Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 87: Xu Qiuhui's Probe

Listening to Xu Qiuhui's voice outside, Li An knew that he couldn't avoid this side of things.

If he were to avoid it, it would only arouse more suspicion and attention.

He thought for a moment and immediately removed his disguise, reverting back to Wei Ming's appearance.

After all, if he used a new appearance, it would mean that he would have to play a new identity in the future.

And Xu Qiuhui had seen Wei Ming before and had dealt with his new identity. When the "Wei Ming" who was preparing to refine the Foundation Building Pill disappeared and a new Foundation Building cultivator appeared... it would be easy for Xu Qiuhui to notice something.

After all, Xu Qiuhui was not an easy person to deal with!

If she were to guess that he had changed his appearance through the Yin Yang Demon Furnace technique, it would be dangerous.

It would be better to appear directly as Wei Ming.

He pushed open the door and walked out of the secret room, gratefully saying, "Fellow Daoist Gu, thank you for your hard work!"

Gu Hong was guarding outside, which indeed put his mind at ease.

In this life, the only person he could truly trust was Gu Hong.

Even though Tan Qingxue had been close to him and spent many years together, Li An still didn't trust her.

"Congratulations on successfully building the Foundation, Fellow Daoist," Gu Hong said with a smile, her eyes filled with genuine happiness for Li An.

Li An's change in appearance was a bit unexpected to her, but she was clever and didn't say or ask anything.

"Fellow Daoist Gu and Fellow Daoist Gu, the success of Wei Ming's Foundation Building is all thanks to your great contributions. I will never forget this kindness!" Li An added, calmly revealing his identity.

Gu Hong understood that Li An was trying to cover up in front of Xu Qiuhui and nodded, saying, "When Mr. Xu arrives, Wei Fellow Daoist will go and meet him."

...

Shortly after.

Gu Hong opened the door of the Spirit Pill Shop, and Li An calmly walked out, scanning the surroundings and giving a slight bow, saying, "Wei has luckily succeeded in building the Foundation. Thank you all for your concern!"

Others also bowed in return, but Xu Qiuhui was momentarily stunned.

It's actually Wei Ming!?

He succeeded in building the Foundation?

This truly surprised her and... shocked her a bit.

Weren't the two soul crystals of Wei Ming obtained by herself? How did he gather all the medicinal materials for the Foundation Building Pill so quickly?

Or perhaps, he had reservations back then?

Her heart couldn't help but tremble, but she maintained her composure and said, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Wei Ming. Although it's a few years late, you have finally crossed the threshold of Foundation Building. With Fellow Daoist's success, Qiuhui can finally rest assured."

Wei Ming smiled faintly, "Mr. Xu, please come inside for a chat."

Xu Qiuhui nodded.

Entering the inner hall, Gu Hong played the role of the host, serving tea to Li An and Xu Qiuhui.

"When I was outside just now, I was thinking that now that the Foundation Building Pill is available, no matter what, I must purchase one to repay the favor I owe Fellow Daoist Wei Ming from a few years ago. But I didn't expect it to be Fellow Daoist Wei Ming who successfully built the Foundation..." She couldn't help but sigh, "Fellow Daoist Wei, how can I repay the favor from back then now that you have succeeded in building the Foundation?"

She had collected various soul-nourishing items back then and owed a few favors. She had planned to buy the Foundation Building Pill this time to repay them.

However, Wei Ming... didn't hold much weight in her heart, and now she was just saying it.

Li An said, "Mr. Xu, you're being too polite. Back then, you gave me four thousand spirit stones, and it was precisely these spirit stones that allowed my friend to purchase the spiritual medicine in another place, leading to today's success. We don't owe each other anything, and moreover, I have been grateful for your care over these years."

"It is Wei who should thank Mr. Xu," he said.

Hah, buying the Foundation Building Pill to make up for himself?

Li An naturally wouldn't believe such words.

Li An remained calm, while Xu Qiuhui's mood became inexplicably complicated.

If it were someone else's Foundation Building, she could still speak up to buy the Foundation Building Dan in her hands.

