Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 78: Mutation

"Really? That's great!"

Li An's face also showed excitement and joy.

"Yes, I asked my master three times before he finally agreed..."

"Brother Luo, you've worked hard!"

"Wei, do you have all the materials ready? If so, we can start refining in this period of time."

Luo Yong asked.

Li An hesitated and said, "Well... I might have to ask Master Zhang to wait a bit longer. I think we might still be missing some."

Luo Yong asked, "Everything else can be easily purchased, but what about the Purple Soul Grass and the Fire Spirit Fruit, the two main ingredients? Have you gathered them?"

"I'm not quite sure about that. Brother Luo, you know that I don't have the medicinal materials myself. I'll have to ask my friend. But don't worry, I'll ask right away."

Luo Yong's heart turned cold. This Wei Ming is really cunning, he doesn't reveal anything at all...

"It's alright, Wei. I have some good news to tell you. In half a month, the Treasure Pavilion will hold an auction. If you're missing any medicinal materials, you can buy them then..."

The information he provided was consistent with what Manman had said.

However, he didn't tell Li An that someone was collecting Purple Soul Grass.

After exchanging pleasantries, Luo Yong got up and left.

Li An took out two pieces of parchment paper and handed them over.

Luo Yong still accepted them, but Li An noticed that he didn't seem as excited and expectant as before.

...

After seeing him off, Li An began to ponder.

Luo Yong was acting very unusual today!

In the past, when Luo Yong and Li An communicated, it was mostly about alchemy cultivation, and his desires were almost entirely focused on Li An's second-grade alchemy inheritance.

But today, he asked very little about Li An's second-grade inheritance and instead showed concern about the medicinal materials Li An was preparing.

And when faced with the parchment paper Li An gave him before leaving, he seemed indifferent!

A person who was originally extremely eager for a second-grade pill inheritance suddenly lost interest. What could be the reason?

There are only two possibilities.

One is that he has already obtained it, so he doesn't care anymore.

The other is that he knows Li An can't give him what he wants and has already figured out Li An's bottom line!

After all, although Li An has been teasing him, his second-grade pill inheritance is not complete.

Li An thought that it was unlikely that Luo Yong suddenly obtained a second-grade inheritance.

So it must be the second possibility!

Luo Yong wouldn't have such insight and knowledge. The only possibility is... Luo Yong showed what Li An gave him to Zhang Deyi, so Zhang Deyi noticed something suspicious?

Li An frowned slightly.

He had thought about this before.

But based on Li An's past life experience, unless someone is a third-grade alchemist, it is impossible to see these things from the part of the content he provided...

According to previous information, Zhang Deyi was a disciple of Gu Songxi, so Li An's estimation of him was just a second-grade alchemist!

It seems that this person must have had other encounters.

No wonder Gu Hong and Gu Songxi didn't fare as well as him.

Li An couldn't help but sigh. Man proposes, God disposes. How could he have expected that Zhang Deyi would have insights beyond that of a second-grade alchemist?

However, the problem of being discovered about the second-grade pill inheritance is not the most worrying.

Li An was worried that Luo Yong was concerned about his medicinal materials...

Taking into account Manman's hint...

"Luo Yong and his disciple are unreliable!"

He came to a conclusion directly.

Zhang Deyi seemed to have the insights and level of a third-grade alchemist, based on this alone, Li An couldn't possibly find him again.

"If my speculation is true, then Luo Yong's target should be the Purple Soul Grass in my possession?"

He pondered for a moment and then slipped out under the cover of night.

Making sure no one was following him, he sneaked into a small mountain peak next to his residence.

The forest on this small mountain peak was quite dense, and over the years, Li An had found a safe hiding place here.

He placed a storage bag in a very concealed tree hole.

He left behind a Soul Crystal Core and an extra Thousand Spirit Vine. The Soul Crystal Core could be used as a substitute for the Purple Soul Grass as the main ingredient for Foundation Building Pill, and the Thousand Spirit Vine was an auxiliary ingredient.

Li An had already exposed himself, and Luo Yong would definitely guess that he had medicinal materials for refining the Foundation Building Pill. These two items were deliberately placed in plain sight.

Even if he lost them, it wouldn't affect much.

...

And at this moment.

Inside Luo Yong's residence.

"Damn it, trying to deceive me with an incomplete inheritance..."

Luo Yong threw the sheepskin papers given by Li An onto the desk, his eyes filled with coldness.

A few days ago, he finally went to see his master Zhang Deyi, bringing a gift and mentioning the matter of asking Zhang Deyi to refine the Foundation Building Pill.

