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Chapter 39: Too Lazy to Go Out
Shopkeeper Xu's words were reasonable and sincere.
Lan Chang'an did not find any obvious flaws.
"There's no Foundation Establishment Pill in that hidden treasure vault, is there?"
Lan Chang'an joked.
"Uh...a Foundation Establishment Pill, most likely not," Shopkeeper Xu hesitated, his face twitching slightly.
If the Zheng Family had a Foundation Establishment Pill, they would have used it long ago instead of waiting for the Mu Family to attack and kill them.
Even if he was making up a story, he had to maintain basic logic.
"Thank you for your kindness, Shopkeeper Xu, but I'm worried there might be traps or hidden restrictions in that treasure vault. It's more reliable for me to draw talismans in the market." Lan Chang'an politely declined.
Whether it was true or false, he had no interest in going out to explore treasures.
As a talisman master, his income was stable, and he was content to leech off the Mu Family's resources. He lacked for nothing in terms of spirit stones and resources.
It was like having an iron rice bowl plus a grey income. What could be more stable than this?
At present, the only thing that attracted him was the Foundation Establishment Pill.
If Shopkeeper Xu dared to say the hidden treasure vault contained a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would block him immediately.
"Since Brother Lan is unwilling to take the risk, I can only seek others. Please keep this matter confidential." Shopkeeper Xu showed some regret but did not insist.
"Definitely, definitely." Lan Chang'an promised, though the other party had not mentioned the specific location.
...
In the following period, Shopkeeper Xu from the neighboring Rainbows and Silk Pavilion went missing.
It seemed he had truly gone treasure hunting.
When he reappeared ten days later, he returned travel-worn with a flushed face and two additional storage pouches at his waist.
"Brother Lan, join me at the Spring Night Pavilion tonight. If you take a fancy to any beautiful female cultivator there, it's on me!" Dressed in a scholar's robe, Shopkeeper Xu extended the invitation to Lan Chang'an with great enthusiasm.
The Spring Night Pavilion was a brothel in the market.
Unlike ordinary places, the service providers there were all female cultivators, each retaining a youthful appearance and refined demeanor.
In the cultivation world, brothels were not merely about shallow physical pleasures.
Through the union of yin and yang, it benefited the clients' cultivation, as well as the female cultivators themselves.
These establishments also had different varieties.
The indulgent ones like the Spring Night Pavilion offered the real deal.
The virtuous ones, like the Hundred Fragrance Immortal Pavilion in the Five Peaks Market town, had immortal maidens who practiced the way of music and rhythm, which could cleanse the soul and help overcome mental obstacles and bottlenecks.
The former was already quite expensive, while the latter was even more costly. ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ท๐ฏโด๐ฃ๐ฎ๐.๐ธโด๐ฎ
Ordinary cultivators could not afford such places.
"Shopkeeper Xu is too kind, but I practice celibacy and have no interest in going to such places." Lan Chang'an politely declined.
"Are you even a man?" Shopkeeper Xu's expression soured as he tried to provoke Lan Chang'an, but to no avail.
It wasn't that Lan Chang'an had no interest in women. As a normal man, he certainly had physical needs.
It was just that he had a mild case of mysophobia and didn't want to go to those kinds of places.
"Once I return to Core Formation Realm and later reach Nascent Soul, wouldn't those peerless beauties be at my beck and call?" Lan Chang'an saw things quite clearly.
...
A few days later.
With a haggard expression and unsteady steps, Shopkeeper Xu returned from the Spring Night Pavilion.
"Alas, I'm getting too old for such places. I can't frequent them often anymore." Shopkeeper Xu sighed.
"Brother Lan was right. It's better to cultivate celibacy." After that, Shopkeeper Xu resumed his normal routine.
Three days later.
He invited Lan Chang'an to drink at a tavern.
This time, Lan Chang'an did not refuse.
The tavern was called the Bamboo Wine Pavilion.
The owner was a rosy-cheeked beauty with a voluptuous figure, accentuated curves, and a captivating sway of her slender waist as she walked. People called her Madam Zheng.
The female owner was a widow whose late husband used to be a winemaker from the Zheng Family.
Her husband died during the Mu Family's major counterattack against the Zheng Family.
After surrendering to the Huang Family, Madam Zheng did not follow the Zheng faction's relocation. Instead, she remained in Bamboo Leaf Mountain to run her winemaking business.
"Well, well, if it isn't Shopkeeper Xu and Master Lan. The usual orders?"
Upon seeing the two of them, the female owner's eyes lit up, and she came over to serve them.
"Madam Zheng, give us the fifty-year-old Green Bamboo Spirit Wine." Shopkeeper Xu spared no expense.
"Coming right up." The female owner stretched her waist and gave her instructions.
"Madam Zheng, what brings us the honor of your personal welcome today?" Shopkeeper Xu asked with surprise.
"Well, my Bamboo Wine Pavilion is organizing a Wine Tasting and Flower Appreciation event three days from now at the Peach Blossom Valley, thirty li outside the market, to reward our regular customers. Every cultivator in attendance will receive a complimentary jar of ten-year-old Green Bamboo Spirit Wine. Additionally, there will be matchmaking services..."
The female owner trailed off with a coy smile, her flirtatious eyes twinkling.
After saying that, she placed two invitation cards on the table and went to serve other customers.
"Brother Lan, what do you think about this wine-tasting event at Peach Blossom Valley? There's free spiritual wine to drink, and it's not far from the market. It'll be lively with a crowd." Shopkeeper Xu picked up the invitation card with interest.
Lan Chang'an glanced at the invitation and was almost tempted. But soon, he sensed something amiss.
