I planted the spiritual roots for my people, and they bestowed upon me a body inscribed with incense

Gou Xun never expected that his scheming would ultimately harm him.

In the following days, after the Sishui Gang made no move, Li Daqiang and Li Yuan both breathed a sigh of relief. However, apart from practicing martial arts, Li Daqiang and Li Yuan still dared not leave their home, for fear that the Sishui Gang would come looking for them when they were not there.

When Li Yuan first obtained the Thousand Refinement Breathing Technique, he was completely baffled by it. However, after just two days of studying it, he had already mastered the technique.

Later on, Li Yuan even taught Li Daqiang the essence of the Thousand Refinement Breathing Technique that he had mastered.

Li Yuan guessed that the reason these martial arts techniques were so simple for him might be related to his keen senses.

Over the next month, thanks to the Thousand Refinement Breathing Technique and the nourishment from tiger meat, Li Yuan successfully advanced to the third-rate martial artist level.

After a month of feasting, plus sending two hundred catties of tiger meat to Wang Tiezhu's family, their food reserves were almost depleted. However, the ensuing blizzard forced Li Yuan and Li Daqiang to reconsider going into the mountains to hunt.

However, before that, Li Yuan had one more thing to do: go to the weapon shop in Luoshan City and bring back his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), which he had been eyeing for a long time.

Li Daqiang did not accompany Li Yuan on this trip to Luoshan City. Now that Li Yuan has broken through to the third level, as long as he is not besieged, ensuring his own safety is not a problem.

With true qi in his body, Li Yuan traveled much faster. He set off in the morning and arrived in Luoshan City in the afternoon. Without lingering in the city, he went to the blacksmith shop to retrieve the token. The servant inside quickly took out Li Yuan's Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword).

Li Yuan gripped the Mo Dao in his hand, then channeled three streams of Geng Metal Qi into it. Feeling the cold light emanating from the Mo Dao, Li Yuan couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of this Platinum Qi.

Li Yuan guessed that the other two colors on the three-colored beads must also have some special uses, but he didn't know how to use them.

Furthermore, after becoming a martial artist, Li Yuan fully realized that the mystical aura emanating from the three-colored bead could only be achieved through the methods of immortals, which further fueled his desire to cultivate immortality.

Carrying his Mo Dao, Li Yuan left Luoshan City and found a restaurant to sit down. Besides bringing back his Mo Dao, Li Yuan also wanted to find out about the Sishui Gang's activities in the restaurant.

Li Yuangang found a seat by the window and sat down, when he heard some shocking news.

The two burly men in black, standing a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) apart from Li Yuan, were already completely drunk.

"Brother, why did the gang leader tell us to drop everything and investigate some remnants of the Vajra Sect?"

"They're not even going to care about the missing Master Gou and Young Master Xu?"

Seeing this, another burly man looked around and then whispered:

"You don't know this, do you? You remember the Immortal's Tomb of the Vajra Sect a few years ago, right?"

Upon hearing this, the other burly man's eyes widened, and he quickly spoke.

"You mean, that person possesses something that belongs to the immortals?"

Another burly man nodded, and then said:

"I overheard this by chance when the gang leader was talking to a mysterious old man in a green robe. You mustn't tell anyone about this, okay?" After saying that, the man glanced around again.

Although Li Yuan didn't look at the two of them, he heard everything they said thanks to his keen senses.

At this moment, thunder roared in Li Yuan's heart. Of all the people who had escaped to this place and were also members of the Vajra Sect, besides his father, only Uncle Zhou remained.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan didn't even eat his meal. He slung the Mo Dao over his back and went out the door.

After crossing two streets, the scene before him confirmed Li Yuan's guess. The Tiangang Martial Arts Hall was nowhere to be seen; even the signboard had completely disappeared.

Seeing this, Li Yuan didn't turn around and hurried towards the small fishing village. By the time he returned to the village, it was already late at night, but Li Daqiang was still awake. Only after seeing Li Yuan return did Li Daqiang prepare to go to sleep.

Seeing that Li Daqiang was getting ready to sleep, Li Yuan quickly told him what he had heard at the restaurant that day.

Li Daqiang was terrified upon hearing this news. If they had offended the Sishui Gang, the Li family might still survive; they could simply move to another place. However, if they were to get involved with something of the immortals, the Li family would surely be destroyed.

Now that Zhou Zhengtian has disappeared, the immortal treasure must be on him. Li Daqiang is now somewhat afraid that Zhou Zhengtian will bring him out to attract attention in order to protect the immortal treasure.

Although Zhou Tianzheng had taken good care of Li Daqiang when they were at the Vajra Sect, the allure of the immortal treasures had far outweighed the bond between them.

After a while, Li Daqiang came back to his senses. Since the investigation was still ongoing, it meant that Zhou Zhengtian was still safe. What he could do now was to find his senior brother before others could investigate.

After clearing their minds, the two went back to their rooms to rest and begin preparing for tomorrow's operation.

The next day, Li Daqiang got up first, took some dry food, and then called Li Yuan to head towards Luoshan City. Before leaving, Li Daqiang handed Li Yuan a piece of cloth with a lotus flower image drawn on it.

"Yuan'er, if you find this image in the martial arts school, remember to inform your father. This is the signal pattern used by our Vajra Sect."

Li Yuan glanced at the cloth, destroyed it, and then followed Li Daqiang toward Luoshan City.

The two did not conduct their reconnaissance during the day; their goal was simply to reach Luoshan City before nightfall.

The two arrived in Luoshan City in the afternoon. When they entered the city, Li Yuan and Li Daqiang could clearly feel that there were many more experts in the city than before. The fact that so many martial artists appeared in a small city already said everything.

The two did not act rashly, but found a restaurant near the Tiangang Martial Arts School to stay in. They would go to the martial arts school to investigate later that night.

Feeling bored at the inn, Li Yuan began practicing the Thousand Refinement Breathing Technique. After all, he had used some of his true energy while traveling, and he needed to adjust himself to his best condition to deal with everything that might happen that night.

At night, two figures dressed in black quietly left the inn and headed towards the Tiangang Martial Arts Hall.

"Father, what if Uncle Zhou didn't leave us a mark?"

Upon hearing this, Li Daqiang's eyes hardened.

"If a mark is left, it means that my senior brother intentionally reminded us, and the reason he didn't send anyone to notify us was simply to make us clear our names."

If they don't leave any marks and don't notify us, then they're telling us to stay and die in place of our senior brother."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan immediately said:

"What conclusion did the father draw?"

Li Daqiang snorted coldly.

"Which government official or local tycoon wouldn't want something like a celestial artifact?" If even the slightest clue is discovered, no one can hide it. Besides, since Senior Brother escaped from the Vajra Sect, perhaps those in power simply turned a blind eye when they didn't know he possessed such a treasure. But now that they're investigating again, do you think he has any chance of survival?"

Li Yuan nodded, and then said:

"I understand. Father means that he might very well send us to take the fall?"

Li Daqiang nodded.

"You are much smarter than Tong'er; you will be the one to make the decisions for the Li family from now on."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan immediately spoke up, "Father is in his prime, what nonsense are you talking about?" Before Li Yuan could finish speaking, Li Daqiang made a shushing gesture.

The two had already arrived near the Tiangang Martial Arts Hall.