Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Mr. Yan

Early on New Year’s Day.

Holding the Pills Li Ping had given her, Cheng Yao returned to her residence.

As a Tier One Lower Grade, Late-stage Qi Refining Spirit Plant Master, her income could only be described as meager. The residence she rented was quite ordinary—just a small, single-entry courtyard containing only a training room and a resting room.

Pushing open the door and seeing the figure lying peacefully on the couch in the resting room, she couldn’t help but lament, "What have I done to deserve this!"

At first, due to the fall of the Wang family, the bursary used it as an excuse to suspend Wang Xingwei’s position and stipend. The Spirit Medicine Garden, however, hadn’t dared to go too far and still allowed him to live there.

But soon after, the Immortal City’s upper echelons announced their decision regarding the Wang family.

Although the Wang family managed to keep their ancestral lands, their foundations were almost entirely hollowed out. The clansmen were reduced to paupers, and all members of the Wang family were forbidden from holding any position within the Immortal City.

In other words, the Wang family was utterly finished.

Seeing this outcome, the people at the Spirit Medicine Garden immediately reclaimed Wang Xingwei’s residence and prepared to throw him out.

Although Cheng Yao had a mercenary and feisty personality and had always bullied Wang Xingwei in the past,

seeing his miserable plight, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. Unwilling to watch him be thrown out onto the streets, she hesitated before deciding to take him home to care for him.

As a result, she was still caring for him to this day. Not only did she have to provide him with Fasting Pills, but she also had to periodically cast a cleansing spell on him to wash away the filth.

It not only cost Spirit Stones but also took up a great deal of her cultivation time.

’When will these days ever end? He won’t wake up, but he won’t die either,’ Cheng Yao lamented internally.

She had, in fact, considered simply finding a place to dump him and wash her hands of the matter, but the kindness deep in her heart stopped her from doing so.

In Wang Xingwei’s condition, abandoning him would be a death sentence.

Her personality was like that of a common, sharp-tongued city dweller from the mortal realm; she would never hesitate to take advantage of someone and was shameless enough to get her way. Yet, her innate kindness made it impossible for her to simply stand by and watch a life fade away.

"Hey, stop sleeping! Wake up already!"

...

After a busy day, once darkness fell and the Immortal City’s curfew began, Miaorou dismissed everyone else and returned alone to the secret room behind the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.

But the moment she stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. She could feel a peculiar aura suffusing the room, and she instinctively froze.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK~"

Just as Miaorou’s mind was racing, a white shadow darted out from beside the table. The sudden movement startled her badly.

But when she got a clearer look, she saw it was merely a foot-long, Low-Tier spirit mouse, a type of Demon Beast.

Miaorou’s expression, however, did not relax in the slightest. She knew perfectly well that her secret room was protected by an Array. ’How could a Low-Tier Demon Beast possibly get in? This spirit mouse is not what it seems!’

And just as she thought, the spirit mouse scurried before her and spat a Jade Scroll from its mouth. Having done so, it collapsed to the ground and dissolved into a pool of foul, bloody water.

Witnessing this, Miaorou already knew who had sent the little white mouse.

With a flick of her wrist, the Jade Scroll landed in her palm. Her expression shifted unpredictably for a long moment before, as if accepting her fate, she extended her Divine Sense into the scroll.

"Put on mourning clothes and wait for me at Youlan Valley, 5000 li outside the Immortal City!"

The Jade Scroll contained only a single, simple line of text and a simple map detailing the precise location of this ’Youlan Valley’.

This particular fetish, this tone... Miaorou didn’t need to guess to know that the deviant Yan Liming had arrived.

After a long period of contemplation, a relieved smile suddenly appeared on Miaorou’s face. "It seems the Master’s guess was right. Yan Kun really is dead, otherwise Yan Liming wouldn’t be here. Fine. I’ve had enough of living like this. It’s time to put an end to it all."

...

「Two months after the New Year.」

Zhang Tie came to Immortal Peach Mountain to pay Li Ping a visit.

Upon seeing Li Ping, he announced with determination, "Big Brother, I’m planning to go to Cyan Dragon Mountain today to enter seclusion and attempt my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment!"

Li Ping smiled and nodded. "Good. I will await your triumphant return after achieving Foundation Establishment!"

He believed that with Zhang Tie’s Three Spirit Roots, using a single Foundation Establishment Pill gave him a thirty to forty percent chance of success. Those were very good odds; his chance of succeeding was high.

Zhang Tie gave a simple, honest smile. "If both you and Master say it’s no problem, then it’s definitely no problem."

...

Having made a special trip to inform Li Ping, Zhang Tie departed for Cyan Dragon Mountain to apply to use a Foundation Establishment Pill.

He stated his purpose, had his identity verified, and waited for a moment at the base of the mountain.

A burly man with a powerful build and a thick beard rushed down the mountain. The outlines of his massive muscles were faintly visible beneath his Daoist robe.

Based on his appearance, the man seemed ill-tempered and difficult to get along with.

But surprisingly, his attitude toward Zhang Tie was rather friendly. "You’re the kid who’s applying to use a Foundation Establishment Pill, right? Not bad, not bad. I have a good feeling about you. Come with me."

"Yes, sir." Facing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Zhang Tie dared not be slow and hurried to follow.

The bearded man put on no airs. In fact, he was quite talkative. "Kid, back in my day, I scraped together enough Spirit Stones to reach Foundation Establishment as a Loose Cultivator myself. So in a way, you could call me your senior."

