Chapter 59: Greed

Back in the backyard of Hundred Valleys Pavilion, Wang Changsheng, unable to contain his curiosity, asked Wang Mingzhan, "Sixth Uncle, why didn't we bid for a bottle of Purple Jade Spirit Water? It's not like we can't afford five thousand spirit stones."

Wang Mingzhan chuckled softly, shaking his head. He admonished, "Ah, you are still too young! Haven't you noticed that all the grand finale auction items were bought by the VIPs upstairs? The Zhao and Liu families only sent a few Qi Refining cultivators. If they genuinely wanted to bid for Foundation Establishment spiritual items, how could they send Qi Refining cultivators? Mount Azure Lotus isn't far from Sky River City. If they really intended to bid, your Second Uncle would have come himself. As far as I know, cultivation families from several prefectures near Ning Prefecture sent Foundation Establishment cultivators to participate in the bidding. It's completely unsafe to have Qi Refining cultivators escort Foundation Establishment spiritual items. Bidding for such items in front of so many people and then having Qi Refining cultivators escort them? How is that any different from a child carrying gold through a busy market?"

"Are you saying the family doesn't want to bid for the Purple Jade Spirit Water? We have spirit stones, so why can't we bid for it? At most, we could have asked Second Granduncle to make the trip."

Wang Changsheng was greatly puzzled.

"Even if we didn't know it was diluted Purple Jade Spirit Water, the fact that the Lin family put it up for auction means it's definitely not something exceptional. The Lin family isn't so extravagant yet. Furthermore, among spiritual items that aid Foundation Establishment, the Foundation Establishment Pill is still the best. If it were a Foundation Establishment Pill, your Second Uncle might have made a trip. For other items, there's no need to disturb the old man.

Couldn't you see it? The Lin family used Foundation Establishment spiritual items to attract many cultivation families to participate in the Sky River Minor Gathering. It was all to announce that a disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect is marrying Lin Yuxin. If I'm not mistaken, Lin Yuxin's husband must not be an ordinary Purple Cloud Sect disciple. He might even be a disciple or descendant of a Purple Cloud Sect Golden Core cultivator. Otherwise, the Lin family wouldn't announce this matter with such fanfare. Heh heh, from now on, the Lin family's merchant caravans will probably soon be heading to Cloud Prefecture, River Prefecture, and Jade Prefecture. With the support of the Purple Cloud Sect, the Lin family is set to rise."

As he finished speaking, an envious expression appeared on Wang Mingzhan's face.

Wang Changsheng immediately understood. No wonder the Lin family put up Foundation Establishment spiritual items for auction; it was to announce Lin Yuxin's marriage.

It was foreseeable that with the backing of a Purple Cloud Sect Golden Core cultivator, as long as the Lin family managed their affairs properly and advanced steadily, their strength would inevitably increase significantly within a century.

Wang Changsheng couldn't help but think of his own Wang family, which had only one Foundation Establishment cultivator and no Golden Core grandmaster as a backer. They could only rely on the collective efforts of their clansmen.

Wang Mingzhan also felt a surge of emotions. He patted Wang Changsheng's shoulder and encouraged him, "There's no point in being envious. No matter how good the Lin family is, it has nothing to do with us. If we work hard, our family will become as strong as the Lin family in the future. No, it will be even stronger than the Lin family."

"Will that day truly come?"

"With effort, it's possible. Without effort, it's absolutely impossible."

Wang Changsheng nodded, his eyes filled with determination.

***

In a certain secret room, Chen Hu was discussing something with Lu Erniang and a few others.

Lu Erniang hesitated for a moment and said, "Husband, do we really have to do this? Those cultivation families aren't so easy to deal with. I think we should just forget about it! Don't throw your life away."

Chen Hu shook his head and said solemnly, "I'm almost sixty years old. Once I turn sixty, the difficulty of Foundation Establishment will increase. If I don't give it my all now, I won't have another chance. From the day I embarked on the immortal path, I've already put life and death out of my mind. Any of you who are afraid can withdraw; I won't force you. I can guarantee that if I successfully establish my foundation, I will help you all achieve Foundation Establishment."

To live a better life, he had served as a handyman in the Sea Sand Gang for many years. To earn merit, he used his accumulated silver to bribe the sect master's relatives. To secure a powerful backer in the future, he took three arrows for the sect master. To distinguish himself, he always led the charge and was at the forefront in every territorial dispute. To earn cultivation resources, he risked his life hunting demon beasts in the deep mountains, escaping death from their jaws multiple times.

Everything he had today, he had fought for through his own efforts.

Now, for the sake of his future immortal path, he was going to take a gamble. If he succeeded, there might be hope for his immortal journey; if he failed, he would perish.

Hearing this, Lu Erniang and the others hesitated.

