Spoils of War

The Market was thrown into chaos, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Mystic Sound Pavilion and Li Fire Palace flew into a rage and deployed one after another.

Outside the Market, two Foundation Establishment Cultivators fled in a bedraggled state, their faces filled with fury.

"Damn Zhou Qing! He only said the Zhou Family's Clan-Protecting Spirit Beast was in a weakened period, but never mentioned that Zhou Tieshan had secretly broken through to Foundation Establishment within the Lineage!"

"Where the hell is that bastard Zhou Qing?!"

The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Demonic Path were brimming with anger.

"My lords, Zhou Qing did not arrive at the agreed time. He may have met his end in the chaos!"

The cultivators waiting outside hurriedly explained. Hearing this, the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators could not help but curse under their breath.

"That traitor got off easy."

"Leave quickly. The Zhou Family has produced another Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The chaos in the Market is nearly settled, and Mystic Sound Pavilion and Li Fire Palace are about to come charging out."

The group of Demonic Path cultivators swiftly fled into the mountains.

Though the Market appeared chaotic, it did not descend into full-scale rioting under the suppression of Mystic Sound Pavilion and Li Fire Palace cultivators.

Rather than saying most Rogue Cultivators were watching the fire from across the river, it was better to say the bait was not tempting enough yet.

Amid the chaotic flames within the Market, Lin Chang'an wore a tense expression as he cleared away the traces.

"Zhou Qing's earlier words clearly showed that he intended to betray the Lineage. He must have concealed his appearance before coming here."

After thinking it over, Lin Chang'an no longer cared about the situation in the Market. Once he returned home, he rewarded Zhou Qing and the other man's Spirit Beast with a Fireball Technique, thoroughly erasing all traces.

"And these spoils of war."

When Lin Chang'an opened the two Storage Bags Zhou Qing had carried with him, as well as the Spirit Beast Bag, his eyes immediately lit up.

"As expected of a cultivator planning to flee—he was fat enough to drip oil."

Since he had planned to run, he naturally would have brought along his entire fortune. Moreover, Zhou Qing was not only an Alchemist, but also held an important post within the Lineage.

"Good heavens, Zhou Qing was truly ruthless. He carried out embezzlement while guarding the goods to the bitter end."

There were more than three hundred Spirit Stones in Zhou Qing's Storage Bag alone, but that was not the most important part.

The truly valuable things were the stalks of Spirit Grass and the Medicinal Pills. Not only was there a great quantity of Spirit Grass, but most of the roots still carried dirt, clearly having just been yanked out.

"That old bastard didn't strip the Zhou Family's Herb Garden bare, did he?"

Lin Chang'an could not help but reveal a delighted expression. No wonder people said murder and arson made one rich—a single haul could make one fat.

But it was easy to become addicted as well. The overnight wealth came too quickly. Many Cultivator Bandits had initially merely been forced to fight back, or only intended to do one job, yet under the drive of greed, they gradually became hooked.

A Mid-Grade Alchemy Furnace, alchemy manuals, the Classic of Herbal Medicine, one offensive and one defensive Mid-Grade Magical Tool, all kinds of bottled Medicinal Pills, Spirit Liquid, and a Jade Book on Beast Control and Spirit Beast rearing.

"As expected of the wealth of an Alchemist at Qi Refining Late Stage."

Though Zhou Qing had also taken advantage of the chaos to loot from the Lineage.

When Lin Chang'an saw the defensive magical tool, he secretly warned himself even more. Having a magical tool but failing to use it in time was a lesson in itself. If he bought a defensive magical tool in the future, he absolutely had to get one that could be worn close to the body.

Even if he was ambushed and failed to react in time, having the magical tool on him was still better than leaving it inside a Storage Bag.

"Still, it's a pity about this Pill Furnace and alchemy inheritance..."

Stroking the ancient bronze Pill Furnace, Lin Chang'an shook his head. He did not have much time to spare now; he could not delay his cultivation progress because of alchemy.

After all, he still wanted to make plans for Foundation Establishment before he turned sixty.

"I'll keep this Pill Furnace for now. I have no use for it at present, but once I reach Foundation Establishment and have two hundred years of lifespan, I'll have plenty of time to hone my craft."

As Lin Chang'an counted the spoils, he did not forget to clear away traces and scents, lest anyone discover them.

