189: New bodyguard, Wang Qiao

"Why?!!"

Xiao Ran could not understand!

She had been able to remain calm just now because she was certain that her grandfather would spare no cost to heal her injuries.

It was merely a matter of spending more Spirit Stones; she knew of many treasures that could heal Dantian injuries, such as High Grade Medicinal Pills and Heaven And Earth Treasure.

At most, it would cost between one hundred thousand and three hundred thousand Spirit Stones to absolutely heal her injuries, so why did her grandfather refuse to even mention it?

Her grandfather's time was running out, so Spirit Stones and treasures held no meaning for him. Back then, for the sake of Senior Brother Wang Qiao's Core Formation, he was willing to spend nearly a million Spirit Stones on Golden Core spiritual items, so why was he unwilling when it came to his own granddaughter?

"No!"

"It can't be! Grandfather didn't say he wouldn't treat my injuries. He told me to recuperate for a while and then return to the Sect; he will definitely treat me when I get back!"

"Right! That must be it!"

"That must be it..."

A discordant smile appeared on Xiao Ran's face as she forced herself to feel reassured. She planned to stabilize her injuries over the next few days and then return to the Sect to clarify things with her grandfather.

She was the most Genius Disciple of the younger generation of the Xiao Family; if not for this accident, she would already be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

Her grandfather's time was running out, and the future of the Xiao Family needed her to sustain it. Her grandfather could not possibly abandon her, and the Xiao Family even less so!

...

Three days later.

Fledgling Eagle Courtyard, main hall.

"Senior Brother Liu, the Grand Array on the island was already incomplete, and now that a large number of Formation nodes have been damaged, it is extremely difficult to repair. At most, we can barely restore it to a tier 2 level."

The person speaking was a short, elderly man with gray hair named Ma Zong. He was at the Late Qi Refining Stage and was the leader of the Formation Masters sent by the Sect to repair the One Yuan Water Dragon Grand Array.

"Fortunately, the core of the Grand Array was not damaged; otherwise, with my meager Formation skills, there would be no way to repair it!"

Ma Zong was only a High Grade tier 1 Formation Master, while the One Yuan Water Dragon Grand Array was originally a Medium Grade tier 2 Grand Array. He could only handle the work of repairing Formation nodes. If the core of the Formation were damaged, only a tier 2 Formation Master could repair it, or one would have to buy a new tier 2 Grand Array to set up.

There were two ways to set up a tier 2 Grand Array. One was to invite a tier 2 Formation Great Master to come and set it up personally, adapting to local conditions to maximize the power of the Grand Array.

The second method was to purchase a pre-fabricated Formation Plate, which would allow a tier 1 Formation Master to set up the Grand Array.

The benefit of the second method was that it was cheaper, and one could use someone they trusted to set it up, which was also more convenient.

The drawbacks were also obvious: the power of the Formation was relatively lower, and various problems might arise due to the Formation Master's insufficient skill level.

"Great Master Ma, just do your best to repair it. I am already very satisfied if it can reach the tier 2 level," Liu Xuan said with a smile.

Having been damaged twice, the One Yuan Water Dragon Grand Array could still reach the tier 2 level, so Liu Xuan was indeed very satisfied.

Tier 2 Grand Arrays were expensive; setting one up from scratch started at tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, with Medium Grade tier 2 arrays averaging seventy to eighty thousand, and High Grade ones costing one or two hundred thousand.

The White Crane Lake Spiritual Vein was Medium Grade tier 2, so it could accommodate up to a Medium Grade tier 2 Grand Array.

He did have the Spirit Stones, but it was not convenient to take them out, and there was no need. Given his current strength, a Medium Grade tier 2 Grand Array was optional; barely having a tier 2 One Yuan Water Dragon Grand Array to use was sufficient.

After dismissing the group of Formation Masters to repair the Grand Array, Liu Xuan looked toward the Jingxin Courtyard in the center of the island and fell into deep thought.

Xiao Ran had returned to the Sect in a hurry, and before leaving, she had completely handed over White Crane Lake to Liu Xuan, including the hundreds of Law Enforcement Team Disciples.

Although Liu Xuan had previously been the actual controller of White Crane Lake, nominally, everyone took orders from Xiao Ran, she simply didn't manage things much.

