When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

He knows how to hurt people deeply.

Having been tricked by this whole scheme, Ji Cheng'an's face was a sight to behold, he was completely humiliated and probably had never encountered such an embarrassing situation in his life.

Qionglan, who had been watching the spectacle for a long time, clapped her hands and slowly walked out.

"Gentlemen, this is not an auction house. Wanderers believe in honesty and fairness in business. If we arbitrarily raise prices and break the rules, wouldn't things fall apart? We wouldn't be able to do business in the future."

After saying that, she glanced at the dog demon.

"What are you standing there for? Put the abacus away."

His words were tactful, offering the other person a way out while also demonstrating the chivalrous spirit of a wanderer, thus defusing the awkward situation and making anyone who heard them feel at ease.

But Qionglan couldn't let her own merchants be tricked for no reason, so she smiled and pointed to a spot not far away.

"However, since you're both so determined to buy all these medicinal herbs, I have a fair idea," Qionglan said, shaking her index finger with a smile. "Conflicts can be resolved. How about we have a friendly spar tomorrow after the arena is built? The winner can then purchase all the goods at market price. What do you say?"

Chu Xianlan twitched her lips.

Qionglan's mind works very quickly.

That's true, otherwise how could he become the next chieftain of the Wanderer Tribe?

The reason he dared to arbitrarily double his bid was precisely because he was certain that Qionglan, with her shrewdness, would never let the situation truly spiral out of control.

There will be an antidote within three steps.

It can attract crowds to the market, provide a lively arena show, and sell all the spiritual medicines in the dog demon's shop. It's a win-win-win situation, making use of both himself and Ji Cheng'an without any burden.

Chu Xianlan stared blankly at the arena, so close, so beautiful.

It turns out the prize hadn't disappeared; it had simply been transferred to him.

Upon hearing this, Ji Cheng'an's expression softened slightly, and he gave a sarcastic smile, "Fine, I accept. And what about you?"

Chu Xianlan: ...Do I even have a choice?

"What's wrong? We're both at the early stage of Golden Core, are you afraid to accept the challenge?" Seeing his hesitation, Ji Cheng'an raised his chin, increasingly feeling that this was a good idea. "If you're afraid, this prince doesn't mind giving you three moves at the beginning."

Chu Xianlan crossed her arms and pondered for a moment, then glanced at Ji Cheng'an: "Okay. But I have one more condition."

"Speak," came a cold snort from the other end.

Chu Xianlan understood why the Fourth Prince agreed so readily; he was eager to beat him up and had even become more patient.

Unfortunately, I also want to beat you up.

"If I win, Your Highness, please do not come near the Jade Capital Pavilion again."

A strange look flashed across Ji Cheng'an's face, as if he were surprised, or as if some hidden thought of his had been exposed. He then uttered a meaningless question: "What do you mean by that?"

"Literal meaning."

Chu Xianlan has always been decisive and efficient. Since he wants to achieve his goal, it is best to get it done in one go. With so many people watching, they can all be witnesses. As long as Ji Chengan nods, his primary goal will be partially achieved.

But... seeing how impatient the other party was, I couldn't help but wonder: with Ji Cheng'an's arrogant personality and questionable intelligence, could he really be able to make every move as he did in the dream, even making his master fall for his tricks?

Why should I?

Just because he's stupid and rich?

Did this guy suddenly become incredibly intelligent and his IQ skyrocketed, or was he just too good at pretending?

"Alright. To make the bet fair, if you lose, you'll kneel down in front of everyone and apologize to me properly." The strange look on Ji Cheng'an's face quickly turned into a sinister smile. "Just you wait, I definitely won't let you off the hook."

Chu Xianlan said sincerely, "Then I wish you success."

-

After the crowd dispersed, Qionglan nudged Chu Xianlan with her elbow.

"Sigh, what on earth did I do to him?"

A gentleman does not take what others cherish; anyone with discerning eyes can see that Chu Xianlan is deliberately picking a fight.

There's no treasure to be found in such a small herb shop, so why would two people risk double the amount of spirit stones to rob it?

Chu Xianlan said absentmindedly, "It's just a small conflict."

"Don't give me that. I've known you for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen you target someone like this," Qionglan wasn't so easily fooled. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she slapped Chu Xianlan on the back. "Oh, sister, I get it... Could it be that you stole his sweetheart?! So young and already heartbroken?!"

"Cough cough—!" Chu Xianlan almost tripped and fell.

