I Can Merge Techniques

"This entire affair has been strange from the very beginning!"

The young alchemist hurriedly replied, "There are very few rumors circulating about this, and the Demon Suppression Bureau is being especially tight-lipped. Most of the other powers still have no idea that Chu Fan killed Mo Daozi..."

"I’ve only heard fragments, but it seems... Chu Fan used some unknown means to team up with Mo Daozi’s junior sister, Mo Yunzi. She apparently ambushed Mo Daozi, wounding him gravely, and Chu Fan just swooped in to take advantage."

"Mo Yunzi? A sneak attack?" Ye Chang’an raised an eyebrow, then slowly nodded as realization dawned on his face.

’So that’s what happened. That makes perfect sense.’

’That Mo Daozi is vicious and cunning. Rumor has it that he escaped multiple times even when a Captain from the Demon Suppression Bureau was hunting him personally.’

’How could a rookie Demon Suppression Guard like Chu Fan possibly kill him in a straight-up fight? He just relied on someone else and got damn lucky, that’s all.’

His opinion of Chu Fan sank even lower. He simply wrote the man off as someone who got lucky by riding on someone else’s coattails, possessing no real ability of his own.

At this thought, he dismissed the threat from Chu Fan entirely and turned to the matter that truly concerned him. "Forget it. A minor character who relies on luck and women isn’t worth our attention. Is there any news from the Zhang Family? Have they found the person who murdered our Young Miss?"

The young alchemist shook his head, his expression troubled. "We’ve made inquiries several times, but the Zhang Family is keeping a tight lid on things. They only say... that Young Miss Zhang Ling’Er is in seclusion to prepare for the ’Profound Origin Secret Realm Tournament’ in three months and is refusing all visitors."

"As for hunting down the killer, they don’t seem... very invested."

BANG!

Ye Chang’an slammed his palm on the table. A corner of the fine agarwood desk instantly fractured with several fine cracks, and wood dust trickled down.

His expression instantly turned thunderous.

Zhang Ling’Er!

She was the one who had personally come to the Medicine King Pavilion, vowing that if the Pavilion suppressed the new Demon Suppression Guard, Chu Fan, and the Seven Stars Gang behind him, the Zhang Family would use all its resources to help the Medicine King Valley find the person who murdered their Young Miss.

At the time, Ye Chang’an had thought it was a risky and unwise move—offending a Demon Suppression Guard with considerable potential over an empty promise.

But finding the killer was a matter of the Medicine King Valley’s honor and avenging their Young Miss’s death, so he had ultimately agreed.

And so, the order was given to blacklist the Seven Stars Gang, forbidding any elixirs or Treasure Plants within Qing Province from reaching them.

Later, his junior sister, Baili Bing, found out and raised hell about it.

And the result?

He had held up his end of the bargain, making an enemy for no reason.

But that Zhang Ling’Er? She turned right around and went into "seclusion," not breathing a word about her promise, as if it had never happened!

"Well, well. So this is the Young Miss of the Zhang Family!"

Ye Chang’an’s chest rose and fell violently, a foul anger churning within him.

’Does she really think I, Ye Chang’an, am some servant she can order around? Does she really think the Medicine King Valley is a vassal of the Zhang Family? How outrageous!’

The anger surged like a tidal wave, but he took several deep breaths and forcefully suppressed it.

The Zhang Family was one of the three great families of Qing Province. Their roots ran deep, their influence vast and intricate. They were not an existence the Medicine King Valley could afford to confront head-on.

For now, he could only swallow his anger.

He waved a hand weakly, his voice tinged with hoarseness. "You may leave."

As if granted amnesty, the young alchemist quickly bowed and retreated, gently closing the door behind him.

Only the sound of Ye Chang’an’s heavy breathing remained in the Quiet Chamber.

A moment later, a flicker of resolve appeared in his eyes. He raised his voice and called, "Someone!"

An old servant, who had been waiting outside for some time, silently pushed the door open and entered, bowing to await his master’s command.

"Prepare the carriage," Ye Chang’an said grimly. "I am returning to the Medicine King Valley to see the Valley Master."

"Yes, sir." The old servant replied respectfully and quietly withdrew to make the arrangements.

...

Ye Chang’an’s carriage had just been prepared but had not yet departed.

A man in plain clothes appeared in the courtyard of Chu Fan’s residence at the Seven Stars Gang headquarters.

He handed a folded slip of paper to Chu Fan, then his figure blurred and he vanished over the courtyard wall like a phantom.

Chu Fan unfolded the slip of paper. There were only a few words written on it...

"Ye Chang’an leaves the city today at dusk."

A faint smile touched Chu Fan’s lips. He squeezed his hand slightly, and the slip of paper crumpled into a ball.

The next moment, he opened his palm. The paper ball had turned into a pile of white powder, finer even than frost, that sifted through his fingers.

He glanced up at the sky. The sun was setting in the west, its afterglow painting half the horizon red.

Chu Fan stood up and began to walk out.

Mo Yunzi, who had been standing guard beside him like a shadow, immediately stepped forward. "My lord, do you need me to accompany you?"

Chu Fan waved a hand. His tone was level, but it carried an undeniable finality. "No need. You stay here."

"I’ll be back soon."

...

On a normal day, Lingyou Valley, just outside Qing Province, was a quiet place with few visitors.

Now, with the setting sun casting blood-red light askew, the valley felt even more desolate and bleak.

RUMBLE RUMBLE—

The sound of wheels grew closer. A carriage, its cabin unadorned but crafted from thousand-year-old ebony and pulled by four Snow Stepping Horses, slowly rolled into the valley.

The driver was a sharp-featured man, his hawk-like gaze sweeping in all directions, refusing to miss the slightest disturbance.

Beside him sat another man cradling a longsword. His aura was heavy and still, like a deep abyss or a towering mountain, his Primordial Qi coiled but unreleased.

The eyes of both men glinted sharply as they remained vigilant of their surroundings.

Suddenly—

A strange gust of wind suddenly kicked up without warning, whipping fine sand from the valley floor and blasting it toward them!

Stranger still, the temperature of the summer evening plummeted. A sinister, bone-chilling aura filled the air, as if they had been instantly plunged from the height of summer into the depths of autumn.

"WHOA—"

The driver’s pupils contracted. He yanked hard on the reins. The four Snow Stepping Horses whinnied uneasily, pawing at the ground as they were forced to an abrupt halt.