The crane head, which had been bored enough to half-close its eyes, suddenly snapped them open. Its gaze turned razor-sharp as it shot a sidelong look at the human head beside it.
"Hehe, Old Man, when did we take in a new disciple? Could it be some illegitimate son of yours from back then who came knocking?"
"Don't spout nonsense. In my mortal days, I never married or had children, nor had I ever stained myself with such depraved and disgraceful affairs."
Old Man Fate Crane immediately denied the crane head's wild speculation.
Hearing the exchange between the man and crane, Mother Diviner True Person immediately understood.
"So, that cultivator named Yang An is not Senior Fate Crane's disciple, but merely borrowed the name of one?"
"That should be the case!"
Fate Crane nodded.
He had twelve disciples beneath him, and not one of them was named Yang An, nor was there a single one surnamed Yang.
Nor had he ever sent any disciple to attend the Communal Feast Convention hosted by Mother Diviner True Person.
The reason was simple. This was merely an exchange of resources among low-level cultivators. No matter how useless his disciples were, they would not think much of the things here.
What Fate Crane had not expected was that someone would actually dare to impersonate his disciple and sneak into the Communal Feast Convention so openly and brazenly.
Even if the Fate Crane Sect had lain dormant for decades, no one should have dared to be this rampant.
Since he had used the name of Fate Crane's disciple, he surely knew of Fate Crane's existence. Was this brat not afraid of offending him?
"What nerve. Not only did he infiltrate my Golden Egg Jade Qiong Island, he even dared offend Senior. This man is utterly audacious.
"I shall personally seize him at once and leave him for Senior to deal with."
Mother Diviner True Person had invited Old Man Fate Crane here because she needed his help. Unexpectedly, before they could even get to the main matter, someone had delivered himself to her doorstep.
She had been worrying over how to broach the subject, and the crane head had kept interrupting her. Now, just as sleepiness came, someone had handed her a pillow. She could first offer this favor before discussing serious matters, making it easier to speak afterward.
Rather than sending someone else, she was going personally. That alone was enough to show her sincerity.
"Good, good, good! Hurry and capture him so I can kill him! This time, I'll do it myself. Old Man, you're not allowed to snatch him from me!"
Upon hearing Mother Diviner True Person's words, the crane head immediately perked up.
Like it had swallowed some stimulant, its eyes glowed red as it stretched out its neck and laughed madly, making no effort to conceal the brutality laid bare in its heart.
Yet Mother Diviner True Person did not look at it. Instead, she turned her gaze to Old Man Fate Crane. The crane head's words were just noise; the one who could truly make decisions was Fate Crane's human head.
Sure enough, a trace of hesitation appeared on Old Man Fate Crane's face. That showed he still possessed reason, unlike the cruel crane head.
But in the end, Old Man Fate Crane still nodded, agreeing to Mother Diviner True Person's proposal.
"Old hag Mother Diviner, what are you waiting for? Go! Go quickly! This old man can't wait any longer! You bitch!"
The crane head also frantically urged her on, its words exceedingly harsh, showing no restraint whatsoever as it vented its displeasure.
Mother Diviner True Person forcibly suppressed the fury in her heart. That damned crane head! Damn it!
The next instant, her tall figure vanished from the cave like a wisp of green smoke, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
At the Communal Feast Convention, Pan Yu excitedly took a liking to another item: a jade talisman.
This woman seemed particularly fond of jade artifacts, holding it in her hand as though she could not bear to put it down.
"Quick, Fellow Daoist, help me take a look at this!"
Before the cultivator displaying the item could introduce it, Pan Yu impatiently handed the jade talisman to Yang An and asked him to appraise it.
Yang An gladly accepted the jade talisman. The instant he touched it, an information panel swiftly appeared before his eyes.
