Entanglement

Back then, after Lu Wanyuan came across Lu Wanshan and the others in dire straits, he brought them back to the Lu residence and immediately asked them about what had happened at Green Bamboo Peak.

After hearing what they had to say, he gained a general understanding of what had happened after he left Green Bamboo Peak.

Among them, Xiao Wanchang was the one he was most concerned about.

That was because this guy's talent far surpassed that of the brothers. The difference between them was like heaven and earth!

He was actually an Earth Spirit Root cultivator, a fellow with a Gold-Wood Dual Spirit Root.

No wonder Lu Hu valued him so highly and treated his own biological son so coldly. His scheme was obvious as day, but things certainly wouldn't go as he wished.

If nothing unexpected happened, Foundation Establishment would be a breeze for someone like him. Even Golden Core wouldn't be his limit.

That showed just how formidable the other man's talent was.

With this guy around, Lu Wanyuan's hopes of getting even were practically as difficult as scaling the heavens!

Fortunately, he still had his Entries. There was bound to be hope. When the time came, he'd make the other man understand what it meant to regret everything. Otherwise, he'd just stay far away—how could he dare go back and settle the score?

Beyond Earth Spirit Roots, there were even more powerful Heaven Spirit Roots.

Heaven Spirit Root cultivators had a single spirit root. For them, Foundation Establishment was as easy as drinking water, and reaching Golden Core was a piece of cake. Even Nascent Soul wasn't out of the question!

There were also Mutated Spirit Roots. Their cultivation talent rivaled that of Heaven Spirit Root cultivators, but Cultivation Techniques suitable for them were hard to come by. Still, the techniques they could cultivate were far more powerful than ordinary ones.

These Mutated Spirit Roots included Lightning Spirit Roots, Ice Spirit Roots, Wind Spirit Roots, and the like.

As for ordinary folk like Lu Wanyuan, with their common, unremarkable roots, they had nothing but a Pseudo Spirit Root!

It looked as though they had every kind of spirit root—one could even call it a Full Spirit Root. That sounded nice, but it was actually useless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been stuck at Qi Refining Layer One for so long.

He was only a hair better off than a mortal. At least he could cultivate, but his progress was painfully slow. The main problem was that he was terrible at sensing the spiritual energy around him.

As a result, he couldn't draw the spiritual energy around him into his body!

Lu Wanshan and Lu Wanhe both had slightly better spirit roots than he did. At least they had Four Spirit Roots, while Lu Wanting's were even better: she had Three Spirit Roots.

Yet Xiao Wanchang stood calmly in front of him. Seeing how young the other man was, Lu Wanyuan couldn't help marveling that he dared to stand there all alone.

If it weren't for Ouyang Tingting, he really would have liked to be friends with someone like him.

But that was impossible now!

One look at the other man's eyes told him everything. They were full of disdain.

"Knowing that doesn't mean anything now. I'm just trying to make a living at Yangmei Market!"

Lu Wanyuan deliberately put on a helpless expression as he spoke. By showing weakness, he hoped to make the other man lower his guard.

As soon as he finished speaking, he led everyone forward, no longer paying the other man any attention.

Although he had held back and not let his anger show, he felt no goodwill whatsoever toward the person who had taken over his Green Bamboo Peak. He had long since grown to loathe him.

From the other man's attitude, it was clear he had no good intentions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to claim kinship here.

As the saying went, you didn't fear a thief breaking in nearly as much as you feared one coveting your home. At least until his wings had grown strong enough, he didn't want anyone eyeing him.

He certainly didn't want a Foundation Establishment Cultivator keeping tabs on him from the shadows. He was only a Qi Refining Layer Four cultivator right now.

In truth, he wanted to stab the other man a thousand times over, but he couldn't do that now!

After all, the other man had a mother who was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, while he had nothing.

He did have a father who had reached Foundation Establishment, but as far as he was concerned, that father was as good as dead!