"To be safe, these things must either be used by me or destroyed. They cannot enter the Market for the time being."

Listening to the unrest outside the Market gradually subside, Lin Chang'an quietly calculated.

It was normally fine to fence stolen goods, but such a major incident had happened to the Zhou Family this time. If items belonging to the traitor Zhou Qing appeared in the Market, the Zhou Family would likely hunt them down like mad.

Cultivator Bandits were hateful, but traitors were even more hated!

The Zhou Family might even spread word that Zhou Qing had stolen some treasure from the Zhou Family, drawing everyone into hunting him down.

"Better safe than sorry."

He had already made a fortune in one sweep and did not lack this small amount of Spirit Stones. Thus, after clearing away the traces, Lin Chang'an had no intention of selling Zhou Qing's spoils.

He did not even intend to spend the Spirit Stones from the man's Storage Bag outside. They would all be used for the Spirit Gathering Array and his usual cultivation.

The next day, shocking news spread through the Market.

The Zhou Family had produced a new Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

That meant the Zhou Family now had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Together with a Clan-Protecting Spirit Beast, they possessed four Foundation Establishment-level combatants.

"Big Brother Lin, you have no idea how dangerous yesterday was."

Li Erniu spoke with an excited expression. As things stood, the Zhou Family had truly turned defeat into victory.

"It turns out the Lineage's trip to Mystic Sound Pavilion to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill was all a smokescreen. They had actually exchanged for the Foundation Establishment Pill long ago. Zhou Tieshan had been cultivating in seclusion within the Lineage all along. Only the Head of the Family and the Old Ancestor knew about this.

"Everything they did before was merely to conceal it."

As Li Erniu spoke excitedly, Lin Chang'an suddenly understood. The Zhou Family Patriarch and the Head of the Family, father and son, had put on an excellent show and deceived everyone.

"Who knew which traitor sold out the Lineage's intelligence? Fortunately, Brother Zhou Tieshan broke through at the critical moment and joined the Old Ancestor in killing the Cultivator Bandits who came to plunder them."

Li Erniu spoke so animatedly that his earlier dissatisfaction had been swept away.

The Zhou Family Patriarch's scheme had not been hidden from him alone, an outsider with a different surname. Even the entire Zhou Family had been kept in the dark.

"Er Niu, you could say this disaster turned into a blessing for you."

Lin Chang'an smiled at Er Niu. Li Erniu scratched his head, revealing an excited grin as he nodded heavily.

"The Lineage is now thoroughly investigating the traitor. Since I was outside handling the properties during this period and had no contact with the Lineage's arrangements, I've conveniently cleared myself of suspicion."

People's fortunes truly were different. Look at Er Niu—he not only picked up an excellent position for nothing, but had effortlessly placed himself among those deemed trustworthy.

"It's just that the Lineage lost quite a few people this time. Even Brother Zhou Qing is gone."

Li Erniu's mood suddenly sank. He looked at Lin Chang'an with melancholy in his eyes.

Hearing that name, Lin Chang'an's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Er Niu without revealing anything, then put on a surprised expression.

"Brother Zhou Qing? The one responsible for guarding the Herb Garden, who often traded spirit talismans with me?"

"Mm. This time, the chaos was too great, and those Cultivator Bandits deliberately charged straight toward the back mountain. Every Herb Garden along the way was burned and plundered. Even Brother Zhou Qing died in battle, leaving neither corpse nor bones behind. But the Lineage will take care of his descendants."

Well, damn!

Lin Chang'an's eyes widened upon hearing this. He had been worried about being implicated, yet Zhou Qing had actually been mistaken for someone who died in battle.

Moreover, he had not expected Zhou Qing to be so ruthless. For the hope of Foundation Establishment, he had not only betrayed the Lineage, but even abandoned his family.

"Though Brother Zhou was usually somewhat greedy, when it came to the greater good of the Lineage, he was truly a model for our generation!"

When Li Erniu spoke of Zhou Qing, he revealed a solemn expression, looking every bit like someone who admired the man's noble character.

"Yes, such conduct is truly worthy of admiration."

Lin Chang'an nodded solemnly as well, though no one knew what he truly thought inside.

Still, he could not let down his guard. What if the Zhou Family had deliberately released this information?

Therefore, not a single piece of those earlier spoils could see the light of day now.