Zhang Tie nodded repeatedly but didn’t say much.

Unexpectedly, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator saw Zhang Tie’s constant nodding and, assuming he was interested, began to boast with relish. He spoke of how he had once dominated the mortal martial arts world, founded the greatest guild under heaven, and how everyone he met had to address him as Master Xiong...

With his earnest and straightforward personality, Zhang Tie simply listened patiently as Senior Xiong spoke.

As a result, Senior Xiong’s opinion of him soared.

After all, any other cultivator would have no interest in hearing his rambling stories about the mortal world and would probably just find him garrulous.

Cyan Dragon Mountain was not large. Before long, Senior Xiong had led Zhang Tie to a secret chamber at its base. They sat cross-legged, and Senior Xiong resumed boasting about his magnificent achievements in the mortal martial arts world.

Zhang Tie continued to listen patiently. He knew that before his cultivation journey, his Big Brother had also been a peerless master in the mortal world; he just wasn’t fond of recounting his past like the senior before him.

They didn’t have to wait long before a charming young woman entered the chamber. It was Meng Qingyi.

Senior Brother Xiong chuckled. "Junior Sister Meng, you’ve arrived."

Meng Qingyi smiled and nodded in return. "Senior Brother Xiong."

After exchanging greetings, she retrieved a Jade Bottle from her Storage Bag and presented it to the burly, bearded man. "Senior Brother Xiong, this is the Foundation Establishment Pill I just received from Master. Please inspect it."

Senior Brother Xiong nodded, uncorked the bottle, and examined its contents carefully.

Confirming that there were no issues, he shoved the Jade Bottle into Zhang Tie’s arms and said, still eager to talk, "Kid, when you come out, I’ll tell you all about the time I swept through the entire martial arts world!"

...

Inside the secret chamber, Zhang Tie sat cross-legged.

Following the advice Li Ping had shared about breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he did not immediately consume the pill. Instead, he began to meditate, adjusting his aura and bringing himself to his absolute peak state.

Before long, the only sound in the secret chamber was his own, nearly inaudible breath.

...

At the same time Zhang Tie was preparing for his breakthrough, in an unremarkable courtyard on the slopes of Cyan Dragon Mountain...

After finishing his treatment for Lin Yue, Qi Hanmo came here to begin a game of Go.

He was born into a scholarly, Confucian family. And while his true passion was music, he was in fact a master of calligraphy, painting, and chess as well.

Across the board from Qi Hanmo sat a middle-aged Confucian scholar in a yellow robe. He had a gaunt face and would occasionally shake his head as he studied the board, giving him the air of a pedantic old academic.

"Mr. Yan, it is your move," Qi Hanmo said with a faint smile after placing his stone.

Several months prior, after one of his treatments for Lin Yue, this very same Mr. Yan, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly spoke up. He pointed out several errors in Qi Hanmo’s musical principles, every word a pearl of wisdom.

After reflecting on the advice, Qi Hanmo found he had gained immensely. He couldn’t help but be in awe of Mr. Yan’s profound understanding of music.

He had immediately expressed his gratitude.

Mr. Yan, however, had simply chuckled and said that thanks were unnecessary—a game of Go would be payment enough.

Thus, after every session treating Lin Yue, Qi Hanmo would make a special trip to spend half a day playing Go with Mr. Yan.

Part of this was, of course, a way to repay Mr. Yan for his guidance. But he also had a feeling—though perhaps it was just his imagination...

...that even though Mr. Yan seemed to be an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator, his own heart would grow inexplicably placid whenever they were together.

This state of mind seemed to be of great benefit to his cultivation.

Hearing Qi Hanmo’s prompting, Mr. Yan chuckled. "Heh heh... Patience. Let this old man consider where this next move should go."

After a moment’s thought, he finally picked up a stone. "Aha—"

But before the stone could touch the board, Mr. Yan’s expression suddenly froze.

A moment later, he shook his head, returned the stone to its container, and said, "Young friend Qi, my sincerest apologies. This old man must attend to a pressing matter. We will have to pause our game here for today."

Upon hearing this, Qi Hanmo quickly rose to his feet. "Mr. Yan, please don’t say that. If you have business to attend to, how could I dare delay you?"

Mr. Yan smiled and nodded. "Good. After I’ve dealt with the matter at hand, this old man will return to finish our game."

...

「The Palace at the Summit of Cyan Dragon Mountain」

Seeing Mr. Yan arrive, Fenglan Master spoke with urgency. "Mr. Yan, that fiend has made a move."

"Senior Brother Xiao ordered me to come here to vanquish this fiend. Since it has shown itself, let us depart at once!" Mr. Yan nodded, then suddenly produced a Spirit Talisman from his Storage Bag. "The fiend has likely been monitoring your aura, City Lord Bai. Please use this Breath Storage Talisman to simulate your spiritual presence."

A smile touched Fenglan Master’s lips. "As always, Mr. Yan, you think of everything."

She accepted the Spirit Talisman and activated it by infusing it with her Magical Power. A flash of light later, an illusionary figure stood in her place, radiating a Spiritual Pressure identical to her own.

Bathed in this Spiritual Pressure, all the cultivators on Cyan Dragon Mountain believed Fenglan Master was still on the summit.

They had no idea that she had already left the Immortal City, taking Xiao Qinglong with her, in the company of Mr. Yan.

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