Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 183: The Fish Takes the Bait, Waiting for the Rabbit (Long Chapter)

The person Zhou Libai brought back was a true Qi initial stage cultivator named Han Diao, who was a weapon refiner.

After this person arrived, he stayed on the Lingdong Peak for three days and three nights without coming down the mountain. It was only on the fourth day that he came to visit Li An.

He was strong and sturdy, resembling a iron tower. Sitting across from Li An, he calmly said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, I heard from Libai that you seem to have some relationship with her. But from now on, she is my wife. Everything in the past is over. I just hope that from now on, we won't entangle each other. How about it?"

As he spoke, he presented a gift, saying, "A little token of my affection."

Upon hearing this, Li An was immediately stunned.

What did Zhou Libai say exactly?

What does it mean to not entangle each other? When did he ever entangle Zhou Libai?

Suddenly, he understood why Xiang Yuntian wanted to kill Zhou Libai...

"Please rest assured, Brother Han. Between me and Fellow Daoist Zhou, there hasn't been much interaction. From now on, as you said, we will sever all ties!" he firmly replied.

He couldn't ask for more.

Han Diao nodded and left immediately.

...

In the following period of time, Zhou Libai and Han Diao were just like when she was gradually getting close to Baji. It was impossible to tell that she was someone who had recently lost her husband.

Li An paid no attention to this.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

During this time, Li An closely monitored the direction of the Hundred Flowers Valley. Finally, one day, a butterfly flew out and wandered around the edge of the valley.

Li An immediately activated his Beast Control Technique and easily controlled the spiritual butterfly.

Then he brought the butterfly back to the Lingjing Peak and released it slowly on the third day.

It was noon.

On the Lingdong Peak, Han Diao had just walked out of Zhou Libai's cave. Even though he was a tough guy, he couldn't help but feel a slight pain in his kidneys these past few days. He was planning to go down the mountain to buy some nourishing medicine.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to hold on.

He activated the large formation on the Lingdong Peak and just started to leave.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, he noticed a spiritual butterfly flapping its wings with a broken wing, landing on a nearby flower.

As a true Qi cultivator, he immediately sensed the extraordinary nature of this spiritual butterfly.

He reached out and picked up the butterfly, then returned to the cave.

...

In the following days, Li An noticed that Han Diao and Zhou Libai often went out, as if they were searching for something in the surroundings.

It worked!

When that butterfly flew to the Lingdong Peak, they must have sensed something and discovered the extraordinary aura contained within the butterfly.

Zhou Libai was eager to feed the butterfly and would definitely find the source of this butterfly.

This was the first step of his plan.

He estimated that they would need another three to five days to find the rose he left in the Hundred Flowers Valley...

Li An focused his mind and set up the second-grade alchemy furnace and various medicinal materials.

Today, he was finally going to attempt to break through to become a second-grade alchemist!

...

Seven days later.

Zhou Libai and Han Diao acted out of character and didn't go out anymore. Instead, the large formation on the Lingdong Peak remained open, preventing anyone from approaching.

Li An guessed that they should have obtained the rose and were using it to feed the butterfly.

Very good!

On this day, Li An left the Lingjing Peak.

He headed towards Tiansha City.

After arriving in Tiansha City, he didn't rush to participate in the trading fair, but instead waited in ambush.

...

A small-scale trading fair for true Qi cultivators took place more than ten days later.

"I have a furnace of third-grade Qingsha Pill, a total of three pills," Li An spoke up.

He had already refined a furnace of second-grade Qingsha Pill, officially becoming a second-grade alchemist. But it was still far from possible for him to refine third-grade pills.

What he was selling now were the spoils he obtained last time.

The reason for doing this is to cover up, after all, he will have to hand over the second-grade Qingsha Pill to Baishan Zhu in a while in exchange for contributions. If someone investigates and finds out, they might be able to find some clues.

Immediately, the other true pill cultivators were filled with excitement and started asking about the price.

A third-grade Qingsha Pill is quite valuable, with a selling price of around one thousand medium-grade spirit stones.

