Chapter 128: Zhao Master and Disciple

"A hundred-year-old birthday?"

Lan Chang'an shook his head with a smile. He had no intention of widely inviting friends and relatives for a grand birthday banquet.

Reaching a hundred years old is a significant milestone for low-level cultivators. Many Qi-Refining cultivators don't live to see their hundredth year.

Various factors such as fighting for one's life during youth, failing to reach Foundation Establishment, etc. All these actions shortened one's overall lifespan.

Lan Chang'an guessed that Li Erqing's early mention of this was not just to maintain their friendship but also because he was planning a grand celebration for his own centennial birthday.

In the past, Li Erqing had a penchant for hosting lively banquets whenever he got married or had children.

Li Erqing was two years younger than Lan Chang'an. If the elder brother did not celebrate his centennial birthday, it would be inappropriate for the younger brother to outshine him.

Lan Chang'an replied to Li Erqing, explaining his situation and advising him not to worry about it.

For his centennial birthday, he planned to have a small private celebration in his cave mansion, rather than hosting a grand event.

Shortly afterward, Lan Chang'an received another letter from Jin Yun Valley.

"Oh? Zhao Siyao is seeking a Foundation Establishment Pill for her female disciple?" Lan Chang'an's interest was piqued.

When Lan Chang'an was undergoing Foundation Establishment in Huanglong Immortal City, Zhao Siyao had mentioned taking in a talented female disciple from her family's homeland.

This female disciple, named Zhao Tan'er, was two years younger than Mu Bingyun and had already reached the peak of the ninth layer of Qi-Refining three years ago.

As a high-grade spiritual root, Zhao Tan'er initially intended to attempt the Foundation Establishment without the pill, believing she had about a 40% chance of success. However, Zhao Siyao suggested waiting longer to be on the safer side.

In her letter, Zhao Siyao inquired if Lan Chang'an had any leftover materials from when he was planning for his Foundation Establishment Pill.

Zhao Siyao had gathered about half of the necessary materials, but still lacked a Xuanling Fruit or a special demon core, among other ingredients.

"Hmm? This is an opportunity."

Lan Chang'an had an idea, following the example of when the two pretended to collaborate in pill refinement.

"If we refine the Foundation Establishment Pill in Zhao Siyao's name, and I secretly provide the special demon core and other materials, it would be much safer."

This time, Zhao Siyao seeking the Foundation Establishment Pill for her disciple was reasonable and logical.

Zhao Siyao was trustworthy and could be relied on to keep the secret.

Zhao Siyao could provide some of the remaining materials, and in return, she would get one of the produced Foundation Establishment Pills.

Lan Chang'an had already gathered most of the materials for the pill, lacking only a few auxiliary herbs, one or two of which were quite rare.

This approach would save Lan Chang'an from searching for the remaining materials and reduce the risk.

With this in mind, Lan Chang'an wrote a letter to Zhao Siyao, informing her that he had some materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill and inviting her to come and collect them.

Given the confidentiality of the matter, it was unsuitable to discuss further details in a letter.

...

A few months later.

Two female cultivators in white arrived at Little Turtle Peak.

One of them, approximately twenty-five or twenty-six years old, had a graceful and elegant demeanor, her celestial robe fluttering as she moved with poise and composure.

The other young girl had eyebrows like jade feathers and lively eyes, her skin as white as snow, exuding an aura of lightness and vitality.

"Greetings, Uncle Lan." Zhao Tan'er, with teeth like pearls, greeted crisply.

"Mm, a good seedling." Lan Chang'an nodded approvingly.

This girl's talent was even better than Zhao Siyao's and comparable to his own in his previous life.

In Zhao Tan'er, Lan Chang'an saw some traces of Zhao Siyao's youth. In terms of personality, Zhao Tan'er was more lively and less aloof.

Within less than half an hour of arriving at Little Turtle Peak, Zhao Tan'er had already become familiar with Guan Qiaozhi and Mu Bingyun and was playing with the Profound Water Turtle by the pond.

Inside the cave mansion, Lan Chang'an and Zhao Siyao spoke privately.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, here is your puppet." Lan Chang'an handed back a completely intact turtle puppet to Zhao Siyao.

