Chapter 116: Inviting the Wolf into the House

Lu Qian followed Yang Xing into the alchemy chamber without delay.

Five alchemy furnaces stood there, though only two were burning.

The two alchemists glanced at them, then returned to their work.

The chamber was not occupied by only these few people. Most of the alchemists were not trained by the Rippling Wave Tower, but recruited as guest retainers. They usually refined pills in their own abodes, and only a handful worked here.

“Give it a try first. I’ll help you find the right heat,” Lu Qian said with a smile.

“Yes, my lord.” The alchemist was somewhat nervous.

After all, he was only in the Qi Refining stage. With two Soul-Nourishing experts watching from behind, it was difficult not to feel uneasy.

As the alchemist practiced his breathing nearby, Lu Qian struck up an apparently casual conversation with Yang Xing.

“Manager Yang, you’ve been rather busy lately. I only see you once every half a month,” Lu Qian said with a smile.

“Yes, there have been quite a few tasks recently,” Yang Xing replied perfunctorily.

In truth, it was not that there were too many tasks. The others simply would not allow him to have any contact with this deputy alchemy steward.

Boom!

At that moment, the alchemy furnace gave a soft rumble.

Green smoke coiled within it, faintly forming the hideous, crazed face of an infant.

The alchemist’s aura wavered. The pill was on the verge of failing.

Lu Qian stepped forward, pressed a hand against the man’s shoulder, and cast one spell formula after another.

Only after the human face vanished did the furnace stabilize.

“The problem lies with the Ghost River Cart. It should be done this way…”

After a great deal of effort, they finally refined a furnace of pills.

Once the pills were complete, Yang Xing finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, well! Isn’t that the deputy steward?”

A grating voice came from the side.

Lu Qian turned his head and saw the two cultivators who stood beside Daoist Luta.

They were Luta’s disciples, named Lu Yang and Lu Yin.

Neither of them was particularly strong. Both possessed only late-stage Qi Refining cultivation.

However, with Daoist Luta behind them, few people dared provoke them.

“Oh? You two. Do you have a problem with me?” Lu Qian asked with a mirthless smile.

The treasured swords and magical robes at their waists had been obtained by Lu Qian at the grand gathering.

The two men wore them openly every day, as though afraid no one would know that they had taken them from Lu Qian.

“How could we?” Lu Yang replied sarcastically.

At that moment, the manager of the Pill Garden emerged. Seeing the two men, he immediately smiled.

“My lords, the Pill Garden has been properly tended. Do you have any further instructions?”

“Ask the deputy steward. Why are you asking the two of us?” Lu Yang snorted.

The Pill Garden manager looked awkwardly toward Lu Qian. Lu Qian said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.

The manager left as though he had been granted a reprieve.

“My lord, do you have any further instructions?” Lu Yang asked with a smile, his expression plainly saying, What can you possibly do to me?

“Nothing. Just get lost.”

Crash!

A vast aura erupted from Lu Qian’s body. In the next instant, he flashed before the two men.

His Lunar Golden Eyes fixed upon them, and his mouth revealed rows of sharp, jagged teeth. The sight made their hearts tremble. A sense of danger swept over them, as though they would be devoured by a savage beast in the very next moment.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t dare kill you?” Lu Qian asked with a smile.

Ever since becoming deputy steward, he had also presented himself publicly as a body cultivator.

The two men opened and closed their mouths, only to discover that they no longer dared speak.

Only then did Lu Yang realize that the man before him was also a Soul-Nourishing expert.

Before he knew it, cold sweat had soaked through his back.

“Get out!” Lu Qian shouted.

The two men immediately felt as though they had been pardoned and fled in panic.

They had run a great distance before Lu Yang finally recovered his senses. He glared venomously at Lu Qian’s back and spat out each word.

“Just wait. I’ll let you enjoy yourself for a few more days.”

