Chapter 107: Capturing by Letting Go

The two had many common viewpoints. The only difference lay in their views on continuing their bloodline.

Lan Chang'an, being a person with a long lifespan with the possibility of reincarnation, did not care about this. Unless he became immensely powerful, reaching the peak of a world, he wouldn't consider it.

But for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, with slim chances of forming a core and limited lifespan, they considered bloodline continuation important.

Therefore, Lan Chang'an made it clear in advance.

Shi Manrong's gaze was serene as she looked at the indifferent and elegant man in white.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, you are so straightforward that it is disappointing!"

She lightly bit her red lips and said angrily:

"Are you truly content to take advantage of me without any hint of compassion?"

Lan Chang'an thought to himself, isn't this a mutual agreement? Who is taking advantage of whom?

In his eyes, Fairy Shi was a solitary female cultivator who did not wish to find a Dao companion, someone with whom he could converse amicably and reciprocate mutual affection, thus alleviating feelings of loneliness temporarily.

There was no discussion of romantic attachment or Dao companion, nor any entanglement between them.

This was the only reason why Lan Chang'an did not refuse. Of course, it helped that it was a beautiful female cultivator he somewhat appreciated and was compatible with.

"I'll go check on Qiaozhi."

Lan Chang'an didn't mind and got up.

Shi Manrong stared at him, smiling brightly, her face as radiant as the morning glow.

She took light steps and hugged Lan Chang'an from behind.

Her voice was soft and charming: "Fellow Daoist Lan, you're overthinking it. I still have a long life ahead and haven't thought about having offspring so soon."

Lan Chang'an's body tensed slightly, feeling the voluptuous curves of the beauty.

Shi Manrong didn't know how dangerous her action was at that moment. The man she hugged had a physique comparable to a mid second-rank demon beast. If Lan Chang'an reacted too violently, this delicate body pressed close to him might shatter instantly.

...

"Fellow Daoist Lan, your words just now were quite hurtful." Shi Manrong, looking pitiful, hooked his arm and slowly leaned her head against him.

Lan Chang'an smelled the rich fragrance of night-blooming jasmine. Then, he felt a slight warmth on his cheek as Fairy Shi kissed him lightly like a dragonfly touching water. Unconsciously, Lan Chang'an held Fairy Shi in his arms, getting closer to each other.

The moon outside the cave mansion was momentarily covered by dark clouds.

After a cup of tea's time.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, there will be many more opportunities; please stop now."

Shi Manrong seemed to gasp for breath after being smothered, letting out a long, fragrant sigh, her face flushed with enticing allure. At this moment, her hair was disheveled, her dress was in disarray.

A slightly raised leg had a shoe slipped off, revealing a jade foot wrapped in white silk stockings.

"You were the one being proactive, and now you're telling me to stop?" Lan Chang'an silently cursed to himself, the palm that slid lower on the beauty's waist was shoved away. With his strength, restraining her would have been effortless.

But Lan Chang'an sought mutual consent, good beginnings, and good endings, never forcing a woman's will.

Shi Manrong bent down to put on her embroidered shoe, her graceful curves showing.

She tidied her dress and hair, returning to her dignified and elegant appearance, giving Lan Chang'an an apologetic smile.

"I'll make some sobering tea."

"Mm."

Lan Chang'an understood now.

He had to admit, Fairy Shi was very good at the art of 'capturing by letting go,' giving a little sweetness, then keeping a distance.

Today, she didn't plan to give in fully.

It had nothing to do with his disappointing words earlier.

Previously, Shi Manrong sat on his lap and then left on some pretext, it was all part of creating the suspenseful allure of fleeting beauty, instilling in him a sense of urgency.

Such tactics, like baiting fish, indeed easily hooked men's appetites. As long as their status wasn't too lofty, most male cultivators would be manipulated easily.

Unfortunately, Lan Chang'an wasn't an ordinary person. In his long cultivation career, even if he spent a few years fawning over Fairy Shi, it would just be a minor episode in his lengthy life.

...

Lan Chang'an drank a sip of spiritual tea calmly.

Then he went to the adjacent room and picked up the sleeping Guan Qiaozhi.

"Fairy Shi, thank you for your hospitality today."

