Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 27: The Most Sincere and Virtuous Person

Li An had anticipated today's outcome.

But he had never gone to find Sun Lin and switch sides. In fact, Li An had other considerations.

Within the sect, there were only two advantages: higher monthly income and easier access to core techniques and legacies, as well as more opportunities for promotion.

But these two advantages were not very attractive to Li An anymore.

He was now proficient in refining second-grade runes and would soon be able to challenge third-grade runes. The income from monthly contributions was no longer as important, as he could live well with the runes he could produce.

However, if he stayed in the sect, he wouldn't dare to show his talent in rune refinement. Even if he refined them, he could only keep them hidden and not sell them.

Going to the market would give him more freedom, with no one paying attention to him.

As for the core techniques and legacies of Xuan Yang Sect, Li An didn't care for most of them. In fact, the cultivation level of Xuan Yang Sect's Sect Master, Xuan Yang Zhenren, was slightly weaker than his previous life.

At the same time, Li An didn't aim for promotion and didn't want to enter the inner sect. Being too close to the Foundation Building experts in the inner sect was not a good thing.

Therefore, going to the market had its advantages, making it easier for him to earn spirit stones.

The only factor he considered was safety.

But in recent years, after the temporary calm in the dispute over the second-grade spirit mine, the overall situation within and outside Xuan Yang Sect was stable, and the safety of the market as one of its important territories could be guaranteed.

So, it wouldn't be bad to go there.

That's why Li An adopted a laissez-faire attitude.

In ten days, he would leave the Rune Hall with Tan Qingxue.

During these few days, he went to meet Wang Dazhu and Zhao Xianchuan, and learned more about Qingyang Market, getting a clear understanding of it.

When they learned that Li An was being marginalized in the Rune Hall, both of them sighed, but they couldn't help him without the Law Manifestation.

...

The day before departure, Li An found time to visit the Spirit Plant Mountain.

Three years had passed, and as he retraced his steps, Li An couldn't help but think of six years ago.

At that time, when he, Wang Zilin, and Zhang Susu were brought to the Spirit Plant Mountain by Fan Jie, their moods were different.

Now, the scenery remained the same, but some people were no longer there.

Entering the Spirit Plant Mountain, many disciples were working in the spirit fields, manipulating clouds and rain. One of them was limping.

Wang Zilin.

"Li An? Why are you here!"

Seeing Li An, Wang Zilin was extremely excited and quickly walked out of the spirit field, with mud on his pants, and stood in front of Li An.

"It's been many years. I came back to see you."

Li An's eyes showed a hint of complexity. Wang Zilin's cultivation level was still at the Qi Refining stage, his face full of vicissitudes, looking like a middle-aged man who had experienced wind and frost.

But in fact, he was only in his twenties, just a few years older than Li An.

Wang Zilin was very excited and chatted with Li An as they walked.

After Li An left, the new steward of the Spirit Plant Mountain didn't make things difficult for Wang Zilin. His monthly contribution was basically enough.

Anyway, there were other new disciples without backgrounds that could be exploited.

Under the pretext of revisiting the old place, Li An and Wang Zilin walked into the old forest and then pretended to relieve themselves, taking out the storage bag he buried in the muddy stream a few years ago.

Fan Jie's storage bag still contained four crystal-clear Fire Spirit Fruits.

Li An put the Fire Spirit Fruits into his own storage bag, easily destroying Fan Jie's storage bag, erasing Fan Jie's last trace in this world.

Back in the woods, Wang Zilin was still waiting for him. The two of them talked about the time they spent guarding the night together and surviving the accidental fall into the pit. Wang Zilin was in a particularly good mood and burst into laughter.

"Li An, I've been taking care of Zhang Susu's grave all these years. Do you want to go and see her?"

But as he spoke, Wang Zilin's eyes inexplicably turned red.

Li An sighed slightly in his heart, shook his head, and said, "No need. I'm going to Qingyang Market. This time, I mainly came to see you."

He took out two flame talismans and handed them to Wang Zilin. "This may be our last farewell in this life. Take care."

And with that, Li An left.

Wang Zilin held the flame talismans in his hand, watching Li An's figure as he left, tears streaming down his face.

...

The day after returning to the Rune Hall, in the evening, Li An was practicing when someone gently knocked on the door.

Li An opened the door and saw a beautiful face. The person in front of him was wearing a light yellow dress, tall and slender. When she saw Li An, she smiled faintly. "Master Li, it's been many years."

Xu Qiuhui!

It was actually her.

With her was Tan Qingxue, who looked desolate, and her mood was still not good.

"Sister Xu, Sister Tan, please come in."

Xu Qiuhui said, "How about meeting at Moon Lake?"

Soon after, the three of them sat down in the pavilion by Moon Lake.

"I received news from the inner sect that half a year ago, Sun Lin contacted the Zhang family and married his sister to them."

Xu Qiuhui got straight to the point. "The Zhang family is the number one cultivation family under Xuan Yang Sect, with many Foundation Building experts. After the marriage, they provided Sun Lin with a lot of support."

"That's why Sun Lin was able to obtain so many contribution points."

Li An and Tan Qingxue both suddenly realized.

"Now that the situation is settled and cannot be changed, you can only go to the market for now. If there is a chance in the future, I will help you return to the sect."

Xu Qiuhui's tone was calm but she made a promise.

She does have the confidence to speak like this. Now, she has already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining and has the potential to reach Foundation Building!

