81: So handsome!

"You want me to go there personally?!!"

Liu Xuan was startled!

His first reaction was to wonder if he had offended this Senior Sister in any way.

He certainly wouldn't be naive enough to think that Xiao Ran had taken a liking to him or had any ideas about him.

This woman had a strong personality and was decisive in killing; she would kill anyone who defied her, so she was by no means a kind-hearted person.

Liu Xuan's status as a Personal Disciple made him a person of note in Yongning, but in front of Xiao Ran, he was nothing.

'Could she be trying to swindle my Spirit Stones?'

Liu Xuan felt that the only thing about him that Xiao Ran could possibly covet was his Spirit Stones.

The reason the Xiao Family caused so much chaos was precisely because of Spirit Stones; thinking about it this way, it made sense.

She probably wouldn't target the Spirit Stones Liu Xuan used for Talisman Drawing, so that left only the Yongning Merchant Alliance!

If Xiao Ran really wanted to squeeze Spirit Stones out of the Yongning Merchant Alliance, Liu Xuan really had no way to stop her. No wonder She Xiaorong looked so panicked.

"This is troublesome!"

If this matter wasn't handled well, not only would the Yongning Merchant Alliance be working for nothing, but they might also offend Senior Sister Xiao, who held immense power.

"Did Senior Sister Xiao say this personally?"

"Did she say anything else?"

Liu Xuan asked after pondering for a moment.

She Xiaorong shook her head, "I don't know if it was Senior Sister Xiao who said it, but it came from Senior Sister Xiao's exclusive Pill Refining Room, so it cannot be fake."

"Apart from asking you to go there personally, no other instructions were given."

"Fine!"

Liu Xuan nodded. "Come with me later!"

There was no use overthinking it; he would know whether it was good or bad once he went there. He was, after all, a Disciple of Ancestor Qingyun now, so no matter how overbearing Xiao Ran was, she shouldn't go too far.

A quarter of an hour later.

Liu Xuan, Little Shadow, and She Xiaorong rode the Iron Feather Eagle and flew towards White Crane Lake.

White Crane Lake was only a little over a hundred li away from the city, and they arrived in a short time.

Looking down from high altitude, the lake water was emerald green, truly resembling a white crane spreading its wings.

The entire area around White Crane Lake was filled with dense Spiritual Qi, with countless Spiritual Fields and Spiritual Gardens, as well as continuous palaces and pavilions. It was majestic, truly worthy of being the former territory of a Foundation Establishment Family.

At its Peak, the Chen Family possessed nearly a hundred clansmen who were Cultivators, over a thousand dependent Guest Elders, and tens of thousands of Mortal servants and Martial Artists; it was infinitely glorious.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator's lifespan started at three hundred years, and with descendants reproducing as quickly as a generation every dozen years or so, the number of descendants after a dozen generations was extremely exaggerated. The title of Foundation Establishment Ancestor was not just a casual name.

She Xiaorong pointed to a palace by the lake and said, "That is where our Merchant Alliance resides."

Liu Xuan steered the Iron Feather Eagle to land in front of the palace, and Luo Yun brought over a dozen Cultivators out to welcome him.

"Greetings, Talisman Master Liu!"

"Greetings, Talisman Master Liu!"

...

Luo Yun did not usually live here; it was only because something had happened recently that he was staying here waiting to handle it.

Luo Yun was not optimistic about the fish farming at White Crane Lake; there were too many complicated relationships involved, it was easily interfered with, and there was no profit to be made.

However, since Liu Xuan was funding it personally and his Luo Family was just receiving a salary, whether it made money or not had nothing to do with him.

Ordering his men to take good care of the Iron Feather Eagle, Liu Xuan was not in a hurry to pay his respects to Senior Sister Xiao, but instead asked Luo Yun to introduce the situation at White Crane Lake.

Little Shadow stayed quietly in the palace, while Liu Xuan and Luo Yun flew over White Crane Lake using their flight techniques.

"At the bottom of this White Crane Lake, there is a tier 2 medium grade Spiritual Vein, but the Spiritual Qi has all been gathered to Lake Heart Island by a Formation."

Luo Yun pointed to the location of the small island in the center of the lake, "That was the core territory of the Chen Family previously."

A tier 2 medium grade Spiritual Vein treasure land; there was envy in Luo Yun's eyes.