Lan Chang'an took his leave.

Shi Manrong watched his back, a hint of surprise flashing in her clear eyes, then fell into thought.

"Lan Chang'an is not only indifferent to love between men and women and can also control himself." Shi Manrong knew that with her previous tactics, an ordinary man would have been impatient.

They would either reveal their true feelings and offer incentives, or resort to crude coercion, both methods ultimately leading to disappointment if unsuccessful

This showed that Lan Chang'an's temperament and character were different from ordinary men.

...

The next morning.

Guan Qiaozhi woke up early to attend to Lan Chang'an's daily needs.

"Senior Brother Lan, you and Sister Shi make a good match, both Foundation Establishment cultivators with second-rank skills. You can support each other on the path to the Dao." Guan Qiaozhi's eyes were slightly red, hesitating for a long time before speaking.

"Sister Shi can be your official Dao companion, and I can be your concubine or maid, as long as I can stay." Guan Qiaozhi wasn't a fool; she had some guesses about what had happened last night when she was asleep drunk.

Lan Chang'an was dumbfounded, comforting her:

"I won't marry a wife or form a Dao companionship. Even if I had the idea, your priority would be higher than hers." Lan Chang'an was dumbfounded, and comforted her.

"Really?"

Guan Qiaozhi's eyes brightened with unexpected joy.

Lan Chang'an nodded affirmatively.

Guan Qiaozhi was entrusted by Master Guan, and she had served him diligently for many years, helping him with talisman making and managing the cave mansion.

She could be considered someone close at hand whom he trusted implicitly. How could a possible fleeting romance with Shi Manrong compare?

Lan Chang'an resumed his routine cultivation.

Guan Qiaozhi went outside the cave mansion to tend to the flowers and plants, directing two spirit pets to work.

Half an hour later.

Shi Manrong visited, dressed in a lotus leaf long skirt, looking fresh and noble.

Lan Chang'an finished his cultivation and walked out of the cave mansion.

At the pavilion by the pond, the two sat down and chatted.

"I spent the entire night tossing and turning." Shi Manrong sighed softly, her face indeed showing a bit of fatigue.

"Fairy Shi, do you have something on your mind?" Lan Chang'an remained calm. Shi Manrong's actions last night must have been done with a request in mind.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, it was rude of me last night. Could you let me stay at your mansion for a few nights to make amends?"

Shi Manrong's gaze was gentle, her voice pleading.

Staying at his mansion for a few nights? Lan Chang'an instantly understood her intention. Wishful thinking!

"To avoid suspicion, I don't let female cultivators stay overnight, especially beauties like Fairy Shi."

Lan Chang'an refused.

"Can I come during the day?"

"No."

"You... are really heartless."

Shi Manrong took a deep breath, speaking with resentment.

Recalling last night, Lan Chang'an was so close to her, entwined together for a long time, taking advantage of her quite thoroughly...

Today, however, when it came to the formation, he was unyielding.

"Fairy Shi, is my mansion's formation really that important to you?"

Lan Chang'an was puzzled and couldn't understand.

The formation, derived from an ancient third-rank formation, was at most strong among second-rank formations.

For a formation genius like Shi Manrong, while attractive, it couldn't be so captivating as to warrant such obsessive infatuation.

Due to personal safety and privacy, he couldn't let her study it.

When Lan Chang'an reached mid Foundation Establishment and his treasure talismans were nurtured for many years more, the formation's importance would diminish.

"That formation relates to a bottleneck I face in formation Dao."

Shi Manrong explained with an elegant smile.

Lan Chang'an was skeptical; the reason seemed far-fetched. He had some knowledge of the formation Dao.

...

In the following months.

On Little Turtle Peak, several puppets appeared, all mid to low-grade first-rank.

Guan Qiaozhi controlled the puppets, making work easier and faster on the mountain.

At this time, Lan Chang'an had studied the puppet inheritance for nearly ten years, his skills had reached superior-grade first-rank.

He proceeded with caution, only revealing his abilities gradually.

Mid to low-grade first-rank puppets had weak combat power but were attractive to nearby wandering cultivators if priced reasonably. Additionally, they could be bundled with second-rank talismans for sale, covering costs while generating some profit.

