Chapter 176: Perhaps Destined
One month later.
Lan Chang'an, who had returned to Little Turtle Peak, learned from the outside world about the second wave of sect cultivators being sent on an expedition by the Liang Kingdom.
This time, the number of recruited cultivators was even greater than the first wave.
Among the additional recruits, the majority were lower to mid-level cultivators.
"The Mu Family of Feiyue Lake has also answered the sect's call?"
Lan Chang'an looked at a letter sent by Mu Bingyun.
Since it was an expedition to another country and the situation wasn't urgent, the sects of the Liang Kingdom didn't make it mandatory for small to medium-sized cultivation families to participate.
However, the rewards and compensations offered were enticing enough to tempt many family cultivators.
The sect opened up many rare resources, including some strategic materials, to the family cultivators who answered the call.
As long as they performed well in battle, and their merit was high enough, breakthrough pills, Foundation Establishment Pills, advanced techniques, skill inheritances, and even magical treasures...all of these could be redeemed.
Among these, the most valuable item available for exchange was the Crystal Condensation Pill.
If a cultivator who answered the call died on the battlefield, their family would receive a generous compensation package, along with a war merit reward.
With such great rewards, it was no surprise that some family cultivators, especially those who had not achieved much or wanted to pave the way for their descendants, were moved.
According to Mu Bingyun, a few Qi-Refining cultivators from the Mu Family had responded to the call and joined the sect's expedition from the Liang Kingdom.
"Only in an invasion war, where the cake is being made bigger, do such opportunities arise."
Lan Chang'an couldn't help but recall his past life in the Great Kun, where the cultivation country he belonged to was once invaded by demonic sects.
At that time, all the cultivation families, according to their size, were forcibly conscripted by the sects. A required number of cultivators at certain cultivation levels were sent to participate in the resistance against the invasion of the demonic sects.
Mu Bingyun expressed her gratitude at the end of the letter.
The clan-protecting formation at Feiyue Lake had been successfully set up with the help of Shi Manrong, greatly enhancing the family's defense capabilities.
...
"As long as the flames of war don't reach Liang Kingdom, everything is fine."
Lan Chang'an set aside the letter, feeling indifferent.
However, the winds of war in the cultivation world are unpredictable, and the games between cultivation nations often exceed the control of even Core Formation cultivators.
Since the Liang Kingdom had chosen to get involved in the war, it had actively stepped into the storm. There was no guarantee that it wouldn't face backlash in the future, with the flames of war spreading within its borders.
Lan Chang'an had prepared for the worst.
If extreme circumstances arose, and the war affected his personal cultivation, he would either retreat to the mountains or leave the Liang Kingdom cultivation world altogether.
Retreating to the mountains could only avoid small-scale skirmishes or short-term wars, as cultivation required spiritual vein cultivation grounds.
As for leaving the Liang Kingdom to go to another cultivation nation, it still posed significant risks for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The journey would be long and fraught with dangers, including natural dangerous zones.
The chaotic borderlands could expose one to more powerful bandits and wanted criminals.
Remnants of demonic sects and some of the most vicious international fugitives were known to occasionally appear at the borders of cultivation nations.
Normally, one would have to be a Fake-Dan Immortal to be able to travel to neighboring countries in a relatively safe and stable manner.
Lan Chang'an, however, currently had the cards to threaten and kill a Fake-Dan Immortal, but the minimum standard he had set for himself was at least becoming a great cultivator of his realm, late stage of Foundation Establishment, before he could possibly consider the option of leaving Liang.
...
Three months later.
On a dark, windy night.
Lan Chang'an quietly slipped out of Wuqi Mountain.
After traveling several hundred li on the ground, he transformed into an ordinary-looking young man in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Squeak!
The Earth Burrowing Rat cast a spell, carrying a large burlap sack as it boarded a flying boat with a canopy.
The Earth Burrowing Rat dragged the burlap sack into the boat's cabin.
Lan Chang'an set up restrictions on the flying boat and laid down formations to isolate it from external spiritual senses.
It had been half a year since the battle with the "Night Fisherman."
Senior Brother Zhuo had been stripped of his cultivation and imprisoned underground, unable to seek death, with his life sustained by Fasting Pills. Now, Lan Chang'an no longer intended to keep him alive and planned to give him a quick death.
The flying boat maintained a normal speed, heading northwest.
On the way, they passed near Huanglong Immortal City.
Lan Chang'an did not linger in the city, and tried to avoid areas with a high concentration of cultivators.
More than half a month later.
The ordinary Foundation Establishment young man that Lan Chang'an had transformed into approached Red Water Market.
This was a large floating market, much larger than Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market and slightly bigger than Five Peaks Mountain Market.
This market was controlled by the Mo Family, one of the seven great families.
The Mo Family had lost a newly ascended Core Formation cultivator during the battle at Huanglong Mountain years ago. Now, the Mo Family still had a Fake-Dan Immortal, maintaining their foundation.
In recent years, the Mo Family had kept a low profile, steadily guarding their territory and attempting to cultivate new Core Formation Immortals, even if they were only Fake-Dans.
The security around Red Water Market was average at best, slightly better than the chaos in Bamboo Leaf Mountain.
Lan Chang'an came to this place because of the information he had extracted from Senior Brother Zhuo, who had planned to come to Red Water Market to recover and lay low for a few years.
