241: Zi Ling cries for help

Fledgling Eagle Courtyard.

At the corner of the corridor leading to the pavilion on the lake, Liu Xuan was leisurely fishing with his daughter, Lingyue.

A four or five-year-old boy was lying on the edge, staring at the water surface; he was Dao Yu, Lingyue's younger brother born of the same mother.

"Lingyue, Dad heard from your Aunt Qin Yun that you have quite a Talisman talent, why don't you come to me for guidance?"

Fishing was just a pastime; Liu Xuan was mostly doing it to keep his daughter company. Lingyue was almost an adult, her martial arts cultivation was at the Peak of Internal Qi, and three months ago she had broken through to the first level of Qi Refining; among his many children, she was considered one of the best.

"Dad is so busy every day, I'm afraid I'll annoy you if I bother you."

She stared at the position of the fishing float on the water, "Your daughter has only just come into contact with Talismans and can only draw one or two basic Talisman runes; Aunt Qin Yun is enough to teach me."

Liu Xuan looked at this daughter of his; all in all, he had been somewhat neglectful in taking care of her.

Although she never lacked material things, there was a lack of companionship, and there was somewhat of a sense of estrangement between father and daughter.

Lingyue's mother, Yan Qingyao, was keen on Cultivation and had shown her very little affection since she was young. Liu Xuan had many matters to attend to and was unable to spare the time, which ultimately led to this girl having a rather independent personality.

He took out a Jade Slip and handed it to her, "This is a Jade Slip containing a complete collection of first-order Talisman runes. If there is anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me; Father is relatively free recently."

"Thank you, Dad!"

Lingyue took the Jade Slip, a happy smile appearing on her face. She usually didn't go to Liu Xuan to ask questions, not because of estrangement, but because she truly felt that her father was busy and didn't want to disturb him.

Compared to her mother, Liu Xuan cared for her much more. She was afraid of making Dad unhappy, and then she would truly be without a father's love or a mother's affection!

Liu Xuan smiled and nodded, then looked at little Dao Yu lying by the water, "Dao Yu, why don't you go over to the courtyard and play games with them?"

"Ooh~"

Little Dao Yu propped himself up, turned his head, thought for a while, and said, "I like playing with my sister."

This little guy was practically raised by his sister Lingyue and usually followed behind his sister's heels.

"Be careful, don't fall in!" Liu Xuan laughed.

"I won't!"

The little guy scrambled up and said proudly, "I can swim; even if I fall in, I can swim back up!"

"That impressive?"

"Of course!"

...

"Boom~"

Just at this moment, a red light streaked across the distant sky, heading straight for White Crane Lake.

"Zi Lan, save me!!"

A figure crashed against the Formation boundary, causing ripples to spread across the transparent water dragon Formation boundary.

"This is... Three Poisons Ancestor Zi Ling?"

"Why is she here, and in such a sorry state?"

Just as they were wondering, three more people flew over rapidly, blocking Zi Lan's path.

All three were Foundation Establishment Cultivators; one in the Late Stage, one in the Middle Stage, and one in the Early Stage.

One of them, Liu Xuan had also seen before; it was none other than the Nether Fire Sect's ancestor, Liu Huatong.

"Zi Ling! I will give you one last chance; hand over the purple poison cauldron, and we will let you leave!"

The person speaking was an old man wearing the colorful Dharma robes of the Nether Fire Sect. This man had sunken eye sockets, a hooked nose, and an immense aura; he was the leader, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

The Formation boundary fluctuated, and Zi Lan appeared.

"Old Ancestor!"

"What is going on?"

Seeing Zi Lan, Zi Ling breathed a sigh of relief, "The matter is complicated, and now is not the time to talk. Can you take me to see Liu Xuan?"

"This..."

Zi Lan looked at the three Nether Fire Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators surrounding the Formation and was unable to make up her mind for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist, this person stole a precious treasure from our Nether Fire Sect and is someone our Immortal Master specifically named to be captured. Please assist us, and there will surely be a generous reward afterwards."

