Chapter 137: Prototype Magical Treasure
"Senior, your noble character and wisdom are truly admirable."
Lan Chang'an's expression relaxed as he complimented.
It wasn't that he was dead set on getting the spoils of battle. He had paid a considerable price to kill Gao Cheng and couldn't just let it go without a word. At the very least, he had to play the pity card and try to get some compensation.
Cultivators at any level would act according to the situation.
If he feared the Fake-Dan Immortal and stayed silent, the other party might think him an easy target. They could either swallow the spoils whole or give a symbolic bit of compensation.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, even a Fake-Dan Immortal had to maintain some face.
Playing the pity card and staying silent often made a huge difference.
Hong Song Immortal did not immediately open the storage pouch but asked with a straight face:
"Other than this ringleader, are there any other remnants?"
"There are three more who have fallen at Wuqi Mountain. Two of them were killed by Herbalist Ye of Little Pill Peak using poison. According to Fellow Daoist Ye, there might be another critically injured key figure..."
Lan Chang'an answered truthfully, helping Flame Departing Palace capture the remnants, effectively clearing up potential future threats for himself as well.
He pointed out the direction Gao Cheng fled initially, suspecting that the injured person was in that direction, he had changed direction midway upon realizing Lan Chang'an was pursuing him.
"Very well, you did a good job."
Hong Song Immortal nodded, and turned to the elite Foundation Establishment cultivators of Flame Departing Palace behind him, transmitting his voice to explain the clues so that they could take action.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Those mid-to-late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators flew off.
Only Hong Song Immortal and Lan Chang'an remained.
...
Only then did Hong Song Immortal check the storage pouch and break the restriction.
His eyebrows raised slightly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, his expression much friendlier.
"Little friend Lan, how about we split the spoils fifty-fifty?"
"I have no objections, Senior."
Lan Chang'an was taken aback, somewhat surprised.
Although he had contributed the most in this battle, heavily wounding and repelling this rogue cultivator group's head, the final move was ultimately made by the Fake-Dan Immortal, and their levels and status were not equal.
To be able to split the spoils fifty-fifty showed that the other party had good character.
"However, I must clarify that a significant portion of the items in these storage pouches were looted from my fellow sect members and are stolen goods." Hong Song Immortal's tone changed as he explained.
"I must take these items back to Flame Departing Palace to give to their descendants or be handled by the sect."
"Our fifty-fifty split will exclude these items."
Upon hearing this, Lan Chang'an had no words to retort.
Moments ago, he thought he had come across a very conscientious and noble Fake-Dan Immortal. But now it was basically up to Hong Song Immortal to decide which portions of this bountiful loot constituted stolen goods belonging to Flame Departing Palace members and which could be distributed as spoils.
It went without saying that Hong Song Immortal would only take a part of these items back to account for the victims and explain to the superiors, and the rest would go into his pockets.
Lan Chang'an, who assisted in killing the main culprit, was credited greatly, and Hong Song Immortal openly shared "half the spoils."
For a Fake-Dan Immortal, this was already quite generous. When outsiders learn of it, they would praise him as fair and noble.
Moments later, Hong Song Immortal concentrated the spoils that could be fairly divided into one storage pouch.
"These spoils, we will each take half. Little friend Lan, you may choose one item first."
Hong Song Immortal opened the storage pouch and spoke forthrightly.
"Thank you for your generosity, Senior."
Lan Chang'an nodded and examined the spoils in the storage pouch.
Based on his rough estimation, the value of all the items in the bag was just slightly better than that of an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Lan Chang'an ignored the spirit stones, magical weapons, and pills. In the end, his gaze fell on a broken black-gold scimitar.
Even if this black-gold scimitar were intact, it appeared plain, like a roughly sketched piece of art yet to be finely carved.
"A prototype magical treasure." Lan Chang'an's heart was moved.
"Senior, may I choose this item?"
He pointed to the broken prototype magical treasure.
"Your cultivation is not yet at the late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm. A prototype magical treasure is not of much use to you now. After choosing this item you won't be able to take much of the other items in the storage pouch." Hong Song Immortal was slightly surprised and nodded in confirmation.
