Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 420 The Medicine-Stealing Rat - A Turtle in a Jar

In addition, Xiao Chen noticed something different.

Although the five cultivators in front of them indiscriminately killed innocent people and committed numerous evil deeds, they were still alive.

However, Guiyun Sect only offered a reward ranging from a minimum of nine thousand spirit stones to a maximum of eighteen thousand spirit stones, depending on their cultivation level.

Even if you add them all together, it's less than 60,000 spirit stones.

However, this "medicine-stealing rat" alone won a bounty of 80,000 spirit stones.

This greatly surprised the surrounding independent cultivators.

People were speculating about his background and whose elixir he had stolen.

A young man stared intently at the number 80,000 with a gleam in his eyes: "Oh my, I saw someone wearing a black straw hat selling elixirs on the second ridge to the north just the day before yesterday."

"At the time, we didn't know that he had such a high bounty on him."

"Otherwise, we would have already told the guys to take him down!"

There was a hint of regret in his voice.

That's 80,000 spirit stones! Even if it's split among a few people, it's still a huge sum of money.

"Hey~, this matter seems simple, but it actually has a hidden secret."

A middle-aged man with an old face commented, "In my opinion, he must have stolen from the four major families."

"Otherwise, there would be no reason to offer such a high bounty."

"Such a person is not someone to be trifled with."

"You all should think carefully before you take action. It's a small matter if you mistake someone, but you must not lose both your wife and your army."

His words elicited various reactions from those around him.

Some looked thoughtful, while others wore sarcastic expressions, but none of them spoke up.

Among the independent cultivators in Guiyun Market, there are significantly fewer who are willing to strike up conversations with strangers compared to the Eastern Region.

Moreover, young people are relatively more talkative.

Those cultivators who were a little older mostly kept quiet.

Xiao Chen pondered that this might also be related to the overall environment of the new cultivation world.

This undoubtedly disappointed him a little. After all, when you're just joining in the fun, there are no inside stories to hear. It's like putting too little salt in your food – it's bound to taste a bit off!

Since that was the case, he didn't linger and stepped into the market, leaving a secret mark at the usual spot.

Before long, Zhang Cunfu arrived.

As it turned out, Xiao Chen's estimation was completely correct.

Although the Reverse Immortal Alliance had obtained some spiritual items to replenish its resources through previous transactions.

However, the loss of a branch in Songshan Fudi has actually made their situation even more dire than before the deal.

Even though Xiao Chen delayed delivering the goods for more than half a year last time.

They didn't say much, and instead settled the remaining four million spirit stones without hesitation.

Furthermore, they placed another order for ten million spirit stones and a deposit of five million spirit stones.

Xiao Chen glanced through the list; they were all items that weren't difficult to buy in the Sea of ​​Compassion.

Although it is unknown why, the proportion of third-tier spiritual items has increased significantly by 20%.

If we only look at Cangming Market, we can probably only gather less than 30% of the resources.

However, given Xiao Chen's current relationships with various sects, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to simply spend more time visiting a few more markets.

Moreover, the profit margin for third-tier spiritual items is even greater.

If he can close this deal, he can earn about half of that, which is five million spirit stones.

If we include the profit from the previous order, we'll be halfway to our initial target of 15 million.

"Senior, they said that a regular customer is in a hurry this time."

Zhang Cunfu added, "If it can be delivered within this month, I am willing to pay an extra 10% as an express fee."

"Moreover, if we can maintain a stable supply of spiritual items, there will be more opportunities for cooperation in the future."

It's clear that the Anti-Immortal Alliance is under a lot of pressure regarding their spiritual objects.

Even though Xiao Chen's price was already higher than the market price, he was still willing to add another 10% just to speed things up.

But this is a good thing; it's practically like getting a million spirit stones for free.

Nevertheless, he did not immediately agree to take on the entire responsibility.

Instead, she nodded slightly: "A month, I understand. I'll try my best."

