Chapter 231: Chapter 33: Encountering Shopkeeper Tang Again
After Wen Qianqian sold the man a few Talismans, he took his leave.
At the time, Wen Qianqian and the Array Spirit Maiden had agreed to first observe him for a while before revealing their connection and discussing the grand plan to revive the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect.
So, Wen Qianqian quietly left Xuanzhen Studio and followed the man for some distance.
Later, the man left the marketplace and headed for a Demon Beast Wilderness Island.
Confident in the Array Spirit Maiden’s support, Wen Qianqian secretly followed him out of the city. She then revealed herself and questioned him about the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect.
The man openly admitted his identity and, in turn, tried to take Wen Qianqian as his disciple, demanding she hand over the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect’s legacy.
Wen Qianqian, of course, refused.
The man attacked without hesitation. The Array Spirit Maiden controlled the Golden Armor Divine Statue to fight back, but he unexpectedly used a Secret Technique from another branch of the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect to break her Divine Techniques, shatter the Divine Statue, and capture Wen Qianqian.
After sealing Wen Qianqian with a Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman, he went to stay with the Wang Family, planning to find a safe and quiet place to force the legacy of the Ten Thousand Immortals Immortal Sect out of her.
Fortunately, Fang Cheng arrived in time...
After this ordeal, Wen Qianqian’s heart, which had become somewhat restless and arrogant from obtaining the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect’s fortuitous opportunity, finally calmed down.
Fang Cheng admonished her, "The Array Spirit is extraordinary, but her disposition is untested by the world. How could you be blindly arrogant along with her? You must be much more careful in the future."
Wen Qianqian nodded earnestly, then said with some self-reproach, "How will we handle the aftermath with Ten Thousand Treasures Studio? I’m the one who implicated you..."
Fang Cheng reassured her, "Don’t worry. I practice the Netherworld Sword Technique, which means I must climb my way up through slaughter. If I encounter an enemy I can’t defeat, I’ll just ask my senior sister or my master to step in."
Wen Qianqian’s delicate brows knitted together, her pretty face filled with worry. "If something happened to you, how could I ever live with peace of mind?"
’I have to find some life-saving or protective measures for Fang Cheng,’ she thought. ’Ideally, third-tier methods that could even handle the Life Soul Realm.’
As the two were sharing a tender moment, they heard someone returning to the courtyard.
It was Wen Qianqian’s senior sister, Ning Suyun.
That day, when she saw that Wen Qianqian had been gone for a long time, she had gone out to look for her alone. It wasn’t until after Fang Cheng rescued Wen Qianqian that she learned of her location through the Unity Pendant and rushed back.
The two sisters naturally had much to talk about. Seeing that their "honored guest," Fang Cheng, wasn’t leaving, Ning Suyun arranged for a banquet to thank him for the rescue.
The three of them had a few drinks in the quiet courtyard, partly as a welcome-back celebration for Wen Qianqian to comfort her after her narrow escape, and partly to thank Fang Cheng.
After a few rounds of drinks, Ning Suyun stood up and said, "I’ll go attend to business in the front shop. I won’t get in the way of you two."
With that, she got up and left.
This left Fang Cheng and Wen Qianqian sitting at the table, smiling at each other. A blush crept onto Wen Qianqian’s fair, pretty face. She looked at Fang Cheng charmingly and said softly, "It’s getting late. Let’s go back and rest."
Fang Cheng nodded. After finishing the fine wine in his cup, he rose and went with her to the West Wing Room to sleep together.
They had known each other for years. While their intimacy held no new tricks, its strength lay in its lingering affection, her shy desire to please, and her every effort to endear herself to him.
He, on the other hand, intended to "punish" her, launching a powerful assault and thrusting with wild abandon. It had a certain charm of its own.
...
Fang Cheng stayed at Xuanzhen Studio for several days.
In the end, he didn’t attend the Yinluo Sect’s grand auction himself. He only sent a message to Shopkeeper Li of Cangshan Pavilion, asking him to keep an eye out for Dao Pattern Spirit Jade and Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads on his behalf.
He, meanwhile, spent his days clinging to Wen Qianqian, contemplating the profound mysteries of the Great Dao together.
As expected, the storage pouch of the man from Ten Thousand Treasures Studio contained a portion of the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect’s legacy.
Fang Cheng wasn’t very interested in the Array Dao or Talismans, so he gave it all to Wen Qianqian.
The storage pouch also contained many other items, like the Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman, other Talismans, Magical Artifacts, and medicinal pills. There were even over 300,000 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones—a massive fortune.
Fang Cheng kept the items useful to him and gave all the useless ones to Cangshan Pavilion to sell through their private channels. He planned to use the Spirit Stones he received to purchase Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads in the future.
「This day.」
Ning Suyun walked into the rear courtyard with some news.
The Sanmei Divine Wind Talismans, Ice Soul Cold Flame Talismans, and Black Tortoise Heaven Stele Talismans that Wen Qianqian had crafted had caused a sensation at the auction, with many Cultivators bidding fiercely for them.
