Enemies Meet

There were no morning classes today, Han Yundao got up early as usual. He arrived at the Beast Garden early to carefully brush the mane of the Black Blood Colt. Brushing Kang Dabao's mount was originally Little Wu Meng's job, but he took it over first and did it meticulously.

This current top disciple of the Chongming Sect is seventeen years old this year, and is handsome, tall and dashing.

Thanks to his strict self-discipline, although Han Yundao's Spirit Root aptitude was mediocre, his cultivation speed was only slightly slower than Kang Rongquan, who had Triple Spirit Root, among his fellow disciples. He was also on the verge of breaking through to the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer.

This finally convinced Sect Leader Kang Da to take him out on a mission. Han Yundao quite excited and got up before dawn. He went to the Beast Garden and chatted with the Black Blood Colt Steed for a long time, which annoyed the spirit horse so much that it wanted to spit at Han Yundao.

"Hey, what brings you here, Brother Yundao?" Little Wu Meng walked in spiritedly, and was a little surprised to see Han Yundao. This little boy, who was praised by Kang Dabao for his loyalty back then, has grown into a handsome young man.

Over the years, thanks to the favor of Sect Leader Kang Da and the gratitude of Pei Yi Pei Que his assistance, Little Wu Meng, though lacking Spirit Root and unable to seek immortality, has had a remarkably smooth path in martial arts training.

He is only eleven or twelve years old, yet he has already reached the Marrow-Refining Martial Ancestor realm, a level that most martial artists cannot achieve in their entire lives.

If this experience were to be told, it would undoubtedly make countless elderly martial arts practitioners envious.

In addition to practicing his skills, Ye Pingshui also crafted many protective Talisman Artifact for Little Wu Meng in order to get closer to his senior brothers.

Given time, once Little Wu Meng's martial arts skills become more refined, he might actually be able to Qi Refinement wild cultivators at the first or second level of Qi Refining. Now, saying that Little Wu Meng is one of the three giants among mortals under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Sect is somewhat fitting.

Han Yundao saw Little Wu Meng arrive, he smiled and replied, "My master asked me to go to Double Brightness Trade Market with him today, so I thought I'd come here first to help him clean up the Black Blood Colt."

"Oh, I see," Little Wu Meng nodded, then continued, "Then you must have made a mistake, brother. The sect leader instructed me that Uncle Pei Household is taking Aunt back to the Kuai Household in Tanggu County today, so the sect leader told him to ride the Black Blood Colt back to make an appearance, while he himself can ride the old donkey to Double Brightness Trade Market."

"Ah, this," Han Yundao scratched his head and could only say, "It's alright then. Martial Uncle Pei is taking Aunt back to her parents' home, and as a junior, I should do my part to show my filial piety."

"That's what Brother Pei Household said too, so he came over last night and gave the Black Blood Colt a good cleaning." Little Wu Meng continued laughing.

"I wonder why this beast is so temperamental?!" Han Yundao put away the brush and smiled bitterly. He patted the Black Blood Colt's firm hindquarters as an apology, then turned and walked over to Little Wu Meng. The two of them started washing the golden-haired old donkey together.

"Brother Yundao, what are you going to do with the sect leader this time?" Over the years, Little Wu Meng and the golden-haired donkey have gotten along extremely well. It is said to be a washing, but in fact, all you need to do is untie the horse's rope and tug on the donkey's ear, and the donkey will run to the nearby pool to wash itself.

After washing, Little Wu Meng didn't need to bother blow-drying and combing the donkey's fur; the old donkey would use its Method Formula to summon a gentle breeze to carry away the moisture from its body, which was very convenient.

The Golden-Haired Donkey had long since recovered the vital energy it lost after being severely injured by Sect Leader Kang Da. In recent years, it had even relied on the relatively abundant vital energy and slightly more plentiful resources within the Chongming Sect to advance to the First-Tier Middle-Grade.

In that case, the fact that the golden-haired old donkey was captured by Sect Leader Kang Da back then because of its evil act of cannibalism might actually be a stroke of good fortune for it.

The only drawback is that the highly nourishing food that He Muxian and the other disciples of White Ram Monastery consumed back then still hasn't grown.

In this respect, Demon Beast are no different from cultivators. If they want to grow back their limbs, they need to find some special medicines/ Cultivation Method or other effective methods. Otherwise, they have to wait until they reach the False Core / Golden Core realm to reshape their Dao body.

As the two were talking, Duan Anle arrived at the Beast Garden and was taken aback when he saw them.

Normally, not to mention fellow disciples, even the masters rarely come to the Beast Garden. Only he, as a disciple of the Beast Garden, comes most frequently. Why is it so lively so early in the morning?

