Chapter 56
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Chapter 56: Assassination
“Dear Taoist friend, please stay.”
On that day, as Lin Jiang walked out, he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
That single sentence sent chills down his spine.
Instead of stopping, he quickened his pace.
Dear Taoist friend, please stay.
Those words were terrifying.
“Taoist friend… Taoist friend…”
The person behind him called out a few more times before hastily catching up, blocking Lin Jiang’s path.
“Dear Taoist friend, may I ask what you need?”
“Dear Taoist friend, hello. I am Jiang Jingzhong, the landlord of Courtyard No. 18. I was wondering if you have met any of the residents there?”
“I come and go early and rarely see them. Is there something you need from them?”
Lin Jiang examined the man in front of him.
Jiang Jingzhong appeared to be in his thirties or forties—a rare overweight figure in the cultivation world.
His face was simple and honest… No, he looked wealthy.
“I am their landlord. They were supposed to pay rent two days ago, but they didn’t show up when I came yesterday.
Today, they’re still nowhere to be found. I’m getting worried.”
“Did you knock on their door?”
“I nearly knocked it down, but no one responded.
I don’t know if they ran away.
Oh, and there are rules in the city. Even if the rent is overdue for half a month, I can’t break into the house.
Maybe they’re just enjoying a half-month free stay.”
Jiang Jingzhong sighed in frustration.
In Yunzhong City, cultivators frequently entered seclusion, completely unaware of the outside world.
There was an incident where a landlord broke into a tenant’s house after the rent was due, only to find the tenant had been in deep cultivation.
The shock drove the tenant insane.
After that, the city established a rule—even if rent is overdue, landlords must wait half a month before forcibly reclaiming the property.
If, after half a month, the tenant still doesn’t appear, the landlord can break in and take back the house.
At that point, any losses incurred would be the tenant’s responsibility.
“Taoist Friend Jiang, having a house for rent in the city makes you quite a respectable person.
It’s only half a month—they can make up for it later.”
Lin Jiang spoke casually, but inwardly, waves of unease surged through his heart.
Thinking back carefully… there had been no movement next door for two days.
And Cao Yang had visited him three days ago.
Could it be that… Cao Yang wiped out the entire Liao family that night?
And Lin Jiang hadn’t even noticed?
Just how strong was Cao Yang?
“You say that, but being a landlord isn’t easy either. I rely on rent to support my three wives, eight concubines, and eighteen children. You see…”
“Ahem, my fellow Taoist, I have something to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang’s entire body shuddered.
What the hell?
There were show-offs even in Yunzhong City?
If you’re not treating me to a meal, why should I give you a chance to brag? I’m out of here!
“Hey, Taoist friend, don’t go yet! I haven’t even told you about my pet…”
Jiang Jingzhong called after him, feeling indignant.
How rude!
Not even waiting for me to finish speaking.
If I don’t get to the end, how will he know just how rich I am?
The Zhonghang Sect and the Cloud Sword Sect each occupied opposite ends of the Yunzhong Mountain Range.
As expected, the sects had secured the best locations for their mountain gates.
Meanwhile, the surrounding areas were home to their subordinate forces, which had intricate ties to the two major sects.
Most of these forces had been established by disciples from the sects.
The Nalan family was one of them.
At the entrance of the Nalan estate, Nalan De and several senior family members stood respectfully, seeing off Li Ruoxu and Wen Xing.
Li Ruoxu—the Pill King—was an unparalleled alchemist in Yun State.
Even the Zhonghang Sect treated him as an honored guest.
For the Nalan family, offending him was out of the question.
“Elder Nalan, no need to see us off. We’ll take our leave.”
At the gate, Li Ruoxu smiled, but Nalan De’s face twisted in frustration.
Earlier, Li Ruoxu had arrived at the Nalan family estate under the pretense of a friendly visit.
But in reality, he had brought Wen Xing along—the very man who had kidnapped Nalan women and stolen their treasures.
Recently, the Nalan family had even withdrawn the bounty on Wen Xing.
Nalan De had no choice.
Even the Soul Changing Ancestor of the Zhonghang Sect treated Li Ruoxu with utmost respect, all in hopes of obtaining his elixirs for Soul Changing.
“Since Senior Li has spoken, Nalan De will not trouble you any further.
If you have time in the future, please feel welcome to visit our Nalan estate.”
“Haha, I definitely will. Absolutely!”
Li Ruoxu laughed heartily, exchanged pleasantries, then departed with Wen Xing.
“How about it? Feel satisfied after today?”
On the road, Li Ruoxu chuckled at Wen Xing.
Normally, the Nalan family was a force to be reckoned with.
Nalan De was close to breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, positioning himself as a potential elder of the Zhonghang Sect.
Under normal circumstances, Li Ruoxu wouldn’t provoke such a powerful figure.
But for Wen Xing, he had deliberately come to mock them at their doorstep.
If not for Li Ruoxu’s reputation, they would have fought today.
“I feel better… but Yan’er is still missing, and we have no news of the Five Elements Golden Fruit.
The stain on my reputation remains.”
“I really don’t know what else to do. I’ve done everything I could, even offering a bounty.”
Li Ruoxu sighed.
They had been searching for Nalan Yan for a long time.
He had even called on numerous connections for help.
Yet, there was still no sign of her.
Deep down, they both knew the grim truth.
Nalan Yan was in great danger.
Although she was a genius of the Nalan family, she had no experience navigating the martial world.