Thinking of how frightened they had been moments ago, the two brothers burned with fury. They wished they could rip Lu Qian’s tendons out and flay him alive.

Still, he would not be able to swagger around for much longer.

The thought restored some balance to Lu Yang’s heart.

After the brothers left, Yang Xing said worriedly, “My lord, they have Steward Luta behind them. Steward Luta is notorious for protecting his own. What you did—could it cause trouble?”

“It’s nothing,” Lu Qian said with a smile.

It was impossible to say that he did not care. Acting under Luta’s instructions, the two brothers had stripped him of his authority.

He could not even find a place to skim a little profit. This grudge would be settled personally by him.

The time was simply not yet right.

Judging from their expressions, however, they were probably preparing some other scheme against him.

With that thought, Lu Qian looked at Yang Xing.

“Manager Yang, you seem to have something to say but keep holding back. Is there perhaps something you need to report?”

Yang Xing hesitated, but eventually spoke.

“My lord, be careful these next few days. They may tamper with something in the warehouse or on one of the sea vessels.”

According to the regulations of the Rippling Wave Tower, if anything went missing from a warehouse, the person in charge would bear full responsibility. Fubo tolerated no such incidents. In the past, quite a few stewards had died because of this.

“I see.” Lu Qian clasped his hands and smiled. “Thank you, Manager Yang. It’s getting late. I’ll return first.”

* * *

Within his cave abode, Lu Qian sat cross-legged in meditation.

The alchemy furnace blazed beside him. While watching the fire, he released pieces of ore and used the Mysterious Gold Sword Sheath to absorb the metal essence within them.

A stream of golden essence swept past, and the variously colored ores immediately crumbled into ash.

Heavenly Mysterious Gold Treasure-Refining Art
Minor Mastery: 24/300

The Heavenly Treasure-Refining Art had entered its second layer, the Void Devouring Essence stage. It no longer required tempering with true fire; absorbing metal essence directly was enough.

Among his recent spoils were quite a few metallic ores, their quality several times higher than that of ordinary metals.

Buzz!

After absorbing a portion of the metal essence, the sword sheath suddenly began to tremble violently.

Golden light flowed across its surface, illuminating the entire room. Countless golden talismans appeared in the void.

“It’s here!”

Lu Qian’s eyes lit up.

He immediately formed the Golden Casket Jade Seal technique and began chanting under his breath.

Then he struck the sheath with a talisman.

Whoosh!

The Mysterious Gold Sword Sheath shone brilliantly.

The nineteenth restriction had been fully condensed.

The earlier layers had been relatively easy to form; absorbing a large amount of metal essence had been enough.

The nineteenth layer was different.

According to the principle that every nine layers constituted one heaven, the nineteenth layer represented the Third Heaven. Its power was equivalent to the middle stage of Soul Nourishing, when one refined baleful essence, and was therefore considerably more difficult.

Looking at the dazzling, razor-sharp metal essence in his hand, which was as fierce as baleful energy, Lu Qian felt deeply satisfied.

“A Third-Heaven magical artifact. The Azure-Robed Man’s God-Slaying Thorn is also a Third-Heaven artifact. We’ll see who ends up calculating against whom.”

The warehouse received a major shipment once every quarter. The other side would certainly tamper with something during that process.

However, he still bore a blood curse. Unless he entered the Baleful Essence Refining stage, he probably could not dispel it completely.

He could not afford to clash with them openly just yet. He would have to rely on other means.

Now that he possessed sufficient resources and a formidable magical artifact, Lu Qian was no longer content merely to hide away here.

His Yin Spirit would plunder resources in secret, while he himself would gain a higher position in the open and acquire even more resources, maximizing his profits.

Before the Water Eye opened, he would convert every usable resource into cultivation.

This time, he would begin by taking down Daoist Luta.

With that thought, Lu Qian swallowed a Spirit-Nourishing Hidden-God Pill and once more entered the rhythm of refining baleful essence.