Li An sold all of them and received over three thousand medium-grade spirit stones. Then, he set his sights on two different types of metal refining materials and bought them all, spending over one thousand seven hundred spirit stones.

"Is this Fellow Daoist an alchemist?" asked the cultivator who sold him the refining materials.

"Yes," Li An did not hide it.

"Fellow Daoist, I will only charge you the price of one set for these two sets of refining materials!" The cultivator was very generous.

Li An remained calm, "Oh? No work, no pay..."

The cultivator smiled, "Of course, I also have a request."

"In the future, if Fellow Daoist has any Qingsha Pills, would you come to our trading event here?" He was interested in Li An's identity as a third-grade alchemist.

It should be noted that Qingsha Pills are essential in the Tianya Mountain Range. Therefore, the major mountain masters have strict control over this resource. Alchemists who can refine them will be recruited by the mountain masters to prevent the pills from flowing out, just like Madam She.

As a result, most cultivators can only risk their lives to explore ruins and obtain contributions, which they can then exchange with the mountain masters.

There are very few Qingsha Pills available on the market.

If they can bring in an alchemist into their circle, that would be great, as they would have a stable supply channel.

After all, who would be willing to take risks when they can buy things with spirit stones? Nobody is foolish.

Li An thought for a moment but still insisted on paying for two sets of materials, saying, "Slow and steady. If I have any third-grade Qingsha Pills in the future, I will prioritize trading here."

He made no guarantees.

The cultivator nodded, understanding that third-grade alchemists have their own rules in this regard. They fear exposing their identity and being punished by the mountain masters.

He immediately said, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we will not leak any information about the trading situation here!"

The other traders also nodded, all hoping to keep Li An.

"By the way, I also want to buy something," Li An continued, "I have a spirit spider, and recently, it is in a critical moment. I urgently need the spiritual blood of the Hehuan Butterfly and the Luoyin Centipede. If any Fellow Daoist can provide them, I can exchange them for Qingsha Pills."

No one answered, but two of the true pill cultivators looked at each other!

- These two true pill cultivators are from Baishan Zhu's subordinates!

Li An had been lurking in Tianya City for more than ten days before encountering these two people and following them into this trading event.

The cultivator who sold the materials to Li An took the opportunity to say, "In that case, after we go down, we will inquire about it. When the next trading event comes, we will give Fellow Daoist a reply, how about that?"

This way, Li An will come again next time, which is beneficial to both parties.

"Alright, thank you all."

...

The trading event dispersed.

Returning to Lingyun Mountain, the closed formation on Lingdong Peak remained closed.

At night, Li An concealed his aura and cautiously sneaked into Baihua Valley once again.

He chose two rose bushes here. These two rose bushes were located in a mountain stream where the evil energy accumulated, making it very dangerous. The roses grew here alone, already carrying a hint of evil energy.

Even if Han Diao and the others came again, they would not be able to find this place.

Li An also buried his life essence in them.

It won't be long before these two highly effective roses take shape!

Then, he set up a large formation around them.

This formation was carefully crafted by Li An and was currently the strongest formation he had!

It had great power, second only to a fourth-grade formation.

After that, Li An quietly retreated and happened to catch a spiritual butterfly in the valley.

...

On the third day, the formation on Lingdong Peak finally opened.

Because two true pill cultivators came to visit - the same ones Li An met at the trading event.

However, the two sides erupted into an argument.

Li An quietly controlled a spiritual butterfly that had partially transformed in Baihua Valley and flew quietly to the foot of Lingdong Peak.

On Lingdong Peak, the two sides ended the argument without any agreement. Zhou Libai didn't even take out the Hehuan Butterfly to show those two true pill cultivators.

The two true pill cultivators left the mountain in frustration.

"Hmm?"

One of the true Dan cultivators, however, had a flicker in his eyes and saw a wounded butterfly at the foot of the mountain. He discreetly and quickly put it away.

The two exchanged a glance and left directly.

Staring at the two cultivators walking away with the butterfly, Li An curiously asked in front of Lingdong Peak, "Fellow Daoist Han, what happened? Why the argument?"