"After all, these things are not easy to obtain, and it's not certain that it can be done so quickly."

Having finalized the new deal, Xiao Chen asked as usual, "Is there anything else?"

If not, I'll be going now.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cunfu, contrary to his usual behavior, reported, "Reporting to Senior, the sect has recently issued a new wanted notice."

"The situation is still not very clear, but I've heard some rumors that are not quite right."

"Therefore, I would like to ask for your advice."

Arrest warrant?
Xiao Chen countered, "You're not talking about those five Tribulation cultivators, are you?"

"Don't worry, they definitely won't threaten our guests."

"Trading merchants do business all over the world and have long been accustomed to the clash of swords in various places."

However, Zhang Cunfu shook his head: "I have not reported to those few people."

"It's that new spirit thief who appeared out of nowhere—the medicine-stealing rat."

"Senior, you may not know this, but this person has a problem, and a big one at that!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately became interested: "Oh? What big problem?"

If he wasn't mistaken, the 'medicine-stealing rat' mentioned on the wanted poster should be Chen Fan, who helped him peddle spiritual items around.

Firstly, the timing clearly matches.

Secondly, this matter may also be related to Xiao Chen.

That is, nearly half of the spiritual items he gave were spiritual herbs.

Actually, you can't blame him for this. After all, when he was choosing things in the market, he naturally chose based on the price difference between the two sides.

However, as everyone knows, the spiritual herbs in the new cultivation world are all kept in tightly guarded spiritual herb gardens.

Moreover, once they mature, they are often not sold directly, but are first processed and refined into different elixirs to extract more profit.

Because the market supply of spiritual medicines in the new cultivation world has always been relatively scarce.

This inadvertently raised the price, creating a significant profit margin difference compared to the elixirs from the Sea of ​​Compassion.

Xiao Chen made his selection based on the price difference, and in the end, he unwittingly chose more than half of the spiritual items as different spiritual herbs.

He only realized this when he saw the arrest warrant earlier.

Therefore, I became even more curious about what big problem this could possibly be.

Zhang Cunfu knew nothing yet and was explaining his conjecture: "I've been subtly inquiring about related information with several fellow disciples these past few days."

"Whether it's the sect's medicinal herb garden, or the medicinal herb valleys or mountains of the four major families."

"There have been no thefts or similar incidents."

"But the problem is, someone has inspected the elixirs sold by that 'poison-stealing rat'."

"They were all freshly picked from the spirit field, no more than six months old, and the roots weren't even completely dry."

"That's really strange!"

At this point, Zhang Cunfu unconsciously raised his voice a few decibels, then quickly suppressed it again.

However, it was clear that he was somewhat agitated: "Senior, this most likely means that there are hidden spirit fields nearby!"

"He picked these medicinal herbs from an unknown spiritual field and then brought them here to resell them."

"If we can catch this 'medicine-stealing rat,' we can find the location of the spirit field before Guiyun Sect does."

"That's like finding a treasure trove!"

what?
Zhang Cunfu's speculation surprised Xiao Chen, who was in the know.

As the saying goes, "You can't see the true face of Mount Lu because you are in the mountain yourself."

He knew the inside story beforehand, so he didn't think much of it.

It was only then that I realized just how strange this matter seemed to outsiders.

It's important to know that vendors in Cangming Market will naturally try their best to choose the freshest medicinal herbs to sell.

Moreover, for them, if a certain spiritual item cannot be sold for a long time...

I would never waste my time by delaying for more than half a year, but would instead sell the medicines at a discount to the local medicine shops as soon as possible, and then go and select other medicines.

Therefore, when Xiao Chen was making purchases, all he saw were fresh medicinal herbs.

Naturally, they didn't notice this.

Moreover, even if he wanted to buy used items, it would be difficult to find a source of supply.

As a result, they originally thought that selling low-level spiritual items in the wilderness would not arouse suspicion from the blessed land.

Unexpectedly, it not only attracted attention right away, but also created a major suspicion concerning the spirit field.