A Fake-Dan Immortal could already wield low-grade magical treasures. But a damaged prototype magical treasure had little attraction for a Fake-Dan Immortal from the Flame Departing Palace.
Hong Song Immortal didn't mention some details: this prototype magical treasure was significantly damaged and would be costly to repair. Additionally, its spirituality had greatly diminished, even for an Immortal, it would require a lot of effort to nurture it.
Rather than wasting so much effort, it would be more efficient to forge a new prototype magical treasure or buy one instead of repairing this.
Precisely because it was of little value, he included it in the distributable spoils. Unexpectedly, Lan Chang'an willingly picked the pit.
"This junior is not lacking in supreme-grade magical weapons. Even if this item is of no use to me in the future, I have two late Foundation Establishment friends in Jin Yun Valley who might need it someday." Lan Chang'an did not change his mind.
"Alright."
Hong Song Immortal said no more and handed the damaged prototype magical treasure to Lan Chang'an.
Lan Chang'an received very little from the remaining spoils in the storage pouch.
Overall, Lan Chang'an found his gains acceptable. He was not short of spirit stones and supreme-grade magical weapons and had little need for ordinary pills. Only high-end or rare resources attracted him greatly.
Additionally, the mysterious ultra-thin mask he obtained earlier had an extraordinary origin, likely worth more than a prototype magical treasure or even an ordinary magical treasure.
Just being able to deceive spiritual senses alone made it invaluable, not to mention this mysterious mask could also disguise its wearer and conceal their cultivation level.
Whoosh!
The sound of something breaking through the air was heard, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Flame Departing Palace returned.
"Uncle Hong Song, we found remnants of this robbers' gang in a cave ten li away. A seriously injured mid-stage Foundation Establishment female cultivator had already taken her own life when we arrived."
"Good job."
Hong Song Immortal smiled and glanced at Lan Chang'an:
"Little friend Lan, your clue was helpful. Would you like to go over to take a look?"
"Sure."
Lan Chang'an followed the Fake-Dan Immortal and the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Flame Departing Palace to the cave ten li away.
Inside the dim cave, a beautiful female corpse lay on an animal skin rug.
Lan Chang'an noticed that this female cultivator bore some resemblance to Zhuang Wenjing, who he had killed earlier, though she seemed older.
"Uncle Hong Song, we've identified the mastermind and key figures of this case." A scholarly man in a green robe reported.
"This group of robbers plans a heist every few years. The mastermind's real name is unknown. He used the alias 'Kong Mao' in the marketplace within the Liuyun Sect's territory, skilled in disguise and infiltrating target forces."
"From the female corpse's belongings and notes, she was the mastermind's dao partner. They also had a daughter, nominally the mastermind's disciple, but in fact, both mother and daughter served the same husband."
"This heist was intended to help the woman reach the late Foundation Establishment. Their daughter had outstanding qualifications, and even aimed to attain Fake-Dan..."
Lan Chang'an was stunned upon hearing this.
The thief, alias Gao Cheng or Kong Mao, had indeed gone to great lengths for these two women.
Of course, the mother and daughter were also core members and primary culprits of the group.
He had sensed that this person had only two or three decades of lifespan left, with no hope of forming a dan.
...
Half an hour later, Lan Chang'an led a few Flame Departing Palace cultivators to Wuqi Mountain to wrap up the case.
Hong Song Immortal left midway and did not participate in these minor details.
"How should I address this senior?"
On the way, Lan Chang'an took the initiative to introduce himself to the scholarly man in green robes.
This man had a scholarly temperament and an air of erudition.
"I am Song Wenshu, I don't deserve the title of a senior." The green-robed man smiled.
"I have heard of your renowned name, Fellow Daoist Lan, and I admire you greatly."
Song Wenshu was relatively young, with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation.
The late Foundation Establishment cultivators of Flame Departing Palace present all treated him politely, and looked up to him.
Lan Chang'an speculated that Song Wenshu likely had some background in the Flame Departing Palace, and he refrained from asking many questions as they had just met for the first time.
