Outside the cave abode.
Li Ping watched Xu Zhan disappear, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
During their earlier conversation, when Li Ping had asked, Xu Zhan had given a bitter smile before reluctantly telling him:
After the three of them learned the truth, they had refrained from handling the matter publicly out of concern for the Spirit Firmament Lineage's reputation. Instead, they had imprisoned the Core Formation disciple who had taken it upon himself to have Guan Qianzai assassinated through the Great Harmony Society, ordering him to reflect on his wrongdoing in confinement.
Two hundred years ago, that man had exhausted his lifespan and passed away in prison.
Li Ping had neither accepted nor rejected his account.
Noticing his attitude, Xu Zhan seemed worried that he would seek revenge and volunteered another statement: the disciple of the Spirit Firmament Lineage had failed to understand the gravity of his actions and caused Fellow Daoist Li and his wife such great trouble. The Three Elders of the Spirit Firmament were also guilty of failing to teach him properly. They were therefore willing to offer the couple compensation and an apology, hoping the two sides could turn weapons of war into jade and silk!
"Interesting. The whereabouts of a Golden-Horned Loach as compensation?"
Thinking of the compensation Xu Zhan had offered, a flicker of surprise crossed Li Ping's eyes.
The Golden-Horned Loach was a spiritual creature born from the energy of the earth's veins. It was not a demon beast and possessed no intelligence, so it could not cultivate into human form.
However, this spiritual creature was a principal ingredient in a top-grade pill, the Nascent Soul Condensation Pill. The pill's effect was also simple: it greatly increased the chances of a nascent soul early stage cultivator advancing to the nascent soul