Good news: Xiao Chen did not participate in the sale.

So in the end, no matter what, they probably won't be able to trace it back to him.

Bad news, Chen Fan might be in trouble. He might already be being targeted by the Guiyun Sect.

Given the immense importance of hiding the spiritual field, the risk may be considerable.

"Um... that might be a big problem."

Xiao Chen asked directly, "So, how many people do you think know about this now, and what is the Guiyun Sect's attitude?"

"Is it too late for us to go now?"

What he really wanted to ask was whether Guiyun Sect had taken this seriously, and whether it was too late to stop the sale now.

Since I unintentionally dug a pit for Chen Fan, I should definitely try to get him out of it.

"Well... I'm not too clear about the situation of the True Lords."

Zhang Cunfu wasn't too sure either: "But since even the young ones can guess a bit, there must be quite a few people who know the truth now."

"At the very least, the four major families should have already noticed the problem."

"They might have already sent people to the wasteland to make the capture."

He wasn't being modest, after all, his status within the Guiyun Sect wasn't particularly high.

They are far inferior to the four great families, even to a once-powerful family like the Cai family that has already declined.

"But the wasteland is so vast, it won't be easy to find someone."

Zhang Cunfu added, "Moreover, since that 'poison-stealing rat' dared to do such a thing, he must be a capable person."

"I don't think they'll be caught that easily."

"With our strength, it's very likely we can still make it in time."

Zhang Cunfu still believes that Xiao Chen is a cultivator from the Reverse Immortal Alliance.

Therefore, when he says "us" here, he is referring to the Reverse Immortal Alliance.

They are actually revealing important information to show their loyalty after discovering something amiss.

However, after hearing what he said, Xiao Chen felt that Chen Fan seemed to be in some danger.

He knew perfectly well that the other party had only recently broken through to the Golden Core stage and didn't actually have any special abilities.

Originally, I felt that as a Golden Core cultivator, selling some low-level spiritual items shouldn't be a problem.

But now, the situation is probably beyond his control.

Fortunately, these were just speculations made by Zhang Cunfu.

Therefore, the specific situation could be significant or minor, and further confirmation is needed. "Okay, I understand."

Xiao Chen praised, "If there are any further gains, I'll give you credit for it."

Is there anything else?

Zhang Cunfu smiled obsequiously, "Hehehe, I was just idly thinking about it, but I'm always thinking about our Immortal Alliance."

"I'm just daring to say a few nonsensical things today, and everything still depends on the senior's decision."

"If the Immortal Alliance can truly gain something, it will all be due to the wisdom and prowess of our predecessors."

Then he shook his head: "That's all, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he left on his own.

However, after Zhang Cunfu said that, Xiao Chen also realized that the Anti-Immortal Alliance might have already set its sights on Chen Fan.

It's almost fair to say that both the legitimate and criminal worlds are looking for him now.

Tsk tsk tsk, in the past, he was usually the one enjoying this level of treatment.

"Luckily, I found Chen Fan, otherwise my name or code name might have been on the wanted poster."

Xiao Chen, who was always on the wanted list, finally managed to escape this predicament: "It seems that having a subordinate is useful. He can indeed help me avoid trouble."

"No wonder many cultivators like to establish families or sects, or even start a business association."

"That should be one of the reasons."

If Xiao Chen himself were the one being targeted, he might not be able to calmly observe and consider the next steps from a third-party perspective.

And that's not all.

Given Chen Fan's cultivation level, the people who are targeting him shouldn't be very strong.

At least it wouldn't be several Nascent Soul True Monarchs moving out together, much less a mere Golden Core thief alarming a Deity Transformation cultivator.

Therefore, the difficulty for Xiao Chen to sort out the situation naturally decreased by one level.

Moreover, all parties are still speculating.

If he acts quickly enough, he should be able to nip the potential crisis in the bud before it even reaches the Nascent Soul level.