On that day, Lan Chang'an hosted Song Wenshu and other Flame Departing Palace cultivators at Wuqi Mountain, assisting them in wrapping up the case.
Ye Fei, still injured, underwent questioning and investigation.
When recounting the events, Lan Chang'an did not conceal the main points but slightly exaggerated the robbers' injuries.
Upon learning the entire incident, Song Wenshu held Lan Chang'an and Ye Fei in higher regard.
Admittedly, the rogue cultivators they faced were injured from the Fox Valley battle and not at their peak, which might seem like they had taken advantage of the situation. But for loose cultivators to be able to achieve this, luck, strength, and mind were indispensable.
Half a day later, the Flame Departing Palace cultivators left.
During this period, some of the spoils from Ye Fei's kill of the two gray-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators were reclaimed as "stolen goods" by the Flame Departing Palace disciples.
Having a "fairly trade" with the Fake-Dan Immortal, Lan Chang'an did not receive the same treatment.
...
At dusk, Lan Chang'an opened Zhuang Wenjing's storage pouch, finding its contents comparable to those of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
There were no particularly noteworthy items, except for some eye-catching sexy women's clothing.
Lan Chang'an reflected on the gains and losses of this battle against the rogue cultivators.
The mastermind was killed by the Fake-Dan Immortal, who took many spoils, which was certainly frustrating. But in doing so, the presence of the Fake-Dan Immortal overshadowed his own presence.
Through this event, he got to meet a Fake-Dan Immortal and Song Wenshu, who had a notable background.
In this battle, he revealed part of his strength, surpassing that of a typical mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It was mainly the second-rank puppet, which was a reflection of his financial strength.
At present, he appears on the surface to be a superior-grade first-rank puppet master, controlling second-rank puppets, which allows him to exert more power than ordinary cultivators, was reasonable.
"Revealing a certain degree of deterrence can reduce a lot of trouble."
Lan Chang'an was mentally prepared for this. When a late Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator attacked, he had to show something to protect himself.
Ye Fei, using terrain advantages, poisoned two Foundation Establishment cultivators, including a mid-Foundation Establishment one. This was a scary prospect for outsiders.
Poison techniques were inherently difficult to guard against, so naturally, people tended to be wary of it.
One could imagine that with an expert in using poisons in Wuqi Mountain, along with the financially strong and powerful Lan Chang'an, there would be a certain deterrence against outsiders.
This external deterrence could improve Wuqi Mountain's security, and benefit harmonious business dealings.
...
In the secret room, Lan Chang'an refocused and took out his two most significant gains from this trip.
The prototype magical treasure and the mysterious mask.
A prototype magical treasure was half a major level higher than a supreme-grade magical weapon, with lower usage conditions than a full magical treasure.
A late Foundation Establishment cultivator with strong mana could wield it but would find it very consuming and could not use it for long unless one had the foundation of Tuoba Jin from back then.
Otherwise, a prototype magical treasure could only serve as a trump card, unlike supreme-grade magical weapons that could be used more practically.
"Too bad it's not wood-attributed."
Lan Chang'an touched the broken black-gold scimitar.
A prototype magical treasure, which was considered the embryo of a magical treasure, was not as strong as a real magical treasure and was prone to damage in intense battles.
The most direct way to repair this damaged prototype magical treasure was to find an artifact refiner.
Alternatively, he could slowly add treasure materials himself and use Foundation Establishment spiritual fire to temper and repair it over a long period.
The spirituality lost in it, Lan Chang'an was prepared to slowly nurture it, which was exactly what the Evergreen Technique was good at.
"By the time I reach late-stage Foundation Establishment, this treasure should show considerable power."
Putting away the prototype magical treasure, Lan Chang'an took out the mysterious mask again.
The initial probing had shown this item to be quite extraordinary.
As his spiritual sense entered again, it was like entering a void.
As his spiritual sense grew stronger, an ancient and eerie aura transmitted.
As his spiritual sense delved deeper, some vague information and fragmented images flooded Lan Chang'an's consciousness, he couldn't help but put the mysterious mask on his face.
(End of chapter)