Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Returning to the Mountain to Recuperate
"Did you hear? The Gray Rat Alchemist was attacked and injured while traveling outside the Marketplace."
"The Gray Rat Alchemist! You mean that Quasi-second-rank Alchemist from the Marketplace!?"
"That’s the one. Besides him, who else in this Lujiao Mountain Marketplace is worthy of the title ’Pill Master’!
I hear the Gray Rat Alchemist has been in the Marketplace for years without ever leaving. The one time he finally goes out, he gets attacked and injured!"
"Who did it!? Isn’t the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace going to do anything about it!?"
"Of course they are. How could they not? The Gray Rat Alchemist is the Marketplace’s living signboard. If he gets hurt, it’s a huge deal.
It’s just that the ones who attacked the Gray Rat Alchemist were a secretive Robbery Cultivation Gang. I heard an Old Demon at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer was even involved."
"The Marketplace investigated, but they didn’t find any clues."
"There’s an Old Demon at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer among the Tribulation Cultivators!? Qi Refining Eighth Layer... with that kind of Cultivation, what couldn’t you do? Why become a Tribulation Cultivator!?"
"Who knows. Maybe there’s a reason for it!"
"I wonder how badly the Gray Rat Alchemist was hurt. If his injuries are serious, the production of High-grade Elixirs in the Marketplace is going to plummet."
"Tell me about it! Argh, those damned Tribulation Cultivators!"
"This whole thing has all the demons on edge. I don’t even dare go out casually anymore."
"..."
Conversations like this could be heard from time to time throughout the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
Whether it was the Gray Rat Alchemist being attacked and injured or the Tribulation Cultivators roaming outside the Marketplace,
to the demons within the Marketplace, these were all major events.
「Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop.」
"Gray Rat, you should return to Langlang Mountain and recuperate properly. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things here at the Elixir Workshop."
Jin Ling’Er looked at Xu Chang’an, who was lying in bed, her face filled with self-reproach.
"If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have..."
At that moment, half of Xu Chang’an’s body was wrapped in bandages, a clear sign that his injuries were not light.
"Elder, please don’t trouble yourself over it. No one could have predicted the matter with the Tribulation Cultivators,"
Xu Chang’an said weakly.
This whole affair was truly a bizarre twist of fate.
He hadn’t left the Marketplace for years, and the one time he did, he just had to run into Tribulation Cultivators.
The reason he had left the Marketplace was none other than Jin Ling’Er’s invitation to go on an outing.
Xu Chang’an had been looking for an opportunity to clear things up with Jin Ling’Er, so he had agreed.
Who could have known that after leaving the Marketplace, before they could even get to the main topic, they would encounter Tribulation Cultivators.
One was at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, and two were at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
A total of three demons, all of them Old Demons in the Late-stage Qi Refining realm.
This encounter was naturally a bitter experience for a small Gray Rat like Xu Chang’an.
If he had encountered this group of Tribulation Cultivators alone, he could have suppressed them all with just a few slaps.
But with Jin Ling’Er present, acting like that wasn’t exactly convenient.
After all, things were different now.
Back when he had suppressed Hei Wu of Black Crow Mountain, Jin Ling’Er had been seriously injured and unconscious on the spot.
Now, facing these Tribulation Cultivators, Jin Ling’Er was fully conscious. He couldn’t very well just knock her out, could he?
Although Jin Ling’Er’s Cultivation was at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, she was naturally no match for these three Old Demons.
Fortunately, as the young miss of Langlang Mountain, she was wealthy and possessed some rather formidable Guarding Methods.
Although Xu Chang’an’s overt Cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, as a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist, he was also wealthy. It wasn’t unreasonable for him to have a few Top-Grade Demon Talismans for protection.
Thanks to Xu Chang’an’s slightly-above-spec performance, the two of them managed to hold their own against the three attackers.
Luckily, they weren’t far from the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
The commotion from their Magical Combat also attracted the attention of the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
After a difficult struggle, reinforcements from the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace arrived, successfully forcing the group of Tribulation Cultivators to retreat.
However, our Qi Refining Fifth Layer Gray Rat Alchemist was also "honorably" wounded in the process.
