The Beauty Reappears

On the way to Moon Heart Island, Lan Chang'an learned about Li Erqing's troubles, which was to be expected.

It's only natural that Li Erqing, who enjoys the benefits of having children, faces some backlash.

He had children so quickly that they were basically left to their own devices.

Due to his background, Li Erqing was not good at disciplining his offspring.

In his Previous Life, Lan Chang'an had many wives and concubines and numerous children. Even if he knew how to manage them, he couldn't guarantee that everything would be in perfect order.

Those wives, concubines, and children are not cold population figures in a strategy game.

Everyone experiences joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; birth, aging, sickness, and death; fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

Good fortune brings success to one's children, who in turn bring blessings to their elders.

Bad luck, breaking taboos, and even bringing death upon one's parents.

Arrive at Moon Heart Island.

Lan Chang'an suggested that they first go to Mu Maode's grave to pay their respects.

Mu Maode was the former head of the Mu Family. Fifty years ago, he went to the gate of Golden Cloud Valley and brought back Lan Chang'an, Li Erqing and other Immortal Seedling to the Lineage.

Six years ago, Lan Chang'an saw the elderly Mu Maode for the last time.

Later, during the siege by the Maple Leaf Huang Family, Mu Maode died in battle, unable to die peacefully in his sleep.

When Mu Maode died, the Mu Family held a grand funeral.

At that time, Lan Chang'an was still in Yellow Dragon Immortal City planning to Foundation Establishment, and news of him was only heard.

At the tombstone of Mu Maode.

Lan Chang'an lit an incense stick and bowed with his hands clasped.

Accompanied by two Foundation Establishment Ancestor, Mu Renlong and Li Erqing, they remained silent.

Seeing Lan Chang'an's actions, Mu Renlong's eyes revealed satisfaction.

Lan Chang'an left his Lineage decisively back then, and neither the offers from the Mu Family nor his affections could persuade him to stay.

In the eyes of many in the Mu Family, this person is cold-hearted and ungrateful.

When Mu Maode returned from Yellow Dragon Immortal City before his death, he had a good opinion of Lan Chang'an.

"This young man cherishes past friendships and is not a heartless person; however, his resolve on the path to enlightenment is extremely firm. Leaving the Mu Family might offer him a glimmer of hope for Foundation Establishment..."

This was the last time Mu Maode mentioned Lan Chang'an after he returned to his tribe; he died in battle shortly afterward.

Several years later, inspiring news came from Yellow Dragon Immortal City that an elderly man in his seventies Foundation Establishment.

Mu Maode's words proved prophetic.

Both Mu Renlong and Mu Maode understood one thing: if Lan Chang'an had chosen to stay at Jade Moon Lake back then, he would have had no hope of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime.

Once Lineage obtains Foundation Establishment, it is impossible for them to bestow it upon a cultivator from another family.

Back then, Lan Chang'an couldn't even be considered to have Foundation Establishment, let alone Breakthrough Pill for the Qi Refining Late-Stage.

After paying their respects to the deceased, the group left the cemetery area.

Just then...

Out of the corner of his eye, Lan Chang'an caught a glimpse of a familiar young girl carrying a flower basket, heading towards Mu Maode's grave.

"Eldest Miss?"

She was a young girl in a green dress, with delicate, arched eyebrows and a face as white as a blooming lotus.

She wore a long dress and shoes, had bright eyes and white teeth, and was as aloof as snow.

At this moment, it was as if time had reversed.

The young Immortal Seedling, upon their first visit to the Jade Moon Mountain Villa, are struck by the beauty they caught a glimpse of.

At first glance, Lan Chang'an almost mistook her for Mu Xiuyun.

The girl's appearance and figure are very similar to Mu Xiuyun's.

Their temperaments are slightly different; the former leans towards a cooler, more aloof demeanor.

Back then, when Lan Chang'an left the Mu Family, Mu Xiuyun was no longer a young girl, but a mature and beautiful woman.

Even if Mu Xiuyun had a constant supply of Youth Preserving Pill, she could at most maintain her youthful appearance, but she could never reverse her aging.

"That's Xiuyun's adopted grandniece from within the clan, named Mu Bingyun. She's an orphan; her parents died in battle when she was young."

Mu Renlong noticed Lan Chang'an's gaze and introduced the girl's identity.

"Mu Bingyun has good aptitude; she possesses a genuine Mid-Grade Spiritual Root. Xiuyun nominally took her in as her disciple, but in reality, she treats her like a daughter."

"Mu Bingyun?"

Lan Chang'an murmured the name without saying anything.

Before the grave, Mu Bingyun put down the flower basket, her clear eyes glancing unintentionally at the white-robed visitor.

They were quite far apart, so I could only see a general outline.

"Very young."

Mu Bingyun pursed her lips, her voice clear and tender. She busied herself at the grave for a moment, then hurriedly left.

Inside the main hall of Moon Heart Island.

The Mu Family's senior management hosted a banquet for Lan Chang'an, accompanied by at least those at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

"This is my nephew, Mu Chengji, the current head of the Mu Family."

Mu Renlong introduced one of the men, a middle-aged man in blue, who was handsome and polite.

"Junior Mu Chengji greets Senior Lu."

The middle-aged man in blue said respectfully.

Lan Chang'an nodded, his gaze falling on a silent, one-armed old man at the table.

"Is it Brother Yunfei?"

"Brother Chang'an, you still remember me."

The old man with the missing arm gasped for breath, suppressing his agitated emotions deep within his cloudy old eyes.

The one-armed old man was none other than Mu Yunfei.

He once accompanied the escort of the Immortal Seedling and guarded the Medicine Garden with Lan Chang'an. He also advanced to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer through life-and-death trials on the front lines.