What is all this nonsense?!

Sadly, while the actual situation is somewhat off, it's not by much.

Judging from the outcome, he did indeed "steal" Ji Cheng'an's sweetheart, but it was not because he was in love. That's ridiculous. He was purely acting out of pure sincerity!

Heaven and earth conscience!

This is completely different from those rebellious disciples who constantly lust after their masters!

Meanwhile, inside the two-story pavilion near Sifangping.

A mountain breeze blew in his face. Yuan Hou stroked his beard, which was fluttering in all directions, and said with relief, "Knowing that the Fourth Prince is cultivating by the side of Immortal Lord Anhe, His Highness the Crown Prince will be much more at ease, and I can leave with peace of mind."

Pei Fang'an listened to the flattery and chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself, "You didn't say that before."

Fortunately, Lord Yuan will be returning to the palace to report in a few days, so a few polite words will suffice. Moreover, Ji Cheng'an has become much more restrained since recovering from his injuries and has behaved quite obediently in front of him.

That's good too; a simple and peaceful life is the true essence of happiness.

Pei Fang'an waved his fan, "Fellow Daoist Hou, you flatter me..."

Lord Yuan smiled and corrected him: "My surname is Yuan."

"Hey, Fellow Daoist Yuan." Pei Fang'an immediately corrected himself, giving him a fake smile as if his slip of the tongue had never happened.

Just as the two were forcing a smile, a dark figure flashed in from outside and instantly landed beside Yuan Hou.

"Wei Yi?" Upon seeing the newcomer, Yuan Hou frowned in displeasure. "What are you doing here? Don't disturb my precious tea time with Immortal Lord Anhe..."

The shadow guard leaned over and said something.

"What!?"

Lord Yuan's expression was quite interesting.

"You're saying that the Fourth Prince got into a fight with Immortal Lord Jixue's disciple, and the two publicly challenged each other to a duel in the arena!?"

Yuan Hou hurriedly tugged at his beard and looked at Pei Fang'an. Pei Fang'an was also surprised and quickly went to find someone to verify the matter.

One pass ten, ten pass a hundred.

Several different versions circulated among the sects.

The rumors, after being passed around and spread far and wide, eventually became fragmented and broken.

"The Fourth Prince previously threatened to seize our master's position, and now he continues to provoke us. Senior Brother Chu has reached his limit and can no longer tolerate it. He should act in his anger to uphold our master's honor!"

"Huh? I heard that the Fourth Prince was harassing the Discipline Elder, and Senior Brother Chu came to the rescue?"

"Well, the two of them have been enemies for a long time anyway! This duel in the arena is a fight to the death! The Fourth Prince said he'll haunt Chu Xianlan even as a ghost!"

"I heard there's also a bet that the loser has to parade through the streets in women's clothing for three days."

"Wrong, wrong! It was clearly the Fourth Prince who tore up the spirit stone bag on the spot, saying he would give Senior Brother Chu three million high-grade spirit stones and have him leave the Taiyi Sect!"

"...Is there still an event? Why don't I get to have such a good opportunity?"

At this moment, inside the Jade Capital Pavilion, a barrier covers the mountainside.

The only sound around the cold pool was the gurgling of flowing water. The water was an extremely deep icy blue, and the water flowed slowly along the surface, carrying a chilling white mist, and then over the blue stones on the shore.

Yi Chen approached the pool and took off his outer robe.

The loose collar slipped down to her waist, revealing the clean lines of her shoulders and neck, while her back, which should have been smooth, was covered with a layer of fine silver scales.

He did not rush into the water, but instead looked down at his reflection in the pool.

Its upper body was no different from usual, but its lower body had a snake tail that meandered out, with silver scales that shone with a warm, jade-like luster, as if they could blend into its long hair.

A moment later, a splash of water rang out, and the pool water instantly enveloped his body. The mist grew thicker and thicker. Yi Chen immersed himself in the water, closed his eyes to rest, his eyebrows and eyes were wet with water vapor, and his snake tail slowly coiled around the edge of the pool twice.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

The silver scales on its back disappeared, and the snake's tail vanished as well.

Just then, a muffled thud was heard—it seemed that something had been bumped outside the barrier.

Wei Jin's voice came through the mist: "...Hey? Why are you setting up a barrier in broad daylight? Never mind, Yi Chen, have you heard?"

"Your apprentice fought and snatched things for you, even getting into a brawl at the market!"