Waiting Him Out

Seeing her like this, Xiao Mingshu laughed and teased:

"Alright, look how moved you are. So, are you planning to offer yourself to me right now?"

Huan'er raised her head, her eyes still red, but she pouted and said earnestly:

"Miss, if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't bear to leave you..."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her head.

"... It's not impossible."

Seeing her silly, hopeless look, Xiao Mingshu was furious and laughed as she scolded her:

"You bastard, you've already been bribed so quickly?"

Huan'er quickly shook her head, her face turning bright red:

"Miss, no, I didn't! I really can't bear to part with you—you've been so good to me, you're not well-off yourself, yet you always save your Spirit Stones and pills for my cultivation, Huan'er remembers all of that."

Xiao Mingshu walked up to her, extended a finger, and gently tapped her forehead. She couldn't hold back any longer, feeling both annoyed and amused.

"At least you have some conscience, little girl."

She paused, then changed the subject, saying in a half-joking tone:

"Alright, Young Master Shen isn't an outsider. From now on, if he gives you anything, just accept it generously, okay? He has plenty of Spirit Stones, why not take them?"

Huan'er looked up at her young mistress, saw her expression, understood, and also stopped crying and smiled, nodding vigorously, "Mm."

In a private room of a restaurant in the market, the window was half-closed, overlooking the main street below.

There were three people sitting inside the room.

The old man in the middle is named Wang Chongyue. He is the third elder of the Wang Household, a local Aristocratic Clan cultivators. The Wang Household has a strong presence in Spirit Creek Market and even has Foundation Establishment cultivator in the family.

It was quite a coincidence. The Wang Household owned two shops in Spirit Creek Market, one selling talismans and the other selling elixirs.

Shen Jingchuan had been going back and forth between various shops these past few days, and inevitably visited these two shops as well.

After a while, Wang Chongyue noticed something amiss and took it to heart, thus keeping an eye on Shen Jingchuan.

The man sitting next to him was also from the Wang Household, named Wang Chongming, Qi Refining Ninth Layer who didn't talk much.

The other person was Zhou Li, a Rogue Cultivator, fifty-two years old this year. With the aptitude of four Spirit Roots, he was able to cultivate to the Qi Refining Great Perfection, all thanks to his ruthlessness and bloodshed over the years. His thin face had little flesh on it, but his eyes were very sinister.

However, it is best for cultivators to Foundation Establishment before the age of fifty. He was well past that age and was short of money. Not to mention Foundation Establishment Pills, he couldn't even gather enough resources for one Foundation Establishment. He had to Foundation Establishment, which had become his obsession. He was eager to do something big and make a fortune.

Zhou Li and Wang Chongyue were old acquaintances. A few days ago, when he was looking for an opportunity in the market, he accidentally saw Wang Chongyue secretly following a young man. Suspicious, he also secretly followed him and realized that Wang Chongyue had his eye on Shen Jingchuan, this fat sheep.

He simply showed up and came to Wang Chongyue's door, which Wang Chongyue was initially unwilling to do.

There were only three Qi Refining cultivators opposite him, one at the seventh level, one at the fifth level, and the other at the third level. He could have easily dealt with them all by himself. Zhou Li's intervention was an unjust takeaway of the benefits.

But he couldn't refuse. Zhou Li was known for his ruthlessness and was at the Qi Refining Great Perfection. If he really refused, Zhou Li would definitely interfere when things got serious, and they might even have to fight amongst themselves first. Besides, Zhou Li had already set his sights on this fat sheep and couldn't shake him off.

Wang Chongyue outwardly agreed, but secretly harbored suspicions and quietly summoned Wang Chongming from his Lineage.

Wang Chongming was their cousin from the main branch of the family, and they were the closest. Both of them were at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, and their skills were very solid. Wang Chongyue considered that if he and the two of them joined forces, they would be able to contend with Zhou Li.

He didn't dare call anyone else—he planned to do this deal behind his Lineage's back.

Although Elder Wang was unwilling, they eventually reached a consensus: everyone who saw it would get a share, and after the success, the Wang Household divided the loot among themselves Zhou Li splitting it four ways.

By today, they have been secretly watching Shen Jingchuan for many days.

Wang Chongyue held his wine glass, his brows furrowed.

"This kid's actions are strange in every way."

Zhou Li squinted, his voice deep:

"These past few days I've seen it clearly: he sells high-grade pills and superior-grade talismans at one shop, then goes to the next and buys up mid-grade pills and talismans in large quantities. Law Artifact even follows the same pattern with magical artifacts."

"Pills, talismans, Law Artifacts —it could be a Lineage business, but he's involved in everything. Can a whole Lineage really be good at everything?"

Zhou Li scoffed:

"If he really wants to refine pills, make talismans, and forge weapons himself, he'll need to buy raw materials like spirit herbs, talisman paper, and refined iron, right? I've been watching him these past few days, have I seen him buy even a single thing?"

"I do have a guess."

Zhou Li paused:

"Could it be that he possesses some kind of secret technique that can directly refine and elevate low-level items to high-level ones?"

There was a moment of silence in the private room after these words were spoken. Wang Chongyue immediately frowned:

"This is too bizarre. In all our years of cultivation, have we ever heard of such a method? Once a pill is formed, it's formed; how can it be refined again? Moreover, it's not just pills; the same goes for Law Artifacts and talismans—how can those things be recycled?"

The group looked at each other, none of them able to give a clear answer.

"That's enough."

Zhou Li waved his hand, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes:

"Whatever secrets he's hiding. Once he leaves the market, capture him alive, but don't kill him—he's definitely carrying a huge secret."

Wang Chongyue nodded, but then frowned:

"The problem is, this kid just rented a cave abode and hasn't been going out much these past few days; it looks like he's planning to stay for a while."

Zhou Li's eyes turned cold:

"Then... why don't we just go and confront them?"

"No." Wang Chongyue shook his head decisively.

"He lives in a Class A cave abode, which is protected by a defensive array. There's no way we can break in anytime soon."

"What if the commotion gets too big and attracts the patrols? Steward Wang, who oversees this Spirit Creek Market, is Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he arrives, will we even survive?"

He paused, then lowered his voice:

"As you know, Spirit Creek Market is notoriously strict in its rules and reputation, and it's more protective of its security than any other market. Forcibly breaking into cave abode on their turf is tantamount to courting death."

Zhou Li's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.

"This opportunity cannot be missed, but we cannot rush it or act rashly."

Wang Chongyue put his wine glass on the table:

"We'll wait. We'll take turns keeping an eye on him in shifts. I don't believe he can stay holed up in his cave abode forever."

Zhou Li stared downstairs for a long time before finally nodding slowly.

Even into the night, the five rings in the Heaven and Earth Ring were still enveloped in green light, and the repairs were still ongoing.

Shen Jingchuan was not in a hurry and continued to sit cross-legged and cultivate his internal energy.

They practiced all night long.

As dawn broke, he slowly finished his cultivation, completing a full cycle. With a thought, he probed his Divine Sense into his Heaven and Earth Ring.

The layer of green light that enveloped the five rings and flowed continuously had stopped at some point and was gradually fading away.

The five rings hung silently in mid-air, their original dark red rust completely gone, and they gleamed with a warm, soft light.

Shen Jingchuan was overjoyed.