46: Blood Pill, Green Lantern Sect, Altar Master!

Inside a private room at the Yan Chun Pavilion.

"Tsk... I've eaten so much, and it seems the food isn't much better than what they have in the barracks mess hall."

Zhang Wen clicked his tongue, a hint of disappointment in his expression.

Yu Zhi retorted, "Nonsense, it's far worse."

Zhang Wen, unconvinced, said, "Tell me, what's so bad about it?"

Yu Zhi picked up a piece of food resembling a bun from the plate in front of him with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed a few times fiercely.

"What's this thing called? Oh right, Jade Bun. They just swapped the bun's outer dough for tofu skin, but the meat filling inside is no different. A single plate dares to sell for five qian of silver!" Yu Zhi said, "Five qian of silver to buy you buns to eat? It's more than enough to stuff your whole family to death!"

"Bastard, may your whole family be stuffed to death!"

Jiang Lan, sitting nearby, watched the scene with a smile.

Initially, Yu Zhi and the other two were quite reserved.

But after three cups of 'Yan Chun Brew,' they loosened up.

Now, they were laughing, joking, and cursing without a care, even with Jiang Lan and Chen Heguang present.

However, what Yu Zhi said wasn't wrong.

Buns cost one wen each; five qian of silver could buy a full five hundred of them.

But the taste, indeed, left him a bit disappointed.

The price didn't matter, it just didn't give him that amazing feeling.

At the very least, it was far inferior to the food of later generations.

"Lan'er, I'm done eating. If there's nothing else, I'll head back first?"

Chen Heguang made to stand up.

But before he could even get to his feet, Jiang Lan pulled him back down onto the chair.

"Uncle Chen, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I have other arrangements later."

...Another half an hour passed.

The three of them, Yu Zhi, had eaten until their bellies were bulging and were slumped in their chairs.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan said,

"You all can go first. Commandant Chen and I have something to discuss."

Hearing Jiang Lan speak, the three of them, Yu Zhi, sobered up a bit.

Even if their minds weren't completely clear at the moment, they knew that while drinking was one thing, delaying their superior's business would not be good.

"Then, boss, you two talk. We'll take our leave." Yu Zhi stood up, pulled Zhang Wen and Zhao Wu, and left the private room.

Once the private room door closed, Jiang Lan looked at Chen Heguang, smiled, and said,

"Uncle Chen, you seem a bit anxious."

Chen Heguang was startled, then seemed a bit helpless, saying, "I still have a pile of case files waiting for me to review. How can I not be anxious?"

"Oh?" Jiang Lan's voice was unhurried. "How is it that I don't remember you, Uncle Chen, having a habit of taking case files home to look at? Haven't you always finished them at Wuwei Hall?"

Chen Heguang fell silent for a moment, a subtle change in his facial expression.

He looked up.

"When did you find out?"

Jiang Lan picked up a cup of Yan Chun Brew, drained it in one gulp, and then slowly said,

"The first moment I saw you."

"Heh heh..." Chen Heguang's smile carried a hint of coldness. "Then you've been feigning civility with me for so long, and even invited me to this Yan Chun Pavilion for a meal."

Jiang Lan glanced at 'Chen Heguang'.

"Invite you? You're quite shameless. This banquet, of course, is my treat for Uncle Chen." Jiang Lan's voice was a bit low. "Uncle Chen is pitiful; he never enjoyed much fortune in his life. He finally managed to become a Commandant, and that meager monthly salary has to support his entire family. Let alone this Yan Chun Pavilion, even buying a roasted chicken or braised goose by the roadside would probably make his heart ache for a long time."

"From what you say, he's quite pitiful."

"He's not pitiful." Jiang Lan shook his head. "At most, it's just that everyone has their own way of living. On the contrary, I find you quite pitiful."

"Me? Pitiful?" Chen Heguang seemed to have heard a funny joke, laughed loudly twice, then suddenly thrust his head forward. "Boy, do you know who I am?"

"I don't know who you are, nor am I interested in knowing who you are."

Jiang Lan, on his own, took the wine cup in front of Chen Heguang, filled it, pushed it towards him, then poured himself a cup, and only then continued,

"What I do know is, if you hadn't possessed Uncle Chen's body, your head would have been off your neck a long time ago. Listen, drink this, then scram."

"Heh heh... A newborn calf, arrogant."

Jiang Lan raised his wine cup and took a light sip.

"It's not hard to find out where Uncle Chen went today. Believe me, if he dies today, you will surely die."

As he spoke, boundless killing intent spread from Jiang Lan's body. The temperature inside the entire private room instantly dropped, and a thin layer of white frost rapidly formed on the wine cup in his hand.

Having hunted so many demons, his Evil Qi was already potent, and with his recent Breakthrough, Jiang Lan's 'aura' naturally ascended to a higher level.

If it were Chen Heguang under normal circumstances, targeted by Jiang Lan's current 'aura,' he would probably struggle even to breathe.

But at this moment, Chen Heguang showed no abnormalities; instead, a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Boy, not bad. Seeing you today, you haven't disappointed me. It's a blessing Qiu Liangfeng, that good-for-nothing, died by your hand, something he accumulated in his previous life."

Jiang Lan understood in his heart, and a grin spread across his face.

"I thought Uncle Chen had provoked some kind of monster, but it turns out you came for me."

"This Altar Lord indeed came for you."

Jiang Lan's heart stirred.

Altar Lord, a rank above a Hall Master.

This fellow possessing Uncle Chen's body was a powerful figure.

"Since you came for me, why were you so eager to go to Uncle Chen's house?"

"Heh heh..." A wicked smile appeared at the corner of Chen Heguang's mouth. "You, boy, are quite alert. I have no interest in his woman, but that pair of virgin boy and girl, their skin is tender and flesh delicate. If you hadn't dragged this Altar Lord over..."

Jiang Lan gave him a cold glance.

"Then you should thank me."

"You ruined this Altar Lord's good deed, and you want this Altar Lord to thank you?"

"If Uncle Chen's children were to die, then he would have nothing left to live for." Jiang Lan gently put down his wine cup. "In that case, I wouldn't have to be wary of you occupying his body anymore."

"Haha, good, good, good!" Chen Heguang said, "You, boy, are truly to my liking. To be honest, this Altar Lord came to find you today for no other reason than to invite you to join my Green Lantern Sect."

This person went through such a large detour just to recruit him?

Jiang Lan originally intended to refuse directly, but he seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and the words of refusal stopped at his lips.

Perhaps he could extract some information from this person's mouth.

After a slight deliberation, Jiang Lan said,

"Green Lantern Sect... You all have been quite active lately. But there's one thing I haven't figured out."

Chen Heguang: "Tell this Altar Lord about it?"

"What are you after?" Jiang Lan slowly said, "Faith? Ideals? I don't believe that you scumbags would sacrifice yourselves to this extent for something as illusory as that."

"Haha, well said!" Chen Heguang laughed loudly. "What ideals and faith, they're all bullshit! If there weren't any benefits, who would bother sacrificing this and that every day for no reason? Killing too many people gets tiring too."

Jiang Lan's eyes flashed.

"Benefits, are they those Blood Pills?"

Chen Heguang reined in his smile, but his eyes still held a playful look.

"Boy, this Altar Lord has lived for over a hundred years. You want to trick words out of me?"

"Oh, then you've lived those hundred-plus years for nothing."