Chapter 98: Chapter 96 Decision 1
Translator: 549690339
“Crack!”
A fist-sized black ore was easily snapped in half by a large blue-black pincer. The Iron Claw Crab juvenile gestured at Lu Xuan with its pair of scissor-like pincers, its eyes bulging as if filled with disdain.
You ve improved a lot after not practicing for a while!”
Lu Xuan praised while laughing, placing the fine iron ore, which had been split m two, under the pair of pincers of the Iron Claw Crab.
Splitting from two to four, and four to eight, the volume of the ore visibly decreased as the Iron Claw Crab juvenile tirelessly snapped the stretched out ore, showing its tenacity.
With each cracking noise, Lu Xuan’s thoughts wandered off.
This time, being invited to the Secret Land, he experienced the involuntary situation of a Loose Cultivator.
Normally, he cultivated his land peacefully without disputes with anyone, not involving himself in any conflicts of interest. He was just an apparent Spirit Plant Master with decent planting talents.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he even established a certain cooperative relationship with Bai Cao Tang, an alchemist of Foundation Establishment, being affiliated with Bai Cao Tang.
But when the Wang Family Cultivator came to invite him, he was still unable to refuse, even if he didn’t want to go into the Secret Land to help identify Spirit Plants, he had to agree.
The helplessness of a low-level Loose Cultivator was vividly shown.
After this trip, he had the intention to leave Linyang Market.
Bai Cao Tang’s recommendation of him to the Wang Family, regardless of their intentions, obviously brought him trouble, extinguishing the little remaining goodwill between them.
Of course, this didn’t affect his attitude towards Manager He. Over the years, the skinny old man’s care and concern for him were undeniable.
As for the Wang Family, this time two high-grade Qi Cultivators died in the Secret Land. With their subsequent fury, they were sure to come and question him. Even if he had a clear conscience, he could still be implicated.
But the question was where he would go after leaving Linyang Market.
Shift to a new market?
All the world’s a pit, Lu Xuan guessed. Even if he moved to a different market, he wouldn’t be able to escape the constraints imposed on him by others.
Did he plan to live in seclusion in the mountains and cultivate Spirit Plants alone?
It seemed a bit unrealistic. Firstly, cultivating Spirit Plants required pure spiritual energy, preferably from a Spirit Field developed near a Spirit Vein. Also, if he was alone in the wilderness, he might encounter a Demon Envoy or a Demon Beast. Lastly, it would be hard to obtain high-grade spiritual seeds. Given these factors, the best place for him was to join a Sect.
With his current Qi cultivation at the Eighth Layer and his unique and profound skills in cultivating Spiritual Plants, he was qualified to join a Sect. The benefits of joining a Sect were evident. The spiritual energy would be denser and purer, conducive to the growth of Spirit Plants. It would also provide a safe and stable shelter. He might also obtain high-grade spiritual seeds or young Spirit Beasts.
Upon making this decision, the first thought that came to Lu Xuan’s mind was the Sky Sword Sect mentioned by the cold female Cultivator.
With her gifted Azure Cloud Order, his difficulty of joining the Sect would be greatly reduced. Lu Xuan also had a keen interest in the Variant Sword Grass mentioned by the female Cultivator.
“Next, I should prepare for leaving the Market, and resolve the issue with the Wang Family.”
He stood up, shifting his focus to the Iron Claw Crab juvenile at his feet.
At this point, its pair of pincer-like feet were shaky, shaking non-stop in mid-air. However, whenever a small piece of fine ironstone was given to it, it couldn’t resist attempting to forcefully snap it in two.
Lu Xuan tossed it into the Spiritual Spring Pool, collected the fine iron shards, activated the Hidden Fog Maze Array, instructed the Grass Puppet to look after the Spirit Field well, and set off for Bai Cao Tang with the Cloud Leopard.
Inside Bai Cao Tang, the place was filled with a strong scent of herbs. Lu Xuan walked in through the main door and immediately saw a thin old man daydreaming in front of the counter.
He walked up to the old man, waving his hand in front of his eyes.
Manager He came back to his senses and, upon seeing Lu Xuan, his eyes lit up, laughing until his face was filled with wrinkles.
“Kid Lu, you’re finally back!”
“I heard you went to that Secret Land, and I’ve been worried. It’s good that you’re back, good that you’re back.”
The thin old man lightly patted Lu Xuan’s shoulder.
“Thanks for your concern, Old He.”
A warm feeling surged up in Lu Xuan’s heart, he bowed his head in gratitude. Old He glanced around, saw no one paying attention, and said in a low voice to Lu Xuan.
“A Spirit Plant Master who also went into the Secret Land said you guys encountered a Demon Envoy invasion in the Secret Land, what exactly happened?”
“That’s true.”
Lu Xuan nodded gravely.
“We were led by a Wang Family Cultivator at the time, picking and processing Spirit Plants in the Secret Land, when suddenly one day, we noticed that a Spirit Plant Master had inexplicably disappeared.”
“Then, a High-Order Qi Cultivator from the Wang Family found his companion had been invaded and corrupted by the Demon Envoy and they ended up in a deadly fight. We Spirit Plant Masters, with our low Cultivation Levels and not skilled in battle, feared being implicated, so we all fled.”
‘Tm not sure what happened after that, but after I ran out of the Secret Land, I tried to find some cultivators. Luckily, I was taken out of the Secret Land and brought back to the Market.”
Lu Xuan told the truth, just leaving out a few key points.
Discovering the Demon Envoy, reporting to Li Jianfeng, killing the Demon Envoy-invaded Li Jianfeng, escaping the Sneaky Level Evil Invasion, dealing with several scheming Cultivator Squads…
The biggest lie is not ninety percent false, but all true, yet when combined, they form a lie.
He learned from Manager He that besides himself, five or six Spirit Plant Masters have already returned. Among the two remaining in ‘Bai Cao Tang’, only He Ping had not returned.
Lu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. With a few more people back, his words would have a bit more credibility, and the risk of being blamed by the Wang Family would also be split.
He paused, pretending to hesitate, then gritted his teeth and said to the thin old man.
“Manager He, He Ping from the hall might not be able to return. When I was running away, I glanced back and noticed that he was being targeted by the Demon Envoy, there’s a high chance he has met with misfortune.”
“Really? In that case, the Wang Family has a problem explaining this to us.” He Ping has strong ties with the Pill Master in the hall, and his position is anything but ordinary.
There’s another thing I have to be clear about. When we were picking and identifying Spirit Plants, Wang Ruohai, who the Wang Family should have left at the camp, secretly went out to explore the Secret Land, thereby getting infected by the Demon Envoy, causing this disaster.”
“Are you serious?” Manager He asked seriously.
“The other Spirit Plant Masters can testify.”
“In that case, the nature of this matter changes.”
If one was simply invaded and contaminated by a Demon Envoy, it could be said to be an accident, and the Wang Family would also have the right to question the surviving cultivators.
However, because Wang Ruohai did not fulfill his responsibility to safeguard the Spirit Plant Masters but instead neglected his duty, attracting the Demon Envoy and causing disaster, it has nothing to do with Lu Xuan and the others.
On the contrary, the deaths of the Spirit Plant Masters should be blamed on Wang Ruohai of the Wang Family.
The more than ten Spirit Plant Masters who went to the Secret Land were each precious resources of the major forces in the Market. Losing any one of them would cause a significant loss.
Knowing that the result was due to the negligence of Wang Family Cultivator, the other families and forces in the Market would certainly not let the matter’ rest and would definitely seek an explanation.
As both parties vie against each other, they would have no time to bother about a Small Loose Repair like Lu Xuan..