Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Bag of Heaven and Earth

A secluded, dense forest—

Here, sunlight never touched the ground, and fallen leaves lay in a thick, undisturbed layer, a clear sign that few ever set foot in this place. Behind the shade of the trees, a mountain wall rose up, and beneath a curtain of vines, a natural stone cave could be seen.

Lu Qian tapped lightly with his foot, leaping fifteen meters upward, and slipped deftly into the cave.

A sudden flurry—countless bats, startled by the intrusion, scattered in a frenzy throughout the cavern.

Lu Qian produced a stack of white paper.

The paper ignited on its own, and a dozen ghostly green fireballs shot out, incinerating the bats in a flash.

“What a place…” Lu Qian wrinkled his nose.

After centuries as a bat roost, who knew how much guano had accumulated here—it was utterly uninhabitable.

He stepped out of the cave and summoned his paper men to begin cleaning the filth.

“No one should disturb me here,” Lu Qian thought to himself.

He planned to cultivate in this spot, sending the paper men to gather news. If he located the fireseed, he would go in person to absorb it.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, the situation proved him wrong.

“Catch him! Don’t let him escape!”

“The master’s orders are to take them alive if possible!”

The rustling of undergrowth, then a chaotic stampede of footsteps echoed through the forest. A young man and woman burst from the thicket, disheveled and desperate, with dozens of armored, sword-wielding pursuers close behind.

Suddenly, the girl tripped over a branch and stumbled to the ground.

“Sister!” The young man, not much older, rushed to help her up.

The delay allowed their enemies to form a semicircle, hemming them in. Lu Qian, standing a short distance away, found himself within the encirclement as well.

“Ye Yan, hand it over! The master has decreed that if you return now, your lives will be spared,” barked a burly, black-faced man clad in scale armor, exuding murderous intent.

The scars on his face and the bloodstains on his armor left no doubt that he was a killer of many.

“Guardian Di, I’d rather die than go back with you. Ye Zhan killed our parents and covets our treasure—if I have to destroy it, I will never let you have it!” Ye Yan’s eyes were resolute as he shielded his younger sister, Ye Qing.

“Ye Yan? Even the name hints at a turbulent fate. It seems I’ve been drawn into a family feud…” Lu Qian mused.

None of these people were cultivators; this was clearly a mundane conflict between mortal clans.

Guardian Di now noticed the stranger among them. Frowning, he demanded, “Who are you?”

Lu Qian smiled and replied, “I’m just an ordinary herbalist. This has nothing to do with me—carry on.”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Sir! Please save us! My sister and I will repay you with our lives if need be!” Ye Yan dropped to his knees, knocking his head against the ground in desperation.

Beside him, the young woman’s tearful, pleading gaze stirred a protective instinct in the heart of any onlooker.

“Settle it yourselves,” Lu Qian said, not even glancing back as he walked away.

He was no restless youth with energy to burn. He had no interest in meddling in these rivers-and-lakes vendettas or playing the hero to the weak.

His indifference gave Guardian Di pause; he made no move to have anyone stop Lu Qian. This man was clearly not on Ye Yan’s side.

Anyone wandering these remote mountains alone was either supremely skilled or a fool.

Lu Qian’s composed speech did not mark him as a fool.

After a moment’s thought, a ruthless glint flashed in Guardian Di’s eyes.

“The secret of the treasure must not escape. No matter who he is—kill them all!”

At his command, the henchmen drew their bows, arrows aimed at the three.

A volley of arrows whistled through the air, threatening to turn the trio into pincushions in the next instant.

Despair filled the siblings’ eyes; Ye Yan’s heart seethed with bitterness.

Lu Qian halted, sighed softly, and said, “There’s no need for this.”

“The dead are the safest,” Guardian Di replied coldly, eyes brimming with murderous intent.

The arrows rained down—but suddenly, a black mist surged from Lu Qian, and the deadly hail froze in midair.

“You’re an immortal!” Guardian Di was thunderstruck, unable to believe his eyes. “Impossible!!”

He drew his blade, the cold light flashing as he lunged for Lu Qian’s head.

Seeing Lu Qian make no move to dodge, Guardian Di felt a surge of triumph—this man had underestimated him.

He had trained in martial arts since childhood; this strike could sever steel with ease.

No matter how powerful, a so-called immortal was only flesh and blood.

With a clang, the blade struck Lu Qian’s neck and shattered into two pieces.

Lu Qian calmly extended a single finger.

A sickening squelch—blood sprayed as his finger, hard as steel, pierced Guardian Di’s forehead.

In the awestruck gaze of Ye Yan and his sister, Lu Qian’s sleeve unfurled, releasing a swarm of ghostly snakes with green scales and bodies as thick as a bowl, their scales glinting metallically.

As soon as their fangs sank in, ghostfire venom flooded the victims, dissolving them into puddles of foul liquid.

Lu Qian cast a brief glance at the siblings, then prepared to leave.

Ye Yan, torn between relief and terror, watched the scene unfold.

“Brother, he’s an immortal—shouldn’t we…” Ye Qing whispered something into her brother’s ear.

“Wait, Immortal!” Ye Yan hurriedly blocked Lu Qian’s path.

“Please, Immortal, help us reclaim our family estate.” Ye Yan bowed deeply, his voice earnest.

“Why should I help you?” Lu Qian countered.

“Immortal, you’ve already aided us—why not see it through to the end?” Ye Qing’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she smiled. “Besides, by killing Ye Zhan’s men, you’ve already made yourself his enemy. With his vengeful nature, he’s sure to seek retaliation. Why not strike first?”

Her words were spoken with subtlety, but the meaning was clear: after today, in Ye Zhan’s eyes, Lu Qian was already their ally. Furthermore, she intended to spread word of these events, ensuring any possible alliance between Lu Qian and the Ye family was severed.

“Yes, Immortal!” Ye Yan added, emboldened by Lu Qian’s approachable manner. “I will never forget your kindness—one day, I will repay you a thousandfold!”

“So this is how you ask for help? Get lost!” Lu Qian’s tone turned icy.

If you want my help, at least offer something real—empty promises are worthless.

Did they truly think the world revolved around them?

The siblings recoiled as if struck by thunder. Ye Yan turned and walked away.

Out of Lu Qian’s sight, hatred flashed in his eyes; his fists clenched so tightly his nails broke the skin of his palms.

The Ye family’s trueborn treated him this way, and so did this Daoist—aloof, dismissive, looking down on others.

Fortunately, he still possessed the immortal relic his father left behind.

One day, when his power was complete, he would show them—thirty years east of the river… Uh!

A sudden pain in his chest—he looked down to see a blade emerging from his heart, slick with blood.

His sister’s head had already fallen, her beautiful eyes wide open in shock.

Darkness closed in around Ye Yan—he lost consciousness.

Lu Qian gazed indifferently at the corpses, silent.

From the moment the girl had spoken those words, he had never intended to let them go.

Ingratitude, resentment—such people could not be allowed to live.

Lu Qian rummaged through Ye Qing’s belongings, finding a palm-sized, dusty cloth pouch.

He reached inside—empty.

Why treat an ordinary pouch so carefully?

He tried channeling his qi into it and suddenly sensed a space within.

Roughly a meter wide in each direction; he tipped the pouch and a pile of objects spilled out.

A breathing technique manual from the Mystic Gate, three decayed wooden tokens, more than twenty talismans, several expired medicinal concoctions.

And an Ascension Token from the Mystic Gate.

Most of the contents were ancient and decayed, nearly worthless. The pouch itself, however, was valuable—worth about twenty merit points, just enough to break even.