They were ultimately sold at a high price to an Elder from a prominent family in the Divine Pillar Mountain Immortal City.
Through the auction’s organizers, the Elder wanted to contact the creator of these three types of Talismans to establish a long-term cooperative relationship and purchase them in large quantities.
Today, an Outer Elder of the Yinluo Sect had come to visit and ask for Xuanzhen Studio’s opinion.
If Wen Qianqian agreed, the Yinluo Sect would act as a go-between and make the introductions.
Wen Qianqian discussed it with Fang Cheng and ultimately agreed.
Although she possessed the legacy of the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect, she was still just a Loose Cultivator. Her resources couldn’t compare to those of a family Elder or a core figure of a sect.
If she wanted to continue improving in the future, a stable source of Spirit Stones was essential.
Striking a deal for this partnership would be a good thing.
「The next day.」
Accompanied by the Yinluo Sect’s Outer Elder, the customer personally came to visit Wen Qianqian.
It was inappropriate for Fang Cheng to appear on such an occasion, so he stayed in the West Wing Room alone, concealing his aura.
Wen Qianqian, meanwhile, received the guest in the main residence.
Truth is often stranger than fiction. To Fang Cheng’s surprise, the customer was an acquaintance of his.
—Shopkeeper Tang of Qibao Studio!
An Elder of the Divine Pillar Mountain’s Tang Family, Tang Mengru.
Fang Cheng sat alone in the West Wing Room, watching Wen Qianqian and Tang Mengru head to the main house, chatting and laughing cheerfully. He couldn’t help but find it amusing.
’There’s nothing more bizarrely coincidental than this.’
He truly hadn’t expected Tang Mengru to come to the Yinluo Sect Marketplace.
He had even less expected that Tang Mengru would be the one to buy the Talismans Wen Qianqian had crafted at the auction.
’Could this be fate?’
Fang Cheng mused to himself. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to switch back to his Fierce Tiger Taoist persona to rekindle old flames with Shopkeeper Tang and continue their story.
’Since fate has brought us together, I can’t let the beautiful shopkeeper down.’
Wen Qianqian and Shopkeeper Tang chatted for about two hours, and the two women felt as if they should have met much sooner.
In fact, they finished their business discussion quickly. The rest of the time was spent on idle chatter to build their friendship.
Finally, Wen Qianqian saw Shopkeeper Tang and the Outer Elder out of Xuanzhen Studio, then returned to the West Wing Room with a smile to share the good news with Fang Cheng.
After congratulating her, Fang Cheng stayed at Xuanzhen Studio for one more day before leaving.
Although the grand auction was over, the lively and bustling atmosphere it had brought still lingered.
The number of Cultivators in the marketplace showed no signs of decreasing.
After leaving Xuanzhen Studio, Fang Cheng used the Xuanyuan Illusion Body Technique to transform into a burly, imposing middle-aged man.
Dressed in fine robes, he strolled leisurely down the main street of the Yinluo Sect Marketplace, looking about with an air of self-importance.
Before long, he arrived at the Celestial Light Cloud Shadow Tower.
This tower was the most luxurious inn in the marketplace, exclusively catering to distinguished Life Talisman Cultivators.
By "eavesdropping" on Wen Qianqian and Shopkeeper Tang’s conversation, he knew this was where Shopkeeper Tang was staying.
He entered the inn, ordered a table of food and wine, and sat alone by the window, pouring his own drinks. It wasn’t long before a young Maid approached, gave him a curtsy, and asked softly, "Are you, by chance, Senior Fierce Tiger Taoist?"
Fang Cheng turned to glance at the Maid and asked curiously, "I am. How did you recognize me?"
The Maid smiled sweetly and said, "This servant does not recognize you, Senior. My master wishes to invite you for a meeting."
"And your master is?" Fang Cheng asked, feigning ignorance.
The Maid said, "My master is the Chief Shopkeeper of Qibao Studio in the Divine Pillar Mountain Immortal City. Her surname is Tang, and her given name is Mengru."
Fang Cheng made a sound of understanding. "Ah, so it’s Fellow Daoist Tang. Where is she now?"
The Maid said, "Please follow me, Senior."
With that, she led the way.
The two of them, one leading and one following, arrived at a Celestial Guest Room in the Celestial Light Cloud Shadow Tower.
Although it wasn’t as extravagant as the Tianya Sea Pavilion in the Immortal City, it was still remarkably elegant, clean, and quiet, with a faint, pleasant fragrance wafting through the air.
After leading Fang Cheng to the door, the Maid quietly turned and left.
Soon after, the door opened to reveal a tall young woman in a purple dress, exuding an air of gentle, dignified grace.
The young woman looked at Fang Cheng with a mixture of joy and faint resentment. Her beautiful eyes conveyed endless affection, a blend of shyness, happiness, and a hint of playful reproach.
"Fellow Daoist Li, won’t you come in and sit for a while?"
Shopkeeper Tang said, her gaze deep and soulful.