"It's nothing, just a small matter," Han Diao replied indifferently. However, he had heavy eye bags and some dark circles, looking very tired.

On the other hand, Zhou Libai was very direct. She coldly glanced at Li An and abruptly closed the formation of Lingdong Peak.

Li An: "......"

After the formation was closed.

"You said this person was highly regarded by the mountain lord, right? It's better not to tear our faces apart..." Han Diao couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"That was in the past," Zhou Libai coldly smiled. "The spirit butterfly has already devoured the entire spirit flower. By then, the spirit butterfly will have a chance to undergo demonic transformation. What does a mere Lin An count for?"

More importantly, Lin An's rejection and humiliation... it left a deep impression on her!

Now that she had obtained the treasure and the spirit butterfly had a chance to undergo demonic transformation, she naturally looked down on Li An.

...

On the second day after the two true Dan cultivators left, an unexpected visitor arrived at Lingyun Mountain - Jiang Ribai!

"Mr. Bai specially came to visit Fellow Daoist Zhou-" he stood in front of Lingdong Peak and spoke loudly.

Inside Lingdong Peak.

"Why did he come?" Zhou Libai's brows immediately furrowed with concern.

Jiang Ribai was not an ordinary person. Last time he came, he caused her to lose the blood of the spirit butterfly. What was he here for this time?

She suddenly remembered the two true Dan cultivators from yesterday who wanted to obtain the blood of the spirit butterfly from her... Could it be related to this?

But she couldn't avoid seeing him. As a couple, they had to grit their teeth and open the formation to welcome Jiang Ribai inside.

Jiang Ribai had just arrived and already released his divine sense, sweeping through the cave.

"What do you mean by this, sir?" Han Diao couldn't help but speak up. Jiang Ribai's actions were truly too much.

Zhou Libai's face also turned ugly. The spirit butterfly was in seclusion in the cave, and now... it couldn't be hidden anymore!

Jiang Ribai glanced at Han Diao and suddenly said, "Your name is Han Diao, a third-level alchemist, right?"

"It's me," Han Diao replied.

"According to the records, you should be cultivating at Ziling Peak. Why did you come here?" Jiang Ribai's eyes were cold. "Without the mountain lord's permission, who allowed you to change your cultivation location? Either leave on your own, or should I summon the law enforcement spirit beast to kill you?"

He had already taken out a jade token, which was the token given by the mountain lord to his subordinates, allowing them to mobilize spirit beasts.

Because of his previous responsibility for the demonic transformation of the Tai Lizard, he had also received this honor.

Han Diao was speechless and his face turned very ugly. According to the rules, if one wanted to change their cultivation location within the jurisdiction of Mountain Lord Bai, they had to obtain permission.

But if they were a couple and wanted to cultivate together in either party's location, it generally wouldn't be a problem. That was why Han Diao dared to come directly.

Now that Jiang Ribai wanted to investigate and make it public, Han Diao had indeed violated the rules.

"You!" Han Diao stared at Jiang Ribai, his face changing repeatedly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Bai, Libai and I are a couple, is it really necessary?"

When under someone else's roof, one had to bow their head.

"I'll only say it once, either you leave on your own or I'll have the spirit beast come and kill you," Jiang Ribai said coldly.

He had already scanned with his divine sense and understood that what the two true Dan cultivators said was indeed true. There was indeed a great opportunity hidden here, and it might even allow the young master Tai Lizard he was nurturing to quickly recover in a short period of time.

With that, he could continue planning for the demonic transformation.

Therefore, he was determined to obtain the opportunity here.

Zhou Libai had made up her mind.

As for Han Diao, it would be best if he left far away.

Zhou Libai tightly bit her lip. She also understood that Jiang Ribai was probably interested in her butterfly...

"Han Diao, you should leave first-" she spoke, otherwise, based on her understanding of Bai Jiang, this person would truly resort to ruthless methods against Han Diao.

Han Diao's face turned pale and white repeatedly. This kind of humiliation and disgrace, he could only swallow his anger and leave with a wave of his sleeve.

After he left.

