolled the scroll together.


    "Ry mymand! All soldiers, get ready to engage with Yang Yuan! Brother Leng, it''s time for us to go into battle." Sun Chen Long epted the scroll from the messenger and turned his attention to Leng Ching, the top outer sect disciple of Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Haih... I guess we can''t escape this battle..." Leng Ching shook his head and left the camp with the three medicinal cauldrons hovering around him.


    "General''s order! The ninth prince Sun Wu Jian is to assist the Crimson Mist Army as soon as possible! Expect to engage in a battle against our opponent''s core forces!" the messenger in Sun Wu Jian''s camp said.


    "It''s our time. Huang Ping, Wang Xun, brother Shan! Let''s go!" Sun Wu Jian has done the armor on him. Taking the Precelestial Earth Grade (Full) Offensive Treasure fixed on his waistbelt, he prepared to enter the battle.


    Meanwhile...


    "How can you guys get here so quickly?" the twenty elite soldiers finally arrive at Xu Hu''s camp.


    "You wanted to know how? Go to hell! Perhaps some of your subordinates will be willingly telling you when you''re down there!" Lu Yi replied as he swung his Bronze Xuan Sword at Xu Hu.

 Chapter 205: General of Three Armies (7)

    Chapter 205: General of Three Armies (7)


    "Everyone! Are you ready to make your move?" Lu Yi asked the twenty Crimson Mist Soldiers following him. The moment they heard what he was saying, everyone chuckled. They acted like they''re not on the battlefield right now.


    "Leader, are you seriously going to ask us a question like this? For real?" one of them said.


    "What''s so funny?" Lu Yi asked as his Bronze Xuan Sword beheaded another soldier that tried to stop him from moving forward.


    "Have you think about how long we''ve been following by your side? Even your toilet break and how many times you''re escaping from getting chased by senior sister Lu Qing Yun is well known to all of us..."


    "Yeah... To think that you''re asking if we''re ready or not. It should be us reminding you when to go and when to return." another two Crimson Mist Soldiers came forward and joined the conversation. With the iconic red sword in their hands, they''re closing to Xu Hu''s position much faster than the other two expertsing from another direction.


    "Alright! Since everyone is ready, let us make our move before Xu Hu noticed the changes. Swallow the pills, activate your treasure, and let us charge forward!" Lu Yi said. Mixtures of pills were taken out from a bottle after Lu Yi finished what he meant to say.


    <Essence Transformation Pill>


    <Blood Genesis Pill>


    <Martian Foundation Pellet>


    <Enhanced version, Flesh and Bone Mending Pill>


    "Let''s go!" the twenty-one individuals suddenly had a boost of strength as they tear apart Xu Hu''s rear defensive line. The iconic red sword in their hand turned to a reaping scythe as they move unhindered by cutting the heads of those they could reach.


    It took them less than fifteen minutes to arrive outside of Xu Hu''s camp.


    By the time Xu Hu''s most trusted elite soldiers notice Lu Yi''s arrival, it was already toote to sound the rm. Lu Yi''s Bronze Xuan Sword sliced apart the first officer positioned closest to the edge as shouted.


    "Enemy attack! Enemy soldiers in the camp!" a few other soldiers quickly shouted. But out of so many of them who did, only a few managed to went through as Lu Yi''s men quickly separate their head from the neck.


    It took them a while before the message arrived at Xu Hu''s ears.


    By the time he turned around, Lu Yi was already less than ten meters away from Xu Hu as his sword came down fiercely at thetter.


    *Dang!*


    A sword blocked Lu Yi''s surprise attack.


    "Commander! Please retreat! Leave this ce to us and... Urgh!" the officer that blocked Lu Yi''s surprise attack said while he tried to protect hismander from getting taken out by surprise. But before he finished what he was going to say, Lu Yi''s second attack already imed his pitiful life.


    "How can you guys get here so quickly?" Xu Hu asked. That split second exchanged by paying the life of an officer allowed Xu Hu to pull his weapon out and protect himself.


    "You wanted to know how? Go to hell! Perhaps some of your subordinates will be willingly telling you when you''re down there!" Lu Yi replied as he swung his Bronze Xuan Sword at Xu Hu.


    "Golden Bell''s Turbulence!" Lu Yi''s attack came to Xu Hu fiercely.


    "Thunder Roaring Sword Art!" Xu Hu pushes as much Spiritual Energy as he can muster to defend against Lu Yi. And his effort paid off as his sword was somewhat bent from taking Lu Yi''s attack head-on.


    But he was still injured by the energy de wrapped around the Bronze Xuan Sword. Blood jetted out from his shoulder as he was forced down on a knee.


    "Commander!" two officers quickly intercepted Lu Yi and Xu Hu''s battle and tried to force the former to a retreat.


    "Take themander away! I''ll stop him right here!" an officer swung his de as hard as he could to keep the pressure on Lu Yi. But he miscalcted his own strength as he gets too close to Lu Yi''s reach.


    By the time he noticed his mistake, it was toote for him to regret it.


    "GOLDEN LORD''S HOLY FIST!" Lu Yi screamed as his punch struck beautifully on his opponent''s left chest. The bone and fragment of the officer''s heart were blown off from the back as he breathed hisst.


    "You! I won''t be called Xu Hu if I don''t kill you today!" Xu Hu lost his mind when he saw how his trusted subordinate died under Lu Yi''s hand. But as he was going to jump at Lu Yi, the other officer pulled him forcefully from falling into the opponent''s provocation.


    "Commander! Look at the situation before you act! Our task is not to die with them! It''s to hold them here until furthermand!" the officer said.


    *Xing!*


    "Co - Commander..." the officer''s eyes were staring at Xu Hu at his final moment. The head soon rolled onto the ground as the eyeball turned nk after his death.


    "You''re going to die here today." two other Crimson Mist Soldier''s blocked Xu Hu''s path of retreat as they surrounded him from three directions.


    "Do you think that the disciples from Thunder Roaring Pce are this easy to bully? I''ll teach you a lesson that you people from Wu will never forget! The Country of Wei is ten times stronger than you! We can easily trample you to death if we wanted to!" holding his broadsword with both hands, Xu Hu choose to charge at Lu Yi.


    "Out of so many people, he actually chooses to attack our leader... That''s where his chances to live are gone..." the two other Crimson Mist Soldiers shook their heads as they turned their attention to the soldiers around them.


    "Golden Bell''s Tyrannical Roar!" a smile is on Lu Yi''s face as he charged forward with one of the best self-created strikes from his Golden Bell Sect''s Sword Art.


    By the time Expert Xie and Shun arrived at the camp, Lu Yi had Xu Hu''s head on his left hand.


    "Hahaha... To think that two arrows from the front, a guillotine ising from his back." Expert Xie smiled.

 Chapter 206: General of Three Armies (8)

    Chapter 206: General of Three Armies (8)


    "Yang Yuan is here! Move forward and stops his army from keep moving forward! Calvaries! Pincer our opponent from both left and right!" Sun Chen Long ordered as he ordered the gbearers to move the gs in their hand ordingly.


    Two groups of 500 calvaries made their move and separating themselves from Sun Chen Long''s main army. By the time Yang Yuan''s men arrive and collide with Sun Chen Long''s vanguard, the calvaries immediately struck Yang Yuan''s men from both left and right.


    But the result from the pincer attack was out of their expectation.


    Instead of calling it a sessful three-pronged attack, it is more urate to say it was an act of trying to crush a stone by throwing eggs from all sides.


    Not even a single death is recorded from Yang Yuan''s forces as it was attacked from three different sides.


    Blood sttered, head rolled, and screams were heard. But none of them belonged to Yang Yuan''s men.


    "Your highness..." Sun Chen Long''s adjutant extends his hand to grab his seventh prince''s arm as he prepared to pull him back in case of any unwanted ident.


    "What happened? How could this happened?" Sun Chen Long lost his ability to speak clearly as Yang Yuan caught him by surprise.


    "Retreat for now. I''ll take the lead for now." Leng Ching made his move and gently pushed Sun Chen Long back. The strength of just one level before reaching the peak of Bone Reconstruction is akin to blowing a feather away from where it stays on the ground.


    "Brother Leng!" Sun Chen Long wanted to stay, but he''s powerless right in front of this expert seven levels ahead of him.


    "Humph... To think that he had more than just the Blood Lion General''s support in this battle... What else is there?" Leng Ching ced some spiritual grasses into the three hovering cauldrons behind him while moving forward.


    A thick colorful white smoke soon came out from the cauldron as it covered the surrounding battlefield. It was foggy, but the smoke was hardly enough to make the soldiers feeling choked and hard to breathe.


    "Hahaha! Look at what they''re doing." Yang Yuan''s soldiers continued to move forward as they enjoyed ughtering the unlucky soldiers that met their end under their hand.


    "Maybe they''re trying to run. Let''s hurry up and chase!"


    The smile soon turned into a nightmare as their supposed to be powerful physique suddenly turned softer than a block of tofu. Some even fell to the hand of some eighth-level Flesh Refining soldiers as they exchanged a blow.


    "What happened? Where''s the protection from the Thunder Carapace Pellet?" Yang Yuan''s soldiers panicked as their miraculous protection seems to be failing without giving off a hint.


    "There must be something weird in the smoke. Or else, the medicinal pellet''s effect won''t be out this fast." said one of the officers under Yang Yuan. A few soldiers from Sun Chen Long tried to take his head using the white smoke to their advantage but got beheaded by him with a quick swing instead.


    "Humph! Do you think I am like those others? All of us under Yang Yuan are the elites amongst the Kuanglei Province''s Border Army. Our strength is not what you can easily ovee." the officer grabbed one of his opponents on the neck.


    After scanning his surrounding to get a quick situation report, he tossed the soldier away, bringing down a group of enemies while doing so.


    "It seems that there''s a skillful Alchemist in our opponent''s rank. That might be Leng Ching since we''re fighting the seventh prince''s forces." another officer said as he approached from the side.


    "Let''s move forward. Our mission is to clear as much obstacle as we could before ourmander arrive. With the Thunder Carapace Pellet or not, we''ll tear their formation apart by force!" the officer said.


    *Xing... Xing...*


    "Tear our formation apart, you said?" an individual appeared with three cauldrons floating behind him. He''s still smiling as he came forward at a visiblyzy pace.


    "Floating Cauldrons! That''s Leng..." the two officers quickly executed their best martial art, but it was toote. With a flick from Leng Ching''s finger, the two were burnt into a cinderblock where they stand.


    After making sure that there are no longer high-leveled officers around him, Leng Ching continues to move forward. The white smoke from his three cauldrons is getting thinner by the time he was at least half a mile further.


    ...


    "Our opponent is here! Get ready to battle!" Sun Wu Jian said with a sword in his hand. Right now, his army has joined together with the remnants of the Crimson Mist Soldiers, Sun Ding Tian''s army, and whatever number following Lu Qing Yun and Expert Yi.


    Added up together, there are almost 5,000 men in this army.


    But it was barely enough in Qin Lan''s opinion as the following messenger from thetter warned them to be careful throughout the battle.


    "Why would brother Qin ask us to focus on defense? Don''t tell me that the army they have is stronger than our 5,000 men?" Sun Wu Jian asked himself.


    "Wait... What''s wrong with the formation? This is different from what we''re expecting..." Sun Wu Jian''s jaw dropped when he was greeted by the scene made by the leftover army following the mysterious general''s order.


    "Crush them apart, Bronze Dragon Unit." the mysterious general said.


    Apanied by the song from the Wardrum as the Bronze Dragon Unit charge forward, they brought along mes and deadly spiritual manifestation. Over ten Copper Dragon silhouette breathing mes collide with Sun Wu Jian and Sun Ding Tian''s forces.


    The death toll marked over a thousand casualties less than five minutes from the start of the battle. By the time Sun Wu Jian noticed something wrong within his enemy''s formation, it was already toote.


    "This g... How can that be?" Sun Wu Jian''s hand trembled in anger.


    Even Lu Qing Yun couldn''t hold her emotion as she tried to search for the mysterious general''s whereabouts.


    "Expert Yi, I''ll need to bother you to go back to the general''s camp and tell him toe to this battlefield as soon as possible. Tell him that only he can fight against this opponent.


    "I''ll go right now." Expert Yi said. But as he gets on top of the horse, Lu Qing Yun stopped him and whispered another sentence without letting the others heard what she''s trying to say.


    "Tell the young master... Peng Yan is the general of our opposing force."

 Chapter 207: Killing Yang Yuan (1)

    Chapter 207: Killing Yang Yuan (1)


    "Look''s like the climax for this battle ising close. In your opinion, which side will be taking the victory?" an elder hovering above the battlefield asked.


    "This is hard to say... It will eventually depend on their general. But I have a biased towards the daughter of the Genius Warfare General. To think that such a Bronze Dragon Unit is capable of something this powerful." another elder added.


    He was still impressed by the previous engagement that took the lives of a thousand soldiers using less than five minutes.


    As a royalty from the Country of Wei, witnessing such a scene made his blood boiling once again as the intention to wage war towards the other two countries came into mind.


    There''s a mix of emotion here and there.


    Everyone has their own agenda in their mind as they watched how the war will turn up in their favor.


    But one thing for sure is that the stars for this battle will have their lives changed after today.


    ...


    "General, this subordinate has something to report." Expert Yi came to Qin Lan''s side in a hurry.


    "En. Go ahead." Qin Lan nodded as he scanned the battlefield to n his next move.


    "Lady Lu Qing Yun said your attendance is necessary on the main battlefield. The g of (Peng) was hoisted up all around our enemy''s camp."


    "Also... She mentioned that Lady Peng Yan was the general of the opposition forces..." Expert Yi said.


    "It''s really her..." Qin Lan shook his head when he heard what Expert Yi was trying to whisper by his ears.


    "Just go back there and hold your ground until my arrival. I''ll being in full force once we''re done with Xu Hu''s remnant forces and Yang Yuan''s." Qin Lan said. Putting on the Crimson Mist''s equipment on himself, Qin Lan left without saying anything else to Expert Yi.


    This puzzled the expert as he thought Qin Lan will at least gives out a reaction.


    "What will happen to the battlefield?" Expert Yi asked himself.


    "Huo Zunjie." Qin Lan finally has an order for him after keeping him by his side until now.


    "Yes, my young master." Huo Zunjie kneeled before Qin Lan and waiting for his order. The Silver Ling Sword was fastened by his waistbelt by the time he came to Qin Lan''s side.


    "Bring some people to where Lu Yi, Expert Xie, and Shun are positioned. Speed up the capturing process and bring the entire team to move towards the seventh prince''s battlefield and provide assistance." Qin Lan said.


    "Huo Zunjie will follow the general''s order." he cupped his fists and epted the Qin Family Token from Qin Lan. Bringing away five hundred soldiers with him and left in a hurry, Qin Lan was now left with less than a thousand soldiers with him.


    "General..." the other officers, who are mainly formed from the group of Gold Sycee and Silver Sycee experts that receives Qin Lan''s help through the Blood Genesis Pill... Came forward to Qin Lan''s side.


    "Everyone, it looks like we have to put our lives in this battle. At first, I hope that we could preserve our force until we managed to exhaust our enemies, but it looks like we can no longer dy this." Qin Lan said as he finished putting the iconic Crimson Mist armor on him.


    "Let us move forward and assist the seventh prince in his battle against Yang Yuan. After that, we will assist the vanguard Crimson Mist Army!" Qin Lan shouted as he raised his weapon high.


    "Victory to the Country of Wu!" he shouted.


    "Victory to the Country of Wu!" the soldiers and officers followed.


    Less than ten minutester, A unit of about a thousand soldiers charged into the battlefield as they came in unobstructed by Sun Chen Long''s foot soldiers. The further they went, the stronger is their momentum as Qin Lan''s soldiers immediately collide with Yang Yuan''s army that came afterward.


    "There''s still Crimson Mist Army in their reserve?" Yang Yuan chuckled. Firing the only re he had in his pocket, Yang Yuan ordered that everyone was ready for a life-and-death battle.


    The two armies eventually ended in a heated battle as Qin Lan, Leng Ching, and Sun Chen Long fought on the same battlefield.


    Blood was sttered everywhere until two pairs of eyes encountered a worthy opponent.


    "It''s you!" Yang Yuan smiled as he recognized Qin Lan. This made him happy as he could finally finish this battle today.


    "Looks like fate eventually brought us together today. Today, I''ll make sure that you won''t be going back to the Thunder Roaring Pce." Qin Lan said and stored the iconic red sword away and exchanged it into his Eight Transformation Treasured Brush.


    "Is that the treasure everyone mentioned about? The brush that can shapeshift?" Sun Chen Long and Leng Ching finally reach the battlefield where Qin Lan and Yang Yuan faced one another.


    Nine pieces of Offense Metal are taken out as it melted and formed into a seven-and-a-half-foot-long spear.


    The appearance of a spear of this size surprised even the elders above the battlefield. Although the method of using the Offense Metal wasn''t a secret, to employ them in the middle of a battle is an entirely different matter.


    Particrly when melting them and turning them into a spear indirectly in front of everyone.


    "This brat''s cksmithing skills... He must be eliminated! If we let him continue to grow, one day... One day, he will be a threat to the three countries'' bnce!" a few elders said as a killing intent appeared in their mind.


    "Yang Yuan from the Thunder Roaring Pce. Today, I''ll represent the gods and enact punishment for what you''ve been doing so far." Qin Lan said.


    "Hahaha! What I''ve been doing so far? In this world... The powerful lives! The weak will cower. I am Yang Yuan, the Commander of Kuanglei''s border defense unit! How dare you challenge me with your puny strength?" Yang Yuan replied.


    As he took a step forward, his strength of peak third-level Bone Reconstruction Layer came out.


    "That''s all you got? Then prepare to get defeated by me." Qin Lan said. He followed what Yang Yuan did. By the time Qin Lan''s Foundation Qi came out, it was not losing to Yang Yuan''s strength.


    "How can this be?" everyone was looking at Qin Lan in disbelief.

 Chapter 208: Killing Yang Yuan (2)

    Chapter 208: Killing Yang Yuan (2)


    "This... This is no longer the Flesh Refining Layer... How can it turned out to be like this?" all the experts around Qin Lan and Yang Yuan questioned Qin Lan''s cultivation and how he managed to do it.


    It was no secret that there are nine levels in eachyer of cultivation.


    Be it in Flesh Refining, Bone Reconstruction, and Spiritual Root Establishment, it was the same in eachyer.


    But what would it happen when one managed toe out with something extraordinary and created the tenth level? It would be a wonder in the world of cultivation, where no rules saying that it cannot be done.


    Nine levels.


    There are also nine ws to be mended through the Mistral Flesh Diagram. But due to certain enlightenment, surprises, and fate, Qin Lan identally stumbles across the chance to solve the tenth w. The w turned out to be his destroyed core.


    And with ten wse ten levels of refinements. Ten was an even number, and it also stands for the measurement of perfection. This made the results from Qin Lan''s ten levels of Flesh Refining Layer turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime miracle.


    A Spiritual Container Body.


    The Mistral Foundation Art from Kuangshan Lu Sect.


    An Unwed Mistral Flesh Diagram.


    And with his ten levels of Flesh Refining Layer.


    Putting them together into an individual, making it understandable why Qin Lan''s real strength ended up as a surprise to all the other individuals.


    It was because his strength was equivalent to a fourth-level Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator. Furthermore, Qin Lan had converted almost 90% of his Spiritual Qi into Foundation Qi.


    "This... Is impossible..." Yang Yuan stares hatefully at Qin Lan. He still finds it difficult to believe that Qin Lan''s strength is above him while he''s yet to advance to the first level of the Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    "Did you not say that the powerful lives and the weak cower?" by the time Qin Lan speaks, the spear in his hand was entirely formed. Its beautiful silver luster gently shines around Qin Lan, but void of any intention to robbing the brilliance of its master.


    "Lightning Grinder!" Yang Yuan charged forward. The attack that once threatened the coboration of Qin Lan, Sun Wu Jian, and Shan Xiong Xin when they''re chased by him across the Kuanglei Province''s border now seems so simple.


    "Can''t you get a little more serious in this fight?" Qin Lan smiled. The sword in Yang Yuan''s hand was about to be separated from his grip by a swing from Qin Lan''s Pir of Kuangshan. But the more he doesn''t want to let go, the further he flew away from the rebound.


    The exchange of their first blow made Yang Yuan realized that this opponent was above his level no matter from which point he''s looking at.


    "Aargh!"


    "Thunder Raging Formation! Precelestial Pce Transformation!" Yang Yuan took the distance between them to execute the exquisite martial art he never revealed to the outsider before.


    "Good. Now you''re finally getting serious." Qin Lan jokes. A hint of Foundation Qi gathered right on his speartip. Followed with a wide swing, Qin Lan executed an energy attack that reaches Yang Yuan in a sh.


    *TANG!!!*


    That st throws Yang Yuan at least ten steps further back than before.


    Even the soldiers behind him weren''t spared as their heads rolled on the ground the moment Qin Lan''s attack sweeps through them.


    "Yang Yuan, Yang Yuan... Have you thought that you''ll meet with an opponent like me?" Qin Lan asked as he made his way to where Yang Yuan is standing with his trembling hands.


    The two previous attacks had almost crushed all his confidence as Qin Lan continued to attack his opponent physically and mentally.


    "Junior brother Qin, careful." Leng Ching''s warning came to his ears as he looks at Yang Yuan swallowing some pills.


    "Roar!" Yang Yuan''s power grew out of sudden. As he turned into a monster with bloodlust, Yang Yuan''s attack grew significantly more powerful. He even tried to catch Qin Lan''s Pir of Kuangshan using his bare hand when it came from his left.


    *Tang!*


    This time, the exchange is less favorable as Yang Yuan was still at the same spot after receiving the attack. Two roaring bolts were seen as Yang Yuan threw his sword at Qin Lan.


    "Bang! Bang!" Qin Lan easily deflected the sword, but this gave the Thunder Roaring Pce''s disciple a chance to sneak behind Qin Lan to deliver a frontal blow.


    "Precelestial Roaring Fist!" a Thunderous Qi followed Yang Yuan''s attack as his attack reaches Qin Lan.


    But how could Qin Lan let Yang Yuan achieve his aim? Using the Crimson Mist Steps to move around, Qin Lan repositioned himself favorably with a golden light around his fist.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Qin Lan retaliates.


    The two attack blows both of them back over twenty to thirty steps until they crash into the soldiers on their path. Yang Yuan was already not around by the time Qin Lan stands back on his feet.


    ''Damn! No matter how strong I am, Flesh Refining is still a Flesh Refining. I can''tpete with a Bone Reconstruction through my physique alone.'' Qin Lanined.


    Holding the Pir of Kuangshan on both hands, Qin Lan blocked Yang Yuan''s attack from his left once more. The impact tossed him up into the air, where it suited what Qin Lan wanted.


    "One Spear!" Qin Lan shouted. The Foundation Qi in his body came out like a spiral as it gathered around the tip of his Pir of Kuangshan.


    "Ruling the World!" this time, the attack was much more intense than when Qin Lan fought against the Raging Beast Soldier. The silver light from the spear was apanied by an azure glow as it struck Yang Yuan on the ground.


    "BAM!" a crater at least half a meter deep was created as the attacknded on Yang Yuan. But thetter seems to be still alive as heughed hysterically.


    "Good! Good! Let''s continue!" not even a single injury is seen on Yang Yuan''s body as he took a leap into the sky. Both his hands are holding firmly on the sword as he swung it at Qin Lan''s position.

 Chapter 209: Killing Yang Yuan (3)

    Chapter 209: Killing Yang Yuan (3)


    "What''s wrong? Shouldn''t an alchemist like you be more capable of handling small tricks like mine here?" Yang Yuan said. Although taking the few pills made Yang Yuan lost his calmness, it was unlike getting demonized like what Lang Xue went through.


    It is still possible tomunicate with Yang Yuan.


    "How long can your Thunder Carapace Pelletst?" Qin Lan asked as he stares at the fierce Yang Yuan. As he speaks, thetter was in the middle of preparing his next attack.


    "Heh... Enough for me to kill all of you before it runs out!" Yang Yuan answered. Thetter seems confident as he answered Qin Lan''s question without suspecting the motive behind it.


    "That''s means... Even you only have one pellet in your inventory. What kind of payment have you promised the Thunder Beetle Army''s General for him to loan some of these precious pills to you?" Qin Lan chuckled.


    As an alchemist, a smell is all he needed to discern at least half of the medicinal ingredients used to refine the Thunder Carapace Pellet. And from Qin Lan''s understanding, at least three out of the materials needed to concoct the Thunder Carapace Pellet is something precious and hard to obtain.


    Hearing Qin Lan''s word made Yang Yuan''s facial expression bes uglier as the smile was robbed from him.


    ''How dare youment on my choice! What do you know about sacrifice, and what do you understand about that?'' Yang Yuan almost yelled at Qin Lan as he wanted to ask Qin Lan what he knew about sacrifice.


    "Look at how ugly your face became. Looks like my guesses were correct, after all. It seems that you''ve only managed to exchange some of the Thunder Carapace Pellets from the Thunder Beetle General." Qin Lan smiled.


    "I''m sure it felt painful in your heart right now, as the medicinal effect was countered by my senior brother Leng not long after the battle started. Although you''ve managed to kill around a thousand plus of our soldiers, what use was that figure if taking that pill alone should allow you to ovee our entire force?"


    Qin Lan shook his head as he continued.


    Each word he chooses to use in his sentence and also his tone made Yang Yuan look like a joke in front of everyone else.


    "Quiet!" Yang Yuan grits his teeth as he stares at Qin Lan with a gaze full of hatred. The sword in his hand is also eager to taste the vor of Qin Lan''s blood as it gains more brilliance from Yang Yuan''s Spiritual Qi.


    Thunder Grinder!" the disciple of Thunder Roaring Pce attacked again.


    Making aplete circle by twisting the Pir of Kuangshan in both hands, the spear shook once when Qin Lan held the spear horizontally with the speartip pointed at the back.


    "Mountain Sweeping Spear!" the Pir of Kuangshan scaled out vertically as it brought destruction across its path. It was aplete wonder, even in the eyes of the elders hovering above the battlefield.


    "What a powerful force he tried to disy. What will be the extent of his strength when he stepped into the rank of Bone Reconstructionyer?" a few elders asked themselves.


    In their eyes right now, Qin Lan was a rare case.


    After deflecting Yang Yuan''s blow with his own, Qin Lan rushes forward and swings his spear scaling down. The blow forces Yang Yuan to stays where he was as Qin Lan forced him to defend the attack with both hands.


    The ground cracked when Qin Lan''s Pir of Kuangshan collided with Yang Yuan''s Thundering Golden Saber.


    "Fist of Lightning God!"


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!"


    Their fists connected at one another before the following detonation of Spiritual Qi separated them. Blood was flowing by the side of Qin Lan''s lips as he was injured from the Spiritual Explosion.


    "Hahaha! Looks like your body is incapable of withstanding the force brought by the strength." Yang Yuanughed as he channeled more Spiritual Qi into his Thundering Golden Saber.


    There''s indeed some truth behind Yang Yuan''s words. Even though Qin Lan''s Spiritual Qi wasparable to a fourth-level Bone Reconstruction expert, that''s just exined how strong his core is.


    It was entirely different when ites to his physique. To obtain a proper bnce, he would eventually have to go through the Body Tempering Path, just like what Shan Xiong Xin and Sun Wu Jian did.


    This is why Qin Lan rarely fought seriously, as it would harm both himself and his opponent at the same time.


    "Come! Let me see how many blows you can handle before you fell on your knees from internal injuries!" Yang Yuan brandished his saber strongly at Qin Lan, aiming to crush his defense. Even if he failed to break Qin Lan''s defense, it is still more than enough to caused Qin Lan''s Spiritual Energy to run amok within his body.


    But the more hope he had, the bigger the fall.


    Yang Yuan was smiling from one side of his cheek to another as he repeated the same move to force Qin Lan to be on the defensive. Without a powerful enough physique to control the flow of Spiritual Qi in his body, Qin Lan was restricted by Yang Yuan this way.


    Until...


    "Kuangshan Healer''s Art." the Foundation Qi in Qin Lan''s left palm gently assimtes with his body and tends two-third of the injuries caused by the energy running amok inside his meridian channels.


    With a smile on his facial expression, Qin Lan simply stabbed his spear out.


    *Spurt!*


    Yang Yuan''s face was filled with disbelief as blood was flowing from that attack. Some of his blood even rolled towards the speartip as it drips onto the ground.


    "How... How can this happen? I should have the Thunder Carapace Armor still around me..." Yang Yuan red at Qin Lan''s spear as the question keep repeating in his head.


    "How? Do you think that a mere Spiritual Qi of yours is capable of withstanding my Foundation Qi?" Qin Lan chuckled. Pulling his spear slightly out from Yang Yuan''s chest, Qin Lan scaled the spear vertically and cut Yang Yuan into two halves.

 Chapter 210: Duel

    Chapter 210: Duel


    "Yang - Yang Yuan is dead..." one of the elders hovering above the battlefield said as he shook his head. Because Qin Lan''s action was too swift for him to prevent, it ended up costing Yang Yuan''s dear life.


    But from the way he looked, it doesn''t seem to be a tremendous loss to the Thunder Roaring Pce. As thepetition for resources was already heated to start with, having one less disciple fighting for the resources might be good to the others in the long run.


    Still, a part of Yang Yuan''s demise under Qin Lan''s hand was caused by his own action.


    If he was slightly humble and careful, perhaps his fate would be a little different from Xu Hu and Zhu Tianyi. Or perhaps, this was just a baptism ritual that each disciple of Thunder Roaring Pce would have to go through.


    "General," Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, Expert Shun, and Expert Xie came to Qin Lan''s side as the battle around them is approaching its ending. Sun Chen Long offered to clear the battlefield for Qin Lan and created the opportunity for him to join the central.


    "General, do allow this seventh prince to solve this for you. I believe that the central battlefield where the ninth brother needed you as quickly as possible." Sun Cheng Long said.


    "Then... This general will leave the clearing to you." Qin Lan said to Sun Chen Long.


    "Everyone else, follow me! To the central battlefield!" Qin Lan said as he raised the Pir of Kuangshan over his head.


    "Move out!"


    Bringing a little over 1,500 soldiers with him, Qin Lan made his way to where Peng Yan''s army was fighting against thebined forces of Sun Wu Jian and his brother, Qin Fan.


    ...


    "Your highness!" one of Sun Wu Jian''s elite guards moves forward as he blocked the attack from one of the Bronze Dragon''s soldiers. Worthy of being one of the elites of the Genius General of Warfare''s favorite unit, their strength was entirely above the Beheading Army and Qin Lan''s personal Crimson Mist Army.


    Such a gap was not something having a proper cultivation technique and equipment can ovee.


    In an instant, Sun Wu Jian''s elite guard was taken down on the ground by three regr soldiers from the Bronze Dragon Unit.


    "How can this be? To think that an elite soldier likes me unable to fight against three opponents..." Sun Wu Jian''s guard med himself for this inability.


    "Get the hell of my mate!" another one of Sun Wu Jian''s guards joined the battle. With the polearm in his hand scaling out at the three soldiers, he sessfully forces them to a retreat.


    But as he lowered his hand down to pull hispanion up, the three Bronze Dragon Soldiers intercepted. Their hands almost got chopped off from the sword that came between them.


    "City Protecting Blow!" Sun Wu Jian joined the battle and saved his subordinates right on time.


    "Your highness!" the two elite guards quickly get on their foot.


    "Pull back. Don''t forget that we''re ying a defensive role here!" Sun Wu Jian ordered. Apanied by some soldiers around him, he made sure that the Bronze Dragon''s Soldiers remained on guard as they took a few steps back.


    Such a on and off engagement continued until Peng Yan lost her patience.


    The Wardrum was rolling again as the sound it gave out changes their approaching strategy. With the Beheading Army and some remains of Kuanglei Province Soldiers gathered in the front line, the opponent made another charge into the Crimson Mist Army led by Qin Fan.


    "Defend! Hold your position." Qin Fan said.


    "Aargh!" the Crimson Mist Soldiers raised their iconic red sword and held their position firmly. The battle continued, but as every minute passed, more people are dropping dead.


    Thissted until Peng Yan made her appearance on the battlefield. The two adjutants with the surname Wang stands beside her as she was done with the general''s armor.


    "Fellow cultivator Qin, shall we continue where we had left before this?" one of the adjutants asked Qin Fan as they approached the Crimson Mist Army. A smile is seen on their face as they think about how fate fools them around.


    ''To think that our unfinished battle would have to be postponed until all of us are on the same battlefield...'' Qin Fan shook his head. Compared to when he was fighting against the two of them outside the Demon Mountain Fort, his condition now was a little worst.


    At most, Qin Fan can only exert 80-90% of his total strength right now.


    "First Young Master, don''t take their challenge." Lu Qing Yun grabbed Qin Fan''s wrist to keep him where he is. But from the look of it, it seems her words won''t be getting into Qin Fan.


    "Qing Yun, if I choose to not ept the challenge, then what for I cultivate and fought to break through the shackle around me?" Qin Fan asked as he reminded himself of the reason he cultivates.


    Putting aside the iconic red sword that each Crimson Mist soldier uses, Qin Fan took his favorite weapon out from the Spatial Jade on his waist.


    "Please!" Qin Fan steps forward. A circle was soon created by the soldiers gathering around as they allowed Qin Fan and the adjutants to finish what they''ve started.


    ''Men...'' Lu Qing Yun shook her head as she knew it was pointless for her to say anything else.


    "Fellow cultivator Qin, please!" the two experts took their weapon out as they invited Qin Fan to made his first move.


    "Please!" Qin Fan cupped his fists together to both experts. Pushing his Spiritual Qi to its peak, he moves forward as the Spiritual Manifestation appeared behind him.


    "Golden Bell Sect''s Sword Art!" Qin Fan charged forward.


    ...


    ...


    "Lady Peng, have you made up your mind to go against our young master? Because I will act based on how you''re answering my question." Lu Qing Yun said as she approached Peng Yan''s war chariot.


    Her question made Peng Yan stay silent for a moment. But as she replied, it thoroughly breaks Lu Qing Yun''s heart.


    "Who is your young master?" Peng Yan replied stiffly, void of emotion behind her words. It was as if she doesn''t know Qin Lan or who it was.


    "YOU!!!" Lu Qing Yuan enraged. The Violet Queen Whip in her hand glows as it was fueled by anger.

 Chapter 211: Peng Yan VS Lu Qing Yun

    Chapter 211: Peng Yan VS Lu Qing Yun


    "Do not speak with me as you know me well. This may degrade my reputation to be associated with an opposing officer like you," Peng Yan said. Her choice of words was indirectly harsh when it arrives at Lu Qing Yun''s ears.


    This caused Lu Qing Yun to clench her teeth and revealed a hint of anger behind her facial expression. Her hand trembled slightly, not because she was afraid, but due to agitation.


    "Peng Yan! If I found out that you''ve been ying with my young master''s emotion from the start until now... I''ll make sure to kill you even if my master will end up disowning me!" Lu Qing Yun swung her hand.


    The tail of her whipshed out and produced a circle that warned everyone else from approaching them.


    "Your young master?" a confused expression is stered on Peng Yan''s face as she felt that she forgot about something important to her. Feeling that Lu Qing Yun was challenging her, Peng Yan gives the Qiankun Pouch on her waist a p.


    An elegant silver sword was taken out along with a medicinal bottle with the seal of "Qin" stamped on the surface. This was precisely the same bottle of Yin Soothing Pill Qin Lan gave to her before she left.


    From the look of it, it was opened.


    "What is inside this bottle?" Peng Yan shook the bottle to listen to the sound it made inside. As no marker or hint exining the content inside, she randomly tossed the medicinal bottle to the messenger apanying her.


    "Keep this. I think I forget what was inside." Peng Yan said and descended from her chariot. She then walked into the circle Lu Qing Yun made using the Violet Queen Whip.


    "Mdy..." the messenger wanted to open his mouth to speak. But before he did, a de created by the Spiritual Manifestation was pressing on his neck.


    ''Keep your mouth shut, or I''ll kill you right here without anyone knowing what happened.'' a whisper came into his ears silently without anyone noticing.


    "I''m disappointed in you." Lu Qing Yun said. The whip in her hand returned to her grasp as she injected some Spiritual Qi into the handle.


    "Please don''t speak as you know me. If a fight is what you want, thene ahead!" Peng Yan''s finger gently touches the edges of her silver sword. The pointed tip fired a shot of de energy when it was pointing at Lu Qing Yun.


    "Immature tricks!" Lu Qing Yun vertically swung her hand down and controlled the whip to destroy the de energy into two halves. This marked the start of their battle as the two vanishes from their starting point instantly.


    In a sh, they collided as Peng Yan tries to deliver a blow at Lu Qing Yun''s shoulder. But the attack was blocked by Lu Qing Yun holding a section of her whip in both hands.


    A hint of Spiritual Qi then entered the whip. This move controlled the tail of Lu Qing Yun''s whip as it struck Peng Yan''s arm fiercely.


    Peng Yan retreated. But from how flexible she moves her hand, it doesn''t seem to do much on her.


    "Again!" after flexing her fist, Peng Yan made her move again. There were more Spiritual Qi was used in executing this blow as she appeared and vanished randomly.


    A kick quickly arrives by the time she appears beside Lu Qing Yun. Thetter, with less fighting experience, immediately fell on the ground face first. Some dirt was stuck on her face as soon as she came back on her foot.


    "Violet Tempest!" Lu Qing Yun swung the offensive treasure in her hand fiercely to the point the eye of wind was created.


    Tossing that attack at Peng Yan''s position, Lu Qing Yun joined and tried to hinder Peng Yan''s movement.


    "You dare!" Peng Yan turned her sword around and ced it behind her. A Paperweight b made from precious jade is then taken out from her Qiankun Pouch as she stands firmly at where she is.


    "Verdant Jade Inkstone, protect me!" Peng Yan yelled. Close to a quarter of Spiritual Qi was taken from her to create a barrier of protection. The shredding wind that''s capable of cutting flesh and stones was forcefully dispersed by the treasure.


    But as if she knew what would happen, Lu Qing Yun was well prepared. By the time she was just two steps away from Peng Yan, it was already toote for thetter to react.


    "You!" Peng Yan hurried and defended herself using the silver sword in her right arm.


    "Toote!" Lu Qing Yun shouted.


    "Rippling Wave Palm! All-Palm-Into-One!" Lu Qing Yun''s attack struck beautifully on Peng Yan''s voluptuous right breast. The tenderness that came in contact between the two made them have some mixed feeling.


    It was soon reced with a painful sensation as Peng Yan was thrown six to seven steps away. The pain made her slightly blushed as she was struck at a particrly private part of her body.


    "How dare you hit my breast! What if... What if?" Like there was a recollection of memory suddenlying back to her mind, it felt like a lightning bolt struck her head in an instant.


    "What is this feeling?" Peng Yan threw the silver sword down on the ground as she grabbed her head with both hands. The confusion in her vanishes almost as instant as it came.


    "What''s wrong with her?" Lu Qing Yun was confused by her action too. The act of suddenly throwing her sword and treasure away just to grab her head seems weird, at least in Lu Qing Yun''s opinion.


    "It must be some beguiling technique from you. Come fight with me properly if you dare!" Peng Yan said.


    "Wh - What? Beguiling technique? Who do you think I am,dy Peng Yan? Do you think I''m as shameless as you?" Lu Qing Yun was thoroughly angered when she listened to what Peng Yan just said. To think that the pot saying the kettle is ck.


    "Wasn''t you the one with all those lustful tricks when we first met on the battlefield?" Lu Qing Yun felt like she wanted to pull those images out from her and chuck them back into Peng Yan''s head.


    And not far from them, Qin Lan was nervous.


    ''For what the two is fighting?'' he asked himself.

 Chapter 212: Who Is That?

    Chapter 212: Who Is That?


    "Bring it on!" the two of them charge forward and fight again. The battle between the sword and whip was getting more heated while arguing each time their weapon collided.


    "Why would youe and mess with our young master if you''re going to behave like this after leaving?" Lu Qing Yun asked. Although she wasn''t the victim in this love-hate rtionship, she hated that the two were fighting now due to theirplicated background.


    ''Was there a meaning for this if you eventually going to forget my young master after leaving the Demon Mountain Fort?'' Lu Qing Yun clenched her teeth and tried to deliver another Rippling Wave Palm at Peng Yan.


    "No! You don''t!" After tasting the attack from Lu Qing Yun once, Peng Yan had started to develop a sense of shame from getting her breast pped by her opponent. Putting aside the pain she''ll get from the attack, it does not feel good to be starred by the soldiers as her voluptuous breast was bouncing as she retreated.


    But she had yet to notice that such a mindset was what made her not normal at all.


    It was unbefitting to say that the current Peng Yan is the usual herself because such a tactic wasn''t what she used to be before she met with Qin Lan.


    After blocking Lu Qing Yun''s attack, Peng Yan retreated a few steps as she stays on her guard.


    "General, our opponent''s general ising towards us. What is your order?" an officer approached Peng Yan and asking for her uing instruction.


    "Retreat and regroup." Peng Yan ordered.


    With the soldiers protecting her front as she took few steps back, she soon gets back on her chariot and left the battlefield.


    ''Huh... She stilles and goes as swiftly as before.'' Lu Qing Yun said to herself as she rxed. And when she did, a painful sensationes to her arm that was dealt with a kick by Peng Yan earlier.


    She doesn''t even need to lift the clothing to noticed that there''s a bruise where she took the hit.


    ''That''s what you get from hitting me that hard... I hope your breast is painful right now...'' Lu Qing Yun smirked as she turned around and waited for Qin Lan to arrive at her location.


    ...


    ...


    ''Aargh! This pain on my chest... How can a female fighter like her punch another woman''s breast that hard?'' Peng Yan asked. Her hand was gently massaging where she was punched by Lu Qing Yun earlier.


    That sight of her touching herself made the soldiers get an instant hard-on as they steal a sneak peek of their general. With Peng Yan''s beauty, it was not weird for the soldier to fantasize about her every second they have.


    But as her hand stays on another side of her breast, another jolt of lightning shock came to her.


    The feeling of someone grabbing this side made her remember something.


    "Who... Who is that?" the silhouette of Qin Lan appeared in her mind as she touches herself. But in the flood of images, all she could remember was the kinkiest thing between them, like when Qin Lan tries to kill her back at the Ten Miles in.


    But in between them, one particr image made her remembered something.


    The exquisite box with a medicinal bottle is ced within.


    "Where my medicinal bottle?" Peng Yan suddenly turned to the messenger that followed her around faithfully.


    "Huh? The bottle? Here you go, mdy." the messenger returned the medicinal bottle to Peng Yan and covered her with a fur-cloak.


    "Yin... Soothing Pill..." Peng Yan took a pill without trying to remember the medicinal effect after taking them.


    "General, the enemy has regrouped. Commander Xu Hu and Yang Yuan are dead. Right now, you''re the onlymanding officer left in our army." the captain of the Bronze Dragon Unit came to Peng Yan''s side and reported.


    "Ai..." Peng Yan sighed after listening to the captain''s report. She had never expected that even Yang Yuan could fall to her opponent''s hand.


    "How many men we still have?" Peng Yan asked.


    "Two thousand remaining from the Kuanglei Provincial Division, eight hundred from the Bronze Dragon Unit, and seven hundred from the Blood General''s Beheading Unit. That''s three thousand five hundred in total." the captain immediately answered.


    "What about our opponent?" she added.


    "In our rough estimation, between four to five thousand. But only half can be mobilized. The remaining soldiers would have to stay on guard monitoring the captives they''ve captured." the captain said.


    "This battle won''t be ended up well for us. Let us choose to..." Peng Yan felt dizzy out of sudden as she tried to speak.


    "Move forward." an order came into her ears.


    "Aargh!" as Peng Yan was deciding to order a retreat, the feeling of needles stabbing into her head came so intensely to the point she almost lost her consciousness.


    After struggling for a while in her head, Peng Yan opened her eyes again. It was reced by a hint of emotionless and coldness, unlike the Peng Yan a few minutes ago.


    "Continue pushing forward. We''ll fight to the death and make sure that we get rid of our opponent''s general before he attacks our Kuanglei Province," said Peng Yan.


    "Y - Yes... General..." the captain of Bronze Dragon Unit wanted to voice out his opinion, but he was too stiff and inflexible. As a soldier trained to obey his liege''smand, questioning hismanding officer''s decision is one of the taboos he cannotmit.


    "Prepare the Dragon Uprising Charge. We''ll crush their army in a single attack before going straight to their general''s head." Peng Yan said as she put on the protective helmet on her head.


    "..."


    Minutester...


    "Captain! Are we really going to go ahead with this n? This is too reckless, even to ourdy! We should tell her that..."


    "Shut up! You''re a soldier, just like me... Obey your officer." the captain said.


    "Made sure all preparation is done before we''re moving in. Remember to protect the general, even if you''re going to die twice. Did you hear me?" the captain yelled.


    "YES, SIR!" the Bronze Dragon Unit replied.


    ''Let''s hope that the messenger I sent could reach our general on time..."

 Chapter 213: Pain?

    Chapter 213: Pain?


    "Urgh!" a soldier in Bronze Dragon Unit''s uniform was coughing blood while he''s crawling on the ground. There was a sword still stabbed on his back.


    "Wh - Why? We''re both people of the Country of Wei... Why are you doing this to me?" the soldier asked. From how it looks, the two seem to be an acquaintance.


    "Brother... You can''t me me. What I am doing here is for the sake of our Country of Wei. I feel sad as well for having to deliver this killing blow using my own hand." the other guy said. The clothing belonged to an Evil Infant Sect''s disciple was seen on him after he took the soldier''s uniform off.


    "Evil Infant Sect... You''re someone from Evil Infant Sect... It''s my mistake... I shouldn''t trust you when you said you''re just a rogue cultivator without a sect." the soldier shook his head. It was toote for him to regret right now.


    "Hahaha... Looks like... This is as far as I can go. I''m sorry, Mdy... This useless servant will leave first." the Bronze Dragon Unit''s soldier crawls until he leaned on a tree. After making sure that he speaks out all his final words, the soldier shut his eyes.


    "Luckily, I managed to finish him before he gets out of this ce. There won''t be anyone bringing the message to the Genius General of Warfare." the disciple from Evil Infant Sect whispered as he searched the dead soldier''s body.


    After taking the scroll out from the soldier''s chest pocket, the disciple burns the message through the Spiritual Qi he converted into Yang me.


    But what he has no clue about is the message was not as simple as he thought.


    The entire scroll was actually made from a specific material from a Yao Beast. An undiscerning smell immediately spreads unnoticed from the Evil Infant Sect disciple as he returned to the battlefield in a hurry.


    By the time the smell reaches the younger cubs of the Yao Beast tamed by the Genius General of Warfare''s soldier, it went crazy.


    "Captain!" a soldier entered a tent with a Yao Beast Cage in his hand.


    "What''s wrong? What happened to the Sulfuric Fur Fox cub?" the captain asked. Behind him was a map hanging on the tent''s wall, indicating the entire area covered by their forces.


    From the look of it, it seems that the entire western area of the Country of Wei is under Peng Likun''s supervision. More than ten dragon heads were positioned from the top west to the lower west, except where the Kuanglei Province is.


    "Looks like someone destroyed one of our dragon unit''s signature sulfuric scroll. Shall I send someone to search for the culprit?" the soldier asked.


    "Go ahead. Make sure that you... General!" the captain was going to instruct the soldier on what to do. But before he finished his words, the curtain into his tent was lifted open.


    Peng Yan''s father, Peng Likun, had made his appearance to one of the smaller army bases under his jurisdiction.


    "The captain of Fire Dragon Unit, Tian Hong Gang, greets the general!" the captain kneeled on a knee as he lifted his cupped fists together while facing Peng Likun.


    "At ease, soldier. This general is here not as an officer but as a father today. I am here to pick my daughter because of what happened between the Kuanglei Province and Yunshan Province."


    "Have my daughter reaches the camp?" Peng Likun smiled.


    But his smile soon turned into a sour expression after he noticed the Sulfuric Fur Fox went crazy inside the cage.


    "Did something happened?" he asked.


    "Reporting to the general, the youngdy is yet to arrive at our base yet. Her escort, the Bronze Dragon Unit, is also yet to return from their visit to Kuanglei Province." the captain said.


    "Based on my understanding of my daughter, she''s not someone to be irresponsible in time and military order. How long has the Bronze Dragon Unit went?" Peng Likun asked.


    "And that beast. What direction is it howling at? When did this annoyance happen?" he added.


    "General, the best went crazy a moment ago. We were about to send a small squad to take a look. As for that direction... It should be between the Kuanglei and Yunshan Province." the captain immediately answered.


    "Is there any unit that was dispatched from the base?" Peng Likun asked.


    "No, general. Except for herdyship''s escort, the Bronze Dragon Unit." the captain immediately added.


    "Move all avable soldiers to the Kuanglei Province''s border. This is an order." Peng Likun''s expression bes ugly as he gets more and more worried about his daughter.


    In a split second, the tent was taken apart from the inside. By the time all the wreckages settled on the ground, the general and the two female escorts by the side were no longer around.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "My young master... Something seems to be wrong with Peng Yan." Lu Qing Yun said as she shyly turned her head away from Qin Lan.


    "Aargh!" she trembled slightly as Qin Lan pressed his hand harder on her arm that turning green and blue from taking Peng Yan''s kick. There''s only both of them were inside this tent right now.


    "Pain?" Qin Lan squinted his eyes while ring at Lu Qing Yun. Although he knew that both of them had their fault, Lu Qing Yun ended up as the unlucky one first as she was caught by Qin Lan immediately when he arrived at the battlefield.


    As for Peng Yan, he''ll give her a proper lesson to fight between one another.


    "No..." Lu Qing Yun turned her head down as she bit her lower lips.


    "Continue. What''s wrong with Peng Yan that you said? Are you sure it''s not because you''re angry with her battling against us?" Qin Lan asked. Although it came as a shock to him that Peng Yan was the general of the opposition force, there''s nothing much for him to be angry about.


    After all, he belonged to the Wu, and she belonged to the Wei. Before love, the responsibility as a citizen of the country alwayses first. This was in their blood.


    Unless... After Peng Yan became his woman.

 Chapter 214: Ill Subjugate Their General In Person

    Chapter 214: I''ll Subjugate Their General In Person


    "So? What''s wrong with Peng Yan?" Qin Lan asked as he continues to treat Lu Qing Yun''s arm. There''s a hint of heartacheing from looking at how bad is the green and blue bruises on her milky white arm.


    "She... Doesn''t seems to remember you, young master..." Lu Qing Yun speaks while worrying that the choice of the word she uses was too strong for Qin Lan to bear. Although she''s yet to fall into a rtionship with anyone else, she knew how fragile can a heart be when the opposite sex seems to have no recollection about them.


    "Doesn''t remember me? Are you sure it not an act because she''s the general opposing us?" Qin Lan shook his head and smiled at Lu Qing Yun.


    "Tsk! I''m serious here, young master!" Lu Qing Yun stomped the ground once to show a hint of dissatisfaction. Her behavior was both cute and lovely in front of Qin Lan.


    "Alright. I''m sure there''s a reason behind the behavior. Let us see what''sing up next before we nned what to..."


    "General! The Country of Wei is attacking. This time the gs of (Peng) were hoisted all over their formation. It seems that this battle is one that we cannot escape from..." Shan Xiong Xin came into the tent and reported.


    From his tone, it seems that the others were already in another camp preparing for a counter-attack. They onlyck his attendance right now.


    "Alright. I''ll be right there. Give the order for all avable soldiers to get ready. The Crimson Mist Army shall take the frontline. The three prince''s soldiers shall take the rear. I''ll being to the meeting in the next five minutes." said Qin Lan.


    "Noted." Shan Xiong Xin left the tent.


    "Take a few Flesh Mending Pill and Blood Genesis Pill to recover yourself. Don''t get into a fight like before. Don''t you know that people will get worried if they see you like this?" Qin Lan flicked her forehead after telling her what to do.


    In the next moment, he was seen leaving the tent. The others soon asked if they cane in.


    "Juste in if you want. When did you guys ask for permission anyway?" Lu Qing Yun angrily answered them. But at the same time, she was smiling because what Qin Lan said was true in some sense. Looking at this bunch of nothing good, they''ll be running wild without her controlling and disciplining them.


    ''Perhaps that''s why he gave me a whip.'' Lu Qing Yun smiled.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "How''s the preparation went?" Qin Lan asked as he greeted everyone after walking into the tent. Looking at the three princes that sat beside one another, Qin Lan had the urge tough.


    ''Put the three of them at the same nest... They''ll fight as if they''re not connected by the blood flowing within them. Forcing them to stay with another, the three will bond tighter than ever.''


    ''No wonder humanity needs to have the Yao Beast around for them to thrive. Without the Yao Beast, men will turn their weapons back at each other, just like now.'' Qin Lan said and came to the middle of the discussion table.


    "What''s the number of men between us and theirs?" Qin Lan started the discussion before he allocates them respectively into a different position.


    "Our opponent has three thousand and five hundred men. As for us, we can mobilize close to three thousand soldiers. But what we''re worried about the most is their Bronze Dragon Unit." Huang Ping answered.


    The Bronze Dragon Unit was brought into the discussion because of its deadly charge. In the previous encounter, it only took them a single onught to destroy a thousand soldiers.


    That ughtering scene is still vividly disyed in their mind, especially those managed to survive through the onught.


    "As long we knew what they''ll try to do, we can prevent ourselves from tasting the same defeat as before. All we need is a few capable individuals."


    "Big brother, how''s your recovery?" Qin Lan asked his eldest brother.


    "Much better. I can execute the strength of an early fifth-level Bone Reconstruction Layer without a problem." Qin Fan replied. It seems that the two adjutants did not fight seriously as well before Qin Lan arrived on the battlefield.


    "Then... Please take the position of the middle vanguard. Expert Yi, Xie, and Shun, the left vanguard position will be left to you. As for the right side of the vanguard position, I''ll have to ask you to handle this, brother Shan,mander Huang, and Captain Wang." Qin Lan arranged them respectively.


    "As for the three princes, please lead the remaining 1,500 soldiers on the rear army and provide assistance when necessary," he added.


    It seems that Qin Lan is excluding himself from the overall formation.


    "General, do you have a n on your own? I hope you don''t mind us asking." Sun Chen Long brought his curiosity up to the table.


    "Of course. I''ll be leading a personal attack squadron and take a detour to the rear of our enemy''s line. I''ll subjugate our opposing general personally." Qin replied to Sun Chen Long''s question confidently as he put on the Crimson Mist equipment on himself.


    "Ge - General... Are you sure that you''ll be alright going into the enemy''s frontline with a small squadron?" Sun Chen Long continued to question him.


    "Of course. I won''t make a reckless decision if I''m not sure that I can win this battle." Qin Lan said.


    "Shall we make our move?" asking them if they''re ready to finish the battle today, Qin Lan lifted the curtain and stepped outside of the tent under the gaze of thousands of soldiers.


    "People of Wu!" the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush made its appearance once again in the form of an energy sword. Using only the Spiritual Qi to form the golden de in his hand, Qin Lan tried to rouse the fighting spirit within his soldiers.


    "This will be the final battle before we im part of the Kuanglei''s territories as a part of our country! Prepare your sword! Your spears! And whatever you use to kill your opponents! Today, be it you or me, we''ll create a history!" after he finished his words, the glow of azure spreads across the cliff he''s standing.


    "TO WAR!" Qin Lan shouted.

 Chapter 215: You! Surname Qin!

    Chapter 215: You! Surname Qin!


    Five hundred soldiers per unit. Six units in total.


    This was all Qin Lan is capable of amassing right not to participate in this final battle. Based on how Peng Yan''s forces distributed themselves, it''s likely that Qin Fan would be the one to receive the brunt attack from the Bronze Dragon Unit once more.


    But this time, they''re prepared.


    Going strong from the start, Qin Fan led the straight into the battlefield with the assistance of Running Amulet. He believes that it would be best if his unit managed to cut their distance quickly before the Bronze Dragon Unit managed to pull their tricks again.


    And his bet was half sessful.


    The remaining half was considered a risky move because the current Qin Fan and the remnants of Crimson Mist Army were fighting against close to 800 soldiers on their own.


    Furthermore, their opponent wasn''t some random crack soldiers gathered from all over the Kuanglei Province but experienced soldiers that trained properly under the banner of Peng Likun.


    Although the number of veterans inside this team is considered lesser than the Beheading Army and Kuanglei Border Army, their strength is more or less the same.


    "To battle! Engage!" Qin Fan pushes his Spiritual Qi to the limit and fought against two Bronze Dragon Unit''s officers at once. A sword that half the length of a polearm was used to defend against two weapons longer than its own.


    **Dang!**


    The first exchange threw the three of them back to where they came from. One of the peak second-level Bone experts immediately joined the battle as he received Qin Fan before he smashed onto the ground due to the st.


    "Are you alright, expert Qin?" the Bone expert asked Qin Fan without bothering about himself. His internal organ was on fire, and blood is started to clot after he forcefully receives Qin Lan.


    "Please take a Flesh Mending Pill before it''s toote. Thank you for your effort. I''ll make sure to not disappoint what you have done for me." said Qin Fan as he returned to the battlefield.


    "Bah! Urgh!" the expert coughed a few mouthfuls of blood after Qin Fan left. If it gets more serious, perhaps even his internal organs would be coughed out by him.


    "The remnant power from three experts are indeed... Re... Markable..." the expert fainted on the ground before he managed to put the pill into his mouth.


    ...


    ...


    "Commander Shan, Commander Huang, and Captain Wang, I wish you three good luck. Let us block the main army from continuing to move forward." Expert Yi, Xie, and Shan cupped their fists at the other three before leading their unit into the battlefield.


    "Likewise! Good luck to you three!" they returned the warming gesture. Leading five hundred men with them, the left and right vanguard also followed the same momentum as Qin Fan. They went ahead to battle against the two separated units from the Kuanglei Province Border Army.


    It was a one-sided battle against a thousand soldiers with five hundred men.


    But this is what they had to do, to preserve the forces of three young princes as they march forward to fight against a deadlier opponent that once ughtered all their experts.


    Even with only 700 soldiers remaining in their rank, the Beheading Army is still a considerable powerful force. And just like Qin Lan''s tactic, Peng Yan is also nowhere to be found.


    Her two loyal adjutants were also dispatched to lead the two separated units of the Kuanglei Province Border Army.


    ...


    "What will happen to the battle, in your opinion?" Sun Wu Jian''s guardian asked as he witnesses their battle from above. Using the advantages of a bird-eye view on the battlefield, it turned out to be a blossoming lotus right now.


    And not far from the battlefield is two smaller groups with less than a hundred soldiers with a different mission. Based on the distance between them, they''re expected to stumble across one another not long after the three princes and the Beheading Army engaged in a heated battle.


    ...


    "Raise your weapon and prepare for battle!" Sun Ding Tian was the one to order as he was the eldest amongst the three princes. Based on the number of orders alone, he is indeed qualified to be the first to speak.


    Furthermore, there was a significant change in his attitude after he was showered with a repeating defeat. And as all men do, if one still doesn''t learn from his failure, then he''s nothing more than a piece of trash.


    As a prince of this Country of Wu, Sun Ding Tian still has some of his pride left.


    Looking at their second brother curiously, the seventh prince and ninth prince smiled.


    ''To think that there''s a day we can see second brother''s serious face for once. If he was like this from the start, to what extent is his sess right now?'' the two princes thought.


    It wasmon for them to think this way because the first and second princes were born from the same mother, the current Queen of Wu. As the two eldest that came from the same empress with the most power in the royal court, the support they had in their back was undoubtedly better than the other princes.


    But this was also their downfall.


    Or precisely, Sun Ding Tian''s downfall.


    Because his royal mother''s attention is given more to the smarter and older brother, he was neglected by the empress. This is what led him throughout until today.


    Still, there were people that loyal to Sun Ding Tian. Such as his adjutant and the few elite soldiers who protected him when the siege crossbow struck where he stands.


    "Chen Long! Wu Jian!" Sun Ding Tian suddenly turned his attention to his two younger siblings. Like there''s a mutual understanding between brothers, they immediately understand what was in their second brother''s mind.


