txolops Chapter 24 Li An's Report! Robbery of a Cultivator's Corpse!
Chapter 24 Li An's Report! Robbery of a Cultivator's Corpse!
Chapter 24 Li An's Reward! Stealing a Cultivator's Corpse!
The next morning.
Lin Chuan finished his cultivation and immediately looked at the divination results.
[Today’s hexagram: Zhongji. 】
[The divination reads: You went to visit your fellow disciple Li An and revealed that you were the one who sent the message yesterday. Li An was extremely grateful and gave you five hundred spirit stones.]
"China and Kyrgyzstan... Li An is still alive!"
A smile appeared on Lin Chuan's face, and the last trace of uncertainty in his heart dissipated.
It seems that the Foundation Establishment elder of the Li family arrived at Chaotic Wind Slope in time after receiving the transmission talisman and saved Li An.
In this way, the future Foundation Establishment seeds of the Li family were preserved, and that Foundation Establishment deacon must have breathed a sigh of relief.
By tipping him off, he not only prevented a fellow student from dying tragically, but also inadvertently did a favor for Ang Lee and the Lee family behind him.
Although the gains from this "medium-auspicious" outcome may not seem as direct as the "abundant gains" of the "great auspicious" outcome, it is safe and secure, and brings goodwill and potential positive connections.
"He should know who saved his life."
Without further hesitation, Lin Chuan stood up, straightened his robes, and headed straight for the courtyard where Li An lived.
Ang Lee's courtyard is on the other side of Xuankun Mountain, in a quiet and secluded environment.
Lin Chuan arrived outside the courtyard and triggered the restrictions at the entrance.
A moment later, the barrier opened, revealing Li An's pale and tired face.
He was wearing loose home clothes, his breathing was a little weak, and he was obviously injured, but his eyes were still clear.
"Junior Brother Lin?"
When Li An saw Lin Chuan, he was somewhat surprised: "Please come in quickly."
The two entered the hospital and sat down at the stone table. Li An wanted to make tea, but Lin Chuan waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Senior Brother Li is injured, there's no need to be so polite."
"It's just a minor injury; it'll heal in a few days." Li An smiled, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Junior Brother Lin, is there something you need today?"
Lin Chuan didn't answer directly, but instead asked with concern, "How is Senior Brother Li's injury? Do you need my help to find some healing pills?"
Li An shook his head: "Thank you for your concern, Junior Brother. The elders of the clan have already given me enough pills."
He paused, looked at Lin Chuan, and suddenly a look of doubt appeared in his eyes: "But... how did Junior Brother Lin know about my injury? I didn't mention it to anyone after I returned yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuan's face revealed a complex expression of guilt and lingering fear, and he sighed, saying in a low voice, "To be honest, Senior Brother Li, yesterday... I was actually also near Luanfeng Slope."
"What?" Li An's expression hardened, and he leaned forward slightly.
"Yesterday I originally planned to go to the market, but I changed my mind and practiced a kind of escape technique in the nearby mountains and forests."
Lin Chuan fabricated an excuse, his tone tinged with self-reproach: "Later, I sensed intense fluctuations of spiritual energy and sounds of fighting in the distance, so I quietly crept closer to investigate, and... and I saw you, Senior Brother, being besieged by the raiding cultivators!"
He paused, observing Li An's expression, and continued, "I was extremely anxious at the time and wanted to rush forward to help, but... but my cultivation level is low, and I don't have any powerful offensive or defensive magic weapons. If I rushed forward rashly, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to help and would only be a burden to you, senior brother..."
Lin Chuan's voice grew softer, his head drooped slightly, and his hands clenched tightly, revealing deep regret and shame: "I was filled with fear, knowing I was no match for him. Seeing my senior brother in such a precarious situation, I thought... I thought that if I couldn't defeat him by force, I might be able to outwit him. So I immediately rushed back to the sect, disregarding whether it was presumptuous, and sent a distress signal to your family's elder in the External Affairs Hall... After doing all this, I dared not return to the scene and went straight back to my residence. My heart has been filled with unease, wondering if my senior brother is..."
"I see!"
Upon hearing this, Li An abruptly stood up, his face first showing shock, then transforming into deep gratitude and relief: "So it was you, Junior Brother Lin, who sent that anonymous message yesterday! Junior Brother Lin, please don't blame yourself! You did the right thing, you did the right thing!"
