Chapter 176 - 172: Reinforcements Arrive
「Three days later.」
The Wang family’s reinforcements arrived.
Li Yuan was drawing Talismans in the shop when he heard a commotion outside.
Several auras rapidly approached from the south. They were fast, with Cultivation levels ranging from the Qi Refining Fifth Level to the Qi Refining Eighth Level. The leading aura was deep and steady, its oppressive presence palpable.
’Qi Refining Ninth Level.’
Li Yuan put down his Talisman brush, walked to the doorway, and glanced outside.
Six people were walking along the dirt road, all dressed in uniform gray-white fitted garments. Their steps were perfectly synchronized.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, tall with broad shoulders and a square, honest face.
A long saber hung at his waist, its sheath engraved with the Wang family’s crest.
The captain of the Clear River Market guard.
Wang Lu followed behind the group, some of the exhaustion finally fading from his face.
After entering the settlement, Captain Wang led his men directly to Wang’s Shop without causing a stir.
Wang Lu entered first and waved to Li Yuan. "The Captain wants to see you and Old Sun."
Old Sun came out of the back room, not even having had time to wipe the medicinal powder from his hands.
Captain Wang stepped into the shop, his gaze sweeping across the room before landing on Li Yuan and Old Sun.
"Close the door."
Wang Lu closed the shop’s door panels, blocking the view from outside. The guards Captain Wang had brought with him spread out around the shop’s perimeter, standing at a distance. They looked as if they were both standing guard and just loitering.
Only four people remained in the room: Captain Wang, Wang Lu, Li Yuan, and Old Sun.
Captain Wang pulled over a stool and sat down, resting his hands on his knees. He got straight to the point. "You both know what happened to Uncle Qu. I’m going to run through the situation first. If you have anything to add, speak up at any time."
He looked at Wang Lu, who nodded.
"Before his accident, Uncle Qu was carrying a Spirit Essence Fruit."
Old Sun frowned slightly, clearly hearing about the Spirit Essence Fruit for the first time.
Li Yuan’s expression remained calm. He said nothing.
"Uncle Qu used the Spirit Essence Fruit as bait to lure out the leader of the marauding Cultivators. But he fell for a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain. He gave chase and never came back."
Captain Wang’s tone was flat, as if he were reciting a verified report.
"His Soul Token is broken, so he’s definitely gone. The Spirit Essence Fruit has most likely fallen into the enemy’s hands as well."
He paused for a moment.
"The leader of the marauders is at the Qi Refining Ninth Level and has been active around the outskirts of the Secret Realm. It’s highly likely this person is backed by the Li family, or is simply one of their own. On the day of Uncle Qu’s incident, Cultivators from the Li family appeared on the hillside. The timing is too coincidental."
Captain Wang’s gaze swept over to Li Yuan.
Li Yuan knew the captain was waiting for him to add something.
"After Uncle Qu gave chase, I waited on the hillside for a while. Then four people from the Li family came from the northeast, so I retreated," Li Yuan said, repeating the same story he had told Wang Lu.
Captain Wang grunted in acknowledgment and didn’t press for more details.
"The Spirit Essence Fruit is in the hands of the marauders. If they want to use it, they’ll have to find someone for Alchemy."
Captain Wang steered the conversation to the main point. "The Spirit Essence Fruit is the core ingredient for the Breaking Element Pill. That marauder leader has already gathered all the materials."
"To refine a Breaking Element Pill, you need a Pill Refiner at the Foundation Establishment Stage or higher. Within a few hundred li of the Secret Realm’s outskirts, there’s only one person capable of refining such a pill."
"Pill Refiner He," Wang Lu added.
Captain Wang nodded. "So from now on, keep an eye on Pill Refiner He’s movements. Who goes in and out, what they’re carrying, how long they stay—take note of everything."
Li Yuan thought for a moment before asking, "Didn’t the Wang family also plan to ask Pill Refiner He for Alchemy?"
Captain Wang glanced at him.
"The Wang family wants to refine the Gathering Essence Pill, which is different from the Breaking Element Pill. The core ingredient for the Gathering Essence Pill isn’t the Spirit Essence Fruit," Captain Wang said.
"However, Pill Refiner He had some urgent business come up before, so the Alchemy was postponed. Now that he’s here on the outskirts of the Secret Realm, the matter needs to be renegotiated."
"Wang Lu." Captain Wang turned to Wang Lu.
"Go and make contact with Pill Refiner He and finalize the matter of the Gathering Essence Pill. While you’re at it, sound him out and see what orders he’s taken recently. Don’t be too direct. Pill Refiner He is very shrewd; he won’t be happy if you ask too many questions."
