Nothing to Do with Me!

Deep within the Miasma Valley, in the Chen Family Cultivation Market, in the most magnificent hall located in the core area of Market.

The Family Head, a middle-aged Cultivator around fifty years old with three long tufts of beard, was sitting opposite the True Disciple surnamed Gong from the Biyou Palace.

On the Red Sandalwood table in front of the two, there were several plates of seasonal Spirit Fruit full of Spiritual Qi, and a pot of freshly brewed Spirit Tea was emitting a fragrant aroma that was refreshing and pleasant.

The atmosphere inside the hall seemed quite harmonious.

After some discussions, both parties have reached some preliminary agreements on the cooperation between the Chen Family and Biyou Palace, whereby the Chen family would join forces and become Stronghold intelligence and resource gathering in the surrounding area.

The Family Head wore a perfectly measured, ingratiating smile as he cautiously discussed some details of the collaboration.

Such as the level of protection provided by the Biyou Palace, the proportion of "offerings" that the Chen family needs to pay, and the potential allocation of resources in the future, etc.

Just then, outside the hall door, the Chen Family Head's cousin, the "Third Uncle" at the Qi Refining Layer Eight, had a clearly anxious look on his face and kept giving him meaningful glances and moving his lips, obviously something urgent had happened.

The Chen Family Head's heart sank slightly, but he remained outwardly calm, apologizing as he rose. "True Inheritance Disciple Gong, please forgive me. Please rest here for a while and savor this Cloudmist Spirit Tea."

"I'll go check on the arrangements for the Welcoming Banquet I've prepared for you. I'll be right back."

The disciple surnamed Gong True Disciple of the Biyou Palace, looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He had a handsome face and an air of composure unique to a True Disciple of a major sect.

He casually picked up a crimson Spirit Fruit, put it in his mouth, chewed it gently, and waved his hand, saying, "Please proceed, Family Head."

As True Disciple of the Biyou Palace, many of the missions he accepted involved the expansion of the Sect Force and the exchange of interests.

During this process, the respectful offerings and attentive service from vassal forces are commonplace and also part of reinforcing the sense of superiority and belonging of the True Disciple within the sect.

In this respect, the Three Great Sects of Qingzhou are largely similar.

The Family Head hurriedly left the main hall and went to a quiet side hall next door.

Third Uncle Chen Family, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately rushed forward, lowering his voice and speaking rapidly, "Big Brother! Something bad has happened! Something seems to have happened to Chen Ping! It's been almost an hour, and not a single word has come back!"

Normally, when they do this kind of "shady business," they are led by Late Qi Refining Cultivator cultivators to deal with lone, easy targets. They can finish the fight in a quarter of an hour or two and quickly return.

This time, however, the team, led by Chen Ping, the Lineage's top expert at the Qi Refining Layer Nine, along with two other experts at the Qi Refining Layer Eight, went to chase after a "Sect Betrayal" at the Qi Refining Layer Seven, but they were nowhere to be found after an hour!

This is absolutely illogical!

The Family Head felt a pang of anxiety, but still clung to a sliver of hope. "How could that be? Chen Ping has many tricks up her sleeve and a lot of hidden cards. Last time, that kid just slipped away."

"Perhaps he went out in person this time because he caught up with them too far and is on his way back."

Chen Ping was the successor he was grooming, and he recognized her abilities and character. He really didn't want to believe that something unexpected would happen.

"Family Head! We can't wait any longer!"

Third Uncle Chen Family, being more straightforward, said anxiously, "That purple-robed brat dared to Auction alone and even won such a valuable item; he might have been prepared all along!"

"Chen Ping has been out of contact for so long, her fate looks grim! In my opinion, perhaps... perhaps we should directly ask True Inheritance Disciple Gong for help!"

"Anyway, our cooperation is almost finalized. Once the Chen Family becomes an affiliate of the Biyou Palace, Biyou Palace will have an obligation to protect us."

"True Inheritance Disciple Gong is True Disciple of the Biyou Palace, with extraordinary strength. Dealing with a Jade Mist Sect Traitor is a piece of cake for him, isn't it? If this drags on any longer, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will be too late!"

Upon hearing this, the Family Head showed a look of struggle on his face.

To persuade this True Disciple of the Biyou Palace to intervene, regardless of whether the cooperation succeeds or fails, a substantial "thank you gift" must be offered afterwards.

Even if this raid fails, the Spirit Stone must still be given.

He felt sorry for the Spirit Stone and thought it wasn't worth paying an extra price for a "Sect Betrayal".

But Third Uncle Chen Family's words were not without reason; the longer the time dragged on, the greater the variables would become.

After hesitating for a moment, seeing his cousin's anxious eyes and thinking of the potential danger Chen Ping might face, as well as the future pillar of the Lineage, the Chen Family Head finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! It's your decision!"