Duan Anle came here for serious business. Although he held the position of a disciple of the Beast Garden, he didn't actually need to get too involved in the trivial matters of feeding and cleaning the non-ranked mixed-blood beasts and First Tier Demon Beast. These tasks were handled by the recruited martial arts servants.

The Chongming Sect has been scavenging, seizing, and purchasing more and more Demon Beast from various places. If Duan Anle were to manage them all by himself, he could forget about cultivating.

He came here because Lu Xun, the head of the Lu Household, sent word that his caravan was about to be fully assembled and that Duan Anle should also bring his pack animals to make the trip.

The plan that He Dezong had made with Kang Dabao to visit the heroes and valiant men in the surrounding area has not yet been realized due to the latter's recent preoccupation with numerous trivial matters.

Lu Xun was always cautious, so he didn't plan to go too far this time, just to the nearby Jin County. Jin County was considered the most remote county in Cloud Horn Prefecture, so going there shouldn't be any danger.

Like his senior brother Han Yundao, Duan Anle also wanted to go out and do things as soon as possible. After consulting with his master, he agreed to the matter, so he would come to the Beast Garden to observe the condition of the pack animals in the past few days.

In addition, the flying spirit beast Gray Spirit Falcon, which was originally given to him by He Dezong, was also obtained by Duan Anle through Merit Points. Since then, the beast has been entirely his, unlike before when he had to ask his master for it every time he needed it.

Among First Tier spirit beasts, apart from flying spirit beasts which have unique advantages, other types of spirit beasts rarely have the ability to fly.

Therefore, although the Gray Spirit Falcon is only First-Tier Lower-Grade, it requires 260 Merit Points to obtain. Duan Anle is too young to have that many Merit Points.

After using the Spirit Stone he had accumulated over the years to offset part of his Merit Points, he also borrowed some from Han Yundao before he could make the purchase.

However, this meant that Duan Anle no longer had the Merit Points to exchange for another spirit beast bag, so he had to put aside the idea of spending every day with the Gray Spirit Falcon keep it in the Beast Garden for the time being.

"Junior Brother's Gray Spirit Falcon is becoming more and more magnificent," Han Yundao, his face showing undisguised envy.

The Gray Spirit Falcon, which was offered as an apology by a lavish figure like He Dezong, must be of high quality. Its sharp beak and claws were extremely formidable; even a mid-stage cultivator like Wei Gu, who was not skilled in combat, could not defeat it and was left in a very sorry state.

This was undoubtedly a great boost to Duan Anle's strength, as he had not yet reached the Third Layer of Qi Refinement Duan Anle Refining.

"What you say is true, senior brother. But we'll have to earn even more resources from now on, so the pressure is considerable," Duan Anle said with a simple smile, stroking the feathers of the Gray Spirit Falcon.

His cultivation was undeniably diligent, but the reason his cultivation level was still lower than Han Yundao's was because the "Azure Wood Treasured Light Guide" he cultivated was Hong Grade Cultivation Method, which was much higher in rank than the "Heavenly Fire Formula" that Han Yundao cultivated. His slower progress was to be expected.

Han Yundao had to go to Double Brightness Trade Market with Kang Dabao, so he couldn't chat with Duan Anle for too long. He and Little Wu Meng led the old donkey toward the Sect Leader Kang Da.

Kang Dabao is having breakfast with Ye Zhengwen right now.

Knowing that their master was about to leave, Jin Shilun brought breakfast with Mo'er. This morning's dish was fish soup made from the gill meat of the Three-Eyed Bighead Carp. Although it wasn't as satisfying as the pork knuckle of the Red-Maned Mountain Boar, it was still quite delicious.

Ye Zhengwen was not one to stand on ceremony with Sect Leader Kang Da, so he insisted on drinking another bowl before patting his stomach and standing up. "Good, good, good, Shilun's skills are becoming more and more outstanding. Keep up the good work, and in a few days, your martial uncle will find you a Hong Grade sword technique to practice."

Jin Shilun immediately gave a bitter smile. Because of his experience learning martial arts and swordsmanship with his father when he was young, he had been practicing swordsmanship diligently after entering the sect, but he had not made much progress.

Unexpectedly, since this cook had no master to guide him, his skills became increasingly proficient.

Sect Leader Kang Da didn't say much; it was only natural for a disciple to be filial to his master, so there was no need to elaborate. After getting up, Kang Dabao simply greeted Ye Zhengwen, "Yundao has arrived too, let's go."

