32: Luo Fei asks for help

"So Young Miss Li helped you, husband. We should find an opportunity to thank her properly."

Zhou Yun blushed slightly, feeling she had been a bit too sensitive. Seeing her husband looking at her with a smile, she lowered her head in even greater embarrassment.

After strolling for the entire morning, the three of them were a bit tired, so they went straight to a restaurant.

They ordered a few of the restaurant's signature dishes and sat at a table by the window, listening to other diners chat while quietly discussing what they had seen today.

Soon, the meal was served.

"The taste is quite good."

"You should try it."

Zhang Qingxiao pointed at the dishes that had just been served and praised.

"The taste is good, but it's a bit expensive."

"Spending these Spirit Stones is enough for us to eat at home for three days."

Zhou Yun hadn't wanted to come in at first, and she wanted to leave even more after learning the price of these dishes.

If Zhang Qingxiao hadn't kept pulling her along, she would have left immediately.

"You can't calculate it like that. They have to make a living too, right? As long as the taste is good, spending a few Spirit Stones is worth it."

Zhang Qingxiao knew that Zhou Yun was the frugal type, and changing that wouldn't be easy, so he could only take it slowly.

Liang Qiaoer was very good in this regard; she never proactively asked for anything.

If he bought something for her, she would accept it with calm and genuine happiness.

"I heard that recently, the Cultivators from the Guiyuan Sect have set their sights on one of our Chang Sheng Sect's Spirit Stone mines."

"The Foundation Establishment Elder sent out by our Sect Master was heavily injured by the other side."

"Because of this, the Sect Master specially summoned the Foundation Establishment Elders within the Sect to discuss it, and it's possible they will continue to go to war with the Guiyuan Sect's Cultivators."

"Really? Is that true?"

"Our Chang Sheng Sect doesn't have a Golden Core Old Ancestor, wouldn't we suffer a huge loss?"

"That shouldn't be the case. It is said that the Guiyuan Sect's Golden Core Old Ancestor is seriously injured and is still in seclusion healing."

"It's said that it might not recover for three to five years."

Listening to the discussion at the next table, Zhang Qingxiao couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

He had just enjoyed a few days of peace; if there were another Sect war, who knew what kind of trouble might arise.

He needed to prepare more supplies.

Regardless of whether this news was true or false, preparing more supplies was definitely the right thing to do.

Of course, he couldn't buy too much at once to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

With this thought, Zhang Qingxiao didn't find his meal as appetizing anymore.

After listening to the others talk for a while longer, they finished their meal hastily and went to other Medicinal Pill shops to purchase some medicinal ingredients.

Then, they bought Spirit Rice, regular rice, flour, and other daily necessities.

Only when both his and Zhou Yun's Storage Pouches were completely full did they stop.

"Husband, are you worried about the Sect going to war again?"

Seeing her husband looking preoccupied the whole way, Zhou Yun asked cautiously.

"I am indeed a bit worried."

"The Chang Sheng Sect doesn't have a Golden Core Old Ancestor sitting in charge right now. If a war really breaks out, we might suffer a huge loss, and then it's possible..."

Zhang Qingxiao stopped halfway. There were many people on the road, and if he said something unpleasant and it was overheard by someone with bad intentions, it would surely be trouble.

It was better to be cautious.

"Husband, you are overthinking it..."

"Even if the Chang Sheng Sect really has a problem, it won't have much of an impact on us Utility Disciples."

"Besides, we have prepared so thoroughly. At worst, we just won't leave the house and wait until things settle down."

Zhou Yun comforted him.

Her father often gathered information, so she had a decent understanding of the situation in the Chang Sheng Sect.

Moreover, they were well-prepared, so she wasn't very worried about it.

After returning home, Zhang Qingxiao immediately began his daily routine: Body Refining, sword practice, practicing spells, Alchemy, and Cultivate.

In the blink of an eye, it was the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, with only three days left until the New Year.

That night, just as Zhang Qingxiao was about to get into bed to discuss life with Zhou Yun, the gate of the courtyard was knocked.