To bandits, she was an easy target.
If she had been killed, they could have simply dumped her body into a valley.
No one would ever find her.
“I know I’ve been troubling Master. Let’s just let this go and move on.”
Wen Xing sighed.
He understood Li Ruoxu’s generosity, but he couldn’t take advantage of it forever.
It was time to let go.
“Good. Let’s settle your grievances in Yunzhong City, then return to focus on cultivation.
And after that, it’s time for you to marry Lian’er.”
Li Ruoxu’s true purpose in bringing Wen Xing back was to help him put an end to worldly affairs.
Once it was all resolved, he was expected to marry Li Ruoxu’s daughter, Li Lian’er, and inherit his legacy.
“Master said once I finish a few small tasks, I’ll leave with him.”
“What tasks?”
“I have a few old friends in Yunzhong Mountain Range—I want to visit them.”
“Old love interests again?”
“Master, a wise man never looks back. Those women were shallow and vain.
Back in Yunzhong City, I had a few friends who helped me when I was weak.
Now that I have the ability, I want to repay them.
They might prove useful in the future.”
“Alright. Do you want me to accompany you?”
“No need. The Yunzhong Mountain Range doesn’t have anyone in the Golden Core Period. Even an average Foundation Building cultivator won’t be a match for me.”
Wen Xing said. The spiritual veins in the Yunzhong Mountain Range are not very high. Those in the Golden Core Period don’t bother to live there. They mostly gather in Yunzhong City or outside the city.
It’s a gathering place for those in the Foundation Building and Qi Refining stages. With his current ability, as long as he doesn’t encounter multiple late-stage Foundation Building cultivators attacking him, he’ll be fine.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you in Yunzhong City. You have two days.”
Li Ruoxu nodded. He gave Wen Xing a lot of treasures and pills. Among the Foundation Building cultivators, there weren’t many who could threaten him.
The two of them parted ways. Li Ruoxu returned to Yunzhong City, while Wen Xing flew towards the middle section of the Yunzhong Mountain Range.
Along the way, he saw many cultivator caves.
Wen Xing looked at these caves and thought about his dream of occupying a piece of land here and marrying multiple wives to live a simple life.
“I can’t go back anymore.”
Wen Xing sighed at the end. The past is like smoke—he can’t go back. He surpassed Li Ruoxu, but not without a price.
For example, his average appearance and his daughter’s strong temper meant she would be his only woman in the future.
For the sake of one tree, he had given up the entire forest.
Wen Xing had already contacted his friend a few days ago. They had drinks in Yunzhong City and made plans for Wen Xing to visit his home. He also roughly knew the location.
“Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou, I’m here!”
After a while, Wen Xing arrived at a valley and called out loudly.
In no time, ripples appeared in the valley, and a halo materialized out of thin air. A big man walked out from within.
“Brother Wen, you’ve finally come. Come in quickly!”
“Haha, of course, I would come as promised. Brother Zhou, looks like you’re living a good life.”
Wen Xing walked into the valley, and the scenery here was completely different from the outside.
The whole valley was well-maintained, with patches of flowers and grass on the slopes. There were groups of bees collecting nectar, and on the flat ground of the valley, there were some spiritual rice paddies—though not many.
More of them were lower-grade spiritual herbs.
This is how independent cultivators at the bottom level survive. They try their best to make money and save resources.
They eat their own spiritual rice and sell the spiritual herbs and honey to exchange for cultivation resources. If it’s still not enough, they have to go out and work hard to earn more.
“These things aren’t worth much. It’s better for Brother Wen to refine a furnace of pills. By the way, Brother Wen, can you help me get a Foundation Building Pill?
The ones in Yunzhong City are too expensive. I’m already fifty-two years old this year. If I don’t make a breakthrough soon, I’m afraid I won’t have a chance.”
“The Foundation Building Pill is a second-grade top-quality elixir. I can’t refine it yet, and I don’t want to trouble my master too much.
But I promise to help you with this matter. I’ll ask my senior martial brother for help later, but you have to pay for the cost.”
Wen Xing said. He was quite skilled in alchemy, but he hadn’t reached the level of refining high-grade pills yet.
Li Ruoxu had more than one apprentice, including an older one.
“I’m really grateful to Brother Wen!
Mom, please bring out the food and fetch the good wine that I’ve hidden!”
The independent cultivator with the surname Zhou was overjoyed when he heard this and shouted loudly inside the house.
Soon, someone responded.
Outside the house, there was a stone table. A woman brought out a sumptuous meal, and Zhou, the independent cultivator, also took out his treasured spirit wine.
It wasn’t a top-quality spirit wine, but it was still quite delicious.
Wen Xing was very down-to-earth. The two of them sat down to eat and drink while reminiscing about their past experiences in Yunzhong City.
It was truly unbelievable that an independent cultivator like Zhou had managed to survive the pursuit of the Nalan family and even achieve the Foundation Building stage.
It was something that made others incredibly jealous.
This meal lasted for more than four hours. Wen Xing used magic to dispel the alcohol in his body, bid farewell, and mentioned that he had other friends to visit.
Zhou, the independent cultivator, didn’t insist on keeping Wen Xing but instead accompanied him to the valley’s exit.
Wen Xing left behind a storage bag as a gift for Zhou.
With Zhou watching reluctantly, Wen Xing mounted his flying sword and flew away.
After a while, he arrived at a cave more than ten miles away.
Wen Xing called out the names of a few friends, but all he received in return was a cold response.