He composed himself and returned to the main hall.

"True Inheritance Disciple Gong," the Chen Family Head cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his face displaying a perfectly measured plea, "There is an urgent matter I would like to ask for your assistance with."

"Oh? What is it?" The True Disciple disciple surnamed Gong put down his teacup and looked up.

The Chen Family Head then gave a vague summary of the matter: an important member of the Lineage (Chen Ping) went to track down a Cultivator (Jiang Han) who was suspected of possessing a large fortune and potentially posing a threat to the Lineage, but has not yet returned. There are concerns that something might have happened, so he wants to ask True Inheritance Disciple Gong to go and investigate or provide assistance.

He spoke vaguely, but the True Disciple of the Gong family had been in the Biyou Palace for many years, carried out various missions, and witnessed too many dark sides of the Cultivation World.

After a moment's thought, he roughly guessed the key to the matter: the failure to track them was clearly due to their attempt to plunder failing and instead finding themselves in a dangerous situation.

He looked at the Family Head with a half-smile, "I have heard of your Lineage before; you are quite shrewd in managing this Market."

"It seems the rumors were true after all." His words carried a hint of amusement and a touch of sarcasm.

The Chen Family Head looked embarrassed and increasingly awkward, but he couldn't care less about saving face at this moment, and said directly, "It is indeed our fault for not acting properly. The situation is urgent, and we hope that True Inheritance Disciple Gong will lend a helping hand in consideration of our upcoming cooperation! The Chen Family will surely repay you handsomely!"

"A generous reward?" The disciple True Disciple raised an eyebrow, and without beating around the bush, held up three fingers. "Three thousand Spirit Stone. I'm setting off now to check the situation. Whatever the outcome, the Spirit Stone will be paid."

Three thousand Spirit Stone!

The Chen Family Head quickly calculated in his mind: if he could capture that purple-robed boy, he estimated he could get more than 10,000 Spirit Stone. He would only have to pay 3,000, and still make a net profit of 7,000 to 8,000. It wouldn't be a loss!

If Chen Ping were to have an accident, they could ask this True Disciple for help to salvage the situation and recover the losses.

This deal is on!

"Alright! As long as True Inheritance Disciple Gong is willing to help, the Chen Family will offer three thousand Spirit Stone afterward!" The Chen Family Head agreed quite readily.

A glint flashed in the eyes of the True Disciple surnamed Gong. He agreed so quickly?

It seems I was too conservative with my asking price; that "fat sheep" is probably fatter than I imagined.

However, having already spoken, and being True Disciple of the Biyou Palace, he held onto his status and disdained to back out and raise the price at the last minute.

He stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and said, "Direction? I'll go after them and see what's going on."

Just as the Chen Family Head was about to explain in detail, Chen Family's Third Uncle burst into the side hall, his face filled with panic, his voice trembling. "Family Head! Something terrible has happened! That... that Purple Robe Person is back! And he brought an accomplice! They've already stormed into the Market!"

"What?!"

The Family Head was struck dumb, his mind going completely blank.

Chen Ping and the other two... has something really happened to them?

"How many people? What are their cultivation levels?" The True Disciple surnamed Gong remained calm and immediately grasped the key point.

"Just... just two people! Both are in the Late Qi Refining! But... but the gatekeeper was killed by them with a single sword strike! Now they're heading straight for the ancestral home!" Third Uncle Chen Family's voice trembled.

"No Foundation Establishment Cultivator?" the True Disciple surnamed Gong confirmed.

"No! There's absolutely no aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm!" Third Uncle Chen Family affirmed.

The True Disciple surnamed Gong felt somewhat relieved. As long as they hadn't Foundation Establishment, with the strength and trump cards of a True Disciple disciple of the Biyou Palace, he should be able to escape even if he couldn't defeat two rogue cultivators or Cultivator from small forces who were in the Late Qi Refining stage.

It seems there's hope for those three thousand Spirit Stone.

"I'll go out and meet them." The disciple True Disciple Gong moved swiftly and flashed out of the hall.

Seeing this, Third Uncle Chen Family breathed a slight sigh of relief. With the True Disciple Biyou Palace, today's crisis might be resolved!

Let's rewind a few minutes.

After Su Bai and Jiang Han recovered most of their Spiritual Power, they immediately set off for Chen Family Market again.

The two men, one in a black robe Veil Hat, the other in a purple robe and also wearing a face-covering conical hat, came together, their imposing manner clearly indicating their ill intentions.

Just as Su Bai landed outside the Illusion Array at the entrance of the Market, several Chen clan disciples on guard surrounded him. The one in the lead was the same burly-faced Qi Refining Layer Five who had spoken rudely to Su Bai a few hours earlier.