Two years ago, Zhao Siyao encountered danger in the secret realm, leaving her turtle puppet severely damaged. She sold her valuable materials at half their price at that time, so Lan Chang'an later promised to repair the puppet free of cost.

"Fellow Daoist Lan has gone to great lengths."

Zhao Siyao stored away the puppet, and found that not only had it been meticulously repaired, its quality had also been upgraded to near mid second-rank, with even stronger defensive capabilities.

They chatted briefly before Zhao Siyao brought up her plans for this trip: "After purchasing the remaining materials from you, Fellow Daoist Lan, I intend to take my disciple to Huanglong Immortal City for some training in the Black Fog Mountain Range. If we can obtain a special demon core, it would be even better."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, are you really willing to let such a good seedling take risks?" Lan Chang'an couldn't help but laugh.

High-grade spiritual root cultivators, as members of a sect and having the elders to take care of them, didn't need to take such risks.

Special demon cores were not easy to come by. Back then, Lan Chang'an and Zhao Siyao, along with the second-rank rat demon, had been lucky and faced many dangers to obtain one.

"This isn't my idea." Zhao Siyao smiled, "Tan'er, after hearing about my past experiences in the Black Fog Mountain Range and how her Uncle Lan dared to participate in hunting second-rank demonic beasts while at the peak of Qi-Refining, was quite mesmerized and wanted to follow suit."

"Ambitious," Lan Chang'an praised.

"When the time comes, I'll let her control the puppet. As long as we don't go too deep, it shouldn't be a problem," Zhao Siyao said, outlining her plan.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, perhaps you don't need to go to the Black Fog Mountain Range..." Lan Chang'an suggested using a voice transmission, mentioning the idea of cooperating to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Siyao was initially surprised, but her eyes quickly lit up before she regained her composure.

Regarding the special demon core, Lan Chang'an claimed it was a stolen good purchased from the black market and asked her to keep it secret.

They would use Zhao Siyao's name for the pill refinement. With her intelligence, Zhao Siyao naturally understood the complexity of the situation.

After the battle in the Black Fog Mountain Range back then, coupled with advancing to Foundation Establishment at an elderly age, she knew that Lan Chang'an was not an ordinary cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, who do you plan to hire for the alchemy? I've heard that alchemist Lin on Wuqi Mountain has good skills," Zhao Siyao inquired.

Lan Chang'an didn't answer directly but instead asked:

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you should also know some alchemists, right?"

"In Jin Yun Valley, there's a second-rank superior-grade alchemist who has a good relationship with me. I can ask him to help privately," Zhao Siyao said.

Unlike in the past, after spending decades in the Foundation Establishment, Zhao Siyao counted as a senior among the elders in Jin Yun Valley, and she had built up a respectable network of connections over the years.

The alchemist she knew was adept at making Foundation Establishment Pills and could usually produce three pills in one batch.

"Wouldn't asking him for help violate sect rules?"

Zhao Siyao replied, "As long as the main ingredients and auxiliary materials are not sourced through the sect, it's not considered a violation."

"That's good."

They discussed some more details. Unexpectedly, Zhao Siyao still intended to take her disciple to the Black Fog Mountain Range.

After a few months of training, they would return to collect the materials from Lan Chang'an.

Lan Chang'an understood that Zhao Siyao's plan was not only to temper her disciple but also to create a cover for him, providing a plausible source for the special demon core.

Half a day later, Zhao Siyao and her disciple left Little Turtle Peak.

Zhao Tan'er was a bit reluctant to part, waved goodbye to the Profound Water Turtle and the two girls, Guan Qiaozhi and Mu Bingyun.

...

Half a year later.

Zhao Siyao returned with her disciple from training and stopped by Little Turtle Peak again.

During this trip, Zhao Siyao didn't obtain a special demon core from the Black Fog Mountain Range. They had only acted in the outer areas, killing a not-so-powerful second-rank demonic beast.

Since they didn't lack a special demon core, there was no need for her to take risks, and a bit of training sufficed for polishing her disciple.

This time, Zhao Siyao brought some information:

"Fellow Daoist Lan, on this trip to the Black Fog Mountain Range, we noticed an unusual increase in demonic beasts in the outer regions. Some inner mountain beast groups have migrated to the outer areas. In a few years, this might lead to a small beast tide."

