Unexpected Relationship

The ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms and the cold returns.

Lan Chang'an believed that the upper echelons of the sects in the Cultivation World had a more acute sense of smell than ordinary cultivators.

Using others as a whetstone— Lan Chang'an had seen this kind of thing in his Previous Life.

The stone is too hard to chew.

Tuoba Jin would not challenge the Pseudo-Core True Person from the Blazing Fire Palace.

His feud with He Yuanwu was merely a superficial one.

Given Tuoba Jin's sharp edge, he must have had conflicts with more than just He Yuanwu.

The fundamental reason is that Yellow Dragon Immortal City is a suitable target; it is powerful enough that no one is afraid of offending it.

"The current Yellow Dragon Immortal City, and even True Person Yellow Dragon, may not be as powerful as imagined."

Lan Chang'an thought to himself.

True Person Yellow Dragon still has over a hundred years left to live.

As long as he remains as a Sea-Stabilizing Needle, barring major problems, Yellow Dragon Immortal City will at most decline slowly, but it is impossible for it to collapse quickly.

"In a few decades, True Person Yellow Dragon's physical condition will inevitably decline, and he will enter old age."

Lan Chang'an speculated that True Person Yellow Dragon's peak years were almost over.

True Person Yellow Dragon's weakness lies in his failure to cultivate a successor at the True Core level.

There were only two False Core among his apprentices.

There are other Golden Core Realm cultivators in Yellow Dragon Immortal City, but they only obey True Person Yellow Dragon.

Pseudo-Core True Person cannot control the interests of the vast Immortal City.

Even those with weaker Core Golden Core Realm are not enough.

The large auction has ended.

Zhao Siyao took her leave and set off to return to Golden Cloud Valley.

Lan Chang'an also prepared to leave Yellow Dragon Immortal City.

Before leaving, he made another deal with the Beast Taming Zhou Family.

Zhou Qingxuan is still in charge.

This time, Lan Chang'an obtained a larger Second-Order High-Grade Monster Beast Hide, as well as some second-tier mid-to-low-grade talisman-drawing materials.

Not all Monster Beast Hide can be used as Talisman Paper materials.

The location of the fur is also important; it is generally taken from areas such as the chest, neck, and abdomen.

The quality of domesticated Demon Beast is far inferior to that of wild ones.

Lan Chang'an stayed at Water Moon Residence for a month to complete the transaction.

This time, in addition to earning some profit from the material difference, he also obtained five High-Grade Talisman.

Including the three from before, there are a total of eight second-tier High-Grade Talisman.

"Unfortunately, at the mid-to-high tier of the second level, the difference in the amount of materials earned is far less than at the first level."

Lan Chang'an felt a slight sense of regret.

This is inevitable; as his talisman-drawing skills improve, his advantage as Third-Order Talisman Master from his Previous Life will diminish.

According to Zhou Qingxuan, the next deal is at least several years away.

After the transaction is completed.

Lan Chang'an returned the house at Water Moon Residence and bid farewell to his neighbors.

They took Guan Qiaozhi with them and left Yellow Dragon Immortal City, where they had cultivated for over twenty years.

Three days after Lan Chang'an left.

A Foundation Establishment Realm aura descended upon Water Moon Residence.

The newcomer was a handsome young man with clear features, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat.

"Are you late?"

Looking at the empty courtyard, the young man in the cotton-padded jacket's expression changed.

"Senior Fu, are you here to see Talismans Master Lu? He left Yellow Dragon Immortal City three days ago."

Du Wei from Alchemist Heart Residence warmly welcomed them.

The young man in the cotton-padded jacket in front of me is Fu Xuemei's younger brother, Fu Dong.

The advancement of Inferior Spiritual Root to the Foundation Establishment Realm once caused a heated discussion in Yellow Dragon Immortal City.

Do you know where he went?

"I don't know," Du Wei shook his head.

Lan Chang'an and he only had a relationship based on mutual benefit; after Lu Chang'an advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, their contact decreased.

Fu Dong sighed bitterly and said nothing.

Moon Empress.

Lan Chang'an piloted the Flying Boat and brought Guan Qiaozhi to Wuqi Mountain.

It landed on Small Turtle Peak.

"Brother Lu, is the entire Spirit Vein Mountain ours?"

Guan Qiaozhi's eyes were bright and clear, her delicate face flushed, and her joy was evident.

She danced gracefully against the mountain breeze, arms outstretched, her skirt billowing in the wind.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this place will be our private Dao Field for the next few decades."

Lan Chang'an smiled, admiring the girl's youthful beauty.

Guan Qiaozhi is about thirty years younger than him. She started taking Youth Preserving Pill at a very young age and has maintained a youthful appearance ever since.

Besides the legacy Daoist Guan, Guan Qiaozhi, as Lan Chang'an's concubine, had a stable income of Spirit Stone from the share Lan Chang'an gave her for making Talisman Paper.

The pay is much higher than that of regular talisman shops.

Lan Chang'an would give her some pocket money from time to time.

Guan Qiaozhi used this considerable income of Spirit Stone, aside from cultivating, to buy beauty-enhancing pills.

"The site is quite large, including a cave dwelling, so it will be quite a lot of work to maintain."

"It's no trouble at all! I'll keep this place looking beautiful!"

Guan Qiaozhi never dared to dream that she could enjoy a Spirit Vein Dao Field the size of a mountain peak, and Second-Order Spiritual Vein at that.

Like Cinderella, she moved to the royal gardens and became a part-mistress.

When Lan Chang'an returned to Wuqi Mountain, he was seventy-two years old.

