Chapter 58: Revisiting the Market District

“True Master, this is the report on the Gu Changfeng case.”

On the peak of Spirit Peak, in front of the wooden hut, Lan Haitian respectfully held the report he had written above his head.

A powerful divine sense emerged from within the wooden hut, instantly scanning through the entire report.

“Only a minor figure was caught?”

“Yes, it seems they were thrown out to test us. We used a Spirit-Scenting Talisman on him, but no useful information was extracted.”

That night, Lan Haitian was guarding Qing Nü on the rooftop. After Chen Mobai left, he was fortunate enough to apprehend someone, but it seemed the mastermind had anticipated he might use Qing Nü as bait, so the person sent was utterly insignificant.

“Then so be it. After all these years, it's normal to have no progress, isn't it?”

Inside the wooden hut, True Master Shiqing's tone was calm. It seemed he had already anticipated Lan Haitian's lack of progress this time.

“May I ask, True Master, how should Gu Changfeng's disciple be handled?”

“Hmm? Do you still need to ask for my instructions on such a matter?”

Hearing True Master Shiqing's slightly displeased tone, Lan Haitian could only give a wry smile as he took out his phone and sent the internal documents of Jumang Daoist Academy, which he had obtained through illicit means, to the True Master inside the wooden hut. “This is Qing Nü's file. Please take a look, True Master.”

“Oh, I didn't expect it to be her,” True Master Shiqing said, his voice filled with surprise after finishing the review. “In that case, it's quite possible Gu Changfeng actually went to Zixiao Palace.”

“If I hadn't received definite information, why would I have come here myself?”

After Lan Haitian finished speaking, a silence fell over the peak of Spirit Peak.

“She's a pre-destined disciple of Jumang Daoist Academy, so it's not appropriate for me to intervene. Shang Qing should know about this. Go discuss it with her.”

“I've already spoken with her, but her attitude is very firm. I'm afraid it will require the True Master to speak with her personally.”

“I understand. Call her up in my name.”

Upon receiving True Master Shiqing's approval, Lan Haitian immediately put his phone on speaker and called the representative from Jumang Daoist Academy who was currently in Danxia City.

A short while later, an ordinary-looking elderly woman, dressed like a village woman, arrived. She first gave Lan Haitian a look of distaste, then respectfully bowed to True Master Shiqing inside the wooden hut.

“Shang Qing greets the True Master.”

“Qing Nü might be connected to Zixiao Palace. Lan Haitian has been tracking this matter for thirty years and wishes to bring her into Kunpeng Daoist Academy for personal oversight. What are your thoughts?”

At Shiqing's level of cultivation and status, there was no need for circumlocution; he went straight to the point.

“After all, it's only a possibility. If there were concrete evidence, I would naturally have no objections.”

Shang Qing did not directly oppose, but rather expressed her refusal tactfully.

“Alright, I understand. Let's leave it at that.”

Shiqing did not press the issue, relying on his status. After all, what Shang Qing said was reasonable; it was merely a possibility.

Lan Haitian could only sigh with regret, lamenting that Gu Changfeng had set up a good situation. Even after his accidental death, he had arranged a safe haven for his disciple in advance.

However, this lead might still be worth pursuing further.

Thinking this to himself, Lan Haitian and Shang Qing both bid farewell and left Spirit Peak.

Water Mansion.

After completing his cultivation for the day, Chen Mobai felt the spiritual energy vortex in his Dantian Qi Sea becoming increasingly round and three-dimensional, and he nodded slightly in satisfaction.

However, when he checked the unsealed tubes of Qi-replenishing spiritual water in his bag, he found only one left, and his face immediately fell.

During this period, thanks to his companionship and comfort, Qing Nü had gradually emerged from the grief of losing her master. Moreover, she had become even more diligent and hardworking than before.

Perhaps due to Lan Haitian's hints, the forensic report issued after the autopsy surprisingly concluded it was not qi deviation, but murder.

This turned it into a major case.

But it also gave Qing Nü tremendous motivation to recover. She proactively offered to help Chen Mobai refine medicine to earn tuition and living expenses.

Her intention was to enter a Grand Daoist Academy, and after achieving success in cultivation, to uncover the truth and personally avenge her master. Chen Mobai naturally encouraged Qing Nü's aspirations, but also tactfully suggested that it wouldn't matter if she couldn't get into one of the Four Grand Daoist Academies, as the Ten Great Academies were also quite good.

Qing Nü merely smiled in response.

Then their conversation returned to the refining of Qi-replenishing spiritual water.

Because Gu Changfeng had revoked Qing Nü's master-disciple status in the Ministry of Education's Inheritance Hall before his death, she couldn't inherit Evergreen Pharmacy's assets. Items like medicine vats were fine and inexpensive, and a small cold extraction machine would suffice for refining first-tier pills, albeit slowly.

However, the medicine pond and alchemy furnace were indispensable and expensive key items.

A medicine pond usually required finding a spiritual spring, then alchemists would spend a long time nourishing it with water-based alchemy methods to gradually improve its grade.

The medicine pond at Evergreen Pharmacy drew its spiritual spring from the Immortal Sect's Water Conservancy Bureau, and the annual cost for the spring alone amounted to tens of thousands of Merit Points.

As for alchemy furnaces, they were even more self-evident. Many alchemists had artifact refiners custom-make them according to their habits.

Qing Nü possessed a mid-tier first-grade alchemy furnace, a gift from Gu Changfeng when she first refined a pill. It was barely sufficient for refining Qi-replenishing spiritual water.

The current problem was finding a medicine pond.

These past few days, after school, Qing Nü had been visiting various pharmacies in Danxia City, checking if any had idle medicine ponds she could rent.

Chen Mobai had grown accustomed to the rapid cultivation efficiency gained from consuming Qi-replenishing spiritual water. If this spiritual medicine were to run out, the drastic drop back to his previous slow pace of refining spiritual energy would be unbearable.

As he got up, preparing to return to the city, Chen Mobai noticed a thick stack of talismans in his bag.

These were the talismans he had prepared to make his fortune in Nanxi Market. Unfortunately, reality was a bit harsh, and he was thin-skinned. After a few days of setting up a stall with no business, he became somewhat disheartened. Coincidentally, with Gu Changfeng's incident and his hands full, he simply stopped going.

“It's been a long time since I went. I'll go browse tomorrow.”

With the idea of broadening his horizons, Chen Mobai once again completed his ancient-style attire the next day, a cloth pouch hanging from his waist, and arrived at Nanxi Market, a place he hadn't visited in nearly half a month.

He didn't see Qi Er at the entrance; perhaps he had business today.

Thinking this, Chen Mobai first strolled around the market, finding nothing had changed, then he walked to his own stall.

Of the three people who usually set up stalls nearby, one was missing. Only a long-bearded youth and a yellow-robed woman remained. The other person had likely earned enough and gone to rent a cave dwelling for cultivation.

Chen Mobai greeted his two stall neighbors, not noticing their strange expressions, and unhurriedly laid out his mat, then skillfully arranged the talismans one by one.

“Fellow Daoist, how much are your Azure Arrow Talismans?” the yellow-robed woman suddenly walked over and asked.