Red Water Market had a high-grade second-rank spiritual vein and offered corresponding cave dwellings for rent.
...
Half a day later.
Lan Chang'an changed his appearance for the second time, becoming a short-bearded young man, with his cultivation level displayed as early Foundation Establishment.
Under this identity, he took a valuable flying boat and wandered around the vicinity of Red Water Market.
Before long, Lan Chang'an encountered a rogue cultivator who briefly eyed him.
"No! A late-stage Foundation Establishment—"
That mid-stage Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator didn't realize what was happening before Lan Chang'an swiftly approached and struck with thunderous force, killing him with a powerful supreme-grade magical weapon.
That supreme-grade magical weapon was the same black rod once used by Senior Brother Zhuo, a peak weapon among those of the same rank.
When he killed the man, Lan Chang'an disguised himself as a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The weapon and cultivation level matched Senior Brother Zhuo's identity. As for the appearance and image, it was normal for there to be a difference.
In the meantime, only individual cultivators in the vicinity saw it, and it did not appear deliberate and eye-catching.
Before evening fell that day.
Lan Chang'an, under this identity, concealed his cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment stage and entered Red Water Market, settling down in an inn.
As for the Earth Burrowing Rat, it hid Senior Brother Zhuo in an underground cave several hundred li outside the market.
...
Over the next half month.
The short-bearded young man Lan Chang'an had transformed into discreetly purchased some resources at Red Water Market.
Through an introduction from a shopkeeper, Lan Chang'an attended a private trading meeting for Foundation Establishment cultivators a few days later.
This Foundation Establishment trading meeting was held in a large residence within the market, hosted by a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with close ties to the Mo Family.
Lan Chang'an's intention was to subtly make his presence known in the Foundation Establishment circle, leaving behind traces of his existence.
"Hm?"
Lan Chang'an sensed a faint spiritual sense that was so subtle that even an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would have difficulty detecting it.
That spiritual sense was very restrained, not probing any cultivator too deeply, to avoid being discovered by the late-stage Foundation Establishment host.
Lan Chang'an felt that this hidden spiritual sense was somewhat familiar.
"Cang Yue Flower, a rare second-rank spiritual flower with the effects of nourishing and beautifying the skin, is an important ingredient for the Youth Retaining Pill..."
During the trading session, a man in a bronze mask at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment was selling materials that caught Lan Chang'an's attention.
"Cang Yue Flower? That's the only auxiliary ingredient I'm missing for the Youth Retaining Pill."
After a brief consideration, Lan Chang'an decided to buy it.
The Cang Yue Flower had the effect of nourishing and beautifying the skin.
Senior Brother Zhuo was not known for restraint when it came to women, often having many mistresses. Buying this flower would suit the identity Lan Chang'an had assumed even better.
Since there was no competition, Lan Chang'an easily purchased the Cang Yue Flower at market price.
With this, after thirty years, he had finally gathered all the ingredients for the Youth Retaining Pill.
The most difficult part of the Youth Retaining Pill was obtaining the main ingredient, which Lan Chang'an had acquired by killing Alchemist Hua.
The reason it had taken so long to gather all the materials was that Lan Chang'an hadn't been actively searching.
He had simply made purchases as he came across the materials while visiting immortal cities for other reasons.
...
After the trading session ended, Lan Chang'an left the large residence in the market.
Next, he planned to find a place where Senior Brother Zhuo could finally die.
As long as the time and place of death didn't match the battle at Wuqi Mountain, it would be fine.
As for finding a scapegoat, it wasn't always necessary to force the issue; doing so could lead to mistakes.
"Again?"
As he left the private residence, Lan Chang'an felt that subtle spiritual sense pause on him for a moment, probing carefully.
"A Fake-Dan Immortal's spiritual sense. Could it be him?"
At that moment, Lan Chang'an finally recognized the owner of that spiritual sense—it was a Fake-Dan Immortal he was familiar with.
A Fake-Dan Immortal, concealing their cultivation level and mingling in a Foundation Establishment trading meetup—it was clear to Lan Chang'an what the person's intentions were.
They were likely looking for a fat sheep.
A seasoned and experienced rogue cultivator would prioritize efficiency and controlled risks.
After a brief pause on Lan Chang'an, that spiritual sense hesitated before moving on. Eventually, it locked onto a fat middle-aged man with a large gray box on his back.
The man appeared to be a traveling merchant, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Though he hadn't traded any high-value items at the session, he had made a large number of transactions, mostly buying items at low prices.
A thin, sallow-faced old man was watching the merchant from a distance, about a li away, without the merchant realizing it.
Lan Chang'an sat down at a window seat in a tavern within the market.
He merged his consciousness with the Nine Seal Stele, using the powerful spiritual sense of an Immortal to observe the scene.
"He's here in the Mo Family's market?"
"Well, it's not like he can stay in Huanglong Immortal City, which is controlled by his enemies. The Mo Family is hostile to Huanglong Mountain, after all. This medium-to-large market is home to many wealthy Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the surrounding area is relatively chaotic, making it a good place to fish in troubled waters."
Lan Chang'an knew that this Fake-Dan Immortal was relatively poor compared to others at his level and not particularly strong.
"Perhaps it's fate. You're the one."
Lan Chang'an smiled faintly and decided to slightly adjust his plan along the way.
(End of chapter)
Rip little scapegoat