The Liu Family Is in Trouble

Under the cover of night.

In the western district of the market town, two figures in black darted across the rooftops like phantoms, finally arriving beneath the large locust tree at the west gate.

"Junior brother, your skills are impressive. Senior brother almost couldn't keep up."

Zhang Qing, masked and in black, looked at Lin Chang'an and couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed. He wasn't lying, and he'd also set up a soundproof barrier.

In response to Zhang Qing's praise, Lin Chang'an shrugged self-deprecatingly, joking, "I've spent years cultivating and refining pills, but junior brother hasn't forgotten where we are. If it's about fighting, I might not be as good as senior brother, but when it comes to movement techniques, junior brother is quite skilled."

"Otherwise, Elder Lu wouldn't be at ease, would he!" Lin Chang'an's teasing remark made Zhang Qing burst into laughter.

"Indeed, junior brother, your movement techniques are like a phantom. Among cultivators of the same realm, this is the fastest movement technique I've ever seen. It shows your mastery of wind manipulation."

After a bit of mutual flattery, Lin Chang'an, still masked in black, spoke unhurriedly, causing Zhang Qing to shake his head with a smile.

"Junior brother, don't you want to know what happened?"

Seeing Zhang Qing's question, Lin Chang'an smiled and nodded, "Of course, I want to know. But some things, if you know them when you shouldn't, will only bring more trouble."

Lin Chang'an's response made Zhang Qing's eyes light up with admiration. "Junior brother, you know, this is what I admire most about you – knowing when to advance and when to retreat."

"The Liu family had an incident!" Zhang Qing's eyes slowly showed a solemn expression, and upon hearing this, Lin Chang'an's heart skipped a beat, and his expression also turned grave.

"Doesn't the Liu family have two Foundation Establishment experts? What happened?" Lin Chang'an spoke with concern, then suddenly thought of something, his eyes growing even more serious.

"Isn't the market town quite stable? Then, senior brother, are you saying something happened to the Liu family's Foundation Establishment experts?"

As if realizing something, Lin Chang'an's eyes became increasingly solemn. If something happened to the people below, it would at most cause some unrest. But if something happened to those at the top, it would affect everything.

This place was already chaotic. He had finally found some stability here for over three years. He hoped it wouldn't devolve into turmoil as he feared.

In just a moment, Lin Chang'an considered the worst-case scenario. Zhang Qing then lowered his voice and said gravely, "It's the Liu family's Foundation Establishment cultivators who had an accident."

"The two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Liu family went out to secretly purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill. They were preparing to cultivate another Foundation Establishment expert for the Liu family. Who would have thought that either the news leaked or they offended someone, and the two Liu family Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Liu Family Head all perished outside..."

Boom!

As Zhang Qing delivered this shocking news, Lin Chang'an's mind buzzed. At that moment, he was truly stunned, and his scalp tingled.

The accident involving Foundation Establishment cultivators was a minor issue. The problem was that the balance of the market town had been broken. If turmoil erupted, it wouldn't be good news for him.

"Junior brother, these matters are not within our control." Seeing Lin Chang'an's worry, Zhang Qing shook his head and sighed, "Let the higher-ups worry about these things. Besides, even if there's chaos, it won't happen so quickly."

Taking a deep breath, Lin Chang'an pushed aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind and said gravely, "Then, senior brother, you mentioned Old Man Li?"

With a gesture from Zhang Qing, their figures vanished into the darkness like phantoms, using the night as cover.

"Old Man Li's Blood Essence is depleted."

The two communicated via sound transmission spell along the way. Upon hearing this, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but frown. "Senior brother, are you saying the sect is planning to make a move on the Liu family?"

Old Man Li was from the Liu family. The greed in Zhang Qing's eyes now clearly indicated he was eyeing the wealth of this mentally unstable late Qi Condensation cultivator.

"Junior brother, Old Man Li, no matter what, was a formidable existence in his prime. According to Elder Lu's intelligence, the Beast Taming Zhou Family made a secret probe, and Old Man Li was already heavily injured. Coupled with his age and depleted Blood Essence, you and I will team up!"

As he said this, Zhang Qing in the darkness revealed a bloodthirsty and excited look. "Junior brother, if we join forces, we can definitely take down Old Man Li."

They were allies with the Liu family just yesterday, and now they were kicking them while they were down. Although this was how the world worked, Lin Chang'an still frowned slightly. This was a bit too greedy. While it might be profitable in the short term, in the long run...

"Senior brother, what could Old Man Li possibly have?"

After Old Man Li's mind became addled, he didn't seem to have lived well all these years. If he had anything good, he would have exchanged it for spirit stones long ago to get a male cultivator for his daughter.

Lin Chang'an was a bit puzzled. A pauper seemed not worth the trouble. But Zhang Qing sneered, "Junior brother, you underestimate Old Man Li. There are things you don't know. Old Man Li was once capable of suppressing Elder Lu. It's just that he practiced cultivation methods recklessly and drove himself mad."

"This old fellow's wealth lies in his cultivation method!"

Seeing the fervor in Zhang Qing's eyes, Lin Chang'an teased, "Didn't senior brother say that Old Man Li's mind was ruined by cultivation?"

Hearing Lin Chang'an's teasing, Zhang Qing glared, "Who said that cultivation method? I'm talking about the cultivation method this old guy practiced before, and besides!"

At this point, Zhang Qing let out a cold laugh. "What kind of cultivation method would attract a genius who once suppressed Elder Lu to take such a huge risk to cultivate?"

This sentence hit the nail on the head, and Lin Chang'an secretly nodded. Zhang Qing smiled triumphantly.

"What normal person would carry their cultivation method with them? Even if they did, who would dare to cultivate it easily after obtaining it? Isn't that seeking death? Even in the mortal world, they know to tamper with cultivation methods to avoid benefiting others. Why do you think Old Man Li took such a big risk?"

"Everyone in the cultivation world knows that anyone who dares to cultivate a cultivation method found on a corpse has a ninety-nine percent chance of dying, and the remaining half-percent will go insane. To make a former genius risk it all!"

At this point, Zhang Qing stopped talking, but Lin Chang'an said gravely, "Of course, there are also some cultivation methods with special conditions or drawbacks. Perhaps Old Man Li was just unlucky."

Lin Chang'an voiced what Zhang Qing hadn't said. This was human nature. What if?

Zhang Qing was also taking a gamble, or rather, it was likely that Elder Lu had secretly instructed him.

"Whether it's a rogue cultivator or a sect, they always hold something back when imparting cultivation methods. They might teach the important parts orally, modify some content, or even offer secret realms and opportunities. Cultivation methods are usually the least valuable, but who would complain about having more!"

A cold wind blew, and Zhang Qing's mind calmed down by a third. He looked at Lin Chang'an and gave a wry smile, "Junior brother, to be honest, the possibility of this cultivation method being real is low, but even if it's fake, it's still merit for us."

If he didn't do it, someone else would. It was better for him to do it.

Moreover, Lin Chang'an understood the underlying meaning and nodded, "I understand. It seems Elder Lu doesn't want to miss any opportunity."

As the two communicated via sound transmission spell, they soon arrived in front of a house on the edge of the market town.

"We're here!"

My friend's book, you can check it out if you like it.