    "Soldiers of Wu! Follow me!" the two princes moved forward with their elites and engaged against the Beheading Army with the momentum they''ve built up throughout the way.


    And with this, all units were engaged in a battle.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Peng Yan! Stop right there!" Qin Lan said as his troops overlook Peng Yan''s squadron located below the elevated slope. It seems he''s already expected that she''ll be using this way toe to the back of his army.


    "You... You..." a jolt of electrical current made Peng Yan felt numb in her head as she looked at Qin Lan''s face properly. Her heart palpitates faster without herself knowing why does this happen to her.


    ''Why do seeing him made my heart race so much? My left breast felt slightly painful as well the moment I saw him... Did he... Took advantages of me before?'' Peng Yan started to make random guesses as her body reacted differently while looking at Qin Lan.


    "Are you sure you want to go against me? There will be no way back after this..." Qin Lan said.


    "I''ll let you choose... Come to my side, and I''ll be responsible for you. Everything about this country fighting, argument, and differences, let''s leave it aside as we went through our life as a married couple." Qin Lan said.


    His word sounded like a proposal, but what he''ll say next wasn''t the same as the first.


    "But if you choose to fight against me, then don''t me me to forcefully bring you back with me. By that time, I won''t be as gentle as I am right now." Qin Lan added.


    ''Huh?'' the soldiers from both side, including Lu Qing Yun, Lu Yi, and Huo Zunjie is puzzled by Qin Lan''s word.


    ''Are there any differences between the two options?'' they asked themselves. Some even try toprehend the meaning behind Qin Lan''s words.


    "Big brother, can you understand what the general is trying to say?" a soldier asked an older colleague nodding his head beside him. Since he''s married, he should be somewhat more experienced.


    "Stupid virgin. Listen properly here..."


    "What the general means is, either you want it or not, you''ll follow me back home. I''ll be responsible and provides for you. And you''ll be my woman, willingly or forcefully."


    "Get it? I think only our general is qualified to speak like this to the woman he wants." the married soldier speaks loudly. Although there were some words omitted by himself without asking for Qin Lan''s permission, it was deciphered urately.


    "You... You!!!" Peng Yan pointed her finger at Qin Lan after listening to what the married soldier said. At first, she was somewhat blushed and puzzled by Qin Lan''s words, but listening to the soldier''s exnation gives her an entirely new understanding of what Qin Lan meant.


    Added with the palpitating heart and slight pain on her left breast, she came out with a conclusion that nobody could have guessed. Since that misunderstanding is only known by Qin Lan and herself.


    At that time, there was nobody around them.


    Even if the soldier that witnessed what happened that time managed to reappear right here to exin it all over again, it won''t be helpful to solve the misunderstanding between them.


    Peng Yan unhooks the metal armor protecting her chest and lower body as soon as she got her conclusion. Pointing her finger at Qin Lan, she started to speak.


    "You! Surname Qin, correct?" Peng Yan said. The way she started her word was unexpected.


    "I don''t know what happened between us, but I''m sure it was not something beautiful based on the traumatizing pain I have on my left breast! From the way you talk, I''m sure you''re one of the perverts that took advantage of me before!"


    "How dare you want me to surrender and follow you back to your abode to be your woman?" Peng Yan''s wordspletely turned the soldier''s world upside down.


    "WHAT!!!" but the one that was disturbed the most was Lu Qing Yun.


    "Peng Yan! I''m going to kill you!" she yelled.

 Chapter 216: Evil Abbess Wu Shuang (1)

    Chapter 216: Evil Abbess Wu Shuang (1)


    "Qing Yun!" Qin Lan wanted to stop her from moving in recklessly, but he was slightly toote. From the way she looks, she had been in the mood to pick a fight the moment the two sides met.


    With the Violet Queen Whip in her hand, Lu Qing Yun pushes her strength to the limit as she descends from the elevated slope like an angel in a blue robe. The weapon in her hand screeches as it swirled behind her.


    But her advances were hindered by two officers before she managed to get into Peng Yan''s inner circle.


    "Two second-level Bone Experts!" Lu Qing Yun smirked as she swings her whip forward. The long-ranged weapon of hers struck both officer''s weapons while scaling up the slopes.


    **Bang! Bang!**


    It was just the tail of a mediocre whip. But when armed with Lu Qing Yun''s precise Spiritual Qi, the blow was as heavy as a hammer.


    Even in an exchange of two second-level experts against one, Lu Qing Yun was not losing in any way.


    More of the Spiritual Qi was injected into the whip as she was a few meters above the ground. This made the soft whip be as hard as a walking cane, one with a length of three meters long on top of that.


    The whip slowly returned to its soft appearance as she stood firmly on the ground.


    "What are you all waiting for? Get down there and fight." Qin Lan pointed at where Lu Qing Yunnds and ordered the others to follow her track.


    A battle immediately started between them. There are less than a hundred soldiers is each side, but all of them were skillful experts.


    "Should we fight too?" Qin Lan pointed his sword at where Peng Yan is staying still. Her gaze was as sharp as ever when she stares back at him.


    "Bring it on." Peng Yan said. The silver sword that was once in her hand was taken out, like a woman trying to retaliates from getting taken away by force from a bride stealers.


    "No wonder Qing Yun said there''s something wrong with her... Did she get brainwashed or hypnotized?" Qin Lan used the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique to move into the battlefield.


    Under the assistance from the natural wind and his Spiritual Qi, he descends from the elevated slope just like how Lu Qing Yun just did.


    The wind gently making his robe flutter as his elevation is slowly getting lower. But such an appearance is no longer attractive to Peng Yan because she had lost her interest in Qin Lan due to some unknown reason.


    All that remained behind her eyes was a hint of prejudice and the traumatizing pain she felt on her left breast each time her gazended on him.


    "Die! Pervert!" Peng Yan was the first to move as she closes the distance between them with a swift and deadly sword strike. The strength of a peak first-level Bone Expert came out instantly as she attacked Qin Lan fiercely.


    *Ding!*


    Qin Lan blocked her sword and grabbed her wrist using his left hand. There was a hint of an intention to wrestle with her when Qin Lan noticed that she changed her fighting tactics after his first move.


    Because he was unaware of the extent of her boxing skills, Qin Lan got punched in the stomach by Peng Yan as she let go of the silver sword. As it was sensitive to her Spiritual Qi, her sword seems to retain some flying ability, although heavily restricted.


    "Flying Swallow Sword Technique?" Qin Lan smiled as he sees how Peng Yan is doing her best to fight against him. Although the pain in his abdomen is quite bad, it was not to the point he''s heavily injured.


    "This girl... Let me force you to use the trick you use on me before." Qin Lan continued. Using the blunt side of his de, he used the weapon to knock her elbow as made her lost her bnce.


    But before she fell on the ground buttock first, Qin Lan extends his hand to grab her waist. This action once again making Peng Yan felt that Qin Lan was aplete pervert for repeatedly touching her with every chance.


    "You!" Peng Yan swings her palm at Qin Lan''s face.


    Just half an inch before it hit his face, her hand stopped. A hint of headache made her hesitates as she pulled herself away from Qin Lan''s grasp.


    The conflicting emotion of enjoying and hating what Qin Lan did to her made her questioned her heart.


    "Devil... What kind of evil art you''re using to disturb my mind? To think that I would have these kinds of feelings when you''re touching me... It disgusts me!" Peng Yan said. She rubbed her waist where Qin Lan touches her before and also her wrist.


    ''She''s totally out of her mind...'' Lu Qing Yun kept stealing nces between the two as she battle against the two officers. And because everyone here had a slight familiarity towards another from the short month period back in the Demon Mountain Fort, there''s no killing intent behind their attack.


    "Brother, you''ve lost." Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie pants as the two of them brought the messenger serving Peng Yan down.


    "I still lost to the two of you in the end... This is frustrating." the messenger smiled even though he was defeated.


    "Things might be different if you''re using the City-Protection Treasure you have on you... This is just not a fair battle between us. The next time, we''ll fight one to one, without handicap!" Lu Yi said as he sat beside the messenger''s side.


    The other soldiers had the same thought treating this battle as a training session instead of a battle of life and death.


    But to the being orchestrating the entire show from behind, this was a p to her pride.


    "Who exactly are you?" Peng Yan stopped attacking as the conflicting memories that appearing in her mind kept her feeling bothered. Added with Qin Lan''s attack without intent and the weird reaction from her body, this made her lost track of what she actually wanted to do.


    All that in her mind is thought to solve these conflicting memories in her head.


    "Who am I? Do you still need to ask this? Why don''t you take the red dress in your Qiankun Pouch out and try to remember yourself? Perhaps, you might have a different thought about this pervert after looking at it." Qin Lan said.


    "Red dress?" Peng Yan suspiciously stares at Qin Lan as her hand touched her Qiankun Pouch.


    The exquisite dress that she once wears to impress Qin Lan appeared in her hand. This brought back some of her memories about what Hu Jia once told her.


    "Pervert... No... Qin Lan?" the memories that were locked away from her suddenly returned as her mind was overflow with memories created when they''re together. Perhaps the only regret she had in her would be that she''s yet to be his woman.


    "What happened?" two memories shed and merged into one as she inspects the havoc around her. To think that she was actually a part of all this.


    Turning her head back at the Bronze Dragon Unit that fought to theirst drop of blood against Qin Fan''s unit, it felt like a sword stabbed deep into her heart.


    "No! No! No!" Peng Yan''s heart was crushed by guilt at how her loyal subordinates died because she was not being herself. Even at this point, they''re still faithfully executing her order, even if it meant she''s calling them to die for her without meaning.


    "How... How can this be? What actually happened?" Peng Yan turned her eyes back to Qin Lan. Her leg started to give in before she managed to walk a step further. Even the dress fell on the ground before she noticed.


    "Peng Yan." Qin Lan moved forward and grabbed her before she fell to the ground. This time, there''s no longer a hint of rejection from her because she had returned to herself.


    "What have I done, Lan?" Peng Yan asked.


    "Calm down. Tell me what happened after you left the Demon Mountain Fort." Qin Lan asked.


    "What happened... I was on my way passing the border between the two provinces, and then... I was forcefully invited to the capital of Kuanglei Province..."


    "Wait... Master!" Peng Yan turned her head around to where Lu Qing Yun was.


    "Qing Yun! Careful!" Peng Yan seems to have remembered something. But it was toote when the power of a half-step Spiritual Root expert appeared from one of the two officers.


    The sudden changes even managed to catch the three prince''s guardians and Yang Wen by surprise. It was toote by the time they make a move.


    "Qing Yun!" Qin Lan could only look at Lu Qing Yun getting a p on her chest as the half-step Spiritual Root Expert revealed herself from her disguise. As if there''s a bomb detonating inside of her chest, Lu Qing Yun coughs a stream of blood as she was thrown more than five meters away.


    It is impossible to guess whether she''s still alive or not.


    "Evil Abbess Wu Shuang!" Elder Yang Wen entered the battlefield as he yelled the name of the expert.


    "Evil Abbess Wu Shuang? That''s your master?" Qin Lan asked. Worried about Lu Qing Yun''s safety, he had the urge to let Peng Yan down right now and made his way to Lu Qing Yun.


    "Peng Yan! Kill that brat right now!" her master ordered by pointing her palm at Peng Yan and Qin Lan. In that instant, Peng Yan''s eyes once again changed.

 Chapter 217: Evil Abbess Wu Shuang (2)

    Chapter 217: Evil Abbess Wu Shuang (2)


    A knife instantly came into Peng Yan''s grip as the consciousness in her eyes vanished. What''s left from this body was just a puppet executing the order of her master.


    The knife stabbed into Qin Lan''s chest as it was witnessed by close to two hundred people around them. But weirdly, there is no blood dripping down from the gap between Peng Yan''s hand and Qin Lan''s chest.


    Tears were rolling down from the corner of Peng Yan''s lifeless eyes.


    It seems that even out of consciousness, the body and soul of the person made to do such a betrayal act could still respond, although it might be because of guilt and regret. It was a conflicting response given by Peng Yan.


    The tears keep on rolling as if she was more willing to die than hurting the man she loves.


    "Useless disciple! You''ve wasted all my effort of grooming you throughout these years!" Evil Abbess Wu Shuang retaliates Elder Yang Wen''s attack with a p. The strike was filled with Evil Qi quickly spreads around her, making it difficult for the soldiers from both sides to breathe.


    "Urgh... This Qi is deadly... Quickly..." the other officer that fought against Lu Qing Yun with the abbess was the first victim. His body immediately rotted as the Evil Qi invaded his body, turning him into a scorching walking corpse.


    "You won''t live past today! Evil abbess!" the three other guardians came down and covered her path of retreat.


    Unfortunately, this is eventually a scuffle between the Country of Wu and the Country of Wei. As Evil abbess''s affiliation is with the Wei, the elders from the same side are obliged to help. Instantly, close to six elders, all with the strength between the Peak-Level of Bone Layer to half-step Spiritual Root Layer appeared around this battlefield.


    "Fellow experts from the Sun Royal Family, don''t me us for lending the abbess a hand." they chuckled as their arrival threatened the three prince''s guardians.


    Even with Elder Yang Wen''s strength, he can''t fight against this many opponents with the cultivation not too far from him. Although he might need only one strike to kill each of them, but were that not the same for him?


    As a simrly powerful cultivator, he could only take up to three hits at most before he was defeated. And right here, there are seven opponents, with those from the Country of Shu is not yet included.


    This is an indirect rey of the situation that can be described with an idiom,


    "The Cicada was forced to fight a Mantis, even after knowing an Oriole is waiting to swallow them both."


    "Fellow brothers from Wu, please allow both of us to help!" two other elders came into the scene.


    One of them was Elder Impertinence from the Thousand Sword Manor. The other was Elder Yao, from the Medicinal Sword Tower. The participation of the two can be said to be akin to delivering charcoal during winter.


    But as if it was dry enough to be ignited with fire, they still have to see first.


    "Brothers! Let''s do it!" the thirteen peak-level experts vanish by the time they take action. A battle circle was formed immediately at where they fought, and each of them had a target.


    Except for Elder Yang Wen. Two experts are waiting for him to make his move.


    "Senior sister, let me handle him." from the way the other female expert addressed the abbess, it seems she hailed from the same sect as the Evil abbess do.


    "Peng Yan! Kill him, or kill yourself!" the Evil abbess changed her tactic after knowing that it was difficult for her n to seed today. Furthermore, she spreads her Evil Qi wider as a few more soldiers fell victim to her attack.


    Right now, there''s a total of five scorching corpses trying to wake up from their slumber. By the time they''re fully developed, they''ll be a threat to the surrounding soldiers.


    That''s because every part of their body is an arsenal capable of poisoning other cultivators. Although getting bitten or wounded by them would not turn the cultivator into a scorching corpse immediately, the erosion from their Spiritual Qi is hard to be rid of.


    Peng Yan turned the de in her hand around and prepared to stab her own neck. With her condition right now, all it needs is a slightly urate cut to get her to bleed to death.


    Qin Lan quickly grabbed Peng Yan''s hand to stop her from doing what her master had said.


    "Evil abbess Wu Shuang! You''re too ck-hearted! Although I know nothing between the two of you... She''s still your disciple!" Qin Lan shouted at the woman without bothering about the difference in their seniority.


    Because if he wanted to be bothered, his seniority is Millenials above her!


    "Hahaha! Disciple? So what if she''s a disciple of mine? I have more than a hundred disciples over the years as the elder of the Evil Infant Sect. So what if I lost a few of them? She''s not the first to die, and also not thest I have!" Evil abbessughed.


    "Peng Yan! Quit it! Come back to your... Urgh!" Qin Lan shifted his attention back to Peng Yan within his grasp. But what she got was a palm strike from her with all her might. While a dagger can be easily stopped by focusing his Spiritual Qi around the point, a palm attack with Spiritual Qi is tricky to defend against.


    Qin Lan coughed a mouthful of blood as he was thrown back to less than a few meters from Lu Qing Yun.


    Now, he was torn in between either to save Peng Yan or Lu Qing Yun. Both of them were in peril right now, and he''s only a single person.


    Snatching away the dagger from Peng Yan''s hand, Qin Lan turned his attention to Lu Qing Yun behind him. But before he managed to take a step away, Peng Yan started to look for trouble again.


    Her hand is targetting her own forehead as the Spiritual Qi of a first-level Bone Reconstruction Layer gathered in her palm. This is considered the easiest way to suicide because the body might be trained to defend against an outside force, but now one''s own force.


    "Peng Yan!" Qin Lan shouted. He turned himself back to control Peng Yan from doing something reckless again. Using two of his finger as a sword, Qin Lan tapped both her shoulders and the back of her neck as he forcefully turns Peng Yan unconscious.


    He then grabbed Peng Yan in one hand and went to Lu Qing Yun in a hurry.


    The clothing on her chest was already burst open by the Evil abbess Wu Shuang''s attack. Blood was flowing uncontrobly from Lu Qing Yun''s front and back, but it was not the worst.


    A hint of Lotus Fragrance ising out from Lu Qing Yun as she''s currently half naked right in front of Qin Lan. Due to the characteristic of her unique physique, treating her injury be moreplicated as Qin Lan would have to fortify his mental defense from getting taken by the lust inside him.


    He immediately inserted a few acupuncture needles into Lu Qing Yun''s blood acupoint to stop the bleeding. Bottles after bottles of Kuangshan Dew were poured on her wounds to promotes the rejuvenating process. The resin from Elusive Devilflower was used to close the open wounds.


    But less than ten minutes from doing what it had to be done, Peng Yan''s consciousness came back. She immediately tried to suicide the moment she could move. Peng Yan decided to bit her tongue as her hands are unable to move.


    Qin Lan immediately stuffs her hand between Peng Yan''s jaw as she bit deep into his flesh. The imprint of her biting marks soon turned into a bleeding wound as Peng Yan put more strength in her jaws. She looks no different from one of the scorching corpses right now.


    What''s weird here is that the Evil abbess Wu Shuang did not continue to pursue what they''re doing. All she did was looking at the trio as if she was recollecting about something a long time ago.


    "All men are like this. All good-looking men like you are all like this!"


    "Greedy!"


    "Lustful!"


    "Why would you want to defile all woman you''ve seen? Why can''t you be faithful to just one?" the abbess seems to be in hysteria as it reminded her of something unfavorable.


    "Peng Yan! Destroy your own cultivation core! If he loves you, he''ll stop you from doing that!" the Evil abbess suddenly came up with a new idea. As the order was absolute to the puppet in her control, Peng Yan immediately reverses the flow of her Spiritual Qi in an attempt to destroy her own cultivation.


    "No! No!" Qin Lan stopped working on Lu Qing Yun. Forced to take drastic action, Qin Lan gathered the Foundation Qi in his arsenal and decided to take Peng Yan out. Perhaps this is the only solution he had to stop Peng Yan from getting controlled by the Evil abbess.


    But as Qin Lan''s attack almost reaches Peng Yan, the arrival of another new expert made everything out of control.


    "Animal! You dare!" Peng Likun appeared out of the blue as he thought Qin Lan was trying to kill his daughter. Not even giving it a chance to question what Qin Lan is trying to do, he pushed his strength to its limit and appeared right before Qin Lan.


    "Overpowering Western Garrison!" a punchnded straight into Qin Lan''s left chest as he was thrown away as an arrow ricocheted from where it should go. Even the elevated slope where Qin Lan initially came from was sliding down as Qin Lan gets buried deep inside the soil.


    By the time Peng Likun turned his head to his daughter, it was already toote as Peng Yan had detonated her own Cultivation Core. Blood was flowing from the corner of her lips as she looked at Peng Likun.


    "Father... Yan-Er... Yan-Er..." tears were rolling down from her eyes as everything was messed up.

 Chapter 218: Evil Abbess Wu Shuang (3)

    Chapter 218: Evil Abbess Wu Shuang (3)


    "What is the meaning of this?" more elders from the Country of Wu''s side are appearing on this battlefield. From the moment the Evil Abbess Wu Shuang revealed herself, the result of this war is already set in stone.


    "We''re here to handle the aftermath of this battle. From this moment onwards, this war is over!" close to twenty or so elders, all with the strength between peak-level Bone Reconstruction Layer to half-step Spiritual Root Layer, made their appearance.


    It was easy for the experts to separate the soldiers. But for those present at the abbess and Genius General of Warfare, their task turned out to be slightly riskier. The battle of the two continued along with their personal argument.


    "Cao Wu Shuang! How could you do this to your only family member in this world? Can you face your sister down there when it''s your time to go?" Peng Likun pped out with his Spiritual Qi pushed to the limit.


    His attack was fierce, but it was effortlessly diverted by the Evil abbess with a casual swing from her hand.


    "My only family member? Have you even ask if I admit the rtionship between us?" the Evil abbess replied. From her expression, she does seem uninterested in this topic.


    "What do you mean? Does that mean you''re unwilling to admit that Yan-Er? Don''t force me to take the action that we''ll regretter!" Peng Likun stepped forward. The Foundation Qi gathering in both of his hands seems to get thicker the closer he gets to the Evil abbess.


    "Regret? What else is there for you to regret?" the Evil abbess took the soldier''s armor as she revealed a part of her upper chest. There''s still a scar left on her upper breast, which seems to be made from a sword.


    "Bring out your sword. Or did you throw it already? Where''s your precious Cao Family Verdant Sword?" the Evil abbess covered her shoulder after asking the question. She attacked immediately after that, dealing damage around where Peng Likun stands.


    The attack was simple, but it made Peng Likun hesitates as he retreated a few steps back and protected Peng Yan from the remnants of the attack.


    "Father, what are you two talking about? Is she rted to mother?" Peng Yan asked. Except for her mother''s surname, Peng Yan can be said to know nothing about her at all. Even the most loyal soldier of her father is clueless about what happened with Peng Likun before that.


    "Tsk... Father will exin everything to you in the future. This... You shouldn''t ask too much. It is tooplicated." Peng Likun said. Putting ayer of Foundation Qi around his daughter, Peng Likun tried to protect her from any external Spiritual Qi attack while he''s still fighting.


    "Did your secretive father not tell you about your mother? That''s just how he is. From his appearance, he looked like a gentleman that knew how to treat thedies around him. But from the back, did you know what kind of ugly matter he did before?" the Evil abbess chuckled as she speaks.


    "Cao Wu Shuang! Keep your mouth shut!" Peng Likun attacked.


    "Why should I? I am not your woman! I am not the one that bes your woman! Why? Why am I not the one you choose?" the Evil abbess gets hysterical and delivered her attack everywhere.


    As both of them were experts in their half-step Spiritual Root Layer, there are no elders who dare to recklessly join the battle and stops them from continuing.


    "Father''s woman? Father, who is my master''s real identity? What is this all about?" Peng Yan asked. The further she listened, the more question she has in her mind.


    "She''s..." Peng Likun hesitates.


    "I am your mother''s older sister. My name is Cao Wu Shuang, and hers is Cao Wu Feng. By right, I am supposed to be your aunt." the Evil abbess appeared by Peng Yan''s side and tried to grab thetter in her hand.


    But her n failed because she''s unable to get rid of the defensiveyer protecting Peng Yan from external threats.


    "Father! Is what my master said is true? She''s... My aunt?" Peng Yan asked. Despair is growing in her heart as she asked herself why her own aunt made her destroy her own cultivation core.


    Right now, she''s nothing more than a regr person.


    "Why? Why would you harm me this way if you''re a family member of mine?" Peng Yan continued. She finds it difficult to believe that the one that harmed her is no one else but her own aunt and master. To think that it was someone this close to her who hurt her.


    "Lass... You shouldn''t be born into this world. If it''s not because of you, will your father even choose your mother and not me?" the Evil abbess said.


    "Cao Wu Shuang! Get the hell away from my daughter!" Peng Likun tried to stop the Evil abbess, but he was disturbed by the scorching corpses she created.


    "Die!" Peng Likun pped the walking corpses to their death. Unfortunately, It was not as easy as he thought.


    ...


    ...


    "Young master!" Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie dug thendslide in their search for Qin Lan. But the effort is fruitless as Qin Lan was nowhere to be found.


    "Considered you''re lucky for me to be here," a female expert appeared by the side of Lu Qing Yun as she feeds her a life-saving pill. Her condition seems to be getting much better than when Qin Lan uses a life-saving measure to keep her alive.


    When more soldiers arrived from the main battlefield, they quickly helped Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie. It was a race with time to get Qin Lan out from the earth before he suffocated to death.


    "Look''s like this ce is no longer worth staying. Zhou Qian, let us go to get your cousin sister and return." another expert hovering only the sky said. From her look, she seems to be another expert from a rtively big sect.


    More experts that were here to witness the battle gradually left.


    Right now, there are only two events that are still going on. At where the slope is, the soldiers, especially those wearing the Crimson Mist Army uniform, were busy removing the soil searching for Qin Lan.


    As for the other side, it was a family argument between Peng Likun and Cao Wu Shuang, who seems to be his ex-lover.


    ...


    ...


    "Why does this has to turn this way? Why can''t we just get along with each other nicely?" Peng Yan asked as she shook her head. It seems that what the Evil abbess just told her left a big impression in her heart.


    The words made her question if she should be born into this world. Perhaps without her, this world might end up as a much better ce for her father and this so-called aunt.


    "Yan-Er! Don''t listen to what she said! There are more to be told behind this, and what she said is just from her perspective!" Peng Likun finally cleared the barricade formed by close to twenty scorching corpses and came in between Peng Yan and Cao Wu Shuang.


    "Father, tell me the truth...Did you really rape both aunt and mother?" Peng Yan stares at her father as she asked him to tell her the truth.


    "I... I..." Peng Likun was speechless. Based on his expression alone, it looks like what the Evil abbess told her was the truth.


    Due to the lust in his mind, Peng Likun raped the two Cao family sisters right inside their family that night, forcing the two women to be his.


    Although he gets married to one of them, he eventually opted for the younger sister, Cao Wu Feng, instead of Cao Wu Shuang. But on that night itself, it was Cao Wu Shuang that got impregnated by Peng Likun.


    Because she ends up as an unmarried woman that gets pregnant, Cao Wu Shuang bes theughingstock in and out of the Cao Family. She had tried to ask Peng Likun to take responsibility for her, but she was toote.


    When she arrived at the Peng''s Manor, a banquet was held in the house banquet to celebrate the good news that Cao Wu Feng is pregnant. This piece of good news crushes Cao Wu Shuang''s heart.


    Both of them were youngdies from the same house. The man that took their virginity was the same person standing right in front of her. But how can Heaven be so unfair? Cao Wu Feng was treated like a treasure when she was found pregnant, but she was shunned because she''s pregnant?


    This incident set the sisters on a different path. And about two yearster, the entire Cao Manor went ame, where 153 people were found dead in the fire. It only took a single night for the Cao Family to vanish from this world of the living.


    That night was also the night Cao Wu Feng passed away under the mes. It was a secret that no one else knew, except for Peng Likun and Cao Wu Shuang.


    "Then... Where is your child then?" Peng Yan asked. She''s curious about this. By right, after what Cao Wu Shuang did, there''s no reason for Peng Yan to be left alive. She should be by her mother''s side if Cao Wu Feng died in the fire.


    "Stupidss... You still can''t guess it?" the Evil abbess stares intensely at Peng Yan. Her word made Peng Yan covered her mouth as she was left speechless.


    "I''ve found the young master!" Yi Feng shouted as he found Qin Lan''s shoulder from where he''s digging. But the news no longer attractive in the eyes of the trio.


    "I am your mother. The Peng Yan died in the fire back then. Your name is not Peng Yan, but Peng Shuang Hui!" Cao Wu Shuang said.

 Chapter 219: Aftermath (1)

    Chapter 219: Aftermath (1)


    "Young master!" Lu Yi and Huo Zunjie were the first to arrives at where Yi Feng is standing. Barehandedly, the two of them quickly removes the soil around Qin Lan to release him from the earth.


    Qin Lan was still unconscious when he was taken out and put on the ground. This made everyone anxious as it was their first time not having Qin Lan''s advising them. Furthermore, with Lu Qing Yun is out of the picture, the males are all having issues with what to do.


    "Fed this pill to your young master. Whether he lives or dies will be depending on his own will." Elder Yang Wen tossed a medicinal bottle at Lu Yi''s hand and told him what to do.


    "Thank you, elder!" Lu Yi immediately fed the pill into Qin Lan''s mouth. Everyone was in a panic as there''s no one else to lead them.


    Momentster, the three princes arrived after Qin Lan was rescued from thend erosion. They''re also in confusion as they look at Qin Lan''s current condition. But for him to be still alive after getting hit by a half-step Spiritual Root expert is considered a miracle.


    "Can he be saved?" Sun Wu Jian was the one with the most worries among the three princes.


    "We''re not sure yet... But the young master is still breathing. His Foundation Qi seems to be blocked and broken, and it would take some time before he can fully recover. As for his other injuries, we''re not sure because Qing Yun is not around us..." said Huo Zunjie.


    He''s the only one capable of diagnosing this right now since Lu Qing Yun wasn''t by their side. If they have to depend on Lu Yi, perhaps that brute will be bringing Qin Lan back to the Demon Mountain Fort in a rash decision.


    "Let me take a look." not feeling excited or whatsoever on his expression, Leng Ching popped up between them and asked to be given a space beside Qin Lan.


    "Senior brother Leng!" Shan Xiong Xin arrived next, along with Sun Chen Long and Sun Ding Tian. They were going to speak, but Sun Wu Jian''s hand in the middle of his lips tells them to keep quiet while Leng Ching tried to do something.


    ''Not good... The flow of his Qi is going upside down. If we don''t quickly do something, junior brother''s cultivation is going to be decreasing one level at a time until there''s nothing left.'' Leng Ching said.


    With the bag of acupuncture needles in his hand, he started the treatment on Qin Lan as soon as possible. But the percentage of sess made even Leng Ching sigh...


    ...


    ...


    "Peng Shuang Hui? Does the (Hui) in my name mean regret? Why... Why would you name me like this?" Peng Yan fell into her father''s arm as she cried. It was already devastating for her to cause so much torture to the man she loves. And it was yet to finish.


    To think that her mother was, in fact, not the one married to her father...


    To think that her father was actually someone not as perfect as she assumes...


    This made her partially agree that she shouldn''t be born into this world. Perhaps without her, Cao Wu Shuang won''t have to live her life this way.


    But what she can''t understand is why Cao Wu Shuang took her as her disciple and shower her with care if all she''s going to do is to kill her right now?


    "Why would you be named like this? It''s because I regret it! I regret bringing you home and introduce you to my family and my younger sister at that time!"


    "I regret surrendering my body to you, although I know you had your eyes on both of us! I regret that I give up my marriage for the sake of my sister, and what I regret the most is why would I fall in love with you!" the Evil abbess tossed her sword at Peng Likun.


    The sword was deflected before it reaches the general. But it hurts his heart, nevertheless from the Evil abbess''s words as sharp as multiple swords.


    "Why won''t youe forward to talk to me at that time? All this time, I thought you''re the one unwilling to be with me because you hate the fact I''ve taken your sister in as my wife!" Peng Likun said.


    "If you... If you just said that word, I would marry you immediately even if the Peng and Cao family rejected my proposal!" he added.


    "If? How dare you tell me that? From the day you''ve to rape us sisters, my heart was broken. I have no other wish from that moment onwards, except for the destruction of both families!"


    "Now, we''re the only few left. As long you''re gone, I will follow you too. And our daughter, you''ve found her apanion, don''t you?" the Evil abbess pointed at where Qin Lan is lying down. Although he''s still breathing, based on his condition, it won''t be long before he breathes hisst.


    "Let all of us go down there and lived as a family." the Evil abbess attacked. This time, her attack seems to be much sharper as each blow is made to kill. Forced to defend against the Evil abbess while moving around to protect his daughter, Peng Likun is forced to an edge.


    "Cao Wu Shuang! Stop all these maniacal acts right now! We can still go back to before!" Peng Likun said. Looking around for people to protect Peng Yan in his hand, he finally found someone that possibly can be dependable.


    "The two of you! Protect my..." Peng Likun was going to send Peng Yan to the two peak-level Bone expert females following him around. But never in his wildest dream that these two were no longer by his side.


    Before he managed to let Peng Yan go, the two stabbed the dagger in their hand into Peng Likun''s chest.


    "You two! Why? Why?" Peng Likun asked.


    But he soon gets his answer from their void eyes. They''ve been under Cao Wu Shuang''s puppeteering technique for a long time ago. Just like Peng Yan when she tried to attacked Qin Lan, tears wereing from the corner of their eyes.


    "It''s fine... It''s fine..." Peng Likun gently pushed both of them away as he knocked them unconscious.


    "Hehehe... You''re so heartless and poisonous... To this that... Urgh..." Peng Likun looked at Cao Wu Shuang and chuckled. He realized something else after taking two dagger attacks into his flesh.


    "Looks like... There''s no way for a retreat today..." Peng Likun throws Peng Yan a few meters away after he gave her a hug. At the same time, the intimate action between a father and his child made the spectators failed to see what he stuffed into her chest pocket.


    "I want you to give your life to your youngdy. Can you do that?" Peng Likun asked. But nobody is answering his question. As if there''s no other way around, Peng Likun removes the two daggers still stabbed in his chest and push his Foundation Qi to the limit.


    "Come! Cao Wu Shuang! Today, we''ll die together!" he charged into where Cao Wu Shuang is in his act ofst struggle. The two powerful cultivators immediately engaged in a fight to the death as Foundation Qi explodes all over the battlefield.


    Perhaps right now, only Elder Yang Wen is qualified to interrupt their battle. But there''s no reason for him to do so as this was not only a conspiracy between countries. There are also many hidden factors behind it.


    One of the hints can be found from the two daggers used to injured Peng Likun. On the dagger itself, there''s an emblem of "Wei" on its hilt. This means... the two weapons came from the royal family.


    ...


    "He''ll survive..." Leng Ching said as he fell to the ground. From the sweat asrge as a bead around his forehead, it is evident that he expended a considerable part of his life and qi to rescue Qin Lan.


    "Young Master!" Lu Yi, Huo Zunjie, and the others immediately attended to Qin Lan, while Shan Xiong Xin and Sun Chen Long came to Leng Ching''s side.


    "Senior brother, thank you." Sun Wu Jian bowed properly to Leng Ching. His movement was full of respect as he can be regarded as Qin Lan''s lifesaver right now.


    "He''s still weak. Quickly fed him the Blood Genesis Pill right now." Leng Ching said as his hand was shaking while taking out something.


    A few minutester, the light finally returned to Qin Lan as he slowly opened his eyes.


    "Young Master, you''re awake..." the crowd immediately asked if Qin Lan can recognize them.


    "Stop fooling around... How''s Qing Yun?" Qin Lan immediately asked.


    "She''s fine. As long she gets treated a little more, I''m sure that there will be no scar left on her." the female elder that appeared out of nowhere said with Lu Qing Yun ced behind a half-step Spiritual Root Yao Beast.


    "Sister Xinya," the elder Yang Wen cupped his hands together after seeing the female elder.


    "This elder is?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Cloud Plucking Sect''s Inner Sect elder, Yang Xinya." she introduced herself.


    "This junior thanked the elder for rescuing the life of a family of his. If there''s a possibility in the future, this junior will make sure he remembers this favor." Qin Lan said.


    "Don''t need. I''ll be taking this girl into the Inner Sect after today. As for you, there''s more to happen. As for my arrival here, I''m just giving you people the chance to see her for thest time before she follows me." the elder said before leaving.


    "Where''s Peng Yan?" Qin Lan kept asking. But it seems that Peng Yan was missing from this ce, quietly.

 Chapter 220: Aftermath (2) End of Volume 4

    Chapter 220: Aftermath (2) End of Volume 4


    "What? Peng Yan is no longer at where the general left her?" Qin Lan quickly scanned that area but noticed that he no longer have any Spiritual Qi or Foundation Qi in his core. It was like exhausted from all the fighting.


    Qin Lan immediately swallowed a few pills to recuperate. Since it was still absorbable by his body, that means his cultivation is still there.


    Perhaps he will need to take at least a month or two to get himself back to his top condition. But right now, his attention is not about his wellbeing, but Peng Yan.


    The fact she''s missing from the spot made Qin Lan somewhat worried for her. But from the Genius General of Warfare''s expression, it seems that everything is going as nned.


    Another half an hourter, the oue of the battle is finally out.


    The Evil abbess was struck by a fisting from Peng Likun in exchange for a palm strike on his chest. But this daring bet allowed him to ovee Cao Wu Shuang. Taking her as a captive also rolled the curtain down on this battlefield.


    Not long after the battle ended, an announcement came from the other guardians representing the Country of Wu.


    "Because the battle is interrupted by a half-step Spiritual Root Cultivator, the winner for this war will go to the side of the Country of Wu. From today onwards, a third of the Kuanglei Province, including its capital, will be included in the Yunshan Province map."


    "If there''s any protest, then both countries shall solve it via their own skirmishes. This was all. This location is now under the supervision of the Royal Guards. Those irrelevant to this battle shall leave voluntarily right now!" the guardian said.


    Qin Lan closed his eyes after that announcement.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    A weekter.


    "He''s awake." Hu Jia came out from the room she''s living with Qin Lan and announced the good news to everyone waiting impatiently in the courtyard.


    "Young master is awake?" Lu Yi immediately approached Hu Jia to confirm her words.


    "Yes. Husband said that he''s a little weak right now, so he won''t be talking to all of you. Everyone shall take care of yourselves until he came out from his seclusion a monthter. Unless there''s something essential, you''ll go through them with me, noted?" Hu Jia ry Qin Lan''s word.


    "At least let us... Ahhh!!!" Lu Yi wanted to interrupt but got his ear pinched by Huo Zunjie as he already guessed what the insensitive brute tried to say.


    "Then... We''ll leave first. Please tell the young master we''ll be around all the time." Huo Zunjie said. Forcefully pulling Lu Yi away with him, only Yi Feng and his brothers, the two littlesses, and the two elder siblings were left in the courtyard.


    "Sister-In-Law, please take care of our third bother properly. We''ll return to the Cloud Plucking Sect first." Qin Fan and Qin Chan excused themselves after hearing that Qin Lan is awake.


    "Can we go in and take a look at the teacher?" the twosses asked. Luckily, Yi Feng and the others were still around. With their help, the four quickly disturbed the twosses as they pulled the girls away from disturbing Qin Lan and Hu Jia.


    After the door into the room was closed, Hu Jia exhaled a mouthful of air and went to the bedside.


    In fact, except for the word about Qin Lan is awake, everything else was a lie. He was not in the condition to give any order to them right now.


    "They left." Hu Jia said and sat by the bed where Qin Lan rested his head down. Using a hand of hers to touch his forehead, Hu Jia struggles to take care of her man using her own body without a hint of Spiritual Qi.


    Her palms were supposed to be as smooth as an infant''s buttcheek was full of blisters and wounds now, from cleaning Qin Lan daily. But there''s not even a word ofint from her as she knew what Qin Lan needed the most right now.


    "Has Zhou Mei really left?" Qin Lan asked.


    "En... We''ve tried to stop her master, but it was useless. She should be arriving at the Ice Maiden Temple by now." Hu Jia replied. Her gazended on a written letter ced on top of the table. From the expression she had, it''s likely a handwritten letter from Zhou Mei before she was forcefully taken away.


    "What about Peng Yan? Had they found her?" Qin Lan continued.


    "No. But since there''s no funeral held in the Genius General of Warfare''s camp, she''s either still missing or safely reaches the general''s side." Hu Jia replied to Qin Lan''s second question.


    "What about Qing Yun?" Qin Lan closed his eyes as he asked his third question.


    "She sent a letter back. She''s now studying under the Inner Sect elder called Yang Xinya. Qing Yun said that she will be waiting for everyone toe to the inner sect." Hu Jia continued to answer Qin Lan''s questions.


    "Beloved wife... Do you think that I''m pathetic?" Qin Lanughed at himself for being someone that hardly capable of protecting his own interest.


    His legitimate wife was crippled from cultivation due to the previous battle. As for Zhou Mei, his soon-to-be second wife, ended up forcefully taken away by her master due to the Ice Maiden Sect''s rules.


    It was said that the disciples from the Ice Maiden Temple were forbidden to be in a romantic rtionship with outsiders.


    Then, the woman who was in a romantice-and-go rtionship with him ended up missing right now. Worst of all, it looks like things would be irreparable between them even if Qin Lan were to found her back in the future.


    And now, even his closest member, Lu Qing Yun, was forcefully separate from them due to her talent.


    "Pathetic? You? I''m sorry, husband... But you''re too unqualified to be someone pathetic." Hu Jia chuckled after listening to what Qin Lan just said.


    "If you think that they''re not being reasonable... Just challenge them. It''s not like we''re out of time like they do. Had the Qin Lan I knew died after getting buried by the soil? Did someone take over my husband''s body?" Hu Jia continued.


    "Jia-Jia, what you''re saying is ridiculous. How is that possible..." Qin Lan was going to say something, but there was a knock on the door.


    "Who is that?" Hu Jia answered the door.


    "This is the delegate from the Royal Capital. I represent the King of Wu toe here with a mandate addressed to Qin Lan, the young patriarch of the Qin Family." a government official in his ceremonial robe arrived outside of Qin Lan''s room.


    Standing beside him were four peak-level Bone Reconstruction Experts. Even the delegate himself was a half-step Spiritual Root cultivator.


    "Qin Lan present. This citizen of Wu is honored with the delegate''s visit." he immediately changed and kneeled on both knees before the delegate.


    "Then... I shall read out what his majesty ordered..." the delegate nodded at Qin Lan''s gesture as he''s getting ready to receive the king''s mandate.


    "Penned by his majesty personally, the country is proud to have a brave general like Qin Lan in this war. As a king, our majesty was stunned by the number of praisesing from the experts."


    "His majesty believes that a proper reward shouldn''t be missed. Considering Qin Lan''s contribution in this battle, it was only fair if the country promised Qin Lan that he will be groomed with what the nation has."


    "Hence, as stated in this king''s mandate. Qin Lan, the third child of the Qin Family, shall be granted the honorary title of Crimson Mist Marquis! He will also be entitled to his ownnd."


    "Additionally, the king has also added a mysterious gift that Chi-Lan Marquis might needs."


    "If the Marquis of Crimson Mist has no question, please step forward to receive what his majesty prepared for you." the delegates said.


    "Chi-Lan Marquis thanked his majesty for such a grand reward. Long live the King of Wu and evesting reign to the Country of Wu!" Qin Lan stepped forward as he epted the four boxes given to him by the four imperial guards.


    "Chi-Lan Hou... I have another word from his majesty to be delivered to you." the delegates said.


    "This marquis is listening." Qin Lan closed his eyes and allowed the delegate toe to the side of his ears.


    "I am not satisfied with just a third of the Kuanglei Province. As a marquis, I hope you can do as well as your father-inw, Peng Likun." the delegates whispered beside Qin Lan before he ced a tiger tally into Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Have a great day, Marquis." the delegates excused himself without waiting for Qin Lan''s reply. And just like this, Qin Lan was given a noble rank that almost everyone wishes for.


    But what was whispered beside his ears told him that it was not that simple to give him a noble rank, military rights, and rewards. It seems the King of Wu is looking forward to seeing if Qin Lan capable of bing another figure like Peng Likun.


    "Beloved husband... Where did thend given to you is located?" Hu Jia asked. In her heart is both happy and worry.


    "Let me take a look..." Qin Lan ced the boxes on the table one by one and selected the one with a map. It was the same one as the one seen in the Wood Dragon Army''s camp.


    A marker is crossed far west from the capital of Wu. This ce is considered a nomadic county unrted to the three provinces under the government of the Country of Wu.


    "This ce... Is known as Shuiyue County?"


    == == == == ==


    This marks the end of Volume 4


    -


    From the start of the next chapter, we''ll have more stories about Qin Lan''s personal development. If you have some expectations, let me know in thement.


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 221: Bashan Village

    Chapter 221: Bashan Vige


    "Chi-Lan Marquis, will that be fine for such a small group to apany you on your way past the border?" a soldier politely asked Qin Lan as his group.


    As long as Qin Lan travels close to five miles from this border, he will enter a border-free zone where his Shuiyue County is located.


    "I''m sure of it. Please inform the city lord that this marquis is grateful for the care he''s been showing me for these few days. If there''s a chance, this marquis will return with some local gift for him in the future." Qin Lan cupped his hand together before steering his horse outward.


    "Let''s move! We''ll get to Shuiyue County before nightfall!" said Qin Lan while pointing his hand in the direction of hisnd.


    *Hi-Ah!*


    With around fifty Crimson Mist soldiers following him, Qin Lan made his way out from the city. There was a mix of feelings in the soldiers taking care of the garrison between the Wu-Shu border.


    "What do you think? To send a young marquis like him to the wild barbard?" one of the soldiers casually talked about the king''s decision to send Qin Lan out to handle the small county.


    Even right now, the Shuiyue Country was not included in the Country of Wu''s map. It fell into the hand of the country less than three months ago. And in the previous three months, thisnd is said to be struck by several disasters.


    First of all, there''s a famine happening here. This is why the county surrendered after fighting against the Country of Wu for close to three years. And secondly, there''s an outbreak of an unknown disease here.


    Right now, this ce can be said to be abandoned by both Wu and Shu.


    Perhaps, that''s the reason why the soldiers were discussing this after Qin Lan left. In their opinion, thend is not as attractive as they thought.


    ...


    ...


    "My liege, we''re getting close to the first vige in the Shuiyue County. Based on the information we get from the locals that moved out of this ce, it''s called Bashan Vige." one of the soldiers immediately reported.


    "Good. Send a scout there and check the ce before my arrival. Make sure you approached them calmly and tell them that the person handling thend is here. Get the person in charge toe out and greet me upon my arrival." Qin Lan said.


    "Your subordinate understood! I''ll get it done right now! You three, follow me!" the soldier cupped his fists together at Qin Lan before taking three soldiers with him.


    Making his way to the Bashan Vige first, there''s no obstruction as the soldier entered the vige and made his way straight to the elder''s house. It took him close to fifteen minutes to get the idea that a newndowner is passing the vige.


    By the time Qin Lan arrived with his forty-five soldiers, the vigers had gathered at the entrance to the vige.


    "Ma - Marquis Chi-Lan... The Bashan Vige wees you. We''re happy for your - Your humble arrival in this rural vige. Please allow us to host you a banquet before you continue on your way." the vige chief stuttered as he invited Qin Lan to his shabby amodation.


    "Vige chief, please stop right there. Is this all the people you have in the vige?" Qin Lan asked. Although the number might be inurate, he remembered that in the list of the household registrar, it was said that the Bashan Vige had about a thousand vigers, from young to old.


    But there are only about three hundred people here. To a marquis who expected to settle and build his influence in this ce, missing seven hundred people in his first visit is a big problem.


    "We... We have more people, but they''re sick right now... Please forgive them for noting to greet noble sir. We''ve prepared some food, women, and wine to great sir, so please don''t be angry." the vige chief quickly tries to mediate this matter. From his speech, he''s worried that Qin Lan will feel offended due to their absence.


    ''Heaven bless us... Heaven blesses us... Please don''t let this noble get angry...'' some female vigers whispered. Because they had almost little to no cultivation at all, they failed to notice that the fifty people here had an acute sense of hearing.


    "Bring me to the sick people and let me have a look. Take this Qiankun Pouch and prepare some food to feed the vigers. If anyone has something for my concern, bring it up to my officer here." Qin Lan said as he gets down from his horse.


    "Vige chief, please!" Qin Lan urge him to move instead of standing right with his unbelieving expression.


    "I''m sure all of you have many things to say, but let''s leave them toter. I have limited time here in the Bashan Vige, so I hope everyone would cooperate with me. Bring the sick people together, so I have to travel less around the vige."


    "For the women that healthy enough to cook, please support my men in case the food they cook might not suit the local''s vor. As for meat, vegetables, and grains, there''s plenty inside the pouch in their hand, so feel free to use them to feed a thousand people."


    Qin Lan finished what he had to say in a sh. Looking around at the confused vigers, he had to show some of his Foundation Qi to bring them back to their attention.


    "Let''s not waste our time. Get things done right now." Qin Lan smiled as he invites the vige chief to take the lead.


    "At - At once! Milord!" the vige chief immediately took Qin Lan into one of the houses where an entire family of four is struck by the illness.


    They were shivering cold, although their face is flustered. From Qin Lan''s initial diagnosis, it seems that they''re some sickness rted to the parasite growing inside their body.


    "The problem likely came from the water they''re drinking. The vige chief, please get a few locals to bring my men to where the vige''s water came from. They''ll know what to do." Qin Lan said.


    "Milord, is there a problem with our water source? Won''t this contaminate the food the vigers are cooking now?" the chief asked.


    "Don''t worry. The problem can be easily solved by applying some Spiritual Qi into the water to kill the parasite. Please prepare some ce for the people to relieve themselves after taking medicine and gathered the people together."


    "I''ll be preparing the cure for this illness now," said Qin Lan.


    "N - Now?" the vige chief asked.


    "Yes. Now." Qin Lan smiled and nodded at the chief.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Nighttime.


    The vigers of Bashan Vige will not forget the kindness milord had shown us." the vige chief and close to eight hundred vigers kneeled before Qin Lan. It only took Qin Lan a single afternoon for him to solve the problem that''s been guing the vige for months.


    "Please rise, fellow vigers. I am only doing what andowner should have done to his people. Unfortunately, I can only spend a short time here before making my way to another ce." Qin Lan waved his hand across the vigers.


    Through the preciseness of Spiritual Qi usage, Qin Lan effortlessly brings the vigers up from their knees.


    And at this moment, a banquet finally started. This was just the first day here in thend bestowed by the King of Wu to him, but he already sessfully obtained the support of the entire vige behind him.


    Speaking with the vige chief also gave Qin Lan a rough idea about the resources avable around the Bashan Vige. To Qin Lan, information like this was more precious than anything else he can ask for.


    With the banquet as a pretense, Qin Lan allowed his men to rx for the night. Since most of his men were single, he finds no reason to stop them from finding a soul partner amongst the singledies here if both sides were willing.


    "Milord, we''ve solved the problem. The nest of Carrion Lizard Beast was taken care of. There''s indeed a track that this was done on purpose by someone." the officer came to Qin Lan''s side and whispered beside his ears.


    "Is there anything else left around the source where the water came from?" Qin Lan asked. Using his finger to poke a hole in the jar of wine in his hand, Qin Lan poured himself a cup of Plum Flower Fragrance to moisten his throat.


    "Yes. We found a few medicinal bottles littered around that ce. From the craftmanship on the pottery, it should be a product from the Shu." the officer continued as he ced a broken medicinal bottle on Qin Lan''s table.


    "Have you check if there are any suspicious individuals in this vige?" Qin Lan continued as he poured himself another cup.


    "So far, no suspicious individuals found in the vige. I''ve asked the vigers for suspicious individuals that came three months ago. But weirdly, their answer was no. They hardly have visitors because you''ll have to climb through an elevated slope before arriving at this vige."


    "Also, there''s an interesting finding from the vigers. It seems that the first few people that died from this illness were actually the vige hooligans that often gathered around the riverbank." the officer said.


    "Then, it''s likely done by a fellow viger by promising them some benefit. What they have no idea were that little wealthes with the cost of their own life." Qin Lan chuckled.


    *Knock - Knock - Knock*


    "Milord, have you fall asleep?" the vige chief''s voice can be heard from the outside.


    "I''m still awake. Pleasee in if there''s anything you need." Qin Lan waved his hand and opened the door. What was unexpected is the vige chief ising into the house with close to ten young maidens dressed to impress.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Milord... They''re the most beautiful girl in our vige. I brought them here because they would like to personally thank milord for your kindness." the vige chief used a roundabout way to express his gratitude.


    "Vige chief, you''re too generous. But unfortunately..." Qin Lan shook his head.


    "Unfortunately?" Qin Lan''s behavior puzzled the vige chief.


    "I''m a married man. It won''t be good for people to be seen associating myself with unwed maidens at night. Please bring them away." Qin Lan politely rejected the vige chief''s offer forpanionship from any of the young maidens he brought.


    "Then... Then..." the vige chief scratched his head from not knowing what to do.


    "I have more to do tomorrow. If there''s nothing else, please rest early. Beauties, thank you foring here to express your gratitude in person."

 Chapter 222: Copper-Grade Martial Beast

    Chapter 222: Copper-Grade Martial Beast


    "Milord, we''re ready to go." the Crimson Mist officer cupped his fists before Qin Lan. It seems that the other soldiers had all done their parting words before they get on their horses.


    "Everyone in the Bashan Vige is thankful for milord''s kindness. If there''s anything else you need to do, please send someone to tell this elder... I''ll make sure that all of us will do our best to achieve your expectations." the vige chief said.


    "But... Milord, are you sure you don''t want apanion apanying you on your way to the City of Ye? I''m sure that if you asked, everyone here would dly follow you wherever you go..." the vige chief said. It seems he''s still unwilling to give up on the idea to persuade Qin Lan to choose a girl or two from their vige.


    To the others, such an offer would be more than attractive.


    Furthermore, amongst the young maidens that camest night, about half of them were as gorgeous as his women. Although it would be farfetched for him to say that they''reparable to Hu Jia, Zhou Mei, and Peng Yan, they''re not that far off either.


    "This marquis appreciates vige chief''s goodwill. Since fate actually brought us together, please allow this young noble to present the beauties with some Skin rifying Pellet." Qin Lan took a bottle of cosmetic pills from his Purple-Dragon Spatial Jade and gave them to the vige chief.


    "There are fifty pills inside, so I''m sure there would be enough for them. As for the vige chief, please take this bottle of health supplement tonic too. I am still looking forward to seeing you more on my next visit." Qin Lan said.


    "Marquis! Marquis!" suddenly, two young kids came forward as Qin Lan getting on his horse. But they were stopped by the guards because they''re not allowed toe close to their lord.


    "It''s alright. One of the kids was the one I treated yesterday." Qin Lan said. Using his Spiritual Qi to hold them from afar, Qin Lan brings the two kids up to his arms as he asked them what they''re calling him for.


    "Is there anything you need me for?" Qin Lan smiled as he poured a little Spiritual Qi into their body to strengthen their constitution. Although it won''t do much to their future in cultivation, it will still contribute to their health.


    "Milord... What is the requirement for me to be like one of them?" the kid pointed at one of the Crimson Mist Soldier as he asked. From his gleaming eyes, it seems he''s absorbed into the dream of bing a soldier like them.


    "Them? To be one of them, you''ll have to be a Bone Reconstruction expert first. You will also have to be an expert martial artist and a well-known name from where youe. Do you think you can do this?" Qin Lan said.


    Of course, that wasn''t the requirement. One of the pre-requirement to be a member of the Crimson Mist Army is not how strong you are but how loyal you are.


    "Then... I''ll start practice now. By the time I am fifteen, I''ll be as strong as everyone else!" the young kid said.


    "Good. Then, I''ll be waiting for you. By that time, pleasee to me in the City of Ye." Qin Lan smiled as he replied to the boy''s word.


    Leaving the two kids to the soldier standing beside him, Qin Lan waved his hand to the vigers for hisst time before moving towards the vige exit.


    "Let''s depart! To the City of Ye!" Qin Lan ordered. The fifty Crismon Mist Soldiers followed. A trail of red mist was lingering along their path as they descended downhill until they came across the junction leading to the most prosperous ce in this Shuiyue County.


    "I''ll train myself properly too... I want to enroll as a soldier! I don''t want to be a farmer like my dad!"


    "Me too! I want to be a soldier! I want to join milord as he rode his horse across this county to protect everyone!"


    All the youths steeled their mind after seeing the grand exit from Qin Lan and his army.


    "Vige chief... What about our daughter?" the mothers of the beauties that Qin Lan rejected came to the vige chief to ask what to do next. From their facial expression, some seem to be delighted for not getting chosen. As for the remaining few, they felt that they lost the opportunity to transform into a phoenix.


    "Just live your life as how you should. But I doubt it will continue this way. With such a wisendowner, it will only get better." the vige chief said before he returned to his house.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "So... How many boys found their soulmate here?" Qin Lan jokes as they rode their horses faster towards their next stop. If nothing out of the ordinary happened, the group might reach another vige called Lianshui by tomorrow afternoon.


    "Ten," the officer smiled.


    "Hahaha... Looks like my soldiers were a bunch of attractiveds." Qin Lan chuckled. They were having a good time talking as they get closer to their destination.


    But half a dayter, something eventually happened.


    *Bang!*


    The Crimson Mist Soldier''s expression turned serious as the re explodes about twenty miles away from the main convoy. The soldiers quickly get into their formation as they protected Qin Lan in the middle and sending a few more soldiers forward to check on the situation.


    "Report!" one of the scouts came back in a hurry. But he was alone. Not even the soldiers that went out recently followed him as hee back with the g on his wrist.


    "What''s wrong?" Qin Lan''s group stopped in the middle of the road as he awaits the scout to report what they''ve found.


    "Milord, we found a nest of Copper-Grade Martial Beast in front." the soldier smiled as he happily reported what they''ve found.


    "A nest of Copper-Grade Martial Beast? Are you sure you did not stumble across some wild bear''s nest?" Qin Lan jokingly questioned the soldier. But his own expression is telling the soldier otherwise.


    In fact, he was extremely excited right now.


    "Get more people to surround the creature''s nest. Let''s leave not a single one of them to escape." Qin Lan ordered.


    A fight has started by the time his group reaches where the beast made their nest. Few of his soldiers are now standing by the side of the Martial Beast they tamed earlier before Qin Lan''s arrival. And from the look of it, there should be around five to six of them were left.


    "Milord, what a stroke of luck we have... To think thating over to this ce actually allowed us to stumble across a precious nest like this." the officer that apanied Qin Lan''s side said.


    "Well, there''s always fortune hidden within misfortune. You''ll have to make sure that the soldiers that had tamed one of the beasts knew what they''re doing. Rearing a Yao Beast is different from horses and pigs." Qin Lan replied.


    "This subordinate will make sure that theds knew what they''re doing. Milord, would you like to tame one as well?" the officer asked.


    "I''ll pass. Although having a tamed Martial Beast would be helpful, they''ll take too much time to grow up. If I need to get one, I''ll have to either capture a silver or a golden-grade Martial Beast." Qin Lan said.


    "That''s true..." the officer nodded.


    "By the way, milord, do you knew why the Martial Beast is the favorite kind of Yao Beast the cultivators loved to tame? Is there a reason behind their flexibility?" the officer asked. There was a hint of interest behind his words as he might get to know more about the beast from Qin Lan''s mouth.


    "Well... One of the reasons Martial Beast is much easier to tame is because of their gene. As we all knew, not all kinds of Yao Beast hated humans. This Martial Beast is an example of the Yao Beast that can coexist with us."


    "But as their diet no longer focuses on eating humans, it had an impact on their cultivation. This made them more susceptible to digesting human medicine and not human flesh."


    "Of course, another reason is that the Martial Beast loves to hunt their fellow Yao Beast. This might be the main reason why we can get along well with them." Qin Lan replied.


    "Lads! Quickly wrap up. We still have a journey to go!" the officer raised his voice as he urges them to quicken up. By the time thest Martial Beast is tamed, the group decided to take a short rest here before they continue their way towards the Lianshui Vige.


    Then, luck came unexpectedly to Qin Lan as there''s a growl on the highest hill where the water is flowing down. A Martial Beast that resembles the figure of a bear roared as it looking down on the ce where fighting just ended.


    "Milord, what do you think?" the officer stares nkly at the Martial Beast standing on the highest peak. Blocking the sunlight as it stands up there, the beast seems to be looking for a target before willinglying down with a bang.


    "I guess I can''t say no since a Golden-Grade Martial Beast ising into my grasp. Get the soldiers to my back. I''ll take on this Martial Beast on my own." Qin Lan chuckled as he put on the protective suit worn by the Crimson Mist soldiers.


    "Are you sure milord can handle this? The beast seems to be at least fourth or fifth-level of Bone Reconstruction Layer..." few soldiers asked the officer.


    "You bunch of fool, who do you think you''re talking to?" the officer used his sword to knock their head.


    "This is our lord, Chi-Lan Marquis. He won''t lose to a mere beast."

 Chapter 223: Subduing a Golden-Grade Martial Beast

    Chapter 223: Subduing a Golden-Grade Martial Beast


    "The marquis will win!"