"In the lake, there is only a little scattered Spiritual Qi and small branches, only at the level of a Low Grade Spiritual Vein. Fortunately, the whole lake is very large, nearly ten li in radius, so it can raise quite a few Spiritual Fish."

"It's just that the personnel here are mixed now, and it's impossible to farm with peace of mind. You should be prepared to lose money."

Just as Luo Yun finished speaking, he saw two Cultivators fighting on the lake. A spell hit the water, splashing up several meters of waves.

Liu Xuan frowned slightly but did not step forward to stop them immediately.

Luo Yun shook his head, "This is still considered good. According to reports from the clan Disciples, there are even people fishing in secret..."

White Crane Lake currently had an army of one thousand enforcers, a large number of hired practitioners, and some slaves captured by Xiao Ran; the personnel were extremely mixed.

Not only was the fish farming in the lake interfered with, but the management of the nearby Spiritual Fields, Medicinal Gardens, and Orchards... was also very chaotic.

This was unavoidable. It wasn't just a management issue, but rather that no one treated this place as their own property; there was simply no intention of long-term operation.

Perhaps tomorrow, with a single order from the Sect, they would have to leave; the hired Cultivators were the same.

The root cause was actually that Xiao Ran never intended to manage this place properly; she only thought about squeezing out Spirit Stones from this Spiritual Land as quickly as possible.

The Xiao Family lacked manpower; this kind of tier 2 Spiritual Vein was destined to be managed by a Foundation Establishment Family. Thinking too far ahead held no meaning for her.

Five years at most! If Senior Brother succeeded in Core Formation, that would be fine, but if he failed, it would inevitably stir up an even greater storm, and she could not remain in Yongning.

After a simple understanding of the situation, Liu Xuan didn't say much else and told Luo Yun to continue raising fish as usual.

Subsequently, Liu Xuan headed to Lake Heart Island to request an audience with Senior Sister Xiao.

...

Pill Refining Hall.

Liu Xuan explained his purpose to the maid at the door and then waited quietly for the maid to go and report.

About a quarter of an hour later, a playful young girl wearing a colorful long dress with her hair tied in twin tails walked out.

The young girl's small face had delicate, pinkish skin, and her eyes were large and bright, full of spiritual energy, carrying an air of celestial spirit amidst her cuteness.

Was this that Senior Sister Xiao?

Liu Xuan quickly dismissed this thought. Although the girl had an extraordinary temperament, her cultivation aura was only at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining; she shouldn't be Xiao Ran.

"You... you are Liu Xuan?"

Zhang Kexin's small face showed a trace of a blush, and her large eyes kept secretly sizing up Liu Xuan.

'So handsome!'

Liu Xuan was tall and imposing, his face like fine jade, his eyes like bright stars. After obtaining the Sword Heart Clarity talent, he also possessed a trace of the sharpness unique to a Sword Cultivator.

Dressed in a robe made of Heavenly Silkworm Spiritual Silk, his expression was indifferent, like an enlightened high-level Cultivator who cared nothing for anything in the world.

Liu Xuan's appearance and temperament completely matched Zhang Kexin's aesthetic; her unwavering heart wavered.

'I must have really been misled by the rumors; he absolutely cannot be a lecherous and shameless person!'

"I am Liu Xuan, greetings, Senior Sister."

Liu Xuan cupped his hands in a salute and said respectfully, "I wonder if Senior Sister Xiao is willing to see me?"

Even if the girl wasn't Xiao Ran, she was Xiao Ran's confidante. No matter how beautiful she was, Liu Xuan dared not have any designs on her right now.

"My name is Zhang Kexin, you can just call me Senior Sister Kexin!"

"Come with me, I will take you to see Senior Sister."

Zhang Kexin led Liu Xuan towards the Pill Refining Hall. Halfway there, she suddenly stopped, wringing her hands together, and turned back to look at Liu Xuan, her expression tangled and hesitant.

She suddenly remembered that Liu Xuan had come this time because of the Black Snake Yao Beast in the lake.

Senior Sister didn't know about this matter at all; asking Liu Xuan to come over in person was just her own order.

Senior Sister had never believed the rumors about Liu Xuan. She thought that by having Liu Xuan come in person, she could let Senior Sister see Liu Xuan's true colors!

Now the situation had changed; she had to think of a way to bluff her way through it and not expose her original purpose.