Chapter 161: A Quick Escape

Coming from a Fake-Dan Immortal, Lan Chang'an couldn't refuse after such an invitation and took a seat next to Xiang Jinglong.

Xiang Jinglong evidently did not recognize that the "Junior Brother Cheng" who had severely screwed him over earlier was actually the Lan Chang'an sitting before him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so polite and cordial.

The three peak masters accompanied Xiang Jinglong to the banquet, and the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed.

This uninvited guest did not seem to come with the intention of using force but gradually revealed the purpose of his visit.

Xiang Jinglong's sharp eyes occasionally glanced at Fairy Shi, showing some interest. The latter maintained politeness and distance, neither warm nor cold.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, I heard you're a second-rank superior-grade talisman master. Talents like you are rare across the Liang Kingdom," Xiang Jinglong complimented as he looked at Lan Chang'an.

"Xiang Immortal flatters me. I only barely qualified in the past two years," Lan Chang'an replied modestly.

"Ah, in the past couple of years, the prices of talisman materials have noticeably increased. High-quality talismans are hard to come by, so I imagine Fellow Daoist Lan must be making quite a profit," Xiang Jinglong remarked, revealing a hint of his true intentions.

Hearing this, Lan Chang'an felt as though Xiang Jinglong was finally getting to the point.

"I'm trying to purchase some high-quality talismans for my juniors, but they're incredibly scarce. I assume you have some stock, little friend Lan. Would you be willing to sell some?" Xiang Jinglong's tone was friendly, accompanied by a smile.

"How many talismans does Xiang Immortal want? What grade are you looking for?" Lan Chang'an asked calmly.

Not far away, Ye Fei glanced at him, his eyes filled with bitterness.

Lan Chang'an understood the look well.

Xiang Jinglong had previously received free healing at Little Pill Peak, taking many precious medicinal herbs without paying. Now, calling over Lan Chang'an and Fairy Shi as well, he wanted to enjoy a full course of free food, free gifts, and free company—all without paying a dime.

"Not too many—about a hundred second-rank mid-grade talismans would be ideal. Even a few dozen would suffice," Xiang Jinglong grinned, revealing his white teeth.

Lan Chang'an thought to himself that this man had quite the appetite, though it seemed like he was just throwing out an outrageous demand to have leeway to negotiate later.

Lan Chang'an could roughly guess what was going on in Xiang Jinglong's mind.

During the Huanglong Mountain battle, he had gained nothing from his gamble, was severely injured, and even lost some healing medicine. After a few years of planning for Fake-Dan, and purchasing a magical treasure, his funds were tight.

Passing by Wuqi Mountain, he wanted to make up for his "losses" and lift his spirits.

If it were any other two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would have no choice but to pay up and consider it a protection fee.

"Xiang Immortal, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I already sold all my second-rank talismans a year ago to Miss Shen of the Tengxing Merchant Association," Lan Chang'an replied, feigning helplessness.

"There really aren't any?" Xiang Jinglong's sharp gaze bore into him.

Though he didn't exert spiritual pressure, the invisible psychological pressure was evident.

He knew Lan Chang'an was making excuses. As a second-rank superior-grade talisman master, it was certain he'd keep some good stock for personal use.

"None," Lan Chang'an firmly stated. "Several of my sect friends have the same need, and there's no stock in the short term."

"A year ago, Miss Shen from the Tengxing Merchant Association indeed came to Wuqi Mountain to sweep through our goods, leaving even my formations with no stock," Fairy Shi timely added, explaining the situation.

"That Miss Shen certainly ruined things for me," Xiang Jinglong's expression turned unpleasant, his tone cold as he tapped his wine cup lightly against the table, producing a crisp sound.

Ye Fei's eyelids twitched.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong exchanged a glance, neither showing any panic.

Before coming, Shi Manrong had mentioned that if Xiang Jinglong resorted to force, she had the means to hold him off for a while. In Wuqi Mountain, as long as they retreated to Little Pan Peak, they could use the formations to fend off a Fake-Dan Immortal.

If Lan Chang'an also had some methods, there was no need to fear excessively.

Xiang Jinglong wasn't the type to flagrantly violate rules like a demonic cultivator. The likelihood of him acting openly was low.

The three peak masters of Wuqi Mountain were no pushovers.

Two of them had significant reputations and connections, with many loose cultivators dependent on the mountain.

A Fake-Dan Immortal, alone and injured, couldn't kill everyone to keep secrets, not unless Xiang Jinglong was unafraid of being hunted by the sects and living in the shadows for the rest of his life.

...

Xiang Jinglong's gaze swept over Fairy Shi and Lan Chang'an, confirming their firm stance and lack of intention to concede.

"Fine, I'll take it up with Miss Shen from Tengxing Merchant Association later," he said with a forced laugh, sighing and showing no further signs of pressure.

Lan Chang'an inwardly chuckled, having anticipated Xiang Jinglong's moves.

It had been just over ten days since Fu Xuemei formed her Core, and Xiang Jinglong's injuries had not yet fully healed.

His main goal was to heal and gather medicine to speed up his recovery, and he likely didn't want to create additional problems. At most, he would try to extort some benefits, but if that failed, he'd leave it at that without any losses.

As long as he didn't go too far, the various powers wouldn't easily hunt down a Fake-Dan Immortal.

The banquet atmosphere soon returned to normal.

Ye Fei's gaze carried a hint of resentment. It was clear now that he had been the one who suffered the most.

Earlier, Xiang Jinglong had scared him into handing over all sorts of precious medicines and even letting his beautiful concubines and maid serve him for free.

"Xiang Immortal, you mentioned earlier that you participated in the attack on Huanglong Mountain. What's the current situation in Huanglong Immortal City? How long will the conflict last?" Lan Chang'an asked after toasting a cup of wine, probing for information.

The stability of the surrounding regions was directly related to the livelihood of Wuqi Mountain's craftsmen.

"Ah, heroes from all sides gathered, and they nearly destroyed Huanglong Mountain completely," Xiang Jinglong lamented after downing a cup of spirit wine.

"After the battle at Huanglong Mountain, the situation in the Immortal City stabilized once the Core Formation cultivators ceased hostilities. Several Core Formation experts reached an agreement, and whether Fu Xuemei can successfully form a Core will determine if Huanglong Mountain's lineage can continue to control Huanglong Immortal City..."

"Even if Fu Xuemei barely succeeded in forming her Core, the decline of Huanglong Mountain will be hard to reverse," Xiang Jinglong added with a confident smile.

"Why is that?" Ye Fei asked, intrigued.

"First, during the recent battle, Huanglong Immortal consumed a secret medicine, overextending his life force at a great cost. It's likely he has shortened his lifespan by a significant amount again. We Fake-Dan cultivators estimate that his lifespan is less than ten years, but not more than twenty years."

"Second, Fu Xuemei's Core formation quality is among the poorer ones among True Dan, and even though she is a genius with an earth spirit root, her progress in Core Formation cultivation will not be smooth," Xiang Jinglong, as a Fake-Dan Immortal, revealed some key information.

...

The next morning, the air was cool.

Xiang Jinglong had already left Wuqi Mountain without a trace.

"That guy enjoyed a free meal and made a quick getaway," Lan Chang'an remarked as he stepped out of his cave and glanced in a certain direction.

Only he knew the exact time Xiang Jinglong had left Wuqi Mountain.

Lan Chang'an had considered ambushing the injured Xiang Jinglong on the way, using talisman treasures together with his magic treasure prototype, he estimated at least a seventy percent chance of success.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

He already had the Crystal Condensation Pill and could continue his cultivation steadily step-by-step. There was no need to create unnecessary complications.

More importantly, he had no real enmity with Xiang Jinglong.

When Xiang Jinglong had formed his Core, he had at least given Lan Chang'an a few mid-grade spirit stones as a token.

"Hmm, he's really gone..."

That day, Lan Chang'an occasionally closed his eyes, his mind merging with the Nine Seal Stele's second life, enhancing his senses to confirm that no one was secretly spying on him.

...

A month later, Lan Chang'an turned 120 years old.

By this time, the situation in Huanglong Immortal City had fully stabilized.

Fu Xuemei successfully formed her Core and returned to Huanglong Mountain. With the support of her master, Huanglong Immortal, she began taking control of Huanglong Mountain's authority.

Through Zheng Centipede, Lan Chang'an obtained some insider information.

After the battle, the Huanglong Immortal's faction had to give up some benefits and influence.

Hengchuan Merchant Association and Flame Departing Hall's industries rooted themselves deeper in Huanglong Immortal City or expanded their scale.

