Chapter 136
“Han Shidi, what’s going on with them?” Zhao Jinglan asked, looking confused as she turned to Han Qi and the others.
Han Qi didn’t elaborate much, simply explaining, “I’m currently working in the market, so I’m quite familiar with them.”
Zhao Jinglan nodded, but her gaze toward the three of them subtly shifted.
The Xianmen (immortal sect) was an extremely pragmatic place—familiarity alone wouldn’t earn one respect.
...
The most worthwhile attraction in the Jiushan Sect’s market was undoubtedly the newly built theater.
Or rather, the drama theater.
The Seventh Young Master had mentioned wanting to see a play, and it wasn’t just talk—he had heard of the theater’s reputation while at the Qingmu Sect.
“Sis? Aren’t you going to watch?”
Zhao Jinglan glanced at the ticket prices on the sign nearby, pursed her lips, and shook her head. “I’m not really interested.”
The Seventh Young Master frowned and said, “Sis, I have spirit stones. I’ll treat you to it.”
“How much do you have? I don’t know! Buying gifts for Zheng Fa was one thing, but now you’re throwing money around?” Zhao Jinglan habitually scolded her younger brother. “You’re so extravagant as soon as you step out! Do you think you’re rich?”
The Seventh Young Master bit his lip, silent, looking a bit aggrieved.
But Han Qi waved at the tall, thin figure beside him. “Zheng Shidi has already prepared tickets for you.”
“Prepared in advance?” Zhao Jinglan squinted, finally voicing her suspicion. “Zheng Fa is at Jiushan Sect…”
“…”
The Seventh Young Master opened his mouth, murmuring Han Qi’s words: “You mean Zheng Fa, the only disciple of the Jiushan Sect’s master, who is also favored by Senior Sister Zhang?”
“No, I’m talking about Xin Zhong!” Han Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling that Zhao Gongzi’s understanding was oddly precise.
“He’s at the fifth level of Qi Refinement now?” The Seventh Young Master didn’t care about his words and jumped up. “I’m going to find him!”
“What for?”
“The elixirs! I saved every single one! How can he, being so wealthy, have the nerve to take them?” The Seventh Young Master gritted his teeth.
Zhao Jinglan couldn’t hold back any longer and gave her brother a sharp tap on the head.
“Sis?”
“Mother always says that foolish people have foolish blessings…” Zhao Jinglan sighed. “But your foolishness and blessings are just too much…”
(End of this chapter)
---
Chapter 142: Soaring
Zheng Fa never expected that in the dead of night, Zhao Jinglan would come looking for him.
He was in his quiet room, cultivating.
Then he heard a gentle knock on the door.
He initially thought it was the Seventh Young Master, but when he opened the door, he found Zhao Jinglan standing there. Seeing that he seemed about to speak, she placed a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Zheng Fa glanced at the guest room, realizing she probably had something to discuss that she didn’t want the Seventh Young Master to overhear.
He quietly opened the door wider, inviting Zhao Jinglan inside, and tossed a soundproof talisman at the door before speaking. “Sister Zhao, did you need something?”
Zhao Jinglan turned to check the guest room where the Seventh Young Master was staying. Noticing it was quiet, she let out a sigh of relief.
“When you mentioned Taiyang County yesterday, I saw your expression. You probably know what happened there?”
“I know, the spirit vein has emerged,” Zheng Fa nodded.
Zhao Jinglan gently inclined her head. “Then you also know why I’m going there, right?”
“...To seize the spirit stone mine?”
Zheng Fa’s tone was hesitant, as if he wasn’t very confident in his answer.
Zhao Jinglan pouted. “Am I trying to throw my life away?”
Zheng Fa nodded. Even Senior Sister Zhang, who was comparable to a Yuanying (Nascent Soul) cultivator, was cautious about the spirit stone mine.
Zhao Jinglan was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Only a madman would covet that.
“The emergence of the spirit vein means not only is there a spirit stone mine, but also other spiritual materials.” Seeing that he seemed genuinely unaware, she continued, “Of course, the valuable ones are beyond my reach, but I still have a chance with the less valuable ones.”
“...You didn’t tell the Seventh Young Master this, did you?”
Zheng Fa’s question left Zhao Jinglan momentarily speechless.
Both of them understood the flaw in her reasoning—
Yes, those big shots were after the high-value spiritual materials.
But as the saying goes, since they were already there, why wouldn’t they take the low-value ones if their storage bags could hold them?
Zheng Fa had read an article about billionaires picking up coins they dropped; whether it was true or not, didn’t those big shots want to save?
Moreover, spiritual plants were becoming increasingly rare and had great potential for appreciation.