Wang Lu nodded in agreement.
Captain Wang turned back to Li Yuan. "Are you still making Divine Talismans for Pill Refiner He?"
"Yes, thirty-five Talismans every ten days. I still have two days’ worth left to make."
"Good. Continue making the Talismans. Don’t stop. You have more opportunities to interact with Pill Refiner He than we do. When you deliver the Talismans and pick up materials, pay attention to what’s going on in his courtyard."
Li Yuan nodded.
After finishing his instructions regarding Pill Refiner He, Captain Wang took a wooden token from his robes and placed it on the table.
"There’s one more thing."
His tone changed, becoming a little more formal than before.
"The Li family has been entering and exiting the Secret Realm frequently of late. Not just one or two people, but in large groups. We need to know what they’re doing in there."
Captain Wang looked at Li Yuan.
"Have you ever been inside the Secret Realm?"
"No."
"The conditions inside the Secret Realm are complex. There are many Demon Beasts, the terrain is varied, and conflicts between Cultivators are common."
"But your Cultivation and abilities are sufficient among Late-stage Qi Refining practitioners. Plus, you have a means of Concealment, which makes you more suitable for this kind of work than others."
Captain Wang pushed the wooden token across the table toward Li Yuan.
"The mission is simple: enter the Secret Realm, find the area where the Li family Cultivators are active, figure out what they’re doing, and bring back intelligence."
"And the reward?" Li Yuan asked.
"If you bring back important intelligence, there are two paths."
Captain Wang held up two fingers. "First, we terminate your contract. The Wang family will release you, and you’ll be a free man. Second, you can formally join the Wang family, no longer an outer member, and directly enter the core ranks with the same treatment as a family disciple."
"I have to choose one?"
"Choose one. For ordinary intelligence, you’ll receive the standard reward of Contribution Points and Spirit Stones."
Li Yuan didn’t answer immediately.
"After the contract is terminated, what happens to my status with the Talisman Hall?"
Captain Wang had clearly anticipated this question and answered swiftly:
"The Talisman Hall is currently recruiting Loose Cultivator Talisman Makers. After leaving the Wang family, you can continue to cooperate with the Talisman Hall."
"But the terms will change. You won’t be able to get advances on Contribution Points or proactively accept missions. You’ll only be able to turn in Talismans for rewards, and the rewards will be lower than what a contracted Talisman Maker gets."
"Simply put, it’s the same work, but for less pay and more freedom," Wang Lu added from the side.
Li Yuan quickly weighed the options in his mind.
’The conditions for a Loose Cultivator Talisman Maker are indeed worse than for a contracted one. The rate of earning Contribution Points would be much slower, and access to certain Talisman-crafting Magic and material channels open only to internal members would be restricted. But the benefit is freedom from the contract’s restrictions. I wouldn’t be dispatched to the front lines, and I could go wherever I want.’
"When does this mission start?" Li Yuan asked.
"No rush. Finish the Talismans for Pill Refiner He first. I’ll make the arrangements for entering the Secret Realm. When the time comes, someone will go in with you." Captain Wang stood up and pushed the stool back to its original spot. "First, think carefully about which path you want to take."
After Captain Wang left, Old Sun had said barely a few words from start to finish.
Li Yuan returned to his room, closed the door, and sat back down at his desk.
Spiritual Power seeped from the brush tip into the Talisman paper, the runes forming one by one under the guidance of the Spiritual Ink. His hands were drawing the Talisman, but his mind was on the matter of the Secret Realm.
’Investigating the Li family’s activities in the Secret Realm would be very risky. Inside the Secret Realm, the Primordial Yang Sect’s rule against fighting doesn’t apply. An encounter with the Li family would mean a real, life-or-death battle.’
’Besides, the Li family has been sending people into the Secret Realm in batches recently. They have many Late-stage Qi Refining experts and a numerical advantage.’
’But the reward is good enough. The option to terminate the contract is exactly what I want.’
’And my own strength speaks for itself. With my Aura Concealment and acute senses, my ability to hide in the Secret Realm is far greater than most Cultivators of the same level.’
’If I really run into someone I can’t beat, I have no shortage of ways to escape.’
Li Yuan finished the final stroke of the rune. The Spiritual Power on the Talisman paper converged—a Spirit-Refining Talisman was complete.
He set the Talisman aside to dry and spread out a new sheet of Talisman paper.
’Seven more to go to finish this batch. After that, I’ll deliver them to Pill Refiner He, and then it’s time to prepare to enter the Secret Realm.’