    "The marquis will win!"


    Showered by the cheering from his fifty soldiers, Qin Lan stepped forward with the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in hand. His graceful steps were firm with every step he took, and the Foundation Qiing out from his was inspiring.


    "What kind of training we have to go through to achieve what our marquis has?" a soldier asked. He secretlypared the differences between his own Qi and Qin Lan''s and sigh because of the disparity.


    His own Spiritual Qi wasckluster in the term of quality-wise.


    "ROAR!" the Golden-Grade Martial Beast roared as it noticed Qin Lan''s provocation. As the strongest Yao Beast of the pack, how can it take this silently?


    The Martial Beast then took a leap from the cliff and descended to where Qin Lan stands. Using the pair of ws imbued by thick Spiritual Qi, the Yao Beast created a few inches deep crater after it struck the ground.


    But that also means the attack missed its target.


    "Tsk... All brute force... Are you sure you''re one of the Golden-Grade Martial Beast?" Qin Lan uses the brush tip to draw a cross over the Martial Beast''s shoulder to pinpoint its weaknesses.


    "Roar?" the Martial Beast was puzzled by Qin Lan''s attack that''s neither painful nor itchy. It was still confused by the fact all Qin Lan was doing is to draw a cross over its shoulder.


    But that did not affect the Yao Beast''s judgment as it continued to attack Qin Lan ruthlessly. Using its bear-boxing in a close range against Qin Lan, the Martial Beast kept pushing forward without a hint of precaution.


    "Here!" Qin Lan suddenly gave a punch at the Martial Beast''s stomach to teach it a lesson. It was a light punch in Qin Lan''s opinion, but still enough to crush the walls or a boulder when coated with some Foundation Qi.


    The Martial Beast rolled on the ground for a bit beforeing back for more. It seems much more careful while facing against Qin Lan right now.


    "Not bad. You have some quality to be tamed by me. Are you sure you want to continue to fight?" Qin Lan threw his brush to his left hand before showing the back of his right palm towards the Martial Beast.


    "Roar..." the Martial Beast seems to be more cautious this time facing Qin Lan. But this was just an act. The Golden-Grade Martial Beast''s sneaky act of gathering some Spiritual Qi around its leg failed to escape Qin Lan''s eagle eyes.


    By the time it charges straight to where Qin Lan at, thetter already made his move and took a few steps away from the line of attack.


    Once again missing the target, the Martial Beast roared. But this time, Qin Lan gave it a chop using his hand and throw the Martial Beast down on the ground. Added with another kick on its belly again, the Yao Beast cried in pain from these few simple attacks.


    Retreating to a distance, the Yao Beast patted where Qin Lan just gave it a kick.


    "Am I dreaming? Our lord actually forced a fourth or fifth-level Yao Beast to retreat and pat its stomach?" a soldier said. Taking a nce at the Martial Beast standing beside him, he felt that his performance wasckingpared to his master.


    "How can you bepared to our lord? Do you know how skillful he is?" another soldier said as he used the end of his de''s sheath to give the soldier a knock on his head.


    But his action was taken as an attack by the Martial Beast apanying them. And this caused two Martial Beasts to start arguing against one another like another battle was going to start.


    Back to Qin Lan, it seems that their battle was getting fiercer too.


    Perhaps it was due to the few failed attacks before this. The Martial Beast seems to be much more careful as it fought Qin Lan with a different tactic right now.


    "This is much better. If you continued to fight like before, I will suspect that you''re an imitation and not an actual Golden-Grade Martial Beast." Qin Lan chuckled.


    The Martial Beast attack seems to get fiercer as it goes. The way it uses the w is different from before, as the attack was sharp and deadly. The Spiritual Qi that was used when attacking also had a significant change.


    There was a hint of fierceness in the attack. And it only gets more intense.


    Soon, even Qin Lan had to take it seriously as he was forced to defend against the attack.


    "Milord!" the soldiers panicked when they see Qin Lan forced to defend against the Martial Beast''s attack straight to his chest. Lucky for him, Qin Lan was well prepared.


    But he was still thrown back for five to six steps after mitigating the impact from that punch.


    "Looks like I can''t keep underestimating you anymore. Shall we take it a notch higher?" Qin Lan said as he injected some Spiritual Qi into the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush.


    A golden sword soon appeared in his hand from receiving all the Spiritual Qi he channeled into the brush.


    A piercing noise came when Qin Lan''s sword and the Martial Beast''s w shed for their first time. Even the smaller and younger Copper-Grade Martial Beasts were taunted by this noise and tried to hide.


    "Is that the true strength of the Golden-Grade Martial Beast? Why did it not fight as well as now before this?" the Crimson Mist officer asked as he looks at how swiftly the Martial Beast move right now.


    "Off - Officer... Can you match that Martial Beast if you were to fight against it?" a soldier asked. He already felt dizzy from looking at the battle between Qin Lan and the Martial Beast.


    "Impossible. Even if you''re giving me a handicap, I will not fight against a Golden-Grade Martial Beast." the officer answered.


    "Golden Lord''s Holy Fist!" Qin Lan had to start taking things more seriously the longer he fought against the Martial Beast. Without taking a pill or whatsoever, the Yao Beast''s fighting strength is almost doubledpared to before.


    Right now, a simple attack from this beast was at least as strong as a fourth-level Bone Expert''s attack. It would be hard for Qin Lan to defend against the attack through his peak-level Flesh Refining Physique.


    *BAM!*


    Qin Lan was thrown close to ten steps back.


    "Cough!" a mouthful of blood is coughed out after he finished mitigating the force from that attack.


    "Milord!" the soldiers tried to take action, but what Qin Lan did surprises them. cing his hand by the side of his head, Qin Lan told them to stop approaching him.


    "Roar! Roar!" the Martial Beast is getting excited as it sessfully ovees Qin Lan. Right now, it was feeling proud because it managed to make this human kneel on a knee not too far from where it stands.


    ''Alright... It should be time.'' Qin Lan whispered to himself. The energy sword in his hand slowly turned into an azure-blue color as Qin Lan strengthen the amount of Qi he injected into the offensive treasure.


    Clouded with the emotion from winning against the human in a face-to-face battle, the Martial Beast failed to notice the changes in Qin Lan''s weapon as it continues to fight against Qin Lan like before.


    This time, the result ended differently.


    Blood sttered the moment Qin Lan swings his de downwards. A deep wound immediately caught the Martial Beast unaware as it was shocked by the strength of this human.


    Using another w to attack where Qin Lan, the Martial Beast targetted Qin Lan''s waist. But it is missed because Qin Lan vanishes from the spot he was standing in a sh. By the time he appeared again, a punch hasnded on the Martial Beast''s spine.


    Once again, the Martial Beast rolled on the ground. Coming back on its foot after the pain subsided, the Martial Beast gathered some Spiritual Qi around its mouth to fire a beam towards Qin Lan.


    "Can a Martial Beast attack like this?" the soldiers had their eyes opened widely when a beam was fired from the Golden-Grade Martial Beast''s mouth. They then turned their attention to their own Martial Beastpanion and started to think, what if their partner could do the same?


    The beam missed its target, but this gave the Martial Beast a small window of opportunity to recover itself. Using its tongue to lick the wound caused by Qin Lan, the Martial Beast searched for its target while being very careful of its surrounding.


    "Where are you looking at?" Qin Lan asked as he stands on top of the Martial Beast''s head. Putting more pressure on his feet, Qin Lan pressed the Golden-Grade Martial Beast down on the ground as he slowly ced more pressure to subdue the Yao Beast.


    "So, are you willing to give up your pride and follow me?" Qin Lan asked as both of his legs is on top of the Martial Beast.


    "ROAR!" the Golden-Grade Martial Beast struggled. But it was to no avail as no matter what it was doing, it failed to escape from Qin Lan''s pressure. The power from his Foundation Qi is like stacking a few cauldrons on top of its body, making it hard to even move.


    After repeating the same question for few times, the Martial Beast finally submitted to Qin Lan''s words.


    "Congrattions to the Chi-Lan Marquis for taming a Golden-Grade Martial Beast!" said the soldiers after seeing how the martial beast obediently stands beside him.


    "Good! Let us continue with our journey towards the Lianshui Vige!" Qin Lan said.

 Chapter 224: Lianshui Village (1)

    Chapter 224: Lianshui Vige (1)


    "How was the preparation? Has everything ready for the marquis the moment he arrived?" the vige chief of Lianshui Vige asked as he runs from one side of the square to another.


    He can be said to be the busiest person in the entire vige right now, with many things to be handled personally. Unlike the previous Bashan vige, this ce received the news regarding Qin Lan''s visit a few days ago.


    The Lianshui Vige also seems to be doing much better than the Bashan Vige, which has a problem with its natural resources.


    Of course, the reason they''re doing much better is due to their cement beside Lianshui Lake. The Lianshui Lake is well known for its nt known as Luminescent Lotus.


    Unlike the usual lotus with its edible seeds inside the pod, the Luminescent Lotus cannot be eaten. It can only be harvested once every three months, which means only four harvests in a year.


    Each time when the Luminescent Lotus is matured enough to be harvested, they''ll be glowing beautifully for a total of three nights before the nt propagates and wither. A new batch of Luminescent Lotus will appear a monthter to repeat the cycle all over again.


    This is also why the vige chief seems to be busier than the others.


    "Old man, why are you getting so nervous for? This is not the first high-ranking official you''ve seen before. They''ll be all the same. Just let me entertain them at night while you''re busy with the harvesting session." the wife of the vige chief said.


    "From what the message said, this marquis is different from the others. You can''t treat him like the other greedy officials. Unfortunately, our daughter is not in the vige right now... How good if Lian-Er is here..." the vige chief shook his head as he felt a slight headache thinking that Qin Lan is on his way here.


    His daughter, Lian-Er, can be said to be the most beautiful maiden in the Lianshui Vige. She''s also known for being taken into the Ice Maiden Temple Sect by one of their elders.


    As the most beautiful maiden from this vige, it wasmon for the vige chief to have more faith in his own daughter.


    "Just leave them to me. It''s just fifty soldiers and a Marquis. I''ll make sure he''ll be happy until the day he left our vige with few virgin maidens in his arms." the chief''s wife said.


    "Hopefully. Just make sure everything is done correctly. I want no mistake to happen because we''re officially a piece ofnd that belonged to the Country of Wu right now. There are many things we''re not so sure of yet, so don''t make an assumption quickly before consulting me." the vige chief continued.


    "I know! I know! Just get back to your work. Let me handle this. I''ll get people to call you when the marquis is here." the vige chief got pushed away from the vige''s square as his wife took control of the arrangement.


    ...


    "Marquis, we''re roughly an hour away from the Lianshui Vige. From what the people living in Bashan Vige told me, this vige was settled beside the Lianshui Lake, where Luminescent Lotus blooms once every three months." the officer said.


    "Luminescent Lotus? Is that the same one that we used to create the res?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes. From what I know, the grounded powder from the Luminescent Lotuses Seed was used as one of the ingredients in creating the res. But there''s something else that might attract milord''s interest." the officer continued.


    "Oh? What might get my attention?" Qin Lan smiled as he looks at the officer sheepishly.


    "From the word of vigers in Bashan Vige, sometimes, theke produces few Lotus Flower without a seed pod. Since there''s no pod for the nutrient to go from the stalk to the pod, all the luminescent essence ended up gathering on the bloom."


    "This causes the Lotus Flower to glow beautifully in the dark. They can fetch quite a lucrative price because it was highly sought after by the wealthier family members from all over the three countries." the officer said.


    "Oh? This makes it sound quite interesting." Qin Lan nodded.


    "Perhaps, milord would like to ask if they have three in their inventory that milord could have? I''m sure that your three wives would be happy to receive a gift like this," he added before grinning at Qin Lan.


    "Officer - Officer... Now you ended up trying to be my teacher in love as well. What am I going to do without you?" Qin Lan chuckled. But inside his heart, he was slightly attracted to the beautiful gift the officer just mentioned.


    "Then, let''s ask if they have it in their inventory." Qin Lan nodded.


    After traveling for close to an hour, the Lianshui Vige is finally in front of them. Like how it was described, the vige is situated just by the side of a beautifulke. Lotus leaves and flowers were growing by the side of theke, making it a sight to behold.


    "This ce is indeed as beautiful as the vigers from Bashan Vige described." Qin Lan smiled as his mood was enlightened by the scenery and fragrance from the lotus.


    "You two, go to the vige and announce the arrival of the marquis. Let them finish their preparation before we entered the settlement. Make sure you treated them with respect. Remember to treat the vigers with respect and don''t step over your rights." the officer pointed at two soldiers and ordered them to get into the vige first.


    "Yes, Sir!" the two patted the Martial Beast they''re seated on and made their way into the vige first. As for Qin Lan, he''s taking it leisurely while getting carried by the Golden-Grade Martial Beast.


    "Jin-Xiong, what do you think about theke?" Qin Lan asked the Martial Beast he tamed. Since it looked like a bear while standing on two legs, he named it Jin (Gold) Xiong (bear).


    From the way it looks, the Martial Beast loved the name Qin Lan given him.


    "OOH!" Jin-Xiong replied to Qin Lan''s question by taking a piece of wood on the ground and give it a few bites. From the action alone, it seems it had a different point of view about theke.


    "What? Are you saying that theke should be filled with fish that you can eat?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Oh!" Jin-Xiong nods.


    "You''re gluttony, don''t you think? I just gave you a few strips of dried bacon to eat back there." Qin Lan flicked Jin-Xiong''s head after seeing that the Martial Beast is asking for food again.


    Shaking his head around after getting flicked by Qin Lan, Jin-Xiong continued to walk stably without making it feel ufortable to Qin Lan on its back.


    "We greet the Crimson Mist Marquis for his lordship''s visit in this small and humble Lianshui Vige." the vigers greeted Qin Lan the moment he stepped into the vige. The entourage with fifty soldiers and close to thirty Martial Beast made it grander than when they arrive at Bashan Vige.


    "Everyone, please rise." Qin Lan slowly raised his hand up as he speaks.


    "Milord, may we guide you to where you''ll be seating, please? The banquet is ready and can start at any time." the vige chief said as he offered to walk Qin Lan over to where he''ll be seated.


    By the time he arrived at where he''ll be seating, Qin Lan chuckled.


    As he had expected, this vige prepared a few young maidens to serve him as well. Looking at the eight beauties that seem to know nothing about how enormous the world outside this vige, he felt a slight pity.


    But he did nothing because anything he did right now would indirectly be an act of pping the vige chief on his face. And since it was arranged this way for him to enjoy, Qin Lan decided to follow the flow and allowed the beauties to serve him.


    After a light massage around his neck, shoulder, and arms, Qin Lan decided to reward them for their effort.


    "Is your parents is here?" Qin Lan asked one of the eight young maidens.


    "Yes, milord. My parents are by that table." the young maiden replied to Qin Lan honestly.


    "Good. I am d to have you massaging my shoulder today. Take your hand out. Let me give you a reward before letting you get back to your parents." Qin Lan said.


    "Mi - Milord, did Yue-Er did something wrong?" the young maiden panicked. If there weren''t others standing by her side, she might have kneeled straightaway after hearing what Qin Lan just said.


    "No, you did nothing wrong. Is there a problem for me to reward the beauty that made me felt happy?" Qin Lan smiled at the young maiden that called herself Yue-Er.


    "Then..." she slowly took her hand out. Afraid that Qin Lan might be a corrupt official like the others shared before, she tried to keep her hand steady as she waited for her fate.


    But all she got was a bottle full of Flesh Foundation Pills and five Skin rifying Pellets.


    "Go back to your parents. You''ve done what you need to do here, so it''s fine to enjoy the banquet with them." Qin Lan smiled. His attention soon arrived at the other two as he rewarded them simrly before letting them return to their parents.


    With only five beauties left, Qin Lan would have to keep looking for an excuse. He eventually had them sent off and returned to their family.


    What Qin Lan did make the vige chief and his wife speechless. They''re worried that Qin Lan would be dissatisfied with what they''ve arranged for Qin Lan so far.

 Chapter 225: Lianshui Village (2)

    Chapter 225: Lianshui Vige (2)


    "Chi-Lan Marquis, is there any problem with the young maidens we''ve arranged for you? It seems that you''ve sent all of them off after giving them some pills." the vige chief came forward and asked. There''s a worry deep inside him that Qin Lan might be dissatisfied with what he has to offer.


    "Young Marquis, would you like us to bring you a few more? If you have any specific conditions that we could fulfill, please let us know." the chief''s wife also made her way to her husband''s side to give him some help.


    "Please don''t be too concern about this. My liege is just not interested in the young maidens as he was a married man." the officer beside Qin Lan''s side speaks on his behalf.


    "Then... Is there anything we can do for the Marquis? It would be helpful if this loyal officer could share some tips to satisfy the Marquis." the chief''s wife politely bows herself at the officer.


    "My lord has three beautiful wives. If both the vige chief and his beloved wife do have some idea on how he can make his women happy, I believe my liege would be delighted." the officerughed.


    "You! Get back on your seat and enjoy your drink!" Qin Lan gently reprimands the officer for getting carried away. But it was just an act as the officer indirectly brought up what he actually wants.


    "I think I know what the Marquis is looking for, dear husband. Perhaps we can mention that matter to the lord to see if he''s interested?" the chief''s wife was smart enough to notice the officer''s hint from just a simple sentence.


    "Maybe, we can bring this matter up to the Marquis and see if he can help?" his wife continued.


    "Beloved wife, how can we disturb his lord''s casual visit just because the vige is incapable of handling a menial matter like this? If this news went to the ears of other vige''s chiefs, your husband might be theughing stock in the entire Shuiyue County!" the vige chief said.


    "Feel free to speak if there''s anything in your mind. You don''t have to worry about offending me because you''ve spoken something you shouldn''t." Qin Lan smiled and down another cup of wine after expressing himself.


    "Then... This vige chief will follow what the Marquis said."


    "Actually, today was the second day of harvest for the once a quarter blooming season for the Luminescent Lotus. But unfortunately, we''re unable to meet the order for this season." the vige chief carried a sad expression on his face as he spoke about this.


    "Is there a problem with this season''s yield?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Answering to the Marquis... Yes."


    "The vigers are indeed having some problem harvesting the Luminescent Lotus this season. You see... One of the local Yao Beast living in theke recently broken through its Flesh Refining Layer shackle. Because it had left, the Lianshui Lake is undergoing an internal struggle right now."


    "This makes our life a little... Difficult... When ites to getting into the middle of theke to harvest some of the Luminescent Flower there." it was hard for the vige chief to bring this matter up to Qin Lan.


    "What are we going to fight?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Milord''s meaning is?" Qin Lan''s reply surprised the vige chief.


    "I have fifty elite soldiers here with me. Feel free to use them. All of them are between half-step to third-level Bone Reconstruction Layer experts. I''m sure they can give the vigers a hand." Qin Lan continued as pours himself another cup of wine.


    "Boys! Did you hear the Marquis''s order? Get your butt up from that seat right now!" the officer rys Qin Lan''s word to them. The moment he finished his sentence, the forty-nine soldiers and the officers stands on their feet confidently.


    "Vige chief, please show us the way!" the Crimson Mist soldiers cupped their fists together and waited for his arrangement.


    "This... This..." the vige chief is excited for having fifty Bone Layer experts helping him, but it seems he still has something in concern.


    ''Who will entertain the young Marquis if I left? I can''t allow my wife to serve him because she''s a married woman. This is not proper no matter how lenient the lord is...'' he was worried that other problems will surfaces after he left.


    "Dear father, please allow Lian-Er to attend to this lord''s needs while you''re busy with official matters," a young maiden said while making her way to Qin Lan''s seat. She''s a beauty in jade green clothing and a ribbon between her arms.


    Each of her steps was graceful and polite as she made her way towards Qin Lan''s seat, with both her hands ced roughly around where her belly button is. That slight glimpse of her milky skin color on her wrist and her neck could make even the firmest man felt hardened.


    Furthermore, she possessed a body figure that does not lose against Hu Jia''s chest and Peng Yan''s waist. Added with the politeness from Zhou Mei''s gracefulness, she can be said to be a polished jade from the three.


    "Yan Yi Lian greets the Crimson Mist Marquis from the Country of Wu." lifting both sides of her skirt and slightly bending her knee in front of Qin Lan, the beauty greets Qin Lan.


    "What a great name. A Lotus in an Eye. Even this Marquis is unable to think of a better word that fits such a beauty perfectly. It is my honor to meet Beauty Yan today." Qin Lan stands up with both his hands holding the wine cup.


    After presenting her the words worthy of her beauty, Qin Lan finished the cup in his hand in response. His left palm pointed at where the officer had just seated as he invited Yan Yi Lian to take a seat near him.


    "Beauty Yan, please." Qin Lan smiled. Since it was considered an honor to be entertained by the beauty of this quality, Qin Lan naturally wouldn''t be stingy with what he had. Two jars of Lotus Fragrance Wine were taken out in response as he passes a bottle to Yan Yi Lian''s table.


    The word "Lian-Hua-Xiang" is clearly imprinted on the wine jar itself. This saved some of Qin Lan''s effort from looking for a sentence to introduce the wine.


    "Looks like Lian-Er would have to thank the Marquis for bringing out such an exquisite wine today. From what Lian-Er heard, this is one of the few best wines produced in the Yunshan Province." Yan Yi Lian immediately shows hermunication skill by speaking in a friendly term with Qin Lan.


    This also indirectly shows her father that it is safe to leave the vige square with the soldiers. Nothing would go wrong with the daughter entertaining Qin Lan and his wife handling the vige''s affair.


    "Then, this vige chief will excuse himself first to monitor the progress of the Luminescent Lotuses harvest." the chief excused himself and left quietly with the soldiers. As for his wife, there is much for her to do as the banquet is considered over.


    With all the soldiers had left except Qin Lan, what the chief''s wife would have to do now is arranging a suitable residence for him to rest for the night.


    "Beauty Yan, please." Qin Lan raised his cup as he invited Yan Yi Lian to enjoyed the wine together with him. It was only proper that he initiates the conversation first based on the difference in their social status.


    "Lian-Er can''t help but noticed a few Martial Beasts by the side when she came. Did the Marquis solved the problem with the Yao Beast''s nest while you''re on your way here from the border?" Yan Yi Lian asked.


    She was a cultivator as well. With her age simr to Qin Lan''s second sister, Yan Yi Lian can be considered a powerhouse on her own with her second-level Bone Reconstruction Layer strength.


    "Beauty Yan guessed correctly. The Martial Beast apanying us indeed came from the river channel on our way here." Qin Lan smiled as he replied to her question.


    "If I may guess, it seems that Beauty Yan was a disciple from the Ice Maiden Temple. Would you mind sharing with this noble what kind of day-to-day activities you''ve had as a disciple of the temple?" Qin Lan politely asked.


    For the sake of getting Zhou Mei back from the Ice Maiden Temple, it was essential for him to know what kind of a sect he was going to face before knocking on their door recklessly.


    "I''ve never imagined that the Marquis will be so knowledgeable about this. Lian-Er is indeed a disciple of the Ice Maiden Temple. Since the Marquis asked to listen about it, then please don''t mind if Lian-Er speaks a little too much." Yan Yi Lian smiled.


    "Then, please go ahead," Qin Lan raised his wine cup again as he gets himself ready to listen to Yan Yi Lian''s story.


    "If Lian-Er would have to choose a word to describe the sect, then the word (peaceful) would be the first toe to my mind. The Ice Maiden Sect mainly epted female disciples with good aptitude. Even Lian-Er was lucky to attract the eyes of her master while she was young."


    "As for our lives there, it was simple. We''re practically learning about how to be a nun there while cultivating. Although there are no rules stated that the disciples may not get married, most of us chose to remain single for life."


    "Of course, Lian-Er is still unable to escape the chain of emotion and love, unlike the other seniors from the sect." Yan Yi Lian said. It was essential for her to mention this as it would keep her door open if Qin Lan was interested in her.


    "Then... Do you know a disciple of the Ice Maiden Sect named Zhou Mei, also from the Country of Wu?" Qin Lan asked.

 Chapter 226: Im Qin Lan

    Chapter 226: I''m Qin Lan


    "We''re here, officer." the vige chief pointed his palm at the side where the Luminescent Lotus started to glow brighter as the sun setting.


    There were glowing with a different light, but the mostmon was white, red, green, and blue. As for those like violet, pink, and azure, they''re rarer.


    "Looks like the flower each has their own glow. Let''s make sure we get three specific colors that fit each of milord''s women." the officer said. His sentence again stated that Qin Lan not only has one woman but three.


    ''Already having three women in his life at this young... Would my Lian-Er be happy if she got tangled into his harem?'' a question came into the vige chief''s mind as he smiled at the Crimson Mist Army that came with him.


    Please let us know what we have to do here, chief." the officer asked.


    "This vige chief would like to ask fellow experts to protect the vigers while they row the boat further to the center of theke. Please ensure that you focus more on protection and not hunting the Yao Beast until they''re extinct," said the vige chief.


    "Oh? So protection is more important than killing the Yao Beast? Is there a reason for doing so? Won''t killing all of them make it easier for the vigers when the next season is here?" the officer was puzzled by the vige chief''s request.


    It was like you''re trying to hunt a pack of wolves but making sure you leave their cubs alive so they can return to bite you back.


    "Officer might have no idea, but the locals believe that it was because of the Yao Beast that the Luminescent Lotus can grow here. We''ve gone through a few fruitless struggles after trying to cut the number of Yao Beast living in thiske."


    "Do you believe in karma, officer?" the vige chief suddenly asked the Crimson Mist officer a weird question.


    "Karma? I''ve heard about it, but I am unsure whether to believe it or ignore it." the officer replied.


    "Then, perhaps you should keep one of the lotus pods that you''ve harvest personallyter. Our ancestors said that having a pod of the Luminescent Lotus by your side would give you enlightenment when you''re in the mids of breaking through."


    "They also said that killing or saving was all heaven''s will. There was no such thing as good or bad in the eyes of the Luminescent Lotus." the vige chief added.


    "I''ll make sure that my men remember what the chief just said. So, what kind of Yao Beast we''ll be facing?" the officer smiled at the vige chief that had no more than a fifth-level of Flesh Refining cultivation.


    "Nightstalker Three-Eyes Frogs and Verdant Horned Beetle. Both types of Yao Beasts had the strength around a sixth-level Flesh Refining to half-step Bone Reconstruction expert." the vige chief replied.


    "Boys! You heard the chief! Now get ready and start working! Killing is not a must. Our arrival here is to protect the vigers as they make their living harvesting essential resources for the Shuiyue County!" the officer shouted.


    "OH?" suddenly, Jin-Xiong pops out from the water with a fish between its jaw. There was another fish on its paw that was handed over to the officer.


    "Yeah... Vige chief... Eating the fishes won''t count as killing too much, correct?" the officer turned to the vige chief and asked.


    "Hahaha... That won''t be a problem." the vige chiefughed.


    "You heard that, bear? Go eat and y. We''ll call you when we need you." the officer made a hand gesture to Jin-Xiong.


    "OH! OOH!" the Martial Beast returned into the water after hearing what the officer said.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Zhou Mei?" Yan Yi Lian secretly studies Qin Lan''s expression after listening to his inquiry regarding the detail of a disciple in their sect. Her quick-witted response immediately allowed her to notice a hint of yearning from Qin Lan''s tone. There was some indescribable rtionship between him and this Zhou Mei he mentioned.


    "Hmm..." Yan Yi Lian pondered. But she soon decided to answer Qin Lan''s question because she noticed no evil intention behind Qin Lan''s gesture, behavior, and tone.


    A clear pair of eyes from Qin Lan was enough to persuade someone like her to provide him with unconditional help. As a maiden that yearns for a man to look for her, wasn''t what Qin Lan tried to do was what she''s wished for?


    "If the person milord is looking for were the same person as I know, then yes, Lian-Er indeed know her personally. She was someone from the noble family of the Royal Capital, am I correct?" Yan Yi Lian asked.


    "Yes. One of the four great families of Wu''s Royal Capital, the Zhou Family." Qin Lan added.


    "She is my senior sister. She indeed just returned to the sect a few months ago. If milord is worried about how my senior sister is doing, you can be at ease because she''s living well inside the sect right now." Yan Yi Lian replied.


    "Would Beauty Yan willing to..."


    "Milord, please excuse this humble one for a moment."


    Qin Lan was interrupted by the chief''s wife as he was about to ask for more regarding Zhou Mei''s situation inside the Ice Maiden Temple.


    "Lian-Er, would you mind walking the Marquis to the Lotus Sighting Manor?" it seems that the arrangement for Qin Lan''s amodation for the night waspleted. But there was a hint hidden behind her words.


    By asking Yan Yi Lian to walk Qin Lan to the Lotus Sighting Manor, it also meant to give both of them some personal time to bond together. Things might escte to something else, especially when an unmarried maiden walking with a healthy man back to his amodation.


    "Milord, would you mind that Lian-Er escorts you to the most beautiful manor in the entire Lianshui Vige?" Yan Yi Lian held her hands up and politely invites Qin Lan to follow her.


    "It would be this Marquis''s honor to walk beside Beaty Yan. Show the way, please." Qin Lan said.


    The two smiled at each other. As the host of this ce, Yan Yi Lian made her way down from the stage first, with Qin Lan following her.


    ''Daughter - Daughter... This is all mother can do for you. As for the remaining, Everything will be left in your hand. If this Marquis was a suitable partner for you, then go for it and don''t let him go.'' the chief''s wife mumbled to herself.


    Although what she did was no different from feeding a piece of fresh meat to a lion, it was the only way the weaklings protect themselves.


    ...


    "Milord, if you don''t mind Lian-Er asking, is there an inexplicable rtionship between you and my senior sister Zhou?" Yan Yi Lian asked. Although her question doesn''t seem to be rude, it was a little direct.


    "There''s not. If there was something in Beauty Yan''s mind, feel free to ask. Just put aside the fact I am a marquis as it would be nice to speakfortably with a fellow Bone Expert and a beauty like you." Qin Lan said.


    "Am I really allowed to do so?" Yan Yi Lian asked again.


    "Of course." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Then I''ll be straightforward. The sect wanted my senior sister to marry a top outer disciple from a sect in a friendly term with our Ice Maiden Sect. But..." Yan Yi Lian started to speak what was in her mind.


    "But what, Beauty Yan?" her word made Qin Lan getting curious.


    "But senior sister Zhou said that she will not get married to any other man except Qin Lan from the Qin Family in Yunshan Province. Furthermore, she openly announced that she''s already his woman." Yan Yi Lian seems to be excited as she brought up this matter. From the way she talks, this should be how she behaves.


    "Oh..." Qin Lan''s eyes were glowing as he felt proud deep inside his heart. Listening to what Yan Yi Lian said made his heart firmer as he was here for another reason. After building himself a reputation as andowner, he will personally go to the Ice Maiden Sect to take Zhou Mei back to his side.


    Perhaps this news might be a month old by now, but it still warmed Qin Lan''s heart that was devastated by their forceful departure not long ago.


    "You don''t seem too excited with this. Are you sure you''re my senior sister''s acquaintance?" Yan Yi Lian said. She thought Qin Lan would be exhrated by this news, but it seems it was only her getting excited.


    "I do. If it wasn''t because of my official duty as thendowner of this ce, I might be making my way straight to the sect to ask for her hand right now." Qin Lan said.


    "Do you think it was this easy?" Yan Yi Lian added.


    "Anyway, her reply made all the elders furious. They said that the senior sister was a fool and irresponsible disciple. Although she was not reprimanded, she''s not allowed to leave the Ice Maiden Sect''s ground until she agreed to get married to the disciple they wanted."


    "So, I guess if you''re here to chase after senior sister because of some lingering attachment, you can just give it up right now." Yan Yi Lian finished what she wanted to say.


    "And why should I give up? She won''t get married to him anyway. All I need to do is make sure that I''ve done my part and then go to the sect to reim her." Qin Lan smiled.


    "What is that guy''s name, and how strong is he?" Qin Lan asked.


    "He''s the prodigy of Xihou Family of the Country of Shu. His name is Xihou Ren. Eighth-Level Bone Reconstruction Expert. He''s also the number one disciple of the Supreme Fist Pavilion."


    "Why do you care? You won''t be able to fight against him. Just give up." Yan Yi Lian said.


    "Because I''m the Qin Lan she''s waiting for." Qin Lan smiled.

 Chapter 227: Pull Some Strings

    Chapter 227: Pull Some Strings


    "Why do you care? You won''t be able to fight against him with your current cultivation. Just give up. Although I know that senior sister Zhou Mei is beautiful, her heart already belonged to another man, and her body will soon belong to another." Yan Yi Lian shook her head as she speaks.


    From her reply, she seems to be clueless about the identity of Crimson Mist Marquis.


    This made Qin Lan had the urge to chuckle as he noticed that this beauty still did not realize that he was the "Qin Lan" she mentioned in Zhou Mei''s story.


    Because if she did, their conversation wouldn''t proceed in this manner.


    "Because I''m the Qin Lan she''s waiting for," thinking that it would be fun to see her reaction, he replied her question in such a way that hinted at his identity.


    "Oh, my Marquis... You''ll have to do better than this. I know that you came from the Country of Wu... But telling me that you''re the young general that got killed by the Genius General of Warfare, Peng Likun, is just making fun of Lian-Er."


    "Lian-Er might be just a girl from some rural area, but I still know most of the things because I can write and read. Marquis, please stop joking with thisss, please?" Yan Yi Lian said as she turned her head to look at Qin Lan.


    Seeing how she find it unbelievable, Qin Lan decided to make it clearer to her. And it was by removing his iconic red armor and changed into his usual appearance with an azure-colored robe.


    On his waist were two tokens. One was sculpted from wood before treated with liquid amber and polished. As for the second token, it was a gift from the King of Wu.


    He ced the two tokens on Yan Yi Lian''s hand before randomly picking a path to proceed aimlessly. A smile was kept on his face as he wondered what kind of reaction he''ll get from Yan Yi Lian.


    "You... You really are the Qin Lan from senior sister Zhou''s story? The announcement said that you''re dead after getting a punch from General Peng..." Yan Yi Lian was stunned for a moment there. By the time she noticed that Qin Lan was more than fifteen steps away from her, she quickly chased him.


    To a Bone expert like Yan Yi Lian, moving fifteen steps by making one to two steps forward was not too much. But she''s unsure about herself today. This was the most flustered fifteen steps she has ever taken.


    A hint of redness is shown on both her cheeks as she thirsts for air after getting back to Qin Lan''s side.


    "Take your time to breathe first." Qin Lan noticed that they seem to arrive at a corner where the beauty of the Lianshui Lake can be appreciated from here.


    With a pat on the Spatial Jade on his waistbelt, Qin Lan took a piece of silk handkerchief out and handed it to Yan Yi Lian.


    "Thank you, Marquis..." Yan Yi Lian took the handkerchief and slowly wiped her flustered emotion away.


    "Sometimes, you can only trust what you have seen yourself. Maybe the news you get back at your sect is a little outdated?" Qin Lan smiled. If he wasn''t mistaken, it was made on purpose to force Zhou Mei to give up on waiting for him.


    After all, the fact he was heavily injured by Peng Likun''s strength of a half-step Spiritual Root Layer is witnessed by countless experts present on the battlefield.


    By delivering such a piece of sad news throughout the three countries, it would not only affect the reputation of Peng Likun but also helps various forces scattered around the continent n for their next move.


    As for clueless individuals like Yan Yi Lian, she was just another one who got caught up by the of schemes nted by the three countries.


    "Tsk..." Yan Yi Lian clicked her tongue the more she thinks about the scheme behind this. Although she had no opinion regarding what the people do for a living, getting caught inside without knowing the truth still make her felt like a fool for a moment.


    "What are you getting so angry for? I am the one pronounced dead, not you, Beauty Yan." Qin Lan chuckled and ced a smaller wine jar in her hand.


    "I''ve actually kept this as a secret from the other fellow disciples because I''m worried they''ll tell senior sister Zhou the bad news. Thinking about that, I was the foolish one." Yan Yi Lian covered her face as she speaks about those shameful things she did.


    By the time she returned to the Ice Maiden Temple, she might be theughingstock amongst the outer temple because of how silly she was.


    "What foolishness? In my opinion, what you''ve done was a great help to both Zhou Mei and me." Qin Lan smiled as he looks at Yan Yi Lian''s face with a pair of gleaming, clear gazes.


    "Beauty Yan, are you willing to help me pull some strings and bring a pair of lovers back together? When things were done, feel free to ask me for any request. As long this Marquis is capable of doing it, I''ll make it happen for you." Qin Lan cupped his hands together and asked for her favor.


    "Pull some strings... Don''t tell me you want me to help you to get my senior sister out from the sect so you can run away with her?" Yan Yi Lian covered her mouth as she thinks about what Qin Lan wanted her to do.


    "Beauty Yan, you read too many immature schr''s fiction stories. How can such a thing happened in real life? All I need you to do is bring something back to the sect and gives it to her. As my woman, she''ll understand what that means." Qin Lan smiled after he finished his sentence.


    "Well... I guess I can give you some help if it was something this simple." Yan Yi Lian shows a hint of hesitation behind her words as she reluctantly agreed to his demand. But that twitch on the corner of her lips failed to escape Qin Lan''s eyes.


    "But I''m going to tell you first. Not everyone is capable of paying my favor back in full. You better be ready as it will make you broke!" Yan Yi Lian jokes as she agreed to Qin Lan''s request.


    "Even if I have to pay you until my offspring to take over this responsibility, I''ll promise I won''t run from this debt." Qin Lan cupped his hands together as they came up with an agreement.


    Of course, that was just in speech.


    "So, what do you think about the scenery here? It''s beautiful, correct?" Yan Yi Lian pointed at the Lianshui Lake and roughly guessed where they''re doing the harvest. As the local of this vige, all it took from her is a quick nce to know where they''ll be going to harvest the next batch.


    After seated side by side for a while, Yan Yi Lian walked Qin Lan to the Lotus Sighting Manor. As she was preparing to leave, it seems Qin Lan had something to make her resolution to help him and Zhou Mei firmer.


    "Beauty Yan, please hold your steps." Qin Lan said as he walked closer to her side.


    ''Ah... Don''t tell me he''s interested in me too? I can''t do that... Especially not after I know he''s senior sister Zhou''s man..." Yan Yi Lian was nervous.


    No woman will be reluctant when ites to receiving a gift. But for the first time, Yan Yi Lian had such a thought in her mind. She closed both of her eyes as she waited for Qin Lan to approach her. Deep inside her heart, she''s curious about why he''s asking her to stay.


    "Beauty Yan, this Marquis was here unprepared, so I have limited gift in my hand to be presented to a beauty like you. But I hope you''ll like this gift I can bring out for now." Qin Lan ced two medicinal bottles into her hand before he turned around and leave.


    Her heart was still palpitating nervously after Qin Lan had left.


    "What did he gives me?" feeling like a kid that got a mysterious gift from their parents, she made her way home as quickly as she could and locked herself inside her room.


    Her behavior made her mother suspected that something might happen between the two. But it never came across her mind that the "something" was not what she thought. Of course, it was pointless to clear this misunderstanding because it waste at night by now.


    Furthermore, what is there to be made clear?


    It''s not like her daughter was underage, and Qin Lan was a clueless youngster. In her eyes, Qin Lan was still a man with three wives!


    (Well, nobody dered that he only married one and two is yet to walk past the door into the Qin Family yet)


    ''Would this be the spring for our Yan Family and my Lian-Er''s? Hopefully, heaven will be kind to our Lianshui Vige and my Lian-Er..." the chief''s wife prayed to the sky. After a few shakes with both inner palms facing together, she returned to her room.


    As for Yan Yi Lian, she was simrly surprised by Qin Lan''s "generous" gift. The content from the two medicinal bottles exceeds what she could ask.


    There was only a single pill inside one of the two bottles. The method to use this pill was written on the wrapping paper that protects the pellet from hard impacts.


    ''What an amazing Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill...'' Yan Yi Lian said.

 Chapter 228: Hes Alive

    Chapter 228: He''s Alive


    "Milord, we''ve returned." the officer speaks towards the closed door leading to Qin Lan''s room. Unknown that if it was convenient for him to disturb his master, the officer didn''t wait for Qin Lan''s reply after he finished what he was to say.


    A total of eight soldiers were arranged around the humble courtyard Qin Lan was staying for the night. But little did they know, tonight was a sleepless night for Qin Lan.


    Touching the Night Glowing Pearl to leave a hint of his unique Spiritual Qi, Qin Lan entered the world within the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting. But for these three days, his intention was not to farm.


    The tool to create a painting was ced on top of a drawing table. Using a local paper that only obtainable from Fuyun City, Qin Lan piled a few pieces on top of each until they''re at least the thickness of a lotus''s leaf.


    This step was a must because what he was going to do was not writing but painting. Withoutpleting the process ofyering the paper to the thickness he desires, the painting will turn out differently from how he wanted.


    With the Eight Transformation Treasured Brush in hand, he started. Using the ink created from various nts surrounding him, Zhang Qin Feng recreates the most memorable scene between the two.


    The red ink turned into Royal Peonies, Golden ink into Osmanthus, and Blue ink into other Spiritual Plum Flowers. Essence from the leaves gathered from the nts was injected into the drawing to recreates the lush verdant background and ended with an imprint from his Foundation Qi to create the stars and moon.


    Without realizing it, the painting took almost the entire three nights away from Qin Lan.


    But it would be eventually worth all his effort. Rolling the painting back up and protecting it with a seal, Qin Lan concocted some pills before he was forced to leave the world. As he finds it hard for him to fall asleep again, a few bottles of Plum Flower Fragrance were taken out to apany him for the few remaining hours.


    It was time for breakfast by the time Yan Yi Lian gives the door a knock.


    "Marquis, can Lian-Ere in? I''ve brought you some breakfast." she said.


    "Pleasee in." Qin Lan takes a look at his appearance and puts on the iconic red armor. It won''t be good for his reputation to be caught intoxicated for the entire night because he couldn''t sleep.


    There was a radiance behind Yan Yi Lian''s smile as she stepped into the room with a tray with an assortment of breakfast. She seems much more reinvigoratedpared to herself yesterday.


    "Congrattions, Beauty Yan. It looks like Beauty Yan managed to harness all the benefits from that pillst night." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Lian-Er has to thank the Marquis again for willing to part with such a precious gift." after cing the tray before Qin Lan, Yan Yi Lian gently nodded at Qin Lan.


    "Is the entourage going to leave the vige today?" she asked. It was not a secret that Qin Lan only has a short time to visit one vige to another.


    "Yes. I was waiting for Beauty Yan toe before bidding farewell to the other vigers. Since we''ve done what we can help in this vige, we naturally have to go because there are still three ces to stops by before I reach the City of Ye." Qin Lan answered.


    "Then, Lian-Er can only bid farewell with the Marquis here. Lian-Er will be returning to the Ice Maiden Temple after this." Yan Yi Lian''s words suggested that if Qin Lan had something he wanted her to deliver, it would be good to do it right now.


    "Would Beauty Yan mind taking this painting to your senior sister? She will understand everything the moment she opened it. Also, I am somewhat worried about her ess to cultivating resources in the sect. Can you give this Qiankun Pouch to her after she looked at the painting?" Qin Lan said.


    "Sure. I''ll make sure to deliver this." Yan Yi Lian took the painting and Qiankun Pouch from Qin Lan. And after some small talk, she finally left.


    "Milord, are we ready to go now?" the officer came into the room after Yan Yi Lian left.


    "Have you done what you need to do over here?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes. This subordinate had to make sure to check the documentation and other paperwork. The vige chief''s background is clean. Milord can be at ease." the officer replied.


    "Good. Then let us depart as well. What is the name of our next destination?" Qin Lan asked as he put on the red cloak over his back.


    "It''s a medium size settlement. The local residents called it Heishi Town. From the information I''ve got from the locals, it seems that this ce is doing quite well in trades and local produce." the officer said.


    "Good. Then let us depart to the Heishi Town without further ado. Do any of you still have something to be done?" Qin Lan asked his soldiers in case some of them hesitates to leave.


    "No, Milord!" they replied.


    "Then, let us depart!" Qin Lan said.


    After presenting some gifts to the vige chief, Qin Lan and the soldiers left the Lianshui Vige. Half an hour after they left the vige, Yan Yi Lian also made her way towards another direction as she returned to the Ice Maiden Temple.


    It took her two days to arrive at the entrance of the temple by changing three horses. Although there''s no need for her to make such a rush journey back, her own impatience made her did it anyway.


    "Senior sister."


    "Senior sister."


    The younger juniors greeted her as she quickly went up the hill to where Zhou Mei stays. As a direct disciple of the elders, the two had a much better status in the temple. They were also given a different amodation to live in as one of the few benefits.


    It was her first time feeling that there were too many people tried to speak with her. Although it was just another day-to-day urrence, she feels it was much more annoying than before.


    "Senior sister Zhou! Are you in?" Yan Yi Lian raised her voice as she stands outside of Zhou Mei''s residence. Taking a few deep breaths to calm her heart, she stands outside quietly and waiting for Zhou Mei''s response.


    *Creak...*


    The door was opened slightly. Whates out from the inside is not the fragrance of a maiden''s perfume nor flower from her garden, but a dull and lifeless atmosphere.


    "Ah... Its junior sister Yan. Is there anything you need from this senior sister?" Zhou Mei''s tired eyes took a nce at Yan Yi Lian after opening the door. She was still dressed in a white robe. From the look of it, the news about Qin Lan''s death had eventually made it was to her.


    "Senior sister, let''s go in and talk." Yan Yi Lian forced herself into her residence. Zhou Mei wanted to stop her, but maybe because she was filled with grief, there''s not an ounce of energy were behind her arms.


    After getting into her ce, Yan Yi Lian locked the door and pulled Zhou Mei by holding her wrist until they''re both inside her room. On their way over, Yan Yi Lian identally kicked a stove with ashes inside.


    But she wasn''t bothered with it at all.


    "Junior sister Yan... Please leave your senior sister alone. I''ll promise I will get better after I finish grieving for my man. All I''m asking is just one month." Zhou Mei closed her eyes as she speaks. It was evident that she was mistreated by the other disciples and elders during this period.


    Of course, it was not done directly in front of her. But having the need to beg to be given some incense paper and burial after knowing that her beloved man is dead still wounded her deeply.


    She even has to trade the dress Hu Jia gave her to get a memorial tablet to engrave Qin Lan''s name on it.


    "Is that... The guy, Qin Lan''s memorial tablet?" Yan Yi Lian asked.


    "Yes." Zhou Mei hugged the memorial tablet and protected it in case Yan Yi Lian wanted to destroy it.


    "Haih... I wonder what I have to say... Here, senior sister, take a look at what I get for you." she sighed. But deep inside, she hopes that Zhou Mei will feel better after seeing what she had in her heart.


    "Junior sister, forgive me for not having the mood to appreciates the painting right now... Can you leave?" Zhou Mei asked.


    "Senior Sister, I''ll leave after you opened the painting to have a look. How did I treat you all this time? It hurts me to think that you considered me the same as the others." Yan Yi Lian said.


    Seeing how she insisted, Zhou Mei grabbed the other end of the painting and touched the scroll. Her expression immediately changed as a lightning bolt jolted her.


    Zhou Mei immediately touches the two strings that were sealed with wax stamps.


    "Where did you get this?" Zhou Mei''s hand was shaking as she asked.


    "Where else? I wanted to see what was inside as well. Can you open it and let me have a look too?" Yan Yi Lan was curious. If her senior sister''s emotion can be changed with just a touch on the wax, then how would she be after looking at the content?


    Zhou Mei then cracked the seal apart and unrolled the painting. It was quite a big painting with a flower garden blooming at night.


    "A scenery painting? Very romantic, Chi-Lan Marquis." Yan Yi Lian was disappointed as she thought it was something unusual. But as she turned her head to Zhou Mei, it seems she reacted differently.


    "He''s alive... Wuu..."


    "He''s alive..."


    Tears of happiness were rolling from both her eyes as she fell to the ground. The heavy stone in her heart was finally lifted as she looks at the scenery painting drawn by Qin Lan.


    The ce in the drawing is where they consummated their love. It was also the ce Zhou Mei first enjoyed the feeling as a woman and became Qin Lan''s woman.

 Chapter 229: Heishi Town (1)

    Chapter 229: Heishi Town (1)


    "I''m feeling much better." Zhou Mei said after crying for a while with the painting in her hand. It looks like the tears have been gathering right under her eyes and only managed to find their way out right now.


    She seems refreshed after yielding to the torrent of tears and sadness in her heart.


    But right now, there''s a hint of radiant glow in her eyes, like she found the reason to keep living once more. Turning her head to Yan Yi Lian that kneeled beside her, she gave her a hug.


    "Thank you, junior sister. I don''t know how I would be if you didn''te to me." a feeling of gratefulness appeared in her heart. As the senior sister, how can she be oblivious about how hard Yan Yi Lian tried to stop the other fellow disciples from spreading the news they heard?


    It was all done to protect Zhou Mei''s fragile heart at that time. But in the end, it still managed to reach her ears.


    "As long senior sister is fine. Oh, I have something else to give you. He makes sure that I give this to you after you came back to yourself." Yan Yi Lian took the Qiankun Pouch out and handed it to Zhou Mei''s hand.


    But it seems Zhou Mei was uninterested in the pouch. She was staring at Yan Yi Lian with a pair of clear eyes as she thinks about how to ask her something.


    After pondering for a while, she holds Yan Yi Lian''s hand and speaks.


    "How did junior sister met him? Did my man flirt with other girls after I was taken away?" Zhou Mei asked. Her tone was filled with some sarcasm that only she could understand.


    "Flirt? Can you ask yourself if you believe what had juste out from your own mouth? I might have be his woman if he really flirts when he''s inside our Lianshui Vige." Yan Yi Lian replied. She''s still feeling a little lost because such a great man was actually her senior sister''s beloved man.


    "Hahaha... That means you''ve seen him in person. What do you think about him? He''s perfect, correct?" Zhou Mei smiled. The colors and emotion finally returned to her when ites to talking about Qin Lan. Furthermore, she had someone else to talk to right now.


    "Perfect? He''s barely reached the level of perfection. Can you not get blinded by the feeling of love from him? It was just a painting... To think that your reaction was this big after looking at it..." Yan Yi Lan pouted.


    "That''s based on everyone''s opinion. In my eyes, Qin Lan was perfect. Even if heaven wants me to choose again, I will go to him in person a hundred times." Zhou Mei said.


    "Anyway, where did you meet him? Did you just say Lianshui Vige? Aren''t that ce belonged to the Country of Shu? Why did he go there?" Zhou Mei asked.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "The people from Heishi Town wee the Chi-Lan Marquis!" the townsfolk were gathered around the entrance as Qin Lan make his way inside the Heishi Town.


    It was worthy of being called the second most popted settlement after the City of Ye. On the registry of families alone, about five thousand households are living here. This means there are about eighteen thousand people in this Heishi Town.


    Of course, the reason behind the number of people living here is due to the business they''re doing here. The town was established and built beside the Obsidian Volcanic Vein. This product was one of the highly sought-after resources for fellow cksmiths.


    Other than being called the Heishi Town, it was alsobeled by the other visitors and traders as the cksmith''s Headquarter.


    Right in the middle of Heishi Town were two grand buildings.


    The first one belonged to the County Office. Almost everything rted to Heishi Town''s operation was stuffed inside this building. It was also tasked with handling the paperwork and registration for the other nearby viges, such as the nearest Bashan Vige and Lianshui Vige.


    As for the second building, it belonged to one of the subdivisions from the Eight Treasured Department. It was known as the Hall of Treasures, one that mainly deals with the business and knowledge in Offensive and Defensive Treasures.


    "Looks like the Heishi Town is doing very well under Secretary Qian''s jurisdiction. I am d that the person in charge of this town was someone as responsible as the secretary." Qin Lan cupped his hand as he speaks with the representative of this Heishi Town.


    "This word from Marquis was too kind. Qian was just doing everything in his responsibility. It was all the resident''s effort for our Heishi Town to grow to what it is today." the secretary humbly replied.


    "Hahaha, let us put aside all these courteous words for now. I am very interested in visiting around. May I continue to bother the secretary to show me around and arrange a visit to the Obsidian Volcanic Vein for me?" Qin Lan said.


    "Everything for the Marquis. It has been arranged even before Marquis is arriving. Please! Follow this lowly official as we make our way to the Mine''s entrance." Secretary Qian pointed his palm towards a path leading to a mountain area where miners get their job done.


    As for the soldiers, they''re separated into five different squads as each one of them had their own task to fulfill. Some walked around to strengthen the security, while the others were in the duty of inspection, paperwork, and other matters.


    "I hope that the secretary Qian can enlighten this Marquis. What was the condition of this town before it became what it was today? From what I''ve heard, it was a rural and quiet ce before the Hall of Treasures moves in, correct?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Indeed, Marquis. Part of the contribution doese from the Hall of Treasures. Even the townsfolk would agree with me. To be honest, we''re still grateful that they choose to cooperate with the town and not trying to monopoly the mining business." the secretary answered.


    "Looks like this Marquis will have to bother the secretary to arrange for a meeting between me and hall master. As the newndowner of this ce, it is only polite that I thank him on behalf of my people." Qin Lan added.


    "It will be done. Please leave this to Qian." the secretary said. By the time they ended this conversation, the two were already outside one of the ten entrances leading into the Obsidian Volcanic Vein. Only half of the ten Crimson Mist soldiers remained outside of the entrance.


    "So... What''s the quality of the ore produced from this Obsidian Volcanic Vein?" Qin Lan asked. Since his soldiers are yet to approve his entry, all he could do was wait here until it was safe for him to go in.


    As for why they''re being so rigid in security, it was because any ident could happen inside. No matter how powerful is Qin Lan and the other''s cultivation, all it takes was a copsing mountain to bury all of them alive inside.


    "The mostmon mineral found in this vein is, of course, the impure state of ss me Coal. It was also our most seble product because they''re almost everywhere inside the mountain."


    "As for the others, we have the Volcanic Essence Stone and Mineral mestone. The second best seller was the Volcanic Essence Stone. This material can be refinable high-quality mineral Iron to be added into the treasure during their production."


    "The Mineral mestone''s yield was huge, but since they don''t worth a lot, they''re not that precious in the miner''s opinion." the secretary immediately replied, showing how much he knew.


    "Then, where did the Mineral mestone goes?" Qin Lan asked. Although he knew more than five ways to turn the Mineral mestone from trash to treasure, there''s no reason for him to offer them unless it was necessary.


    "The town''s council took the responsibility in processing them into higher grade product to be sold in the cksmith''s market. Although we did make some loss from all the work, no people are starving here in Heishi Town because they had no job to do." secretary Qian said.


    "What amendable act that was done by the town''s council. I am d that such a step was taken to make sure that there''s no waste happening. Looks like there''s more for this Marquis to learn under the secretary." Qin Lan said.


    "Marquis''s word was too much for this secretary. I was just doing what have to do. Oh, look, it seems it is safe for us to enter the Mine right now. Shall we make our way inside?" listening to Qin Lan''s word made the secretary felt slightly embarrassed.


    Coincidently, the soldiers wereing out of the tunnel as they speak.


    Qin Lan followed then followed the secretary as they entered the Obsidian Volcanic Vein with a good quality pickaxe in their hand. From the look of it, they decided to experience what the miners had to go through.


    Meanwhile, a group of Crimson Mist Soldiers is standing outside of the building belonged to the Hall of Treasures. It was led by the trusted officer that apanying Qin Lan''s side.


    "Fellow soldiers of the Marquis, how can this humble manager assist you? Are you here on an official matter, or there''s something you need?" a chubby middle-aged man came out from the building and greeted the officer respectfully.


    "We''re here for an official matter. Bring the person called Da Kui out right now!" the officer said as he invites an olddy toe to his side.

 Chapter 230: Heishi Town (2)

    Chapter 230: Heishi Town (2)


    "Da Kui?" the hall manager showed a bewildered expression by the Crimson Mist soldier''s demand. Although he was slightly dissatisfied with how the soldiers work, the manager maintains a smiling face while looking at Qin Lan''s officer.


    "This officer, may I ask what Da Kui has done to incite the officer''s wrath?" the hall manager asked. From his reply, it seems he was not entirely oblivious about the person name Da Kui''s behavior.


    "Humph! Bring the olddy here!" the officer ordered.


    Then, an olddy seated on top of a roofless pnquin was taken to the front.


    "Old Madam. In front of this officer and the hall manager, please borate on what happened to your daughter. The House of Marquis will not stand aside and watch if the person was found guilty!" the officer said.


    "This Da Kui from your establishment killed my daughter!" the old madam cried as she pointed at the building''s entrance. Unless she''s a professional actor, it would be hard to carry such an intense hatred and feeling of sorrow as she speaks.


    "So what if my daughter works as a courtesan in the nearby brothel? She was my one and only family member in this world. She was just a musician, only selling her art and not her body. What right does this Da Kui have to force himself on my daughter and rape her?" the madam cried harder when she speaks about the misfortunate daughter.


    "Ai... Get Da Kui out here. Tell him to take care of his mess." the hall manager sighed as he hesitantly tells the door guard to bring the one called Da Kui out.


    Minutester, the Da Kui mentioned by the three people appeared. He must have been briefed with what happened whileing out. But there''s not a hint of remorse is seen on his face. Instead, there was a fearless expression hung on his face.


    "So... You''re the mother of that woman?" Da Kui went straight to the old madam directly and ignoring the officer and his hall manager.


    "You! You murderer!" the old madam wanted to stand up and p the one called Da Kui. But unfortunately, her leg was too weak to support herself. She wouldn''t be here on a pnquin if she can walk on her own.


    "Old madam. Is thepensation I give you weren''t enough? If you need more, all you need to do was just get somebody here and ask. I won''t be that irresponsible since I''m the one that took your beloved daughter''s virginity away!" Da Kui replied as he put his face closer to the old madam''s reach.


    But he made sure it was a palm away from her.


    "You''re Da Kui?" the officer asked.


    "Yes. Who are you? Don''t tell me that the useless secretary got reced because he was toopassionate? I''ve told you before, Manager Lu, we shouldn''t bother with random visitors thate uninvited." said Da Kui.


    From his tone, it seems that the people from the magistrate or Marquis were not a concern in his eyes.


    "Behave yourself. This person here is the representative of the Marquis. His master is the newndowner of this Shuiyue County." the hall manager surnamed Lu said.


    "Sure, sure..." Da Kui smiled.


    "This lowly one called Da Kui greets the officer. Don''t tell me you''re here just for the sake of this old woman?" Da Kui greets Qin Lan''s officer again.


    *Xing!*


    "Exin yourself what you did in the brothel five days ago." the officer said as he pulled the iconic red sword of a Crimson Mist soldier out from its sheath.


    "What is there to exin? Since it was a brothel, except going there to release my ''seeds'' to the fortunatedies in there. What else am I going for? To discuss marriage with their mamasan?" Da Kuiughed.


    "So... You admit that you''re raping one of the artisans in there knowingly, correct? ording to thew of Shu and Wu, murderers will be imprisoned until further trial to find if they''re guilty or not."


    "Capture him." the officer said.


    "You dare?" the sound belonged to one of the Middle-Attainment Bone Layer experts descended from the upper floors of the building. From his tone, he seems to be warning the Crimson Mist soldiers from taking action that they''ll regretter.


    "May I know which expert is there?" the officer asked.


    "Brat. Keep your sword back to your sheath. Although the quality of the Offensive Treasure was not bad, it is barely enough topete with what the Hall of Treasure''s guard has. You wouldn''t want to be shamed in public, correct?" the expert continued.


    "I don''t care from what faction you came. Here in this Shuiyue County, my Marquis is thendowner. This lowly one is enacting the rules that my liege has set as we move from one vige to another."


    "Hopefully, this senior understands. Lock Da Kui and bring him into the magistrate prison right now!" the officer ordered.


    "Looking for death!" a palm attack descended as the expert lost his patience to continue the talk. The strength of a Middle-Attainment Bone Expert came from above as it forced the Crimson Mist soldiers to stay where they are.


    "OHHH!" a roar soon came from not far from where they are. Jin-Xiong fired a mouth beam at one of the building''s rooms as soon as it revealed itself.