He grabbed Lin Chuan's arm excitedly: "Those three Tribulation Cultivators are all ruthless and vicious, with profound cultivation and perfect teamwork. They are obviously used to this kind of thing! If you had impulsively shown yourself then, not only would you not have been able to save me, but you would probably have gotten yourself killed! Your ability to remain calm in the face of danger and think of returning to the sect to report the news was the wisest and most correct choice!"
Li An's tone was full of sincerity: "If it weren't for your decisive action, Junior Brother, in sending the message in time, allowing my uncle to arrive so quickly, I... would probably be nothing but a skeleton by now! Junior Brother, you saved my life!"
Lin Chuan's "shame" lessened slightly, but he still felt a little uneasy: "I'm glad you don't blame me for being cowardly, Senior Brother. Seeing that you are safe and sound, I can finally put my mind at ease."
"Junior Brother Lin, you're too kind! This is a life-saving grace, one I will never forget!"
As Li An spoke, he turned and strode into the house. A moment later, he took out a bulging bag of spirit stones and stuffed it into Lin Chuan's hand without saying a word: "Junior Brother, please accept these spirit stones! This small gift is far from enough to repay even a fraction of your life-saving grace. It's just what I have on me right now, consider it a token of my appreciation, and I will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"
Lin Chuan quickly refused, "No, you mustn't! Senior Brother Li, it's only right for fellow disciples to help each other. How can I accept your spirit stones!"
"If you refuse to accept me, junior brother, it means you look down on me and still blame me for causing you distress!"
Li An was adamant and insisted on pressing the spirit stone bag into Lin Chuan's hand.
After several more rounds of polite refusals, Lin Chuan, seeing Li An's sincere and resolute attitude, which seemed to imply "I won't let you leave until you accept," finally "couldn't refuse his hospitality" and reluctantly accepted the spirit stone bag, saying solemnly once again, "Then... I'll accept it, junior brother. Senior brother's injuries haven't healed yet, and he still needs to rest well, so I won't bother you any longer."
"Alright, junior brother, take care. I'll invite you to another chat once I've recovered!"
Ang Lee escorted Lin Chuan to the courtyard gate and watched him leave, his eyes filled with gratitude.
Back in his courtyard, Lin Chuan closed the door and weighed the heavy bag of spirit stones in his hand.
A quick scan with his divine sense revealed five hundred low-grade spirit stones neatly arranged inside.
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
Five hundred spirit stones is definitely a considerable fortune for a Qi Refining stage cultivator.
More importantly, he not only gained practical benefits, but also acquired a fellow disciple who is likely to succeed in Foundation Establishment in the future, as well as the goodwill of the cultivation family behind him.
This favor is sometimes more valuable than a precious stone.
From Li An, he learned the aftermath of yesterday's Chaotic Wind Slope incident: there were three cultivators involved in the tribulation, all of whom were indeed at the peak of Qi Refining and exceptionally fierce. When the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Li family arrived, Li An was already in dire straits. The Foundation Establishment cultivators, enraged, unleashed a thunderous attack, instantly killing two of them. The last one, however, was exceptionally slippery, managing to use a precious mid-level talisman, the "Earth Escape Talisman," at the crucial moment. He withstood the attack and escaped with severe injuries, failing to be caught.
"Of the three Qi Refining Perfection Tribulation cultivators, two are dead, and the leader also escaped with serious injuries..." Lin Chuan pondered, "After this battle, this group of Tribulation cultivators has been severely weakened and will definitely not dare to operate near Huangfeng Valley for a while. It should be much safer for me to go to the market tomorrow."
Thinking about this made him feel much more relaxed.
The next morning.
Lin Chuan looked at the newly refreshed divination chart, his eyes widening slightly.
Today's divination result: Very auspicious!
[The divination reads: You went to the market in Huangfeng Valley to purchase supplies. On your return journey, you passed through Liuyun Valley and discovered the corpse of a fallen cultivator, reaping considerable rewards.]
"Another great omen! A fallen cultivator?"
Lin Chuan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought of the leader of the robber cultivators that Li An had mentioned yesterday, who had used an earth-遁符 (earth-遁符, a type of talisman) to severely injure himself and escape.
Liuyun Valley is another slightly off-center path back to Huangfeng Valley. The valley is deep and secluded, shrouded in mist.
"Could it be... that guy, severely injured, fled to Liuyun Valley, and finally couldn't hold on any longer, perishing there?" Lin Chuan's eyes flashed with a look of contemplation and anticipation.
The entire fortune of someone who had reached the peak of Qi Refining and was also a leader of the Tribulation Cultivators...
The phrase "reaped a great harvest" carries considerable weight.
It seems I absolutely must go to this market today.