"A small beast tide?"

Given the distance between Wuqi Mountain, where Lan Chang'an resided, and the Black Fog Mountain Range, there was no immediate concern.

For him, this wasn't necessarily bad news.

If a beast tide occurred, the sects in the cultivation world of Liang and the forces near the Black Fog Mountain Range would organize defenses and kill the beasts.

The more demonic beasts hunted, the lower the price of talisman materials, making it easier to purchase high-quality materials.

The price of ordinary talismans might drop slightly, but Lan Chang'an focused on high-end products.

Moreover, with his long lifespan, he could stockpile some medium to high-quality materials during the low-price period to ensure stable long-term profits.

Before parting, Lan Chang'an handed over the Foundation Establishment Pill materials, including the special demon core, to Zhao Siyao. He did not accompany her to Jin Yun Valley.

Having chosen to trust her, he entrusted Zhao Siyao with the entire matter.

Aside from believing in Zhao Siyao's integrity, these Foundation Establishment Pill materials were windfalls that fell unexpectedly into his lap. Even if he lost them, the impact wouldn't be significant.

...

Half a month later.

Lan Chang'an noticed that Mu Bingyun seemed anxious lately, occasionally appearing distracted. During one preparatory task for talisman drawing, she made a small mistake as well.

In the pavilion by the lotus pond.

Mu Bingyun brought tea, and Lan Chang'an invited her to sit and talk for a bit.

At Little Turtle Peak, Mu Bingyun was essentially a hired hand.

By assisting with talisman-making, occasionally acting as a maid, and managing the mountain's affairs, she earned the right to cultivate here and occasionally received guidance from Lan Chang'an.

"Uncle Lan, I want to go out for training and seek opportunities for Foundation Establishment." Mu Bingyun sat cautiously, her slender hands clutching the folds of her skirt.

"Is this influenced by Zhao Fairy and her disciple?"

"Bingyun was indeed inspired by them, but the main reason is related to Feiyue Lake..." Mu Bingyun's gentle features were marked with worry and unease.

"Feiyue Lake?" Lan Chang'an pondered.

Over the years, the faction to which Li Erqing belonged within the Mu Family had grown increasingly powerful.

The influence and authority of the old faction, to which Mu Bingyun's family belonged, were on the verge of being surpassed by Li Erqing's new lineage.

If no one from the old lineage reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, perhaps the surname of the Feiyue Lake's Mu Family would really be renamed to Li in the future. Even if they maintained their surname, most likely all power would eventually rest in the hands of Li Erqing's descendants.

Mu Bingyun had reached a bottleneck in both her cultivation, which had been at the peak of Qi-Refining for several years, and her talisman-making skills, moving from first to second rank represented a significant leap that was greatly hindered by cultivation level.

"Regardless of whether it's Foundation Establishment or becoming a second-rank talisman master, you must not rush. If you wish to go out for training, Uncle Lan won't stop you, but I have some advice." Lan Chang'an spoke calmly.

"Please continue, Uncle Lan."

"Your combat ability is insufficient. Remember the time you were ambushed at Feiyue Lake?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Bingyun's eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head in silence.

"If you wish to go out for training, you should at least be able to defeat the two first-rank superior-grade puppets guarding the mountain, or last a hundred breaths against the Earth Burrowing Rat when it's suppressed to the late first-rank."

Lan Chang'an didn't want to lose the patient he nurtured for many years to the dangers outside. If such a thing happened, he wouldn't be in a happy mood. Thus, he provided this suggestion.

"Uncle Lan, I'll follow your advice." Although Mu Bingyun was in a hurry, she also knew her own weight.

In the following days, a young woman in a green dress could often be seen battling puppets or the Earth Burrowing Rat on Little Turtle Peak, who was unwavering despite failing miserably time and time again.

Watching the stubborn and graceful figure, Lan Chang'an mused: with Mu Xiuyun's savings for her disciple and the old Mu Family faction's support, it would definitely be no problem to gather the spirit stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill.

...

Two months later, Zhao Siyao returned to Little Turtle Peak.

Inside the cave mansion, she solemnly handed a jade bottle to Lan Chang'an.

Opening the bottle, Lan Chang'an found two crystal-colored Foundation Establishment Pills inside.

(End of chapter)