    "Gold - Golden Martial Beast?" Da Kui and Hall Manager Lu were surprised by the arrival of a Martial Beast about the senior''s cultivation strength.


    Jin-Xiong sat down on the ground after firing the beam. On its paw is a struggling fish that seems to be caught from somewhere nearby.


    "My - My Dragonscale Carp!" one of the owners of a nearby manor came out and cried as it was his beloved pet fish. But he was toote because the fish head was already in Jin-Xiong''s stomach by the time he cried out loud.


    "You useless Martial Beast... Let this expert rip you apart and turn you into a waxed sculpture to be disyed in our Hall of Treasure''s lobby!" the expert stepped out from where the building was destroyed. His appearance was a tad unsightly from the surprise attack executed by Jin-Xiong.


    "Come here! Let this expert teach you a lesson on behalf of your master!" with a curved de in his right hand, the expert attacked.


    "Senior! It would be a provocation to the House of Marquis if you tried to attack milord''s tamed beast. Please control yourself!" Hall Manager Lu said.


    "So what?" the expert ignored the hall manager''s word. There''s only shame in his head right now because he was roughed by Jin-Xiong by surprise. Since he was one of the few experts in this Heishi Town with strength between middle-attainmentyer and better, he felt the need for him to regain the respect he had lost.


    "OH!" as a Yao Beast that loves to be challenged, Jin-Xiong was excited as the attack came. Acting like it was protecting the tail part of the fish from getting taken away, Jin-Xiong retaliates.


    The exchange from two middle-attainmentyer experts in their Bone Reconstruction Layer destroyed some of the windows and doors nearby when their attack shes. Some of the public passersby were even hurt by the debris that got thrown everywhere.


    Looking at the situation that doesn''t seem beneficial to him, Da Kui tried to sneak away from where he was standing. But he was unlucky as the soldiers were already blocking his way before he can escape.


    "Stay right there!" the soldiers kicked Da Kui''s kneecap and forces him to kneel before the old madam. This time, he was in the old madam''s reach.


    *Pia! Pia! Pia!*


    Without further ado, the old madam immediately gives him three ps as his cultivation was restricted by the prisoner''s cuff attached to his wrists.


    "Old woman! You dare to p me! When my fatheres back, I''ll make sure that you''ll have the worst daypared to your daughter!" Da Kui shouted.


    "This officer, can we handle this peacefully?" Hall Manager Lu asked politely. He had toe up with an idea before this continues to escte further until blood is shed.


    "I hope we can handle this case properly too. If there''s anything, speak to the Marquis and Secretary Qian. You should have seen thising. This is not the first time Da Kui did something like this to the youngdies from the brothel." the officer said.


    "Ai..." Hall Manager Lu was speechless as he knew that such a day will arrive. But the repercussion from enacting this act of justice might be a double-edged sword, in his opinion.


    "Then, this hall manager will try his best to ry this matter to the Hall Master." he cupped his fists together and took two steps back.


    "Jin-Xiong! Stop messing around! Come back!" the officer shouted.


    After hearing what the officer had said, the Martial Beast immediately lost its mood to fight as it has something else to do. To Jin-Xiong, the officer was like a groomer that brings him to fool around looking for things to eat.


    "Damn beast! Come back here! If anyone of you dares to leave this ce, don''t me this expert for dirtying his hand!" the middle-attainmentyer expert warned them. From his tone, it seems that he wasn''t a simple character either.


    "Really?" the voice that sounded so familiar to the soldiers came to reply to the expert''s warning. There was a hint of sarcasm hidden behind the reply.


    "Who! How dare you interrupt me while I''m talking!" the expert turned his head over to where the reply came. But he shouldn''t have done that.


    "Chi-Lan Marquis. Nice to meet you." Qin Lan appeared right in front of the expert and handed him a gift straight onto his chest. The fist wrapped around with a thickyer of Foundation Qi crushes the expert''s ribcage without warning.

 Chapter 231: Trap

    Chapter 231: Trap


    "You''re the Chi-Lan Marquis?" the expert that got attacked by Qin Lan said as he returned to the ground after mitigating the impact from the attack. But it still took a lot from him as he had to keep the blood from flowing out on the corner of his lips.


    The remnants of Qin Lan''s Foundation Qi are still lingering around his chest and his clothes that were ruined.


    "Fifth Uncle! Save me!" Da Kui cried for help as he kneeled before the old madam. It seems the old madam wasn''t satisfied by the chances and wanted to do more. Unfortunately, she has nothing in her hand except a fragile walking cane.


    "Woman! Stop your action! How dare you lock one of our Treasured cksmiths? Could the magistrate bear the consequences if the Hall of Treasures decided to stop doing business with you people?" the expert said.


    "What kind of consequences? Please borate." Qin Lan said while releasing the Foundation Qi he had in him. With a close to 95% conversion rate, it was no different from a lion that got its wing before growing into an adult.


    Inparison to the expert, his conversion rate was just about 10%.


    Sarcastically speaking, he was no different from an aged lion that couldn''t grow his wing even if he was given a chance to do so.


    "This Marquis, I hope you can control yourself a little more. Although thisnd was bestowed to you by the Country of Wu, it was belonged to Shu until very recently. It wouldn''t be good for you if you take things too personally." the expert sounded kind in his warning to Qin Lan.


    "Taking things too personally? Does that mean I should take the expert''s word as an example and mistreat my own citizen? Should I be standing on your side for the sake of profit and ignore my people''s plea?" Qin Lan asked.


    From his tone, he has been briefed with some information before deciding to handle this matter himself.


    "Chi-Lan Marquis. Please mind your words. There must be some mistake here and there. The Hall of Treasures always made sure that we''re standing along with the county''s magistrate. I hope such an incident won''t be the flint that incites the misunderstanding between us." Hall Manager Lu immediately mediates the problem between them.


    "Humph. I hope what you say is true. Bring the prisoner back to the magistrate prison. You''re?" Qin Lan waved his hand and ordered that Da Kui was to be dragged into the prison immediately.


    "This Hall Manager surnamed Lu. Greetings to the Chi-Lan Marquis." he cupped his fists together and greeted Qin Lan when the opportunity to do so was here.


    "It''s actually the Hall Manager Lu I''ve heard about. Please forgive this Marquis''s impolite entrance. In the future, I''ll make sure topensate the Hall Manager for my impudence today." Qin Lan replied.


    After all these polite exchanges of greeting were done, Qin Lan followed the soldiers and Secretary Qian back to the Magistrate Building.


    The expert wanted to argue again to take Da Kui back from the Crimson Mist Soldier''s hand, but this time, the hall manager stopped him from doing so.


    "Let''s wait for the Hall Master''s return." the hall manager turned around and return to the Hall of Treasures while shaking his head. He was somewhat devastated by everything that happened.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Get in there!" the soldiers kicked Da Kui into one of the cells after they unlocked the cuff that restricts his cultivation. It was regretful that they couldn''t do anything to this imbecile except locking him inside the cell until the case was brought up to the magistrate court.


    "Ouch! Both of you... I''ll remember your face. When I get out there, the two of you will be the first to face my wrath." Da Kui said. It seems that he''s yet to notice that he is in trouble right now.


    "What happened earlier?" Qin Lan asked his trusted officer about everything that transpired until now.


    "Reporting to the Marquis. We were taking our usual round around the Heishi Town as we stumble across the old woman grieving on her own due to the deceased daughter."


    "We find it weird because the youngdy was less than twenty years old. After asking around, including The Peony Pavilion, we found out that she suicide because she was raped by this imbecile called Da Kui."


    "Worst of all is this was not the first time he did such a thing. From the words of the patron and courtesans from the brothel, it seems this Da Kui was one of the clients they feared due to this reason." the officer added.


    Qin Lan nodded at the officer as he agreed that such an action is needed. It was only correct that they capture Da Kui before he went out again to cause trouble.


    But this also made him question secretary Qian''s ability from this matter. Turning his head over to the secretary beside him, Qin Lan stares at him with a gaze that could intimidate even a Bone Layer expert.


    "Secretary Qian. What kind of excuse you have? Bring it out now if you have anything to say." Qin Lan pped the table. Of course, it was just to vent some of his anger as he didn''t destroy the table for no reason.


    "Milord... This surnamed Qian has nothing to say!" secretary Qian kneeled as he speaks. From his reaction, it seems that he knew it wouldn''t be good for him to try to reason with Qin Lan.


    "Haih..." Qin Lan sighed.


    "Get out of here until I summon you. You better get more of this Da Kui''s record out for me before I found out more about the dealing between you and the Hall of Treasures. By that time, dismissal will be thest best thing you''ll have."


    "If I noticed that you''re a part of their cohort in bullying the people of Heishi Town, you better clean your neck before I behead you with my sword!" Qin Lan said as he opened the door using his Foundation Qi.


    "Then, this subordinate will excuse himself first..." secretary Qian was trembling as he retreated from the room.


    "Officer, tell me what you found about this secretary Qian. Give me some surprise as I am feeling a little devastated with my eyes today." Qin Lan said as he rubbed the gap between his forehead.


    "Milord, I think what you''ve seen here was just the surface of the problem. Your subordinate thinks that what secretary Qian did was due to peer pressure." the officer said. From his reply, it seems there was some misunderstanding in between.


    "borate." Qin Lan said.


    "From the mouth of the townsfolk, Secretary Qian had quite a good reputation, especially from the elderly. Even the old madam that following us back had nothing ill about secretary Qian''s reputation." the officer continued.


    "Oh? Against someone that failed to reim the honor back to her deceased daughter, she chose to stand alongside the secretary?" Qin Lan was puzzled. Would it be clear that a parent would hate the magistrate for failing the people?


    This made Qin Lan questioned himself if he was being too harsh on secretary Qian earlier.


    "But still, what he had done was not considered ethical either. I would say a proper solution would be needed before it deteriorating further." the officer suggested.


    "What''s the reason for you to say so?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Although the Heishi Town looks profitable and popted, the differences between wealthy families and the poor weren''t too far apart. In fact, even after putting together the wealth from the fewrge households in this Heishi Town, they''re still far fromparable to a quarter of Hall of Treasure''s wealth."


    "This subordinates worried that the monopoly would only get worst. If this town ended up reliant on the Hall or the County''s magistrate for their funds, this might bes a problem." said the officer.


    "What was the issue here? Even a tiny ce like Fu-Rong Town capable of self-sustainability without a mountain of treasure like this Obsidian Volcanic Vein. I don''t see the reason why the people in this town couldn''t do it." Qin Lan added.


    "True. With this Obsidian Volcanic Vein here, the possession and business in the treasures should be more developed than anywhere else. But from what this subordinate has seen, it was not the case."


    "The number of experts here is also roughly the same as the two other viges put together. And from the way it looks, forestry and hunting was not their main option of the profession. It seems the experts inside Heishi Town had a different point of view on earning their wages." he continued.


    "Hmm... What was the problem?" Qin Lan asked.


    "They prefer to be employed by the Hall of Treasure to be the pavilion''s guard, which promises them a safe environment, proper cultivating resources, and protection."


    "From the look of it, this is a steadier jobpared to risking their lives outside fighting the Yao Beast." said the officer. He knew that after saying this, Qin Lan will be angered.


    "What a good move from you people, Hall of Treasures..." Qin Lan tapped his finger at the side table in his reach. Finally, after listening to the officer for this long, he found out the real issue behind this Heishi Town that looked well from the surface but rotten inside.


    A meticulously devised n was needed for them to reach such a stage today. From how it looks, this was a trap thatid long ago, even before the county was handed over to the Country of Wu.


    As for their reason, it might be a trap set to keep the Wu in financial trouble while the Shu was strengthening themselves.

 Chapter 232: Attempt to Monopoly

    Chapter 232: Attempt to Monopoly


    "Do you have any suggestion on what we should do right now?" Qin Lan asked. From the tone he was implying, this was not something that can be done in a matter of a day or two.


    Furthermore, he can''t stay here for long. Three days was the most he could spare here before passing the remaining two viges to reach the City of Ye.


    "This subordinate has nothing much to say except preparing ourselves for whates next. Based on Da Kui''s reaction and the elder that openly confronted us, I''m sure that the Hall Master will not mildly take this."


    "Unfortunately, we have no idea about this Hall Master. I just hope that they won''t try to threaten the county magistrate''s power." said the officer as he shrugged his shoulder. It was evident that he''sck of confidence in his reply.


    Such a thing was as clear as day.


    No matter how strong a dragon is, it would have to control itself while confronting the local snake.


    "Milord, a report from the town''s entrance came. Looks like the convoy carrying the Hall of Treasure''s management staff has returned from their visit to the Country of Shu." one soldier came into Qin Lan''s room to report.


    "Good. Make sure everyone is paying attention to the premises and prepare for the unexpected. Except for the squad guarding the town''s entrance, get everyone back to the magistrate building." the officer ordered.


    "Yes, Sir!" the soldier nodded and left Qin Lan''s room.


    "Milord, please excuse this subordinate." the officer cupped his fists together and asked for Qin Lan''s understanding as he left to get ready.


    About an hourter, the expected visit finally came. Since the Hall of Treasures was located just across the street from the Magistrate Building, all it takes were less than twenty steps to arrive at the entrance.


    "This is Hall Master Da Yuan, requesting for a meeting with the Chi-Lan Marquis. Can fellow soldiers please ry this request to yourmanding officer, please?" the Hall Master asked while apanied by five middle-attainment Bone experts.


    "Please wait. This servant of the Marquis will..." the soldier replied him with a respectful gesture. But before he finished with his words, it seems the officer has noticed their arrival and came to receive them.


    "Hall Master Da Yuan?" he asked. The officer has changed into a set of clothing that was slightly different from the soldier''s unitedly equipment.


    "Yes." the Hall Master maintained his demeanor as he replied to the officer''s question.


    "Please follow me. Milord has been expecting you." the officer moves aside for the Hall Master toe.


    They soon arrived at the hall where secretary Qian usually attends to his guest. It was just a humble meeting hall, and because they''re currently not on a friendly term, all Qin Lan prepare was regr tea leaves instead of wine.


    "Greeting to the Chi-Lan Marquis. This lowly one is called Da Yuan. I am the current Hall Master of the Hall of Treasures in this Heishi Town." he introduced himself again after making his way into the middle of the room.


    "Hall of Treasure''s fifth-floor elder, Tong Jian, greets the Marquis."


    "Fourth-floor elder, Tian Yong, greets the Marquis."


    "Third-floor elder, Da Xun, greets the Marquis."


    "Second-floor elder, Tian Peng, greets the Marquis."


    "First-floor elder, Lu Song, greets the Marquis."


    The other elders all introduced themselves. Based on their surname, it seems that the Hall Master and the Third-Floor Elder had some blood rtionship between them. The elder named Da Xun was also the one Da Kui addressed him as "fifth uncle."


    From the look of it, his right inside this Hall of Treasures was not low, but not too high either.


    "Greetings to fellow experts here. I''m Qin Lan, the subject of the current King of Wu, who was bestowed with the title of Chi-Lan Marquis. Please, have a seat before we start speaking, shall we?" Qin Lan invited them to take a seat.


    "Thank you, Marquis." the six of them cupped their fists and moved to their respective seat.


    As for the officer and secretary Qian, both of them were standing by Qin Lan''s left and right.


    Food and drinks were soon delivered to each of their tables as Qin Lan entertained the Hall Master with a sword dance from one of his best elites. From what he was told by the secretary, this was a custom practice by the people of Shu.


    "Good sword skill." the Hall Master praised the soldier that was performing in the hall. As someone experienced with these kinds of customary gesture, it was casual for him to know what kind of words should be used at what time.


    "This subordinate of the Marquis appreciates the guest''s praise. Milord, please excuse your subordinate as he goes to repair his appearance." the soldier excused himself after the performance.


    "Hall Master Da Yuan. Looks like this is the correct time for us to have a proper conversation. May I ask if the Hall master is here for Da Kui''s case?" Qin Lan brought up the matter about Da Kui as they were seated in the hall.


    The moment Da Kui''s name was brought into the discussion, the five elders all had a different expression hanged on their faces.


    It seems that except for the Da Xun, the other four elders were quite delighted that Da Kui was taken by Qin Lan''s men to teach him a lesson.


    "This Hall Master is indeed here due to that useless son of mine. But there''s something else I am here for." Da Yuan admitted that he was here on behalf of Da Kui, but from how he twisted his words, it seems he had another motive today.


    ''What an old fox. There''s nothing better than saving a lion''s cub by telling the vulture to throw it down the ledge.'' Qin Lan was impressed by Da Yuan''s reply. Not even Sun Wu Jian, Sun Ding Tian, or Sun Chen Long have reached this level in negotiation.


    "Enlighten this Marquis, please." Qin Lan smiled as he had some interest in what Da Yuan was going to propose.


    "It was regarding the order that we''ve received from the Royal Army under his majesty, the King of Shu. Because the news was dyed due to the changes in sovereignty, the hall was put in a difficult position."


    "I''m afraid I will need to ask for the Marquis hasty approval to allocate all the avable ore to the Hall of Treasures for the next three months." Qin Lan was impressed by how Da Yuan brought this matter up in their meeting.


    To think that he would use the option of sacrificing his child for the sake of exchanging the right to monopoly the resources of the Heishi Town.


    The word from the Hall Master took secretary Qian by surprise because he knew that Da Yuan was capable of the scheme, but not to this extent. Such a big favor in exchange for a nod from Da Yuan to close his eyes as they punish Da Kui for the problem he caused was insignificant if it was to bepared.


    ''To punish Da Kui, or to reject his request to monopolized the resources for temporary?'' a bead of sweat rolled from secretary Qian''s temple as he considered it in his mind.


    He''s also curious about what Qin Lan would do.


    "Allocate all the ores mined from the town to the Hall of Treasures... This request is a little too difficult for this Marquis to agree with. Secretary Qian, is there no other ce that had ess to the ores required by the hall?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Milord, the nearest ce with ess to some ores that they need would either be the town after the City of Ye or the mountain near our Shuiyue County''s border." Secretary Qian immediately replied. But from his tone, some difficulties followed.


    "Is the two ces you''ve said were not essible?" Qin Lan asked.


    "The town after the City of Ye belonged to the Country of Shu. There will be a hefty tax and limitation if we try to import the ores into our county. As for the mountain near the border, aplete trip would take close to ten days."


    "The supply from the mountain is also just half of what we get from this Obsidian Volcanic Vein. As for their quality, it was also lower." secretary Qian replied.


    "I see..." Qin Lan nodded. No wonder Da Yuan seems to be quite confident whening here to negotiate. As the expert that built his firm foundation in this ce, it was no doubt that he knew at least as much as the secretary. Or perhaps, even more than what secretary Qian knew.


    After all, he was an expert in this field.


    "If answering this Marquis''s question is not a forbidden matter, can this lord ask, how many sets of equipment the Royal Army ordered?" Qin Lan replied as he turned his attention back to Da Yuan. His question was followed with a smile.


    "It was impossible for me to keep it secret anyway since the Marquis can just estimate from the number of ores we used. A hundred thousand sets of gear to rece their aging equipment." Da Yuan replied. He stands up with a scroll in his hand, which has a wax of the royal seal that cracked open.


    "This is his majesty''s mandate about the order. It was regretful that I am forced to went to the capital to retrieve it because the sovereignty of this county has changed." it seems he was well prepared. Even the king''s mandate was brought here as he made his outrageous request.


    "What does the Marquis have in his mind?" Da Yuan lowered his head as he asked Qin Lan again. From the corner of his lips, he was about to grin.

 Chapter 233: Scheming

    Chapter 233: Scheming


    ''Hah... How long has it been since somebody is trying to take advantage of me without knowing who they''re dealing with?'' Qin Lan smiled in his mind while looking at the Hall Master''s face. He knew that the Hall Master was using all his concentration to control himself from grinning, but it seems he has no idea...


    That Qin Lan was in the same situation as well.


    "A hundred thousand sets... That''s quite a challenge, I believe. Even if the Hall of Treasures was double the size, I think it will be hard for them to finish this order." Qin Lan rubbed his forehead as he acted like he was persuaded by him.


    "The word said by the Marquis very much stated the dilemma we''re having right now. This is why this Hall Master has no choice but to bring this matter up. It''s unwise if the work startedte due to the problem with that imbecile son of mine." Da Yuan added.


    ''Once you started to take a step back, I''ll take the chances to mentioned that my boy''s skills were also needed for us to aplish this order. By that time, not only you''ll lose the right to handle the ore produced by this town, but to dy the punishment for my son too.''


    ''Who knew what would happen after half a year passed? By that time, we might have a new official taking over this ce. Time was the best medicine to make people forget. Even if you''re a Marquis, it is still the same...'' the Hall Master quickly decides what to say after hearing what Qin Lan just said.


    "This Marquis has a suggestion. I wonder if the Hall Master wishes to hear it?" Qin Lan said. From the look of his, it was a forced decision that was made at an instant.


    "As long the Hall of Treasures could help, this Hall Master is all ears to what the Marquis has to say." Da Yuan cupped his fists together and agreed to listen to Qin Lan''s suggestion. In his opinion, there''s nothing much to be worried about from a youth less than twenty.


    Experience-wise, the number of salt he ate was way more than everything Qin Lan has eaten since his birth until now.


    "This dilemma of the Hall Master, the Marquis will have to help for sure. But since the people will be working on behalf of the Hall of Treasures, I hope that the establishment willing to cover a part of their sry," said Qin Lan.


    "Marquis. How can the Hall of Treasures be thrifty on the people? Please treat this aside from the request because paying the people''s wages for their work is a must. We''re living together in this Heishi Town, after all..." Da Yuan agreed without suspecting what was in Qin Lan''s mind.


    "Then, let''s put it this way. Secretary Qian, get a paper and pen out as you jotted down whatever we discussed today." Qin Lan ordered.


    "Your subordinate is ready." Secretary Qin ced the paper on a table and prepared to write what Qin Lan asked him to. In his heart, he''s partially yielded to fate because Qin Lan seems to bow down to Da Yuan''s threat.


    "From today onwards, the Hall of Treasures will be responsible for the employment and wages for the miners working in the Obsidian Volcanic Vein. All produce that was mined from there will be prioritized to be sold to them first."


    "This deal will continue until the Hall of Treasure fulfilled their production quota from the Country of Shu''s order." Qin Lan said. After he finished what he has Secretary Qian written down, Qin Lan stamped his seal on both copies as he gave one to the Hall Master.


    "Hall Master, please!" Qin Lan said.


    "This Hall Master is grateful with the Marquis''s understanding! The Hall of Treasures will be more confident about fulfilling this quota with milord''s support!" Da Yuan immediately stamped his seal before Qin Lan regretted what he has decided.


    The whole progress of this puzzled the Qin Lan''s officer as he knew that Qin Lan will not be as kind as this when ites to people that trying to treat him like a fool.


    ''What was Milord nning?'' the officer asked himself.


    "I hope this solved a problem for the Hall Master. But this lord has something else that I need the Hall Master''s support. I wonder if the Hall Master is in the mood to listen to my plea?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Milord, how dare Da Yuan say no when milord has been doing a favor to the Hall of Treasure? Please feel free to speak. As long Da Yuan can do it, I''ll make it on the double." the Hall Master smiled.


    "Well, since the Royal Army from the Shu is restructuring their equipment, they must have been looking for a ce to stack their waste. What about considering Heishi Town as the dumping hub for them to drop their unwanted equipment?" said Qin Lan.


    "Huh? The Marquis meaning is?" Da Yuan was slightly shocked. It was clear that they''ll be searching for a ce to dump the unwanted equipment. But they are usually disposed of secretly to avoid the information from spreading to an opposing country.


    "Hopefully, the Hall Master is willing to use this ce for them to leave their unwanted good here. At the very least, it could keep this town afloat while everyone was working for the Hall of Treasures." Qin Lan said.


    "This won''t be a problem. Please leave it in the hand of this Hall Master." Da Yuan thought about it for a while before he eventually agreed with Qin Lan''s request. Since it would help him reduce the cost when their carriage returned from the border, he sees no reason for him not to agree to fulfill Qin Lan''s request.


    "As for this imbecile son of mine..." Da Yuan finally brought the matter of Da Kui up in their conversation.


    "Since we''ve clicked so well in our conversation, what about we assigned your son to supervise this project? Let''s make this like a punishment to him, so he''ll behave himself next time and cause less trouble." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Marquis is wise. This Hall Master could only felt admiration from everything you''ve done. Please allow Da Yuan to thank the Marquis for your greatness!" the Hall Master cupped his fists together and bowed as he was delighted with well it goes.


    He was d to leave with a contract that allowed the Hall of Treasure to monopolized all the ores harvested from the Obsidian Volcanic Vein. As for his son, all he need was to let him suffer a little inside the prison before Qin Lan releases him three dayster.


    ...


    Unable to control his emotion, Secretary Qian stayed behind after the people from the Hall of Treasures left.


    Knowing that there are many questions in their minds, Qin Lan used his Foundation Qi to close the door before throwing two jars of Plum Flower Fragrance into their hand.


    "Sit down before you talk. Do you think I don''t know what is in your mind?" Qin Lan chuckled as he restedfortably on his seat.


    "Milord, this subordinate cannot understand your reason to agree to their request. Could you please let this subordinate know why?" the officer speaks out what is in his mind before secretary Qian.


    This way, it will start the conversation in a milder atmosphere. It will also create an opportunity for the secretary to listen to Qin Lan''s reason before he assumes that Qin Lan was in a cohort with the people from the Hall of Treasures.


    "Officer, your families came from a few generations of the cksmith as well, correct?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes, Milord. My two younger brothers, my father, my three uncles, and my grandfather''s entire generation were cksmiths in the Fuyun City. I am the only one with less talent and decided to take a different profession." the officer answered.


    "What about you, secretary Qian?" Qin Lan asked the same question to the secretary.


    "My father was a miner and a local of this Heishi Town. But he''s unfortunately died inside the mines before I''ve grown old enough to take care of this town." the secretary answered.


    "No wonder the secretary was so responsible, even to the point of using your own wages to support the people that less qualified to enter the tunnel to mine for ores." Qin Lan said.


    "Milord, you..." secretary Qian was shocked as Qin Lan mentioned something supposed to be secret except to his wife.


    "Please don''t me the secretary''s wife. She was a responsible woman who knew what is beneficial to her husband." Qin Lan said. From the way he speaks, it seems that during the short while Secretary Qian was away, Qin Lan has met with the madam and talked to her.


    "How long do you think it will take for the Hall of Treasures to finish the order?" Qin Lan asked them.


    "A hundred thousand set of equipment? I think it will take no less than a year for them toplete half of them." the officer instantly replied without the need to think about it.


    "Correct. One year is just a spection of how long the hall will take to finish that order. Why is that not a good thing for the town for having the hall pay for our people''s wages?" Qin Lan smiled as he asked what they think about it.


    "Milord''s meaning is..." Secretary Qian seems to be puzzled by Qin Lan''s motive behind what he''s doing.


    "How much can happen in one year? If they want the entire town to survive under their roof, then why should we stop them from doing so?"


    "Always remember, when a fish leap out of the water''s surface for the sake of enticing the eagle, then it will be stupid for the eagle to not take a bite."

 Chapter 234: Surprise

    Chapter 234: Surprise


    "Hall Master. I find it difficult to trust this Marquis." said the third-floor elder called Da Xun. From how he was seen, this elder had a deep, negative impression of Qin Lan.


    "Shut up. Had you not get enough from almost ruining our n? What was in your mind at that time by trying to attack the Marquis? Was your brain filled with water and prostitutes back then?" Da Yuan stared at the elder as he warned him.


    If they weren''t still on their way back to the building, he would be giving Da Xun a p on his face for bringing up this matter.


    "Luckily... I brought this mandate back in coincidence. Without this, our n to monopoly the production from this Obsidian Volcanic Vein would be just a dream. It is good now..." the Hall Master then rubbed his beard as he couldn''t help but smiled at what just happened.


    "Elder Lu, Elder Peng, the hall will be depending on your effort to get more miners to work day and night. Let''s take over this town within one year as we nned." the Hall Master waved his hand as he ordered the two to do his bidding.


    "It will be done." the two elders cupped their fists together in reply.


    "Good. And you! Visit the brothel less and stop creating trouble in the meantime. Right now, it was not the correct time for you to ruin our n." the Hall Master said as he stepped into the building that belonged to their Hall of Treasures.


    ...


    ...


    "Milord, what are you nning to do with the ''scrap'' they''re going to bring here? Are you serious about letting them leave all these things here?" Secretary Qian asked. His tone was filled with concern and concern because nothing will go ordingly. Especially when Da Kui was the one assigned to supervise the entire operation.


    "Yes. One man''s trash is another man''s treasure. Have you not heard about it before?" Qin Lan replied to the secretary with an idiom and a question.


    "Bring me to a nearby cksmith. And prepare me some ores, beast scraps, and a few cksmiths that you trust. Let me show you something I had in my mind." Qin Lan chuckled and took a sip from the wine jar after he finished with his reply.


    "Right away, Milord!" Secretary Qian replied. He left almost immediately to arrange for what Qin Lan asked for.


    "Milord, this subordinate had a few questions in his mind. Will it be appropriate for me to ask?" the officer said as he came in front of Qin Lan.


    "Go ahead. There''s nothing inappropriate as long what you''re asking for does not involve me bing a matchmaker between you." Qin Lanughed as he replied to what the officer just said.


    "Milord, this subordinate of yours is married, so that would be impossible to happen." the officer smiled. Judging from Qin Lan''s reply itself, it means he can speak what he is in his mind freely.


    "Do Marquis have a n on using the scrap they''re bringing over? From what this subordinate can see, Milord will not do something voluntarily without asking for some benefit," he said.


    "No wonder people say that the one that understands me the most is none other than my closest subordinate." Qin Lan chuckled. His gaze was deadlier than before after he was done chuckling.


    "Yes. Let''s make this between us. I am aiming to use this Da Kui as my chess piece for my n. Do you know where I am looking at currently?" Qin Lan said as he took another sip from the wine jar.


    "From the way I''m looking at Milord, I think you''re looking forward to the one after the City of Ye?" the officer was smart enough to guess what was in Qin Lan''s mind.


    Since the Hall of Treasures seems eager to contribute to the Country of Shu, why would I stop them from continuing to do so? It will take them a year at least to fully armed the Royal Army. And before that, where will they get their equipment provision from?" Qin Lan asked.


    "From the counties surrounding them?" the officer said.


    "Correct. Won''t this be a beneficial exchange of interest? I give the mountain to them. In return, I take another one closer to the City of Ye. They''ll take a year, at least, toplete the order. But for me, half a year is all we need to build our army." said Qin Lan.


    "Milord is wise." the officer was impressed by what Qin Lan has nned in such a short period.


    "Leave two men here to help us monitor the situation and report back to the City of Ye ordingly. This won''t take too long," he added as footsteps areing over to the door.


    "Marquis, the preparation is ready. We can pay the smithy at any time you wish." Secretary Qian reported the moment he came into the audience hall.


    "Good. Let''s go there. I''ll show you something that might be beneficial to the Heishi Town." said Qin Lan. It seems that the jar of wine in his hand was finished by the time he''s ready to show them something.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Disciple, can mastere in?" a female elder said as she knocked on the door that leads to a private courtyard. Her name was Shuxian, an elder of the Ice Maiden Temple. She''s also the one that brought Zhou Mei away from the Demon Mountain Fortress previously.


    "Pleasee in, dear master." Zhou Mei''s reply can be heard from the inside. There''s ack of warmth behind her reply, which likely indicates that she was still disappointed with what happened months back.


    "The Maiden Fruit Tree nted on the back temple grown some fruitstely. I''ve brought a few over for you to taste them. From what this master remembered, it was your favorite fruit, correct?" Elder Shuxian said and ced a tter of three beautiful, translucent, sparkling quartz jewel fruit on the table.


    Based on the quality alone, this was the treasure that only avable from the Ice Maiden Temple. On the bottom of the fruit was a slightly wide de of grass. It was another treasure of the Ice Maiden Temple, known as the Spiritual Serenity Grass.


    "Zhou Mei appreciates the master''s kindness in bringing these treasures here. But right now, this disciple is not interested in tasting them. If there is someone else that worthy of them, please let them have it first." she replied her master.


    "Are you still angry at master''s decision for forcing you to follow me back?" Elder Shuxian asked. She looked like a mother figure right now as she sat right beside Zhou Mei. A hint of restless and sadness is noticeable on her facial expression as she searched for the correct word to use on her beloved disciple.


    "Disciple doesn''t dare. As a teacher for a day, a mother for life. This disciple has treated my master like my mother since the day you brought me into the temple. How can disciple be angry at your decision?" Zhou Mei said. Knowing that her attitude might make her unhappy, Zhou Mei held her hands as she speaks.


    "Your disciple will get better. Please be patient, my master," Zhou Mei said as she put Elder Shuxian''s palm on her face. This was how the two expressed what''s in their mind from the day Zhou Mei followed her to the Ice Maiden Temple willingly.


    "Regarding the engagement with Xihou Ren... Have you think about it?" Elder Shuxian asked.


    "En... This disciple gave it a thought. Please give him a reply that Zhou Mei will not marry anyone else except Qin Lan. If Qin Lan is alive, then I''ll wait for him toe and bring me away as his bride. If Qin Lan was dead, then I''ll live here until I left the Ice Maiden Temple as his unwed bride." Zhou Mei answered.


    Her reply seems to be final. From her expression, it seems she''s been giving it a proper thought for a while.


    "Ai... I will inform your decision to the other elders and sect master ordingly." she wanted to convince this disciple to reconsider her decision. But the elder also knew how stubborn is Zhou Mei when ites to things like this.


    For the first time, she had a hint of ming herself for indoctrinated this disciple to be a copy of herself when she was young.


    There was also a question in her mind that puzzling her.


    ''Just what in the world has that brat done to make this disciple, who was brilliant and sly, to selflessly devoting herself to him willingly?'' she pondered.


    As she was doing it unconsciously in front of her disciple, her eyes randomly scanned Zhou Mei''s room. But she failed to notice the painting on the only side of a windowless wall.


    ''Teacher... Please forgive this rebellious disciple of yours for putting her man above you... Although you''re like a mother to me, he''s the person that owns my body and soul right now. Unless it''s him, I will not give myself out, even if it cost the lives of everyone else around me.''


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Can this even be done? What in the world is this technique?" the two cksmiths that came with Secretary Qian were awed by what Qin Lan showed them. It was surprising to the point it made the officer and the two cksmiths kneeling on the ground.


    This is because the anvil was cut into two by the thin de in Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Mi - Milord! Is this?" one of the cksmiths heard about a rumor told by the cksmiths from the Hall of Treasures. He was going to ask, but Qin Lan stopped him from doing so by putting a finger in the middle of his lips.


    "Shh..." Qin Lan smiled.

 Chapter 235: Greed

    Chapter 235: Greed


    "Look at them." some locals were puzzled by the sight that happened right before them. It was their first time seeing how obedient is the older generation of cksmiths working together in a smithy under the management of the County''s Magistrate.


    And to some of them, this was a surprise.


    "The older generations were all under one room. What are they trying to do there?" some of them asked in their mind. But since nobody actually makes their way forward to deliver the question, it remained a mystery.


    Qin Lan''s entourage then departed from Heishi Town the next day in the afternoon. To the people from the Hall of Treasures, Qin Lan''s departure was a piece of good news to them as they''re back to power after the Marquis had left.


    Just as Da Yuan ordered, the first and second-floor elders reached out to the younger people as they''re openly hiring miners and workers to help with the business. The Magistrate Court was getting busy hiring more workers capable of reading, mathematics, and management to extend their reach into the Obsidian Volcanic Vein''s production.


    Excited by the high wages offered by the Hall of Treasures, the numbers of people that quit their current job and moved to work under the hall were not low at all. Some even invited their family members from smaller viges and settlements outside the town toe and work here.


    In a sh, close to two-thirds of the poption living in Heishi Town were now under the Hall of Treasure''s wages a weekter.


    From the outside, Heshi Town seems to be prospering. But only the older generation knew that the town is in the middle of getting itself ruined.


    Even the merchants find it unprofitable to continue to trade what they usually did with the town and move on. Some adapted to the changes, but not all merchants were as flexible as it seems. With fewer people asking for raw materials from the merchants, the number of visiting carriages started to get less.


    To them, making a trip directly to the vige after Heishi Town became more profitable.


    It was just a route slightly further from the Heishi Town, but that also means they''re getting much closer to the City of Ye.


    The Hall Master Da Yuan obviously failed to notice the effect of that short traveling distance.


    "This Vige Chief will make sure he followed the Marquis''s instruction and do as he was told." said the Vige Chief. It seems that the closer to the City of Ye, the better the viges are.


    By tomorrow afternoon, Qin Lan will arrive at the City of Ye. Unnoticed by him, it was already close to half a month from when he made his trip over to this Shuiyue County.


    Few memorable things happened along his way, but the one between him and Yan Yi Lian was the most significant in his mind. Up to this day, he still wondered if Zhou Mei already received his gift.


    ''Would she be happy after looking at what I gave her? I wondered will she look at the painting every day before she went to sleep.'' Qin Lan thought. He was daydreaming on hisst stretch of the journey before arriving in the City of Ye.


    ...


    ...


    "Father! I''vee back!" Da Kui came straight into the Hall of Treasures and looked for his father once he was released on probation. It was evident that he was thinner than before due to the week-long torture inside the prison.


    "Useless son. When will you learn to not create more trouble for me?" Da Yuan said as he throws a te of confectioneries at his only son.


    It was evident that the te was not to hurt him but to fed that skinny bastard son of his. Or else, he won''t have the kitchen prepare this te of food to be ced on top of his document table.


    "Father, Kui-Er know his mistake. I''ll make sure to work hard and not give trouble to dear father anymore." Da Kui answered. But it was evident that there''s not a hint of remorse from his expression.


    "You and trouble are words that cannot be separated. Speak, what idea you got in that head of yours this time?" Da Yuan sets the brush aside and stares at his son. Knowing that an apple hardly fell too far from the tree, what he knows is usually what Da Yuan guessed.


    "I''ve heard that the Marquis put be on probation because of the trouble I''ve caused in the brothel. Since that''s the case, I just need to stop visiting the brothel here. Did he not assigned me to be a coach master to supervise the transfer of goods between the border?"


    "Kui-Er will just move to the border town and enjoyed thepanionship of the women over there instead. Like this, not only I''ll have a change of vor, but also a newer environment with more choice to y with." it seems he was still the same even after imprisoned for a week.


    "I don''t care what you have in your mind, but only y after you finish with your work. Don''t you dare to make a mess out of this again, especially not in this one-year grace period... If you managed to ruin this opportunity, don''t me me if I send you back to your mother in the royal capital." Da Yuan said.


    "Father, what can go wrong? As long I make sure that the delivery is done on time, I will have all the time I want to y around until it''s time toe back." Da Kui said.


    "I don''t care what you do, as long you make sure what you have to do is done before you went to fool around. Cause me less trouble this time." Da Yuan said as he threw a token into Da Kui''s hand.


    "Go and arrange them. The hall will get busy, so if you want any carriages or whatsoever, get them done from the local smithy. I''m sure the elders will have too much time in hand to the point they got nothing to do." Da Yuan said.


    "Kui-Er understood!" Da Kui turned around and left to do what his father instructed.


    ...


    ...


    "Greetings, Milord. The City of Ye weed the Chi-Lan Marquis to our humble City of Ye!" the county''s chief official greets Qin Lan as his entourage stepped through the city gate.


    There are even a few kids with the costume of Crimson Mist Soldier, as the news about how awesome they are was spread from one vige to another.


    Please rise, everyone." Qin Lan replied to his people''s greeting by applying some of the Foundation Qi in his reply. It even shocked the people living here, especially those with the cultivation of a Bone Layer expert.


    "This concentration of Foundation Qi... What secret did he have?" they were struck by the purity level Qin Lan''s Foundation Qi.


    This disy of power made those with evil intention reevaluates their thought.


    "This subordinate surnamed Xuan. I''ve been serving this county as its Chief Official for over ten years now. If the young lord has anything, please feel free to ask. As long this subordinate is capable of answering them, I dly bring them up to your attention." the City Official said.


    "Good. Show me the way to the Magistrate Building." Qin Lan said.


    By the time he was escorted to the meeting hall, Qin Lan casually waves his hand to forcefully close the door behind him. The sound took the Chief Official by surprise as he turned to Qin Lan with his hands still cupped together.


    "Xuan Wenjie... Xuan Wenjie..." Qin Lan called his name twice while shaking his head with a look full of disappointment. From his expression, it seems something is bothering him.


    "Marquis?" unknown what he had done wrong, the Chief Official remained quiet at where he stands.


    "It seems that you got yourself quite well-fed from smuggling. Tell me, what kind of punishment should I give you to appease the dissatisfaction of the locals living in this city?" Qin Lan stares intensely at the Chief Official with his Foundation Qi permeating out from all over him.


    "Mi - Milord! This official... This official is blind to challenge Milord''s authority! Please allows me to repent by serving the people honestly from now on. If I dare to repeat what I was doing even once, I''ll put my neck on top of the guillotine''s rest voluntarily!"


    The Chief Official immediately kneeled beside Qin Lan and confessed what he did so far. It has not gone across his mind that Qin Lan would know what he had done throughout this period while there''s no noble handling this county.


    "Greed was never a good thing. The only good thing behind this is how you''re putting it. Do you know why you''re still alive right now?" looking at the Chief Official with both knees on the ground, Qin Lan smiled and slowly made his way to the hall master''s seat.


    "Xuan Wenjia dare not to randomly guess Milord''s intention." the Chief Official choose his word carefully from bing unfavorable to Qin Lan.


    "It''s because this Marquis in need of someone to do all these dirty deeds on my behalf. Tell me, Xuan Wenjie. To what extend is greed bes good?" Qin Lan asked another question.


    "Subordinate has no idea... May the Marquis enlighten this foolish official?" Xuan Wenjie continued.


    "It was when your pocket and mine are getting heavier than everyone else. Do you understand my word, Xuan Wenjie?" Qin Lan smiled as he answered his own question.


    "This subordinate still doesn''t understand." Xuan Wenjie said.


    "Get your smuggler''s subordinates here tonight and tell them there''s a new lord for them to serve. Those that follow me will enjoy riches together with me. Those that don''t can''t me me even if they regretted itter."


    "As for you... I''ll wait to see how good is your performance." Qin Lan chuckled.

 Chapter 236: Plan

    Chapter 236: n


    "Who knew the reason for old Xuan for gathering everyone here? Don''t tell me he had no idea all of us can''t be seen together?" one of the smugglers in his middle-aged appearance said. In his hand was a jar of average quality wine.


    "Did you not listen to what he said at all? Someone is looking forward to seeing us tonight, which is why we''re gathering here. I wonder who is this individual to get old Xuan calling everyone in a hurry." another simrly aged smuggler interrupted.


    "Bah! Who cares who he is. As long there''s money to be earned, then I''ll work. My ck Shark Smugglers Cove was well known for doing all kinds of jobs anyway. Having one more employer is not a problem, but having one less ie is!" a guy with a club attached to his severed right arm said.


    "Hei-Sha, your people are well known for causing trouble around our water area. Can you cause less trouble and let everyone smuggle in peace?" the smuggler with wine in hand said.


    "Old Xiong, just me yourself for moving slowly. If you''re navigating around the sea fast enough, you won''t get into these problems at all." Hei-Sha, the one with a club recing his right arm, said.


    "Mind your words, Hei-Sha. What do you mean my people are navigating slowly? At least on volume alone, my Sea-Bear Ind can deliver three times what your small little boats can do." Old Xiong said. He''s also known as Hai-Xiong, a notorious smuggler that''s been active around these waters for more than five years.


    More smugglers were gathering as time goes, but in terms of ability, none of them were as good as Hei-Sha and Hai-Xiong. Even the simrly aged middle-aged man was quite a famed smuggler previously, that was before the arrival of Sea-Bear Ind and ck Shark Smugglers Cove.


    "How long more we have to wait for Old Xuan? If he''s noting, then don''t me me for not giving him some face here in this City of Ye!" Hei-Sha yelled as he got bored waiting for more than an incense stick worth of time.


    For the time he spent here, it was more than enough for him to feed his seeds inside the women back in the smuggler''s cove for few times.


    "We''ve been here for a while. It''s just nobody noticed us." Qin Lan, disguised in his personal of Pharmacist Lu, said as he opened his mouth. Xuan Wenjie also removed the cloak covering his head as he revealed his face to the smugglers.


    "Huh?" the smugglers were rmed by Qin Lan''s sudden arrival without any of them noticing. Some of them, with the cultivation of Bone Layer experts, also realize that something wrong here.


    ''Not even a half-step Bone expert... How can he have such a concentration of Foundation Qi?" they asked themselves.


    "I will be your new employer." Qin Lan said.


    "Those that willingly follow me as we earn what we could from the others may stay. As for those unwilling, you may leave. But don''t me me if our path crossed. I can guarantee that those with me will get a free pass in and out of this county''s port, but those not with me... You might have to speak with our friend old Xuan here..." he added before walking over to one of the stacked crates where the meeting is held.


    *Bang!*


    Qin Lan pped the crate''s lid open to reveal two dozens of wine in their respective jars. Using his Foundation Qi to control where the wine goes, Qin Lan distributes them to the 22 smugglers around him. As for the two remaining bottles, it was for himself and Xuan Wenjie.


    "Drink it if you''re staying. In the future, we''ll have better wine than this as we cooperate. For those unwilling, just take this as yourpensation for a waste journey here." Qin Lan said.


    "Without head and tail, you''re expecting us to choose either to follow or not? This guest seems to be a little too confident on your own strength. Do you think that we only have one or two Bone Layer experts in our respective gang?" Hei-Sha asked. The winended in his hand anyway after what he said to Qin Lan.


    "Strength? When does strength determine what you could get in life?" Qin Lan chuckled as he replied to Hei-Sha''s sentence.


    "To smugglers like you, weren''t money was the most important thing?" Qin Lan asked. But before he allowed the smuggler to answer, Qin Lan waved his hand across the crates surrounding him.


    The Luminescent Lotus Flower of the highest grade was taken out one after another and decorated where he stands.


    ''How did he get his hand on the bloom? Not even our own member is capable of getting one of them from the Lianshui Vige because of its limited number.'' Hai-Xiong thought.


    "I believe each of you knows the value of this flower. Now, do you think that I am qualified to behave this way in front of everyone?"


    "Let''s not waste each other''s time as there''s more for us to talk about. Decide now. Those that drink the wine in your hand will be a member of the Ye-Guang Alliance. As for those that not, you may leave."


    "This is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Choose." Qin Lan said as he poked a hole over the oil paper covering the jar and took a sip.


    Since everyone had their own mentality and thought, it was hard for Qin Lan to change their mind from a single meeting. Out of the twenty-two lead smugglers, only ten decided to join the alliance. The other twelve left with the wine in hand after they held themselves from persuaded by Qin Lan''s wealth.


    After he solemnly enjoyed the wine in his hand, Qin Lan turned around to remember the face of the ten smuggling heads who stays with him. It seems that both Hai-Xiong and Hei-Sha were present.


    "Since the bystanders are gone, let us get to the main topic, shall we?" Qin Lan said and tossed the wine jar away until it shattered from the impact.


    "I don''t care what way you take... I want you to bring me all the ores collected from Wuyue County. Your task willst until you clear what they had. Can you do that?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Ore? Please forgive this head for not getting what you mean but do you mean ores, the one that people use to make swords and protective gears?" Hei-Sha asked.


    "Yes. Mineral ores. I want you to empty their coffer and make them rich. Can you do that?" Qin Lan asked.


    "I don''t know what''s your reason for asking for this, but... The ck Shark Smugglers Cove epts this deal. How will we get paid? These rocks you want might cost you considerably because smugglers deal through weight and crates." Hei-Sha was the first one to agree to Qin Lan''s suggestion.


    But at the same time, business dealing is business dealing. No matter how confident Hei-Sha was, a deposit for hiring them is a must.


    "This is a hundred Qiankun Pouches. And here, it''s a hundred Blood Genesis Pills. I''m sure I don''t need to tell you about its medicinal effect. As long the pouches were filled to the brim each time youe to deliver, I''ll throw in a hundred pills and another Luminescent Lotus Flower as an incentive."


    "I''m sure this offer was attractive even to the Sea-Bear Ind." Qin Lan turned his gaze at Hai-Xiong, who was standing beside Hei-Sha.


    "Since the offer was so attractive, I see no reason for the Sea-Bear Ind to say no. I''ll be taking the offer too. But the Sea-Bear Ind''s volume is quite huge... This young sir... Are you sure you can afford to feed us?" Hai-Xiong asked.


    Looking at Hai-Xiong''s grinning face, Qin Lan has the urge to try burying him under the Blood Genesis Pill he had.


    "Here, If you''re confident, then take as much as you think you can handle. But remember, the repercussion is as great as what you promise to do. We''re operated by the trust. I believe you understand this rule." Qin Lan tossed another Qiankun Pouch on Hai-Xiong''s hand for him to inspect its content.


    "Wh - What?" it seems Hai-Xiong was surprised by what''s inside the pouch.


    "This head will... Take five hundred to start first," he said as he politely returned the pouch back to Qin Lan. His attitude changed significantly after inspecting the Qiankun Pouch''s content.


    "Everyone else, what do you think?" Qin Lan asked.


    The remaining smuggler heads came forward and collected their deposit and also supplies of Qiankun Pouch they can get.


    "Huh..." Xuan Wenjie exhaled after the smugglers left the portside with something in their hand. Although there was no reason for him to get nervous from all these, this was still the first time he was doing it in front of someone else.


    Furthermore, this individual wasn''t other people, but the newndowner on thisnd he''s responsible for. To his surprise, it seems that Qin Lan was quite experienced in how he handled these things.


    "Milord, is this not your first time?" Xuan Wenjie asked.


    "Less bullshit. Now the smuggler''s issue was solved, start arranging trusted personnel to be posted around the border between our Shuiyue County and Wuyue County. I want this operation to begin as soon as possible."


    "Also, make sure you renovate the Magistrate''s Smithy to increase the capacity of ores we can process daily. If there''s no enough space to do so, build another one on the outskirt of the city. Money won''t be a problem."


    "And... Xuan Wenjie..." Qin Lan gave him a few instructions to aplish. But when ites to thest one, he seems to be a little reserved.


    "Yes, Milord?" Xuan Wenjie immediately answered.


    "Send some of yourpetent administrative personnel to the viges and start recruiting more soldiers." Qin Lan said and walked after with his hand crossed on his back.


    "Yes, Milord!"

 Chapter 237: Shuiyue Military Academy (1)

    Chapter 237: Shuiyue Military Academy (1)


    "Mother, I''lle back on the day I was epted as one of his lordship''s soldiers. I will bring honor and fame back to our family." said one of the youngsters in his fifteen or sixteen years old.


    He was not the only one in the group. Behind him, there are more youngsters. All of them were eager to be a part of the county''s private army.


    Because Qin Lan has a shortage of manpower right now, only five Crimson Mist Soldiers were dispatched to this vige to supervise the entire process. But five men were enough as all of them were at least as strong as second-level Bone Layer experts.


    The process took close to two weeks for the cadets to arrive at the City of Ye. But none of them were brought into the City of Ye. Everyone was taken to the military camp that was recently built half a day journey from the city.


    To some of the cadets, this was a big disappointment.


    But since the enrollment was to recruit a new batch of soldiers fit to be called Shuiyue County''s Private Army, such an arrangement is expected.


    The military camp can be said to be built in a hurry. Except for the tents used to house the soldiers, there was nothing fitted in this military camp. Even the training equipment was rusted antiques thrown aside by the City of Ye''s Security Department.


    Being treated in such a way made some of the cadets decided to give up before it even started. One after another, the youngsters begin to leave this ce that hardly fits them.


    But they hardly knew that these were all a test given by Qin Lan to select the cream of crops amongst the masses in his Shuiyue County. As someone experienced, how can Qin Lan be clueless about how people think?


    It was easy for an individual to be interested in something but hard to keep it ame. To Qin Lan, losing the people that give up before the training has started was nothing concerning.


    Their official training then started at the beginning of the second month of Qin Lan staying in this Shuiyue County.


    The antique training gears were reced in a single night. Not only that, those that remain were also allocated with a Blood Genesis Pill, seven Martial umtion Pellets, and three Spiritual umtion Pills to use in a week.


    Half of the Crimson Mist Soldiers were also appointed to be their Martial and Cultivation Teacher to assist the cadet''s training.


    Although the result from this training will not show up in the first few months, as long they continue down the road, this will be the shortest route the cadets will take. Furthermore, since the training was paid, there was nothing for them to lose.


    As for the soldiers with some experience serving the County''s Magistrate, Qin Lan had an entirely new program for them. To these types of people, he had to groom them in person.


    Thus, using the time he was busy with the military camp, Qin Lan gathered many of the craftsmen living inside hisnd to construct an academy inside the City of Ye.


    He called it the Shuiyue Military Academy.


    The reason it was established was to groom potential candidates for Shuiyue County. It was also to provide young talents to serve the Country of Wu.


    When his initiative was heard by the King of Wu, it immediately brings a smile to the king''s face. Even Sun Wu Jian had a smile on his face after hearing such a piece of news was brought up in the morning audience.


    "Milord, the academy is halfpleted. If you want, we can start fitting the ce with pieces of furniture right now. But how early can it start?" one of the three leading craftsmen asked Qin Lan after noticing that this Marquis is here to inspect the construction process.


    They were still surprised by Qin Lan''s generosity. He was prepared to be paying them upfront before thepletion. The Marquis also prepared to hand out the enrollment slot for the craftsmen''s closest family member in exchange for them to speed up the construction.


    Currently, this was the biggest project that was happening in the entire county. IT was done on a scale that never happened before.


    But little did they know, the source for construction material actually came from a devious channel. Since the construction material was smuggled by the ten smugglers'' coborative effort, Qin Lan''s action was like exhausting other people''s resources and manpower while paying them less.


    Such a trick was not new in the business.


    But when it was applied at a county level, the destruction it could cause was on apletely different scale.


    Using such a trick to weaken the influence and preparation of the Wuyue County could eventually lead them to a victory, but nothing could ever get smoothly.


    Due to the dispute between the smugglers in the waters connecting Shuiyue and Wuyue County together, a part of the n end up reaching the ears of the Lord of Wuyue County. Almost instantly, the security between the border was strengthened.


    A part of the unlucky smugglers ends up captured by Wuyue''s Magistrate Court. Worst of all, the Lord was someone extremely ruthless. By the time the news arrived at Qin Lan''s attention, close to ten smugglers have been beheaded before they went for a trial.


    "I''m afraid the wind is blowing too strong recently. We would like to help, but it was not a good time for us to get too active right now. Forgive us for unable to lend a hand." the ck Shark Smugglers Cove and Sea-Bear Ind were the first to stop their smuggling operation.


    Although it would take out arge chunk of their ie, as long there are people alive, money can be earned back. Having one smuggler less is equal to losing a few money pouches at once.


    It then connected to the construction of the Shuiyue Military Academy as the material started to be a problem to them.


    "Milord, the construction material is running low... I''m afraid that we will take three more months toplete the academy..." the chief craftsman said.


    "Hmm... That was indeed a problem. But don''t worry, chief craftsman." Qin Lan convinced them to continue to work as usual.


    "Officer, are you around?" Qin Lan called for his trusted subordinate as it was time for him to execute the next n he had in mind.


    "This subordinate is here," the officer came into Qin Lan''s room after getting summoned. There was a hint of a smile on the corner of his lips as he noticed a red envelope in Qin Lan''s hand.


    "Milord... Are we going to do what you''ve nned?" the officer asked. As he lifted his hand up, the red envelope was flicked over to him.


    "Yes. Get the people ready. Bring them the reward and tell them to make it as clean as they could. As for what they took, tell them they''re free to use them as they like." Qin Lan said.


    ...


    ...


    "Bring me more women over here!" a young male shouted while both of his hands were upied by the touch of the young maiden''s breast. But from his expression, he seems to be asking for more as two women was not enough to satisfy his lust.


    Since this person seems to be doing quite well, the brothel''s owner was unwilling to let a "fat fish" like him run away. She immediately ordered more courtesan toe over and serve this young male.


    Little did he know that he was drugged by the two courtesans that cameter that night.


    Sleeping until the sun has started to burn his buttock, Da Kui wakes up without a thread of cotton wrapped around his body. The room was still in a mess, but the women were no longer by his side when he opened his eyes.


    "Where have all the beauties went?" Da Kui asked as he proceeds to put on his clothing and prepared to leave the brothel.


    To his surprise, the brothel was empty as he walked out from the room until the main area where they entertain the guests. It was puzzling, but there was not a hint of suspicion on his face as he walked out from the brothel''s front door.


    Unfortunate for him, the soldiers from the Royal Army were here to capture him before he finds out about what happened.


    "What is this? How dare you lock me up and try to drag me to prison? Do you know who I am?" Da Kui struggled as he was forcefully dragged to the dungeon, where serial killers were imprisoned until their trial date.


    "Is your name Da Kui?" the prison warden asked.


    "Yes! How dare you lock me up. Do you know my father? You better let me off now, or the next batch of gears that was supposed to be delivered to the royal army will bete. Can you be responsible if something were to happen?" Da Kui asked.


    "Responsible? Yes, I can''t... But you neither... The convoy you''re leading over was attacked by the bandits. All the merchandise you''re supposed to deliver is lost in the process."


    "Right now, we''re suspecting you to be involved with the people from the brothel yesterday. Just stay here until your fathere. And behave yourself. This is not thewless county like the Shuiyue County you came from.


    "This is the Land of Shu. You''re not allowed to be as what you like over here." said the soldier before he mmed the door close.


    "W - What?" Da Kui was speechless after listening to the reason he was locked in the dungeon.

 Chapter 238: Shuiyue Military Academy (2)

    Chapter 238: Shuiyue Military Academy (2)


    "Greetings, Chi-Lan Marquis. It was an honor to us for having you here." a few individuals with a schr-like appearance greeted Qin Lan firstmost when they stepped into the City of Ye.


    Based on the size of luggage with them, it was not exaggerating to say that they''re here on a mission.


    "Fellow teachers. Please allow this noble to walk you to your amodation. If there''s anything else that wasn''t arranged up to your requirement, please let me know. My subordinates will make sure that they can be arranged immediately." Qin Lan added.


    "Please!" Qin Lan invited them to follow him as he leads them to the Shuiyue Military Academy.


    "Marquis, please!" the teachers returned Qin Lan''s friendly gesture through their customary practices.


    The procedurests for the whole afternoon as Qin Lan was busy housing the academy teachers. A few of them were actually from influential backgrounds. But when they arrived at the academy, they couldn''t help but be impressed with the facility provided.


    "It looks like our time here won''t be as dull as teaching where we were before. Please forgive this educator for speaking honestly, but I am surprised by Chi-Lan Marquis''s insight. As long we put some effort over here, I believe that this academy''s contribution will not be losing the Royal Academy back in our Wu''s Capital!"


    One of the teachers speaks his mind freely. Through his attitude, it was evident that he was one of the notable teachers that were instructed to give Qin Lan a hand by the King of Wu.


    "Teacher Song''s words embarrassed this Marquis. I am just doing what I was told by the king. Whether this academy will be a sess or not, it is still up to fellow teachers and trainers." Qin Lan smiled as he humbly replied to them.


    "Marquis, the next group of teachers is here." Qin Lan''s officer whispered beside his ear.


    "Fellow teachers, it seems that the next batch of educators is here. Please excuse this Marquis for now and enjoy your stay here until the students are ready to move in. Feel free to take a look around and get used to the facilities here first." Qin Lan politely excused himself and prepared to return to the City''s entrance.


    "Lad, we''re not strangers. What foring to the entrance?" one elder said. A white crane descends from the sky with close to twenty martial art and cultivation teachers. It was evident that this elder was someone familiar to Qin Lan.


    "Junior Qin Lan greets Elder Yang Wen." Qin Lan cupped his hands together as he greeted one of the core elders from the Cloud Plucking Sect.


    "Hahaha... This is quite a good ce. To think that thisd even knew a little about the Blessing of Earth. If you were given more resources, won''t youe up with a Blessing of Heaven in the future?" Yang Wenughed.