Trying to pick a fight with the other man now would be like an old man eating poison—suicide!

This wasn't the time for him to fly into a rage. He needed to avoid the other man's edge.

He had no idea when this guy had come down the mountain and arrived at Yangmei Market, too. Hopefully, he hadn't come looking for him specifically.

But on second thought, the guy couldn't have come looking for them on purpose.

He probably had no idea how they were getting by at Yangmei Market. Running into them had likely been nothing more than a coincidence.

At that thought, his uneasy heart finally settled.

"Trying to make a living? Eldest Brother, are you kidding me? Do you think I'm blind? You bought so many slaves and took them back with you. You must be living the high life!"

Xiao Wanchang saw that Lu Wanyuan had ignored him and was leading everyone away!

It was obvious the man was snubbing him. He immediately turned and caught up, blocking Lu Wanyuan and the others' path.

Xiao Wanchang pointed at the thirty slaves beside him and spoke loudly.

"I followed you here just now and watched you buy slave after slave. If this kid hadn't been standing beside you, I wouldn't have known you were my Eldest Brother!"

Xiao Wanchang glanced at Lu Wanhe with a smug expression.

"Oh, I don't have a little brother that cheap. My only brothers are Lu Wanshan and Lu Wanhe. I don't have any extra brothers!"

"Besides, if everyone were my little brother, that would be a real hassle!"

"So stop claiming kinship with people at random. You might get beaten to death. And if that happens, you might not even know what hit you!"

Lu Wanyuan stared at the other man and spoke coldly.

He hadn't wanted to keep dealing with him, but the guy was like dog-skin plaster, sticking to him without letting go and going on and on. It left him furious.

Again and again, the other man had tested his limits. This time, he wouldn't humor him. He immediately fired back.

"Well, look at that, you even changed your name. When I get back to Green Bamboo Peak, I'll tell Uncle Hu all about you. I'm sure he'll have quite a reaction!"

Xiao Wanchang spoke in a seemingly helpless tone.

"Get out of the way, you good-for-nothing dog. Otherwise, I'll report you to the Tooth Agency. Don't end up strung up on these steps and bought to be someone's beast of burden. What a waste—you're a Heaven Spirit Root cultivator, and plenty of people would want you!"

Lu Wanyuan looked at him and spoke coldly.

"Hmph! Eldest Brother, you've got guts. You're nothing like those other spineless cowards who only know how to hide!"

Hearing the threat, he thought of the Tooth Agency's business, especially the way he'd just watched people select and trade slaves as if they were goods.

He wasn't an idiot. Of course he understood what the other man meant.

This was the Tooth Agency's territory, and he was causing trouble here. There was a real chance they'd beat him up. With his background, he was nothing in the eyes of the Tooth Agency.

After all, they could traffic people from other provinces. They wouldn't dare run a business like that without considerable power behind them.

That power was certainly beyond anything Xiao Wanchang could match. Whether or not he had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator backing him, he still had to tread carefully!

At that thought, he immediately backed down.

Of course, he would keep a close eye on this "good Eldest Brother." He hadn't expected him to be doing so well at the market, and that made him a little angry.

After all, he knew full well that everything his mother did was for their sake.

She had driven this "good Eldest Brother" out of Green Bamboo Peak, yet he hadn't died and was still doing all right. How had that happened?

He'd have his mother whisper in his father's ear later. Then this "good Eldest Brother" would have a hard time of it.

Once he'd thought it all through, Xiao Wanchang immediately stepped aside.

Of course, he didn't forget to make a few more jabs.

"Eldest Brother, off you go, then. I'll come visit you sometime. Don't turn me away, okay? I'm your little brother, after all!"

At that, Lu Wanyuan's heart lurched. He'd planned for everything, yet the kid had still set his sights on him.

One look at the guy told him he was up to no good!

The other man was probably digging another pit behind his back, waiting for him to jump in.

At the thought, Lu Wanyuan felt utterly frustrated.