"White Fellow Daoist... what exactly do you want to do?" Zhou Libai asked cautiously.

Jiang Ribai put away the jade talisman, a hint of a smirk appeared on his aged face, "Of course, I want to become your husband."

Zhou Libai took two steps back, gritting her teeth, "White Fellow Daoist... please restrain yourself!"

Sacrificing herself didn't matter, her chastity didn't matter, but now it was clear that Jiang Ribai wasn't just after her, but after her butterfly as well!

Jiang Ribai, however, continued to press on, sneering, "Putting on an act? Heh, back then, you brought your husband Baji Jian to see me. Your husband was waiting in the living room, and you and I were not in this state in the study... Why? Don't you want to change your spiritual vein? Don't you want to enter the demon clan?"

"The opportunity of this Butterfly Tree, you alone can't grasp it!"

"Either, come with me, and after I successfully cultivate the Tai Lizard Demon, you will share in the glory and wealth, or I will kill you and still get your butterfly, and you, will get nothing!"

"You can choose one."

Jiang Ribai's words were naked!

Zhou Libai gritted her teeth, truly hating him to the extreme.

She couldn't understand why everything was going so smoothly, why did two people suddenly come to her door yesterday, demanding the blood of the Butterfly Tree...

If it weren't for those two people, how could Jiang Ribai have been summoned?

Now facing Jiang Ribai... she really had no power to choose.

Resist?

Jiang Ribai was nurturing the Tai Lizard Demon, a spiritual beast highly valued by the White Mountain Lord.

She had nowhere to reason with him.

If there was enough time for the Butterfly Tree to assimilate and absorb, to undergo transformation, then everything would be safe. She could take the Butterfly Tree to the White Mountain Lord to claim credit, and the Butterfly Tree would also have hope of becoming a demon.

But now, nothing had been achieved yet. The White Mountain Lord would not allow such a precious material to be absorbed by the Butterfly Tree...

"Have you figured it out?"

Jiang Ribai sneered leisurely, sitting down casually, "If you've figured it out, come over and kneel."

...

Lingjing Peak.

"He's finally here."

Li An had been closely monitoring the situation on Lingdong Peak.

Jiang Ribai had come, and the plan was halfway complete!

He estimated that in the coming days, Jiang Ribai would gradually force out the aura absorbed by the Butterfly Tree to nourish the Tai Lizard Demon.

But the amount absorbed by the Butterfly Tree was not enough.

He would definitely interrogate Zhou Libai thoroughly, trace the source, and eventually go to the Hundred Flowers Valley...

Now, all he needed to do was wait.

Li An immediately activated the mountain protection formation and hung up a sign, declaring that he was in seclusion and not receiving visitors.

Preparing for what was to come.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed!

On this day, the grand formation on Lingdong Peak finally opened, and Jiang Ribai and Zhou Libai walked out together, heading somewhere unknown.

In the evening, they returned empty-handed.

Late at night.

Li An took out his puppet king, changed its appearance to look exactly like him, and gave the puppet a bit of his own life force. He placed it in the secluded area and let the little red bird perch on the puppet's shoulder.

In this way, others wouldn't be able to detect anything suspicious.

Moreover, the grand formation had been continuously active for two months, and Li An was currently in seclusion, both Jiang Ribai and Zhou Libai were aware of this.

Only then did Li An conceal his aura, secretly sneaking into the Hundred Flowers Valley along an unknown path.

He caught some bees and butterflies, killed them with his death qi, and scattered them randomly. In the end, he left a hidden clue among them - pointing to that mountain stream!

He hid in the mountain stream, hiding in the accumulated death qi and miasma.

In the mountain stream, there were two roses that he had already nurtured, and they had undergone a transformation with the power of the life seed. Li An pulled up one of the roses with its roots and kept it, then covered up the traces of the excavation. As for the other rose that remained in place, he repeatedly injected a toxin into it!

His middle finger gently rubbed against the petals, the poison had already integrated with his life seed aura. Even a true pill cultivator would never be able to detect it...

Everything was ready.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the rabbit to come to the trap.

...

(End of this chapter)