    It seems that the formation that Qin Lan effortlessly told the craftsmen to construct was all for the sake of creating a proper ce for education and cultivation. This also exins why it cost such a universal amount of resources to build an academy in a rural county.


    At present, Yang Wen was the only one capable of noticing the differences between the academy and outside. Although the Blessing of Earth Qin Lan meticulously arranged only surrounding the academy''s territory, it was a considerable effort.


    "Lad, to think you''re quite wealthy, huh?" Yang Wen jokes around after allowing the educators to get down from the white crane.


    After making sure that the educators have been amodated, Yang Wen took Qin Lan away from the City of Ye as they had something to discuss. The two were apanied by Jin-Xiong, who hated to be separated from Qin Lan.


    The white crane perched on top of one of the mountain''s peaks and took its nap. As for the Golden-Grade Martial Beast, it was running around the mountain peak for its own entertainment.


    "This ce seems to be doing quite well after your arrival. It seems the effort you''re putting in managing this ce is not as little as it looks." elder Yang Wen said. They were overlooking the City of Ye from afar.


    "Junior was only doing what he should as andowner of this ce. Eventually, thisnd still belongs to the king, and as his vassal, I should be doing as much as I could." Qin Lan replied. Although he was praised by the elder, the praise did not go into his head.


    "Remaining humble is good, but too much was not a good thing. Always do things moderately and remember to pay three cautions at everything you''re unsure about." the elder said. From the way he speaks, it seems he''s trying to give Qin Lan some hint.


    "Something happened?" Qin Lan asked.


    "I''ve heard something discreet on our way to the City of Ye. It seems that some of the people you hired had quite a loose lips when ites to the shady things you''re doing at night." the elder said as he took a sip of the wine from the cup.


    As it was a sensitive topic for them to talk about, Qin Lan immediately filled the elder''s wine cup to the brim again. It seems that he would have to be a little strict with the people under him. If any of these words went out, there''s no doubt it would cause some problems to him.


    "Junior will make sure he pays attention to them more." Qin Lan nodded.


    "En. I believe that you can handle them without us old people getting our hands dirty. What are you going to do next?" since the elder already knew what kind of thing Qin Lan did behind the scene, there''s no longer secret between the two.


    Furthermore, he can be said to be the guardian of Qin Lan here in Shuiyue County.


    "I want to see who gets ready first. I''m sure that the Hall of Treasures already knew by now that their delivery won''t be as smooth as they initially thought."


    "But what they had no idea is I have more things prepared for them." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Then... This elder will anticipate having a good show to watch." elder Yang Wen continues to finish the wine in a shot while Qin Lan keeps refilling the cup.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "County Lord, are you not interested in buying the equipment? If you''re not taking them, I'' might as well look for another buyer." said the merchant driving past the Wuyue County.


    "Hmm... The quality of these gears is good, but their origin seems to be a little shady. Where did theye from?" the lord of Wuyue County asked. Due to the previous gear restructuring order, the military equipment in Wuyue County is in a dire situation right now.


    Over half of his men has little to no equipment at all. And because the rtionship between them and Shuiyue County is worsening in the past few days, he''s worried that the young Marquis will take this opportunity to attack them while they''re unprepared.


    But no matter how unprepared they were, purchasing military gear from a private source is still considered an offense, especially to someone with the title of a Lord.


    The reason behind this precaution was due to an internal rebellion that happened in the past. About a third of the provinces in this Country of Shu rebelled against the current king.


    Although the rebellion was controlled, an order was passed from the top. It stated that unless the purchases were made urgently to protect the territories, all private arms dealers were prohibited from doing their business in the Country of Shu.


    "City Lord, since we already knew each other for so long, do you think that I will jeopardize my business from selling smuggled products? I can''t tell you how I get them, but they''re all high-quality equipment from the Hall of Treasures."


    "If you''re unsure about them, let it be. I''ll look for another buyer in the next county. I''m sure after they checked the quality, they''ll pay me more than what I expected." the merchant hesitates as he speaks, but after he did, he gets himself ready to leave.


    "Wait!" it seems his decisiveness made the Wuyue County Lord regretted slightly. The pressure of having to guard the border with soldiers without weapons and protective gear made him crumbled as he bows down to the sly merchant.


    "State your price. How many pieces you got?" the Wuyue County Lord asked.


    "One thousand sets. Their price would be a hundred Bone Foundation Pills each." the merchant replied.


    "A hundred Bone Foundation Pills each! The price was so much higher! Previously, it was just a mere 50 to 60 Bone Foundation Pills for each set!" the lordined. The price seemed to be doubledpared to before.


    "Milord, the equipment you''ve seen here is all high-quality merchandise. They''re not like the one distributed to the border side county by the Department of Military. Furthermore, these were all made by the Hall of Treasures, so I''m sure the price we''re offering is fair." the sly merchant said.


    "Wait a moment." the lord stopped the merchant from leaving as he left the room in a hurry. After a while, he appeared with two Qiankun Pouch in hand.


    "Leave the merchandise and take your payment. When will you have more of these gears avable again?" the lord made his payment.


    "It will be depending on how soon I can get my hand on the next batch. I''m sure that you won''t regret your purchase, milord. There''s something this merchant would like the lord''s help. I wonder if you''re willing to do me and Hall of Treasure a favor?" the merchant said.


    Later that evening, the merchant left with close to 500 Qiankun pouches full of mineral ores.

 Chapter 239: Yan Yi Lians Visit

    Chapter 239: Yan Yi Lian''s Visit


    "Merchant Xiao, thank you for everything you''ve for the Shuiyue County. Please rest assured that this Marquis will not forget you when our territory expanded." Qin Lan thanked the merchant after the 500 Qiankun Pouches were given to him without needing him to pay a single cent.


    "Marquis, your humble words were all I need. As a part of the Shuiyue County, it was my responsibility. Furthermore, you''ve given me quite a profit. It was reasonable for me to contribute a little back to the ce I came from." the person called Merchant Xiao said.


    "Hahaha, then in the future, I will be relying on you again. Please have a safe journey home while we waited for the Hall of Treasure''s next move." Qin Lan said.


    Since their meeting tonight was in secret, it was best to keep their conversation short and precise. As for what kind of dealing the two had in between, it was better if no third person knew about it.


    The one called Merchant Xiao left the Magistrate Building discreetly at night. His actions were no different from a maning here secretly to have an affair with another man''s woman.


    The 500 Qiankun Pouches of Mineral Ores was thest batch of resources the county needed to finish the construction of Shuiyue Military Academy. At the start of Qin Lan''s fourth month as thendowner of Shuiyue County, the academy finally opened.


    High-potential students from all over the county, along with some students from the other three provinces. Everyone was here with the hope that this ce will be as good as they expected.


    The opening ceremony was a humble one. It started with some fireworks before Qin Lan, Elder Yang Wen, and the teachers walked up to the stage to introduce themselves to those attending the ceremony.


    After all the speeches session was over, the main attraction came.


    Dances, Martial Art performances, and guidance to the visitor for the day in their cultivation were provided on the spot. Miraculously, Qin Lan''s booth was the busiest because his lecture managed to bring over ten half-step Bone Experts to achieve their breakthrough.


    Even those that barely reach the pinnacle of Flesh Refining Layer was benefited from Qin Lan''s insight on cultivation. It was to the point that some were ming themselves for being born too many years earlier.


    If they were five to ten years younger than now, perhaps breaking through the half-step Bone Layer was just scratching the surface of what they can achieve.


    "Headmaster, will the Shuiyue Military Academy extend their hand to those unfortunate people like us?" some veteran soldiers that weren''t chosen to enroll in the academy asked. They were skeptical at first about getting enrolled, but it all changed right now.


    They were regretful for not getting selected.


    On the contrary, those who changed to the academy''s uniform looked proud while walking around the premises.


    "Everyone, I understand that many people would like to be given a chance, but I do hope for your understanding. Right now, the enrollment is indeed only for the invited candidates."


    "But that doesn''t mean we''re closing our door for the others. What we need now is time, experience, and also the confidence to groom our talents. With such a force of educatorsing from all over the Country of Wu, I believe that it won''t take us too long to reach that stage we hope for."


    "For now, please have confidence with our educator and the Shuiyue County. For those interested, you can also wait for a chance while you''re employed as a cadet''s training officer. If any of you is interested, please look for Secretary Qian for more details." Qin Lan said.


    The opening ceremonysted until night. It ended with a banquet and gift to both teachers and students before they retreated to their amodation.


    By the time Qin Lan returned to his room, he was exhausted.


    "Milord, can Lian-Ere in?" the sweet voice that belonged to a maiden came from the outside as it echoed seductively around his ears.


    Surprised and shocked by her sudden visit, Qin Lan quickly prepared himself and showed up by the door with a smile.


    "To have Beauty Yan''s visit at such an hour really made this Marquis don''t know what to do. What brings Beauty Yan here today?" Qin Lan greeted her and allowed Yan Yi Lian toe inside his room.


    And to make sure that he kept himself in control, Qin Lan left the door into his room open wide as there''s no secret talk between them that cannot be eavesdropped on by the others.


    "Heh... You''re just like what senior sister Zhou said." Yan Yi Lian chuckled as Qin Lan was behaving just like Zhou Mei said. From the look of it, it was not just a mere conversation but a lengthy one.


    "What did your senior sister said?" Qin Lan asked and filled the two teacups. His hand gestured to Yan Yi Lian to enjoy the cup of tea he just served.


    "She said that even if you were allowed to do so, you wouldn''t take advantage of a female until she volunteered herself to yourp." Yan Yi Lian seems to be bringing up the incident between him and Zhou Mei back in Fu-Rong Town.


    That time, Qin Lan did take advantage of Zhou Mei. But it was done moderately without getting too intimate to the point of running her modesty as a maiden. It ended at most at the level of flirting.


    "Ah... This Marquis really have to search for a hole to hide his embarrassed face now..." Qin Lan lowered his head slightly. It was only proper to act a little at a time like this.


    "Anyway, I am here for two reasons." Yan Yi Lian covered her hand that holds the teacup with her sleeve as she took a sip of the tea Qin Lan presented to her. It was to show her politeness and respect towards Qin Lan as she was here uninvited.


    "Beauty Yan, please continue." Qin Lan said.


    "First of all, I am here on behalf of my sister. She wanted me to bring you these things." Yan Yi Lian hovered her hand above the table and brought out two precious items.


    It was a tter of three beautiful, jeweled-like fruit known as the Maiden Fruit. The three fruits here were three times more expensive than what it cost for the Wuyue County Lord to spend on his soldier''s protection gears.


    As for the second item, it was a roll of ten des of herb that was known as Spiritual Serenity Grass.


    "Please help me to say thank you to your senior sister when you return to the Ice Maiden Temple. I am unsure if you fancy these as a gift in return, but please let me know. If you prefer something else, I will try my best to search for them." Qin Lan got on his feet and cupped his hands together while responding.


    With a wave of his hand like Yan Yi Lian just did, he took close to ten Luminescent Lotus Blooms out for Yan Yi Lian to choose from.


    "What???" Yan Yi Lian was surprised by how many Luminescent Lotus Bloom Qin Lan got in his hand. If the Lianshui Vige could have these from a wave of a hand like him, won''t it help to sustain the vige for the next few months?


    "Where did you get these from? You''re making me getting more and more interested in you, Chi-Lan Marquis..." Yan Yi Lian was staring at Qin Lan as she shows him her grinning face.


    "Trade secret. But please understand that these will not be sold in the market. It was meticulously grown to be made into something else." Qin Lan replied.


    "Oh? Except for decorative, the Luminescent Lotus Bloom actually have another use? I wonder what would it be..." Yan Yi Lian said. Her curiosity was prickled by Qin Lan''s word. As a local from Lianshui Vige, she should be the one that knows more about the flower.


    "I will let you know when what I was trying to do is a sess. By the way, what is Beauty Yan''s second reason toe here? Is there something I can help with?" Qin Lan asked. Looking at Yan Yi Lian''s graceful appearance in his room made him somewhat hard to control himself.


    "There is. Recently, we found out that recreational drugs were distributed in Shuiyue County and Wuyue County. Although it was not really our concern, a few of our junior disciples thatck experience was raped under the drug''s influence."


    "I know it might be difficult for you, but can I ask you to pay more attention to this matter before it gets worst? As the one and only female-orientated sect located near to the southern provinces of the Shu, I''m afraid that our disciple will get targeted by people with hidden motives."


    Yan Yi Lian stated as she revealed a worried expression. Although only two cases are happening right now, the moment such a piece of news was spread around, it will definitely cause misunderstanding between the people and the sect.


    Worst of all, it will also make it more dangerous to the people from the Ice Maiden Sect if someone had an idea about them. To the female disciples practicing abstinence since the day they joined the sect, destroying their purity works more miraculously than killing them.


    "Marquis, do you know why I was mentioning this to you?" Yan Yi Lian added. It seems that from her speech, there''s something more behind this.


    "You''re worried that this is somewhat rted with the Supreme Fist Pavilion and Xihou-Ren, correct?" Qin Lan smiled. He was secretly smiling because it seems that the time to start cutting down on smuggling is here.

 Chapter 240: Scheme

    Chapter 240: Scheme


    "Some people are disturbing our business." said a mysterious individual after a few of his merchant''s carriage was either inspected, destroyed, or taken by force. And because some of the destruction was done by the magistrate officials, they won''t bepensated.


    "Did I not tell you to bring them into the country in secret? Look at what happens now. You should choose better people to help with the transportation. Getting those smugglers and lousy merchants will undoubtedly ruin your usual trading route." another individual said.


    The individual looked proud with a pair of treasured gauntlets done on his two fists. It was colored in both crimson and gold, which is his favorite.


    "Please give our side another week. We''ll try our best to bring the merchandise into the province." the mysterious individual continued.


    "I don''t mind, but make sure that you don''t take too long. Do you know that some of our clients were officials from the royal court? Try not hindering their entertainment, or there will be nowhere for you to be in this Country of Shu." the individual with the treasured gauntlets said.


    "I will... I will... The delivery will be done."


    "Anyway... I''m not that cold-blooded and selfish individual. These two were some of the few elites guards I have. They will give you some help in transporting the drugs to this Xiancheng Province." the individual pped his hands, and two experts entered the room.


    "Young Master." the two greet this individual with the treasured gauntlets. It was evident that his position in public is quite significant.


    "Give the merchant a hand in transporting the Joyous Unification Salve back to the capital. You may take whatever action you see fit. But always make sure to be clean in everything you do." the individual added before he left the room.


    "This two young sirs... Please." the mysterious individual said and took the two experts away with respect.


    ...


    ...


    "What is the meaning of this?" it seems that someone was throwing a tantrum in Secretary Qian''s office in the middle of the afternoon. From that someone''s appearance, he does not look like a magistrate official at all.


    "Meaning? Are you asking me to question the Marquis why he''s assigning people to tighten the security of his border and ports? Do you want me to drag everyone else down because something happened at your side?" Secretary Qian retorted.


    With such a reply from his side, it was evident that the secretary has no control over thendowner''s decision in how he''s ruling hisnd. If the magistrate is hell-bent on preventing illegal smuggling, there was nothing the smugglers can do.


    All they could is looking for people to me and searching for the culprit that caught the Marquis''s attention.


    Of course, most of those affected were the twelve smuggling groups that did not cooperate with Qin Lan''s alter persona. As for the ten groups that slowly distance themselves from smuggling after the border between Wuyue County and Shuiyue County tightened, they were tipped.


    In the end, it was just a battle of schemes and profit. Since everyone is equal, the only difference was to choose a winning side to stand.


    And the ten smuggling groups are evidently hugged the correct honey-thigh of Qin Lan''s another persona.


    "Secretary Qian, you have to solve this. I''m sure you don''t want any rumors to get to your employer. It wouldn''t be good for you or your reputation if those shady profits of yours were exposed to the Marquis, correct?" the smuggler''s head said.


    "Are you threatening me?" his words made Secretary Qian''s facial expression turned gloomy. From how it seems, the two had some history of doing something together before Qin Lan came.


    "I don''t dare, but I''m not sure if my boys are as tight-lipped as I do. Just a help, and I distance myself from this. Can you help me?" the smuggler''s head asked.


    "Humph!" Secretary Qian harumphed and tossed a wooden token to the smuggler''s head.


    "Solve your matter immediately and destroy the token after you pass the border. Don''t you dare to speak a word about it. If anything happened, that is your own responsibility. Now get the hell out from my office." Secretary Qian said.


    "Hahaha! Thank you, secretary." the smuggler''s head took the wooden token and left in a hurry. It seems that he got what he wants from the visit today.


    Minutester, an individual wasing out from the hidden room behind Secretary Qian''s document table.


    "Milord," Secretary Qian cupped his fists together and greeted Qin Lan. It seems that someone has bitten the lure Qin Lan cast.


    "Good job, secretary. Keep up the good work." Qin Lan praised him vaguely and left the office without speaking too much.


    ...


    Because the token was a single-use item, the smuggler''s head went big with his n and transported as much merchandise he could. Almost all workable members from his Smuggling Group were a part of this operation.


    And to make it safer, he took a different route and not the one with the highest security.


    "Boss, everything is ready. Shall we make our way to travel past the border now?" his subordinate asked. It seems that their work was done.


    "Great job. Are you sure that there are no misced goods on the surface?" the leader asked.


    "Boss, I''ve been working with you for more than three years now... How can there be a mistake that I missed? If there is, it must be because you''re adding them in without getting through me." the subordinate chuckled.


    His face was filled with confidence when the talk was about how discreet he kept the contraband. Unless the carriage was lifted and taken apart, it wouldn''t be easy for the border guards to spot the contraband inside the carriage.


    "Then... Let''s go! This trip is a highly profitable one. Everyone should pay attention until we reach our destination! Once we''re done, let''s go on a brothel trip for three days and night. My treat!" the smuggler''s head said.


    Such a sentence was essential to arouse his men''s spirit as there''s nothing better than getting treated to be apanied by courtesans right after risking their lives.


    The convoy moved carefully. The trip from the seaside port to the outskirt of the City of Ye was their first challenge. But this was the part with the less risk on their route. After getting out from the City of Ye''s territory, their attention moves to their surrounding.


    In the wild, their concern was not the magistrate''s official but Yao Beast and bandits. Merchant Convoys were still targeted often by Yao Beast that loves to group together in a pack. Bandits were also a concern as they''re worst than the Yao Beast.


    But it seems that their trip was going smoothly without a hindrance. The convoy managed to get to the border''s outpost without getting held in a risky situation.


    "Hold it right there. What is your purpose for leaving the border? Do you have any documents to justify your journey?" the captain of the border control stopped the convoy. Since it was quite a big group with over 200 men, the gate was closed to prevent them from escaping.


    "Captain, this is the token from Secretary Qian and the Marquis. We''re ordered to deliver these products to the Xiancheng Province in a hurry. Please take a look." the Smuggler''s Head shows the wooden token to the person in charge.


    "Hmm... This is indeed the Marquis''s token." the captain inspected the badge in his hand and nodded.


    "What is inside the carriage? Is there anything else except the merchandise you''re allowed to sell?" the captain asked.


    "Captain, this merchant is working on behalf of the Marquis''s order, so how dare I put something else inside? There''s no point to do so, don''t you think?" the smuggler''s head replied.


    "Even if the Marquis allowed you to do so, I think you might not dare to do it." the captain returned the wooden token and waved to the guards on the upper wall.


    "OPEN THE GATE! OFFICIAL CONVOY PASSING THROUGH!" he said.


    "Be careful, from what we heard, there are a few groups of bandits that are getting very active across the border. Make sure you don''t get caught by them." the captain added before making way to the convoy to drive past the border''s gate.


    "Thank you, captain. This merchant will make sure he remembered your kind words carefully." the smuggler''s head left. It seems that he went through the three obstacles smoothly.


    "Boss... Shall we?" the subordinate asked.


    "No... Let''s get further from the border first. It won''t be toote for us to fire the signal after we reach the exchanging point. After we emptied the carriages, we''ll be going to the Wuyue County to restock anyway..." the leader continued.


    But that was the start of his nightmare.


    The moment they got further away from the border, a group of people dressed in ck came and attacked them. Each of them was a specialist as the smugglers were murdered one after another without the opportunity to retaliate.


    All it took was a sh to their throat before they were ced by the side of the carriage.


    The killers then rummage through the carriage in search of something.


    "Officer, they''re indeed smuggling the drugs called as Joyous Unification Salve." one of the killers reported to their leader.


    "Great job. Keep everything in the Qiankun Pouch in our hand and make a mess. It''s time to follow up with what our Lord asked us to do." the leader said.


    A re was then fired at where the smugglers were killed. But when another group of merchants was here with two elite Bone Experts, they were shocked to be greeted with a gore sight filled with blood.


    "How can this be?" the merchant wanted to cry.


    "Search the carriage, quickly! Make sure that the merchandise is still in there! Just a little would be fine!" the merchant panicked as he gets his men to rummage the carriage that was filled with blood.


    "Arrest everyone!" then, another group of people arrived at the crime scene.

 Chapter 241: Xihou-Ren

    Chapter 241: Xihou-Ren


    "How dare you try to make a move at us! Do you know who we are?" the merchant and the two experts apanying him yelled at the people that tried to arrest them without trying to rify the matter first.


    But their plight was useless as the number of people was more than they expected. From how it seems, they fell into someone''s trap.


    "This is yourst warning! Surrender yourself ande with us. Or else, don''t me us for taking action!" more torches were lit as the group that camest surrounded the merchant''s group.


    "Let''s follow them for now. I want to see how the supervisor reacts when he knows who we are." one of the two experts said and kept his weapon back into his Qiankun Pouch.


    With one person giving up retaliating, the others followed. A whileter, they were all escorted back to the capital of Wuyue County.


    It was unknown what happened after that, but from the rumors, it was problematic aftermath.


    "Milord, we''ve done what you''ve asked us to do. Out of the twelve smugglers group, three of them were either captured, disbanded, or handled. Right now, these people are on their way to the Western ckjade Mountain to work as a miner until their five-year sentence ended." the officer reported.


    "Good job. What about the nine remaining smugglers group that unwilling to work with us?" Qin Lan asked.


    "They''ve hidden quite well after knowing what happened to the other three. It would be a waste of time to keep looking at the smugglers right now." the officer added.


    "Then, let''s move on to another nning. Focus on the cadet''s training for the next two months. After that, choose a quarter of them to be recruited into the County''s Constable Forces."


    "Pass my order to Secretary Qian that the next intake can go ahead as nned. The Shuiyue Military Academy is likely not going to be a problem until next year." Qin Lan ordered. From the look of it, he had quite a lot of ns in his head.


    After the officer excused himself, Qin Lan closed the door into his office and touched the Night Glowing Pearl by the side of his bed. After leaving the imprint, he took a few steps over to the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting and entered the independent subdimension.


    "Xi!!!"


    The Dragon Moss came to him and started to cuddle around his legs when Qin Lan appeared inside the world within the painting.


    "Alright... You can cuddleter. Did you finish what I ordered you to do?" Qin Lan gave the Dragon Moss a pat and followed the creature to somewhere after he speaks.


    The Dragon Moss then took Qin Lan over to a ce where there was a mountain of Fire Elemental Bloodstone. It seems that Kunlun Hill''s Dragon Moss has been working hard in its free time to collect these mineral ores from the thousand mountains nurtured by the Spiritual Qi.


    "Good job. Come here, since you''re so obedient, I must reward you, correct?" Qin Lan dripped a few drops of his blood on the Dragon Moss. After receiving the blood, it seems much healthier and active.


    Taking a fewrge cauldrons out from his Spatial Jade, Qin Lan started to refine the Fire Elemental Bloodstone into its purest form. Based on how tall is this mountain of ores, he would take at least ten days in real-time, or equivalent to thirty days inside here, to refine the ores into something usableter.


    ...


    "Trash!" the individual wearing gauntlets scolded and threw the wine cup in his hand at the merchant. From the look of it, he was pissed because the merchant has been a disappointment to him.


    No longer able to control his temper anymore, the individual made his way forward and reached to the merchant''s neck. The merchant was struggling for his life, but his struggles were pointless against an expert of eighth-level in Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    His neck was snapped effortlessly by the individual before the dead body was thrown aside to be fed to this individual''s tamed Yao Beast.


    "Young Master, the second elder hase out from his seclusion. He was asking for you." a servant came into the room and reported.


    "Looks like I have to go see my teacher as quickly as possible. I wonder would we be on our way to the Ice Maiden Temple after this." the individualughed the more he thinks about going to the Ice Maiden Temple.


    Changing into the robe of a disciple of Supreme Fist Pavilion, the individual haughtily walked into the building built using some understanding of the mastery of space. It was much spaciouspared to how it looked from the outside.


    It seems that this powerhouse indeed possessed the qualification based on how deep their foundation here inside Xiancheng Province.


    "Disciple Xihou-Ren greets the honorable teacher." he cupped his hands together and greeted the elder after stepping into the room.


    "En..." the elder nodded. But his attention was still on the book in his hand. The two remained quiet inside the room for another incense stick of time. He finally talks after he finished with the book.


    "What have you been doing recently?" the elder asked.


    "This disciple spent most of his time cultivating. From the look of it, I am getting close to advancing into the ninth level," replied Xihou-Ren.


    "Humph... At least you still know how to cultivates while I''m not around checking on you. Do you know why your teacher is calling you here?" the elder continued.


    "Was it rted to this disciple''s engagement with the disciple of Ice Maiden Temple called Zhou Mei?" Xihou-Ren guessed. And it seems that his answer was correct based on his teacher''s expression.


    "Correct. It is due to the engagement. What is your opinion about this engagement? Since this marriage was an arranged one set by the Supreme Fist Pavilion, you have the right to go with it or rejecting it." the elder said.


    "Teacher, forgive this disciple for being honest, but who would reject such an offer? This disciple would be either a fool or an impotent man if he rejected this arrangement." Xihou-Ren answered.


    "Hahaha... That''s my good disciple. It was not a waste for the Supreme Fist Pavilion and Xihou Family to feed you until now. Since you know what the pavilion is nning, I''m sure you know what you need to do?" the elder continued.


    "Of course, honorable teacher. To make this marriage turned in our favor, this disciple has been collecting gifts from all over the Country for the Ice Maiden Sect''s disciple called Zhou Mei."


    "As long teacher able to create the opportunity for the disciple, I will make sure to capture her heart in a sh," Xihou-Ren said.


    "Hahaha, what made you so confident about yourself? From what the teacher heard, she''s been rejecting this marriage arrangement. It was said that she will not marry anyone else except a brat called Qin Lan from the Country of Wu." the elder added.


    "Qin Lan? Even if he survived, he would be at most a cultivator of the Middle-Attainment Layer. As for me, I am getting close to be a peak-level Bone Reconstruction expert. How is he going to fight against me?"


    "If he dares to appear when I amying my hand on this disciple called Zhou Mei, then all I need to do is to get rid of him before I eat her," Xihou-Ren said.


    "En... Good disciple. Looks like you understand what the pavilion needs you to do. Then you should go prepare. At the beginning of next year, we will be paying the Ice Maiden Temple a visit using the friendship between the two sects as a pretense."


    "At that time, the sess or failure will be up to you." the elder said.


    "This disciple understands. I will make sure to not disappoint the teacher and the Supreme Fist Pavilion." Xihou-Ren said and cupped his fists together.


    "Good. The pavilion will n for the visit. In the meantime, you should get yourself prepared in case the brat called Qin Lan turned up." the elder tossed the book in his hand to Xihou-Ren. It seems that it was already prepared to be given to him. The conversation was just a facade to see if this disciple was worth their investment.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Milord, this subordinate has a piece of good news for you!" the Crimson Mist officer knocked on Qin Lan''s door thrice before he pushed the door open and stepped inside.


    As someone with surprises in his head, he was the one that got surprised instead.


    Looking at Qin Lan that meditates on top of his bed, the officer was surprised by his lord''s cultivation that advanced faster than he thought.


    Bluish Foundation Qi was condensing into droplets around Qin Lan. There were only about ten drops, but each droplet was as intense as Qin Lan''s current strength. If he could activate all ten droplets at once, it won''t be outrageous to say that Qin Lan would get at least ten times stronger than he is right now.


    This means, even if his lord was just a mere third-level Bone Reconstruction Layer Expert, fighting against a peak-level expert is not impossible. Perhaps, he could even win against that opponent if the fight was in his favor!


    "Officer, it was quite rude toe into my room without my approval... What kind of surprises you have for me today?" Qin Lan smiled as he absorbed the Foundation Qi Droplets back into his body.


    By the time he opened his eyes, it was shining in Azure Color, as if Qin Lan''s eye were made from Azure-colored Jewels.

 Chapter 242: Attacking Wuyue County (1)

    Chapter 242: Attacking Wuyue County (1)


    "Milord, the preparation is ready. We''re just waiting for your order right now to depart." the officer speaks after he suppressed his excitement from witnessing Qin Lan''s cultivation.


    "En. To what extent is the preparation right now? Is there any suspicious action from the Hall of Treasures?" Qin Lan asked. In half a year, he has been working on the surface and behind the scene to create plenty of opportunities in solidifying his position here in Shuiyue County.


    Atst, the fruit of hisbor is matured enough for him to harvest. The effort from this half a year is finally good enough for him to start what he''s nning to do.


    "Reporting to the Marquis, the Hall of Treasures was still bothered by the fact Da Kui is still locked inside the Royal Capital''s Dungeon. From the look of it, even if we''re postponing our n for another year, they might still find it hard to fulfill the order."


    "Furthermore, the people in Heishi Town are getting unhappy with their doings. The people seem to notice that allowing the Hall of Treasures to monopoly the jobs and businesses in the town weres not as favorable as they imagined." the officer replied.


    "Good. What is the road condition from here to the border, and also to Heishi Town?" Qin Lan asked.


    "The road repair waspleted a month earlier than expected. Because of Milord''s poprity, the people were working day and night just for the sake of creating a result that you''ll be proud of them."


    "Even the merchants from the Country of Shu and Wei are praising Milord''s thoughtfulness in upgrading the roadworks to allow their caravan to travel easily between towns and viges."


    "Also, the quality of education in the viges is also getting much better. More teachers areing from the royal capital to teach in the viges right now. Perhaps by the end of the year, at least a quarter of people living in this Shuiyue County is literate enough to read and write." the officer added.


    He looks deeply proud of what was happening here as if it was done through his effort. Although the officer''s contribution to making this happening cannot be overlooked, the main force that pushes this forward was still due to Qin Lan''s powerful financial support.


    Without the help of the Mountain and Sea Sublime Painting, creating this miracle would take more than just a year or two.


    "If that the case, send the letter to the Wuyue County. Notify the people from the county that the Shuiyue County''s forces will noty our hand on the people as long they''re unarmed. Stop all merchants that travel from the direction of Wuyue to Shuiyue, and strengthen our three borders." Qin Lan ordered.


    By the meaning of three borders, it means the entryway between the Xiancheng Province into Shuiyue County, the Weicheng Province into Shuiyue County, and from Wuyue County into here.


    It was actually a very sensitive positioning, considering that this Shuiyue County was sandwiched between the three countries. But at the same time, this ce is and that cany golden eggs, as long there''s goose avable.


    Since Shuiyue County currently belongs under the jurisdiction of the Wu, it was natural that Qin Lan could safely leave his back to the country while facing the Shu and Wei.


    But the courage to attack Wuyue County was out of the Shu and Wei County''s expectation. At first, the monarchs took it as a joke from an immature Marquis drowned in his pursuit of power. But theck of response from the King of Wu causes them to realized that something was wrong.


    Some men were sent to the Shuiyue County to see what kind of galldder has the young Marquis eaten to muster such courage.


    And when they noticed the reason behind his action, everything was justified. Due to the Royal Army of Shu is having a restructuring of equipment right now, they couldn''t be deployed without sufficient reason.


    As for the rtionship with Wei, the county seems to be handling the friendship between them well. Without relevant reason, it would be hardly likely for the Country of Wei to attack Shuiyue County without reason.


    Furthermore, the scapegoat and rumors Qin Lan has been nting in Wuyue County could show their worth right now. The further the spies try to dig, the more stories about how Wuyue City Lord taking the trading between Shuiyue-Wuyue Route for granted. The high import tariff also led the merchant from the Wu to be at a disadvantageous position.


    This contributes to smuggling. Added with the notorious Joyous Unification Salves that have been trading openly in Wuyue County, everything indirectly nders the reputation of the Wuyue County Lord.


    "What a joke!" the Wuyue County Lord was fuming from anger after he looked at all the report and Qin Lan''s letter. It was already toote for him to deny what he was doing because he had fallen into Qin Lan''s trap.


    "Milord, what should we do right now?" the magistrate official hired to handle the Wuyue''s Capital is clueless right now. He was not inexperienced, butpared to Qin Lan, he was just too young.


    "Send some people to the capital and request for help. Strengthen the borders and get the scouts out there to monitor their movement. Inform me the moment they take action. Let us be on the defensive first." the County Lord said.


    "Up till now, he still believes that the military strength of the Wuyue County is much above the poverty-stricken Shuiyue County. That was indeed true, to a point.


    Half a year ago, this Shuiyue County was still a piece ofnd tormented by the aftermath of the war between Wu and Shu. At least half of the male poption in this county were involved, and the bnce between males and females is quite clear.


    Even if a man were to get married to three widows at once, it would still be hard for them to bnce the gap. But what the County Lord failed to overlook is instead of repopting, Qin Lan has chosen another option.


    Although the gender gap is more than before, it was not as if there are no more males in this county. There is, but scattered, useless, and afraid. What Qin Lan did was indoctrinate them all over again with his own doctrine. The arrival of Shuiyue Training Camp for the young cadets and Shuiyue Military Academy were to bring them further.


    Added with people migrating from rural ces around Shuiyue County, this repopting strategy works like a miracle. Because their position was sandwiched in between three countries, this ce is like a pit, where good or bad, trustable or not, trash or treasure, were all ended up falling into this ce.


    All Qin Lan need to do was keeping the good and educates those that weren''t. At the end of the day, all he needs is to give them a reason to live.


    Furthermore, he wasn''t concerned about their background at all.


    As long it was people, then Qin Lan would have a department to fit them in. The notorious people with some reputation can enlist themselves into the smuggler''s alliance controlled by Qin Lan in the shadow.


    Those with a clean te can enlist into the academy, training camp, or the ckjade Mountain to work and contributes from there. As for some with a good reputation and background, they''re likely hired straight under Qin Lan''s banner.


    This was a feat that even if the other three countries knew how it was done, they''re incapable of repeating.


    On the third day after the letter was sent to Wuyue County, it finally started. 10,000 troops in silver gears marched through the border between Shuiyue and Wuyue openly. Their disciplined movement made the scouts scrambled and hastily delivered the report.


    And in response, the Wuyue County immediately sent out 15,000 troops to stop them before they get into the Wuyue County.


    "Go and show those cubs what can an adult tiger do! Teach them a lesson to not mess with the Wuyue County!" the lord said as he tossed themand scroll into one of the threemander''s hands.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Senior sister... Looking at the messenger pigeons flying around, I''m sure the battle has started. What do you think?" Yan Yi Lian asked while her hand reaches out to the warm cup of tea on the table.


    From her gesture, she seems to know a thing or two about Qin Lan''s operation today. But if the Marquis is on the battlefield or not, that''s not something she has the liberty of knowing.


    "What to think? My husband will win." Zhou Mei smiled and gently sipped the tea from her cup. She was filled with confidence, even after not seeing Qin Lan for more than half a year. If this was known to the outsiders, they might find it funny.


    An unmarried maiden had the liberty to see her future Senior Brother-In-Law often, but not the one that kept calling herself his woman.


    "Look at that blind confidence you have there... Is there not even a speck of worry in your mind?" Yan Yi Lian asked. To her knowledge, she knew how much has the county changed after Qin Lan''s arrival. But it''s unavoidable that she had a question about their military strength.


    Even if Qin Lan were to possess the wealth of a country, how much can he do to a group of crack soldiers with less than half a year of training?


    "That''s because you don''t know about him."


    "As for me, I''ve been by his side from his first battle until now... Even if I am not by his side physically." Zhou Mei smiled.

 Chapter 243: Attacking Wuyue County (2)

    Chapter 243: Attacking Wuyue County (2)


    "From his first battle until now? What does that even mean, senior sister?" Yan Yi Lian reveals a puzzled expression. As for Zhou Mei, she was smiling there by herself. Because only she knew what does her word really meant.


    Her meaning if Qin Lan first battle naturally hinted during the time he designs a trap to decimates a portion of the Jiao Family''s Night Dragon Corps. At that time, Qin Lan was just a mere Flesh Refining Cultivator, not even worthy of being called an expert.


    But without showing himself, he single-handedly gets rid of the Night Dragon Corps. After that, they met for the first time. It was at that time she was smitten by him. Although the feeling from then was far from being called love, it was still a memory that Zhou Mei cherished until now.


    Then, again and again, Qin Lan appeared before her like a gust of wind. He would appear whenever she think of him and gone the more she wanted to see him.


    Until he gets married to Hu Jia.


    Then, the two met again in Fuyun City. Qin Lan''s strength was already above her during that time. It never crossed her mind that a cripple targeted by the Jiao Family back in Fu-Rong City would actually have such an achievement today.


    "Senior sister, look at yourself..." Yan Yi Lian took a copper mirror out from her Qiankun Pouch and let it reflected on Zhou Mei''s appearance. When she noticed how sweet is her own smile, she once again realized that...


    Qin Lan was the color in her that bring a smile to her whenever she thinks about him.


    Before, now, after, and future. It wouldst.


    She then grabbed the mirror from Yan Yi Lian''s hand and kept looking at herself.


    "Looking at this mirror, I feel that I am much prettier than all the other disciples in the temple. Don''t you think?" Zhou Mei smiled and teased Yan Yi Lian.


    "Oh, my heavens! Look at how shameless you are!!!" Yan Yi Lian tried to grab the mirror back.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Elder." Qin Lan cupped his hand towards the air and greets. Those that see what he was doing were puzzled at first, but when the white crane and elder Yang Wen descended from the sky, they realized that it was them who wascking.


    For Qin Lan to notice the elder from afar earlier than them means that his control over Spiritual Energy was a realm above them.


    Perhaps that was one of the few reasons Qin Lan was conferred as a Marquis, and not them.


    "I''ve heard of what happened. To think that you''ve actually decided to take action half a year aftering to this county. Are you that confident, or you''re just rushing to produce a result?" the elder asked with a face filled with worries.


    As Qin Lan''s guardian, he''s naturally well informed about how resourceful Qin Lan was. But sometimes, being too capable was a bad thing because it made oneself too confident in himself. Like a squirrel good at jumping from one tree to another, it would still fell from the tree sometimes.


    And in the reality of men, such a "sometimes" happened more often than they think.


    "This junior will not take action unless he''s confident. Allow Qin Lan to ask the elder to have more faith in what he was trying to achieve." Qin Lan replied while filling the tea on the elder''s cup.


    "Then, let me apany you here since it was your first battle as the Marquis of thisnd. I am anticipating what kind of magical result you can produce by a group of crack soldiers as well." Elder Yang Wen said.


    "Elder, please allow this junior to repair something you''ve mistaken about them." Qin Lan smiled while he tried to correct the elder''s word.


    "Oh? What''s that?" Elder Yang Wen smiled and reached for the teacup.


    "They''re not a group of crack soldiers. These people were the elites of the Shuiyue County, the Shuiyin Battalion." Qin Lan smiled in his reply.


    (Shui-Yin = Mercury. It also stands for the word Water + Silver. That''s also why it was mentioned that they''re wearing silver gears.)


    "Milord, the Wuyue County retaliates with fifteen thousand soldiers surrounding our army from three directions." four scouts came forward and kneeled before Qin Lan and the elder. Behind each of them are two other scouts of a lower rank responsible for themunication.


    "Ry my order to maintain their formation until the Wuyue Troops getting impatient. Tell them to get the Soaring Ballista ready." Qin Lan''s instructions were simple.


    "Subordinate understood! Release the pigeons, Soaring Ballista Formation!" the four head scouts ordered. Then, close to ten pigeons were released from their camp as they fly into the battlefield fearlessly.


    The Shuiyin Battalion changed their formation in less than a minute after the respective pigeons arrived at the receiver''s side. It seems so orderly as all soldiers were armed with the same equipment, without any distinctive differences one to another.


    ...


    "Do they thought they can keep us from attacking if they''re targeting us from afar using that short bow?"


    "What a joke. Protect yourselves from arrowsing from above. Move forward at top speed and crush them before they managed to change their formation."


    "Don''t let the enemies had the chance to fire their second arrow. Attack them right now!"


    Each of the Wuyue City Lord''smanders had their respective opinion, but it meant the same thing.


    "Attack!" fifteen thousand soldiers charged forward on foot as they tried to decimates the Shuiyue County''s soldiers before they can fire their second arrow.


    But the aim they''re trying to achieve seems to be a little immature because the battlefield was filled with the cry of anguish after the first volley of arrows was fired.


    Although the number of death wasn''t as high as expected, what the Soaring Ballista Formation aimed for was not to decimate their opponent in a volley but to dy their march.


    "Is there a secret behind the skimpy bow in the soldier''s hand?" Elder Yang Wen asked. He managed to seethrough the bow''s uniqueness, but not the effect it has when firing.


    "Yes." Qin Lan smiled after he was presented with the result he was looking forward to.


    "The bow in their hand was a Xuan Lower-Grade Treasure that capable of increasing their piercing power of an arrow when fired with sufficient Spiritual Energy. But the weakness of this bow is quite evident since it was just a (Half) Treasure." Qin Lan answered.


    "Just a (Half) Treasure? With such a good effect on the weapon, how can it just be a Xuan Lower-Grade weapon?" the elder asked.


    "It''s because this bow can only be fired twice. The third time will result in this weapon broken." Qin Lan exined the w behind this weapon. If Qin Lan were to keep this secret hidden behind the elder, it might cost him his life to notice such a big w hidden behind that potential.


    "This..." the elder was speechless after hearing Qin Lan''s answer. Unknown if he should feel proud of Qin Lan''s shameless scheme or the anguished cry on the battlefield, the elder turned his head over to continue watching over the battlefield.


    "Ah... Mother..." the soldiers from Wuyue County cried from the wound dealt by the arrow. Although the injury was nothing serious, the problem came from what used to make the arrow.


    It was created from soaking the arrowhead with the solution that came from mixing the Luminescent Lotus powder with the resin from Ash Willow Bark. This caused the cut from this arrow to burn due to the astringency and spiciness of the medicine.


    The torturous aftermath was something even Bone Layer Expert would find it difficult to endure. But it was also the best method to win a battle without leading to a high number of casualties.


    "Attack! Those that still can move should keep it up! Don''t let them have the time to fire the next arrow!" unknown that the weapon can only fire twice at most, the threemanders ordered them to continue marching forward.


    To the Shuiyin Battalion, the difficulties in firing their first volley were the hardest. But when ites to the second volley, it came as natural as eating and drinking. The hesitation from pulling the string was no longer around their heart.


    As part of the aplice that delivered the torture to those soldiers from Wuyue, the guilt was no longer in their hearts.


    *XIU!*


    The second volley arrived as the Wuyue County''s soldiers get into the less than ten steps'' distance from the Soaring Ballista Formation.


    "Ry my order to the soldiers. Throw away the bow in their hand and prepare to fight. Everyone shall change their weapon to the City protection sword and engage with the Wuyue County''s soldier the moment they get into our reach!" Qin Lan ordered.


    "Release the pigeon!" the scouts'' leaders ordered.


    Once again, over ten pigeons fly into the battlefield once more. The sound of bows dropped on the ground, and the sword was pulled out from its sheath was heard.


    To the soldiers that are lucky enough to dodge the volley of arrows, they''re now up against the sword next.


    "Sound the hammer." Qin Lan said.


    Following the sound from the hammer, the soldiers from Shuiyue County moved forward and retaliated. Their momentum was much stronger than the Wuyue Soldiers that should be trying to protect their home from the outsiders.


    All it took was a single engagement for Qin Lan''s Shuiyin Battalion to ovee the army of fifteen thousand soldiers under the Wuyue County Lord.

 Chapter 244: Attacking Wuyue County (3)

    Chapter 244: Attacking Wuyue County (3)


    "How could this be possible? A single battalion of crack soldiers defeating fifteen thousand veteran soldiers that have been on duty for years?" the Wuyue County Lord questioned the validity of the report.


    If it wasn''t because he knew this scout long before he became the lord of this county, he would have him beheaded for conspiring with the enemies.


    No matter how unwilling he was, he would have to ept this fact.


    He lost.


    As they were speaking right now, the soldiers from the Shuiyin Battalion is busy handling the aftermath. They''re still not been given the painkiller. At least, not until everyone was captured. Separating them into groups of a thousand each, they''re forced to dig a pit for themselves while still suffering from the pain.


    The soldiers from Shuiyue County soon distributed the pain-relieving medicine to the obedient soldiers that went inside the pit. Of course, that wasn''t their only reason for doing so.


    What they''re worried about are the troublemakers that might appear in the group. Forced to be packed in that hole together, it was undeniable that some people would have to relieve themselves.


    Problems will soon arise, and when that happened, their mental defense will slowly wear down from all these treatments. It would be the best time for Zhang Qin Feng to indoctrinate the soldiers with his doctrine afterward.


    This undoubtedly dyed their progress in attacking the Capital City of Wuyue County, but with fifteen thousand soldiers here as the captives here, how many more can the city have?


    This is why Qin Lan decided that settling the problem with the captured soldiers should be prioritized before anything else.


    The three countries were having a different mood at night when the result of their first battle arrived at the relevant powerhouses. That''s including the famous generals, sects, businesses, and the royal court.


    The Country of Wu was d to hear from scouts that came returned from the Shuiyue Military Academy. As for the Country of Wei, they''re taking this as a pinch of salt. From their reaction, they''re still confident with the defense in the southern part of their country.


    Naturally, such confidence came from the fact Peng Likun was the vanguard general guarding the safety of their border.


    But to the powerhouses from the Country of Shu, something else was escted from the Chi-Lan Marquis''s action.


    One of them was the order from the royal family itself. And the target was not at Qin Lan nor the County Lord of Wuyue, but the Hall of Treasures.


    "General." the hall master for the Capital City branch was somewhat worried because there''s nothing good from a sudden visit.


    "His royal highness has an order. The Hall of Treasures was to hasten the delivery of gearing up the Royal Army. The time was given to the Hall of Treasures is now adjusted to the end of the year. Failure to deliver will result in reprimanding Hall''s status and its member across the country." the general read the mandate out aloud.


    "One moment, general! This order is practically tossing the Hall of Treasures into the mouth of the volcano!" the Hall Master immediately begged the general to be reasonable. Even the size of the Hall was as extensive as the Shuiyue County, it''s impossible to create ores out of nowhere.


    "Tossing you people into the volcano? You''re at least in a better position here. As for us, the Royal Army, we''re ducks and chickens waiting to be ughtered! If you can''t deliver the gears, to where we''re going to equip ourselves to fend against the attack from Wu and Wei?" the general said.


    As he was still filled with a belly of anger from the king''s ridiculous request, the general swing his hand hard. The King''s Mandate was thrown on the Hall Master''s head before leaving.


    "Chi-Lan Marquis!" the Hall Master hand trembled in anger while holding the mandate.


    "Get Da Yuan back here as soon as possible. And leave that nephew of mine in prison. Whether he dies or not won''t be our problem anymore. Send a few pigeons out and request the other Halls to start supporting the main branch." the Hall Master said.


    "Hall Master, I''m afraid this decision cannot be decided recklessly... What about we get the other Hall Masters back here and discuss it first?" one of the elders said.


    "Discuss? By the time the Country of Wei and Wu knew what we''re facing, the border tax will be raised to make it difficult for us. The fact thend of Shu iscking Mineral Ores was not a secret!"


    "Get it done immediately. Right now!" the Hall Master ordered.


    ...


    ...


    "I wonder what kind of man is that Chi-Lan Marquis. To think that he could defeat a battalion of veterans using newly trained soldiers in less than half a year." the Xihou Family Head said. Beside him stands a very familiar figure that used to be quite well known back in Fu-Rong Town before this.


    "Ren-Er, I''ve heard that the Supreme Fist Pavilion is looking forward to matching you with one of the disciples from the Ice Maiden Temple... You''ll have to make sure you grab this chance," he changed the topic after the scout who came to report left.


    "Dear Grandfather, the Supreme Fist Pavilion indeed has that intention. Please rest assured that Ren-Er will do his best to capture the maiden''s heart. This marriage can only be sessful, and I won''t fail!" Xihou-Ren answered.


    "En... Good. This will be a blessing to our Xihou n. Make sure you get it done well. If you need anything from the n,e straight to your father or me." the n Head said.


    "Ren-Er understands. By the way, grandfather... My teacher just gives me the first manual for the rumored Pericelestial-Realm Fist Technique." Xihou-Ren happily shared the good news with his family elders to make them support him even more.


    "Really? You know that this is not a joke, Ren-Er. Did the Supreme Fist Pavilion really gives you one of the three copies they had?" the n Head sounds excited.


    "It''s true. Ren-Er just practiced a tenth of what is in the book, but I had the feeling that I am getting a step closer to reaching the ninth level of the Bone Reconstruction Layer. In this half a year, advancing shouldn''t be a problem at all." Xihou-Ren replied.


    "Good! Pass my order down to the Family Treasury. If Xihou-Ren wanted to grab anything from there, just allow him to do so!" the n Head smiled.


    "By the way... What is the name of the Pericelestial-Realm Fist Technique?" he asked.


    "Answering to grandfather, the name of this fist technique seems to be Golden Lord''s Holy Fist. It was said to be one of the most profound techniques from the ancient sect known as Golden Lord''s Temple."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Milord, what''s your next instruction?" the officer came to Qin Lan''s side after handling most of the issuest night. The soldiers can be said to be well-rested after Qin Lan''s two days of arrangement.


    "Is there any report about the City of Yue and their situation right now?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes. From the scout''s report, it seems that they''re bolstering their defensive. The city seems to have enough provision that couldst them for months. If we''re attacking, I''m sure this will be difficult because we can''t send all our soldiers at once." the officer said.


    "Who told you I''m going to attack them, officer?" Qin Lan chuckled. His smile made the officer, Secretary Qian, and even Elder Yang Wen filled with questions about why Qin Lan made such an expression.


    "There''s a total of six viges, one town, and one city here in Wuyue County, correct?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Yes, Milord." Secretary Qian nodded.


    "Ry my order. Five hundred men in a squadron. Send six teams out and politely invite all the vigers toe to the City of Yue. Tell the soldiers that if anyone dares to pige the vige while doing so, I''ll personally behead them myself."


    Secretary Qian, I''ll need you to follow a thousand soldiers to the White Jade Town and tell the townsfolk to surrender. Do the same thing and invite them here to the City of Yue." Qin Lan smiled.


    "Mi-Milord, can you exin why we''re involving the people living in this county? Don''t tell me... They''ll be a part of this war?" Secretary Qian asked. There''s a slight worry in his mind that Qin Lan will involve the people in this war.


    "Who told you that I''m getting the people involved in this battle? Since the City of Yue prepared their ration well, I''m only inviting the people from this county to enjoy the banquet together."


    "Trust me, by the end of this week... They''ll open the door voluntarily and invited me into the city to rule them." Qin Lan smiled while answering secretary Qian''s question.


    ...


    ...


    One weekter.


    "Drag that County Lord out and kick him out of this county!"


    "Kick him out! The Wuyue County doesn''t have such a rotten official! How regretful that I am not able to deliver judgment on behalf of my family!" the townsfolk said as they threw eggs and rotten vegetables on the County Lord.


    It seems that what Qin Lan said actuallyes true. In just a matter of a week, the Wuyue County fell into his hand voluntarily as the people from the county coborated and rebelled against the Wuyue Lord''s men. In just a single night, the county fell into the public''s hand.


    There was only impress in the face of the people from Shuiyue County.

 Chapter 245: Fell Without the Death of a Single Soldier

    Chapter 245: Fell Without the Death of a Single Soldier


    "Soldiers! Please, spare the vigers and children! Please do not involve them in this cruelty of war!" the vige chief kneeled by the entrance of the vige and begged the troops to spare them.


    And to those participating in the war for their first time, such an experience wasn''t an enjoyable one.


    It was as if they''re waving the de in their hand around the innocent viger''s throat while they aplished the task given by their squad leaders.


    But again, militarymand was above everything else, including guilt and feelings. This doctrine was the first lesson taught by Qin Lan''s trusted educators and instructors back in the Shuiyue''s Military Camp.


    "Elder, please pack up and follow us as we escorted you back to the City of Yue. As long nobody retaliates and obeys our words carefully, we will not injure anyone. This is the order from our Marquis, please understand." the soldiers cupped their hands while speaking.


    "Please, please!" the vige chief seems to be unwilling, but it was not up to their decision. Although thing did get rowdier from forcing the vigers to relocate, it was eventually enforced by the soldiers from Shuiyue County.


    Of course, the soldiers kept their promises and made sure not a single person was killed nor heavily injured.


    As for their suffering, it was expected. Forcefully relocated without ample time to prepare, the vigers had to travel through a two-day journey on foot without enough provision. By the time they saw the City of Yue in their sight, everyone was relieved.


    They were hungry and tired.


    The vigers were released when they''re a mile distance from the City of Yue. The vigers run to the city as quickly as possible. They''re afraid that the soldiers were nning to attack the capital while the refugees entered the city.


    But nothing they''re worried about happened. After the vigers were released, the soldiers retreated. Instead, something else happened around the four entrances to the City of Yue.


    "Queue up! Don''t push! Those that do not follow the instructions will be kicked out of the city!" said the soldiers serving the county lord. The soldiers were also seen beating the vigers.


    "We''re the people of his lord too! How can you beat us like this?" a middle-aged manined and protected the vige chief, which is his father, from the soldier''s beating.


    It did note to their mind that they''ll be treated worst aftering here. The attitude between the Shuiyue Soldiers and Wuyue Soldiers was between heaven and earth.


    "Do you think that having this book of record will get you treated differently? Without his lord''s order, nobody is allowed toe in and stay in the city! Now, stay out there until you''re called!" the soldier used the back of his spear to push the middle-aged man away.


    "To think that these were the soldiers that supposed to protect our county from outsiders... I must be blind..." the middle-aged man supported his father and returned to their group.


    *Gallop - Gallop...*


    An officer-level soldier seems to being to the city entrance in a hurry.


    "The lord''s orders! Those with no registration record in hand will be treated as refugees! Those with the record,e this way!" a city guard''s leader said while he''s on his horse.


    "Father, let''s go!" the middle-aged man was happy that their turn is finally here. Supporting his father that had a problem walking due to the beating earlier, the father-son pair quickly went to the officer''s side with the officer.


    "Guard captain, please have a look. This is our vige''s registration record. The seven hundred of us are hungry and tired, so please allowed us to get inside the city." the vige chief extends the book to the officer on both hands.


    "Hmm... Seven hundred people will take quite some time. It will be great if there''s some motivation to check the name on the list." the Guard''s Captain smiled while showing a sign using his fingers.


    It meant, "bribe me."


    "You..." the middle-aged man''s hand was shaking from anger. It was utterly ridiculous for them to even think about getting a bribe right now. But he has no other choice as the vigers were waiting for them to get everyone inside.


    "Captain, please... This is an heirloom jade from our vige. I''m sure if you sell it, it can fetch the price of a few..." the experienced vige chief quickly ced a jade bangle with decoration engraved on it as a gift.


    But instead, he was ridiculed. It seems that the bangle that worth less than a hundred Flesh Foundation Pills was a piece of crap in front of him.


    "How dare you try to bribe me with such a cheap gift. Get back right there and wait for your turn." the Guard''s Captain said. It seems that the gift wasn''t up to his taste.


    The captain went to the others after reprimanding the father-and-son duo. Even the jade bangle was broken from his overreacting action.


    "Is this still our home?" the middle-aged man asked. After being treated like this, the ember to rebel appeared in his mind.


    He was not the only one that was treated this way. At the end of the day, only one vige and the people from White Jade Town managed to enter the inner side of the city to rest. As for the others, they''re gathered together at the city square.


    They''re barricaded like mice to prevent them from going anywhere. In a way, the treatment they received wasn''t much different from how the fifteen thousand soldiers were treated by the Shuiyue County''s soldiers.


    If there''s a must to look for a difference, then...


    Those captured by Qin Lan''s men were able to have a proper bun and water to eat. As for those barricaded in the city square, they''re treated even worst than the defeated soldiers.


    All they were given was rice gruel mixed with some husks from the wheat and rice. Somerd was added to make the pot of gruel tasted better. But it was no different from drinking water scooped from a puddle of mud.


    Such a treatment continued for two more days.


    On the morning of the sixth day from when the war started, something else happened.


    Some vigers were finally unable to control themselves anymore as they raised their concern to the soldiers guarding against them. This was a joke because the soldiers who were supposed to protect them ended up watching their own people instead.


    "When is the County Lord going to release all of us? We''re the fellow people of this Wuyue County! We''re not prisoners nor refugees!" a few vigers with strengthined after gathering at the senior guards around the square.


    Although none of them were armed, getting surrounded by ten to twenty hungry, angry vigers made them felt threatened.


    "Back off!" one of the reckless senior guards pulled his weapon to intimidate the vigers froming closer. And this only made the enmity get deeper. With every minute passed, the situation only gets worst.


    Then, a small fight started here and there. Some people were caught for causing trouble. But in the people''s eyes, this turned into a scene where the soldiers were treating them uwfully. Even if they were given plenty of water to wash away this stain, they couldn''t.


    It wasn''t entirely enjoyable to the County Lord either.


    With almost 90% of the poption of this Wuyue County is here in the City of Yue, it will undoubtedly create a problem for him. The provision that he put effort into collecting was almost finish distributed to the people.


    If they don''t find another way to bring food into the city, they''ll soon fell into famine by the start of next week.


    And for the sake of getting support from the other wealthier families living in the capital, the County Lord organized a banquet and invited these people toe over.


    When this news about the County Lord organizing a banquet was spread to the people, small riots happened here and there. As there''s no fun in a party if it was not apanied by beauties, those wealthy individuals were paying handsomely to the people for bringing in young maidens.


    One thing escted to another... The ember that barely looked dangerous is now a hidden me that can no longer be contained.


    When the news about the gangs in the City of Yue was working with therge ns to kidnap maidens into their ything, the vigers could no longer keep their anger in check. The riot grew and immediately swallowed them.


    In that night itself, the city went into mes as the vigers grabbed whatever to be used as a weapon. They marched into the County Lord''s Residence and forced the lord toe out to give them an exnation.


    But what happened shattered their heart. Those people inside the party were indulging themselves in drugs and women. It was two entirely different worlds between the inside and the outside.


    And that''s including the County Lord. He was apanied by two young maidens from the vige as the middle-aged man.


    "Rotten Official! Drag him out!"


    "He''s unworthy of bing the ruler of thisnd! Rebel, let''s rebel!"


    ...


    ...


    Outside the city, Qin Lan was smiling with a bottle of Lotus Fragrance Wine in his hand. It was time for the Shuiyin Battalion to enter and took over it without sacrificing a single soldier.


    "Milord, we''re waiting for your order." the officer cupped his hand and awaits Qin Lan to give them an instruction.


    "Officer, Secretary Qian. Let''s enter the city by tomorrow morning." Qin Lan chuckled.

 Chapter 246: Wang Jian

    Chapter 246: Wang Jian


    "Marquis, please spare the people of Wuyue County. We will unconditionally surrender as long you willing to give us a road to live." the magistrate official from White Jade Town said. He was the highest-ranking official amongst everyone else here.


    From the look of it, it seems the official was struggling to keep himself together. It was evident that he''s trembling before Qin Lan.


    The feeling of having a cumbersome boulder on their back was holding them down. Qin Lan''s silence only made them worrier because the gate was fully opened. As long as Qin Lan gave an order, the ten thousand soldiers standing outside of the City of Yue will storm inside and start ughtering them mercilessly.


    Their situation is no different from standing on top of a thin sheet of ice. The slightest hint of movement was all it needs to decide what is the oue.