Since the incident happened because Jin Ling’Er had invited Xu Chang’an on an outing, she naturally felt very guilty about it.
Although Xu Chang’an wanted to comfort her, he felt it wasn’t his place to say too much.
As it happened, his own plans were becoming clearer in his mind, so he used this opportunity to express his desire to return to Langlang Mountain to recuperate.
Xu Chang’an had been overseeing the Elixir Workshop for several years and had not yet returned to Langlang Mountain, so such a request was perfectly normal.
He was usually busy with Alchemy, so returning to Langlang Mountain now, while recovering from his injuries, was perfect timing.
The Golden Yuan Cave and Elder Peak of Langlang Mountain naturally agreed, approving Xu Chang’an’s return to the mountain to recuperate.
All matters concerning the Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop would be temporarily decided by Jin Ling’Er.
Ten days later, Langlang Mountain dispatched several Sequence Elders to escort Xu Chang’an back to the mountain.
As a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist, Xu Chang’an’s status was exceptional, and no harm could be allowed to befall him.
...
"The Great Kings have asked about it several times already! Is there still no trace of that gang of Tribulation Cultivators!?"
The Plum Deer Demon slammed his hand on the table in anger, looking at the few demons below him.
"Ninth Elder, that gang of Tribulation Cultivators is being too careful. They haven’t made a move since the incident with the Gray Rat Alchemist!"
a demon explained in a low voice.
"Regardless of whether it involves the Gray Rat Alchemist, this trend of Tribulation Cultivators cannot be allowed to grow. If Tribulation Cultivators become rampant around the Marketplace, how can the Marketplace’s business be guaranteed!?
Summon the other Elders. We will discuss how to deal with this together!"
"Yes, Ninth Elder."
A demon acknowledged the order and departed.
The Plum Deer Demon’s expression was grave, his thoughts wandering.
He still remembered what the Sixth Great King had said when he was summoned.
"This trend of Tribulation Cultivators absolutely cannot be allowed to grow unchecked. The Lujiao Mountain Marketplace is crucial to the grand development plan of our Lujiao Mountain; it must not be undermined.
Also, we’ve received word from Golden Fur Cave. They say this Tribulation Cultivator incident is likely not so simple."
"Not so simple!? Sixth Great King, then this matter..."
"This matter may be related to Ivory Mountain!"
"Ivory Mountain!"
Lion’s Mane Cave had always valued martial strength and disdained commerce and trade.
But now that they had established the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace in their territory, they had clearly felt the benefits.
The previous auction at the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace had caused quite a stir, making many demons in the surrounding regions aware of its existence.
This had undoubtedly cut into Ivory Mountain’s slice of the pie!
Ivory Mountain also had a marketplace, but in terms of scale, it couldn’t compare to Lujiao Mountain’s.
There had to be a demon pulling the strings behind these Tribulation Cultivators.
According to Lion’s Mane Cave’s speculation, it was highly probable that Ivory Mountain was involved.
The struggle between factions involved many different aspects.
It wasn’t just about overt conflicts, but also the turbulent undercurrents in the shadows.
Lion’s Mane Cave and Ivory Mountain were both first-tier powers in the Red Cloud Mountain Range. The interests intertwined between them were considerable!
A few days later, the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace announced the formation of a guard patrol responsible for patrolling the area around the Marketplace and maintaining order.
At the same time, they would strengthen the Array construction within the Marketplace, fully funding an invitation to a Tier Two Array Master from Peacock Demon City to set up a Tier Two Array for the Marketplace!
...
Xu Chang’an, for his part, paid no mind to what was happening in the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
Under the escort of several Sequence Elders, he had already arrived safely at Langlang Mountain.
He hadn’t seen it in years, but the scenery of Langlang Mountain was unchanged.
Several mountain peaks stood tall, overlapping one another.
Cyan mountains and green waters, lush and verdant, gleamed layer upon layer under the sunlight.
A gentle breeze drifted by, caressing his face.
Xu Chang’an tilted his face to the sky, seemingly filled with emotion.
"Ah, Langlang Mountain!"
Comments