With this in mind, Xiao Chen immediately set off for Xu Dayou's house.

Just a quarter of an hour later, he saw a small courtyard with its gate tightly closed and no one around.

Upon entering, one finds that all the doors and windows in the courtyard are closed.

The previously scattered containers of waste pill residue have now been neatly stacked against the wall.

"They've all left."

Seeing this, Xiao Chen smiled slightly: "Chen Fan is quite clever; he runs pretty fast."

Since nothing looked messy inside or out, it meant they weren't in a hurry when they left and had time to tidy up the yard.

This also shows that they had sensed the danger and had hidden themselves.

"Should I continue looking for people now?"

Xiao Chen wasn't actually familiar with this place and didn't know where the other party had hidden.

At the same time, he also considered: "Chen Fan shouldn't be in such a difficult situation, so why not let him weather this storm on his own?"

"He might even watch helplessly as his childhood sweetheart is captured during the chase, and from then on, he vows to completely overthrow this dark world."

But even though that's what they say, they still have to keep looking.

Xiao Chen couldn't just let it go like this.

After all, as a Nascent Soul True Monarch, his divine sense range covers thousands of miles.

Even though they were unfamiliar with the terrain, their search efficiency far surpassed that of the Golden Core cultivators sent out by various parties.

Moreover, his spiritual sense is of higher quality, making him unafraid of lower-level concealment techniques.

To avoid being blind to what's under his nose, Xiao Chen first searched the small plain where the rogue cultivators gathered in the wasteland.

Unfortunately, nothing came of it.

He then gradually expanded the search area, starting to judge from his own perspective which places might be hiding places.

It's worth mentioning that Xiao Chen also encountered a group of Guiyun Sect disciples during his search.

That was a small team of three Golden Core cultivators, also searching for Chen Fan's whereabouts in a valley.

For Xiao Chen, this was good news.

This shows that Guiyun Sect has not yet fully taken it seriously and has not directly mobilized its own Nascent Soul True Monarchs to conduct an investigation.

He didn't attack that squad either.

Firstly, there's no need for that, and secondly, it would be better to avoid alerting the enemy.

If a Golden Core cultivator were to mysteriously disappear, it would undoubtedly exacerbate the situation.

Twelve hours passed quickly.

Xiao Chen, however, still gained nothing.

However, he did not give up and continued to patiently venture into those desolate mountains and wilderness areas.

Finally, while passing by an ordinary low mountain, I saw a mnemonic on a protruding rock at the top of the mountain.

It's just six simple words: "Respect the stars, pray for the light of day."

Outsiders who see this will likely be completely baffled.

However, Xiao Chen knew that it was a set of communication codes that the Heavenly Star Sect had included in the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou Gan Ling Mi Fa" (Secret Method of Senses the Stars of the Heavenly Stars).

Theoretically speaking, with the demise of the Tianxing Sect, this set of codes has long been abandoned.

Unexpectedly, Chen Fan took it out again and used it as a secret communication signal in emergencies.

Since there's a code word, everything becomes much easier.

Xiao Chen recalled the contents of the Heavenly Star Sect's inheritance, and then calculated the location based on the constellations.

They successfully spotted a specific number of small pebbles below a rocky outcrop on the opposite side, thus obtaining the most crucial location.

Then they followed the trail in a direction slightly north of northwest.

While he was actively making his way.

Twenty thousand miles away, Chen Fan and the three members of the Xu family had arrived at a cave.

Because spiritual energy is scarce outside, many cultivators in the wasteland, especially those far from the market, choose to dig a cave underground.

They then used these caves as their hiding places.

There are two major advantages to doing this.

First, it is more discreet and less likely to be noticed by outsiders.

If necessary, it is sufficient to set up a means to block divine sense from probing at the entrance of the cave, without having to hide the entire courtyard.

Secondly, it can effectively isolate the fluctuations of spiritual energy during cultivation.

For example, it is difficult for outsiders to detect the use of spirit stones or spiritual objects for cultivation in underground caves.

