Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 68: Unexpected Twists and Turns

That night.

Li An did not wait in the Maple Forest of Nanshan as planned, but instead waited casually outside the Zhao family's gate, watching from a distance.

Until evening, Wang Dazhu's carriage came out again, and Li An immediately followed.

Wang Dazhu still headed towards Mianhong Residence, but he got off the carriage at the entrance of the alley and had the carriage wait there.

He walked inside, slipped out of the alley from an empty spot, and headed towards the Maple Forest of Nanshan.

...

An hour later.

"Ange, is that you?"

With the moon hanging high in the sky, amidst the fiery red maple forest, Wang Dazhu shouted loudly, startling the birds that were roosting for the night.

No response.

Wang Dazhu was puzzled. He walked around searching, but found no trace.

"Could it be that he's not here?"

He decided to sit down and wait for a while.

It wasn't until the moon was about to set that he finally stood up, ready to leave.

"Dazhu,"

Suddenly, Li An emerged from within a maple forest, smiling. "Long time no see."

Wang Dazhu quickly turned around and saw Li An. His eyes instantly lit up with joy, and he hurriedly walked over, saying, "Ange, is it really you?"

"This is great, this is great!"

He was so excited that he hugged Li An tightly. "I've been looking for you for so long, I thought you died in the Qingyang market after that battle. It turns out you're still alive, this is wonderful!"

"Why did you come to find me now, Ange..."

The two of them immediately began talking in the maple forest.

It turned out that when Wang Dazhu received Li An's letter back then, he happened to have a mission to leave the sect. So, after completing the mission, he stayed near the spiritual mine for half a month, collecting washing vein sand for Li An along the way.

It was this half month that allowed him to avoid the disaster that struck Xunyang Sect.

Upon learning that the main sect was in trouble, Wang Dazhu was at a loss and had no choice but to flee. However, he was simple-minded and didn't think of going to the Liuyang River market. Instead, he returned to his hometown and stayed there for half a year.

Later, when he learned that Zhao Xianchuan was still alive and had returned to the family, Wang Dazhu went to seek refuge.

His talent in refining tools was high, so he received a lot of attention from Zhao Xianchuan.

Today, he had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, the same realm as Li An, and could start planning for Foundation Building.

"Ange, thank you so much. If it weren't for you back then, I would have died..."

Wang Dazhu's eyes were filled with gratitude.

"It was just a coincidence."

Li An smiled faintly.

"Ange, you don't have to lie to me. I know it wasn't a coincidence... Later, we had a gathering, and Tan Qingxue was there too. She asked me if you were still alive and told me that you saved me."

"You saved me, and her... She said that I and her are the people closest to you in the sect, and we're both still alive, so you must be fine too!"

Wang Dazhu spoke with great excitement, his eyes even becoming slightly moist. "Ange, all these years, you've been genuinely good to me..."

He was sincere.

"Dazhu, Zhao Xianchuan is also good to you, right? I heard he wants to marry his younger aunt and sister to you," Li An teased.

"He's good to me, but I don't want to marry his younger aunt and sister."

"Ange, I want to leave the Zhao family!"

Wang Dazhu suddenly spoke very directly.

Li An asked, "Why? Did Zhao Xianchuan make you unhappy?"

"No, he has taken care of me these past few years, but I just want to leave." Wang Dazhu clearly had something on his mind, but he didn't say it out loud.

Li An said, "If you want to leave, you need to consider your future path and make a careful decision. Also, before making a decision, you must not reveal this intention."

Wang Dazhu nodded. "By the way, Ange, do you have any important matters to attend to this time you came?"

Li An said, "I want to ask you for a favor."

"An Ge, just say it. As long as I can do it, I will do my best!"

"This thing, should be able to refine a second-tier magical tool, right?" Li An took out the turtle shell of the elemental soul beast and handed it to Wang Dazhu.

Wang Dazhu took it and carefully examined it, somewhat surprised, "Such good material... it should definitely work!"

"Give me seven days!"

He agreed without hesitation!

Li An said, "Okay, but I still have some things to take care of. I have to leave for a while. I will come find you in a month, right here!"

"Dazhu, please don't tell anyone about my presence here... including Xianchuan."

The two parted ways at this location.

Li An did not leave, but silently stayed around the Zhao family, carefully sensing if there were any demonic cultivators appearing.

A month passed without any movement.

The two met again, and Wang Dazhu was already prepared, but Li An asked him to wait for another month.

The third month arrived, and Li An finally let go of his worries and gave the turtle shell and turtle horn to Wang Dazhu.

In fact, Li An had the idea of leaving with Wang Dazhu, which would be the best and safest option.

However, besides his own talent, Wang Dazhu's ability to refine second-tier magical tools also relied on a geothermal fire in the Zhao family!

The geothermal fire could increase the success rate and quality of the refiner's work, which was especially important for Wang Dazhu before reaching the Foundation Building stage.

...

A month passed.

Li An closely monitored the situation around the Zhao family, and even expanded the scope to investigate several nearby towns, ensuring that no demonic cultivators appeared.

On this day, Wang Dazhu's carriage left the Zhao family, but Li An frowned. He noticed that it wasn't just Wang Dazhu who came out this time!

Through the window, he saw another familiar person - Zhao Xianchuan!

Moreover, Wang Dazhu didn't go to Mianhongju first and the carriage went straight out of the city towards Maple Leaf Forest.

He cautiously investigated to ensure that only Zhao Xianchuan and Wang Dazhu were present, without anyone else following.

"An Ge, I'm here, Xianchuan Ge is here too," Wang Dazhu shouted as soon as they entered Maple Leaf Forest.

Zhao Xianchuan also shouted loudly, "Li Xiong, it's been so many years, I've missed you so much. Come out quickly, let's meet!"

After thinking in secret for a long time, Li An finally appeared.

"Zhao Xiong, it's been many years," he smiled faintly.

"Li Xiong, you really made it hard for me to find you!" Zhao Xianchuan walked up and affectionately punched Li An's chest. "You haven't come to see us in so many years!"

"Now that you're here, you only informed Dazhu. Li Xiong, you've let me down!"

"If it weren't for Dazhu's improved mood recently and his repeated inquiries, I wouldn't have known you were here!"

After eight years, Zhao Xianchuan had gained the grace and composure of a person in power. Leading the family for many years had transformed him.

Li An smiled and glanced at Wang Dazhu, but saw a look of guilt and helplessness in his eyes. "An Ge, both items have been successfully refined, but I didn't bring them..."

"Hmm?" Li An looked calmly at Zhao Xianchuan.

"It was my decision not to let Dazhu bring them," Zhao Xianchuan smiled. "Li Xiong, it's been so many years since we've seen each other. You have to come back with me for a while. Don't worry, I've been using the geothermal fire to nurture your two treasures. The quality will only be better when you use them!"

Li An smiled and said, "Okay..."

"Please, Li Xiong!"

Zhao Xianchuan immediately reached out and made a gesture of invitation.

The three of them got on the carriage and headed towards the Zhao family.

...

(End of this chapter)