524: Chapter 524 Town Lights and Winds Outside the Town

Talismans could lock the Spiritual Qi within the courtyard, but they could not hide the traces of its flow.

The Cultivators of this world could not perceive it.

However, animals with spiritual sensitivity could keenly sense it and instinctively gathered toward this place.

The animals themselves were of little consequence.

But if a large number of animals migrated in one direction simultaneously, it was impossible for people not to overthink it.

Some guessed a rare treasure was appearing, while others suspected a natural disaster was imminent.

Those with an even keener sense of smell had already followed the tracks and investigated all the way to Liuxi Town.

At night, outside Liuxi Town.

A pair of people dressed as traveling merchants walked along the official road. Their pace was thirty percent faster than ordinary vendors, and their waists bulged, concealing soft swords and short blades.

The few of them occasionally exchanged glances, their eyes scanning the surroundings from time to time as if searching for something.

In the distant shadows of the trees.

Fan Yuan stood among the branches, taking in the entire scene.

He raised his right hand, aiming vaguely at those people, with True Essence faintly appearing in his palm.

Killing a few Martial Artists was a matter of a single palm strike.

They hadn't actually investigated this far yet; they were just wandering aimlessly around several nearby towns.

But once he acted, it would be equivalent to telling them personally: there is a problem here.

Helplessly, he dismissed the thought of taking action.

"Fortunately, they haven't realized that the problem lies with Liuxi Town."

"But this is already the third group; it will be exposed sooner or later."

Fan Yuan climbed down from the tree, sat on a green stone, and sighed while holding his forehead.

"Their noses are just too sharp."

What should he do?

Notify the Immortal Master?

That's right, he had already come to view Qin Wangchuan as an Immortal Master.

But—

Their relationship was still strained.

During this time, Fan Yuan hadn't dared to go directly to Qin Wangchuan. He had only spent some gold to bribe Shopkeeper Li of the paper shop.

At first, Shopkeeper Li was afraid this Senior wanted to harm Qin Wangchuan and was very cautious.

Later, seeing that he was only persistently asking about Qin Wangchuan's preferences, the shopkeeper finally relented.

Unfortunately, Qin Wangchuan didn't have anything he particularly liked. The only two people he was close to were Master Chen of the Schoolhouse and Jiang Zhuo of the martial arts hall.

Compared to a Martial Artist, that teacher was clearly easier to deal with.

And so.

Under the guise of making a donation, Fan Yuan quickly found Master Chen.

Inside the Schoolhouse.

After Master Chen heard Elder Fan's intention, the tea in his hand paused, and the polite smile on his face slowly faded.

He had originally thought this generous old gentleman was simply a kind-hearted soul donating to education.

After all that fuss, it turned out he was after Qin Wangchuan.

"Old gentleman, I see your bearing is extraordinary; you are either a Martial Artist or a Cultivator."

"Regardless of which one, this old man cannot afford to offend you."

Master Chen set down his teacup, his tone cooling: "If you wish to repair temples or run schools, this old man can arrange things for you. But if you have other motives, I will return these things to you exactly as they were."

He pushed the gold ingot on the table back and paused.

"The boy Qin Wangchuan just lost his father and is supporting the household alone, all by himself. I don't want to cause him any more trouble."

Hearing this, Elder Fan nodded inwardly.

This teacher was indeed a man of character—not greedy for wealth, not fawning over power; he was a man worthy of respect.

His expression remained unchanged as he cupped his hands and said, "Master, you are a man of high integrity. Then I shall not beat around the bush—I previously offended young friend Qin carelessly, and my heart has been ill at ease. I wish to apologize to him in person."

"My visit today is precisely to ask you to act as a mediator to help reconcile us."

"I have no ill intentions, please rest assured, Master."

Using such respectful honorifics only highlighted the complexity behind the matter.

Master Chen stared into his eyes without responding.

The two of them remained in silence for a long time.

'This person is clearly a powerful Cultivator.'

'If he could help Qin Wangchuan set foot on this path, it would naturally be a good thing.'

