Scourge Messenger

Chapter 422 Ripples
In a small county town two hundred miles away from Nevernight City, Murong Hui was idly painting her nails in her inn room. She wasn't surprised to see Ying Rushi back out of the corner of her eye, and even stretched her toes out in front of her: "How do you think my nail polish is?"

"Get dressed, we'll head to the City That Never Sleeps right away." Ying Rushi patted her feet away.

"Going to Nevernight? Are you going to negotiate with Ying Le?" Murong Hui quickly put on her socks: "I can't miss this. You have to protect me then."

“Ying Le is dead, and the three great rulers of Qi are also dead.” Ying Rushi opened the window and looked at the common people outside struggling to make a living: “I am going back this time to inherit the throne and rule Qi.”

"what!?"

"Murong Hui, I want to bring a safe and prosperous life to the people of Qi." Ying Rushi asked, "Will you come and help me?"

Murong Hui blinked, scratched her toes on the bed and thought for a while, "If you became emperor, would you still play with me normally?"

Ying Ru smiled slightly: "Of course. And I won't be in power for too long. After arranging the court and cleaning up the country, I also need to find a secret realm to cultivate in seclusion. You can come with me then. I can't promise you a Foundation Establishment Pill, but I can still help you with the Third Stage Great Perfection."

"Let's go." Murong Hui put on her boots and left the inn with Ying Rushi. As they walked down the street, she looked at Ying Rushi's back and suddenly called out, "Little fox."

"Ok?"

"I like you the way you are now," Murong Hui chuckled.

Ying Rushi was taken aback, a gentle smile flowing from her brows, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"elder sister."

Murong Hui's eyes widened, and she instantly grabbed Ying Rushi's arm: "What did you just call me?"

"I did not say anything."

"No, I clearly heard you call me 'sister,' say it again!"

"I never said that."

"Oh, little sister, kneel down! I'm begging you, okay? I really want to hear a Foundation Establishment cultivator call me 'sister'..."

……

...

In Yaoshi Mountain City, the Dragon-Locking Immortal didn't stay in the secret realm that day, but instead went to the viewing platform outside to rest. Perhaps due to her age, she liked to lie on a bamboo chair and bask in the sun. When she woke up, she would often see a herd of white-tailed deer surrounding her. She would touch the white-tailed deer, watch the clouds drift across the sky, and feel the sunset quietly, sensing the passage of time.

However, she had only been asleep for a short while when she was quickly awakened by an aura. The other party made no attempt to conceal their Dao Foundation cultivation power and ascended the mountain at lightning speed, completely disregarding her!

Master Suolong was furious. The newcomer had arrived at the viewing platform, looking like she was asking for a beating. She curled her lip and said with disdain, "You're just like your sister. You've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, why aren't you gathering your Qi instead of coming here to show off?"

“Bodhisattva,” said Bhaisajyaguru, “I have come here with two matters—”

"Just because you call me Bodhisattva doesn't mean I'm actually a Bodhisattva and have to grant your wishes." Master Suolong waved his hand, signaling a maid to bring over a bamboo chair: "Stay with me for a while."

Once the pharmacist was also lying on the bamboo chair, she casually asked, "How's the mission going?"

"You'll hear the news soon."

"Heh, is that arrogant brat dead?" Master Suolong sneered. "Good, the sooner she dies, the sooner she'll be reborn. Even without you, she probably wouldn't have lived long, unless... Emperor Shenwu can really live another life in her body."

The pharmacist asked in surprise, "You knew?"

"It's just a guess, but even if the Divine Martial Emperor really intends to do so, he might not be able to do it... Even Immortal Lords might not be able to be resurrected, let alone a Foundation Establishment True Person?" True Person Locking Dragon suddenly lost interest: "Speak, what brings you here to bother this old woman again?"

"Firstly, I'm here to make a deal with you, and secondly, I need information about the Foundation Establishment stage in the Zhou Kingdom," said the Pharmacist. "It would be best if you could introduce me to them."

“The former is fine, but the latter… your growth path is obvious to all, and it’s a bit too shocking to expose it now. It’s easy to associate it with the Thieves’ Family.” Master Suolong pondered for a moment: “There’s no way to explain where you got your Foundation Establishment Pill. You couldn’t have forcibly established your foundation. You’re too young, and you’re not like Hou Gujing who was in a desperate situation and managed to survive back then.”

"Won't we have a reason after tomorrow?"

Why should there be a reason after tomorrow?

The pharmacist was surprised that Master Suolong was unaware of this. Just then, the two of them sat up straight and turned to look in the direction of Chang'an!
call out!
A large arrow pierced the ground in the center of the viewing platform, with a letter attached to its fletching. The envelope was addressed to "Master Suolong".
Master Suolong removed the letter from the arrow, opened it, and her expression changed drastically. She waved her hand, and the surrounding maids and servants immediately withdrew, leaving only the two of them on the viewing platform.

"Helan Shou is in Chang'an. He invited me to arrive in Chang'an before noon tomorrow to participate with him... in the Jubaoge Guild Establishment Token Auction!" Master Suolong stared intently at Yaoshi Yuan. "Could it be..."

“That’s right.” The pharmacist nodded. There was no need to hide it; Master Suolong had already deduced from the sales orders of the past few days that they were the behind-the-scenes sellers of Jubaoge.

She was actually more surprised by something else—the arrow that Master Dongshou shot from Chang'an actually traveled three hundred miles to reach Yaoshi Mountain City!

These Foundation Establishment cultivators are all incredibly skilled!

