51: Big move, unexpected news

"Very well. Do not disturb me for the next half month. Continue selling the Spirit Bird as usual. Also,"

With a flick of his finger, Lu Xian sent a Formation Plate shimmering with water-like patterns flying toward Du Qinghong. "Dispose of this. Sell it to the Ruyi Pavilion on my behalf; it doesn't matter if the price is a bit low."

Du Qinghong took it excitedly and left quickly.

Lu Xian then vanished into the basement of the courtyard house to begin deploying the second "A Bridge of So close yet so far".

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

According to the rules, upgrading the new teleportation room to Level 2 required only 250 Low-Grade Spirit Stones and one and a half catties of void gazer stones.

The Materials were quickly prepared, and the upgrade was completed quietly.

That day, inside the [teleportation room] of the second Immortal Cave.

Lu Xian closed his eyes and concentrated.

Under the trait of free combination, he could clearly perceive the two teleportation nodes echoing each other from afar, closely connected.

The two locations were less than a hundred li apart.

On the A Bridge of So close yet so far, a Low-Grade Spirit Stone shimmered with spiritual light and was drained in an instant!

The majestic power of the earth veins surged violently.

Standing in the center of the array, Lu Xian felt for a moment as if his surroundings were distorting and reorganizing like flowing water...

When he opened his eyes again, he was already inside the [teleportation room] of the small courtyard in the Shantytown outside the city.

Success!

Lu Xian was overjoyed.

As the ancients said, if you want to get rich, build roads first.

For a Cultivator, building a teleportation array was a hundred times more effective!

For a hundred li, it only consumed one Spirit Stone.

It was more time-saving and effortless than flying on a sword.

More importantly, it was absolutely safe and efficient!

The raw material cost of one A Bridge of So close yet so far was about 1,200 Spirit Stones, plus the 575 Spirit Stones (halved) equivalent for upgrading the teleportation room to Level 2.

For a total of less than 2,000 Spirit Stones, a hidden teleportation array covering a range of six thousand li could be set up!

It was the ultimate value for money!

"This way, the first Immortal Cave is completely hidden. From now on, I will no longer operate from here, so the possibility of someone tracking me down is minuscule, except for... Luo Xuanmeng."

Lu Xian pondered for a long while.

There were only three outsiders who knew about this small courtyard.

Zhao Shouren's fate was uncertain, and Song Chengping would not come of his own accord.

Only Luo Xuanmeng remained, but she had been unusually quiet these past few months and had not appeared again.

Besides, he held leverage over her, and he believed she was a smart person.

After weighing it for a bit, Lu Xian felt this plan was foolproof.

In the future, this first Immortal Cave would serve as a place for secluded cultivation, and all external activities would start from the second Immortal Cave.

No one would ever imagine that someone would spend a fortune to build a grand teleportation array just to hide their tracks over a distance of a few dozen li!

Having verified the miraculous effect of the [teleportation room], Lu Xian began to plan his next steps.

The Cangye Sect's base was about five thousand li from Qingyun City, well within the teleportation range.

By then, traveling back and forth would be just a thought away.

There were nearly two years until the recruitment, which was the perfect time for steady cultivation.

"However, there are many things to do in the meantime: Old Zhao's cenotaph, refining the hundred souls banner, collecting upgrade Materials for Level 3 buildings, learning Alchemy..."

Lu Xian immediately decided to start with the simplest tasks.

After finishing his daily tasks, he took some listless Spirit Bird from the backyard and activated the teleportation array again, his figure vanishing into the light.

...

Inside the main hall of the courtyard house in the city.

"Brother Han, was your seclusion successful?"

Seeing Lu Xian emerge from the underground secret room, Du Qinghong stepped forward.

Although he was filled with curiosity, he knew his place and never asked too much.

"Mhm. How were the sales last month?" Lu Xian asked simply.

"600 spirit eggs and 15 Spirit Bird were sold, totaling six hundred Spirit Stones..." Du Qinghong finished his report and handed over the Spirit Stones.

Lu Xian took them casually, his expression indifferent.

Compared to the previous monthly income of four hundred, although it was a significant improvement, it still hadn't met his expectations.

"Dispose of this batch first. You don't need to go outside the city for handovers anymore; you can act a bit more boldly, in line with the 'identity' you're portraying. If there are any problems, I will naturally intervene in the shadows..."

As Lu Xian spoke, he poured dozens of Spirit Bird out of his Spirit Beast bag and tossed out a large bag of spirit eggs.

Conflicts within the city mostly happened in the shadows.