"Who is it? I'm coming."

Zhang Qingxiao quickly put on his clothes and went to the courtyard. Peering through the gap in the gate, he saw Luo Fei, whom he hadn't seen in many days.

He quickly opened the courtyard gate and let Luo Fei into the yard.

After closing the gate, he asked in confusion: "Fellow Daoist Luo, you came over late at night, is there something the matter?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, I have encountered trouble, and I hope you can help me."

Luo Fei looked at Zhang Qingxiao with an anxious expression, pleading in a very sincere tone.

"What trouble?"

"What can I do to help you?"

Zhang Qingxiao was even more confused. Although he had some strength, Luo Fei's influence had been growing quite significantly recently.

"I have been targeted by the leader of another faction. This person is named Wang Si, and he is at the Cultivation Level 8 Realm..."

Luo Fei explained the situation in detail.

It turned out that during this period, this Cultivator named Wang Si, relying on his own strength, was not satisfied with his current situation and began to expand his territory aggressively.

He happened to set his sights on Luo Fei's territory and wanted Luo Fei to join his faction to unify rent collection and set the standard for Sect task kickbacks.

Naturally, Luo Fei didn't want to hand over the territory he had worked so hard to build, so he stood his ground against the other party.

He didn't expect the other party's strength to be much greater than he had imagined.

In just three days of confrontation, five of his capable subordinates had all been killed by the other party.

Now his subordinates were in a state of panic, and he had no choice but to come to Zhang Qingxiao for help.

"I am just an ordinary Cultivator at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer; I am afraid this favor..."

After listening, Zhang Qingxiao really didn't want to get involved in this kind of matter.

To him, it didn't matter much who controlled this area.

It was nothing more than paying a bit more or a bit less 'rent'.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you don't know much about this Wang Si. This person is extremely greedy for money and is arrogant and domineering. If he gets control of this area, he will definitely come after you."

"As long as Fellow Daoist Zhang is willing to help me, from now on, I, Luo Fei, am willing to follow your lead and hand over seventy percent of the earnings to you."

Luo Fei was very clear about Zhang Qingxiao's strength. Someone who could hunt down Middle Stage and Late Stage Yao Beasts alone was certainly not an ordinary Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator.

Even among Cultivators at the Cultivation Level 8, very few could manage to slay a Late Stage Yao Beast alone.

Coming to find Zhang Qingxiao this time, he had already prepared himself mentally; no matter what price he had to pay, he had to get Zhang Qingxiao to make a move.

"I need all the information on this person, Wang Si."

"Including his residence, who his subordinates are, and how many people are guarding his home at night—the more detailed this information is, the better."

Having cooperated with Luo Fei for several months, Zhang Qingxiao quite appreciated his character and way of conducting himself.

Plus, the conditions Luo Fei just promised were indeed tempting.

Being able to control a faction would make everything, whether it was getting things done or gathering information, much easier.

With Luo Fei out in the open taking the heat, he wouldn't need to show his face, and even if something went wrong, his risk would be low.

Zhang Qingxiao was ultimately successfully persuaded by Luo Fei.

"I have already gathered all the information on Wang Si."

"He lives in an alley near the East Gate of the market, and there are always over a dozen subordinates at his home..."

Seeing that Zhang Qingxiao had agreed, Luo Fei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly explained the information he had gathered in detail.

"Alright, tonight, I will go and scout the situation first."

"If there is an opportunity, I might directly kill Wang Si. You should go back and prepare as well."

"If I can successfully kill Wang Si, I will notify you immediately."

Since he had decided to act, he didn't intend to drag things out.

After seeing Luo Fei off and returning to the room, Zhang Qingxiao put on his black magic robe, changed his appearance and voice, covered his face with a black cloth, and put on a bamboo hat.

"Husband, you must be extremely careful."

"I will wait for you to come home."

Zhou Yun had heard their conversation just now and was very worried, but she also knew her husband's character.

She couldn't stop him, so she could only keep urging her husband to be careful.