Starting Cultivation During a Trip

"Zhang Evil died in a very strange manner, leaving no traces at the scene, not even a speck," Lou Hechuan had already been to the scene, but he couldn’t understand it.

"The remnants of the Southern Zhang always have some tricks; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so laborious to eliminate them back then," Yuan Tiandu said gravely.

"Someone from the Northern Zhang is already on the way."

Upon hearing this, Lou Hechuan’s expression changed slightly, and he couldn’t help but ask, "The person coming from the Northern Zhang will be..."

"Naturally, it will be a Celestial Master," Yuan Tiandu said with a serious voice.

A Celestial Master from the Northern Zhang Lineage is certainly a figure standing at the pinnacle of the Daoist Sect.

Such a presence is something even he has to regard with caution.

"Celestial Master..." Lou Hechuan murmured softly.

Though the Northern Zhang Lineage always has experts stationed here, at most they are at the Sect Leader Realm. After all, the position rotates every five years, essentially a tedious task with neither merit nor fault; naturally, a Celestial Master would not handle this assignment.

But this time is different...

The death of Zhang Evil has already made the Northern Zhang sense a scent... the scent of Southern Zhang remnants.

"Old Lou, the people from Northern Zhang are arriving soon, and Chen Dragon is estimated to be arriving as well... The entire defense of Qin Ancient Town will be handed over to you. If the manpower of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance is insufficient, you can transfer personnel from other provinces and cities," Yuan Tiandu said gravely.

"This time, nothing must go wrong; not even a mouse should be allowed to escape."

"Vice Observatory Master, this matter is of great importance; I’m afraid my ability is insufficient..."

Lou Hechuan was about to decline but was interrupted by Yuan Tiandu raising his hand.

"Old Lou, there’s no need to be overly modest. When it comes to Qin Ancient Town, there’s probably no one more familiar than you in the system, after all..."

As he spoke, Yuan Tiandu paused slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on his face.

"At that time, you cultivated here for a period, and Zhang Tian Sheng valued you greatly."

With these words, even Wang Qi beside them couldn’t help but glance at Lou Hechuan, and Xing Ying slightly raised his sunglasses, the unseen eyes seemingly showing surprise at this moment.

"That’s all ancient history now." Lou Hechuan’s aged face remained unruffled, but his voice became low and hoarse.

"Back then, I was just a young and inexperienced newcomer, struggling to make any advancement in cultivation."

"Yes, at that time you were still young, but Zhang Tian Sheng saw your hidden talent, not yet revealed, and thus included you as an outer member of the Coffin Lifting Association," Yuan Tiandu said calmly.

"The Coffin Lifting Association..." Lou Hechuan murmured softly.

This name had not been mentioned by anyone in many years.

During that era, it was a mysterious organization established independently of the Daoist Sect and Wuwei Sect, small in scale, with only nine core members.

These nine were the founding members of the Coffin Lifting Association, and anyone else who joined was only considered an outer member.

Lou Hechuan was one of them.

It was precisely because of this experience, and Zhang Tian Sheng’s support, that Lou Hechuan’s talents gradually surfaced, leading to his meteoric rise.

"Vice Observatory Master, it has already been over forty years; why bring up these ancient matters?" Lou Hechuan shook his head and said, "Is there distrust of my loyalty?"

"Old Lou, you’re joking," Yuan Tiandu gestured with his hand.

"You participated in the elimination of the Southern Zhang back then, as part of the corpse collection team, repaying Zhang Tian Sheng’s kindness..."

"Moreover, the Observatory Master trusts you so much; I naturally have never doubted your loyalty," Yuan Tiandu said calmly.

"I just want to remind you..."

"From the standpoint of the Daoist Alliance, you are the head of Jiangnan Province; from the standpoint of the Coffin Lifting Association..."

"Zhang the Second has been dead for many years, don’t forget...

"Who is the leader of the Coffin Lifting Association."

"Jiang Wansui..."

"Elder Jiang!" Lou Hechuan said gravely.

"Old Lou, you should know what to do." Yuan Tiandu slowly stood up.

"I will give my all!" Lou Hechuan bowed his head and said.

...

Room 2316.

Zhang Fan sat on the sofa, with the Mighty Spirit Demon-Suppressing Gold Seal and a black iron plate on the coffee table before him.

"Your wife went to catch up on sleep; why don’t you go accompany her?"

Ge Shuangxiu lay on the bed, watching Zhang Fan with a smile and said.

"You’re really boring," Zhang Fan glanced at him and said indifferently.

"What do you plan to do next? After last night’s commotion, Nanchang Street is certainly sealed off. It might be even harder for you to get back into your ancestral home," Ge Shuangxiu shifted the topic to the main point.

Zhang Evil is dead; this is no small matter, and Northern Zhang’s experts might already be on their way.

"There’s nothing to do but wait," Zhang Fan said firmly.

"Perhaps the entire Qin Ancient Town is already under the monitoring of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance."

"You mean..." Ge Shuangxiu raised an eyebrow.

"After encountering experts from the Ge Family and Qiu Family yesterday, I knew the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance must have already been setting up here. Killing Zhang Evil last night, given their speed, they must have stationed experts in various key spots by now," Zhang Fan analyzed.

"If Yuan Tiandu from the White Crane Temple comes, Lou Hechuan will likely lead the team personally."

"Now Qin Ancient Town has become an evil land in a cage; we can do nothing and also do nothing, just wait."

At this moment, Zhang Fan seemed to embody Zhao Jie Xuan.

"Wait for what?"

"Chen Dragon," Zhang Fan said firmly.

This is all triggered by Chen Dragon; once she arrives, all conflicts will ignite immediately, and chaos will ensue in Qin Ancient Town. Once it’s chaotic, opportunities arise.

"It’s best if both sides suffer; then amidst the chaos, we can enter the ancestral house. I do want to see what Chen Dragon is looking for on her return."

Zhang Fan was calm and composed; he had enough patience to wait.