Who would complain about having too much of that?
“Shidi, I’m not as lucky as you.” After a long pause, Zhao Jinglan finally spoke. “You entered the sect and were favored by Senior Sister Zhang, becoming the master’s disciple right away.”
“I spent ten years just barely establishing my foundation. I don’t have your talent in talismans, and my alchemy skills, which the Qingmu Sect values most, are just average.”
“If I don’t take risks, I might be stuck here for the rest of my life.”
Zheng Fa understood.
Compared to Han Qi, Zhao Jinglan was much luckier—though establishing her foundation was difficult, she had managed to do so.
But the misfortune was that, unlike Han Qi, she could see hope, yet that hope was so faint that sometimes it felt worse than having none at all.
“If Jingfan doesn’t step up, I wouldn’t take the risk…” Zhao Jinglan suddenly mentioned the Seventh Young Master again. “But now that Jingfan has a Golden Core master protecting him, it doesn’t make much difference whether I, a Foundation Establishment sister, am there or not.”
“If the spirit vein hadn’t emerged, I would have waited until Jingfan established his foundation before leaving the sect to seek my own opportunities.” Zhao Jinglan looked up at Zheng Fa. “Zheng Shidi, in this Xuanwei Realm, the only thing I can gamble with is my life.”
Zheng Fa looked at Zhao Jinglan, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Then why did you come, Sister Zhao?”
“Jingfan and you are close friends. I only ask one thing of you…”
“I’ll take care of him…”
“If I really die in Taiyang County, please hold Jingfan back. Don’t let him act impulsively… I see that there aren’t many people in this world who can stop him.” Zhao Jinglan made a request that even Zheng Fa hadn’t anticipated.
“…” Zheng Fa pressed his lips together and asked, “Is Taiyang County really that dangerous?”
“I don’t know, but there are rumors that it seems some members of the Da Zizai Demon Sect have appeared.”
Da Zizai Demon Sect?
Zheng Fa slowly furrowed his brows.
Senior Sister Zhang hadn’t mentioned this to him.
Now he understood why even someone of Senior Sister Zhang’s cultivation seemed a bit troubled—Da Zizai Demon Sect was one of the oldest factions in the demon sect.
How old, you ask?
The legends say that the ancient cultivators who once slaughtered countless lives were their predecessors.
In a sense, the people of the Xuanwei Realm today might be their descendants.
Of course, currently, everyone looked down on each other.
Xuanwei Realm cultivators thought having such ancestors was disgraceful.
Da Zizai Demon Sect believed these weaklings were unworthy of associating with them.
No wonder Senior Sister Zhang had been acting a bit tricky.
“Then, Sister Zhao, you…” Zheng Fa wanted to persuade her further.
“Zheng Shidi, the opportunity presented by the spirit vein is too great…”
Zhao Jinglan’s eyes sparkled, as if flames were igniting within her pupils.
Zheng Fa fell silent. After leaving the Zhao residence, he finally understood this young lady from the Zhao family—after ten years of hardship, she had become a typical cultivator of the Xuanwei Realm:
Desperately pursuing opportunities.
Risking her life to elevate her cultivation.
Every time she obtained resources, she was willing to pay with sweat and even blood.
Seeing that Zheng Fa seemed to understand, Zhao Jinglan smiled gently and repeated, “Zheng Shidi, not everyone is as lucky as you.”
For a moment, the room fell into silence.
Then, there was another gentle knock on the door.
The Seventh Young Master sneaked in, whispering, “Zheng Fa? Zheng Fa?”
“My sister has been insisting I go to bed early today for some reason.”
“I still have so much to tell you; my sister was just being inconvenient earlier!”
He poked his head into the quiet room and saw Zheng Fa and his sister looking at him.
“...Sis?” The Seventh Young Master’s expression suddenly became complicated. “You have something to say to Zheng Fa that you want to keep from me?”
...
After sending the Seventh Young Master and his sister away, Zheng Fa returned to his quiet room.
The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows on his face, deepening the furrow in his brow.
He wasn’t overly concerned about Zhao Jinglan seeking him out.
Though he didn’t like taking risks, everyone had their own aspirations; this was Zhao Jinglan’s choice—he could only do so much, perhaps comfort the Seventh Young Master or use his influence to protect him if something went wrong.
What troubled him was Senior Sister Zhang.
The name of the Da Zizai Demon Sect didn’t rank among the five major sects of the Xuanwei Realm.
Or rather, the demon sect had been stripped of its ranking—after years of peace in the Xuanwei Realm, the living conditions for demon sects had become quite harsh.
But that didn’t mean the Da Zizai Demon Sect wasn’t powerful.
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