Previously, when Shopkeeper Xu invited him to go treasure hunting, he declined due to the risk involved.
This time, for the wine tasting and flower appreciation event, Shopkeeper Xu emphasized "not far from the market" and "lively with a crowd," subconsciously giving a sense of safety.
"Oh, I'm a bit lazy. I'm content with life in the market and too lazy to go out." Lan Chang'an let out a burp and spoke nonchalantly.
Too lazy to go out?
Shopkeeper Xu's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Lan Chang'an was unwilling to go on the dangerous treasure hunt, but he also wouldn't attend the lively and safe wine-tasting event? It seemed he really didn't want to leave the market.
...
"Wanting me to go out that badly?"
Upon returning to the shop, Lan Chang'an became wary.
The market was like a self-contained living circle.
It could satisfy all his cultivation needs, from pills and talisman materials to body refinement sand and even various forms of entertainment.
Since that was the case, Lan Chang'an had no need to go out.
Especially when being invited out by others.
In his previous two lifetimes, he had witnessed a vicious trick: long-time friends luring cultivators out of the market and then ambushing and killing them for their treasures.
"If there's really a need to leave the market, I'll disguise myself and sneak out quietly. That would be much safer." Lan Chang'an thought to himself.
Having grown suspicious of Shopkeeper Xu, Lan Chang'an gradually distanced himself from him.
He had mentioned this matter to Mu Xiuyun.
If someone was targeting him, it was likely an enemy of the Mu Family.
"You don't need to worry. Each time I go out, I take a different route, and I have a flying boat at hand. Ordinary cultivators at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining can't do anything to me." Mu Xiuyun smiled gracefully, exuding confidence.
Indeed.
At the eighth layer of Qi-Refining, she had quite a few middle and superior-grade talismans at her disposal. Coupled with the speed of her flying boat, even the late Zheng Yuanhua from back then would be no match for her.
...
Time flowed by.
In the following year, Lan Chang'an and the Mu Family Talisman Shop went about their business peacefully and business gradually prospered.
He almost thought his previous suspicions were unfounded.
With the soaring popularity of Bamboo Leaf Mountain, incidents of cultivators being killed and robbed outside the market were unavoidable and occurred from time to time.
In the past month, there was a merchant convoy that got attacked by rogue cultivators, fortunately, that merchant had means of preserving his life and narrowly avoided disaster.
"In the cultivation world, as long as there are benefits, conflicts are inevitable." Lan Chang'an was not surprised by this.
During the two years he had been in the market, Lan Chang'an accumulated a considerable number of superior-grade premium talismans.
The most powerful in terms of offensive power was the Golden Blade Talisman.
The premium Golden Blade Talismans rivaled the might of superior-grade magical treasures! They even surpassed the Qi-Refining stage.
Additionally, Lan Chang'an had another powerful ace up his sleeve.
With sixteen superior-grade premium talismans, he could construct a talisman array.
This talisman array could quickly deploy a consumable temporary formation that could contend with Foundation Establishment cultivators for a short period.
...
On this day, Lan Chang'an went to the courtyard downstairs to guide Mu Ershun in talisman drawing.
Mu Ershun had poor spiritual roots and average talent in talisman arts. With another year of Lan Chang'an's guidance, he would be able to attempt drawing first-rank talismans.
Of course, this was thanks to Lan Chang'an's tutelage. Without it, ordinary novices would have to be apprentices for seven or eight years before attempting that.
Hm?
Lan Chang'an's expression suddenly changed as he took out a sensory talisman from his storage pouch, which was now flickering with red light.
"Not good--"
This type of sensor talisman came in a pair of yin and yang talismans refined by Mu Xiuyun.
Although it could not convey specific messages, if one of them was triggered, it would alert the other party that they were in serious trouble or danger.
"The young lady went out, and she's in danger?" Lan Chang'an gripped the sensory talisman, his expression grave.
The sensory talisman could only send a warning to the other party. Mu Xiuyun's original intention in refining it was in case Lan Chang'an encountered serious trouble when she wasn't at the shop.
After all, Lan Chang'an's cultivation level was relatively low. With the sensory talisman, she could hurry back as soon as possible.
Lan Chang'an's thoughts raced as he swiftly went upstairs to change his disguise.
Aided by his Evergreen Technique's aura adjustment, he transformed into a young man of an entirely different style.
Blending into the crowd, he left the shop.
Through his spiritual sense, he did not detect any followers.
Just as he reached the market's exit.
The urgent whistling sound of something piercing through the air came from afar, and a flying boat came into view.
"The young lady's flying boat." Lan Chang'an recognized it.
On the shuttle was a bloodied elegant figure, swaying unsteadily.
Shua!
Mu Xiuyun's magical power faltered, and her body fell like a severed kite, plummeting towards the market along with the flying boat.
Lan Chang'an was swift in his reaction, pasting a Lightness Talisman on himself as he leaped into the air.
He caught Mu Xiuyun with one arm.
With his other hand, he grabbed the edge of the flying boat and infused it with magical power, allowing it to land steadily.
Lan Chang'an immediately checked Mu Xiuyun's condition.
What he saw chilled his heart.
Mu Xiuyun was deathly pale, with a white bone arrow emitting black smoke pierced through her chest.
"Chang'an, I..."
Mu Xiuyun held on long enough to get one last look at Lan Chang'an. Her bloodstained lips struggled to form a faint smile before her eyes dulled and closed weakly.
Lan Chang'an gripped her wrist, his face changing drastically.
Her breathing had stopped.
Only the faintest of heartbeats remained, about to cease at any moment.