The laws of the Immortal Dynasty were strict, and fighting was strictly forbidden in the city; the efficiency of the Law Enforcement Department was much higher than outside the city.

Grudges between Cultivators were usually resolved through sinister means like rare poisons, curses, and traps. Although equally lethal, they at least maintained order on the surface.

"This... this is a grand gesture! There must be fifty Spirit Bird and over a thousand spirit eggs!"

Du Qinghong was dumbfounded and quickly counted them. "Brother Han, releasing such a large quantity might impact the market price. After a year of steady supply from me, the average price of Spirit Bird in the city has dropped to nearly one Spirit Stone. If it weren't for the excellent quality of your spirit eggs, they might have to be discounted too."

"It doesn't matter. These are all backlogged inventory; just sell them as quickly as possible, but don't set the price too low."

Lu Xian waved his hand.

It was a business with almost no cost; no matter how they sold, it would be pure profit.

After saying that, he turned and went out.

Living in the city was indeed convenient, being close to the marketplace.

The downside was that the distance between neighbors was less than ten zhang, making it feel a bit cramped.

Leaving the courtyard house, Lu Xian didn't rush out of the city but instead strolled toward a familiar pavilion.

Hundred Elixirs Hall held many of his memories from when he first entered the world of cultivation.

"Brother Lu, you've finally come."

Seeing the familiar figure of the young man, Zhang Tie, who was behind the counter, stood up excitedly.

"Shopkeeper Huang sent a message before his long journey, saying that if you came, Brother, you could help look after the shop. But he didn't say where you live, so I had no idea where to find you!"

Then he looked distressed again.

Clearly, with his simple and honest nature, managing this business was truly a struggle for him.

"Shopkeeper Huang did leave such instructions. Brother Zhang, you really aren't cut out for business."

Lu Xian spoke bluntly, without any sense of distance.

"Sigh, I know that too."

Zhang Tie scratched his head and admitted frankly, "Ting'er's cultivation is still shallow and she's only suited for reception. I don't understand how to control prices to make a profit, so the shop's earnings have been getting thinner and thinner over the past few months."

Ting'er? Jiang Ting? Have they become Dao Companions?

Lu Xian's heart stirred slightly, but he hadn't come today for a reunion.

He changed the subject and asked via sound transmission, "Brother Zhang, I came here to confirm one thing... Did something happen to Shopkeeper Huang?"

"Why do you say that, Brother Lu?"

Hearing this, Zhang Tie frowned deeply.

He took out a dull, ink-colored bead and observed it closely for a moment before saying:

"He's fine. Look, although this Divine Soul fire seems weak and flickering, it's likely because Shopkeeper Huang is nearing Danyang Prefecture. The distance is too great, causing the sensing of this Life Soul Bead to be unstable."

Zhang Tie spoke casually, showing no signs of worry.

Huang Moya wasn't dead?

And before he left, he hadn't even revealed to Zhang Tie that he was going to compete for an Opportunity in the ruins?

Hearing this, Lu Xian became even more puzzled; he knew a bit about Life Soul Beads.

This bead could seal a wisp of a Cultivator's natal Divine Soul aura for remote sensing.

If the Cultivator died, that aura would also dissipate.

Generally, families used them to monitor the life status of their direct descendants.

Of course, that wasn't the point; the point was that Huang Moya wasn't dead.

Then could it be that Old Zhao hadn't passed away either?

According to the news brought back by those Family disciples, the demonic Cultivator's Legacy had not been obtained by them.

The answer to who the final winner was might already be obvious...

He hadn't expected to receive such surprising news before going to retrieve Zhao Shouren's belongings.

"Brother Zhang, I suddenly have urgent business. We'll discuss the shop's business later!"

Lu Xian said a quick goodbye and immediately set off for the outskirts of the city.

He took out the Jade Slip map left by Old Zhao and probed it with his Divine Sense.

The target wasn't far, only a little over two hundred li away.

Lu Xian did not hesitate; he sacrificed his Flying Sword and turned into a black shadow, streaking through the air.

An hour later.

Arriving at a waterfall, Lu Xian followed the description and went straight through the curtain of water.

Inside was a cave. The environment was dim, but his Divine Sense clearly perceived footprints on the ground.

Judging by their depth and outline, someone had clearly been here within the last two months!

Lu Xian thought to himself "as expected" and continued inward, approaching the stone wall on the right and triggering a mechanism.

"Rumble—"

The stone door slowly opened, and the scene inside left him slightly stunned.