Fake-Dan forces like the Mo Family, who participated, only gained a small portion of the benefits, barely enough to cover their efforts.

"As long as the situation is stable."

At this stage, Lan Chang'an craved peaceful days for cultivation.

Given enough time, he could smoothly advance to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and then find a good place to secretly challenge Core Formation Realm.

...

Not long after the situation in Huanglong Immortal City stabilized.

One day, an unexpected guest arrived at Little Turtle Peak.

"This young lady, please inform Talisman Master Lan that Fu Dong seeks an audience."

The visitor was a young man in a cotton coat, with clear eyebrows and bright eyes.

Lan Rou dared not neglect this Foundation Establishment cultivator. Since Fu Xuemei had begun to gain power in Huanglong Mountain, she had also heard of this man's name.

Inside the cave.

Fu Dong was granted permission to enter and saw a calm, gentle man in white, standing like an ancient tree deeply rooted for a long time.

"I am Fu Dong. I've long admired Fellow Daoist Lan's reputation."

It was Fu Dong's first time meeting Lan Chang'an, and he was slightly stunned by the latter's youthful appearance and outstanding demeanor.

But in the cultivation world, such things weren't unusual.

"Fellow Daoist Lan has also heard of you." Lan Chang'an smiled, gesturing for Fu Dong to sit.

Back then, Fu Dong, with his inferior spiritual root, advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage not long after Lan Chang'an.

Now, Fu Dong's cultivation was still stuck at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

This was the shackles of his poor spiritual root.

Advancing to Foundation Establishment was already a small miracle. The difficulty was even greater than Li Erqing's advancement to the Fake-Dan stage.

Lan Chang'an had heard that Fu Xuemei promised her master that after her brother advanced to Foundation Establishment, she would no longer forcefully assist him.

The cultivation world is full of surprises. In the long history recorded, there were cases of cultivators with inferior spiritual roots advancing to Core Formation, and even to the Nascent Soul Realm.

With immense luck or an extraordinary background, anything was possible.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, please accept my bow," Fu Dong took a deep breath, bent down, and knelt on the ground.

"Fellow Daoist Fu, this is unnecessary," Lan Chang'an quickly supported him.

He sensed that a Fake-Dan cultivator was outside Little Turtle Peak, possibly Fu Dong's bodyguard, who had just swept his spiritual sense over him.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, without that superior Foundation Establishment Pill, I might have already reached my lifespan's limit," Fu Dong said sincerely.

"Today, I'm here for two reasons: to apologize and to express my deep gratitude."

After speaking, he handed over a gift box.

"Fellow Daoist Fu, there's no need to bring up the past. After all, I didn't lose anything, and the compensation your sister gave far exceeded what was necessary," Lan Chang'an said with a smile as he accepted the gift box.

After some polite exchanges, Fu Dong felt that Lan Chang'an had a good temperament and didn't seem like someone who bore grudges.

There were many who held a grudge against Huanglong Mountain.

As long as one didn't draw too much attention, no one would deliberately target a cultivator with average aptitude and low potential.

Moreover, Lan Chang'an had never shown any dissatisfaction with Huanglong Mountain over the decades.

Only those with limitless potential, capable of enjoying 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river,' would be treated with special care.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, when I learned the truth, I wanted to visit Water Moon Residence to apologize, but unfortunately, you had already moved..."

Fu Dong recounted events from decades ago.

"Later, I heard you moved to Wuqi Mountain, perhaps to enjoy some peace and quiet, away from the troubles of Huanglong, so I didn't disturb you."

Only now did Lan Chang'an realize that he and Fu Dong had missed each other by a hair's breadth decades ago.

They were not actually meeting for the first time. Lan Chang'an, under the alias of Junior Brother Cheng, had dealt with Fu Dong before and knew his temperament.

During their conversation, Fu Dong felt that he got along well with Lan Chang'an.

Two hours later, Lan Chang'an saw Fu Dong out of the cave.

The Fake-Dan cultivator who had been secretly protecting Fu Dong watched Lan Chang'an from afar and nodded silently.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, my sister asked me to convey a message: she still remembers the favor she owes you. If you ever encounter any difficulties, you can seek her out at Huanglong Mountain."

"Alright, I'll remember that."

Lan Chang'an watched Fu Dong leave.

It wasn't until he confirmed that the Fake-Dan cultivator had also left that he returned to his cave and opened the gift box from Fu Dong.

(End of chapter)