Sixty years of blacksmithing, a single hammer blow forging a celestial being.

"What does it matter to us ordinary folks if something goes missing from that medicinal herb garden?"

"Hey buddy, haven't you heard the saying, 'When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer'? Anyway, it's always better to be careful!"

The group started chatting amongst themselves, and even the teahouse owner put down his pipe and chimed in.

In a corner of the teahouse, an old man of about seventy years old, dressed in simple cloth, was composed and had an extraordinary air about him.

He slowly took a sip of tea, gazed out the window thoughtfully, and muttered to himself, "Tianxiangcao...who could it be...?"

This person was none other than Li Ping'an.

After a few months in the Danxian Sect, he had completely made a name for himself, and even Manager Zhao treated him with great respect.

He came to this market early in the morning, not for any other reason than to inquire about the whereabouts of Tianxiangcao.

The best place to gather information is naturally in a teahouse, but unfortunately, after sitting here all morning, I didn't get any useful information.

Is this herb really that rare?

As the sun shone high in the sky, the tea drinkers gradually dispersed. Li Ping'an strolled leisurely along the market's alleyways, preparing to return to his sect.

Although it was almost noon, the air was still refreshing and had a slight chill.

Go back and inhale the waste gas from a few batches of medicinal pills!

Li Ping'an was pondering this in his mind when suddenly he stopped in his tracks.

Several unusual auras appeared around them.

Is it another highway robbery? How come the security at the Danxian Sect is so bad?

"I don't know who you are, so please come out and say something."

Li Ping'an stood there lazily, holding his black hammer.

"rustle……"

Footsteps echoed through the woods on both sides of the road.

Several men in black emerged one after another, one of whom was burly and had a very noticeable scar on his face.

With a pair of fierce and menacing eyes and a dark face, he made people's hearts pound at first sight.

"Long time no see, Li Ping'an."

The scarred man's voice was hoarse as he looked at Li Ping'an with a half-smile.

Li Ping'an frowned as he looked at the four people in front of him.

Why does this person know me?

"What, don't you recognize me?"

The scarred man took off his mask, revealing a rather handsome face.

When Li Ping'an saw that person, his heart skipped a beat!

It was Tang Jiannan!

Wasn't he at the Tongtian Sword Sect? How did he get here?

Was he following me?

Tang Jiannan had a major battle with Li Ping'an before, and then he was never seen again.

I never expected it to happen again today.

"Oh, it's Tang Jiannan. What can I do for you?"

Li Ping'an spoke with a forced smile, while glancing at the other three out of the corner of his eye.

One was a short, somewhat hunched old man with a black hat on his head. His face was mostly shrouded in shadow, so his true features could not be seen. Only his wrinkled skin could be vaguely seen.

One was a long-haired woman whose shapely figure was accentuated by a black bodysuit.

One was a slender man with striking purple hair. He tucked his head into his collar and his sharp eyes scanned Li Ping'an up and down. His lips were slightly pursed, as if he were looking down on him.

Judging from their auras, these three are all quite strong. Apart from Tang Jiannan, who is at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, the rest are at the 6th or 7th level of Qi Refining.

Tang Jiannan grinned and said:

"I heard a while ago that our Tongtian Sword Sect's top disciple in the trial, Steward Li of the Abandoned Hall, was actually living in seclusion here. I've wanted to visit him for a long time, but I haven't had the time until today. Only now do I have the opportunity to catch up with you."

"Who told you I was living in seclusion here?"

Li Ping'an frowned. Had his position been exposed?

No, if it were exposed, it wouldn't just be Tang Jiannan coming after us.

Perhaps Tang Jiannan just happened to run into himself at the Danxian Sect.

Looking at the people around him, they were clearly not proper cultivators.

Could it be that Tang Jiannan defected to the Demon Clan during the last Yin Gui Sect battle?

Thinking of this, Li Ping'an took a deep breath. In any case, a major battle was absolutely unavoidable today.

"Tang Jiannan, since you've come to me, then come on! Whatever grudges we have, let's settle them in one battle!"

He raised his black hammer, ready for a great battle.

"hey-hey……"

Tang Jiannan chuckled twice and said:

"Li Ping'an, you're overthinking it. I'm not here to fight; I have something else to discuss."

"Something else?"

Li Ping'an frowned.

"What is it? Spit it out!"

"Alright! Then I'll get straight to the point. I wonder if you've heard about what happened at the Danxian Sect's medicine garden last night."

"I know, thieves broke into the Danxian Sect's medicine garden last night, and the Heavenly Fragrant Herb was stolen."

"Tang Jiannan, you're not going to admit that you did this, are you?"

Li Ping'an was somewhat surprised, but then he realized that only someone like Tang Jiannan, who valued money over life, would do something like this.

"Although the Danxian Sect is just an alchemy sect, they still failed this time."

Tang Jiannan was somewhat smug.

"So what brings you here this time? Are you here to brag to me?"

Li Pingan raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Of course not. I have the Heavenly Fragrance in my hands now. Although it is a treasure, I think only with your connections in the Danxian Sect can I sell it quickly."

"You want me to help you find a buyer?"

Li Ping'an frowned, only then realizing Tang Jiannan's true intentions.

However, he didn't want to cooperate with Tang Jiannan; that guy had a deep grudge against him!

You can't believe it!

There might be a trap!

However, the thought that the fragrant herbs she longed for were in his hands made her feel a little itchy again.

"The Danxian Sect's Enforcement Hall is currently searching everywhere; this deal is a hot potato."

The purple-haired youth who had been coldly observing Li Ping'an said disdainfully:

"This is Li Ping'an from the Tongtian Sword Sect, the one who got first place in the trial? Our boss even dared to venture into the Danxian Sect's medicine garden, but you don't even dare to find a buyer?"

Li Ping'an's eyes shot towards the purple-haired youth like cold lightning.

The purple-haired youth, however, showed no fear, meeting Li Ping'an's gaze head-on, and said aggressively:

"If this is what they call being the first in the trial, then I'm really disappointed. I might as well get rid of this title as soon as possible to avoid making a fool of myself."

"No wonder you're hiding. With that kind of guts, you can't survive in the world..."

"Hehe...hehehehe..."

The purple-haired youth smiled provocatively, when suddenly he felt an immense force, a powerful force as vast as a mountain, pressing down on him from above.

"Bang!"

Stone chips flew everywhere as the purple-haired youth knelt heavily on the ground, shattering the stone slab beneath his feet.

He originally wanted to use his strength to resist, but when that enormous force swept through his entire body, he realized that it was a force that he simply could not resist!

"Ahhh..."

The purple-haired youth let out a low growl, the pressure enveloping his entire body preventing him from getting up; he knelt on the ground, unable to move.

The immense humiliation made him so ashamed and indignant that he almost fainted, but the pressure continued to increase, his joints cracking and popping, his hands scraping the ground until they were bloody and mangled.

"If that's all the strength you have, you shouldn't interrupt others."