Preparation

As for the Guangjiang Zhu family, A Zhen did not know much either. She had only picked up a rough outline from various rumors: the Zhu family was a major cultivation clan, its patriarch's cultivation was very high, and the clan had quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. It seemed they might even have a Golden Core cultivator? But she did not dare confirm whether they truly had one. After all, she had never encountered anything like this before and had never considered such questions.

She said she was willing to make a trip to Guangjiang and get to the bottom of it, but Liu Xiaolou stopped her. "It's over six hundred li south, more than a thousand li there and back. Why run so far? I'll have Zhou Tong make a trip to Wuchao Market instead. We can buy information directly from the black market. Information about sects and great clans is the easiest to buy."

Zhou Tong was ordered down the mountain and sent to Wuchao Market. A Zhen also went down the mountain, intending to return home and visit Uncle Tian.

By evening, Fang Buai had finished a stretch of cultivation at the summit and came down for dinner. He asked Liu Xiaolou, "Did Sister A Zhen come back?"

Liu Xiaolou smiled. "Is A Zhen really that captivating? You couldn't even settle down to cultivate on the mountaintop?"

Fang Buai shook his head. "No, look!" As he spoke, he took out an embroidered pouch and poured out a pile of broken silver, jeweled hairpins, and a pair of golden scissors.

Liu Xiaolou recognized those golden scissors. They were one of A Zhen's magical artifacts.

"How did they end up with you?" Liu Xiaolou was greatly surprised.

Fang Buai explained, "When I came down from the summit earlier,