Once she becomes a strong Foundation Building cultivator, she will have a great deal of influence within the sect. At that time, it won't be difficult to find connections within the inner sect.

"I wanted to talk to you today about the situation in the market district."

Her tone was serious: "The competition among the three major sects for the middle-grade spiritual mine has already calmed down. The higher-ups are negotiating. However, the resurgence of the Demon Sect within the Great Li Dynasty has already affected many places."

"A year ago, there was even a demonic cultivator who openly abducted a female cultivator outside the Liuyang River market. That female cultivator was a second-grade alchemist, and the sect attached great importance to this matter. But until now, they haven't caught those demons."

"According to the information I've obtained, these demonic cultivators are from the original Yin Yang Demon Sect... The Yin Yang Demon Sect inherits the Yin Yang Demon Furnace technique and specializes in capturing exceptional cultivators with outstanding spiritual roots for refining in their furnaces."

She paused and stared at Tan Qingxue: "When you go there, the only thing you need to be careful about is this matter. Demonic cultivators are cunning, so consult with Senior Li Fu whenever you encounter any problems, understand?"

Obviously, Xu Qiuhui and Tan Qingxue had a deep emotional connection, otherwise she wouldn't have said so much.

Tan Qingxue felt grateful and couldn't help but feel that the road ahead was bleak, so she could only nod.

"Senior Li Fu, Qingxue is still young and may unintentionally offend you in the Symbol Hall. Please don't take it to heart."

"After you go there, please take care of her."

Saying that, she took out a snow-white symbol pen from her hand and handed it to Li An, saying, "This is a first-grade high-quality symbol pen, a token of Qiuhui's appreciation."

Li An was surprised and hurriedly said, "Such a generous gift, I am unworthy. Please take it back, Senior Xu."

Tan Qingxue beside him was also stunned. Wasn't this symbol pen prepared by Xu Qiuhui for her? Why was it given to Li An?

But Xu Qiuhui smiled and said, "Senior Li Fu, we will have a long-lasting friendship in the future. This is just a small gift, please don't worry about it."

Li An's heart couldn't help but stir at her words.

Xu Qiuhui would definitely become a Foundation Building cultivator in the future. This friendship... he could only accept it.

"Then I will be impolite and accept it. Thank you very much!"

He received the symbol pen with both hands.

"Senior Li Fu should still have things to take care of. Qingxue and I will chat a bit more..."

Li An tactfully bid farewell and left.

After he left...

"Sister, have you gone crazy?"

Tan Qingxue immediately asked, her face filled with confusion.

Li An's aptitude is average, only at the third level of Qi Refining, and he hasn't made any achievements in talismans. Why does Xu Qiuhui value him so much?

Could it be that Xu Qiuhui... also likes Li An?

This thought flashed through her mind, but she immediately denied it. It's impossible!

"Qingxue, when will you grow up?"

Xu Qiuhui couldn't help but sigh, "When he was at Lingzhi Mountain, I gave him a piece of information, which can be considered as half of a life-saving favor."

"The Spirit Beast Mountain Range, he saved you once, repaying my favor. With your attitude towards him, after going to the market, he will definitely distance himself from you and no longer care about your life or death."

"Can this talisman pen make him have a different impression of you, and remember our feelings... I don't know."

Tan Qingxue's mouth widened like an egg, "What? He saved me in the Spirit Beast Mountain Range?"

"Sister, what are you talking about? What does it have to do with him..."

Her eyes seemed as if she had seen a ghost.

Xu Qiuhui said, "Qingxue, you are still too naive."

"Don't you think about why he would fall off the cliff? Why would the Black Needle Giant Ape, which chased after you relentlessly, suddenly turn back..."

Tan Qingxue's eyes were filled with confusion.

Is there a cause-and-effect relationship between these two things?

"I went to the Spirit Beast Mountain Range once and found this on a mountain not far from the Black Needle Giant Ape's habitat."

In her snow-white palm, some bottle fragments appeared.

"This... are these fragments from the Poison Dissolving Pill?!"

Tan Qingxue was shocked.

"Yes, the location where these fragments appeared is different from where you said you threw away the bottle of Poison Dissolving Pill."

Xu Qiuhui didn't continue speaking, but instead said, "The Black Needle Giant Ape's spiritual medicine was not lost, and nothing was missing from Qingyuan and the others' storage bags. This is enough to show that he didn't do this for the sake of robbing treasures. So why did he take such a risk? Don't you understand?"

"He is a person who values relationships."

After listening, Tan Qingxue felt as if she had been struck hard in her heart.

So Li An saved her?

She recalled everything that had happened before, and various emotions surged in her heart: moved, grateful, remorse...

So, Li An had indeed been hiding his abilities.

Enduring neglect and grievances, he never complained, and even after she and Cao Zhirou abandoned him, he still repaid their unkindness with kindness, silently doing such a great thing...

She was still young after all, and she was instantly overwhelmed by the emotions of being moved!

The image of Li An in her heart had completely changed in an instant.

How could there be such a sincere and virtuous person in the world?

At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a hint of envy towards Xu Qiuhui. Li An did so much for her because he liked Xu Qiuhui...

Unfortunately, Li An's aptitude was not good, otherwise, perhaps he could have become a divine couple with Xu Qiuhui?

Xu Qiuhui... is truly fortunate!

...

(End of this chapter)