This time, when Sect Leader Kang Da goes to Double Brightness Trade Market, he will not only bring Han Yundao, but also Ye Zhengwen and Zhou Xinran.

After the reconstruction of Double Brightness Trade Market, my family's Chongming Small Pavilion will definitely be one of the first shops to open. However, Sect Leader Kang Da may not have time to manage this matter by then. Ye Zhengwen is currently the most knowledgeable person in the Chongming Sect besides Kang Dabao in terms of general affairs, and Zhou Xinran also has some talent in this area, so it's just right to entrust the management to the two of them.

As for the matter of the Fire Dragon Daoist coming to guard Double Brightness Trade Market, Kang Dabao thought about it for a while and then became less afraid.

After all, he still carries the double tiger skins of the Black-Shoeed Daoist and the Fei family's eldest son-in-law. Not to mention that the Fire Dragon Daoist might not even recognize him, even if he did, this rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage wouldn't dare to make a move.

The Sect Leader Kang Da has endured humiliation and sold himself for personal gain over the years has not been without its benefits. If he were still without any backing, he might not even have the confidence to appear within a hundred miles of the Fire Dragon Daoist.

After bidding farewell to Little Wu Meng, Jin Shilun, and Mo'er, Kang Dabao rode on his golden-haired old donkey, Han Yundao drove the Desolate Ox borrowed from the Beast Garden, and Ye Zhengwen rode his spirit beast, the black camel.

Ye Zhengwen had raised this black camel since it was a child; the two had known each other for thirty or forty years.

This spirit beast looks clumsy, but it moves quite fast. If it hadn't been for its swift escape back then, Ye Zhengwen would most likely have died at the hands of the Fire Dragon Daoist before the Sect Leader Kang Da came to his rescue.

The three arrived at the spirit field, where Zhou Yixiu, wearing a plain turban, was waiting with Zhou Xinran.

Parents' hearts are always full of love and concern. Because of the Three Incense Cult's attack on Chongming Market and the danger Zhou Xinran and Jin Shilun encountered, Zhou Yixiu no longer wanted Zhou Xinran to leave her side to do things.

Staying in the Chongming Sect as a farming master may not be something to be envied, but it's safer.

Zhou Xinran's Spirit Root aptitude is also not satisfactory, so it is unlikely that he will be able to Foundation Establishment. However, this is not a big deal. There are countless Qi Refining Qi Refinement in Cloud Horn Prefecture, but those who can actually Foundation Establishment are extremely rare.

Those who fail either True Cultivator day and night or indulge in worldly pleasures and live freely; their outcomes are often quite similar—a hundred years later, they are all just withered bones.

Since that's the case, it doesn't really matter if Zhou Xinran to reach the Foundation Establishment. She can just wait until she's old enough to marry into a powerful Foundation Establishment family or a Qi Refinement family through her senior brother, the sect leader.

Zhou Yixiu, as a father, hoped that his daughter could live a dignified and noble life in her later years, far from the bloodshed and suffering of war, and live a peaceful and stable life until the day she died.

However, Zhou Xinran was a woman with her own ideas. She disliked her father's complacent mentality. Even after experiencing the near-tears of being torn apart by Wind Eagle, she still wanted to go out and explore.

In the end, this bold and spirited young woman persuaded her father. Zhou Yixiu, whose hair already had quite a few silver strands, could not go against his precious daughter.

"Sect Leader Brother, Senior Brother Ye, Xinran unruly. I'll have to trouble you two to discipline him from now on," Zhou Yixiu said with a wry smile. Ye Zhengwen, who was not familiar with him, nodded slightly in agreement. However, Sect Leader Kang Da offered some words of comfort to Zhou Yixiu.

While the elders were busy, Han Yundao had already secretly approached Zhou Xinran. The handsome young man's eyes were filled with smiles, his joy overflowing. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Sister."

Zhou Xinran, who joined the sect much later, should have been the junior sister, but she was older than Han Yundao, and the dashing spirit she exuded when she joined the sect made all the junior brothers admire her. So she naturally became the leader of all the disciples.

Young women mature early, and Zhou Xinran a young woman nearing the age of 18, naturally noticed the barely concealed hint of unease in Han Yundao's eyes.

Although she felt no romantic feelings for Han Yundao, she still generously replied, "Greetings, Junior Brother. It seems your cultivation has improved since we last met."

Upon hearing this, Han Yundao's smile brightened even more.

The other disciples all knew that as long as they praised Han Yundao for his progress in cultivation, he would be very happy.

The conversation lasted only a short while. After taking one last, reluctant look at her daughter, Zhou Yixiu returned to work in the spirit field.