Forbidden Child Talisman: A magical artifact forged by the Jade Lang Artifact Forging Workshop from Stone Pattern Jade. Restrictions are inscribed within it, allowing it to withstand one Mana attack from a mid-stage False Eater Realm cultivator at most. It can be bound with blood. Cost of use: Once this talisman shatters, stone patterns will spread across the user's entire body, causing a certain degree of slowed movement for one quarter-hour. Status: Can be purified!
After checking the jade talisman's information, Yang An did not want to arouse suspicion, so he pretended to examine it for a while before giving his conclusion.
"If I am not mistaken, this should be a Forbidden Child Talisman. It can block one attack of equivalent power from a mid-stage False Eater Realm cultivator. Not bad—it is indeed a magical artifact."
Upon receiving Yang An's answer, a smile immediately appeared on Pan Yu's face.
The cultivator who had brought out the item looked at Yang An in surprise.
"Fellow Daoist has sharp eyes indeed. You recognized my magical artifact at a glance!"
"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. I merely happen to know a little; it is not worth mentioning."
Yang An smiled faintly and answered with great humility. In matters like this, it was best to keep as low a profile as possible.
After confirming the item's authenticity, Pan Yu impatiently wanted to trade with the cultivator.
Yang An hesitated for a moment before speaking to her.
"This item is made from Stone Pattern Jade and has restrictions inscribed within it. Once the magical artifact is damaged, stone patterns will spread over your entire body, affecting your speed to a certain extent. If you intend to trade for it, you should consider it carefully."
Pan Yu was a woman, and women inevitably cared about their appearance and figure. Yang An had no choice but to remind her.
If patterns like cracks in stone covered her entire body, it certainly would not look good.
As soon as Yang An said this, the cultivator selling the item became even more astonished.
Unfortunately, due to the Illusionary Insect Corpse's effects, he could not see Yang An's appearance or glimpse his true face.
"Fellow Daoist even knows the forging process and cost of this item inside and out? Could you be a master skilled in this craft?"
Yang An smiled and shook his head, denying the other man's guess. He had no intention of making conversation with him.
But after hearing Yang An's warning, Pan Yu only pondered for a moment before deciding to trade for the item anyway. She smiled at Yang An again.
"Compared with staying alive, these external things are of no importance. If I cared about them, I would not have stepped onto the path of cultivation. I might as well have honestly remained an ordinary mortal."
"Fellow Daoist, you are too attached to appearances. Hehe."
That was Pan Yu's reasoning, and it made Yang An feel somewhat ashamed.
Indeed, after getting to know them over this period, Yang An now understood that not a single one of these cultivators was normal.
Anyone who stepped into cultivation and came into contact with all manner of cultivation-related things had to bear their corresponding cruel prices.
Appearance, looks, flesh-and-blood shells—compared to that, they truly were things of no consequence to these people.
He simply had not expected Pan Yu to see things so clearly. He had underestimated her.
Soon, under Pan Yu's urging, Pan Shi confirmed the magical artifact's grade and completed the transaction with the cultivator.
Yang An saw him take out five pills in total from his robes and hand them to the other party. Though he did not know what pills they were, judging by the cultivator's delighted expression, they must have been extremely valuable.
Yet Pan Shi and Pan Yu acted as though they were rolling in wealth, utterly unconcerned as they made the exchange with crisp decisiveness.
They looked exactly like two rich second-generation heirs... no, second-generation cultivators.
This gave Yang An a deeper understanding of the immortal mountain sect behind them.
It seemed Three Pine Mountain was a force with an exceedingly deep foundation. The two of them surely held no low status within Three Pine Mountain.
After completing the transaction, the three left the area and continued onward.
As more and more cultivators arrived on the island, the place had become bustling and clamorous, truly resembling a busy mortal marketplace.
But after browsing for quite some time, Yang An felt somewhat disappointed and anxious.
He had already looked through the items displayed by many cultivators here, yet he had not seen the cultivation technique he had been longing for.
Unable to help himself, he looked at Pan Shi and asked,
"Fellow Daoist Pan, why have I not seen any transactions involving cultivation techniques?"
Before you continue