    Sweat asrge as a bead rolled from the magistrate official''s forehead. The silence was hard on him as the magistrate official continue to wait for Qin Lan to reply.


    Soon, the sound of footsteps approaching them can be heard. From the tremors it gave, it was evident that the number of peopleing to the city''s entrance is not in a small number.


    ''Dear heaven... Please don''t let me be the sinner of our Wuyue County. Heaven has mercy on the people, please!'' the magistrate official begged. In his life, perhaps this was the third or fourth time he''s asking heaven for a favor.


    As for his first few times, it was natural for the sake of getting a wife, getting a child, and staying alive.


    "White Jade Town''s secretary, walk with me into the city, please." Qin Lan said after keeping himself quiet for so long. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his soldiers to control the four city''s entrance.


    By the time the cause of the footsteps and tremors was here, it was eventually revealed to be the detained soldiers that once served under the Wuyue County Lord.


    It seems that Qin Lan didn''t treat them ill as they''re all looked much better than the vigers that suffered under the ridiculous treatment of the County Lord''s soldiers.


    "My child!"


    "Father! Father is not dead!"


    "Our brothers are home! Our brothers are home!"


    The vigers that had the men in their family forcefully conscripted into the army ran out of the city to hug their blood rtives. Although it was unavoidable that some people are bound to be filled with sadness, it was still a positive oue.


    In the afternoon, more soldiers came from the border between Shuiyue and Wuyue.


    From the look of it, they''re here with the provision prepared earlier before the start of the war. This assurance to ensure Qin Lan''s soldiers were well fed now turning into a ray of hope to the people in the City of Yue.


    To the hungry people living in this county, food was the best thing to persuade them to shift their loyalty to Qin Lan.


    Currently, only a few thousand soldiers were garrisoned around the road leading to the other three provinces that belonged to the Country of Shu. Although the trade merchants are allowed toe into the county again, there was no reason to do so.


    It''s not like the aftermath of the battle can be settled in a matter of a day or two.


    But the efficiency of Qin Lan''s people exceeded their expectations.


    Having offered a lucrative wage for helping, the students from the Shuiyue Military Academy and teachers from the six viges coborated and came to help Qin Lan settle the people down.


    They''re still divided based on the viges they came from. But this time, the registration method used was following the practice of the people from Wu, and not Shu.


    There are not many changes, but it was the most efficient way for Qin Lan to get an estimated number of people under his ruling.


    In just a single week, the number of soldiers on the border increases from 1,000 men to 2,000. The neers were actually the newly conscripted soldiers that worked under the County Lord before Qin Lan took control of the county.


    They can be differentiated by the gear they had on them.


    "Milord, all the foundation work you''ve ordered us toy down was almostplete. Do you have any other orders?" the officer asked. Behind him stands Secretary Qian, the magistrate official of White Jade Town, and the Vige Chiefs from six viges.


    In addition, it seems that the son of a vige chief was here. But a hint of worry is on his face because he was the instigator for the riot that happened a week ago.


    Based on their understanding, people like him hardly manage to live to his father''s age because of his recklessness. In a world where strength still reigns over all other rights, people like him often had a short lifespan.


    "Since everyone was here, I suppose we can start our conversation." Qin Lan said as he runs his eyes across everyone present inside this office.


    "First of all, I would like to extend my apology for involving everyone in this battle. Although it was toote to speak about it, I still owe the people an apology. But if I was to be given another choice, I will still repeat what I did." Qin Lan added after he cupped his hands and apologized.


    "Milord, we understand your point of view. As a part of the people, it is inescapable. Instead, we''re grateful that heaven blessed us with a wise leader." everyone else repeated the same thing, except for the Crimson Mist officer and Secretary Qian.


    "Alright. I believe everyone knew why I''ve summoned all of you here." Qin Lan returned to his seat.


    "Yes, Milord." the others instantly replied.


    "Wang Jian, step forward." it was the middle-aged guy''s turn soon to be called. He was nervous to the point his hand was trembling while walking to the front.


    "Wang Jian here." he kneeled down before Qin Lan.


    "After speaking with the people and also the seven settlement chiefs here, everyone believes that you should be given a chance. Hence, I decided to ce aside your mistake of being the instigator of this riot that happened a week ago." Qin Lan said.


    "Thank you, Milord! Thank you for your mercy!" Wang Jian lowered his head and mmed his forehead hard on the ground after hearing that he was spared from the death penalty.


    "This peasant willing to be a ve if the lord wishes for. I''ll follow Milord''s order without questions," he added.


    "Good. Then from tomorrow onwards, go to the White Jade Town and learn how to manage the town. You''ll be promoted to a Magistrate Official from this moment onwards." Qin Lan said.


    "This ve under... Sorry, Milord?" Wang Jian was puzzled by his punishment. Did he hear wrongly?


    "What? Are you hoping that I''ll shove you into the stable to clean the horses for life?" Qin Lan chuckled. Looking at Secretary Qian, he nodded to thetter as thetter pped his hand twice.


    A soldier came inside with a tray in his hand. On the tray is two sets of neatly folded clothing worn by the magistrate official under the Country of Wu.


    "Your position token will be ready by the time you finish learning how to manage the town from your predecessor. Make sure you study as much as you could before you and don''t bring shame to your father and your family." Qin Lan added.


    "This ve... Ah no... This subordinate understands! I will work hard to not disappoint Milord''s expectation!" Wang Jian cupped his hands before epted the tray from the soldier.


    "Then, let us continue with the discussion about the settlement''s contribution, resources, and also the allocation of manpower. Get your seat, everyone." Qin Lan said.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Good news. It seems that our young master won his first battle against the county beside thend he''s ruling. I wonder what will our young master do next?" a table of four individuals was having a light conversation as they''re having dinner together.


    The clothing on there was different from the others. It was bound to get attention from everyone else who walked past them because of its exquisite tailoring and effort in making these clothes.


    "What he''s going to do next? I hope he''ll get us over to where he is. It felt like I''m not contributing to the n without being by the young master''s side." said one of the four. He was the tallest amongst them and also the bulkiest.


    Their dinner was apanied by wine and meat. But in the conversation, the word "young master" never stopsing up as if they''re obsessed with him.


    It was until a pair of twins came into the restaurant looking for them.


    "Do all of you know how busy the n is? How dare the four of you sneaked outside and enjoy food in the restaurant and adding up trouble to the kitchen?" the younger twins said.


    "Quicklye back. Thedy is breaking through soon. By the time shees out from her training, she''ll be just like the four of you, A half-step Bone Reconstruction Layer expert." she added.


    "Her advancement is a little too fast, don''t you think so?" one of the four said.


    "It is... By the time they''re all ready, I wonder will we relocate to Shuiyue County and serve the young master once again..." he added.


    "By that time, I think the four of you will be left here while everyone else is going." someone else interrupted their conversation.


    "Brother Lu Yi!" they turned their head around and looked at him.

 Chapter 247: Planning For a Visit

    Chapter 247: nning For a Visit


    "Acting Family Head," the members of the Qin Family greeted Hu Jia as she stepped into the meeting hall. It was attended by a few elders of the family, including Qin Lan''s grandfather and some members of her own family.


    The Qin Family today was no longer the same as before.


    Although most of the contributiones from Qin Lan for being conferred as a Marquis, it was also because of Hu Jia''s excellent job as the Marquis''s wife.


    The Hu Jia today was also different from who she was before this.


    From the outsider''s view, Hu Jia was just a weakdy lucky to marry into the Qin Family. But to those wearing the signature clothing that everyone from the Qin Family wears, they knew it wasn''t the truth.


    While it was the truth that Qin Lan contributed the most to where Qin Family is today, Hu Jia was the one that put everything together. The pair of husband and wife is like Yin and Yang. Theypliment one another.


    "Everyone, please have a seat." Hu Jia replied. Her beauty was unrivaled as she turned around and took a seat on the chair prepared for the family head. The beautiful ck colored dress on her looked perfect on her.


    "Serve the food and drinks. Get the performer into the hall to lighten up the atmosphere." Hu Jia said. From the look of it, she doesn''t seem to be a non-cultivator at all.


    Entertainers soon came into the hall. Musicians gathered at one corner as they started to y the music for the dancers start stealing the people''s attention.


    But after that, they''re back to talking about business.


    "I believe that there are many things needed to be handle. Shall we start with the Xiyun City first?" Hu Jia suggested. The Xiyun City, formerly known as Fu-Rong Town, was also the starting point of the Qin and Hu Families.


    Even after moving a part of their family members to this Fuyun City, there''s still a quarter of n members residing there handling the menial matters like grooming the younger generations, and so on.


    "Please allow me to start first." Qin Qi and Qin-Qin''s mother stand and volunteered to start their business discussion. The concern that was brought was mainly about the resources they had in hand and what was happening.


    After the Xiyun City, the Fuyun City''s concern came up next. This ce is currently the gold mine of the Qin Family as it was where half of the Qin Family''s business focused on.


    The winery, Spiritual Herbs, Medicinal Pills, Textile, Pottery, and Inn business. The Qin Family was considered thergest owner of these businesses.


    And then, the Demon Mountain Fortress was next and followed by other ces. The discussion continued until their topic rted to Shuiyue County.


    "Have the Acting Family Head heard about the n Head''s recent feat?" Qin Lan''s grandfather smiled as he brought the matter about Qin Lan up before the end of their discussion.


    "This Hu Jia naturally heard about her husband''s achievement on the battlefield. It seems that we have to work harder to reach his level." Hu Jia smiled in reply.


    Although she seems to be doing good so far in this ce, it was iparable to Qin Lan''s achievement.


    Her achievement is just on the level of better than the prominent families in this Yunshan Province. But Qin Lan''s achievement was on a county level. Even if Hu Jia was given the same resources and opportunity, it''s impossible to recreate Qin Lan''s result.


    His result was just too much for a regr person to achieve.


    "Has he said anything?" Qin Lan''s grandfather asked. From what he knew, Qin Lan still maintainsmunication with Hu Jia through exchanging letters once a week.


    "So far, no. I think Qin Lan is still busy with the aftermath of the battle. He''s currently thendowner for two counties, after all..." Hu Jia smiled when she mentioned the wordndowner and two counties.


    Right now, who could beat her husband''s achievement?


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Marquis! Wang Jian will take his leave right now!" the newly appointed Magistrate for the White Jade Town cupped his hands together at Qin Lan before his departure.


    Apanying him were ten or so soldiers from Qin Lan''s Crimson Mist Battalion.


    It seems that more of the battalion hase over from the Demon Mountain Fortress. From the look of it, they''re here because the soldiers should get some experience. Although the Crimson Mist Battalion is considered Qin Lan''s soldiers, they had to remember that their liege was not just Qin Lan.


    They still belong to the Country of Wu.


    As a part of Qin Lan''s soldiers, their loyalty is pointed towards the King of Wu and Sun Wu Jian.


    "Work hard and do not disappoint me." Qin Lan said before returning to the City of Yue. Although most of the paperwork and foundation was done, there are still many works waiting for him.


    It wasn''t the same as taking over the Shuiyue County, where everything was already there waiting for him. He would have to organize everything from scratch after the failure management of the previous County Lord.


    Additionally, Qin Lan also needs to appease the people''s needs and demands. Ruling over a county was different from managing a business. For a county to prosper, the foundation heys down is crucial.


    This is why Qin Lan nned to repair the roads first for the Shuiyue County and followed with the Shuiyue Military Academy. He also solved one of the few loopholes in the governing system that cut off the smuggling activities in and out of his county.


    But the same cannot be done in Wuyue County.


    First of all, repairing the roads has nothing to do with his attempt to strengthen his control over this territory. If he blindly focuses on this instead, it might spell trouble to him before the foundation work is even done.


    "Milord, did you ask for me?" the former magistrate of White Jade Town came into Qin Lan''s office.


    "Yes. Secretary Song, pleasee in. There''s something I would like to discuss with you." Qin Lan replied and pointed to the seat he prepared for the secretary. Based on the setting in the room, it seems Qin Lan was just meeting with him alone, without the others joining.


    "Yes, Milord." Secretary Song went to the seat. A stack of records about the production of the Wuyue County was already on the table waiting for him.


    "Perhaps, Milord is looking to discuss the foundation works for this county with this surname Song?" he smiled. It seems the secretary was another capable individual.


    "Yes, this Marquis would like to listen to secretary Song''s opinion." Qin Lan replied.


    "If that Milord''s wish, then this surname Song will not be reserve with his words. I believe that what Milord needed to do is not to ensure the prosperity of this county. There''s another matter that Milord should be concern about first." the secretary changed his tone instantly after he got Qin Lan''s approval to speak freely.


    "Continue," Qin Lan replied. There''s a smile on his face because this is what he wanted to listen to.


    "Thank you, Milord. Do the Marquis hear about the bandit activities that''s been going on around this county''s border?" Secretary Song asked.


    "I''ve used to hear about it back in Shuiyue County. How bad is it?" Qin Lan answered.


    "Quite bad. Considering that we''re one of the five counties that belonged to the Liaocheng Province. Since this Wuyue County is under Marquis''s control now, this surname Song is sure that the Province Lord will not ept this willingly."


    "But what you''ll have to understand is that the ''bandits'' we''re talking about here were a part of the Liaocheng''s force. The reason for their existence, I''m sure Milord don''t need this subordinate to borate?" secretary Song hinted.


    Qin Lan rubbed his chin for a moment after he listened to the secretary''s words. It seems that schemes like this existed no matter which country or dynasties he''s in. Such a thing might be new to the others, but not him.


    In fact, the Hushan Bandits that almost took over the entire me Demon Moutain was the best example of what banditry could do when they got the support of a superpower behind them.


    As for their reason for existence, it naturally due to the benefits.


    First of all, it created a reason for piging. In the history of mankind, piging was an activity that couldn''t be excluded. A small scale between vigers, arger one between towns, and extensive to the point between two sects fighting to their death, was all for the same reason.


    It was cruel, but this was also one of the ways mankind grew stronger. Before the emerge of Wu, Wei, and Shu, there''s plenty of warlords ruling over this continent. Even in the records of the country library, it was unknown how many years it went on until the three countries risen up.


    "By the way, there''s a rumor about something else from the Xiancheng Province. Would the Marquis be interested to hear about it?" secretary Song continued.


    "Oh? Please speak." Qin Lan opened his ears and patiently wait for what the secretary was going to say.


    "It seems that in less than six months, the Ice Maiden Sect and Supreme Fist Pavilion were going to have a martial exchange. All the neighboring powerhouses, including the county lords, were invited to attend."


    "From what this subordinate heard, it was also the opportunity for them to shower the two Major sects to obtain their favor. This surname Song wonder if the Marquis is interested." the secretary said.


    "A ticket to the Martial Exchange? Yes, this Marquis is interested. And how do we get a ticket for that visit?" Qin Lan asked.

 Chapter 248: Banditry

    Chapter 248: Banditry


    "Congrattions on your victory, Milord!"


    "Congrattions, Milord."


    The people of the City of Ye gathered around to congratte Qin Lan for his victorious return. An entire month had eventually passed from the day they departed from this city.


    To the people of the county, this was a feat that nobody could repeat. A victory without losing a single soldier was unheard of before. Even the Genius General of Warfare, Peng Likun, might find it difficult to create another miraculous result like Qin Lan.


    "Thank you, everyone." Qin Lan cupped his hands together in reply to his people''s word. They were following him all the way until he returned to the City Lord''s building.


    "Huh..." Qin Lan leaned on the top of the chair and rxed. Although he doesn''t seem like doing much on his own, this one-month period outside of the City of Ye was a hectic one. Leading a war was easy, but managing thend aftermath is not.


    At the same time, he also got himself entangled in the people''s attention. After his victorious achievement, he''s sure that the powerhouse from both Wei and Shu will not leave him unchecked.


    This may hardly bother him personally, but if they started to get involved in ruling the two counties, the damage they might be causing might be catastrophic.


    It was unavoidable because human nature tends to try and control how fast a seed mature. Feeling threatened was mutual because of the sh in their interest. But at the same time, mankind was a gambler as well.


    They''re willing to gamble all their avable chips just for the sake of a victory. But luckily, in this world where strength matters the most, winning the gamble equals subduing and silencing all the others.


    And in this matter, the Cloud Plucking Sect is like a pacifist due to their nature. That''s because they''re focusing on grooming the individuals and not tyrannically subduing other forces.


    "Milord," someone came into his room after Qin Lan closed his eyes for an hour of quick rest.


    "Ah, you''re here. How''s the trip over here?" Qin Lan smiled while looking at the familiar face.


    It was Wang Xun, the captain of Sun Wu Jian''s troops. In this period, he seems to grow a little. His strength is now at the second level of the Bone Reconstruction Layer. In addition to his breakthrough, the king also rewarded Sun Wu Jian''s men with some precious martial and cultivation arts.


    Although the quality of what they''ve gotten hardlyparable to what Qin Lan gave to his fellow people, it was still precious, nevertheless.


    "This ce seems to be interesting. No wonder you''re epting it reluctantly. Anyway, I had a good rest. Tell me what you want me to do here." Wang Xun said. It seems that his arrival here was not decided on a whim by his liege.


    He was here for a reason.


    "Why are you being so impatient? Itchy to try your strength after breaking through?" Qin Lan chuckled. His hand patted on the Spatial Jade on his waistbelt and took two bottles of wine out. One was given to the captain, and the other was for himself.


    I want you to lead a small but agile subjugation army to run around the county I just taken. What do you think?" Qin Lan asked.


    "Subjugation Army? Who you want me to subjugate?" Wang Xun poked a hole through the oil paper covering the wine bottle before replying to Qin Lan. The fragrance from the wine only made him getting eager to taste the wine.


    "Who? Beast and human. Bandits." Qin Lan answered.


    "What? You want me toe here on purpose to subjugate the bandits for you? Are you joking, Chi-Lan Marquis?" Wang Xun pouted after hearing that his job here was to help Qin Lan to get rid of the bandits.


    Even the officers with the least experience are capable of aplishing this task. And right now, Qin Lan actually want one of Sun Wu Jian''s trusted subordinate, his colleague to be exact, to work under him instead?


    "I''m not joking. I''m sure you will find these bandits interesting..." Qin Lan chuckled.


    "Alright, stop beating the bush and tell me the truth. What''s the background? If they''re too insignificant, I''ll throw my helmet at you and return to the Yunshan Province." Wang Xun said.


    "They''re reported to be the people of the Liaocheng Province Lord. How about that?" Qin Lan gently muttered the few words out.


    "Now... This is interesting... The lord''s people are piging his ownnd? Doesn''t that means he quite a scheming bast*rd?" Wang Xun''s eyes changed. News like this is likely a rumor if he heard about it from the tea parlor, inn, and restaurants.


    But when ites from Qin Lan, the weight of this information was ten times heavier than it should.


    "Anyway, what are you aiming for? I suppose you won''t allow me to attack any of your neighboring counties without a valid reason, correct? Don''t tell me you want me to be your guard and patrol around your territories?"


    "I''ll tell you first... I ain''t going to do that." Wang Xun stated his requirement first. In his opinion, patrolling Wuyue County''s territory is indeed not a preferable job. It was no secret that the former county''s lord wasn''t doing very well in how he''s handling the county.


    Added with prioritizing the project to the wealthier family ns in the City of Yue make it worst. The budget that was supposed to be contributed to the people ended up going into the pocket of the rich and fattening up these pigs further.


    And in return, Wuyue County was just a third-rated county, even amongst the few in this Liaocheng Province. The county''s iees from farming and mining, but these two were less notable.


    It was simr to how the current Heishi Town works. Although it looked like the people in Heishi Town were doing well in the mining industry, their ie was just a third of the Hall of Treasures yearly profit.


    The reason behind this disparityes from the origin of the product and the skill required.


    For mining and farming, even a child could do it, as long they''re given a pickaxe or a hoe. But processing the raw materials is what hike up the price. Such a concept might seem cruel, but it was how the world works.


    If a nt is left alone in the wild, it might yield less to no benefit to all parties, except growing further in longevity. At the end of the day, all it was worth is either to be eaten by the Yao Beast.


    This is why the profession of a farmer exists. Their existence was like a matchmaker between the nts. Complimenting one another, farmer contributes to keeping them going as long as they could, while in return, they''re providing crops to mankind.


    But it wasn''t enough to just yield the crops. Too much of something is brings no benefit, and too little is worst. Hence, professions appeared.


    To a spiritual herb, having a human farmer tending them is a blessing, and having an alchemist refining them was their nirvana. It was mutual cooperation between them.


    And it seems that what Qin Lan was looking to do is to leech off from this mutual cooperation.


    "It''s up to you to fool around, but I''m afraid you will not have time to do that. All you need to do is keep the border open. Let the banditse, but leave no one out."


    "As for the attraction, I naturally have something to bring these wasps into our territories..." Qin Lan grinned. This was the most sinister expression that ever appeared on his face.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    A monthter. Two months have passed after Qin Lan took control of Wuyue County.


    And it seems that the county was doing well, even without having him to be personally here to maintain the public order. Although the ce was swarming with soldiers to keep the peaceful sight, it was still due to Qin Lan''s effort in making this a better ce for the people.


    Using amonly practicedmodity pricing, Zhang Qin Feng forcefully enforced the right to subsidize the price of grain, meat, and wine. In return for this subsidy he gave to the people, they''ll have to follow some of his arrangements, such as nned farming, mining, and foresting.


    Once everyone had a job, they naturally won''t have a need to cause trouble. There''s troublemaker here and there, but these people are were given three chances. Once they blew away all the leniency Qin Lan gave them, they''ll be taken to the Smuggling Alliance secretly to let them enjoy their life there.


    As for Wang Xun, he was seen dissatisfied as he sat beside the window overlooking the border.


    It''s already one month from the day he came. But until now, he hasn''t even pulled his sword from the sheath once.


    "Captain, we have a messenger pigeon that came from the lord''s representative. Would you like to take a look?" a veteran guard in silver gear said. In his hand was a roll of paper, folded into a size of a pill.


    == == == == ==


    Delivery to Hanyue County. Ten carriages, each carriage is expected to carry goods exceed 10,000 Bone Foundation Pills. Expect the bandit to take action tonight.


    == == == == ==


    The letter without a name stated only the crucial part of the information. But to Wang Xun, this was not a problem at all.


    "Captain?" the veteran guard was puzzled by Wang Xun''s changes in his mood. He looked excited out of a sudden.


    "Get a thousand soldiers and get ready to move. Tell the guards to strengthen the border and report to me if there are any suspicious individuals." Wang Xun said.

 Chapter 249: Attempted to Rob

    Chapter 249: Attempted to Rob


    "How urate is your news? Can we trust the merchant that he''s telling the truth about their merchandise?" an expert in the middle-attainmentyer of Bone Reconstruction asked. Their number is around four hundred people currently, and more people are stilling to join them.


    They''re the men serving the Liaocheng Province Lord. The people over here were just a squadron of their total.


    After the allegiance of this county has shifted from the Shu to Wu, many things have changed. The first and foremost was border control.


    Previously, all they need was to show the authority token of their supervisor to be granted ess. But right now, the broken namete was no longer usable. Furthermore, the control over imports was stricter than before, leaving them with a problem with bringing in weapons and equipment for their piging activities.


    With weapons bing harder to smuggle, their only choice was to purchase from the local cksmith. And this was made difficult for them as well. The change of a county lord equals a great migration and renovation, leaving the viges out of capable cksmiths.


    As long the cksmith was sane enough to think, none of them would give up the chances to move to the City of Yue. The sry and benefit provided were much higher than what a vige could pay for.


    With so many issues arise, it was understandable why their piging activity was disturbed.


    Since they''re not well equipped, attacking would means putting themselves into danger if it was done recklessly. Hence, the bandits shifted their objectives by using this one month time to scout for potential targets.


    And this ten carriages convoy were so far the fattest target and also the safest. From the scout report, each carriage worth around 10,000 Bone Foundation Pills. The cultivating resources within said to be exquisite goods ordered by one of the counties under Liaocheng Province.


    Since their piging activity does not separates allies and enemies, as long the target was a fat sheep ready to ughter, they''ll take action unconditionally. And in return, the Province Lord promises them safety from the country''sw if they''re caught in his Liaocheng Province.


    It was regretful, but today''s operation might be theirst before everyone looked for their own way to return to the Liaocheng Province. This Wuyue County is no longer worth putting effort into and endangering itself.


    "Leader, this merchant has been in contact with this subordinate for weeks. I''m sure that his merchandise is legit. To be sure, this subordinate left some of my pet''s beloved feces as a mark on their carriage."


    "As long we followed this little fox''s sense of smell, it would be easy for us to catch up with them." the subordinate, a fourth-level Bone expert, said.


    Judging from his tone, he was confident with the preparation he had done so far. As long nothing in particr happened, the convoy will travel past their hiding ce in the next hour or so.


    "You better be correct. With the control of this territory now changed hand to the lord called Chi-Lan Marquis, this ce is no longer a suitable ce for us to continue. Tell the others that after this, we''ll return to this Hanyue County."


    "Let us join another squadron and wait for his lord''s order." the leader said. It seems that he''s already started to n for his path of retreat after this.


    "Leader, what kind of reason can we get to leave this county? Don''t forget that we''ve already registered ourselves as the vigers of a settlement and cannot freely leave the county without the Vige Chief''s signature." the subordinate said.


    "Then just force that geezer in the vige to get it written. By the time we exit the border, do you think the soldier will keep pursuing us?" the leader said.


    "That''s true..." said the subordinate with a nod.


    "Sh! They''re here!" the leader covered his subordinate''s mouth the moment he noticed the light from the torches started to illuminates the path leading to the county''s border.


    Since the road construction wasn''t started yet, two out of the ten carriages have to be reced because of the damage caused during travel. This ends up dying their trip by close to half a day.


    But luckily, they''re well prepared.


    "We should stop here and take an hour''s rest before continuing with our trip. Remember to guard the carriage in case there are people with ill intentions." said the merchant. Based on his appearance and the instruction he gives, he''s likely the leader of this convoy.


    "Look''s like he''s the leader. He didn''t lie to me, boss." the subordinateughed. It was unsure that hisugh was about the merchant was a fool to believe him or because he wasn''t fooled.


    "Get a mirror and look at yourself. Your expression earlier was full of the question as if you''re worried that you got cheated." the leader shook his head with a grin on his face.


    *Xiuuu...*


    The leader whistled by putting two fingers around his mouth. The replies came in less than ten seconds. In total, he received five responses from those further away from him.


    "Get ready with your weapon. We''ll wait until the guards fall asleep." the leader said.


    He was a patient leader indeed. The bandits waited there close to an hour for half of the guards to fall asleep before he decides to take action.


    *Xiu!*


    The same whistle was used. This time, there''s no reply. Instead, the bandits headed to the guards covertly until they''re just a tree away from where the guards fall asleep.


    "Xiu!*


    Another whistle came.


    This brings a smile to the bandits as they charged into the tent and start killing mercilessly.


    "Urgh!"


    "Ah!"


    "No!"


    Blood was sttered. By the time the leader reaches the point that allowed him to oversee the situation, he noticed that something was off.


    "What is wrong with the attacking team? Why did they move without waiting for my signal?" the leader was puzzled. By right, they should know how he works based on the length they''re cooperating together.


    But it has to be today that the followers were making a mistake.


    When thoseing out from the tent were not the bandits but the guards instead, he realized he might have fallen into the enemy''s trap.


    "Sh*t!" the leader pulled a re out from his pocket and fired it up into the sky, but it was toote.


    By the time he turned around, he was surrounded by the men led by Wang Xun. Apanying beside the captain was Jin-Xiong, Qin Lan''s beloved Martial Beast.


    "Ou!!!" Jin-Xiong howled. A ball of energy was gathered between its jaws as it fired at the bandit leader without notice. The attack immediately destroyed the cliff where the bandit leader tried to get the best seat to witness his operation.


    "A trap! What a sneaky move you got there, soldiers from Shuiyue County! But if you think that it would be easy for you to capture me, then think again!" the bandit leader pulled his twin swords out and attacked Wang Xun.


    As long he managed to ovee Wang Xun, it will eventually open the road to his freedom. As the leader of this group of six hundred bandits, he''s not a weakling.


    Although there''s just a hint of Foundation Qi in his Dantian, he''s still much stronger than the others without. This is why he was specially recruited by the County Lord to lead one of his six personal bandit groups.


    But Wang Xun wasn''t a weakling either. Pulling his sword out from the sheath, he countered the bandit leader''s attack. Knowing that his opponent''s strength was even a tad bit above him made Wang Xun feeling excited.


    "Bring it on! Let''s see who''s better!" Wang Xun holds his sword with both hands. Channeling a hint of Spiritual Qi into his weapon, he delivered an attack at the bandit leader.


    "Moonlight Wave!" Wang Xun shouted as his attack went to the bandit leader fiercely. But his opponent wasn''t someone to be underestimated either. Using a simrly fierce technique, he countered the attack even before it arrives.


    "Good! Look''s like you''ll be my first victim after Ie out from seclusion." Wang Xun smiled. The sinister-looking face he gives out seems to be hiding something behind.


    "Keep talking! I''ll see if you''re still capable of saying things like this after I took your head back as a trophy!" the bandit leader replied.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Morning next day.


    "This is the City of Yue''s Golden Ribbon Merchants. This is my permit to cross the border as we delivered the order from Hanyue County." the merchant that leads the ten carriages said. In his hand was Qin Lan''s private token.


    "This token is a valid traveling document. Please feel free to cross the border. If you have anything you need, please do not hesitate to let the guards know." the guard replied.


    "Thank you, but there''s nothing needed so far." the merchant smiled as his carriage continued on their way until they reach the capital of Hanyue County a weekter.


    After delivering all the products to their buyers, the merchant decided to return with ten carriages filled with local products from this county. Additionally, he did not forget to aplish one of the tasks Qin Lan requested him to do.


    After receiving approval from the City lord for an audience, the merchant came to him with a box of gifts in hand. After making sure that it was received in person by the City Lord, the merchant made his way back to the border in a hurry. Following him were a thousand angry soldiers.


    "How dare the Chi-Lan Marquis send me the head of milord''s beloved subordinate?"

 Chapter 250: Run

    Chapter 250: Run


    "Go out there and escort the merchant and his convoy back to our Wuyue County. If the soldiers from Hanyue County are so eager to fight, it won''t be a problem to exchange a few blows with them." Wang Xun ordered while monitoring the situation from afar.


    It was happening exactly like how Qin Lan described it.


    By the time the merchant returned from the Hanyue''s capital, he will be in pursuit by the county lord''s army. At that time, what Wang Xun would need to do is protect the merchant safely back into Wuyue County''s territory.


    "This subordinate understood! I will go out and handle the situation as per your instruction!" the guard leader left his post in a hurry. And within half an incense stick of time, the guard leader departed from the border control with close to two hundred soldiers.


    They were carrying the g of the Shuiyin Battalion proudly while riding across the ins to the merchant''s side. As for the reason to do so, it was to inform the merchant''s convoy that help ising.


    His act would not only keep the spirit of the people escaping from pursuit to maintain their speed. It was also to act as a taunt to the pursuing side. By knowing that there''s reinforcementing in front of them means that a fight could break out at any time if they decided to proceed recklessly.


    And the result from creating this thought in their mind always works miraculously, as it would make them distance themselves slightly before something unexpected happened.


    One shouldn''t belittle this small distance. If only a step width could allow one to escape from a fatal blow, what about a few horse steps? It was like securing half of their life from getting reaped by the grim reaper.


    But something like this oftenes with a risk.


    *Woo!!!*


    *Woo!!!*


    The horns unique to each battalion of the army were blown from the Hanyue County''s military outpost. What''s following up next is an expected response from any trained army.


    Two nearby border control in the Hanyue County''s territory dispatched twice the number of soldiers to intercept them. Although the merchant and troops from Shuiyin Battalion would likely join together and leave before the reinforcement arrive, it was still a standard procedure they had to follow.


    Apanying the soldiers from the two outposts is experts one level above the middle-attainment rank. Although it was just a stage difference between the fifth and sixth levels, the distance between them is akin to forcefully crossing a tall mountain.


    The threatening Spiritual Qi from them spreads out even from afar. To those with low cultivation, their heartbeat was much faster than usual as they''re filled with the dreadness of these two expertsing closer at them.


    "Soldiers of Chi-Lan Marquis! You dare to barge into our territory and openly wave your gs? State your intention before we return all of you to your border as corpses!" one of the two experts said.


    "Jin-Xiong... Which one you like to fight?" Wang Xun chuckled as he followed discreetly behind the guard leader. It seems the chances of bringing the merchant''s convoy back without engaging in a battle are impossible.


    Since that''s how it eventually went, Wang Xun might as well have fun with it.


    "OU!!!" Jin-Xiong howled as the Martial Beast charged towards the direction where one of the experts wasing from. As for Wang Xun, he went to the other. Since he''s no longer getting a free lift from the Martial Beast, it was natural he had to walk.


    "Underestimating us too much, people of Chi-Lan Marquis! Do you think a mere fourth-level cultivator and fifth-level Golden-Grade Martial Beast are enough to handle both of us?" the two experts were pissed.


    A weapon appeared instantly in their hand as they engaged with Jin-Xiong and Wang Xun on two different battlefields.


    *BAM!"


    *BAM!"


    Two dreaded explosions happened left and right near the merchant''s convoy. They were afraid, but no one dares to voice their mind out because their employer was the one leading the way.


    With the merchant taking the lead on where to go, how would there be a subordinate daring to question what he decided? All they could is steer their horses to run at their top speed, hoping that they''ll reach the Shuiyin Troops faster.


    The opening of the battle seems to be inspiring the soldiers in pursuit. With two experts around them, they seem to lost the hesitation before. By taking some of their equipment off, the soldiers lighten the burden of their horses.


    But as they were going to catch up with thest carriage, the gs of Shuiyin appeared. Soldiers in silver gear appeared left and right as they countered the Hanyue Lord''s soldier using the halberd in their hands.


    "Release your Spiritual Qi! Let''s see if they still have the guts to chase the people from Shuiyue and Wuyue!" the guard leader roared.


    At this instant, the two hundred soldiers he brought releases their Spiritual Qi. It was a scene to behold because even the weakest soldier amongst them was a second-level Bone Reconstruction Layer soldier.


    Even Jin-Xiong and Wang Xun were unwilling to lose as the two secretly swallowed a pill and channeled their Spiritual Qi.


    "Wh-What?" the two sixth-level experts were shocked because the Martial Beast and Wang Xun''s strength gradually rouse to the sixth-level like them. It was at a stageparable to their own.


    "How could this be? Did they take some forbidden pills to push their cultivation a level or two above their limit?" one of the experts was questioning the possibility of Wang Xun and Jin-Xiong taking some forbidden pills.


    "Impossible... If there''s one or two, that''s not a problem... But how can all the soldiers had a qualitative rise in theirs too? Don''t tell me... The Chi-Lan Marquis has a mean that allowed his men to rise their cultivation for a short time?" the other expert said.


    "What are you daydreaming over there? Let''s fight!" Wang Xun replied after noticing the worried expression on his opponent. Feeling that there''s more reason for him to keep the pressure, he tried harder to push the expert to a retreat and continue to bber using his mouth.


    "Sixth-level? Not too impressive... I''ve recently in someone with this token. He''s quite an opponent with that fifth-level cultivation. But still fell to my de. Should I send yours back to your county lord as well?" Wang Xun touched the edge of his sword while speaking.


    "Come!" the expert lost a little of his calmness when Wang Xun tossed the wooden token over to him.


    "Brutal Favor!" Wang Xun attacked with a deadly technique that incorporates almost half of his Spiritual Qi in a single attack. The stance has not much of essence in it, but the result from this blow was more than impressive.


    It took all the expert''s effort to defend against the blow capable of cutting him into two halves. A chip appeared on his Xuan-Grade (Perfect) Offensive Treasure instantly after defending against Wang Xun''s attack.


    "Soldiers! Retreat!" the expert fighting against Wang Xun ordered the moment he noticed that Wang Xun''s power was more than what he expected. But the problem is not how powerful Wang Xun is, but his strength which seems to be still growing.


    If he dys this battle any longer, he might get himself into a precedent where death was considered a better option.


    As for the expert against Jin-Xiong, his situation is nowhere better than Wang Xun''s opponent.


    It wasmon knowledge that Yao Beast was known to have a better physiqueparable to humans. This disparity is much more evident when ites to a Yao Beast like Jin-Xiong.


    Although this fellow was always seen fooling around Qin Lan''s Lord''s Manor. It was still a legit and purebred Golden-Grade Martial Beast.


    To a Martial Beast like this fellow here, fighting was part of its bread and butter.


    By the time this expert noticed that his opponent wasn''t a regr Yao Beast, it was already toote for him. Even if he could preserve his life, he''s bound to be bothered by a cultivation demon in the future.


    Bloodstain can be seen from all over his clothing. His current condition is no different from falling from a cliff and rolling down to the base of the hill.


    And since his opponent wasn''t a man, there''s no notice before an attack came. As long the Martial Beast sees the opportunity tounch an attack, it will be done without a hint of hesitation.


    A ball of Spiritual Qi appeared between Jin-Xiong''s jaw as it turned into a beam next. The attack was like a sweeping spear that gets rids of all obstacles on its line of attack.


    In an instant, the ce around them was turned into barren soil without a de of grass on it. All that was left are pieces of wood and gravel from everything Jin-Xiong destroyed from that single attack.


    "Mon - Monster! To think that the Chi-Lan Marquis have something in his ranks. What else does he have?" the expert tremble at sight the moment Jin-Xiong stares at him like he was a b of meat on a tter.


    "HOU!" Jin-Xiong roared. The loud roar of this Martial Beast instantly nted a seed of fear in the soldiers as they escaped without looking back.


    By the time Jin-Xiong finish showing off and looking for its opponent again, the target is nowhere to be seen anymore.


    "Oh???" Jin-Xiong looked around. By the time the Martial Beast found him, he was already half a mile away from the fight.

 Chapter 251: Martial Exchange (1)

    Chapter 251: Martial Exchange (1)


    A ball of light gathered around the Martial Beast''s jaw before being fired at the escaping martial cultivator. Although the distance was more than half a mile, all it takes was half a second for the beam to arrive and killed him.


    "OU! OU!" Jin-Xiong hammered its fist while standing on its back legs to show its might. Feeling that there''s no longer any threat around it, the Martial Beast retreated and followed the route the merchant''s convoy took.


    The battle ended with Qin Lan''s victory as Wang Xun safely protects the merchant convoy back to the border. But because of this battle, the border control was stricter than before. Many goods were prohibited from import starting from that night.


    From what the County''s Lord stated, these items were considered banned goods. Anyone caught under the suspicion of smuggling will be thrown into jail until they''re found guilty or not guilty.


    Meanwhile, Qin Lan calmly handled this matter by increasing the import from both Wei and Wu merchants. This made the road that was repaired earlier is expecting more merchant traffic. The route also turned into one of the merchant''s desirable routes. The trading rates are much more profitable here rather than driving their convoy up to the northwest.


    At first, theck of merchantsing through their border hardly affected Hanyue County. But after a week, they started to have problems, mainly with grains and other items, such as medicinal herbs and timber.


    Along with the hesitation to loosen the border control, the county lord''s action can be said to be trying to dig a grave for himself to get inside. But nothing of all this matter right now because to Qin Lan, he was preupied with something else.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Precisely half a yearter.


    Xiancheng Province, Ice Maiden Sect.


    This was a lifetime opportunity for the outsiders to have a tour of this sacred temple. Known for its mysteriousness and hardly epting guest''s visits, the Ice Maiden Sect finally opened its door today for the Martial Exchange.


    In thest half a year, the Supreme Fist Pavilion has been making their preparation for today. Almost all the guests attending this Martial Exchange knew what agenda the Supreme Fist Pavilion had in their mind.


    After a round of strict checks on the foothill to the Ice Maiden Sect, the guest who sessfully got through the barricade numbered around four thousand people. The weakest amongst them were between the first to the second level of the Bone Reconstruction Layer.


    "Milord, would it be eptable for us to attend this Martial Exchange with just a few of us?" Qin Lan''s subordinate asked while walking up the stairs leading to the main temple where all the guests were seated.


    "What are you worried about? We''re here for Martial Exchange, not for anything else. Even if something were to happen, we have more than a few backup ns ready to use." Qin Lan replied.


    The temple''s seating area was already packed with people from all over the continent. Luckily, as the Marquis from the Country of Wu, he had a slightly better standing here. There''s already a seat for three prepared to the owner of Shuiyue County by the time Qin Lan walked a little further.


    After seating himselffortably on the chair, Qin Lan took the well-known Lotus Fragrance Wine out from his Spatial Jade and began to drink them straight from the wine bottle. His action is akin to angering the people from Ice Maiden Sect, as it was still a temple with attached doctrine and religion.


    But the reprimanding from those who belonged to the Ice Maiden Sect didn''te until the sect leader came to greets everyone presents. Coming along beside the Ice Maiden Sect Leader was the Pavilion Master of the Supreme Fist Pavilion.


    The opening ceremony was simple. It was then apanied by sword dancing, a fire show, and acrobatics to lighten the mood. Food and drinks were served next. The alcohol seems to be part of thepulsory beverage included in each guest''s food tray.


    This made those looking forward to Qin Lan getting reprimanded by the people from Ice Maiden Sect felt hot on their faces. The embarrassment made them hides behind others while eating what was served.


    Soon, the people seated in the front started a conversation here and there.


    Since they already started to eat and drink, why not starting to lighten the mood by some light sparring or sharing the insight in cultivation? Was this not their intention foring here?


    Few Ice Maiden Sect''s disciples show up on the stage prepared earlier to ept the guest''s challenge. The four disciples they''re sending were all in Bone Reconstruction Layer cultivator in their first-level to make it look proper. And just like the sect''s name suggest, all the disciples were young maidens.


    Three random cultivators from some minor or nameless sect challenged the maidens on the stage. As for thest beauty standing on the scene, she was challenged by the Supreme Fist Pavilion''s disciple to bring up the mood.


    It was all arranged, but they''re all for the sake of making this Martial Exchange a sess.


    But the atmosphere changed when an expert of the fifth level came on the stage and pointed at the people from Supreme Fist Pavilion seated.


    "Xihou-Ren! I challenge you in this Martial Exchange!" he said.


    "Booo!!! Who are you to challenge the core disciple of the Supreme Fist Pavilion?" some spectatorsughed at his recklessness for trying topete against someone above his strength. But it would seem inappropriate if the pavilion take this challenge lightly.


    Not long after the crowd getting rowdier, another disciple came on the stage.


    "I am a junior of fellow disciple Xihou. Please give me some advice in this exchange!" the disciple cupped his hand towards the challenger before they started.


    The two seem equally matched until Qin Lan finally caught the intention behind their actions.


    "Hahaha..." Qin Lanughed at the two fighters while everyone was focusing on their battle.


    "Milord, is there something wrong?" his attendant asked.


    "Nothing... Hahaha... Nothing..." Qin Lan was unable to continue hisughter as he gets louder by the second. By the time he fought hard to control himself, everyone''s attention is on him.


    "What? Is that not funny looking at two clowns dancing on the stage?" Qin Lan added.


    [Note: I''m sorry to my loyal readers, but I will rush this book to its iplete ending and make way for my other book, I RELY ON MY SYSTEM, to continue with the eastern fantasy genre in my mind. Sorry for all the dy, disappointment, and hope, happiness, and everything else. I am thankful for your support so far, so please wish me all the best while I push another 50 or so chapters to make this book end nicely!]

 Chapter 252: USE FASTPASS HERE (NOTICE ONLY)

    Chapter 252: USE FASTPASS HERE (NOTICE ONLY)


    Supreme Emperor of Mist (Remake) Notice


    Use Free-Pass only for this chapter. This is an announcement, not a chapter update.


    Unless you''re super supportive of my work and look forward to seeing this book''s continuation, please skip this chapter. You may follow the next chapter that will be updatedter.


    Before we start, I would like to thank my loyal readers that have been with the previous version of (Supreme Emperor of Mist) until thetest chapter 251. I am very sorry that after giving it a few tries, I still find it challenging to edit the book with so many mistakes and plotholes here and there.


    I''ve tried rewriting the story again and edit by chapter. But the more I did, the further it went away from the concept I was trying to bring out from this book. Qin Lan was a fascinating character for me. Still, my inexperience in writing made him less attractive than what I tried to bring out.


    Additionally, because this was my first book, I find it challenging to forcefully create a female lead to fit his antic. Hu Jia was the exact copy of my wife. Zhou Mei came from a girl I''ve been interested in since high school. As for the two youngsses, Zhuge Xinyu and Yanyu, they''re what I hope my two princesses would be.


    But I find it challenging to recreate the same thing from so many characteristics. This was a challenge.


    Then, negativements came over. The book was getting quite a bad review andment from many readers. Some were constructive, but the bad ones wore me out quite a lot because I find it difficult to refute, logic, and reply.


    I am thankful for the positive and writing mistakes pointed out by my readers/editors. However, there''s still much to go before producing something like the level of Martial Universe, Soul Land, Peerless Martial God, A Will Eternal, and Heavenly Jewel Exchange.


    This is why I''ll be crediting people that supported me in my earlier chapters.


    -Renni92 (For the support, tickets, votes, and privilege subs)


    -Wuxiafreak (For being with me so far)


    -BlueCastle


    -bigluke34


    -mouglea


    -Cody_rady


    -Krikke90


    -mymistake


    -Fullmetaljacket33


    -Sandirel


    -Jacee200


    -meatbunbun


    -Dragonlight


    -Merlinthe4


    -Mathane


    -Jared_Gagne


    -John_Fowler_1974


    -Somon_Moloney


    -Voltage Twisted


    -Nagiso


    -Dyale


    -Trulyjustandrew


    -BandedIronBear (I know you''ve been with me since premium)


    -John_Emerson


    -Awaven


    And more.


    Alright, with all the thank you and sorry speech done, let''s get back to our main topic.


    In the next chapter, I''ll remake the Supreme Emperor of Mist all over again. The storyline will be slightly different this time, but it will be Qin Lan, without family matter. The storyline will undoubtedly get some connection with where I stop, but there''ll be some plothole here and there until I get it covered with words.


    I might or might note up with a system. Thetter''s possibility is much higher, as the earlier version has none of it. But since I mentioned that my writing was inspired by the tranted novels above, having a treasure is likely possible.


    We''ll continue to have a harem, but marriage with Hu Jia might not continue untilter chapters. I will also consider writing the romance part as I aim to make it much better this time.


    The cultivation part will also go through some qualitative change. The previous cultivation concept was interesting, but I''m not at the level to execute it adequately for now. So instead of making it too deep, I n to make it more straightforward and easier to understand.


    As far as I know, my readers also prefer the concept in the Treasure Masters and the Eight Department''s concept. But for this rewrite, I will make it much easier so more of them can be slowly included in the story without skipping too much.


    Of course, I won''t make it too deep, too many levels, and too many stages to keep it stay with my ability as I write. If you found somewhere with a ring mistake, please let me know before the error gets worse.


    Ah!


    Yes, Zhang Qin Feng will keep using the eight transformations treasured brush. But it will be eight weapons instead of one this time because of my inexperience in writing.


    So far, I understand that part of the story didn''t describe adequately. There are also many plotholes appearing due to the difference in mymonsense as English wasn''t my firstnguage. And with Grammarly premium helping me now, I hope I can make better chapters from now on.


    Please let me know if you''re expecting it too, as I wanted to know how my readers will look forward to this. All kinds ofments are weed because I want to make something people like to read, not what I assume would be good enough.


    Except for the few earlier chapters until the end of September, I will be starting a privilege for 200 coins with 10chapters in advance + a 99% discount. Although it still costs my readers some money to read them, I hope it willpensate my earlier readers. I''m sorry for turning tail, dying the updates, giving up, going into hiatus, and so on.


    Since I no longer have to follow the MGS requirement to keep updating, the stability might not be consistent as my few other books. Still, I can promise that the flow of the story will get much better.


    Those who can''t wait can go to my second Eastern Fantasy Work named "I RELY ON MY SYSTEM." You''ll like the story if you prefer a novel with a weak mc slowly growing up to be an expert without relying on his system too much.


    As for votes, I would be thankful if you could continue to support me wherever you like. I can''t promise that I''ll be sessful. I''ll try my best because writing has started to be my everything, especially from where I go after I started my "Dimensional Store System In Apocalypse."


    All and all, I hope you''ll be looking forward to the uing first chapter of Supreme Emperor of Mist (Rewrite). Please give me your most earnestment if the chapter doesn''t go very well. I''ll make sure to edit them before the error gets worst!


    Thank you, and Enjoy Reading!


    Yanglin,


    Sect Master of Mountain Relying Sect.


    https://discord.gg/C867NUg9t3

 Chapter 253: New Beginning!

    Chapter 253: New Beginning!


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Teacher... Why must you take something as risky as this? Your disciple is sure that there''s something else that can be done with this Realm''s Mandate." said one of the few individuals gathering on the tip of a particr mountain.


    This ce was the highest peak of this continent, known as the Mountain of Yuhuan Continent''s Pir.


    The outer mountain section alone covered six forests and twokes. The size of the eight exquisitendmarks itself was more than capable of amodating over ten countries at a time and still had enough space for more if needed.


    Theke was about the size of a sea, and even a leviathan would look no different like the size of a ss bead dropped into the water. While the twokes have lessndmass than the forest and mountainndmarks, it was enough for one to two civilizations.


    Nextes the inner mountain section, where it was divided into four different sections. Each one of the regions had a chain of hundred linked mountain peaks and their own seasons. Four seasons were found all around the regions, like providing blessing, prosperity, and life to what''s further ahead.


    After the outer and inner mountain section is the zone known as Extreme Day and Extreme Night Mountain.


    This was a ce where Yin and Yang collided and came together. Each time the day and night shifted, it wouldst for a month. And whenever that happened, the ecosystem of this zone would go through a tremendous change in between.


    Further past this Extreme Day and Extreme Night Mountain was the Yuhuan Continent''s teau. And in the core of this teau is where the Yuhuan Continent''s Pir was located.


    The few individuals, all dressed in their respective favorite robe, looked no different from a child yearning for this person''s attention they called "teacher."


    He looks youngerpared to the eight individuals. The Supreme Qi that wasing out from him was purer as well. It was like each breath of his was filled with the nourishment that could bring life to the continent below this Yuhuan Continent''s Pir.


    But today, the eight individuals were gathering here because they were hoping that they could change his mind from following what was written on this so-called Realm''s Mandate.


    This mandate, which is made from unknown material, appeared out of nowhere about a year ago. The energy used to protect this mandate was even above the stage of cultivation achieved by the teacher.


    Even with his strength and Supreme Qi, it was not enough to leave a dent on the Realm Mandate.


    "Teacher..." another individual tried to get him to reconsider. But this time, his sentence was interrupted by a raise of the teacher''s palm.


    "My decision is final. It has been too long that my cultivation stagnated on this Supreme Emperor Realm. Since the mandate has been passed down from heaven, then why shouldn''t I try to follow it and see how it goes?" the teacher said.


    Their teacher seems to be set on the choice he had made.


    As the highest cultivation expert amongst the three continents in this world, Qin Lan was desperate. Everyone was assuming that he had reaches the borderline strength of a Supreme Emperor Realm. But only he knew that he''s hardly stepping firmly on this step yet.


    Although his Supreme Qi was pure, the oneing out from this mandate was purer by at least a hundredfold. This made Qin Lan feeling hopeful and hopeless at the same time.


    Of course, the feeling of hope was much more significant with the arrival of the mandate in his hand. Feeling that he should give the Realm''s Mandate a try, Qin Lan daringly offered himself to be the first one to try it.


    "Since the teacher''s decision is final, the eight of us can only respect the teacher''s wish and protect this continent until the teacheres out from seclusion." one of the individuals said.


    "We will make sure to groom the younger generation properly and turn them into the pir of humanity. Please leave the issue with the two remaining continents to us while the teacher is going for your retreat." another one said.


    "This teacher will be leaving humanity to your hands. Take this. In case the Demon Race and Spirit Race decided to invade us, use it to repel them. If all eight treasures were ced together, it could create a limitation barrier that wouldst for over ten thousand years."


    Qin Lan, the number 1 cultivator of this world, said while waving his hand across each individual before him. Eight treasures fell into their hand as they released a strength equivalent to Qin Lan''s current achievement and his cultivation.


    It was believed that each of these treasures could be activated a maximum of three times.


    In total, the treasures would protect them from extinction twenty-four times. Honestly said, this kind of protection can be said to be overkill.


    If it''s not because he was a part of the human race, Qin Lan might be unwilling to spend so much just for their protection alone.


    After leaving them with the treasures and his do and don''ts, Qin Lan returned to his secluded peak located at the Yuhuan Continent''s Pir summit.


    Only a humble wooden hut was built on this summit. But appearance aside, nothing that was used to construct this wooden hut was humble at all. If the material over here were to be taken apart and ced inside the disciple''s sects, it would immediately turn their sect''s training ground into a holy cultivationnd.


    Holding the mandate with both hands and going into his seclusion, days and night interchanged. Years went by, and decades have passed. Soon the count gets to the point of a millennium. One after another, ten millenniums have passed by.


    When Qin Lan opened his eyes again, he noticed that the spot was no longer the summit of the Yuhuan Continent''s Pir.


    He was surrounded by cliffs on his back, and corpses littered all around him. There''s a deep scar on his left chest, which indicates that he was killed not too long ago. Even the blood on his clothing was still warm.


    "Where is this ce? And where is my cultivation gone to?" Qin Lan asked himself.


    But before that, it would be best for him to check what exactly happened over here.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 254: Leaving The Valley

    Chapter 254: Leaving The Valley


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    **Xiu...**


    Qin Lan took a deep breath to absorb the Spiritual Qi surrounding him. But to his surprise, the Qi around him is at least a hundredfold thinner than before. Let aside the thought of advancing from a single breath, even cultivating to the first-stage Flesh Refining Realm would be almost impossible.


    ''What is wrong with the Spiritual Qi around here? Did something happened to this Yuhuan Continent when I''m not around?'' Qin Lan asked. His current situation is no different from starting all over again from the beginning.


    But first of all, he had to leave this ce full of deadly miasma.


    Although such a scene was not new to him, being a part of the corpses here until a while ago was his first. Furthermore, he must know what happened here and why so many corpses are littered in this valley.


    Honestly speaking, Qin Lan was unsure if he was counted as lucky or unlucky.


    He should be counted as abandoning his iplete Supreme Emperor Body and migrated to this one from his understanding. Perhaps, his former body is incapable of withstanding the corrosion of time.


    ''What kind of life this body experienced before he died from that de piercing his chest?'' Qin Lanined after finding nothing precious on him. Not even a single copper coin or pebble is inside the robe''s pocket or waist belt.


    Maybe the most precious thing he had on him right now was the robe he was wearing. But even this robe had a hole around his chest and was stained with his blood.


    But there are more than a thousand corpses here. Instead of worrying about what would be of this life, he would rather see what he could do with it.


    As a former Supreme Emperor, cultivation technique, knowledge, and treasures were not a problem. All he needs is resources. With that, it won''t take too long for Qin Lan to reach his peak again.


    And to start, he''ll have to check from one corpse to another to see what he could get from them.


    Qin Lan knew that only a fool would search through all the corpses blindly for something precious. Instead of moving blindly, he would rather finish this quickly and looking for a way to leave this valley.


    After going around for two to three hours, Qin Lan found out that these people with a robe simr to what he was wearing should belong to the outer disciples of a particr sect.


    Most of them had nothing on them except a pill or two. The reason behind these people''s death was simr to his. These people were either died due to starvation, battery, or fatal wound from a weapon.


    Based on the rotting condition of the body, this has been going on for a while. The shortest time Qin Lan would guess will be around half a year, but not above two years.


    Amongst the corpses, a few are wearing a better quality robe. The color of their robe was also different from those Qin Lan searched earlier. But they had nothing precious on them, except more pills and a few stalks of rotting medicinal herb.


    ''What the... Is this the Monkgrass Stem? I wonder if this fellow died from protecting these few medicinal herbs. In that case, I''d have to praise you for being the most stupid individual I''ve ever seen after I woke up.'' Qin Lan shook his head.


    A Monkgrass Stem was the base ingredient for Fasting Pill. And before he went into seclusion, medicinal herbs like this were often thrown into the fire to be insect repellent at night.


    With barely two hours before sunset, Qin Lan decided to call off what he was doing and search for a settlement. The robe he was wearing had to be disposed of before that if something was going on.


    Using his knowledge throughout the years as an expert, Qin Lan had no problem searching for a safer spot to lead him out of the valley. The current Qin Lan might be weak due to theck of Spiritual Qi and cultivation, but that didn''t stop him from executing movementparable to an expert.


    A few leaps from one ledge to another, Qin Lan finally got out of that valley of corpses filled with deadly miasma.


    Although the deadly miasma wouldn''t hurt him in any way, it would undoubtedly taint his mind when he started his cultivation from scratch. And with this concentration of Spiritual Qi in his surroundings, cultivating at a ce like that would be akin to seeking trouble.


    Qin Lan immediately took refuge between the branches once he got out of the valley. Relying on his average eyesight and understanding, Qin Lan patiently rested and made sure he kept his noise to a minimum.


    The pills that he found from the recently dead corpses seem to be Fasting Pills. He used the word "seem" because the grade of this pill is worst than trash. Perhaps only the desperate or someone like him would dare to consume garbage like this.


    Although taking this pill would help prevent the feeling of hunger for an hour, it was not the best solution. Qin Lan would need to get a proper meal sooner orter.


    Few hours after taking a proper rest inside the tree, there was a noiseing near him. This caused Qin Lan to kept his activity to a minimum and monitored them quietly.


    There were three male cultivators.


    He estimates that their strength would be in between the First to Second Stage of Flesh Refining Realm. They''re not too strong, but Qin Lan is sure that either one of them is better than him, at least.


    Dragged along with them was someone wearing the same robe as he does. It seems that amongst these people, there''s a hierarchy established. Those in ck robes like Qin Lan were considered the lowest in the hierarchy pyramid.


    While for the three cultivators, their clothing was identical to the corpse with Monkgrass Stem. There''s a crimson hint of color on their robes.


    Qin Lan kept quiet as he looked at the ck robe individual get toyed to half dead. After the three were bored with him, they did the same thing on Qin Lan and stabbed his heart with the sword in their hand.


    The body then got kicked past the edge and fell to the bottom.


    After they were done, the three cultivators quietly left the valley without looking back. But none of them noticed that someone was tailing them from the back.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 255: Im Done

    Chapter 255: I''m Done


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "I''ve heard that senior brother Jie is going to breakthrough very soon. If that happens, he''ll likely be chosen to join the inner sect by all the elders. Should we start approaching the senior brother and serve him?" asked one of the three cultivators.


    He had a slightly broad shoulder but skinny legs. Paired with an average look with big fish-like eyes, he can be considered the most unpopr person Qin Lan has ever seen. The twopanions of his were about the same.


    One of them had a mouth that could stuff a fist inside. As for the other guy, his belly was about the size of two of his friends put together. Even the guy that they killed earlier was better looking than the three cultivators here.


    But the weird thing is, they''re the ones that did the bullying, not the opposite. This was what puzzling Qin Lan.


    The trio soon talked about the resources provided by the sect, the people, and their habits. It seems that most of the topics between them were about which ve disciple to choose from.


    Following them allowed Qin Lan to have a rough understanding of these three and their sect.


    ''Looks like the sect they''re in is known as Iron Flesh Sect. But instead of following themon practice of recruiting disciples from town to town, they actually choose to forcefully capture the able people and put them into the division known as ve disciples.'' Qin Lan''s opinion towards them significantly reduced after listening to their conversation.


    But no matter what opinion he had about the Iron Flesh Sect, he had nothing much toment about what they''ve been doing.


    After all, the concern of a sect was mainly focusing on three essential matters. Their foundation, their disciples, and their resources. Without either one, a sect would have difficultiessting more than ten years or so.


    And from their conversation, it seems the Iron Flesh Sect belonged to one of the weaker sects around this area. Without doing so, a weak sect like this would likely fell in five to ten years.


    The three of them were regr people a year ago. But it seems that they had some luck and talent in cultivation for sessfully cultivating their strength to the First Stage of Flesh Refining Layer. The one with a pair of fish-like eyes was doing even better than the other two, and he had the cultivation of a Second Stage.