Before Zi Lan could speak, Ancestor Huatong, standing beside the hooked-nosed old man, spoke first.

After all, this place was Red Pine Sect territory, and White Crane Lake was the turf of True Person Xiao's Disciple, so they did not want to act rashly.

Hearing this, Zi Lan became even more hesitant. Although she very much wanted to help her own Old Ancestor, she did not want to cause trouble for Liu Xuan.

Zi Ling had not placed her hopes on Zi Lan at all. She had come here mainly to use Liu Xuan to escape this pursuit.

"Liu Xuan, I have a precious treasure to offer. As long as you save my life, I will give you what they want!" she shouted loudly towards the inside of the Formation.

"What item?"

A calm voice came out.

"The purple poison cauldron, my father's Magic Treasure from back then, and it is also an Alchemy cauldron."

An Alchemy cauldron at the Magic Treasure level!

If it were an ordinary Magic Treasure, it would be fine; Liu Xuan already had several on him, and they were useless to him. But an Alchemy cauldron was different, and he was truly tempted.

However, this matter would offend the Nether Fire Sect, and perhaps even offend a Golden Core True Person; all things considered, it probably wasn't worth it.

"Liu Xuan! This item has great benefits for your Grandmaster. If you do not agree, when True Person Xiao blames you later..."

Liu Xuan was stunned!

So she hadn't intended to offer it to him at all, but rather to use his hand to offer it to Xiao Changfeng.

"Hum~"

A brilliant sword light rose from the market by the lake. Ancestor Wang Qiao stepped through the air, his figure flickering a few times before arriving in mid-air.

"This place is Red Pine Sect territory; Fellow Daoists, please return!"

Hearing that this Magic Treasure had great benefits for Xiao Changfeng, before Liu Xuan had even decided to act, Wang Qiao had already been unable to resist taking action.

Wang Qiao had no children, and there was no direct Bloodline of his in the Family. He had no pursuits in this life; his only motivation was to repay his Revered Master, who had shown him great kindness.

"Seven Luminaries Sword Intent!"

"Ancestor Wang Qiao!!"

Wang Qiao, at the Peak Foundation Establishment, was considered a prominent figure among the nearby Golden Core Sects, and all three Nether Fire Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators recognized him.

"Wang Qiao! This matter is a decree from our Sect's True Person; do you really want to stop us?"

The hooked-nosed old man's tone carried a threat.

"In Red Pine territory, everything is decided by my Revered Master!"

"You should go back!"

What did Wang Qiao have to be afraid of? He didn't have many years left to live; why should he care about some Golden Core True Person?

Get the item first, then let his Revered Master take a look; if it's useful, keep it, and if it's useless, just return it.

If something really went wrong, it wouldn't be a big deal for him to take the blame; he was dying soon anyway, and had no worries.

"You!"

The hooked-nosed old man was trembling with rage. His Revered Master, True Person Nether Fire Fan Yang, attached great importance to this matter; if he returned empty-handed, he would not be able to bear the consequences.

"Since that is the case, I would like to see just how skilled Fellow Daoist Wang's techniques really are!"

The hooked-nosed old man considered his techniques to be superb. Although Wang Qiao was one minor Realm higher than him, he would have to try to know just how big the gap really was.

Regardless of whether he could win or not, if he won, he could complete the mission, and if he lost, he could at least go back and report.

"Boom!!"

A spear of dark blue flame condensed above his head, followed by a second, a third...

In the blink of an eye, the spears were like a forest, and the nearby sky was covered in dark blue flames.

Although it was fire, a bone-chilling coldness emanated from it, as if it wanted to seep into one's very bones.

Daring to be the first to attack Wang Qiao, who was at the Peak Foundation Establishment, with only a Late Foundation Establishment cultivation, the hooked-nosed old man was no simple person; just based on this move alone, he was no worse than an ordinary Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator.