94: The water is deep enough!

After Liu Xuan left, Xiao Ran carefully inspected the four heads. They looked lifelike, but in reality, their brains had been completely destroyed, leaving not a trace of Divine Soul.

"It seems Junior Brother Liu has some trump cards he doesn't want others to know about!"

Xiao Ran became increasingly interested in Liu Xuan. Each time, he brought her a different kind of shock.

First, there were the rumors of his lechery, then his connection with Zhao Deliang, the establishment of the Merchant Alliance, and then becoming Ancestor Qingyun's Personal Disciple. Now, he even possessed a special Physique and Sword Dao talent.

"What a pity!"

Xiao Ran shook her head.

"His Heart-Nature is not firm, his Dao Heart is unstable, and he lacks the will to advance bravely. I'm afraid he will find it difficult to achieve Major Achievement!"

The Dao of Cultivation lies in contention, in pressing forward bravely, daring to fight against heaven and earth, and going against the natural order. Only then can one achieve Immortal Ascension!

If she were Liu Xuan, she would certainly display her talent and strive for the best Cultivation resources from the Sect.

She might even leave the Red Pine Sect and go directly to the Heavenly Sword Sect to seek guidance, competing with more Prodigies in that Nascent Soul Dao field!

Liu Xuan possessed such great talent, yet he disliked conflict, neither contended nor vied, and spent his days indulging in the soft embrace of women. His actions were always secretive, as if afraid of stirring up trouble. He was simply wasting his excellent talent!

If there's no contention, where would the resources come from?

By drawing Talismans himself? How many Spirit Stones could he earn?

...The peaceful White Crane Lake soon erupted in a commotion. Many Disciples were taken away for investigation, and the Great Senior Sister's true confidants received orders to assemble.

At the same time, Xiao Ran also sent people to Yongning City to request 500 reinforcements from Zhao Deliang.

The identities of three of the four people who ambushed Liu Xuan had been confirmed: Zheng Changming of the Zheng Family, Liang Guanghai, and Wang Pan of the Wang Family. The fourth person remained unidentified, but a portrait had been sent back to the Sect for a wider investigation.

Regardless of the last person's identity for now, Xiao Ran immediately led her people on a cloud-breaking flying boat towards the Zheng Family and the Wang Family.

The Zheng Family was one of the seventeen Qi Refining Perfection Families, while the Wang Family was an ordinary Qi Refining Late Stage Family nearby, with Wang Pan as its Family Head.

Robber Cultivators could appear and disappear mysteriously in Yongning precisely because of the secret support from these Families.

Xiao Ran had raided a batch of them last time, but they were all small Families. The Zheng Family, one of the seventeen Qi Refining Perfection Families, was the first of its kind.

Before departing, Xiao Ran sent Zhang Kexin to ask Liu Xuan if he wanted to come along and personally exact revenge, but Liu Xuan refused.

He didn't want to get involved in the muddy waters. Wasn't it better to stay on the island and enjoy the intimacy with Yan Qingyao?

Small courtyard.

Cultivation quiet room.

Liu Xuan sat at the desk, his brush flowing like a Dragon, complex runes intertwined. An ice blue soul-stabbing talisman was successfully drawn. The Talisman's light receded, and Spiritual Qi was contained within.

"Did you see it clearly? Did you gain any insights?"

Liu Xuan stopped writing and asked Yan Qingyao and Qin Yun, who sat to his left and right.

Yan Qingyao and Qin Yun shook their heads simultaneously. Even though it was only a First-Order Low-Grade ice blue soul-stabbing talisman, they couldn't understand it. If they tried to forcibly memorize the process, their heads would feel dizzy and painful.

"It's too difficult!"

Qin Yun pulled Liu Xuan's arm and said, "Talismans involving the Divine Soul are too difficult. Why don't you teach us single Divine Soul runes first!"

Liu Xuan nodded, took out an ordinary Talisman paper, and replaced it with unranked Talisman paper for practice.

Liu Xuan didn't need these things; they were all for Qin Yun and Yan Qingyao.

Liu Xuan tried his best to slow down the drawing process. After a quarter of an hour, a swirling gray rune was completed.

"Have you learned it?" Liu Xuan asked again.