Master Suolong plopped down in a bamboo chair, rubbing his forehead, and said, "Let me catch my breath..."

“Girl, why don’t we discuss this?” She thought for a moment and said, “I think the small temple of Zhou Kingdom is still not big enough for a Buddha like you. Why don’t you go out and make your way in the world? However, the reputation of the Medicine Master family may not be very good outside. Now that you are a Foundation Establishment True Person, you can choose your own Daoist name. There is no need to use your real name.”

The pharmacist crushed her resistance with a single sentence: "After you die, who else can you entrust the pharmacist family to besides me?"

Master Suolong sighed, "Luckily, I didn't get on your pirate ship back then, otherwise there would have been no way back." (Treasure Pavilion Auction!)

With an invitation, one can log in to the Treasure Pavilion through divine sense, participate in auctions, and communicate and trade with Foundation Establishment True Persons and Immortal Lords from all over the world!

Even though Master Suolong knew that such an auction would be difficult to hold, it did not diminish the enormous consequences of the matter. Putting aside everything else, the invitation list for each auction alone was enough to become a battleground for various forces.

For example, Master Suolong would not want the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Qi and Liang to participate in this grand event. The major powers of the outer regions and the four wastelands will only have more enemies, and they will certainly be willing to pay a great price to prevent hostile forces from participating in the auction. In this way, the enemies will remain stagnant, while they can exchange resources. With this ebb and flow, the gap in strength between the two sides can be widened step by step.

This kind of storm vortex is so powerful that even a slight touch would pulverize you; it would be strange if Master Suolong wasn't afraid. She could only pray that the pharmacist wouldn't reveal his identity before she died; her old bones couldn't withstand such torment.

"What information do you want? I'll find it out for you." Master Suolong rubbed his temples and said, "Even after the auction, you can't 'establish your foundation' so quickly. Give me some time to prepare."

How long do you plan to build up this?

"Hmm... how about ten years?"

"Can you live to see ten years from now?"

"I also don't think I'll live to see this day," Master Suolong said honestly. "After I die, even if there's a great flood, it won't concern me."

The pharmacist didn't dwell on the matter. "I need information on the treasures of each Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Master Suolong raised an eyebrow. The pharmacist was a thief, and the thief's purpose in asking about the treasure was self-evident. However, she readily said, "No problem! I'll organize it for you in a bit. In a few days, I'll travel around and find out more for you."

As the saying goes, "Better to die for your friends than for yourself," and besides, even my family's rare iron has been stolen, so what's wrong with stealing yours now? We should have stolen it a long time ago!

……

...

Jiangnan City, merchants.

"Father, Third Brother." Shang Xinlei called Shang Xuanwen and Shang Qia to her room and said to them with a serious expression, "I have something very important to tell you."

"You said."

"But you have to promise me first that you will control your emotions, you won't scream, you won't shout, you won't cry, and you definitely won't get too excited, okay?"

Shang Xuanwen and Shang Qia exchanged a glance, their expressions changing drastically.

What makes them want to scream, shout, cry, and get excited at the same time?
Shang Qia clenched her fists, her face filled with disbelief: "Sister, when...when did this happen?"

"Huh? You figured it out?" Shang Xinlei said happily, "Actually, it just happened a moment ago. It felt quite magical. I was a little scared at first, but I quickly felt comfortable and immersed myself in it. I even wanted to do it again."

She clutched her stomach and said with a serene expression, "I am completely different now than I was before."

Shang Qia stumbled back and bumped into a pillar, feeling as if his legs were about to give way. Shang Xuanwen wasn't much better off. This seasoned prime minister of Liang, who had weathered many storms in his official career, also felt like he was about to suffocate, as if the blood vessels in his brain were about to burst—what father of a daughter, what brother of a sister, could withstand such a shock?

And this just happened!

Beast!
"Who did it?!" Shang Xuanwen said through gritted teeth. "Who did it?!"

"It must be Yellow Dog! He's the only man in the Thieves' House!" Shang Qia said with a heavy heart, "It's all my fault. I should have stopped you from joining the Thieves' House a long time ago!"

"The Thieves' Family? Yellow Dog?" Shang Xuanwen was taken aback: "You were a member of the Thieves' Family?... Yellow Dog, the thief, actually dared to deceive my daughter? Fine, fine, no matter who he is, I won't let him get away with this!"

"What are you talking about?" Shang Xinlei asked, completely bewildered. "Although it was indeed Huang Quan's doing, shouldn't you be congratulating me?"

"congratulate?"

The father and son turned deathly pale. They exchanged a glance, then looked at Shang Xinlei, whose face was beaming with joy and happiness. Their hearts quickly went through five stages of grief:

They deny it, because they don't want to accept that their daughter/sister has become like this;

They were furious; they wished they could drag the yellow dog out and flick its criminal organs until it died.
Through bargaining, is it possible for them to pull Shang Xinlei out of the mire?

Depression made them realize they could only watch helplessly as Shang Xinlei left.

It seems that Shang Xinlei has truly grown up and found her own happiness. They should be her support, not thorns in her path.

Shang Qia took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Congratulations."

"...Let's set a time and invite that person over for a meal." Shang Xuanwen practically forced these words out of his mouth: "Let's discuss the future together."

"No need to be so formal. Although I am now a Foundation Establishment True Person, I will still live at home." Shang Xinlei said proudly with her hands on her hips, "You guys make arrangements and see when to announce my identity as a Foundation Establishment True Person. At that time, our family can also be promoted to a Purple Ribbon Family."

The father and son blinked at each other.

"...Foundation Building?"

(End of this chapter)