    Secretly listening to their conversation also allowed Qin Lan to roughly guess what location he''s at right now. But their knowledge was limited to this small county they lived within, and all he got to know from them was that this county is known as the Liu County.


    He followed them a little further until the trio arrived at a moderately fortified building. Judging from the patrolling forces guarding the entrance, this ce looked more like a bandit''s stronghold. It has neither the appearance nor the aura of a proper sect at all.


    The only thing worthy around the entrance was the wooden que above the door, written "Iron Flesh Sect."


    Knowing that it would do nothing good for him even if he returned to this sect, Qin Lan sneaked away quietly and searched for a human settlement nearby.


    Qin Lan didn''t move randomly. Qin Lan''s method soon led him to a middle-sized human settlement using the leftover tracks from walking and the horses. It was located about two hours away from the Iron Flesh Sect.


    It was embarrassing, but he had no other choice. Qin Lan acted like he was robbed by the people on his way here, taking off everything he was wearing except for his underwear.


    The barely clothed Qin Lan quickly caught the guard''s attention by acting as pitiful he could.


    "What happened to you, young brother? Are you not from here?" one of the two guards asked. Perhaps because Qin Lan appeared to be helpless, this made him lowered his guard.


    "Two brothers... I''ve been robbed on my way here. All they did was leaving me with a piece of underwear to protect my dignity. Can I ask if I can take refuge in this vige?" Qin Lan said.


    "Well... I hate to say that you can''t, but all decision has to be made by the vige chief. Stay close to the fire for now and keep yourself warm. I''ll deliver your situation to the vige chief and see what his answer is." the guard pointed Qin Lan at a fire stand that doubled as a torch at night.


    "Thank you, brother. I''ll be bothering you for a while then..." Qin Lan continued with his act. About ten to fifteen minutester, the guard returned with an elder behind him.


    "What''s your name, child?" the elder asked. From the look of it, he should be the vige chief the guard mentioned.


    "This junior''s name is Qin Lan. I was supposed to go to a ce and be a servant, but we got robbed. Most of the people died, and only a few escaped." Qin Lan answered with a slightly stuttered speech.


    The reason he acted so is to gain more pity from the vige chief.


    "Alright. I''ll allow you to help in the vige while you get well here. But we have a few rules you''ll have to follow. I can see that you''re pretty well built. Let''s go to my ce to grab a set or two articles of clothing and rest."


    "Tomorrow, you''ll be helping at the farm. Are you fine with it?" the vige chief asked.


    "Of course." Qin Lan nodded at the vige chief. He was then taken to the chief''s house to grab a piece of cloth to wear temporarily. Then, Qin Lan was given a few cakes made from mixing flour and mountain yam together before getting into the stable and sleeping with the horses.


    The following day, he was taken to where the farm was to help the vigers. Since he was the younger around here, the duty of loosening the field naturally fell to his hand.


    "I''m not sure how much you know about farming, but tiling the soil should be an easy task for a youngster. We''ll be expecting you to loosen the dirt around this ce here, soe back to the barn for your meal after you''re done." said the farm manager.


    After saying what he had to, the manager left. But to his surprise, Qin Lan came to the barn three hourster.


    "I''m done," he said.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 256: Oxhorn Root

    Chapter 256: Oxhorn Root


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Done? Are you kidding me, child?" the manager chuckled. He''s filled with disbelief because even with his experience and strength, he still needs around four hours to finish tilling the field.


    From Qin Lan''s skinny arms and legs, he doesn''t look like someone with experience in tending the field at all.


    ''Maybe he''s just hungry and wanted to get a meal earlier... I should be lenient to him as this was his first time.'' the manager thought. He remembered that when he firstes to the farm to help, he behaves simrly to Qin Lan.


    For the sake of having a meal earlier, he would skip a few parts here and there just to make things done faster. But only after bing a manager that he knew these tricks were nothing new. Almost everyone here did this once in their life before.


    "Come and grab something to eat first. I''ll be checking the fieldter to make sure it''s done correctly." said the manager.


    As someone that made the same mistake once while he was younger, the manager sounded like a proper teacher with a mentality. Such a person should always be given priority because of their clear conscience and honest piece of heart.


    "I can assure you that the soil was done correctly without missing a spot. Shall we go and take a look? I can eat while we take a look on the field anyway." Qin Lan said after taking two flour cakes with him.


    "Why not? I''m looking forward to seeing the result of your work. Since you look so confident to the point of suggesting that I should go and take a look, then let us get on our way." the manager said and pulled a bamboo out from a toolbox.


    From the look of it, this bamboo stick is something he will be used to check the quality of the field Qin Lan tiled.


    Going up and down from the field together, the manager was soon impressed by Qin Lan''s job. The area was indeed appropriately plowed and ready for the nts to be transferred here at any time.


    "Can I know what kind of nts the vigers are going to nt here if it''s not inconvenient for me to know?" Qin Lan asked as he was about to finish the first cake in his hand.


    "What is inconvenient about answering you? We''re going to move the young shoots of the Oxhorn Root over here and grow them in the next two months. By the time of harvest, a field like this will be enough for the vige to earn around a hundred Flesh Tempering Pill."


    The manager proudly answered what''s their n for this field.


    It seems that this farming business was a part of the ie for this nameless vige. And because most of the youths from this vige willingly joined the Iron Flesh Sect as their outer sect disciples, this allowed the settlement to continue to exist around this area.


    But of course, none of the vigers knew what the youths were doing within the Inner Sect.


    "What do you think? Look at that plot of Oxhorn Roots over there. We''re about to harvest it in the few days." the manager pointed at the neighboring plot of cultivation nts.


    "They look great." Qin Lan held off part of his conscience while answering the manager''s question. If he wasn''t indebted to these vigers for epting him and providing him with some clothing and food, he would bebeling all of them as an idiot right now.


    Furthermore, he can''t believe that a farm of Oxhorn Roots like this would only be worth a hundred Flesh Tempering Pill.


    From his primary suspicion, the people from this nameless vige are either getting extorted, or they''re fooled.


    Although the prices of Oxhorn Root were low, for a farm of this size, it would at least be worth about 300 to 400 Flesh Tempering Pills. While the uses of Oxhorn Root were limited, they''re still considered precious resources for those in the Flesh Refining Realm.


    The Oxhorn Root was the main ingredient for Iron Body Pill, a low-quality tempering pill suitable for Flesh Refining Realm cultivators. Although the effectiveness of this pill was just a third of a Flesh Tempering Pill, it was better than nothing.


    And coincidently, this answers Qin Lan''s suspicion about why this nameless vige was left untouched by the people from Iron Flesh Sect.


    If his guesses weren''t wrong, this nameless vige is likely spared for their contribution in cultivating a considerable amount of Oxhorn Roots for them. Based on the size of this Oxhorn Root field, their yield is likely between four to five hundred nts each harvest.


    With close to ten Iron Body Pills are refinable from a single root about the size of an edible lotus root, a harvest would be worth around 5,000 Iron Body Pills. Even if the Iron Body Pill were to be sold for the price of one Flesh Tempering Pill for every five Iron Body Pills, they would still earn 1,000 Flesh Tempering Pills in profit.


    Giving merely a hundred to the vige is tant extortion towards the vigers.


    But while Qin Lan assumed that this was the case, he couldn''t see that same anger he had in the manager''s face. In fact, there''s a hint of happiness when he is talking about the ie the farm would generate for the vige.


    "Well, since the work we arranged for you were done, you''re free to walk around and take a look at the vige. Everyone in this vige is amicable, so feel free to speak with the vigers. You can also go back to the chief''s house and see if there''s anything else for you to do."


    "You just get all of us busier today, but I think nobody willin about it. Go get a rest. You''ve worked hard today." the manager tapped Qin Lan''s shoulder and allowed him to leave.


    "Then... Thank you, manager." Qin Lan cupped his hand and thanked the manager before making his way back to the vige. But halfway back to the settlement, he took a break under a tree to escape from the scorching heat from the sun.


    Taking the opportunity to absorb the faint Spiritual Qi around him, Qin Lan tried to use every chance he had to cultivates.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 257: Healing Salve

    Chapter 257: Healing Salve


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    Qin Lan made his way back to the vige in the evening.


    Although he could havee back much earlier, he decided not to do so. As this was the first day he was helping the vige, he should remain low profile, at least for now.


    His reason was that the vige''s existence was too weird, in his opinion. From his initial inspection, Qin Lan noticed that the cultivation strength of the vigers was rtively low. Even the viger with the highest cultivation is just at the third stage of Flesh Refining Realm.


    Furthermore, no matter how weak the Iron Flesh Sect could be, it should have one or two elders with a peak Flesh Refining Realm Cultivator strength. To powerhouse like them, simply destroying this vige would be as easy as a swing of their hand.


    Qin Lan could also assume that the vigers were spared to cultivate the Oxhorn Root for the sect, but this possibility is also low. With the record of forcefully recruiting the youngsters into the sect, how can the sect have a problem with manpower?


    With a simple order alone, the sect could easily aplish what he has done today tenfold and covered the entire mountain with more than just Oxhorn Root. There are no requirements at all for them to nt things other than the Oxhorn Root.


    "Boy! How''s working on the farm feels today? Tiring?" the guard who returned with the vige chief yesterday was working on the evening shift again today. As the illumination from the sun was still strong, Qin Lan made sure that he remembered the guard''s facial features in case they met again next time.


    "It was considered eptable, guard brother." Qin Lan amicably replied to the guard''s word.


    "Anyway, quickly get inside. The vigers aren''t allowed to get out of the vige at night for safety reasons. Hurry up and grab some food for dinner, and rest because you''ll need it." the guard added before lightly pushes Qin Lan into the vige using the back of his spear.


    Qin Lan simply smiled at the gesture. He then followed the guard''s word and went to grab a hot meal to fill his stomach. Although he managed to talk with some vigers, they were hardly informative enough for Qin Lan.


    Perhaps only the vige chief and the guards knew more about the vige. At the same time, Qin Lan was also curious about the guard''s warning regarding the danger at night, and he''s wondering what kind of danger at night there could be.


    And he got his answer on the very same night.


    Halfway in his way to dreand, Qin Lan was woken up by the rming sound from the drum ced around the vige.


    The guards were attacked, and the one Qin Lan knew almost got mauled to his death from a few Spiritual Beast''s attacks. Their initiative in attacking a human settlement surprises the guards. Although they eventually managed to kill one and injured the other, two guards were wounded and lost their ability to continue to work.


    With two fewer guards on duty, the work as a night shift guard only got riskier. Nobody knew if the spiritual beast that was still alive would return to revenge or not.


    And if it did, the attack would be fiercer as the partner of this spiritual beast fell to the human today.


    As an outsider, there''s a limit to what Qin Lan can do to help. This is why he would instead get proper rest before the following day.


    Early in the morning, before the sun came up from the east, Qin Lan used a in excuse to go outside the vige and searching for some medicinal herbs that could aid in recovery.


    From the forest, he collected a few stalks of Sweet Dragon Grass and wild Blood Mandrake. Simr to the Oxhorn Root, these medicinal products can also be cultivated from the farm. But because their value is significantly lower than the Oxhorn Root, the nt was not considered a money-making nt.


    He also harvested a few fruits to be brought back to the vige.


    But before he got ready to make a medicinal salve for the guard, Qin Lan went to the chief''s ce to see if he had anything to do today. From the reply he received, there''s nothing Qin Lan could help for today. Hence, he was given a day of break.


    Taking the time he had, Qin Lan went to the guard''s wooden hut and asked if he was allowed toe inside. The guard''s spouse was suspicious at first. Still, when Qin Lan said he could make her husband better, she immediately invited Qin Lin inside.


    After washing some fruits and leaving them by the guard''s side, Qin Lan borrowed the kitchen to prepare the healing salve from the medicinal nts he found outside.


    The process of making this healing salve is simple, and it was the only one he could make for now because Qin Lan had little to no Spiritual Qi in his core. The quality might be questionable, but Qin Lan is confident that it will be enough to treat the guard.


    After ying with the ingredients for a while in the kitchen, Qin Lan appeared with three salves in hand. What he had collected was merely enough for one application. But since the guard''s injury wasn''t life-threatening, one application would be all he needed.


    Qin Lan''s reason for doing so is simple.


    Since he had received their favor two nights ago, it was only natural that he repaid the help he received. This would also sow good karma in his life, which he had never thought about before.


    The healing salves were ced carefully on a considerably sizeable verdant leaf. Qin Lan applied the medicine to the guard''s back, neck, and torso using the leaf as a wrapper.


    A soothing sensation came to the guard when he felt muchfortable than before. And since the reaction was the same as he expected, Qin Lan excused himself before leaving the house and returned to the same tree he cultivated under it yesterday.


    Using his hand to sweep the leaves and gravels off from his seat, Qin Lan improves his cultivation by absorbing those faint Spiritual Qi all around him.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 258: Harvest (1)

    Chapter 258: Harvest (1)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    The Spiritual Qi was like dust particles surrounding us. Neither touchable nor seen, they exist but don''t at the same time. But everything changed the moment this particle came into the body of a cultivator.


    Like how gases get condensed and turned into vapor, then be a liquid, everythinges in steps. And by using the cultivation technique created by Qin Lan in his free time, the dust-like particles slowly gathered together before being absorbed into his core in an orderly manner.


    But absorbing the Spiritual Qi was just a beginning.


    His body would have to be the vessel capable of holding these particles together until they formed into energy. The energy will then be released back to his body to refines his flesh. This was the meaning of Flesh Refining Realm.


    There were nine different stages in Flesh Refining Realm, starting with the first stage as the weakest, all the way to the ninth stage, which is the peak of the Flesh Refining Realm. The higher is the stage in Flesh Refining, the better is the cultivator''s defense.


    The stage of their Flesh Refining Realm''s cultivation also determined how much of the Pure Spiritual Energy they could store inside a cultivator''s core. If the Spiritual Qi was a dust particle of energy, then the Pure Spiritual Energy was the concentration of the particles put together.


    To be a First-Stage Flesh Refining Realm cultivator, the first thing a cultivator had to do was refine his body and flesh. The minimum requirement is to achieve the ability to freely control and uses the ten drops worth of Pure Spiritual Energy within the body.


    Of course, this was just a base grading system applied to a vagrant cultivator. In this world full of various cultivation techniques, there are many ways for a cultivator to exceed the requirement. But while the cultivation technique could help the cultivator control more Pure Spiritual Energy, the same thing doesn''t apply to their physique and flesh.


    Without a powerful body to withstand the turbulent strength granted by the Pure Spiritual Energy, there''s only one ending to those overestimating themselves. Light cases could burst their meridian by ident during cultivation, and death or cripple could fall to those in severe cases.


    But this does not demotivate the cultivator from trying to get more than what they could swallow.


    After all, having one to two drops more of Pure Spiritual Energy means you''re better than your opponent in many cases. This is especially true because some Martial Arts and Movement Technique required Pure Spiritual Energy to be executed.


    The more Pure Spiritual Energy the Martial Art or Movement Technique required, to more powerful it would be.


    Qin Lan has been meditating under this tree for hours, but it seems that the route to the Flesh Refining''s first stage is still long. He''s not even capable of touching the limit of controlling a drop of Pure Spiritual Energy yet.


    Of course, that doesn''t mean Qin Lan''s body was worst than the people around him. One must get their cultivation as high as possible, but that doesn''t mean one is undefeatable when fighting against people below their cultivation realm.


    The existence of those Martial Art was proof of that. A cultivator''s core is the vessel, and Martial Art is the weapon.


    Feeling that he should call it a day here, Qin Lan followed the vigers'' track and quietly returned to the nameless vige. On the following day, he''s not as avable as it looks.


    He was arranged to help at the farm once more by helping in harvesting the Oxhorn Roots that matured today. Although the Oxhorn Root was nted almost simultaneously, their maturity time varies depending on the soil, water, and Spiritual Qi surrounding this ce.


    Certain spots always had a slower maturity time due to theck of Spiritual Qi around there. While this can bepensated with continuous watering and soil improvement, they could only pray that it won''t get dyed for days.


    Furthermore, those that usually matureter than the first batch are often less desirable by the buyers. But they had no idea that all the differences it had were the time the nt took to mature. The only difference it made was the amount of Spiritual Qi that nourished the nt in its growing phase.


    As the vigers had no idea how good Qin Lan was with his hand, they arranged for him to handle just a row of the Oxhorn Roots.


    While it looks as easy as pulling a radish out from the soil, the Oxhorn Root is still considered a spiritual herb. And the best trait to differentiate between a spiritual and non-spiritual nt is how firm it holds the ground together.


    Because a spiritual nt had a natural affinity with the earth, the soil was much morepact than the others. This made the process of harvesting the nt. Especially root-type herbs like this Oxhorn nt is the most difficult one to handle.


    "Boy, make sure you don''t damage the root while pulling the medicinal nt out from the ground. Their prices will depreciate significantly if we damage the stem and the rhizome." said the manager as he showed an example of how to pull the Oxhorn nt out carefully.


    And because he''s trying to keep himself low-profile here, Qin Lan merely nodded to show the hint he understands what he got to do.


    Being arranged to thest row on this matured Oxhorn nt field, everyone immediately gets to work when they''re ready.


    ''Aii... Why do these people still try to harvest this nt using such a primitive method? Did the teaching I''ve given to the disciples before I went into seclusion gone down into the drain with age?'' Qin Lanined deep in his heart.


    But his hand didn''t stop moving at all.


    Qin Lan started by putting his fingers all around the stem of the nt. This will ensure he has a good grip over the medicinal nt when pulling it out from the soil.


    A hint of Spiritual Qi is injected into the stem through the application of his Gathering Technique. And because the nt was nourished by a touch of faint Spiritual Qi, it started to loosen up to absorb those Spiritual Qi.


    The entire process is akin to breathing.


    This was the best time for Qin Lan to give it a surprise as he yanked his hand hard and pulled the root out from the soil.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 259: Harvest (2)

    Chapter 259: Harvest (2)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    Because the process of absorbing the Spiritual Qi is like breathing to the spiritual nt, it would naturally lose its grip over the soil while doing so. And since Qin Lan''s hands were holding and feeding it with Spiritual Qi continuously, this trick worked like magic to fool the spiritual nt.


    The recently taken-out Oxhorn Root was as big as a human''s thigh when it was forced out from the soil. But it turned into the size of a lower arm as soon as it left the earth. This happened because the medicinal herb is no longer receiving any nutrients from the ground to keep growing.


    With one nt were done, Qin Lan continued with the second Oxhorn Root. Eight nts were harvested in the row of ten spiritual nts Qin Lan was assigned to, leaving only two on the field. From his rough estimation, they should be matured in the next two days.


    Turning his head and looking at the other helpers, Qin Lan was shocked that they were currently at the fifth or sixth nts.


    ''Their speed was a little too slow, aren''t they?'' Qin Lan sighed. He knew that teaching them a little would help them immensely on their next harvest, but he knew he wouldn''t be the one profiting from all this.


    Since the buyer for these Oxhorn Roots is likely the Iron Flesh Sect, he feels he has no obligation to help the vigers on this matter. It might help the vigers to get better at their work. However, the most profitable would still be the Iron Flesh Sect, who eventually refining these spiritual herbs into pills.


    There''s no reason for him to make them grow, as it wasn''t something that belonged to him. Qin Lan can be said to be nice enough for not killing them in revenge for the unfortunate owner of this body.


    But there was a limit to being realistic here.


    Since the vigers were not treating him awfully, Qin Lan decided to give them a hand while still could. He helped each of the farmers harvest one additional nt and ended up with a basket full of Oxhorn Roots by the time he was done.


    Everyone was asking how he made it so quickly, but Qin Lan simply replied that he was much stronger than most of them over here. It was a dumb answer, but since nobody could sense any fluctuation of Spiritual Qi From him, they immediately assumed that Qin Lan was telling the truth.


    With Qin Lan''s help, the farmer was done with their work much earlier than they expected. Close to 400 Oxhorn nts were harvested today, and about a hundred spiritual nts were left on the farm to be gathered in the next two days.


    "We have no idea that you''re going to be such a big help today." said the manager as he pped Qin Lan''s back. It was a show of gratitude for his diligent help on the field. Receiving support from those like Qin Lan is practically a godsent to the farmers who live a hard life.


    One of the farmers was so happy that he gave Qin Lan one of the Iron Body Pill he kept aside for his own use.


    "Senior, I have no need for the pill, and please keep it for your own use." Qin Lan said while politely rejecting the farmer''s offer, but his rejection was dismissed instead. The farmer insisted that Qin Lan ept his goodwill before leaving the farm.


    Looking at the farmer''s initiative made the manager shared one of the Iron Body Pill he had. After passing the pill to Qin Lan, the others gradually left the farm, and those that remained were the ones with something else to attend to.


    "Manager, can I ask if I can get a small field to nt something I fancy?" Qin Lan asked. He was unsure about how long he''d be staying in this vige but nting something on his own while cultivating would only benefit him.


    "Of course. Can you see the empty plot ofnd over there? If you want, just grab a few wooden nts to barricade where you''re growing your nts and make sure to keep tending them. Don''t be forgetful and end up leaving them unattended." the manager said while pointing in a direction near the farmhouse.


    "Alright. I''ll see what I can grow here." Qin Lan nodded.


    "If you need something, just go inside the farmhouse to have a look. There are plenty of sprouts and seeds for you to use inside there, and as long you''re nting them yourself, nobody will be taking them away from you." the manager added.


    "Then... I won''t refrain myself." Qin Lan cupped his hands towards the manager and went into the farmhouse.


    He took a quick look at what the farmhouse has in stock while nning what he would do. There are plenty of seeds for him to use, but the nt was too ordinary to his liking. There were a few good seeds over here, but to profit from them, he''ll have to stay here for quite a while.


    This made his initial n to cultivate quickly seem further away.


    ''Do I have to go to the forest to search for what I want?'' Qin Lan asked himself while making sure he left nothing unchecked.


    Soon, he came to a section where there were a few seedlings inside. But based on the dust piling on this shelf, it was evident that nobody touched anything inside here for quite some time.


    Wondering what he might found in here, Qin Lan gently swept the dust away and took a container out from the shelf.


    ''Eh... Wasn''t this... The seed for that nt?'' Qin Lan grinned as he seemed to found something that could supplement him in his cultivation.


    Without further ado, he grabbed a few simple tools and went to the field where everyone nted something for their own. Most of them had a mixture of two to three herbs in their area, as that was the most number he could mix them in a single field.


    The seed he was going to nt had the size of about a sunflower''s seed. The Miasma Cleansing Flower was also known for thriving in ces with thick deadly miasma. As for his reason to nt this flower, it was simple.


    He was going to use the core of the flower to refine some Flesh Tempering Pills.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 260: Visiting Iron Flesh Sect (1)

    Chapter 260: Visiting Iron Flesh Sect (1)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    It was close to a week he''s been living in this nameless vige. And during these seven days, there''s not a single day he was skipping on his cultivation.


    But Qin Lan eventually lost his cool after painstakingly cultivating his first drop of Pure Spiritual Energy.


    ''What the hell actually happened to this Yuhuan Continent? How can the Spiritual Qi surrounding this continent reduces by more than a hundredfold?'' Qin Lan asked. But with only regr verdant bushes and trees surrounding him, he couldn''t get his question answered.


    Unless... The trees around him were hosting a spirit and capable of conversation.


    Still, having a body capable of storing a single drop of Pure Spiritual Energy is better than nothing. Although the speed of cultivation is slower than a snail''s pace, it was better than not having a hint of cultivation at all.


    This was the problem with the people living in this nameless vige. Perhaps, their strength stagnates at this level because the people here hardly have a proper gathering technique or two to practice.


    Furthermore, since they''re considerably out of other human civilizations, this made them lived primitively, with no sense of money and its importance.


    "Boy, would you like toe with me to the Iron Flesh Sect?" the vige chief and farm manager asked. It seems that the viger already found out about his favorite spot after work.


    "What is the reason for the visit?" Qin Lan asked. He hardly had a favorable opinion about the sect. But living inside this vige until now, he had not even encountered their disciples once.


    It''s like this vige were too distant from them.


    "A messenger from the sect just came. They require ingredients like Oxhorn Roots, Blood Mandrakes, and Bittersweet Flower. Since we collected quite a number of the first two, we''ve decided to pay them a visit and see if they''re interested in buying everything in bulk." the vige chief replied.


    Judging from his look, the vige chief doesn''t seem to be lying. Of course, he was not wrong to be a little suspicious due to the poor impression towards the Iron Flesh Sect and the three shady disciples.


    If he wanted to really talk about it, even the previous owner of this body was a victim of their cruelty.


    "Alright. I''ll apany both seniors to the sect for a walk. I''m a little eager to see what the sect looks like, anyway." Qin Lan nodded in reply. Since the two looks like they had a favorable impression on the Iron Flesh Sect, he might as well went with them to see what kind of sect it was.


    On his way back to the vige that evening, Qin Lan came across the guard again. It seems that his wounds have been patching up pretty well after applying the healing salve. In fact, he recovered about two days ago.


    But due to his wife''s worry, he unwillingly stays quietly in his house to apany his wife until today. Sometimes, a little break is needed for a couple to maintain their rtionship until their hair turns grey from aging happily.


    "Hey! I haven''t thanked you yet for the ointment you''ve made. Without that, who knows until when I have to stay in bed." the guard pped Qin Lan''s shoulder. It seems that the guard''s wife has been making a small item bag for Qin Lan to store his belonging.


    If this gesture came from any marrieddies inside the vige, perhaps Qin Lan would be the enemy of all married men. But this time, it was a special asion. As one of the few tailors in this vige, it was natural to make something she''s good with to repay Qin Lan''s goodwill.


    Especially when the only doctor in the vige mentioned that her husband might have to be in bed for at least a month before he recovered. And with Qin Lan''s help, four days was all he needed before getting out from bed energetically.


    "This is a small gesture from my wife if you don''t mind. We would be happy if you''re willing to ept it." said the guard as he passed the pouch about the size of the guard''s palm to Qin Lan. It was woven with fiber made from tree barks beaten and cooked until they could be rolled into threads.


    The pouches in ck and red thread, with his name "Qin Lan" sewn on the bottom corner. Of course, since the word "Lan" in his name represents something else, there''s a mistake in her needlework.


    But that was something insignificant to be bothered.


    Although the quality of the pouch is mediocre, it was the heart that counts.


    "Of course, I''m happy to ept this." Qin Lan epted the pouch in hand with a smile.


    The two continued to talk for a while until the females were shouting that the dinner was ready. Since Qin Lan would be following the vige chief and farm manager to the Iron Flesh Sect tomorrow, he should quickly grab a meal and rest afterward.


    He knew that the route to the sect would take around two hours to arrive, but pulling a carriage with herbs might take them about three hours to arrive at the Iron Flesh Sect.


    Since there''s no point for him to be worrying too much, Qin Lan closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. By the time he opened his eyes, it was already the following day morning.


    Hurriedly preparing himself and washing his face, Qin Lan made his way out from the stable. His appearance today was slightly different from the usual unkept Qin Lan.


    Because of his usual habit, Qin Lan could not ept himself for looking unpresentable when going to a proper establishment.


    "We should make our way to the sect now. If we were toote, the others would have sold their wares first. Let us get there before everyone else and empty our cart while wee back!" the manager said with a smile on his face.


    The three departed. Although the stable was capable of keeping care of a few horses, the vige was, in fact, had no horse. All they had was two male donkeys. And with Qin Lan apanying them on this trip, it was an opportunity for the manager to rx a little.


    Because there''s a youngster to help to push the cart today!


    Halfway on their trip to the Iron Flesh Sect, the vige chief suddenly asked Qin Lan.


    "Have you heard anything about the Iron Flesh Sect before, boy?" he said.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 261: Visiting Iron Flesh Sect (2)

    Chapter 261: Visiting Iron Flesh Sect (2)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Well... Not too much. What''s with the sect?" Qin Lan acted ignorantly while replying to the vige chief. It is not like he can simply tell him that he was killed and kicked off down the cliff full of corpses.


    "Hmm... Where should I start then..." the vige chief seems to have a habit of telling a story. Hence, after considering a little, he decided to start with the Iron Flesh Sect opening their door to outsiders.


    And that was actually about two years ago.


    Many years before this, the Iron Flesh Sect was still a closed-door sect that randomly recruited disciples when their disciples or elders visited the nearby settlements. It was said that the Iron Flesh Sect was actually the strongest sect around this area.


    It was unknown that how many people were trying to get recruited into the sect but failed. During that time, getting drafted into the sect itself was worth celebrating for the entire vige or towns.


    But it changed drastically when the two nearby sects were slowly rising in fame.


    They''re also known as Pill Refining Sect and Blood Bamboo Sect. The two sects existed about the same time as Iron Flesh Sect but only recently gained fame. Since thetter started to lose some influence over this ce, they had no other choice but to lower the requirement, starting from their disciple intake.


    The sect also started to do business with the surrounding viges and towns. It offered to purchase medicinal nts and ores at a considerable price to strengthen its own foundation. Of course, such a tant approach would undoubtedly make the settlements around the sect worried. Still, nobody could actually say no to profit, especially when it involved a few hundred Flesh Tempering Pills.


    Furthermore, they expected to consider trading with the Iron Flesh Sect since it was already around and more influentialpared to the two other sects.


    "Buttely, the Iron Flesh Sect seems to be doing a little poorly in theirpetition against the two other sects. From what I heard through the messengers, the sect recently had a significant loss when exploring the Hundred Poison Swamp." said the vige chief.


    His expression seemed to be slightly troubled when mentioning the Hundred Poison Swamp. This made Qin Lan question the reason behind his worrying face today.


    "It was usual for the vige chief to be worried. From what the messenger said, the chief''s only son went to the Hundred Poison Swamp as well. Since they had a significant loss while exploring the ce previously, there''s no doubt the chief''s son might be injured or poisoned." said the farm manager. Like he''s afraid the vige chief would hear what he said, he ended up whispering gently beside Qin Lan''s ear.


    "Well, let us make sure that we''ll get a reasonable price for the herbs here. I also have a few Detoxification Fruit here, so I''m sure it would have some use to the sect''s disciples." the vige chief added.


    "Everything would be alright, chief. Don''t worry." listening to what the vige chief said about this Iron Flesh Sect made Qin Lan have aplex opinion towards the sect. Judging from his words, it seems that the Iron Flesh Sect wasn''t as terrible as he can see from the three disciples back on the valley.


    But it was still too early for him to make a judgment based on what he had seen and heard. Unless he personally experiences it, all the proof he has right now is just from word of mouth of some outsiders.


    "We''re getting closer to the sect. Let''s pick up our speed, shall we?" the vige chief said. A hint of impatience is clearly shown on his face.


    "Alright! Let''s do it! Boy, shift with me. I''ll push the cart, so grab the reins for the donkey!" the farm manager said. It seems that he''s very confident with his physical strength.


    Qin Lan did not reply but quietly moved to the donkey and grabbed the leather strap attached to the harness. Secretly smiling while looking at the farm manager and vige chief, Qin Lan injected a hint of his Pure Spiritual Energy through the strap until it went into the donkey.


    The donkey got more energetic than its usual self and sped up while pulling the cart. But to make it less apparent, Qin Lan put an act while pulling the donkey as they go.


    The trio with a donkey and a cart full of medicinal herbs soon arrived at the sect entrance. It was quite a journey, but making it in less than three hours was considered quick enough.


    Qin Lan and the others were allowed to step inside the sect after a quick check on their wares. There are a few other carts and vigers earlier than them.


    But luckily, the process was a quick one. After inspecting what was brought to the sect, the transaction went on quickly without a hitch.


    It seems that when ites to their purchasing power, the Iron Flesh Sect was doing quite well, considering how shabby their establishment is.


    If he was still the supreme emperor in this era, perhaps this sect would have been annexed by another power. But getting taken over would do more good than bad for them. At the very least, the establishment won''t be in a terrible state as they are right now.


    The vige chief then excused himself for a while after the transaction to search for his beloved son.


    As for Qin Lan and the farm manager, both of them took a quick walk around the area. Coincidently, they came to where the vige chief was heading earlier. But what happened before them was something Qin Lan did not expect to see.


    The elder was kicked off aside on the ground by force. As for the Detoxification Fruit in his hand, it was confiscated by another disciple forcefully.


    Beside the elder is a youth a few years older than Qin Lan. Based on their robe with a hint of crimson, they should be disciples from the same rank. But the difference in treatment made Qin Lan questioned what actually happened here.


    "Young man, please at least leave one fruit to my son. I don''t mind if you want to take the others away, but please leave one for my son." the vige chief said.


    "In your dreams! Since your useless son is the one that causes us to lose close to ten disciples in the swamp, this will be thepensation!" said the one that forcefully taking the fruits.


    "This fucker!" Qin Lan''s head was filled with anger after hearing what that disciple said.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 262: Visiting Iron Flesh Sect (3)

    Chapter 262: Visiting Iron Flesh Sect (3)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Boy! What are you thinking?" the farm manager grabbed Qin Lan''s hand before he went forward to look for trouble on his own. He''s wondering where Qin Lan''s guts came from, as someone not even in the first stage of Flesh Refining Realm.


    "Let me go, manager. I''ll teach that fucker a lesson." Qin Lan''s head was filled with anger as he wanted to teach that disciple a lesson for his disrespect.


    The manager tried his best to keep Qin Lan from going there but found it impossible to keep Qin Lan behind. Although Qin Lan only has a physique capable of holding a drop of Pure Spiritual Energy within, it felt like he was filled with strength more than he could have.


    But before he made it past the vige chief, Qin Lan''s hands were caught by the elder before he made another step forward. Unwilling to get rough to the point he injured his benefactor, Qin Lan controlled his anger right on the spot and angrily stared at the disciple.


    Since the disciple felt no cultivation from Qin Lan, he decided to let this off. Laughing with the five fruits in his hand, he left without anyone else dared to stop him.


    "Father, your son will recover after resting for a while. Please don''t worry." the chief''s son said as he tried to hold his father up. But while he has the heart and filial piety towards his father, his body could hardly fulfill his wish.


    Instead of supporting his father, he ended up getting supported when the poison in his body suddenly red up.


    His face turned red instantly, and the burning sensation was hard to bear, even if he jumped into a pool of freezing cold water.


    Looking at this situation breaks Qin Lan''s heart when he sees how panicked the vige chief seemed. Qin Lan grabbed the blunt dagger from his waist belt without further ado and made a cut on the son''s wrist.


    Although it was a blunt dagger, when the de was coated with a hint of Pure Spiritual Energy, even a leaf would be sharper than a treasured sword for a moment.


    Blood immediately oozed out from the son''s wrist. But instead of red, it was ck and pungent, just like a bucket of human piss evaporating under the hot sun.


    Qin Lan then ced his thumb on the son''s forehead and forcefully injected all the Pure Spiritual Energy he had to expel as much poison as possible. When the blood started to turn red again, he ordered the vige chief to bandage the wound.


    "This brotherly disciple, would you mind sharing the Ice Lizard Saliva herb in your hand?" Qin Lan politely asked. His demeanor and decisive action when treating the vige chief''s son shocked this disciple to the point he nodded uncontrobly.


    "Thank you. In return, please be patient as I will attend to you after I''m done with this brother." Qin Lan said and crushed the herb using his hand, and he forced the vige chief''s son to swallow the herb.


    "Let''s get into the house so he can rest by lying down. Losing this much blood is going to make him feeling worst than getting drunk from drinking nonstop," said Qin Lan.


    "I - I would rather drunk from wine and not from losing too much blood..." the son struggled to reply to Qin Lan after hearing what he just said.


    "Close your eyes and channel your Spiritual Qi to recovery your body. Do you want to bleed to death?" Qin Lan pped the son''s forehead for responding to his own nonsense.


    "Manager, please look if you can get some Bittersweet Flowers. If you can get a few Blood Replenishing Pellets, it would be much better." Qin Lan added.


    "I''ll go now!" the farm manager replied.


    "Sir! Let me apany you! My elder brother is one of the helpers in the Medicinal Pavilion! I''m sure with me around, he''ll be more than willing to help!" one disciple offered after hearing what Qin Lan said.


    "This brother, can you please take a look at my younger brother too?" another disciple approached Qin Lan when they were moving the vige chief''s son back to the house.


    "One by one, please. I''m sorry that I am not a cultivator right now, so I can''t help everyone here." Qin Lan said. But his attention then stops on the one offering the Ice Lizard Saliva to him earlier.


    "This brother, if you can prepare a stalk of Sweet Dragon Grass and Blood Mandrake, I can help to make a healing salve for you to treat the injury on your back. It would work much better than using the Ice Lizard Saliva Grass." Qin Lan said to him.


    "I''ll go to prepare it now!" the disciple smiled and left immediately. Those with the same condition as him quickly approached Qin Lan to ask if they could also use the same treatment.


    Since he was waiting for the herb to be delivered anyway, Qin Lan made a quick diagnostic over a few of them. He then pointed at a few that could follow the method he used earlier. As for those who don''t get selected, they''ll have to go through a more extensive diagnosis before assigning a correct treatment to them.


    ...


    ...


    In the meanwhile, on top of a pavilion not far from the outer disciple''s residence.


    "Do we have such a disciple in our Iron Flesh Sect?" an elder asked. He was casually sipping on the tea in his hand while looking at how Qin Lan is offering to treat the disciples.


    "I''m sure we don''t have such a disciple in the outer sect. Although in the inner sect, there are two to three." another elder replied. A knocking soon came to his door halfway while he was enjoying his tea.


    "Elder Gongsun! There are a few outer disciples here asking for..."


    "Approved. Give what the outer disciples want." the elder waved at the disciple to go out and stop bothering him with these small matters. It was evident that these herbs were worthless in his eyes.


    Since he knew what the outer disciples were here for, there''s no point in listening to the request all over again. Instead, he''s more curious about Qin Lan and his skills.


    "Disciple understands..." the helper of this Medicinal Pavilion returned to the lower floor after gently closes the door.


    "What are you thinking, brother Gongsun?" the elder seated opposite of him asked.


    "Can you... Give me the sect''s Iron Heart Token?" elder Gongsun said.


    "Brother Gongsun, you!!!" the other elder was about to spit that tea in his mouth after hearing the request.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 263: Fame

    Chapter 263: Fame


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Boy! Here''s the medicinal nt you''re asking for," the farm manager said as he delivered the things Qin Lan asked for. Surprisingly, the Bittersweet Flower and Blood Replenishing Pellets were packed individually in their own box. This was considered quite a gesture if it was given to a fellow Pill Refiner.


    ''It seems that some master from the Medicinal Pavilion has me in their eyes. If that was not the case, these herbs and pills wouldn''t being to me in this way...'' Qin Lan shook his head while looking at the two medicine boxes.


    Opening the box to check the content, Qin Lan followed up with his treatment by feeding a Blood Replenishing Pellet into his patient''s mouth. His hand turned into a w-form and grabbed a few parts on the throat to force him to swallow that medicinal pill.


    "Hah!" the vige chief''s son exhaled a mouthful of nasty breath after swallowing the pill. And the medicine seems to show its effect swiftly minutes after consumption. The cut on the wrist now has ayer of scab around it.


    Even the bleeding has stopped.


    The color also slowly returned to his face as the medicinal effect started to runs throughout his body. This was a hint that blood was getting produced to rece what he had lost earlier.


    "Vige chief, please take care of your child for now," said Qin Lan. He would like to take it easy, but with so many people gathered around the next bed waiting for him, he couldn''t help but pity them.


    "I will now treat those with the injuries caused by the gue Worm. Can you show me to a ce with a stove, please? If any of you here have a medicinal cauldron, it would be much better." Qin Lan said.


    Although he seemed professional, the amount of Pure Spiritual Energy he had was limited. He could prepare two portions of the ointment at most for the disciples to eliminate the issue from gue Worm''s venomous bite.


    The disciple''s method of using Ice Lizard Saliva Grass wasn''t wrong. But it was a waste to use a precious medicinal nt in that way. Since the healing salve made by Qin Lan would be enough to do the job, why would he let them waste a precious material like this?


    But to bring a medicinal cauldron out of nowhere is indeed a problematic request for them. It would be easy to start a bonfire and make a temporary cooking station for Qin Lan, but that itself would have some of its own share of problems.


    Furthermore, if one of them were a Pill Refiner and physician, why do they still need to go around trying to solve their problem?


    While the disciples scratching their heads at what they could do, someone came to the house and left a medicinal cauldron on the table. The size of the pot was just about an adult''s head, and it came with one fire inlet.


    The person also left a few pebble-sized charcoals for him to use.


    Some disciples recognized who this stranger was. But their attention soon returned to Qin Lan as they hoped that he could do something to lessen their pain.


    The gue Worm was just a worthless Spiritual Beast that did not even have more than three drops of Pure Spiritual Energy within its frail body. But because it was poisonous, this made the gue Worm a threat that only those with the first stage of Flesh Refining Realm could handle.


    Crawling on the ground as they move, this one-meter-long Spiritual Beast is often found around wet locations, such as on the trees near water or inside the swamp itself. While the gue worm itself was not an aggressive Spiritual Beast, it would retaliate like mad if attacked.


    The disciples that were affected were likely those underestimating their opponent''s strength. Although the gue Worm doesn''t bite, they had short, protruding manes with plenty of poisonous fluids excreted through the pores.


    The poisoncked the kick that could kill, but it was still problematic on its own. Once poisoned, the part of injury will slowly get worst, with hives growing first. It was then followed by itchiness and pain akin to an ant''s bite all over while the wound started to rot.


    Although the symptom usually would go after a week or two, the wounded surface would remain for eternity.


    After getting the pieces of charcoal ame, Qin Lan steadily ced the burning charcoal below the medicinal cauldron. While waiting for the me to prepare the pot, Qin Lan grinds the Sweet Dragon Grass and Blood Mandrake together.


    The two medicine ended up creating a thick concoction after they were mixed. When the medicinal cauldron reached the temperature Qin Lan was waiting for, he immediately transferred the concoction into the pot.


    This step was known as cooking. The mixture soon turned into a decoction where all the water content had been removed. The powder left inside the cauldron was then scooped up and mixed with charcoal ash before adding some water.


    The process made the watery concoction thicker than before.


    Then, Qin Lan applied the paste-like healing ointment on the disciple who offered his Ice Lizard Saliva Grass to him. A hint of cool sensation came to him as he looked morefortable than before.


    The remaining portion of the healing salve was wrapped in a xuan-paper for his second applicationter.


    "This brother, thank you!" the disciple cupped his hands together and gave Qin Lan a proper and respectful bow. The news about his situation is getting better was spread across the outer sect, making everyone curious about this young physician.


    The sudden fame made Qin Lan stay here in the Iron Flesh Sect for the next two days. It also gave him a new impression on this sect from looking at how the disciples treated one another.


    During these two days, all Qin Lan did was diagnosing some patients and preparing medicine for those that needed it. In return, he earned some Iron Body Pills from doing them a favor.


    Until...


    The disciple that confiscated the Detoxification Fruit from the vige chief came to cause trouble.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 264: Bully

    Chapter 264: Bully


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    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


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    "Where''s the person everyone talked about? Drag him out for me!" said the bully. Judging on his look, this bully likely had a deformity during his growth phase, making his eyes ended up positioned on top of his head instead.


    But because of his strength as a second stage Flesh Refining Realm, his words were thew around here.


    Those that feeling indebted to Qin Lan hesitates. As for those further away, they quickly slip away from this ce to avoid trouble. Only those still seeking Qin Lan''s help stayed and kept him hidden from this bully''s sight.


    "Are you guy deaf? Bring that guy out for me, and these two Flesh Tempering Pills will be yours!" the bully tossed the pills on the ground. The moment the two medicinal pellets made their appearance, the disciple''s eyes changed.


    Ant died for sugar, humans killed for gold.


    The attraction brought by the two pills was something every disciple was unable to resist.


    As an outer disciple of this Iron Flesh Sect, every one of them was given twenty-one Iron Body Pill to aid them in their cultivation. If the disciples wanted more, they could aplish the specific task assigned by the Mission Pavilion for a small reward.


    But getting a Flesh Tempering Pill was an entirely different matter.


    A pill of this grade can only be obtained bypleting missions, which is much harder depending on the mission''s requirement. These missions usually ranged from hunting specific spiritual beasts, pill refining, etc.


    Since this bully does have some actual ability, they don''t even need to verify if the Flesh Tempering Pill he had is the real deal.


    A few disciple''s attitudes started to change while staring at the pill lying on the ground. Even if they felt gratitude to Qin Lan for treating them, a sense of gratitude cannot be eaten. But the Flesh Tempering Pill could.


    It might be a stupid choice, but who would give up a chance to cultivate using two Flesh Tempering Pills to push their cultivation closer to the peak?


    In this world where strength governs everything, power is everything.


    One could be a saint if he had power, and one would be nothing if he had the heart but no money nor strength!


    The disciples around the house immediately separated into two factions. Those standing around Qin Lan were the ones protecting him and their own interest. And the others were those who wanted to deliver Qin Lan to the bully for the two Flesh Tempering Pills reward.


    Surprisingly, a few of them were a patient of Qin Lan before this. It seems that the attraction from the pills was more than one could imagine, as it could make someone turned their weapon against their own benefactor for profits.


    "What are you guys waiting for?" the bully speaks out for the third time.


    "Shut up." Qin Lan responded to his question this time. The smile on his face was gone as he was disappointed by the few disciples considering the bully''s offer. But again, no rules are stating that a patient cannot go against their physician after treatment.


    In fact, such a thing was normal during his peak.


    The incident where Pill Refiner was killed or kidnapped forcefully because of their skills was not rare. It was a pretty severe problem that, at one point, Qin Lan had to state that all physicians, refiners, and herbalists belonged to a banner of his.


    Standing up from where he was, the crowd opened a path for Qin Lan to slowly walked out from the house until he arrived before the bully. His gaze wasid on the two Flesh Tempering Pills on the ground.


    "Did you say that whoever brings the physician out to you will be rewarded with these two Flesh Tempering Pill?" Qin Lan asked while holding the two pills in his hand.


    "Yes, I did say that. What''s the problem? Are you unhappy with what I''m doing?" the bully replied. Both of his hands were ced on his waist while he spoke to show his domineering attitude.


    "Oh! There''s no problem at all. It just means I am allowed to keep them since I brought myself out here. This was the reward you promised, right?" Qin Lan shrugged and kept the two pills in the pouch hanging around his waist.


    He had no idea this pouch would end up so helpful to him.


    After putting the pills into his pouch, Qin Lan turned around and was ready to leave. From the look of it, he was not interested in talking with the bully at all.


    "Hey! What do you mean?" the bully stomped hard on the ground to vent some of his anger out. This was his first time encountering someone as crafty as Qin Lan, and it never came to his mind that Qin Lan would try to leave after pocketing the pill.


    Initially, the bully had no intention to give the pills out to the juniors. Even if they insist on the reward, he can simply beat them and keep the medicine for himself. Plus, he does have the strength to behave selfishly here.


    But looking at Qin Lan pocketed the two Flesh Tempering Pills he painstakingly earned angered him.


    Not many people know that he had to travel into the Hundred Poison Swamp and camp there for several days to earn the two Flesh Tempering Pills. And that was considered the most straightforward mission avable, which is capturing a Verdant Horn Lizard alive.


    "Is there something between us? You''re not a patient and not my senior brother, so I doubt we have something to talk about. If there''s nothing else, please stop disturbing me as I still have something to do." Qin Lan said before turning his back to the bully.


    "FUCK YOU!" looks like Qin Lan''s unbothered attitude finally got the best out of the bully. No longer capable of holding in all his anger, he punched forward using all his might.


    "Oh shit! Our physician wasn''t a cultivator! He''ll die if this attack gets him!" screamed one of the disciples watching inside the house.


    "What''s going on here? Did someone trying to start a fight?" a voice came from all around them.


    All the disciples started to look around them for the owner of the voice. But it took them a while to noticed the expert standing on a boulder with the Outer Sect marking.


    "Is that... Elder Gongsun?" one of the disciples asked.


    "Yes... I think that''s Elder Gongsun from the Medicinal Pavilion." another disciple answered.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 265: Joining

    Chapter 265: Joining


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    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


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    "Disciple greets Elder Gongsun," those inside the house came out all at once to greet the elder. It was followed by those standing outside next, including the bully.


    Everyone was bowing towards the elder withplete respect. Except for Qin Lan, there''s not a single person present that dares to raise their head.


    "This elder heard that someone was going to start a fight. Where is that? I thought it would be fun to take a look..." Elder Gongsun jokes. He did not tell the disciples to raise their heads either. This means, only Qin Lan had the chance to notice the elder''s gaze on him.


    "I heard that someone is providing a diagnosis to the unfortunate disciples. Was that you, youngster?" feeling impressed by Qin Lan''s mental fortitude even after noticing his gaze, the elder asked.


    "Yes, elder. It was this junior. If what this young un had done was inappropriate, I would stop immediately to prevent causing trouble to the Medicinal Pavilion," said Qin Lan. Without base cultivation himself, he couldn''t gauge the strength of this elder urately.


    But if he was to guess, he should be an expert in the fifth or sixth stage in Flesh Refining Realm.


    ''Why bother to act oblivious when you already know it?'' Qin Lan had the urge tough. It was already evident that this elder is the individual who decides from the shadow in providing the herbs Qin Lan requested.


    If that wasn''t the case, those medicinal nts and pills wouldn''t being in an appropriate box to retain their medicine efficiency. Furthermore, who would simply take their own medicinal cauldron out and allow an outsider to use it without the elder''s order?


    Even if that medicinal cauldron was a simple single-fire inlet, a product like this would still cost ten to twenty Flesh Tempering Pills to purchase. Furthermore, he''s not unfamiliar with the strict requirement of what a Pill Refiner needs.


    The same medicinal cauldron could be priced from ten to a hundred Flesh Tempering Pills depending on their made, purpose, and material used. Of course, the only Qin Lan had on the table was the most basic one and likely the cheapest one.


    "Ah... No wonder there''s a hint of reverence from the outer disciples while looking at you. It would be a shame to let someone with your degree of skills go unappreciated. Would you consider epting this elder''s invitation to join our Iron Flesh Sect?" Elder Gongsun said.


    The elder''s words made everyone turned their head to look at Qin Lan properly.


    Although this is not something that rarely happened in the Iron Flesh Sect, Qin Lan was invited to join the sect means his talent was much better than most of them here. Still, this was the first time they witnessed an elder showing interest in someone like Qin Lan.


    "Since the elder was here in purpose to invite this junior, it would be disrespectful to go against the elder''s wish. Junior can only agree and be thankful for the elder''s high hope and rmendation." Qin Lan cupped his hands in reply.


    After these two days with the outer disciples, he found out that the sect was nothing like what he had assumed before this. This itself made him feel that the Iron Flesh Sect wasn''t as terrible as he had thought.


    This is why he doesn''t even need to think twice before answering the elder.


    "Goodd. Here, take this Iron Heart Token." the elder casually took a piece of wood out from his pouch and tossed it over to Qin Lan''s hand. He looks unbothered while doing so, but the disciples surrounding them seems to have a mixture of emotion in them.


    ''Iron Heart Token! That''s the Iron Heart Token!!!'' their heart was filled with jealousy while staring at how Qin Lan catches the wood token that was thrown at him.


    After keeping the token in his pouch, Qin Lan cupped his hand and bowed towards Elder Gongsun again. A hint of a smile was stered on his face as he felt the outer disciples'' envy and jealousy.


    He might be clueless about what this Iron Heart Token could do, but that doesn''t mean he is oblivious about the importance of this wood token. If this was a mere disciple tag, he wouldn''t be the star of attention in everyone''s eye right now.


    "Thank you, elder." Qin Lan said.


    "En. Since there is no fight for me to watch here, I''ll go back to my broken pavilion for a nap. All of you, make sure you behave yourself, alright? Use your time wisely to cultivate, not fooling around. Entertainment is essential, but cultivation is even more."


    "Without strength, you''re nothing but the particle of Spiritual Qi around us. But with strength..." the elder speaks casually without hinting to whom he was talking to. But as his tone was getting softer while making a move, an explosion followed.


    The elder just merely waved his hand and hardened his stance towards the boulder below his feet. That simple movement of his seems easy, but it was powerful enough to shatter the boulder into a pile of rocks.


    What''s more, he hardly touches the boulder with his hand.


    "Boy, what is your name again?" The elder asked for Qin Lan''s name before leaving.


    "Junior is called Qin Lan," he quickly replied. Although the show of strength hardly surprises him, he still has to behave like it did.


    "Goodd... Goodd..."


    "Remember to buy me a few bottles of wine if you happen to go to the Mang Family Vige."


    "Ouch... Look at this old man''s back..." Elder Gongsun suddenly turned into a senile old fool while leaving the outer sect''s residential area. From the look of it, this was how he behaves most of the time.


    "Did you say (Fuck Me) earlier?" Qin Lan turned his attention to the bully, but before he finished with his sentence, the person had already gone missing from his sight.


    All Qin Lan could catch with his eyes was the bully''s silhouette running faster than a rabbit.


    He shook his head while smiling and returned to the house soon. Seated on the chair that gave him thefort he was hungry for, Qin Lan hinted to the disciples that the diagnosis would continue as usual.


    In the meantime, he had to ask them where exactly is the Mang Family Vige.


    "Benefactor, why are you asking about the Mang Family Vige?" the vige chief''s son asked. He looked puzzled by Qin Lan''s question.


    "To buy some wine," Qin Lan chuckled.


    "You just need to ask my father to bring some the next time he''s here. That''s our vige." said the vige chief''s son.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 266: Dinner

    Chapter 266: Dinner


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "The ce that I''m staying so far until now... Was the Mang Family Vige I''m trying to look for?" Qin Lan asked. Since he didn''t really bother with people''s names, he ended up didn''t ask for their names wherever he went.


    Furthermore, the people closest to him were the farm manager, the guard, and the vige chief.


    And because he usually addressed them by their title, he doesn''t even know their name.


    The thought of him being too ignorant came back at him instantly. For the first time after being reincarnated into this body, Qin Lan felt that he had gone too far with his ignorance. It seems like his habit before going to seclusion wasn''t that favorable.


    "Yeah." the vige chief''s son nodded. It seems that the treatment that he had two days ago was quite effective. Although his face is still more toward the paler side, he can be said to be doing much better than the first time Qin Lan saw him.


    "Was it called Mang Family Vige because your father was the vige chief?" Qin Lan asked, and he found it weird because the surname (Mang) was quite rare, even during Qin Lan''s peak.


    "You must be jesting, Benefactor. Of course, it''s because everyone in the vige''s surname is Mang." the vige chief''s son answered while chuckling. He then pointed at a few other people who were also from the same vige as him.


    "He''s the son of the old guard. This one is the farmer''s son. And this is the cksmith''s daughter. All of our surnames is Mang." they replied.


    "Al-Alright..." Qin Lan nodded. He was shocked by their answer. At least during his time, the possibility of having an entire vige with people of the same surname is quite rare. Usually, such a thing only happens to those with arge household.


    The concept was almost like a family manor. The servants, ves, and followers would adopt the surname of their master. But in the Mang Family Vige''s case, everyone assumed the same surname willingly.


    Perhaps, it has something to do with the ability in literature as well.


    "It''s alright, and I''ll have to go back there to check the nt I''ve nted anyway." Qin Lan replied. Averting his attention back to the disciples queuing beside him, Qin Lan treated a few more people before calling it a day.


    Since he was doing all of these for free, the disciples sharing this room willingly moved out to give Qin Lan more privacy. It was supposed to be a room for six, but only Qin Lan and the vige chief''s son were staying here right now.


    And to his surprise, a female disciple is delivering a meal to his doorstep today.


    "Senior disciple Qin, would you like to have anything else?" the female disciple asked. The attitude is shown by the female disciple made Qin Lan feeling bewildered for a moment. But he was calm enough to simply nodded at her before seeing her off.


    "Erm... The chief''s son..." Qin Lan wanted to ask him something, but he noticed that he didn''t even know his name again.


    "My name is Mang Jiu, benefactor." he introduced himself properly this time.


    "Alright. Brother Jiu, stop calling me Benefactor as it was a little ufortable to be called like this. Also, what is with this treatment? Didn''t we have to go to collect our own food from the canteen?" Qin Lan asked.


    He was lucky that the canteen has no restriction on who can get the food from there, or how much they can take. But disciple or not, everyone would have to collect their own food in each meal, unless injured.


    And the food prepared for the injured is much simpler. A few corn cakes, steamed bun, porridge, and beast bone soup were all they could have.


    But right now, there are at least three different dishes on Qin Lan''s dinner tray. He was served with a fish, half a chicken, and a te of vegetables instead of in bread and porridge.


    "That''s because you''re the holder of the Iron Heart Token, and that token entitled you to be treated like an elder either in outer, inner, or core sect. It was only given to the disciples with the highest potential." Mang Jiu said.


    "I see..." Qin Lan nodded and took the Iron Heart Token out from his item pouch. He had no idea that something like this would grant him such a status in this Iron Flesh Sect.


    And the more he inspected this wooden token, the more surprises he found. It seems that this token was created from a unique wood known as Golden Jade Branch. The reason it was said to be unique is due to its Spiritual Qi attraction properties. This token can also be rubbed continuously for it to produce a calming smell akin to incense.


    "Look''s like the elder is someone influential inside this sect. What do you know about the elder?" Qin Lan signaled to Mang Jiu and had himing over to his table to enjoy the food together. Thetter was hesitating at first but gave up after contemting for a while.


    Nobody could resist the food on the tray except for Qin Lan, who already got used to the best and worst this world have to offer.


    Mang Jiu smiled as he cleaned the meat from the quarter portion of chicken Qin Lan gave him. But he knew that he should tell what Qin Lan wanted to know.


    "I think that most of us only know that Elder Gongsun was the director of the Medicinal Pavilion. But from what I heard during my time as a disciple, it seems that the elder is also a grade 1 Pill Refiner."


    "He''s also the youngest senior brother of the older generation of Iron Flesh Sect. Perhaps this is why he could have an Iron Heart Token in his hand." Mang Jiu told Qin Lan what he knew about the elder.


    Although the information sounded superficial, it had its own uses when used correctly.


    "By the way, I remembered that the elder is always drunk in his office, which is why he hardly refine pills anymore. From the rumors, it''s because the elder was injured by his rival about two years ago." Mang Jiu added.


    ''Two years ago again?'' Qin Lan''s eyebrow narrowed. He felt that there were too many things linked together in an incident two years ago.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 267: Sorting Herbs

    Chapter 267: Sorting Herbs


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    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


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    "This senior brother, can I know where is Elder Gongsun''s room is located?" Qin Lan asked. Two wine jars were dangling as it was held together with a hemp rope dyed in red. On the broader surface of the jar stuck a red Xuan-Paper, also dyed in red with a word (Wine) on it.


    From what Mang Jiu said, this is the signature wine from the Mang Family Vige. It was noticeable because no other family vige nor breweries around the area would stick a precious Xuan-Paper on the wine jar.


    (Xuan-Paper is usually made of grains, often rice, before crushed and mixed with potassium, lye, and ash to create a robust and high-quality paper. Of course, since this is eastern fantasy, please assume it was made with a traditional method involving rice, which is a staple food for the vigers. Using rice to make paper instead of eating is a way to say how much pride the Mang Family Vige has in its brewery.)


    "Who are you, fellow disciple?" the disciple handling and sorting the medicinal grasses asked. He looked about Qin Lan''s age. Judging from his sad expression, he seems a little down because he was assigned to sort the medicinal grasses on their own varieties.


    "Qin Lan," Qin Lan introduced himself to the disciple properly to avoid any misunderstanding.


    "Qin - Qin Lan, the Iron Heart Token Holder? I''m sorry! Please don''t report me to the elder!" the disciple panicked the moment he heard Qin Lan''s name. He might have no clue about how this token holder looks, but he does know one or two about the elder''s biased support to this person.


    Senior brother. We''re all fellow disciples in this Iron Flesh Sect, and I have nothing to report to him either. What about I give you a hand on sorting these medicinal grass, so you can take me to the elder''s room after we''re done?" Qin Lan pulled a part of his robe to one side and kneeled beside the disciple.