This time was different; judging by Xiao Ran's meaning, White Crane Lake would be completely handed over to Liu Xuan in the future, and he wouldn't even need to pay rent, only the standard taxes.

Xiao Ran had left so hastily that Liu Xuan didn't even have time to ask if she would return before she had already disappeared.

"We'll see in the future!"

Liu Xuan had originally wanted to see if he could help treat her Dantian injuries; if he could, he wouldn't mind lending a hand.

Xiao Changfeng had intended to commit Possession upon him, but Xiao Ran was likely unaware of it. One thing was one thing, and Liu Xuan would not hold this grudge against her.

Of course! Even if Xiao Ran knew and had participated in it, Liu Xuan did not intend to watch her die, nor would he kill her. There were many ways to take revenge; it wasn't necessary to kill directly...

Liu Xuan was kind-hearted; he had always felt that killing an enemy directly was the lowest form of revenge.

Regardless of whether Xiao Ran returned, Liu Xuan gathered his wives, Concubines, and children and immediately began moving; from now on, the Jingxin Courtyard would be his residence!

With the Jingxin Courtyard as the center, his Concubines would live nearby, and the Fledgling Eagle Courtyard would be left for his Eldest Son, Dao Yuan, and the other children who had reached the age of ten. The children were growing up, so it was time for them to live separately.

As for the hundreds of Law Enforcement Team Disciples on the island, some of the poorer ones had actually been living by the lake all along, and the remaining ones with some financial means were arranged by Liu Xuan on the outer perimeter to the east. With the Grand Array regulating the Spiritual Qi in the Cultivation Chambers, no one had any complaints.

Two more days passed.

During this time, Liu Xuan stayed on the island every day, cautious and careful, without making any other moves.

A major event had just occurred at White Crane Lake; True Person Xiao might be watching from not far away, and the two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator masterminds might also be keeping an eye on this place, so he should not act rashly for the time being.

On this day, as Liu Xuan was accompanying his children playing on the lake as usual, a massive aura suddenly appeared within his field of vision.

This aura was extremely concealed; it must have been using a profound technique to hide its presence. If Liu Xuan did not possess the Eye of Delusion Breaking Divine Ability, he would not have been able to perceive the other party.

"Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Nine Luminaries Sword Canon aura, could it be Old Ancestor Wang Qiao?"

Liu Xuan himself cultivated the Nine Luminaries Sword Canon, so he was extremely sensitive to this aura of the Sword Dao.

Among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators he knew, only Wang Qiao cultivated the Nine Luminaries Sword Canon.

Combined with the other person's Peak Foundation Establishment aura, he could basically confirm the identity of the person arriving without needing to get closer to look.

"True Person Xiao is truly generous, sending Peak Foundation Establishment Wang Qiao to protect me!"

Liu Xuan's expression did not change; all things considered, this was not a bad thing. At the very least, he had gained an extra Peak Foundation Establishment bodyguard, right?

The only downside was that he would have to be even more careful in his future actions to avoid having his true strength seen through by Wang Qiao.

The Merchant Alliance marketplace by the lake.

In a private room of a restaurant, a refined middle-aged man stood by the window gazing at Lake Heart Island, his heart filled with many questions.

"Why does Revered Master value Liu Xuan so much? Could this kid have some special identity?"

"Could it be related to some big shot in the Upper Sect? Or is he the illegitimate son of Revered Master and some Fairy?"

...

A Disciple with Qi Refining cultivation, no matter how Genius, was not enough to make a dignified Golden Core True Person value him so much; there must be other reasons.

True Person Xiao had sent him personally to protect Liu Xuan and had specifically instructed him to protect him in secret; it was impossible for him not to be suspicious.

But it didn't matter! He had failed his Golden Core Breakthrough, and his remaining lifespan was less than twenty years. He didn't need to Cultivate in his daily life; he just needed to Cultivate his character, adjust his state of mind, and risk his life to break through the Bottleneck one last time when his time was up.

Staying anywhere was the same. Revered Master had shown him great kindness, and being able to do things for Revered Master before he died would make his Dao Heart clearer when the time came for his Breakthrough.