"Stop! You..." The burly-faced thug hadn't finished speaking.

Su Bai was too lazy to waste words with him, and didn't even give him a chance to utter any foul language.

With a thought, the Azure Dragon Sword transformed into a streak of deathly azure light, moving with incredible speed. In the instant before the disciple could even react, it pierced through his wide-open mouth and emerged from the back of his head!

"Pfft!"

Blood mixed with brain matter splattered out. The young man's eyes widened in disbelief and terror as he fell backward, dying instantly.

Su Bai's sword strike was precise and ruthless, carrying a chilling killing intent. It was not only to avenge the previous humiliation, but also to establish his authority!

Jiang Han, watching from the side, felt a twitch in his eyelids, thinking to himself, "Senior Brother Su is really decisive... He seems to be a ruthless killer; I hadn't seen that coming before."

The other members of the Chen family had never seen such a fierce Cultivator would kill without saying a word.

Terrified out of their wits, they dared not stop them. With a shout, they scattered like birds and beasts, running frantically into the Market while screaming at the top of their lungs, "Enemy attack! A powerful enemy has broken in! Quickly inform the Family Head!"

Su Bai and Jiang Han exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, they moved like two sharp arrows, shooting into the Market and heading straight for the Chen family's ancestral home in the core area of Market along the main street!

Along the way, the independent cultivators in the Market all gave way, hiding in the shops or alleyways on both sides, watching with suspicion and uncertainty.

They were not aligned with the Chen family, so naturally none of them were willing to step forward to protect the Chen family from disaster; they were happy to watch the show.

Occasionally, a few loyal or reckless members of the Chen family would attempt to ambush or obstruct them from corners or rooftops.

Su Bai didn't even need to use the Azure Dragon Sword; he could easily kill or repel them with a simple Low-grade Magic Sword using his Object Manipulation Technique or a casual sword Sword Qi, making it impossible to slow down their advance.

Soon, the two of them swept through most of the Market and arrived at the relatively open square in front of the Chen family's ancestral home.

At this moment, the ancestral home's main gate was tightly closed, and shadowy figures could be seen behind the windows, clearly indicating that many members of the Chen family had gathered, but no one dared to rush out first.

However, the next moment, the ancestral house door was suddenly flung open.

A figure stepped forward unhurriedly, blocking Su Bai and Jiang Han's path.

It was that Cultivator surnamed Gong, dressed in the robes of True Disciple disciple of the Biyou Palace!

Su Bai and Jiang Han paused, their expressions immediately turning serious. They subtly raised their Spiritual Power and looked at each other warily.

Is this True Disciple of the Biyou Palace really going to stand up for the Chen family?

On the other hand, the True Disciple surnamed Gong originally intended to step in and "resolve the trouble" for the sake of those three thousand Spirit Stone.

However, when his gaze swept over Jiang Han's seemingly ordinary purple robe, which actually revealed a unique style in certain details, his pupils suddenly contracted!

The style of clothing... he seemed to have seen a description of it in a brief message issued within the sect regarding certain hidden forces that needed to be guarded against recently!

Immortal Palace!

That mysterious organization that has been quietly operating in the Qingzhou Cultivation World lately, using unsettling methods, and even causing the Jade Mist Sect to suffer a hidden loss!

The sect's higher-ups had specifically instructed that they must be vigilant against anyone suspected of Immortal Palace Member and must not provoke them!

Damn it!

The Chen Family is actually trying to plunder people from the Immortal Palace?

You actually want to use a mere three thousand Spirit Stone to get yourself involved in this mess?!

In a flash, the Gong family's True Disciple's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.

For the sake of such a paltry gain for the Chen family, to offend a secretive organization that even the Jade Mist Sect finds troublesome and whose actions are unpredictable is a risk that is completely disproportionate to the reward!

Three thousand Spirit Stone? Not worth it! My status as True Disciple of the Biyou Palace is not worth the risk!

The cold, ready-to-take-action expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an indifferent "it's none of my business" look, and he no longer even glanced at Su Bai and Jiang Han.

Instead, he turned to the Chen Family Head, who had rushed out later and whose face was full of hope, and spoke clearly:

"Family Head, today's events have absolutely nothing to do with my Biyou Palace."

"As for the matter of the Chen family becoming an affiliated Stronghold of my Biyou Palace... let's drop it. There's no possibility of it happening again, so there's no need to discuss it further!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he even casually cupped his hands in greeting towards Jiang Han, as if to say hello.

Without hesitation, he summoned his flying Law Artifact —a Jade Ruler gleaming with spiritual light—and leaped into the air.

The Jade Ruler transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky without hesitation, speeding away from the Market and disappearing into the twilight in the blink of an eye.