The two women shook their heads, feeling dizzy. The rune in their minds was not fixed at all but constantly twisting and changing.

Closing their eyes, their minds were blank, with no impression of Liu Xuan's drawing process just now.

"Forget it!" Liu Xuan said helplessly, "I'll still teach you the Arrow Talisman!"

Many Second-rank Talisman Masters couldn't even draw Talismans involving the Divine Soul. Liu Xuan was just checking if the two of them had any talent; he didn't necessarily have to teach them.

The Arrow Talisman was much simpler! After drawing Talismans for two years, Liu Xuan understood the underlying logic of Talismans even better.

Although he had no teaching experience, he could imitate the handwriting and drawing methods of the two women, directly solving the problems they encountered.

During their leisure time, he would guide them, and both Yan Qingyao and Qin Yun made significant progress.

The next day.

The cloud-breaking flying boat returned above White Crane Lake. Xiao Ran was back, and Liu Xuan quickly received the news.

The Zheng Family had fled early, and Xiao Ran found nothing but some small fry.

Warrants for the arrest of important figures from the Zheng Family and Wang Family had been issued, with a Sect-wide hunt. Rewards would be given upon capture, dead or alive.

Xiao Ran invited Liu Xuan to Jingxin Courtyard and gave him the territories left by the Zheng Family and Wang Family, instructing him to manage them with people from the Merchant Alliance, and also reduced taxes by fifty percent.

In addition, after the investigation of Liang Guanghai's large team, those who were deemed innocent were disbanded, and a new team was formed. Xiao Ran handed this team over to Liu Xuan, primarily responsible for the defense of White Crane Lake.

Liu Xuan transformed, becoming Xiao Ran's confidant, able to freely enter and exit Jingxin Courtyard like Zhang Kexin.

After the incident with Liang Guanghai, Xiao Ran became even more distrustful of the Law Enforcement Team Disciples under her.

These individuals had complex relationships, countless Family background interests, and were extremely selfish. They appeared obedient on the surface, but in reality, who knew what they were secretly doing.

Liu Xuan was different. He came from an ordinary farming Family, his Foundation was entirely within the Sect, and he was also Ancestor Qingyun's Personal Disciple, making betrayal almost impossible.

The Yongning Merchant Alliance was also just a loose organization. Its internal situation was transparent, it united pro-Sect Families, and stabilized the chaotic situation, which only benefited the Sect.

From all perspectives, Liu Xuan was a staunch supporter of the Sect; otherwise, he wouldn't have been specifically targeted and ambushed by Robber Cultivators.

Xiao Ran realized this and thus regarded Liu Xuan as a confidant, granting him significant authority... Jingxin Courtyard.

Liu Xuan's heavenly origin sword hovered in mid-air, like a light red swimming fish, incredibly agile, as if alive.

Liu Xuan pointed his fingers like a sword, and the heavenly origin sword flew dozens of meters into the sky, then emitted a dazzling red light, like a falling scorching sun, finally hovering silently above Liu Xuan's palm.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Xiao Ran couldn't help but applaud, saying, "Thank you, Junior Brother, for the demonstration. My understanding of the Nine Luminaries Sword Canon has deepened another layer!"

Besides being an Alchemist, Xiao Ran was also very interested in Sword Dao and had learned several Sword Dao Daoist Magic.

Her Sword Dao talent was considered top-tier within the Sect; few Qi Refining Perfection Cultivators in the Spell Hall were her match.

But compared to Liu Xuan's Clear Sword Heart, she was nothing. She had Cultivated the Nine Luminaries Sword Canon for many years but couldn't even get started.

She had almost given up, but now with Liu Xuan's personal demonstration, she picked it up again.

"As long as Senior Sister likes it!"

Liu Xuan sheathed his sword. After many days of interaction, his speech was no longer as formal as before.

Xiao Ran appeared cold, but after getting to know her better, he found that she was actually very kind to people.

"The identity of the fourth person who ambushed you has been found out. He is an Inner Sect Disciple of the Ice Pool Sect, a Golden Core Sect from the north, and his father is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"

"Ah?!"

Liu Xuan was startled!

An Outer Sect Inner Sect Disciple, two local Family high-ranking officials, and a Law Enforcement Team captain—these people actually conspired to ambush him. The waters here were truly deep enough!