Second-rank talismans were scarce; Little Turtle Peak had high demand and limited supply. After all, he was the only one making talismans, so the quantity had to be reasonable and not excessively high.

"At this rate, within twenty years, my puppet skills could reach second rank."

Lan Chang'an's talent in puppetry might even surpass his talisman skills. His powerful spiritual sense, nearly at the late Foundation Establishment, added significantly to this.

Lan Chang'an had refined three superior-grade first-rank puppets, but they were already useless for his current cultivation and physical strength. So he left them to Guan Qiaozhi for self-defense.

...

On one particular day, Zhang Tieshan visited Lan Chang'an to borrow some spirit stones for Lin Lu's Foundation Establishment.

Lan Chang'an produced two hundred spirit stones and some other materials necessary for Foundation Establishment, totaling five hundred spirit stones.

The five hundred spirit stones lent were indeed risky.

If Lin Lu successfully reached Foundation Establishment, repaying the debt would be no issue.

However, if his attempt failed, he would sustain massive damage to his vital energy and rack up staggering amounts of debt. Even if he wished to repay it afterward, it would take many years. In the worst-case scenario, should he unfortunately perish during the process, the debt would be lost forever.

Although the Foundation Establishment Pill could strengthen the meridians around the dantian region, it only greatly reduced the risk by no means eliminating it entirely. If the aspirant experienced qi deviation or forcefully attempted to break through, there was still a chance they might perish.

Old age increased the risk due to the body's natural decline. Fortunately, Lin Lu had yet to reach sixty, so as long as he didn't invite disaster upon himself, the likelihood of him perishing was relatively low.

"Brother Zhang, what methods can I use to acquire third-rank spirit wood?" Lan Chang'an asked casually.

Zhang Tieshan's response came with new information: Other than Qingzhu Sect, places like Wangyue Immortal City, the Green Underworld Mysterious Realm, and other regions also yielded stable supplies of third-rank spirit wood.

Wangyue Immortal City lay on the border of Liang and was a major trade center among several neighboring countries.

There was a collection of Core Formation Immortals there, and even traces of Nascent Soul experts could be seen occasionally.

The journey to Wangyue Immortal City was long, and the surrounding areas were home to formidable rogue cultivators with terrifying strength.

The Green Underworld Mysterious Realm was a secret realm within the cultivation world of Liang, opening once every fifty years. The secret realm maintains the original appearance of the ancient past and contains many precious materials, including the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills and Life Extension Pills.

In addition to opportunities for late Foundation Establishment breakthroughs, the Green Underworld Mysterious Realm also housed numerous Core Formation-level spirit objects. Third-rank spirit wood had been known to flow out from this realm many times.

Only those below the rank of an Immortal could enter the Green Underworld Mysterious Realm, and the next opening would not be for another decade or more.

"Wangyue Immortal City has Core Formation and Nascent Soul Immortals. If something should go wrong, my fate will no longer be mine to control."

"The Green Underworld Mysterious Realm requires Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter and fight each other, it's unsuitable for me." For now, Lan Chang'an temporarily abandoned these two options.

...

Half a year later at Wuqi Mountain.

Lan Chang'an turned eighty-one and entered his octogenarian years.

The Huanglong Immortal City hosted another large auction.

This time, Lan Chang'an disguised himself as one of the mysterious attendees, participating in the auction under this persona, fearing that purchasing multiple second-rank Life Extension Pills and second-rank superior-grade spirit wood would raise suspicion.

Fortunately for Lan Chang'an, he was able to acquire both a second-rank Life Extension Pill and second-rank superior-grade spirit wood during this auction.

Unfortunately, however, he had very few spirit stones remaining, forcing him to sell some talismans.

The second-rank spirit wood he acquired possessed slightly inferior spirituality but was several times thicker than Golden Nan Spirit Bamboo.

Lan Chang'an estimated that even if the lower spirituality reduced the success rate by a bit, it should still be sufficient to craft five or six treasure talisman prototypes.

As for third-rank spirit wood, there were no new developments from the Huanglong Immortal City.

Lan Chang'an wrote a letter to Qingzhu Sect, asking old Chen Fuhai about the situation.

(End of chapter)