Time passed quickly. A month and a half had gone by.

During that period, he had swallowed seven pills in total.

Water-Fire Lead-Mercury Alchemy
Great Mastery: 302/1000

His progress in refining baleful essence immediately soared to three-tenths, roughly three hundred units.

However, the pills also brought side effects.

After all, their principal ingredient was a cultivator’s Yin Spirit, making it very easy for one’s mind and soul to be affected.

If his Clear-Mind Mantra had not already reached great mastery, his progress would have been even slower.

Wuuu—

At that moment, the stone tablet on the redwood table suddenly lit up.

It was the communication tablet given to him by God-Hater that day.

“Is there a new target?” Lu Qian wondered. He immediately picked up the tablet.

A hoarse voice sounded. It was the stall owner.

“Daoist friend, there’s a trade gathering here. Would you care to come?”

“A trade gathering?”

Lu Qian frowned. He had assumed it was a new target.

For the moment, however, he was not short of money. Some of the goods he had seized last time had been consumed, but he still possessed a fortune worth roughly thirty thousand spell coins.

“Where is it?”

His voice traveled into the tablet.

A trade gathering was presumably a place where everyone exchanged resources. There was no harm in taking a look.

“The Underground Ghost Market. The old place.”

Another hoarse voice came through.

Then the light vanished.

This stone tablet was somewhat like the mobile phones of his former life. It was surprisingly convenient to use, and far safer and more discreet than a message-carrying paper crane.

Lu Qian gathered his belongings, then sent his Yin Spirit into a fleshy sphere.

Whoosh!

The sphere transformed into the shape of a man. Its body seemed to step into a swamp and slowly sink beneath the surface.

His Flesh-Seer avatar swam through the earth like a fish through water, swiftly burrowing away.

Even when it encountered stone, it could pass through with ease.

Its speed was no slower than flying through the air, while being far more concealed.

After burrowing for an unknown length of time, he finally arrived in the underground cavern.

The entrance to the stall owner’s grotto was as deserted as usual, with few visitors.

Perhaps sensing Lu Qian’s arrival, the stall owner raised his head and smiled.

“Daoist friend, you’ve arrived! Come in.”

Lu Qian said nothing and flew inside.

The entrance was small, but beyond it lay an entirely different world.

* * *

Inside was a karst cavern. Candle flames burned along the walls, and the quartz crystals reflected a riot of multicolored light.

At the deepest part of the cavern stood a long table, behind which sat several cloaked figures.

When Lu Qian took his seat, the others glanced at him once before looking away.

“I need information about the True Dragon-Serpent Astral Force. Five thousand spell coins for any useful lead.”

At the far end of the table, a petite woman smoking a pipe spoke in a hoarse voice. It was impossible to tell whether the rasp was genuine or disguised.

“Only the Chief Steward of the Smoke Grotto or those above him know anything about the True Dragon-Serpent Astral Force.”

God-Hater gave a sinister laugh, then changed his tone.

“But you’re in luck. Someone killed that man a few days ago, and information about the True Dragon-Serpent Astral Force happened to be found in his mind.”

Bang!

As soon as he finished speaking, the smoking woman tossed out a Heaven-in-a-Pouch bag.

God-Hater took out a jade tablet, carved the information into it, and handed it to the woman.

Lu Qian could not help glancing at her. He had not expected that she had already touched upon the Astral Force Refining stage.

If refining baleful essence was a difficulty of ten, then refining astral force was a difficulty of one hundred.

To refine astral force, one had to ascend beyond the Ninth Heaven and endure astral winds and the scorching sunfire. The slightest mistake could result in the destruction of one’s soul.

A late-stage Soul-Nourishing expert would already be considered a mid-to-high-ranking figure, even within the Netherworld Abbey.

“I need a large quantity of Yin-Soul Grass. I can pay with spell coins or trade other items,” Old Serpent said.

“I have two hundred stalks of Yin-Soul Grass. I’ll exchange them for ordinary metals.”