"We should be safe here for now."

Xu Dayou breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and began to introduce them: "Brother Wang, you know my sister-in-law, this is my daughter, her full name is Qingyi."

"Quickly call someone, just call him Uncle Wang."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyi immediately stood up to greet him.

Uncle Wang responded with a smile, "Hey, Lao Xu, you know what, this child looks exactly like her mother when she was young."

"Especially those big eyes and high nose, thank goodness I didn't inherit them from you, they're so handsome."

Xu Dayou was not annoyed by this, but instead chuckled.

Then he introduced, "This is the orphan entrusted to me by a close friend, named Chen Fan."

"He has always been a filial child and is especially grateful for kindness."

"He is now in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and there is hope for him to form the Core in the future. You must not underestimate him."

Xu Dayou knew, of course, that Chen Fan had already formed his core, and he had no intention of hiding it from him.

But just as he was preparing to seek refuge with a friend.

Chen Fan then disguised his cultivation level and specifically asked him to keep his true cultivation level a secret.

At the time, Xu Dayou also stated that although he and Wang Daoyou did not interact much, they had actually had a life-or-death friendship in their early years, and there would absolutely be no problem.

However, under Chen Fan's repeated insistence, he agreed to keep it a secret.

At that moment, I felt a little guilty for deceiving my friend.

He decided that once things had calmed down, he would bring wine and a generous gift to apologize to the other party.

Hello, Uncle Wang.

Chen Fan also bowed respectfully, showing no airs of a Golden Core cultivator, as if he were just a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

After sitting for a while, he offered to go out for some fresh air.

Actually, I wanted to go and check out the surrounding area.

"Oh, that's not a good idea."

The monk surnamed Wang said, "You are all unfamiliar faces, so it would be best if you hid down there and didn't show yourselves."

"Around 5 PM, I'll go out and scout out some things for you."

"Just tell me if there's anything I need to be careful about."

What he said made sense, so Chen Fan didn't insist.

Anxin waited patiently in the cave.

That cultivator surnamed Wang was indeed quite kind to them.

Not only were they as close as family, but they also specially brought back several kilograms of first-tier demon rabbit meat to entertain them.

"I was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would notice that I spend money recklessly, so I didn't dare to buy more. It's not that I'm unwilling to spend the money."

"You can all eat it later, I won't eat any."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dayou and his wife were naturally deeply moved, offering spirit stones as payment.

Chen Fan felt a little relieved.

On the evening of the third day, after the cultivator surnamed Wang went out to patrol the surrounding area, he returned a full half hour later than usual.

They also brought along several cultivators from the Guiyun Sect: "Reporting to Your Excellency, they are currently inside the cave."

"It wasn't just that 'poison-stealing rat,' but also his three accomplices."

The advantage of a cave is that it has only one entrance, but the disadvantage is that it has only one exit.

When three Golden Core cultivators from the Guiyun Sect stood guard outside the cave, sternly rebuking them to surrender.

They were like turtles trapped in a jar.

Xu Dayou was completely stunned and shouted in disbelief, "Brother Wang, why?"

"Have you forgotten that we crawled out of a pile of corpses together back then?"

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Wang sighed softly, opened his mouth but ultimately did not respond.

He did feel really bad, but that was 80,000 spirit stones!
Although betraying a brother of nearly a hundred years is an act of utter depravity, it still cost 80,000 spirit stones!
Chen Fan was also extremely annoyed at this moment.

However, he hated himself.

I hate myself for choosing to believe in the first place, and I also hate myself for not being strong enough.

Nevertheless, he quickly suppressed these emotions, which were already futile.

He then condensed a stellar power in his hand.

Now that things have come to this, we must not waste any more time.

If they can fight their way out before Guiyun Sect's reinforcements arrive, there is still a glimmer of hope.

Otherwise, if they are captured and taken back to the blessed land, they will face certain death.

(End of this chapter)