Zhang Deyi glanced at the gift he brought - a first-grade body-nourishing pill - and directly asked if he had obtained the inheritance of a second-grade pill.

Luo Yong was stunned at the time, not expecting to be seen through directly, so he had no choice but to tell the truth.

However, Zhang Deyi coldly told him that the inheritance of the second-grade pill was not complete at all. The set of second-grade inheritances circulating in the world were all just fragments.

He finally learned the truth.

At that time, he was still somewhat angry, feeling deceived. But Zhang Deyi didn't think that Li An had intentionally deceived him.

Because Li An's level of pill refinement was very poor, it was unlikely that he could recognize whether this set of inheritance was complete or not. It was very likely that he was just pretending to have a rare item to blackmail Luo Yong.

Luo Yong thought for a moment and realized that it made sense. With Li An's talent and knowledge in pill refinement, it would be strange if he could deceive him!

In fact, even if he discovered the problem with the inheritance only after refining the Foundation Building Pill, Luo Yong had no way to deal with it. After all, Li An didn't do it on purpose, at most he could ask Li An for some spirit stones as compensation.

"Hehe, let me work for a few years, it's time for you to contribute to me..."

He narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers, and Wang Yue walked in.

"Prepare the carriage, we're going to the Xu Mansion!"

...

The next morning.

Feeling somewhat relieved after a safe night, Li An left his residence and headed towards Jingyang Street.

After confirming that no one was following him, he found a secluded place to change his appearance, put on different clothes, and transformed into the appearance of a mature young man.

In addition to changing his appearance, he deliberately used some simple disguise techniques, wearing a human skin mask, shoe inserts to increase his height, and shoulder pads to widen his shoulders.

Before long, he entered a pill shop called Songxi Lingdan Store.

This shop was jointly opened by Gu Hong and her master Gu Songxi.

In the past four years, Li An had come here many times unintentionally and had contact with Gu Hong, but he had never revealed his true identity.

After the lesson from last time, he was very patient and observed and judged from various angles.

First, the demonic sect did not know about his relationship with Gu Hong, so it was unlikely that they would come looking for him through her.

Second, although Gu Hong and her master were both second-grade alchemists, her own pill refinement quality was not high, and Gu Songxi no longer took action. Moreover, she had conflicts with Zhang Deyi and was targeted by him, so she didn't live well in the city and didn't seem to have any secret help from the demonic sect.

Third, Gu Hong herself had been imprisoned by the demonic sect and had a deep hatred for them. She would not collude with the demonic sect.

So a year or two ago, Li An confirmed that it was safe on her side and that there should be no connection with the demonic sect.

The only concern was that seeking help from them would offend Zhang Deyi and bring trouble to himself.

But now it was impossible to ask Zhang Deyi for help again. As for other alchemists, they were definitely collecting soul-nourishing materials for the White Tiger Mountain, just like Luo Yong. If Li An sought help from others, he would be walking into a trap. The Purple Soul Grass that he had barely managed to keep might even be snatched away.

Gu Hong and her master were the only choice.

Originally, he planned to give the Soul Crystal Core to Gu Hong after reaching the Foundation Building stage, but now he had no choice but to do it in advance.

Entering the Lingdan Store, he casually looked around in the hall and said to a young woman in charge of basic business in the hall, "Excuse me, please ask Master Gu to come out. I have something important to discuss with her."

The young woman glanced at Li An with some doubt but still went into the inner hall.

Not long after, a beautiful woman walked out, and it was Gu Hong.

Thanks to her cultivation at the Foundation Building stage and the beauty pill, she hadn't aged a bit in more than ten years and still looked stunning.

"What can I do for you, esteemed guest?" Gu Hong asked with confusion.

Li An said, "I want a Youth-Retaining Pill. Can Master Gu refine it for me?"

The Youth-Retaining Pill was a second-grade pill that could keep the appearance of low-level cultivators from aging.

Gu Hong was surprised and said, "Of course."

"But, esteemed guest, you need to pay a deposit of five hundred spirit stones."

Li An nodded and handed her a storage bag, saying, "Please take a look."

Gu Hong took the storage bag and glanced at it. A hint of surprise flashed through her beautiful eyes. She was about to say something, but Li An interrupted, "Come back in half a month to pick up the Youth-Retaining Pill. Can it be done?"

Gu Hong instantly regained her composure and said, "Yes."

Li An turned and left.

Gu Hong also turned and went back to the inner hall.

Entering her own room and closing the door, Gu Hong's face was instantly filled with excitement!

She took out a piece of Soul Crystal Core from the storage bag... and a letter!

...

(End of this chapter)