The city's chief accountant, Deng Baichuan, will be sending people to purchase spirit grains in a few days. This is a business deal that Sect Leader Kang Da, as the market magistrate of Double Brightness Trade Market, has been using his position for personal gain.

As long as the goods are good enough, the people from the state court are very generous.

Zhou Yixiu thought that if he could take better care of the Tea-Colored Grain in the fields these days, he could raise the price when people came.

Therefore, Kang Rongquan was also sent by Zhou Yixiu to Heng Mountain to help Mo Ku, whose skills in tending to Spirit Plant were still lacking, and he needed Kang Rongquan, a proper cultivator, to help him.

Zhou Xinran rode a white Grass Deer that Zhou Yixiu had obtained for her through Merit Points. This spirit beast was weak, mediocre, and not particularly fast, but it had only one good point: a beautiful and loving companion.

In the eyes of pragmatic cultivators like Sect Leader Kang Da, spirit beasts like Grass Deer are utterly useless, though they are quite popular among some younger female cultivators.

Kang Dabao saw this as a business opportunity and had previously instructed Duan Anle to try breeding Grass Deer in his spare time while taming the Fire Boar, so as to enrich the shelves of the Chongming Small Pavilion Building.

However, time has not been long, and Duan Anle's skills are not yet fully developed, so no results have been seen yet.

When the group of four arrived at Double Brightness Trade Market, Huo Ying, who had received the news, also happened to be standing under the market's archway.

The beautiful woman lowered her eyes, as if she dared not look at Sect Leader Kang Da, who was riding his old donkey and chatting with passersby, looking pitiful.

Kang Dabao acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, didn't look at her, and felt no remorse whatsoever. He'd already pulled up his pants, what was there to feel guilty about?

What a coincidence! Huo Ying probably came over as soon as she received the news, pretending to be passing by. She had carefully planned every move countless times so that she could deliberately put on this act in front of him to arouse his pity.

"Little green tea!" Sect Leader Kang Da cursed inwardly, then dismounted. Recalling Huo Ying's alluring appearance on the bed, ready to be taken at will, his manhood couldn't help but swell.

But we haven't gotten to the important business yet, so it's not appropriate to go and find this beautiful woman to give her a good beating.

Sect Leader Kang Da was quite the Gust of Wind at the market entrance, but when the Fire Dragon Daoist, who arrived slightly earlier, came in, he was very low-key, drinking tea with Deng Baichuan and Xu Yingshi.

Unlike Kang Dabao, a country bumpkin, Deng and Xu were truly worldly-wise. They didn't take the Fire Dragon Daoist, who was only at the Green Leaf Foundation Establishment, too seriously.

Xu Yingshi stared blankly at the Fire Dragon Daoist, as if assessing how many moves it would take for a mere Qi Refinement Fire Dragon Daoist like himself to kill him.

"Senior Fire Dragon must have received instruction from Sima before coming here, and knows how to conduct himself in this market." Although Deng Baichuan used the word "senior" in his words, his arrogant tone made Fire Dragon Daoist feel the grating sensation of being addressed by his given name.

"The chief clerk is right. Sima gave instructions before he arrived, telling me to follow the arrangements of the leaders." The Fire Dragon Daoist had been preparing for a long time before finally uttering these words. He had completely abandoned the dignity of Foundation Establishment True Cultivator and was now at Lower Vehicle in front of the two Qi Refinement Refining cultivators.

"Well, if that's how it is," Xu Yingshi's words were interrupted by the opening door, which turned out to be Kang Dabao stepping in.

After meeting the three, he ignored Deng and Xu, and instead bowed deeply to the Fire Dragon Daoist, saying, "I only learned of this from the servants below. It turns out that Senior Fire Dragon has already arrived. I have not personally greeted you; I am truly guilty!"

"No, no, I haven't asked for your guidance." Upon hearing the words of the person before him, the Fire Dragon Daoist felt as refreshed as drinking an ice-cold beverage on a sweltering summer day. A smile immediately bloomed on his face, completely erasing his previous fake smile.

"That's more like it. I'm a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, after all. People should respect me." The Fire Dragon Daoist thought to himself as he looked at the honest and simple man in front of him. He quietly regained much of the confidence he had just lost.

"Junior Kang Dabao, I am honored to serve as the magistrate of Double Brightness City. I hope to get to know you well in the future!" Seeing that the Fire Dragon Daoist did not remember him at all, Sect Leader Kang Da smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits, so that no one could see the murderous intent hidden in them.

"It's good that you don't remember. We still have a score to settle about the scar on the back of Daoist's neck!"

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