As their leader, Chen Hu commanded high prestige among them. However, asking them to rob cultivation families was something they didn't yet have the guts for. Success would be fine, but failure would mean losing their lives.

They hadn't cultivated to the ninth level of Qi Refining yet, so they currently had no use for Purple Jade Spirit Water.

"I've inquired about the five cultivation families; none of them are from Ning Prefecture. They are from Cloud Prefecture, River Prefecture, and Jade Prefecture. I have a set of array talismans for a second-tier 'Fiery Flame Array,' and combined with the two second-tier 'Hundred Swords Talismans' that Erniang possesses, if we plan properly, our chances of success are not small. Besides the Purple Jade Spirit Water, I want nothing else; everything else will be yours."

"Alright, let's do it."

"Count me in."

Greed moves hearts. Faced with immense potential gain, they lost their integrity.

"There are five cultivation families? Which one should we choose?"

Chen Hu clenched his right fist and slammed it heavily on the table. He declared, "We pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. The Ling family from Jade Prefecture only sent two people, and the Black Wind Mountain Range, at the border of Ning and Jade Prefectures, is quite desolate, making it the best ambush spot. We'll ambush the Ling family right there in the Black Wind Mountain Range."

As he spoke, a chilling glint of murderous intent flashed in the depths of his eyes.

***

After the auction, a large number of cultivators remained in Sky River City, either selling or buying cultivation resources.

Wang Changsheng accompanied his second and seventh sisters, strolling through the market. During their walk, they encountered Lin Yuting, who was accompanying a young female cultivator to purchase spiritual artifacts. The two were very affectionate.

Three days later, the cultivators gradually began to leave Sky River City.

For safety, the Wang, Liu, Zhao, Zhang, and Sun families—five families in total—left Sky River City together.

With five cultivation families and sixty to seventy Qi Refining cultivators moving together, no one dared to cause them trouble.

Upon leaving the market, they summoned their flying spiritual artifacts and soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon shortly thereafter.

***

Deep within the Black Wind Mountain Range, in a certain dense forest.

There were several massive craters on the ground, from which steam emanated. Over a dozen large trees had been cut in half, and several more were engulfed in blazing flames.

Several broken weapons lay scattered on the ground, alongside a few corpses. Chen Hu and Lu Erniang were each covered by a dim yellow light barrier. Facing them were two men and one woman: the leader was a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed like a merchant, while the other two were a tall youth in red robes and a young woman in a blue ruqun dress.

The youth's features closely resembled those of the middle-aged man. He held a red feather fan, and each swing sent several fist-sized crimson fireballs flying towards their opponents.

The young woman in the blue dress held a blue jade ruler, from which she unleashed a thick blue light barrier that enveloped the three of them.

Chen Hu controlled two yellow short swords, which were locked in battle with two green short swords.

He was drenched in sweat and filled with regret. He had originally believed that with a set of second-tier array talismans and a few second-tier charms, he could kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, the opponent had deployed a powerful magic artifact, which quickly shattered his array and killed several of his companions.

Chen Hu knew he couldn't escape. In the face of the Foundation Establishment cultivators' formidable strength, his schemes were nothing but a joke.

He glanced at Lu Erniang, a determined look flashing in his eyes. He transmitted a message to her, "Erniang, I'll cover you. Get out of here, quickly!"

A single day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of kindness. Though Lu Erniang had aged and her beauty faded, she had always supported him silently from behind. He could die, but he didn't want his wife, who had shared joys and sorrows with him for years, to die here as well.

Hearing his words, Lu Erniang's eyes reddened. She gritted her teeth and cried out, "No, I won't leave! If we die, we die together!"

"What a devoted pair of lovers risking their lives! Since you wish to die, I'll send you on your way first!"

The middle-aged man said coldly. He summoned a gleaming white short sword and thrust it towards Lu Erniang.

A magic artifact was something Lu Erniang simply could not withstand. As expected, Lu Erniang let out a pained scream, her head severed by the white short sword. Her headless body collapsed to the ground, and blood stained the earth.

"Erniang! I'll fight you all to the death!"

Chen Hu was consumed by grief and despair, his eyes instantly turning red. He was about to desperately charge at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man sneered. With a single hand sign, the white short sword circled, changed direction, and slashed towards Chen Hu.

Just then, a lazy male voice suddenly rang out, "Friend, hold on a moment."

A beam of green light descended from the sky, blocking the white short sword.

The green light was a green sickle, about a foot long. Judging by the powerful spiritual energy fluctuations it emitted, it was clearly a magic artifact, and its quality was even better than that of the white short sword.

An unusual bird cry echoed, and a colossal azure eagle, about ten feet in size, descended from the sky. A scholarly-looking youth in a green Confucian robe stood on its back.