The next two months will be quite busy.

They set up Mountain Protection Array and renovated the cave dwelling.

Planting Spirit Grain, medicinal herb seeds, and spirit tree seedlings.

Earth Rock Rat are the greatest laborers; digging burrows and cultivating fields are their natural talents.

Guan Qiaozhi was busy every day, getting all dirty, meticulously designing and renovating the layout of each room in the cave, including the planning of the gardens Medicine Field outside.

The large pool in front of the cave dwelling is covered with rust and poison on many artifacts.

To provide the Mystic Water Turtle with a comfortable environment, Guan Qiaozhi painstakingly used magic to clean the rust from the pool.

She changed the water in the ten-acre pond seven or eight times before she felt at ease.

At this point, Guan Qiaozhi had long forgotten the idea of inheriting the old man's estate.

She was very satisfied with this place, which was the blessed cultivation ground she had always dreamed of. She followed her senior brother, who was in the Foundation Establishment Realm, to cultivate talisman drawing, raise turtles and grow grass.

Within two months, the array setup, cave renovation, and Spirit Field cultivation at Small Turtle Peak were basically completed.

Lan Chang'an noticed that Guan Qiaozhi was still working very hard, and her back ached from being so busy every day.

Previously, this concubine would occasionally wear a transparent gauze dress to subtly seduce Lan Chang'an, but recently she has completely lost interest in such things.

The main problem was that Small Turtle Peak was too large, so Lan Chang'an planted a lot of Spirit Grain, herbs, and spirit tree seedlings.

The daily tasks of watering, pest control, and weeding alone are a huge amount of work.

This doesn't even include the Cloud Rain Technique.

Small Turtle Peak is Second-Order Spiritual Vein, which provides certain benefits to low-grade Spiritual Rice, young herbs, and other crops.

Lan Chang'an turned his gaze to the Mystic Water Turtle by the pool.

"I've raised you for over thirty years; you need to learn to be self-reliant."

Lan Chang'an stepped forward and tapped the tortoise shell with the back of his hand.

"Starting today, the task of watering and irrigating the Spirit Grain, herbs, and seedlings on the mountain will be entrusted to you."

"Squeak!" The Earth Rock Rat emerged from its burrow, baring its teeth and raising its paws in agreement.

The Mystic Water Turtle glanced at Lan Chang'an with teary eyes.

Seeing that the latter remained unmoved, it moved its limbs and headed towards the herb area.

He cast the Minor Cloud Rain Technique in front of a Medicine Field.

A drop of rain fell, releasing a faint green hue.

Lan Chang'an nodded in satisfaction, discovering that the Mystic Water Turtle's Cloud Rain Technique contained the life force of Wood Element Law Technique.

This Mystic Water Turtle, after hatching, has leaf-like patterns on its shell.

Lan Chang'an speculated that the Evergreen Secret Technique, which consumed half a year's lifespan during the hatching of this turtle, had some effect on its physique.

After the mountain cave was set up, Lan Chang'an invited the other two Peak Master of Wuqi Mountain.

Under the notarization of the cultivators of Golden Cloud Valley.

Lin Ye, Shi Manrong, and Lan Chang'an signed a new cohabitation Spirit Contract.

The Spirit Vein of Wuqi Mountain, with a rent of 12,000 Spirit Stone every ten years, is shared equally among the three.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the annual rent isn't much.

For cultivators, time passes quickly and lifespans are long; renting a place for ten or twenty years would be a huge expense.

After signing the Spirit Contract.

Lan Chang'an hosted a banquet in his cave dwelling to entertain Lin Ye and Shi Manrong.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators praised Guan Qiaozhi's culinary skills.

Guan Qiaozhi's talent for dexterity is not limited to making materials for talismans; she excels in any craft related to manual dexterity, surpassing the average person.

This woman did a good job with the Puppet's parts.

"Daoist Lu, was the second-tier formation on your mountain purchased from Yellow Dragon Immortal City?"

Shi Manrong and graceful, with eyes as calm as still water.

"Daoist Lu, you're showing a lack of trust in Fairy Shi's expertise in formations."

A mocking expression appeared on Lin Ye's dark red old face.

Shi Manrong is a renowned genius in formations in the surrounding area.

"Not at all! My original plan was to set up two sets of formations, one mainly for defense, and the other mainly for Illusion Formation and attack, which I intended to entrust to Fairy Shi."

Lan Chang'an explained his idea.

The array he set up himself came from his Previous Life and provided good protection against Divine Sense probing.

Shi Manrong nodded and inquired about Lan Chang'an's specific needs.

She didn't stay for a drink; she gave a slight bow and left early.

Alchemist Lin Ye was fond of wine and brought two jars of spiritual wine with him.

Lan Chang'an drank and chatted with him for a long time, learning about the situation around Wuqi Mountain.

"Daoist Lu, do you know why I chose to rent the Third Peak from you in the first place?"

After several rounds of drinks, Lin Ye, with a mysterious expression, set up a soundproof barrier.

Why is that?

Lan Chang'an couldn't understand it.

Shi Manrong has a relationship with Gu Lai, so she won't support him.

In Wuqi Mountain, Lin Ye possessed the highest cultivation and skills, and therefore had more say.

Lin Ye's next words made Lan Chang'an's heart skip a beat.

"Alchemist Hua is my junior brother."

Lan Chang'an's pupils contracted slightly, and he became wary.

"Hehe, Daoist Lu, rest assured, we are friends, not enemies. Others may not be able to see through Hua Heng's schemes against you, but how could I not guess them?"