'But if he is an evil person...' Master Chen lowered his eyes and shook his head inwardly.

He was not a Cultivator; he could not see through a person's heart.

But since the other party was willing to lower his posture to such an extent, he likely wouldn't harbor any malicious intent toward a lonely child.

The two were silent for a moment.

"Old gentleman, that child has been reticent since he was young; it's normal for there to be misunderstandings," Master Chen finally spoke. "However, I am curious, exactly how did you offend him?"

Elder Fan gave a bitter smile: "Master, you may not know."

"When I went to visit before, I'm afraid my attitude was poor and I made him angry."

"He didn't say much; he just gave me a leaf and told me not to come close again. Tell me, isn't that just a roundabout way of driving someone away?"

Master Chen seemed to imagine the scene, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly: "He really said that?"

"It is absolutely true." Elder Fan shook his head. "This old face of mine has been utterly disgraced."

As they spoke, they grew more cordial, chatting back and forth like old friends of many years.

But each had their own calculations in mind.

Master Chen thought that this person had an extraordinary bearing; if he could get Qin Wangchuan to be taken under his wing, it would be a rare Opportunity.

Elder Fan, however, mused that with the teacher's mediation, perhaps the youth would be willing to bestow an Opportunity upon him.

At the very least, getting some information about the Immortal would be good.

After being called an Immortal so many times, some desires had begun to sprout in his heart.

A fake Immortal had a dream of becoming a True Immortal.

Both harbored their own thoughts, yet both smiled candidly on the surface.

Together, they walked toward the direction of Qin Wangchuan's home.

The Qin Family's small courtyard.

Qin Wangchuan hadn't gone to the martial arts hall these past few days.

After studying for about a month, he knew everything he needed to know.

His Comprehension Ability was quite good; his techniques and ideas were faster than ordinary apprentices. Blacksmith Song didn't say it aloud, but he was satisfied in his heart.

Two days ago, he had given the word, saying that he could try to start taking on work now.

Initially, Blacksmith Song had thought about clearing a space for him in the martial arts hall's courtyard to save him from running back and forth.

After Qin Wangchuan found out, he discussed it and said he wanted to work at home by himself.

Blacksmith Song agreed immediately, saving him the annoyance of seeing the boy.

When there was work, someone would be sent to deliver it. After it was finished, it would be sent to him for inspection first, and if there were no problems, it would be handed over to the customer.

It was considered finishing his apprenticeship early.

These past few days, Qin Wangchuan had hired people to renovate the backyard.

A furnace, bellows, and anvil were moved in one by one.

The furnace and anvil were sent by the martial arts hall for free; he only paid an installation fee when they were set up.

The bellows were recommended by Uncle Lu, who sold noodles at the street corner, and Butcher Zhang came to install them.

"Alright, there shouldn't be any problems now."

Butcher Zhang tested the bellows, stood up, and patted the dust off his hands.

Looking at the small backyard that was gradually taking shape, Qin Wangchuan was momentarily dazed.

The furnace was from the martial arts hall, the anvil was from the martial arts hall, the bellows were arranged by Uncle Lu, and the installation was done by Butcher Zhang.

Everything was telling the same story.

He was not alone.

"Kid? Kid?"

Seeing him lost in thought, Butcher Zhang called out twice.

Qin Wangchuan snapped back to his senses and hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

"I just bought some good tea yesterday. I'll go brew a cup for you right now."

"Hey, hey!" Butcher Zhang waved his hand. "Are you treating your Uncle Zhang like a stranger?"

"I won't drink the tea; I still have to go back and watch the shop."

He spoke as he walked out, advising as he went: "But you have to keep a good eye on this backyard. We're neighbors; it's no big deal if the house burns down, but don't let anything else happen."

"Don't worry, Uncle Zhang, I'll be careful."

"Alright then, I'm off. No need to see me out."

Butcher Zhang said as he stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

Qin Wangchuan looked at the door and let out a soft breath.

The next second, he heard Butcher Zhang start chatting with someone in the distance.

"Master is here?"

"Yes, I have some business with him."

"Then go ahead quickly. I'll be off now."