Lu Qian looked toward Old Serpent and took a chest from the sword sheath.

The herbs had come from the ships of the Smoke Grotto. They were rare medicinal materials in considerable demand, but of little use to Lu Qian at his current stage.

“Agreed!”

The two completed the exchange.

Afterward, the participants traded various other items among themselves.

Most were resources. Many had been seized during the previous raid and were being offered only because Lu Qian had no use for them.

“By the way, I need general information about the sects in the south. One hundred spell coins,” Lu Qian said.

“I have it.”

The smoking woman used her spiritual sense to inscribe the information onto a jade tablet.

Lu Qian accepted it and briefly sensed its contents. The information immediately surged into his mind.

The south was more prosperous than the north, and not all of its sects were righteous.

On the whole, the righteous and wicked paths were evenly matched.

Among the powerful righteous forces were the Calamity-Slaying Treasure Garden, the Netherworld Sword Tower, and the Nine-Heavens Dao Alliance, which consisted of several sects with similar inheritances.

The Ten-Thousand-Eons Yin Tomb stood between righteousness and evil. It was a force centered on cultivating techniques for commanding spirits and controlling ghosts.

Among the wicked forces were the Square-Inch Demon Kingdom, the Rakshasa Divine City, and others.

There were far more cultivators in the south than in the north, most of them clustered together.

When they cultivated in groups, their breathing rose like clouds, their spells fell like rain, and the winds and clouds within a thousand miles changed color.

After everyone had finished exchanging goods and information, God-Hater spoke again.

“The next target is the Concealing-Sun Hall. Its warehouse lies at the center of a mountain, guarded by two middle-stage Soul-Nourishing cultivators and a Concealing-Sun Grand Formation.

“I’ll deal with the formation. This mission is relatively simple, so there’s no need to recruit additional help from outside.”

The Concealing-Sun Hall was also one of the great powers in Myriad Forms City, though it was not among the top ten.

A simple mission meant smaller gains, so there was no need for a large number of people.

“When?”

“Seven days from now,” the stall owner replied.

He was close to God-Hater and therefore knew more of the inside story.

“What about the Rippling Wave Tower?” Lu Qian suddenly asked.

“The Rippling Wave Tower may be somewhat difficult. Its warehouses are hidden deeply, and the routes of its sea vessels are never fixed. Their destinations are not known until the ships are about to depart, so we may end up making a wasted trip,” Old Serpent suddenly said.

It was a long-established power, and many of its operations were governed by strict systems.

“I worked with the Rippling Wave Tower for some time, and I happen to know the route of one of its sea vessels. It should be near Crescent Bay in about half a month. I’ll provide the exact details in ten days. In return, I need an item capable of concealing a Yin Spirit.”

Indeed, Lu Qian had decided to lure outsiders into killing Luta.

But the risk was too great. Afterward, Fubo would certainly conduct a thorough investigation.

He might even test everyone’s abilities to prevent enemies from infiltrating the organization.

“I have a seal here. Crush it, and it will alter the appearance of your Yin Spirit. It can be used only once, and remember: you must not engage anyone in combat.”

“If your information proves accurate, you may have the seal for free.”

God-Hater handed over a white jade seal the size of a thumb.

An indistinct strange-beast pattern was carved upon it.

The beast had six legs and four wings, yet no ears, eyes, mouth, or nose. It resembled a huge, obese ball of flesh.

At first glance, it gave off an indescribably bizarre impression.

There was something deeply repulsive about it, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the sensation God-Hater himself inspired.

The gathering soon dispersed.

The stall owner was somewhat uneasy.

“Sir, can this person really be trusted? What if he’s a planted agent from another power?”

“Hmph.” God-Hater gave a cold laugh. “That doesn’t matter. I have a way to verify whether the information is genuine. Besides, whether anyone can be trusted is irrelevant. How many people here are actually trustworthy?”

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