    Using his expertise in handling the herbs, he could easily discern the differences between the medicinal grasses on the floor.


    "Monkgrass Stem, Sweet Dragon Grass, and Linglong Grass... How can the three of them get mixed together?" Qin Lan curiously asked. If he were to guess based on this disciple''s mood, Qin Lan would assume that others bullied him on purpose.


    "Yesterday, there''s an influx of medicinal herbs into the sect. A few fellow brothers knew I was on duty today, so they purposely made it difficult for me by mixing them together. I am done with the other nts, but this stack is just too much for me to do alone." the disciple rant a little.


    But after he finished speaking, he immediately noticed that he went overboard with his words. As if he knew that there was no point in taking back what he said, he decided to keep his mouth shut.


    "If in that case, let me teach fellow brother a trick to sort them quickly." Qin Lan put his hand into the stack of identical medicinal herbs and applied a hint of Spiritual Qi on his palm. This action of his brought out some of the redness on the dried Sweet Dragon Grass.


    "This..." the disciple was a little bbergasted by what Qin Lan just did. Qin Lan revealed many Sweet Dragon Grass from the pile by merely moving his hand across the medicinal herbs. The two quickly took this opportunity to separates as much of the Sweet Dragon Grass as possible before repeating the same process twice.


    A small trick like this shortened the disciple''s sorting process by at least one to two hours. His happiness was evidently shown on his face as he no longer carrying that sad expression on him.


    "I had no idea that the Sweet Dragon Grass can be sorted out with such a straightforward method. But what about the Monkgrass Stem and Linglong Grass?" the disciple''s face went back to slightly dull when his attention was back at the pile of medicinal grass.


    "Monkgrass Stem is a root, so they''re heavier. Get over there and grab the charcoal ash over here. Grab around five medicinal grass and shook the tray to see which one sank into the ash. The one that fell inside is Monkgrass Stem, and the one that remained on top would be the Linglong Grass." Qin Lan said.


    Qin Lan repeated the same trick five times under the curious view of other disciples working in this medicinal pavilion to show the correct method. All the disciples doubted his practice. But eventually, settled to his way of sorting herb, which is faster and simpler.


    Furthermore, this was a good trick that could turn the charcoal ashes into good use.


    Under the curious gaze of all the other disciples in this medicinal pavilion, Qin Lan sessfully sorted all the medicinal grass within an hour with the disciple. Without his help, this work would likely take him an entire day toplete.


    While some of them were smiling and praising Qin Lan for his tips, three of the disciples gathered in a corner seem to have a different opinion of what he just did. There''s a hint of disdain, hate, and anger from their facial expression.


    Although they were standing far from Qin Lan, it wasn''t far enough from Qin Lan''s sharp gaze. But he decided to let them off for now since he had no idea who was right and who was wrong. If it was him, he might have used such a trick to train the disciples too.


    But from the facial expression of the three, there''s a hint of jealousy and hate from them.


    After keeping the medicinal chest containing the herbs back to where they should, the disciple voluntarily walked over to Qin Lan''s side and offered to guide him towards the elder''s room.


    "Fellow disciple Qin, please! Let this brother, Qian Shou, guide you to the elder''s room." he was smiling while he pointed his palm towards where they''re supposed to go.


    "Please, brother Qian!" Qin Lan smiled and took the first step towards where he was pointed to go.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 268: Advice

    Chapter 268: Advice


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    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Brother Qian, if you don''t mind me asking... Do you have a feud with anyone in this Medicinal Pavilion?" Qin Lan casually asked as he walked beside Qian Shou. To make his question less direct, Qin Lan used a softer tone while he spoke.


    It wasn''t like he was trying to pry into Qian Shou''s privacy, but an ident like this rarely happened. Even if it did, the mix wouldn''t be done as thoroughly as this, to the point it was hard to differentiate it.


    Furthermore, no vige would be stupid enough to nt and sell Monkgrass Stem, Sweet Dragon Grass, and Linglong Grass to supply a sect. Even the Mang Family Vige was only involved in producing Oxhorn Roots. It was a more profitable crop than these three.


    But no matter how casual he made his question, the one that got questioned would always feel somewhat sore in his heart after hearing him.


    Qian Shou''s expression changed slightly, although not as down as he was before. By telling on his expression alone, it should be a private issue between him and the trio. Furthermore, based on Qian Shou''s attitude, he shouldn''t have enemies, even if a few disciples envied his luck and look.


    As a senior who lived through a few thousand years before entering seclusion andprehending the Realm Mandate, Qin Lan had seen too much about life. A problem like Qian Shou''s should be either rted to benefit, promises, or responsibilities.


    "Did fellow disciple Qin noticed something? Like, a few individuals looking unhappy while I get my work done?" Qian Shou smiled awkwardly as he asked Qin Lan about it, and Qin Lan merely nodded to answer his question.


    He looked upset from that nod. But soon, Qian Shou decided to speak about the problem with Qin Lan.


    "The three and me, along with a female disciple, were a group. We all came from the Qian Family Vige, and our rtionship wasn''t as friendly as bosom friends. Still, the female disciple always tried her best to bring us together because we''re from the same vige."


    "In thest mission to the Hundred Poison Swamp, she lost her life while we''re trying to grab the Vermilion Silk Fruit. We have no idea that it was guarded by a me Spitting Scorpion. By the time we noticed the spiritual beast, it was already toote. She got stung by that scorpion before being taken away." Qian Shou rubbed his forehead while bringing the bad memories out from his head.


    "How long is that?" Qin Lan immediately asked. He seems to be remembering something important.


    "About six days ago... Why?" Qian Shou replied.


    His answer made Qin Lan calcte the days he''s been here. And since the Vermilion Silk Fruit was noticeable enough for an apprentice like them to discern, it should be at its ripening stage.


    "If you''re willing to believe me, brother Qian... Your fellow disciple might not be dead yet. But should be quite malnourished and weakened since six days has passed." Qin Lan''s reply was like a ball of gunpowder detonated in his ears.


    "She''s not dead? Is that possible?" Qian Shou grabbed Qin Lan''s shoulders with a hint of shaking on both of his hands. Evidently, he had a touch of romantic feelings towards the female disciple in his group. Perhaps, all of them do.


    That would exin why the three hated him for this. If Qin Lan wasn''t mistaken, Qian Shou should be the lover of this female disciple, while the three were her admirers. This is the only exnation of why he was bullied by the other three but not resisting.


    "Listen..." Qin Lan tapped Qian Shou''s hand twice to have him loosen his grip. Although Qin Lan had some foundation in martial arts, his body is still mortal. Hardly capable of holding two drops of Pure Spiritual Energy, it was no doubt that Qian Shou''s strength would give him some pain.


    "When a me Spitting Scorpion guarding the Vermilion Silk Fruit, it only means one thing. It''s the female''s eggying season. If I''m not wrong, you have about one week more before the scorpion kills their prey andys the egg on the corpse."


    "Right now, I''m sure she is still alive, but not much better than dying because she would be stung by the male scorpion to prevent her from resisting." Qin Lan said.


    "Do you know how many people were taken or killed by the me Spitting Scorpion? An estimated number would do." Qin Lan asked.


    "Three to four people, if including my fellow junior sister." Qian Shou quickly answered.


    "Then you should get a team of five people, with one person around the third to the fourth stage of Flesh Refining Realm. This will increase your sess rate in rescuing all of them."


    "Also, prepare some Fasting Pill, Blood Replenishing Pill, and Detoxification Fruit if you have to keep everyone alive if you managed to rescue all of them." Qin Lan added. He sounded like an experienced cultivator that knew everything from head to toe, heaven to earth.


    Listening to what he just said made Qian Shou stunned on the stairs without moving a step further.


    "Fe - Fellow Disciple Qin... Is what you said... Was true?" he finds it hard to believe, but if there''s a hint of possibility, who wouldn''t try to seek for this miracle?


    "Instead of asking... Go and prepare. The earlier, the better." Qin Lan chuckled and continued to go up the stairs with two bottles of wine hung around his fingers. Both of his hands were sped together behind him as he casually took a step further.


    "Fellow Disciple, the elder''s room will be on the next floor. He often leaves his room unlocked, so it will be easy for you to notice! Please excuse this brother to leave and settle some personal matter first!"


    "Sessful or not, I''ll promise that we''ll be showing our gratitude to your advice when we return!" Qian Shou said and returned to the lower floor in a hurry.


    About ten to twelve steps further, Qin Lan left the stairs and arrived outside a room with an unlocked door.


    "Ah... This smells like the wine from Mang Family Vige." a familiar voice came from the room even before Qin Lan stepped inside. And when he did, he was struck by the smell of over a hundred medicinal herbs.


    ''This senile elder... How messy he can be?'' Qin Lanined and smiled at the same time.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 269: Hundred Poison Swamp (1)

    Chapter 269: Hundred Poison Swamp (1)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    There''s a reason for Qin Lan to feel like this simultaneously.


    First of all, was his speechlessness due to the state of the elder''s room. Only the medicinal cauldron, approximately 1.5 meters tall in the middle of the room and the space of one meter surrounding the vat, was safe from his messiness.


    Looking at this room made Qin Lan reminiscence about how disorder he was before this.


    If Qin Lan was not mistaken, plenty of disciples at least offered to clean the room on behalf of the elder. But they were all rejected without reason.


    And the reason is why Qin Lan felt like smiling at the same time.


    As a fellow Pill Refiner, one in the ancestral-grade achievement on top of that, he could understand Elder Gongsun''s entricity and where it came from. The disorder in this room might seem pointless in the disciples'' and practitioners'' eyes, but they''re actually not.


    In fact, Elder Gongsun''s messiness had something to do with the medicinal he had, as well as how he refined a pill! In the eyes of the clueless, this is a disorder. But in Qin Lan''s eyes, this is a formation!


    Yes!


    This is a brilliantlyid formation!


    But of course, If Qin Lan were to give him a score from 1 to 100, this formation alone is only worth less than 5 points.


    The elder was still lying on hisfortable bamboo-made recliner. Making the sound like a pig smelled something delicious, the elder extends his hand towards Qin Lan for the two bottles of wine.


    "Can this junior tidy up elder''s room?" Qin Lan asked with a smile while he ced the two bottles on the tea table. Using his finger to poke a considerably big hole on that oily Xuan-Paper, he respectfully put the wine bottle on the elder''s hand.


    "No cup?" the elder stretched his body like he was unhappy for being given a wine straight from the bottle. If this was shown right in front of the elders, Qin Lan would be scolded if he was let go lightly and might get a p if he was punished heavily.


    "Answering the elder, Strong wine kicks in from the jar, and fragrant winees from the cup. Since you enjoyed drinking a bottle of wine of this strength, why bother with the cup?" Qin Lan replied.


    "Sharp tongue." the elder said and turned around before he started drinking straight from the bottle. From his expression, it seems that Qin Lan was correct about what he said, but the elder was just too prideful to agree with him.


    After all, Qin Lan was just a junior. To a prideful elder like himself, how can he let a youth teased him back instead?


    "Do what you like. If you can clean the room to my liking, I''ll let you take one item from my room." the elder added before he filled his mouth with another sip and savored the spiciness that burns this throat.


    "Then... Junior won''t be bothering the elder." Qin Lan grinned and left the elder''s side.


    Although Qin Lan said he would tidy the elder''s room, those expected noises from moving things, sweeping the floor, and throwing trash didn''t happen. It was as quiet and serene as it could as if Qin Lan left the room after failing the challenge.


    But when it was about the time for dinner, the elder''s jaw almost fell to the ground.


    "This brat! What are you doing to my room, huh?" the elder shouted at Qin Lan for messing up with his room.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Are you sure about what you''re saying, Qian Shou?" said a fellow disciple seatedfortably on his chair enjoying tea. He''s wearing significantly simr clothing that all outer disciple of Iron Flesh Sect was wearing.


    But there''s a hint of differences, especially on the shoulder part and his cor. It looks like there''s an additionalyer of linen around the upper part, like a short, arm-length cloak. The extrayer had a special red dye on the textile, making it eye-catching to those staring at his robe.


    "I''m sure, big brother Qian Lang. Please help us. As long you can help us rescue little sister Qian Rou, we''ll help you to kill the me Spitting Scorpion." Qian Shou said.


    "Alright. How is your preparation? Do you want me to give you people a day or two to prepare?" the person called Qian Lang said. He should be a fourth-stage Flesh Refining Realm cultivator based on the Spiritual Qi leaking out from him.


    "We''re ready." Qian Shou nodded with the three bullies that got Qin Lan''s attention earlier.


    "Then let us depart. The earlier we go, the faster we can get the lead. I can''t wait to get my hand on the two Beast Cores that belonged to the me Spitting Scorpions." Qian Lang said.


    ...


    And that was what happened about four hours ago.


    Right now, the group of five had just entered the Hundred Poison Swamp.


    This was a ce that changed itsndmark once to twice every single day. The putrid and sour stench can be smell almost everywhere. The odor was even more pungent the closer they were to the swamp with unknown organisms living within.


    Luckily, it hasn''t been too long since theirst trip into this location. The marking that Qian Shou and his team left here is visible, albeit thend has changed quite a bit. But because a few of their roads were blocked by swamps deeper than their waist level, it was unwise to insist on using the same track.


    The detour cost them some of the time and effort as they got attacked by new spiritual beasts that recently made this spot their home. And because they came here without prior nning, it was much more dangerous thaning here to aplish a mission.


    After getting attacked a few times, the group had no choice but to settle on drynd that looked safe.


    "Damn... To think that even a Verdant Jewel Beetle can appear while searching for Qian Rou and the others. What else might appear next?" Qian Langined. Although his strength is more than enough to kill the beetle, he can''t be wasting all of them early on.


    Especially not when his opponent is likely going to be two me Spitting Scorpions.


    And while they were resting and recovering their strength, a predator was closing in nearby. Armed with a pair of pincers and a sharp stinger, this predator is precisely the target they''re looking for.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 270: Hundred Poison Swamp (2)

    Chapter 270: Hundred Poison Swamp (2)


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    **Shh...**


    It was a spiritual beast twice the size of a tiger. The pair of pincerses with a row of sharp teeth, and its strength was powerful enough to take a tree down effortlessly. As for the beast''s sting, it''s deadlier than anyone could have imagined.


    Although getting stung by the sting doesn''t spell death directly, it was no different from getting a single journey ticket down to the river of memories. The sting of a Fire Spitting Scorpion has three kinds of poisons thanks to its partitioning poison sack.


    It could either paralyzed, burn, or infecting the target with the variable poisonous sting.


    While those paralyzed from the sting could still survive somehow, those who get stung by the other two poisons might not be as lucky as the first.


    There was a reason for this spiritual beast to be named as Fire Spitting Scorpion. And that''s because together with the Scorpion''s me Poison, the one that got stung would have their Spiritual Qi going out of control.


    When that happens, all it needs is a spark from the me Spitting Scorpion''s pincer to ignite the poisoned into a burning mannequin until the poison runs out. And that wasn''t limited only to its sting.


    The poison can also be spitted out from the spiritual beast''s jaw. When paired with the spark-making ability from its pincer, the spiritual beast could literally spit the poison out like a methrower. This was how its name, "me Spitting Scorpion," came from.


    The third poison was mainly found on a female me Spitting Scorpion, especially in an eggying season. Because a spiritual beast like these scorpions hardly had the mentality to slowly kill their prey unless needed, the third poison was often used to warn other predators.


    Most of their targets would eventually recover after feeling weakened for a while. Still, the story changed if a human caught it.


    One of the reason human would have it worst than a spiritual beast is theirck of poison immunity. The weaker physique also restricts their body from producing enough immunity to resist the poison, allowing it to get fierce each time the poison red up.


    When it happened, the poisoned individual would immediately suffer from bleeding over his seven orifices. The symptom would gradually worsen until the body went numb, organ failure, and rotting blood.


    The moment the poison''s symptom reached the stage of rotting blood, even a legendary saint physician would have difficulties bringing that person back.


    This poison is known as re Blood Disease. But weirdly, the me Spitting Scorpion wasn''t the only poisonous spiritual beast capable of inflicting this poison. Around half of the local residents of this Hundred Poison Swamp can inflict the same poison, only differ in potency.


    In fact, the poison Mang Jiu got from the gue Worm was the same as this re Blood Disease, but almost insignificantpared to the me Spitting Scorpion.


    "Who''s there?" Qian Lang pulled his sword out and pointed in a direction he felt there was a movement. His sudden action alerted everyone, but since nothing popped out after his warning, it''s likely a hoax.


    Although nothing eventually turned up, they didn''t loosen their focus on that direction until fifteen minutester. The group of five then took a turn to rest and filled their stomach before they continued.


    "Shall we continue?" Qian Shou asked. Evidently, he was the most anxious one in the group when it came to looking for those possibly kidnapped by the scorpion. Even when everyone was filling their stomach with some baked cakes they brought, Qian Shou was busy looking for the track they left previously.


    Meanwhile...


    This was the inside of the me Spitting Scorpion''s nest. There are a few survivors at one corner and a pile of dead corpses on another. As for the female me Spitting Scorpion, it was resting in the middle of this dome-shaped nest.


    From its look, this nest seems to be hidden under a pile of leaves before hardened using the scorpion''s saliva.


    "I can''t die here..." a female with the same disciple robe like Qian Shou and the others struggled as she ced a Fasting Pill into her mouth. Although she still felt numb on all her limbs after the me Spitting Scorpion''s sting, she could at least move a little more than the others.


    Except for here, there is another female disciple and two male disciples here, and they were just like her. But it was evident that they were incapable of moving at all. The numbness they''re facing is much stronger than what this disciple, or Qian Rou, had.


    She had no idea how could she resist the scorpion''s poison, but she can be said to be lucky. In fact, everyone here was fortunate because they were kept here with Qian Rou.


    Although Qian Rou''s cultivation is low, she had something that could keep everyone alive. She had no idea that the Fasting Pill she''s been preparing for her dietter would end up as the lifeline for everyone here.


    But no matter how lucky they are, the pills in her item pouch are getting less by day.


    If rescue still noting for them, they''ll eventually turn into the corpses piled aside. It seems that a single insect egg was on the back of the corpse with a wriggling insect maturing inside. Based on how tall is this pile of corpses, there are at least thirty corpses here carrying an egg from the me Spitting Scorpion.


    Of course,ying that much egg is a must for the spiritual beast to increases the chances of their babies hatches safely. Unlike humans, spiritual beasts like the me Spitting Scorpion had a meager hatching rate. Even if the egg were fertilized, the possibility it hatched was just one in five.


    This is why a spiritual beast like this hardlyes in a pack.


    While Qian Rou struggled to feed the other three with a Fasting Pill, the male me Spitting Scorpion lurking around Qian Shou''s group finally returned.


    The first thing the spiritual beast does is going to where the living human is and give each of them a stung with the paralyzing poison.


    Once again, Qian Rou felt that they were better off dead than getting tortured here daily until its time for the female scorpion totch the egg on the disciple''s back. But unfortunately, not one of them managed to make a noise at all.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 271: Success

    Chapter 271: Sess


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Brat! What are you doing with my room, huh?" Elder Gongsun was surprised by what Qin Lan had done to his room. The messy interior before was now history. But what Qin Lan did to the room wasn''t tidying.


    It was more like... Messing things around.


    Multiple medicinal nt boxes used to contain the restorative effect were now stacked together into a tall column. On the side of the stacked boxes were a brazier and a water vat.


    This wasn''t the only mess Qin Lan created. The book for studies was ced with its cover facing up on the floor and separated into four groups. These books were taking the space East, South, West, and North of the Refining Cauldron.


    The column of boxes was ced in the Southeastern direction, while the northwestern side was for items without boxes, such as pills, minerals, and other stuff.


    Meanwhile, the Northeastern and Southwestern sides were left empty.


    The room''s condition made the elder left his reclining seat. He was prepared to teach Qin Lan a lesson for messing with the arrangement of his room.


    "Brat! If I''m not teaching you a lesson today, I won''t be called Gong... Eh?" the elder''s head was filled with anger all the way until he stepped into this few meters wide refining loft. As the person who constantly refined his pill here, how can the elder be oblivious about the temperature, concentration of Spiritual Qi, and Fengshui here?


    Although the changes were minuscule, it was a lot in the eyes of this elder. To a pill refiner, even the slightest differences in temperature, Spiritual Qi, and Auspiciousness of the ce would significantly affect the result of the refined pill.


    "This ce... How can it feel so auspicious out of sudden? What tricks did you do, brat?" the elder suddenly had a hint of enlightenment after looking at the arrangement. In fact, it was still as messy before, just the structure was moved a little.


    As a matter of fact, the elder was both right and wrong in how he made his loft appeared to be Auspicious. Although the elder knows how to put Yin, Yang, and Seasons together, hecks the understanding toplement each other.


    And because he failed in thetter part, what he was doing ended up as naught, but heaven was fair no matter how terrible his work was. One plus one would always result in two, as that was the logic. Even if he made a trash formation with 99 mistakes and only 1 correct part, it was still a formation in the end.


    Apparently, the elder was blinded by that minuscule correctness to miss the wrong part. And this is what stops him from furthering his knowledge in Pill Refining after so long.


    But again, there''s no question about his skill.


    "Brat. I''m going to refine some pills. Since you touched my stuff, you''re responsible for bringing what I want out from wherever you put them, understand?" Elder Gongsun went straight to the Refining Cauldron without waiting for Qin Lan to answer.


    But thetter seems to be expecting it. Smiling while walking to the brazier, Qin Lan added a few more pieces of charcoal to get them firing.


    The elder''s hand went straight to the book just at the bottommost where he needed them. Opening the book and going directly to the page he studied the most, he quickly memorized the content before throwing the book back on where it was earlier.


    "Fire!" the elder yelled.


    And to his surprise, Qin Lan was prepared and immediately ced the burning charcoal under the Refining Cauldron. Because this was a three-me inlet, Qin Lan had to put an even amount of charcoal on three different spots to maintain the me.


    A cauldron like this would take more than just one Medicinal practitioner to keep track of the process. But in return for the effort, the quality of the pill would be more wonderful than they could imagine.


    When Qin Lan was in his peak, the Refining Cauldron that belonged to him contained nine-me inlets.


    "Two-Colored Panther Fruit!" the elder continued without giving Qin Lan a gap in between to rest. After cing the brazier down, Qin Lan simply tapped on the chest to reveal a ck and white fruit about the size of an adult fist.


    After handing the fruit to Elder Gongsun, Qin Lan continued to add few more pieces of charcoal into the brazier. And after he was done with it, he quickly positioned himself at the chest with a collection of dried herbs and pills.


    "Verdant Oak Branch." the elder continued. And he received the item immediately when he opened his palm.


    "Encyclopedia for Bitter Fruits."


    "Bone of Iron-Mane Lion."


    "Blood Fruit."


    "Remove the fire." the elder continuously ordered the ingredients like he was in a shopping center. It dide across his mind if he had or not having theponent at all. Of course, since this was his ce, even after getting messed by Qin Lan, he still knew what he had.


    A good memory was a requirement for one to be a Pill Refiner, after all.


    "Open the cauldron!" the elder was so excited as the refining process was getting closer topletion. And while he and Qin Lan were busy working on the top of the Medicinal Pavilion, the disciples could only savor the smell brought by the pill the two were cooking.


    "What kind of pill is Elder Gongsun makes this time? The invigorating smell is ten times more fragrant than before..." said one of the disciples on the ground floor.


    "Hiss... Keep your mouth shut. Do you want the elder to hear what you just said? Didn''t we all talk about this? Neverment how bad Elder Gongsun''s pill smells!" another disciple quickly covered his mouth from speaking.


    "Urm... Puha..."


    "But this smell is damn good! I''m sure that the elder is making something good this time!" the former disciple struggled to take a breath before adding a few more words.


    Then...


    "SUCCESS!"


    "I''ve seeded!" elder Gongsun''s word came from the upper floor. Evidently, he was in a good mood right now. But while the elder is smiling over here, it was a different atmosphere in a specific ce within the Hundred Poison Swamp.


    "We finally found the scorpion''s nest. Let''s get ready and attack the spiritual beast by surprise!" Qian Lang said.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 272: Die, Together

    Chapter 272: Die, Together


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Now!" Qian Lang signaled as all of them tossed a stack of grasses on fire. The moment the knotted up grass fell into the me Spitting Scorpion''s nest, it created a smell that the spiritual beast hated the most.


    If this trick were to be used on a pair of normal me Spitting Scorpions, their method to force the two spiritual beasts out from the nest would definitely be sessful. But unfortunately for them, the eggs the female scorpionid causes the two to protect their eggs instead of running.


    Still, the trick was sessful as they managed to get to the disciple''s side and check if everyone were still alive.


    "Blink your eyes if you''re still with me." Qian Shou and the other three quickly checked the kidnapped disciple''s pulse to determine if they were alive or dead. And naturally, Qian Shou''s target would be Qian Rou, who he spotted even beforeing inside.


    Weakly, Qian Rou blinked her eyes twice before tears fell from both edges of her eyes. She might have been paralyzed, but that doesn''t mean she couldn''t cry. Her heart was filled with warmth right at this moment to see her lover here to rescue her.


    Of course, it was too early to say that right now.


    "Brother Qian Lang! Everyone is safe!" Qian Shou made sure to fed everyone with some Blood Replenishing Pill, Detoxification Fruit, and Fasting Pill. As nobody here could talk while they were paralyzed, they''ll be sure to me Qian Shou when they get back.


    Eating another Fasting Pill before the medicinal effect is over would definitely make them feel bloated for the next three days to a week. They''ll be losing all their appetite by the time everyone leaves this nest alive.


    *Shing!*


    Qian Shou pulled his sword out and prepared to fight against the two scorpions. Likewise, the other three did the same and removed the sheath from their sword.


    "Good. Let''s kill these two spiritual beasts and bring the corpse home! I''m sure the Mission Pavilion is eager to see them!" said Qian Lang while releasing the Spiritual Energy within his body. As a cultivator of the fourth stage in Flesh Refining Realm, his body is more than capable of storing over forty drops of Pure Spiritual Energy within.


    Using some Pure Spiritual Energy before taking a leap, Qian Lang came to the female me Spitting Scorpion and engaged against the monster in a battle of the flesh. Meanwhile, Qian Shou and the other three faced the male scorpion.


    The objective is simple. The four would have to try to stop this spiritual beast until Qian Lang kills the female. If possible, killing the male without relying on Qian Lang''s help would be the best.


    To survive, everyone had no other option but to fight with their lives on the betting. Although going against an opponent of this strength is dangerous, the reward from killing the scorpion is simply too lucrative for them to give up.


    Was it not because the four''s intention was to rescue Qian Rou, they wouldn''t be willingly surrendering the me Spitting Scorpion''s corpse to Qian Lang. From the head to tail, each and every part of the scorpion is worth a few Flesh Tempering Pills if sold to Mission Pavilion.


    Furthermore, the core of this third-stage Flesh Refining Realm beast could also be refined to increase a cultivator''s affinity with Spiritual Qi. And to those with some skill in Artifact Refining, the carapace of this beast can be used to create weapons and armor, which could end up to more than fifty to a hundred Flesh Tempering Pills.


    As the strongest cultivators in the group, Qian Lang would be definitely victorious against the female me Spitting Scorpion. But even he overlooked the tenacity of this beast, especially when it was fighting to protect its unhatched offspring.


    *ck! ck!*


    The spark creating pincer was creating a sound that made Qian Lang''s heart feeling uneasy. Feeling that a big attack woulde soon, he quickly retreated before it was toote. And right to his guessing, the female scorpion spits the me Poison through its mouth.


    *Whoosh!*


    A ming breath came at Qian Lang''s position. Even after taking a few steps back, he was still not safe from the reach of the mes. Luckily for him, this nest was spacious enough for Qian Lang to get out from its attacking range.


    Still, part of his clothing was burnt by the intense heat from the me. Although it didn''t manage to turn Qian Lang into a burning mannequin, it was just because he was lucky.


    But the pungent smell from the evaporated poison has now filled the entire scorpion''s nest. Although inhaling the air won''t be affecting the cultivator too much, they would still gradually getting headaches, nausea, and belching the longer they breath in this air.


    The female scorpion is evidently looking weaker after spitting out the me Poison in such a heavy dosage. Like a human who heavily relying on their blood, spiritual beasts like the me Spitting Scorpion partly depend on their poison and blood to keep active.


    Losing arge amount of poison in their system is like burning their essence to kill their opponent. Although the move would definitely increase the deadliness of its killing blow, it would be pointless if the attack didn''t connect.


    "Keep the male scorpion busy!" Qian Lang yelled at the four and charged into the fight once again. This time, he''s much fiercer than before, with both his hands shaped like a pair of ws. His body''s Pure Spiritual Energy was again pushed to the limit as he decided to end this battle with a single blow.


    "Iron Flesh Sect''s Second-Grade Martial Art..." white gases wereing out as Qian Lang breathed. His arrival to the spiritual beast would spell death to thetter when he finished preparing for this attack.


    And as if the beast knew it would definitely fell in the following exchange, the stinger on its tail was waiting to deliver a blow to drag this despicable cultivator along.


    "Iron Lord''s w Art!" Qian Lang''s two ws destroyed the scorpion''s pincer defense before stabbing his ws deep into the female scorpion''s head. But at the same time, he was injected with a dosage of the female scorpion''s deadly poison.


    "I won!" Qian Lang smiled.


    And coughed a mouthful of blood afterward.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 273: Iron Flesh Pill

    Chapter 273: Iron Flesh Pill


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    *Shh!!!*


    The death of the female scorpion made the male scorpion went amok and attacked without bothering about its surrounding. The stinger dripping with poison went around, warning the four humans from approaching it.


    In the meantime, it was evident that the male scorpion was trying to escape. The action of slowly retreating by taking three steps forward but four steps backward made Qian Shou caught the spiritual beast''s intention.


    Since the battle had escted to this point, there''s no longer a reason for each side to showpassion. At this moment,passion spells death to either side.


    The me Spitting Scorpion might be losing right now. But, the tenacity of a spiritual beast would allow it to keep going amok until the final strand of its life.


    "Stop it before it trying to escape!" Qian Shou said. There''s no need for him to keep hiding his strength, and there''s no reason to do so either. The sword in his hand was slowly coated by his Pure Spiritual Energy as he yelled at the other three disciples.


    His order made everyone attacked in tandem. While for Qian Shou, he took it further and preparing to deliver a killing blow when the opportunity arrived.


    Looking at how hispanion fought against the me Spitting Scorpion made Qian Shou couldn''t help but feel nervous. As the second strongest cultivator here, he''s the only one with a skill powerful enough to create a difference.


    But to execute the martial art wlessly, he had to urately deliver the killing blow before his opponent could react to what he was nning to do.


    And that opportunity soon showing itself when the male me Spitting Scorpion lowered its tail and created me sparks through the pair of pincers.


    "NOW!" Qian Shou yelled and attacked like an arrow released from the bow. Using almost all avable Pure Spiritual Energy, Qian Shou created a few moon sickles from swinging his sword at high speed.


    "Iron Flesh Sect''s First-Grade Martial Art, Moonlight de!" Qian Shou''s attack cuts apart both pincers and the head of the scorpion in a single move. But in exchange for this result, he exhausted almost all of his Pure Spiritual Energy to achieve this feat.


    Kneeling on the ground weekly, he was about to faint until one of hispanions came and stuffed a Flesh Tempering Pellet into his mouth. Although the Flesh Tempering Pill is for cultivation, it could also recover a small part of Spiritual Qi when taken during a battle.


    The battle was finally over, but they were not entirely safe yet.


    This rescue mission can only be countedplete when they safely brought the two spiritual beast corpses and people back to the Iron Flesh Sect.


    "How''s senior brother Qian Lang?" Qian Shou asked after he regained some energy to talk.


    "Not very good..." hispanion replied with a sour expression on his face. It seems that although Qian Lang managed to escape from death, the poison was working too fast.


    As for what they had to do now, is to quickly recover their strength and escape. This ce is not safe for them to linger as the poisonous stench and smell of blood from the two Spiritual Beasts would quickly attract hungry predators here.


    If the one that came were some mere gue Worms, they could still handle it. But things might be different if it attracted one of the three most dangerous spiritual beasts within this Hundred Poison Swamp.


    After a short rest, they get ready to return.


    Lucky for them, there''s less trouble on their way back. The group soon arrived at the Iron Flesh Sect''s entrance when it was about time for dinner.


    "Fellow brothers, this is Qian Shou. And that''s our senior brother Qian Lang. We just came back from rescuing some fellow disciples taken by the me Spitting Scorpions. Can we enter the sect and also get some help to get everyone to the Medicinal Pavilion, please?" Qian Shou said.


    Everyone in his team was exhausted, including the four kidnapped disciples that''s been tortured by the scorpion''s paralyzing poison for thest few days.


    Pretty soon, some help quickly came to the sect''s entrance as they were helped by the ve disciples to move everyone to the Medicinal Pavilion.


    The moment they entered the pavilion, the voice from Elder Gongsun came from the upper floor.


    "I''ve seeded!" the elder screamed in happiness as the aroma of medicinal pill spreads from his room all the way until it was noticeable on the ground floor.


    Even the disciples that smelled the pill fragrance felt slightly invigorated.


    "What... What pill did Elder Gongsun refine this time? To think that even sniffing the pill fragrance would make me feel a little energetic." said Qian Shou. Unfortunately, the current him was too weak to move, and his leg has given up the moment he reaches the doorstep of the Iron Flesh Sect.


    "Fellow disciple... I can only disturb you to get either Elder Gongsun or Elder Hang to treat us. Can you... Please do us a favor?" Qian Shou said.


    ...


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Elder Gongsun''s room...


    "Hahaha! Brat! You''re really my lucky star!" the elder was smiling widely while his palm holding a batch of five pills. Each one of the pills had a beautiful ck and white marble streak on its surface. As for the pill''s aroma, it was heavier inside the room.


    Even the tired Qin Lan and Elder Gongsun felt energetic after sniffing the aroma as thick as a cloud that slowly gets down to the waist level.


    "Do you know what this pill is?" the elder asked. Based on how happy the elder looks, he might give one of the pills to Qin Lan if he guessed it correctly. But again, Qin Lan knew that he had to make a wrong guess to make sure that his days as a disciple here went smoothly.


    Because a disciple that was too smart would no doubt attract unneeding trouble. Instead, he would get more profit from acting like a pig while he''s in the Iron Flesh Sect.


    "Disciple has no idea. Elder, please tell." Qin Lan smiled while acting in denial. Back in the days before this, he''s been refining pills like this quality using random ingredients. But it doesn''t seem to be the case for now.


    "This is the revision recipe of Iron Flesh Sect''s Iron Flesh Pill." Elder Gongsun said.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 274: Going Downstairs

    Chapter 274: Going Downstairs


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    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


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    "Iron Flesh Pill?" Qin Lan''s expression carried a hint of bewilderment from listening to the elder. This was exactly what the elder was waiting for to continue talking.


    ''Damn, you junior... Why are you behaving just like me when I am at my peak?'' Qin Lan patiently smiled while waiting for the elder to continue. But deep inside his heart, he felt like giving him a few punches for showing his air before a true expert.


    For a moment here, Qin Lan agrees that ignorance is indeed bliss for ordinary people. Even the fact he rearranges the elder''s lousy Pill Refining Formation seems to be not making a significant impression in the elder''s eyes.


    That was normal if he were to think positively.


    Even if Elder Gongsun was more knowledgeable than this, he wouldn''t guess that Qin Lan was, in fact, someone with seniority above himself. Everything would likely be pushed to the matter of luck and sudden enlightenment, just like right now.


    "Hehe... This Iron Flesh Pill was supposed to be refined from seven kinds ofmon medicinal herbs. But this time, I actually refined it from four. The yield per batch also increases from three to five pills, so it should be counted as a great sess." the elder said.


    "If I could maintain this sess rate, the uing''s Outer Disciple''spetition between the three major sects won''t be a problem at all," he added.


    "Anyway, thinking about thispetition is too early for you now, and instead, you should focus on improving your cultivation. Here, take one Iron Flesh Pill and go back to cultivate. Based on this pill''s effect, it would definitely push your cultivation leaps and bounds."


    "By taking in this pill and refine the medicinal effect to temper your body, I''m sure it could bring you halfway to the first stage of Flesh Refining Realm." Elder Gongsun ced one of the Iron Flesh Pill into Qin Lan''s palm.


    "Heh... Elder, have you forgotten about our bet?" Qin Lan smiled after he pocketed the Iron Flesh Pill inside his pouch.


    "Huh?" the elder scratched his head as he thought about what bet he had with this youngster. But after a while, he remembered. He indeed had a gamble with Qin Lan where if thetter could tidy the room to his liking, he would be allowed to take one item away from the room.


    "Damn, brat. Still trying to take this old man''s advantage while you barely get away from messing with my room. Go and grab what you like and leave. I''m going to have my meal now." the elder turned around and left through the windows.


    Only Qin Lan was left in this room.


    "Elder Gongsun, the lower floor needs your help!" it was toote by the time the disciple arrived at the elder''s room. When he stepped into the room, only Qin Lan was left inside.


    "Seeded Disciple, you''re still here?" unsure of what Qin Lan was called, the disciple simply addressed him as the seeded disciple. Since there are less than ten disciples with an Iron Heart Token, it was easy to recognize who was the chosen and who was not.


    If Qin Lan wants to, he can simply go to the Material Pavilion to request a change of clothing, and he will be given a tailor-made robe up to his liking. Even asking for specific materials and supplies or hiring a few helping hands wouldn''t be a problem through his Iron Heart Token privilege.


    "What''s wrong downstairs?" Qin Lan asked. He already had an idea what he would take anyway, so Qin Lan simply tapped on one of the boxes and put the item into his pouch before leaving.


    His action made the disciple not know what to do because Qin Lan treats the elder''s belonging as his own. When he came back to him, Qin Lan was on his third step down the stairs.


    "Seeded Disciple, please wait!" the disciple quickly followed. Although he had no idea what was so unique about Qin Lan, it had something to do with Qin Lan''s skill if he had to guess. And instead of making a guess right now, he might as well reporting what he was going to tell the elder to Qin Lan instead.


    "Downstairs, fellow disciple Qian Shou, with senior brother Qian Lang is heavily injured. We need some quick help in case their condition deteriorates." he quickly reported what he knew to Qin Lan.


    "Let''s get down there and see what to do with them. When we arrived down there, get me some Detoxification Fruit, a cauldron, Blood Replenishing Pellets, and prepare the lit charcoal for me. I might have to refine some pills on the spot." Qin Lan said.


    "I will prepare them immediately once we get on the ground floor!" the disciple nodded. In his heart, he was somewhat unwilling to do what Qin Lan ordered. But unfortunately for him, Qin Lan was a seeded disciple, even if his strength did not match his status.


    The pungent odor from the nine people immediately stings his eyes and nose the moment Qin Lan arrived at the ground floor. Even though he was prepared for all this, he had no idea it would be this serious. But from the number of people, it seems that nobody died in this rescue mission.


    "Seeded Disciple!" the disciples working under Elder Gongsun and Elder Hang greets Qin Lan. Even without taking the Iron Heart Token out, the disciples still know his face. But amongst these people, a few of them had a different expression when they saw Qin Lan''s face.


    A face full of disbelief, fear, and worry is stered on them as Qin Lan walks towards Qian Shou and Qian Lang one step at a time.


    They looked like they saw a ghost returning to life. These people would run if not because their status here in the sect was too low.


    "Should I say congrattions for rescuing the people you wanted to rescue?" Qin Lan stood beside Qian Shou and ced his finger on thetter''s wrist to check his pulse.


    And at the same time, the disciple executing Qin Lan''s order hade with what Qin Lan had asked for.


    "Seeded Disciple, everything is ready," he said. His words further confused the few servant disciples standing further back in a ck robe. And this change was unable to escape from Qin Lan''s eyes.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 275: Refining Realms Common Antidote

    Chapter 275: Refining Realm''s Common Antidote


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Preheat the Refining Cauldron for me." Qin Lan ordered the disciple while he attempted to diagnose the severity of their poisoned condition. Since each of them was poisoned to a different degree, he would have to initiate a few types of treatment on them.


    The tense atmosphere on this ground floor of the Medicinal Pavilion is somewhat choking to the medicine boys and visitors. Especially to the pavilion''s assistants, all of them were behaving like headless chickens right now.


    "Those on duty will get back to what you''re doing initially. As for those unrted, finish your business here and return to your residence. And to those that shouldn''t be here, return to where youe from." Qin Lan said as he removed his hand from Qian Shou''s wrist.


    He flicked his fingers at the trio after he''s finished with his speech and diagnosis of Qian Shou''s condition. His words quickly get the people to disperse and return to what they were doing. Even the few Servant Disciples that shouldn''t be lingering here left immediately after hearing what Qin Lan just said.


    As for Qin Lan, he shifted his attention to the four rescued disciples after reading the trio''s pulse. They didn''t look as famished as he thought. But they looked like they had another problem.


    Qin Lan simply smiled and indicates them toe to him.


    As they came closer to him, Qin Lan swiftly pressed the acupoint between their shoulders, heart, and upper stomach with his finger coated in Pure Spiritual Energy. His swift action forced them to vomit the second Fasting Pill out from their system.


    Evidently, they look much better after vomiting and creating a mess on the floor.


    "Get your mess cleaned and grab a Sweet Dragon Grass from the counter and chew them raw. You''ll get hungry soon enough, so make your way to the canteen after this." Qin Lan said and shifted his attention to Qian Lang.


    "Hmmm..." his expression becameplicated when it was Qian Lang''s turn. Thetter had the same poison symptom as Mang Jiu but evidently on a higher dosage. Although using the same treatment method would help keep his life, it wasn''t a perfect treatment.


    Furthermore, although he can treat people in their second or third stage of Flesh Refining Realm, those above the third stage is riskier for Qin Lan right now. He would have to achieve a certain cultivation level before confidently administering the correct treatment at their problem.


    Deciding to skip Qian Lang''s turn, Qin Lan''s attention fell on the burning hot cauldron ready for Pill-Refining. He extends his hand towards one of the Detoxification Fruit and skillfully makes an incision on the fruit''s surface.


    Qin Lan extracted the juices from this fist-sized fruit by applying a slight Pure Spiritual Energy in and out of the fruit. His method quickly caught the attention of the busybody medicine boys that still remained in the pavilion''s lobby.


    The method surprised them because they had never seen such an extraction method. Even those who helped the elders refine the pills before were confused by Qin Lan''s action.


    But surprisingly, Qin Lan''s extraction method was more effective than what the elder did. The disturbing seeds inside the fruit seem to be not hindering the extraction at all.


    "Can the Detoxification Fruit be juiced in such a way? How can nobody notice this method?"


    "What if we get one to try? I want to see how easy it would be to extract the juices from this fruit."


    "Cmon, brother. Don''t tell me you''re prepared to pay two Flesh Tempering Pill to waste on a fruit?"


    The medicine boys were discussing amongst one another after seeing what Qin Lan did with the fruit. But their shock did not finish here. The extract that Qin Lan pressed out from the fruit was going into the burning hot cauldron unevenly.


    This action of his created a sizzling sound from liquid was evaporated because the Refining-Cauldron was too intense.


    "No! The medicinal extract is wasted by him! Does he even know what is alchemy?" one of the medicine boys attacked Qin Lan verbally after hearing those sizzling sounds that came from the cauldron.


    And to make things worst, Qin Lan decided to close the lid after he finished juicing the fruit and removed the fire.


    "What''s the point of removing the mes if the medicinal extract was already burnt?" the medicine boy continued toment angrily at Qin Lan''s amateurish action.


    But to their surprise, a sweet, medicinal aroma was leaking from the gaps between the lid. The burnt smell that was predicted by the medicine boy didn''t appear like what he had guessed.


    "How? How could this happen? It should have burnt the moment the extract gets into the Refining-Cauldron! Even if he managed to save some of them in the final moment, it was impossible to withstand such an intense me that remained on the cauldron." the medicine boy said.


    "That''s because your understanding in alchemy is too shallow." Qin Lan answered him. Evidently, he heard what everyone said while he was focusing on his pill refining.


    "Always remember, there''s no Pill Refiner that would simply throw the ingredients into the cauldron before protecting them with ayer of Spiritual Energy. This just means that you''re not paying enough attention while helping the elders in their Pill-Refining." Qin Lan shows him some guidance and what he possibly missed.


    The aroma trapped inside the cauldron could no longer be contained as the lid was shaking fiercely. A moment''ster, the air within the pot decided to burst out as it enveloped the pavilion''s lobby with a gentle medicinal fragrance.


    After all themotion, Qin Lan ced his hand into the Refining-Cauldron and took two pills out from within. The refined pill had a beautiful, green luster on the surface. Based on the look alone, there was no doubt that these two are adequately refined medicinal elixirs.


    "Are my eyes joking with me right now?" the same medicine boy said as he had difficulties closing his mouth.


    "Refining Realm''s Common Antidote? Are they really the Refining Realm''s Common Antidote that even the elder only have a 50 to 60 percent of sessful refining rate?" he asked.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 276: First Stage, Flesh Refining Realm

    Chapter 276: First Stage, Flesh Refining Realm


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Is this still the same Refining Realm''s Common Antidote we''re talking about right here? Are you sure it''s not some random health supplement pills made from mixing some wild ginseng with herbs?" a medicine boy quickly interrupted.


    Based on his facial expression, he''s not convinced that Qin Lan does have the ability to refine a batch of pills all by himself. Whether he''s a seeded disciple or not, the current Qin Lan is not even a first-stage Flesh Refining Realm cultivator.


    "I am sure that''s a perfectly working Refining Realm''s Common Antidote based on the pill''s look, aroma, and shape." an elderly made his appearance from the back of the lobby.


    When this elderly appeared, all the medicine boys went quiet as none of them dared to even breathe loudly.


    "Goodd. Since you already refined the pills, why bother to entertain the bystander''sment? I''m sure the kids already drooling while looking at the medication you refined for them." the elder smiled while he spoke. And in a sh step, he appeared beside Qian Lang and ced his two fingers on this unlucky fellow''s wrist.


    "I''m sure you won''t mind if I treat this kid on your behalf, correct?" the elder said while his face kept the smile at all times.


    "Junior would be in relief if the elder is willing to lend a hand in treating that senior brother." Qin Lan immediately replied. It seems that the elder already noticed that based on Qin Lan''s current ability, treating the other four was all he could do.


    "Good. Then this elder will leave the other brats to your care. The few of you, move him into my office and bring me some Detoxification Fruits." the elder vanished from the lobby after he finished his sentence.


    "Who is that elder? He''s also someone from the Medicinal Pavilion?" Qin Lan asked as he flicked the Refining Realm''s Common Antidote to Qian Shou and one of the trio. As for the other two, their symptoms were lighter and can be healed from taking between two to three dosages of the Healing Salve.


    Qin Lan continues refining six dosages of Healing Salve from three sets of Sweet Dragon Grass and Blood Mandrakes to avoid dying the treatment process. After doing what he had to do, Qin Lan casually left the building and returned to the building shared with Mang Jiu.


    Although Qin Lan had left, the impression he gave to the people still influenced them to work and study harder. A few of them also started to imitates what he was doing and tried their hand on the simple recipe Qin Lan used to create the Healing Salve.


    As for Qin Lan, he immediately took a deep breath after everything was settled down. He had something else that required his attention. Still, Qin Lan decided to postpone them until he properly consolidated his cultivation.


    For the next few days, except getting bothered by the few people from Qian Family Vige, Qin Lan''s day was peaceful as usual. It seems that after his recovery, Mang Jiu found a new way to earn some cultivating resources for himself.


    Thetter seems to have a hint of talent in copying what Qin Lan did and sessfully created the same effectiveness Healing Salve. And since it could rece the Blood Replenishing Pellet in many ways, it ended up bing quite a sought-after product amongst the disciples.


    Of course, Mang Jiu didn''t have the intention to swallow the profit all on his own. He initially decided to offer half of the profit he made to Qin Lan, but Qin Lan strictly rejected. After a few bouts of giving and rejection, the two finally settled down with an 8-2 rate.


    Mang Jiu would be taking the more significant portion as he contributes from gathering the material, making, and selling the products. As for Qin Lan, he''s taking the more minor part since he''s doing nothing.


    Without anything else to do except cultivating day and night, Qin Lan quickly achieved the first stage of Flesh Refining Realm after a week. Although his cultivating speed is neither too fast nor slow, it was still thanks to the Iron Flesh Pill he received from Elder Gongsun.


    Of course, a considerable amount of Iron Body Pill was also the reason behind the speed of his cultivation breakthrough.


    With the strength of the first stage in Flesh Refining Realm, he is now qualified to ept a task from the Mission Pavilion. Although he had no intention to take any mission, Qin Lan could still pay the pavilion a visit to see what kind of request they had there.


    Making his way to the Mission Pavilion, his path was filled with greeting from the disciple to where he felt annoyed. But he had no choice right now, as he could only continue to behave like the seeded disciple the outer disciples looked up to.


    After that day in the Medicinal Pavilion, almost everyone in the outer sect had heard about his name. Some of the disciples even came forward intending to take advantage of his "fame."


    Luckily, the people from Qian Family Vige had quite a steady reputation in this outer sect. Led by Qian Shou and Qian Rou, they offered to help Qin Lan move to a quieter house, changing to his preferable disciple robe, weapon, etc.


    Although what he had was seen as valuable equipment in other people''s eyes, they hold no significant value to Qin Lan. He could simply make something better if he tried.


    By the time he arrived at the Mission Pavilion, he was greeted by a building with a simr design, just like the Medicinal Pavilion. Butpared to thetter, this building had twice the number of disciples roaming around here.


    Even Qin Lan was surprised by the number of disciples the Iron Flesh Sect has. Only outside of this Mission Pavilion alone, over a thousand disciples are roaming all around, seeking a task suitable for themselves!


    ''Heavens... Do I have topete will all of them if I entered this sect using a proper channel?" Qin Lan gasped.


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==

 Chapter 277: Mission Pavilion

    Chapter 277: Mission Pavilion


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


    == == == == ==


    "Eh? Is that not our outer sect''s seeded disciple, Qin Lan?" a familiar voice came from behind Qin Lan while he was at his worst.


    "Don''t tell me it''s..." Qin Lan turned around swiftly to see Qian Shou and Qian Rou together behind him. Judging from their casual arrival, they must be here to check out on the mission board too.


    ''I''m saved!'' Qin Lan was about cry from the stress as two saviors appeared out of the blue to guide him. Although he''s not in a rush to pick up a mission or two, the overwhelming atmosphere here would suddenly shove him aside and created unnecessary pressure on him mentally.


    As someone who prefers silence over a noisy atmosphere, Qin Lan hates to be in the spotlight wherever he goes. Although he doesn''t despise being in the center of attention once in a while, too frequent wouldn''t be good for his mental health.


    "What brings seeded disciple Qin here today? Are you looking to take a mission or two to aplish?" Qian Rou asked. Being the more sociable between them, she''s always the first to speak to other people.


    Unknown to what reason, Qin Lan found that someone with Qian Rou''s attitude is tough to hate. In fact, he did enjoy her attentiveness when thetter helped in tailoring a distinct disciple robe for Qin Lan.


    "Well... I''m just here to have a look for now. But I have no idea there are so many people over here. Won''t it take us the whole day to check what mission is avable?" Qin Lan said. Of course, he would hide how overwhelmed he felt when he saw so many people outside of this Mission Pavilion.


    "Seeded disciple Qin, those outside here were menial task. We have to get inside the building to see what mission is avable to partake. Shall we go together while checking out what they have?" Qian Shou said.


    "Ah... No wonder there are so many people out there. It''s actually for the daily task in the sect." Qin Lan nodded.


    ''Good save, brother. Good!'' Qin Lan simply pped at Qian Shou''s back as he followed the two into the Mission Pavilion.


    As Qian Shou''s strength was not weak in this outer sect, everyone was giving him passage further towards the building unhindered. But this effect wouldn''t be that obvious if Qin Lan wasn''t with them.


    The moment those regr disciples saw Qin Lan, they immediately retreated three steps back without a qualm in their mind. It was unknown why everyone was behaving this way, but Qin Lan found it convenient for him.


    Without anyone blocking them on their way, the two stepped into the Mission Pavilion.


    The inside of the pavilion is less crowded ifparing to the outside. It was more organized as well because the way they categorized the mission was based on their needs.


    They''re divided into four main categories. Collection, Hunting, Profession, and Protection. They''re categorized is further divided into five different levels, starting from one to the highest five.


    This means the mission of level one is suitable for those in the first two stages of the Flesh Refining Realm. As for the highest level five, only those in the Peak of Flesh Refining Realm are qualified to challenge them.


    The three of them started their mission searching from the Collection Category. Although there''s a border separating the assignment based on its levels, they''re often overwhelmed by arge number of lower-level missions.


    But no matter how Qin Lan checked, he noticed no level five mission avable on the mission board. This made him unable to keep his curiosity, and he asked the two for some rifications.


    "Level five missions? These missions are usually tooplicated for outer disciples like us to tackle, so they''re in the elder''s possession. Once in a while, some Inner Sect disciples woulde over to collect a few requests from the elders." Qian Shou exined.


    "No wonder... And I thought there''s ack of level five missions." Qin Lan nodded and continued to look around.


    To his surprise, he found something quite attractive even to him here at the Hunting Category.


    *Zing!*


    Qin Lan pulled his sword out and back in a sh as the paper slowly descent along with the wind flow in the room. When the request finally came to his eye level, Qin Lan grabbed the note to look at its content.


    == == == == ==


    Level Two Hunting Request (Issued by: Material Pavilion)


    -


    Bring back seven horns from the Javelin Wolf.


    -- --


    Location: Hundred Poison Swamp


    Reward: One Flesh Tempering Pill for each horn. Ten pills will be paid for aplishing the request, and the request can be repeated. The horn must be in a pristine state.


    Difficulty: Javelin Wolf, First-Stage Flesh Refining Realm. Often found in a pack no less than ten.


    Expiry: None


    == == == == ==


    "Hmm... This is quite an exciting request. It seems that the request was made by the Material Pavilion. I wonder if they''re trying to get the Spiritual Qi Marrow hidden inside the horn." Qin Lan smiled. Since the mission had no expiry date, he might as well hold this request for now.


    His reason to show interest in this mission was no doubt because of the Spiritual Beast itself.


    "Did the seeded disciple found a mission that interests you?" Qian Shou and Qian Rou came to him after a while, and both of them had a mission paper on their hand as well.


    "Yes. I found something interesting. What about you two?" Qin Lan smiled during his reply.


    "I''m going to invite the trio toe with Rou-Er and me for this collection request. As for Rou-Er, she seems to be interested in another request." Qian Shou said. Out of respect, he shows both of their request papers to Qin Lan to take a look.


    From the look of it, it seems that their mission would be close to one another. Qian Shou''s request was to collect twenty Milky Essence Mandrake, and Qian Rou''s mission was to collect three Nectar Fruits.


    "What about... We go together?" Qin Lan suggested. He finds no qualm about the suggestion to go for a mission together.


    == == == == ==


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    == == == == ==

 Chapter 278: Entering Hundred Poison Swamp (1)

    Chapter 278: Entering Hundred Poison Swamp (1)


    == == == == ==


    [If you''re not reading this at W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L, that means the one you''re reading is likely pirated. Please support the author''s work if you enjoy what you''re reading in W-e-b-n-o-v-e-l. Thank you]


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    "After you, seeded disciple." the others were behaving restrictively while the six of them were on their way towards the Hundred Poison Swamp. Although he wasn''t too unfamiliar with these treatments, it was a little over the limit he could ept.


    "What was the name of the three of you again?" Qin Lan tried to remember their name but found it challenging to remember.


    "It''s alright, seeded disciple. I''m the eldest of the trio, Qian Da Niu. This one is my second brother, Qian Da Yang, and he''s Qian Da Gou. We''re blood-rted siblings, but we''re not born from the same mother." the eldest introduced themselves again to Qin Lan.


    The three had a simr appearance, bald head, and a pair of big goldfish-like eyes. Their height was about Qian Shou''s height and neither buffed nor boney.


    And their attitude was just like their name. The eldest was brave and foolish, and the second was timid and yful, while the youngest was fierce but all talk.


    "I''ll be able to remember you guys. But please, don''t treat me like I''m some spoiled young master. I''m also a fellow disciple like everyone inside the Iron Flesh Sect." Qin Lan said while carrying a smile on his face.


    Although it felt good to be called the seeded disciple wherever he went, the attention he attracted had more negativity than he thought. It seems that his cultivation was too low in the first ce, which made the people dissatisfied with him. Even the people that never had a conversation with him could carry a hint of disgust in their eyes when they meet.


    "But..." the three brothers looked at one another, feeling lost with what they had to do. Butpared to the others with a crafty mentality, these three brother''s attitude is more to his liking.


    "Just treat brother Qin like one of us, and it will be much morefortable that way, am I right?" Qian Shou interrupted their conversation after he felt he was responsible for speaking and mediating their awkwardness.


    "Then... Brother Qin." Qian Da Niu was the first one to adapt quickly to this change. But honestly speaking, it''s because he''s a single-minded organism. Compared to him, his two other brothers find it harder to adapt that quickly.


    But there''s evidently some improvement as Qin Lan no longer heard a word addressing him as "seeded disciple" on their way to the Hundred Poison Swamp.


    Their casual journey took them close to three hours to arrive at the entry point of the swamp. And as usual, this point was filled with merchants and people selling their wares, from pills to weapons and foods.


    There are even a few people that sell their navigation service around the Hundred Poison Swamp. A guide like this might be pricey, but the service is often worth the price they asked for. In a ce like this, what was most essential was to keep themselves alive.


    "Brother Qin, do you need to get anything else before we proceed?" Qian Shou asked.


    "Nothing. Let us get on our way and collect what we need in the swamp." Qin Lan''s confident look made Qian Shou suspect that this wasn''t his first timeing into the Hundred Poison Swamp. But it should be impossible because this location was guarded strictly by the overlord''s manor of this county.


    There was a rule where one has to be at least a first-stage Flesh Refining Realm to enter this Hundred Poison Swamp.


    This time, the group entered the swamp from its southwestern gate because it was the closest ce to where the Milky Essence Mandrake and Nectar Fruit grew. As for the Javelin Wolf in Qin Lan''s request, they can be encountered all over the swamp.


    Although this location was known as Hundred Poison Swamp, it was not surrounded entirely by muddy swamps. It was named this way because the core of this swamp is where the king of this swamp, the Obsidian Eyed Putrid Frog, built a nest.


    But to arrive at their first destination, where the Milky Essence Mandrake grows, the group would have to travel through a zone infested by various spiritual beasts.


    One of them was the gue Worm, which attacked indiscriminately as long it was a moving target. The spiritual beast itself was a weak monster, but the poison in its fangs and the spikes growing all around it was the dangerous part.


    Even after paying all their attention is dodging the attack, one of them eventually got poisoned by the arriving gue Wom in groups.


    The gue Worm is hardly worth the effort to kill them, but they cannot be ignored either. Due to this spiritual beast''s aggressive nature, they would no doubt create trouble when the group is on their way back afterpleting what their mission asked for.


    But that was because their group didn''t have a proper master, to begin with.


    Qin Lan seems to be preparing for something after the battle. But what was puzzling the group was Qin Lan is intended to use the gue Worm as the main ingredient for what he''s going to refine next.


    "Da Yang, Da Gou, don''t throw the corpse back into the water. Bring it over here." Qin Lan said before it was toote to stop them from disposing of the corpse.


    "Bring it over? What can we do with these trash corpses?" the second and third brother was puzzled by what Qin Lan just said. But since both of them weren''t skilled in alchemy, they could only keep guessing while bringing the gue Worm they killed back to Qin Lan''s position.


    "You guys might not know, but the flesh of the gue Worm can be eaten after processing them. As for their blood, they can be useful, depending on how you''re using it," said Qin Lan. Instead of speaking, he decided to show them what he could do with them.


    Qin Lan started with an incision around the neck to remove the head. The de was as sharp as his primary weapon when a hint of Pure Spiritual Energy was coating the dagger he took from his waist.


    He swiftly processed the gue Worm in a sh. But that was just the beginning. Qin Lan still needed to cook the meat to let them know about the most straightforward survival skill.


    == == == == ==


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