But Wei Ming...

She had snatched Wei Ming's Yuan Soul Crystal Core back then, and she already had some grievances with Li An. Now, if she were to ask for his Foundation Building Dan again... it would probably increase Li An's resentment, which would not be appropriate.

After all, Li An is now a cultivator in the Foundation Building stage, no longer a Qi Refining stage lackey who can be easily manipulated.

However, she suddenly thought of something.

"Oh, where is Master Gu Dan?"

Gu Hong said, "My master is refining Foundation Building Dan and is currently resting and cannot see guests. Please forgive him, Miss Xu."

Xu Qiuhui nodded. She knew about the situation with Gu Songxi. He had a short lifespan, and now he had refined a furnace of Foundation Building Dan, which must have consumed a lot of his vitality.

But what puzzled her was...

Why would Gu Songxi help Wei Ming refine the Dan?

In recent years, Gu Songxi and Gu Hong rarely refined second-grade pills. One reason was to avoid causing dissatisfaction from Zhang Deyi's side, and the other was that Gu Songxi had a short lifespan.

Wei Ming actually managed to make Gu Songxi sacrifice his lifespan and incur Zhang Deyi's displeasure to refine the Dan for him?

Moreover, Wei Ming didn't look for anyone else but specifically sought out Gu Hong and his master, indicating that they had already known each other.

In that case, Wei Ming's background couldn't be that of an unknown person...

Some thoughts flashed through her mind...

"Master Gu hasn't made a move for many years, but today's action is extraordinary. Fellow Daoist Wei is fortunate to receive such help from Master Gu."

She didn't reveal anything and just exchanged pleasantries, then said, "Fellow Daoist Wei's successful Foundation Building brings comfort to my heart. Please accept this small gift."

As she spoke, she took out something!

A second-grade brush and forty sheets of second-grade talisman paper!

Li An's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show any expression on his face. Instead, he looked a little puzzled and said, "I am not familiar with the art of talismans..."

Xu Qiuhui didn't see the information she wanted from Li An's face, so she smiled and said, "I know that formations and talismans have similarities. In the future, I believe Fellow Daoist Wei will find this brush useful."

Li An also smiled, "I feel unworthy of such a generous gift, but I am grateful for your kindness, Miss Xu."

"If there is anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Expressing goodwill.

"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Wei reminds me of someone..."

While Xu Qiuhui spoke, her gaze carefully observed Li An, seemingly casual but meticulous. "That person is my junior brother. Back then, he killed the Soul-Seeking Horse in the Qingyang market and received a reward of Foundation Building Dan from the sect..."

Li An looked surprised, "Are you talking about that... that heartless talisman master? I vaguely remember hearing about him a few years ago."

"Yes."

"That junior brother is extremely cautious and careful. Speaking of which, I was able to escape the disaster of Xuanyang Sect thanks to a letter from him..."

After Li An killed the "Soul-Seeking Horse" in the Qingyang market and became the final winner, Xu Qiuhui began to pay more attention to him.

So, after that incident, she kept an eye on him through Tan Qingxue, trying to understand Li An's movements indirectly.

During the Xuanyang catastrophe, Li An had written a letter asking Tan Qingxue to go to the Qingyang market to find second-grade talisman materials for him.

At that time, she secretly followed Tan Qingxue, wanting to investigate Li An.

But unexpectedly, things took a different turn, and she managed to avoid a disaster.

In addition, she later learned that Wang Dazhu, who had a close relationship with Li An, also left with a letter from Li An...

She already had a guess about what had happened.

Now, Wei Ming unexpectedly reminded her of Li An...

Mainly because Li An had his Foundation Building Dan taken away back then, and now Wei Ming had his Yuan Soul Crystal Core snatched away. These two incidents were quite similar.

Moreover, Wei Ming's calm and composed demeanor made her feel even more familiar.

"Just as I owe a debt to Fellow Daoist Wei, I also owe a great favor to that junior brother of mine."

She sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Wei, do you recognize my junior brother? His name is Li An."

...

(End of this chapter)