The Liu Family Was in Trouble

Under the cover of night.

In the western district of the Market, two black-clad figures flickered across the rooftops like ghosts, finally arriving beneath the great locust tree by the western gate.

"Junior Brother, your skills are something else. Your Senior Brother nearly couldn't keep up."

The black-clad, masked Zhang Qing looked at Lin Chang'an in surprise and could not help giving him a thumbs-up. He had not been exaggerating just now, and he had also set up a soundproof barrier.

Faced with Zhang Qing's praise, Lin Chang'an merely shrugged self-deprecatingly and joked, "All these years, I've either been cultivating or refining pills, but Junior Brother hasn't forgotten what sort of place this is. I may not match Senior Brother in killing and fighting, but when it comes to movement techniques, I'm really not bad."

"Otherwise, Elder Lu wouldn't have been at ease, would he?" Lin Chang'an's teasing remark immediately drew laughter from Zhang Qing.

"Not bad. Junior Brother, your movement technique is like that of a ghost. Among cultivators of the same realm, this is the first time Senior Brother has seen such swift footwork. It shows your attainments in the Wind Riding Technique."

After exchanging a round of flattery, Lin Chang'an, dressed in black and masked, continued speaking neither hurriedly nor slowly, making Zhang Qing shake his head with a smile.

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

At Zhang Qing's question, Lin Chang'an smiled and nodded. "Of course I want to know. But if I learn things I shouldn't know, I'll only invite more trouble."

Lin Chang'an's answer immediately earned an approving look from Zhang Qing. "Junior Brother, do you know what Senior Brother admires most about you? You know when to advance and when to retreat."

"The Liu Family was in trouble!" A grave look gradually surfaced in Zhang Qing's eyes. Lin Chang'an's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and his expression also turned solemn.

"Didn't the Liu Family have two Foundation Establishment powerhouses? What could have happened?" Lin Chang'an spoke gravely, then seemed to think of something. His gaze grew even more serious.

"Hasn't the Market been quite peaceful? Senior Brother, are you saying something happened to the Liu Family's Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

As though he had realized something, Lin Chang'an's eyes became increasingly grave. If something happened to those below, at worst the lower ranks would cause a disturbance. But if something happened at the top, it would pull the whole body with a single hair.

This place had been chaotic enough to begin with. He had finally enjoyed more than three years of stability after coming here. Hopefully, there would not be unrest just as he feared.

In that brief instant, Lin Chang'an had considered the worst possibility. Zhang Qing lowered his voice and said solemnly, "It was the Liu Family's Foundation Establishment cultivators who met with trouble."

"The Liu Family's two Foundation Establishment cultivators secretly went out to bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill. They had planned to raise another Foundation Establishment powerhouse for the Liu Family, but who could have expected that either the news leaked or they offended someone? The Liu Family's two Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Liu Family Head all perished outside..."

Boom!

After Zhang Qing revealed that earth-shattering news, Lin Chang'an's head buzzed. At that moment, he was truly stunned, and his scalp even went numb.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator meeting with misfortune was a small matter. The problem was that the balance in the Market had been shattered. If unrest broke out, that would be no good news for him.

"Junior Brother, these matters aren't ours to control." Seeing Lin Chang'an's worries, Zhang Qing shook his head and sighed. "Let the people above worry about them. Still, even if chaos comes, it won't happen so quickly."

Taking a deep breath, Lin Chang'an cast aside the jumble of thoughts in his heart and said solemnly, "Then what about the Old Man Li you mentioned, Senior Brother?"

At Zhang Qing's gesture, the two figures vanished into the darkness like ghosts beneath the cover of night.

"Old Man Li's vital blood has deteriorated."

The two communicated through the Voice Transmission Technique all along the way. Hearing this, Lin Chang'an frowned. "Senior Brother, are you saying the sect is preparing to move against the Liu Family?"

Old Man Li was from the Liu Family. The greed in Zhang Qing's eyes now made it obvious that he had set his sights on the wealth of that late Qi Condensation cultivator whose mind was not right.

"Junior Brother, no matter what, Old Man Li was once a figure of fearsome renown. According to Elder Lu's source, after the Beast Taming Zhou Family secretly tested him, they found that Old Man Li was already seriously injured. Added to his age and his deteriorating vital blood, if you and I join forces!"

At this point, Zhang Qing's eyes glinted with bloodthirsty excitement in the darkness. "Junior Brother, if you and I join forces, we can definitely take down Old Man Li."

They had been allies with the Liu Family one moment, only to kick them when they were down the next. Though that was how the world worked, Lin Chang'an still frowned slightly. Their table manners were rather ugly. There might be profit in the short term, but in the long run...

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

After Old Man Li's mind went wrong, he seemed to have lived poorly these past years. If he truly had anything valuable, he would likely have exchanged it long ago for Spirit Stones to trade for male cultivators for his daughter.

Lin Chang'an was somewhat puzzled. Was a pauper really worth the trouble? Yet Zhang Qing sneered. "Junior Brother, you underestimate Old Man Li too much. There are things you don't know. Back then, Old Man Li was someone who could suppress Elder Lu. He only cultivated himself into a fool by recklessly practicing a cultivation technique."

"The old fellow's wealth is the cultivation technique he practiced!"

Seeing the heat in Zhang Qing's eyes, Lin Chang'an could not help teasing him. "Didn't Senior Brother say Old Man Li had cultivated his brain into ruin?"

Zhang Qing glared upon hearing Lin Chang'an's teasing. "Who said I meant that cultivation technique? I mean the technique the old fellow practiced before that, and besides!"

At this point, Zhang Qing gave two cold laughs. "A genius who once overwhelmed Elder Lu—what kind of cultivation technique could tempt him into taking such a huge risk to practice it?"

That single sentence struck directly at the heart of the matter. Lin Chang'an secretly nodded, while Zhang Qing smiled smugly.

"What proper person carries their cultivation technique around with them? Even if they did carry it, who would dare cultivate it lightly after getting it? Wouldn't that be seeking death? Even the mortal world knows to tamper with cultivation techniques so others do not benefit from them. Why do you think Old Man Li took such a great risk?"

"Who in the Cultivation World doesn't know that if you dare cultivate a technique obtained from looting a corpse, nine and a half out of ten will die, while the remaining half will still go mad? Yet it was enough to make a former genius risk everything in one gamble!"

Though Zhang Qing did not continue, Lin Chang'an said solemnly, "Of course, some cultivation techniques have special requirements or flaws. Perhaps Old Man Li was simply unlucky."

Lin Chang'an voiced what Zhang Qing had left unsaid. Such was the human heart—what if?

Zhang Qing was also gambling, or rather, Elder Lu must have secretly instructed him to do so.

"Whether Rogue Cultivators or sects, everyone holds something back when teaching cultivation techniques. Important parts are taught orally, while some alter part of the contents. Even in secret realms and fortuitous opportunities, cultivation techniques are generally the least valuable, but who would ever complain of having too many?"

A cold wind swept past. Zhang Qing regained a measure of calm, then looked at Lin Chang'an and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Junior Brother, speaking from the heart, the chance that this technique is genuine may be low, but even if it is fake, it will still count as merit for us."

If he did not do it, others would.

Moreover, Lin Chang'an understood the implication in his words and nodded. "I understand. It seems Elder Lu does not wish to let any opportunity slip by."

As the two communicated through the Voice Transmission Technique, they soon arrived before a house at the edge of the Market.

"We're here!"

A friend's book—if you like it, go take a look.