In terms of age, he was a few years older than Lan Chang'an.

It can be said that Mu Yunfei was an elder cultivator of the Mu Family who witnessed Lan Chang'an's growth all the way.

During the meal, Lan Chang'an chatted with Mu Yunfei for a while.

The patriarch Mu Chengji, looked slightly embarrassed. He hadn't known Lan Chang'an well in the clan before and had hardly ever interacted with him.

Now, trying to build relationships is less effective than dealing with an elderly or weak member of the clan.

During the gathering, the Mu Family's senior members revealed their current predicament: they were threatened by the Maple Leaf Huang Family, their Lineage businesses were being restricted, and it was unsafe for family members to travel.

The family head, Mu Chengji, subtly expressed his hope that Lan Chang'an could provide assistance.

Li Erqing and Mu Yunfei also spoke up for them.

Lan Chang'an made no comment.

After the banquet ended, only three Foundation Establishment cultivators remained: Lan Chang'an, Mu Renlong, Li Erqing.

"Daoist Lu, do you really not want to return to your clan and become a retainer?"

Mu Renlong's eyes gleamed before he finally spoke.

"We do not expect Daoist Lu to return to his clan for a direct confrontation. If you could merely stay and oversee Jade Moon Lake, thus boosting our prestige, my Mu Family would be eternally grateful and will surely bestow upon you a generous gift."

"Big brother."

Li Erqing looked at Lan Chang'an with anticipation in her eyes.

Lan Chang'an began his career at Jade Moon Lake and has lived there for thirty years; he is no heartless man.

The Mu Family is willing to provide compensation and does not require anyone to fight on the battlefield, so there should be some hope for this.

"Fellow Daoist Mu, Erqing, I will not directly participate in the conflict between the two races."

Lan Chang'an refused.

Mu Renlong was disappointed and sighed, but he wasn't surprised.

Lan Chang'an had no desire to go to the battlefield when he was young and lived in the Mu Family. Later, he was known as the "Turtle Talisman Master" in Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

"Mr. Lu has come to Jade Moon Lake on this important business deal with the Mu Family."

Lan Chang'an switched to telepathic communication.

"A business deal?"

Mu Renlong and Li Erqing exchanged glances, unable to guess what Lan Chang'an was up to.

"This matter must be kept confidential. Fellow Daoist Mu, please prepare a private room."

Lan Chang'an gave the instructions.

"Okay." Mu Renlong nodded.

A moment later, in a Secret Chamber on Moon Heart Island.

Under the watchful eyes of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Lan Chang'an took out a White Jade Porcelain Bottle.

Upon opening the bottle, a unique medicinal fragrance wafted out, revealing the crystal-clear, jade-like pills inside.

"This is..."

Mu Renlong and Li Erqing stared at the pill, their expressions suddenly changing.

"You two need not be surprised. The business I want to do with the Mu Family is this Foundation Establishment!"

Lan Chang'an smiled.

"Brother! You actually have a Foundation Establishment?"

Li Erqing was shocked; this was completely unexpected.

Just now, Lan Chang'an refused to help the Mu Family at all, which made him somewhat disappointed.

Unexpectedly, Lan Chang'an had prepared a major move.

"At that time, the success rate of refining Foundation Establishment was quite good, with some left over."

Lan Chang'an explained.

"Daoist Lu, are you planning to sell this Foundation Establishment to our Mu Family?"

Mu Renlong confirmed this with excitement.

Even with his shrewdness, there was an unreal feeling to it all.

"Fixed price, five thousand Spirit Stone."

Lan Chang'an was straightforward.

At the Bamboo Leaf Mountain auction back then, that flawed Foundation Establishment, which increased the probability of Foundation Establishment by 15%, sold for four thousand Spirit Stone.

Genuine Foundation Establishment are only worth more.

"Five thousand Spirit Stone? No problem, we'll raise them as soon as possible."

Mu Renlong agreed without hesitation.

The price is definitely fair, cheaper than at an auction.

The key is that it's a private transaction, so there's no risk involved.

For Lan Chang'an, while he may not be able to maximize his profits, he can at least make a fortune discreetly.

There are also handling fees for consignment sales at auctions.

"I wonder how the Mu Family will distribute the Foundation Establishment. But I hope to give Mu Xiuyun a chance to compete."

Lan Chang'an made a small request.

Mu Renlong looked troubled, then thought for a moment, "The final ownership of the Foundation Establishment will be discussed in secret by several elders within the clan. I promise to give her a chance."

Mu Xiuyun is about the same age as Lan Chang'an, so her chances of Foundation Establishment are slim unless she obtains Fine Foundation Establishment Pill.

Failure to advance will severely damage one's vitality and may even affect one's lifespan.

Therefore, Lan Chang'an did not force her to make the arrangement, but gave her a chance to fight for it.

Lan Chang'an did not linger on Moon Heart Island, but instead went to the small courtyard he used to stay at the Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

The lakeside courtyard has been preserved by Li Erqing for Lan Chang'an, maintaining its original appearance.

Returning to the familiar courtyard, Lan Chang'an was in a good mood, even though the Spiritual Qi environment here was not suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He didn't plan to stay here long, so he temporarily used some pills and Spirit Stone to make up for the lack of Spiritual Qi in the environment.

During the time when the Mu Family patriarch was preparing the Spirit Stone.

Lan Chang'an studied the Puppet tradition of the Puppeteer Sang.

Surprisingly, he has a good talent for Puppet, far exceeding his aptitude for alchemy!

In just half a month, I've mastered the basics.

Using some basic materials, he crafted a mediocre Puppet Claw accessory.

Lan Chang'an was in a very good mood.

This life will be long, and in addition to the art of Talisman, a new protective skill will be developed.