Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 99: The News of the Gold Core

"Senior Qi An, I'm afraid this doesn't mean much... If it was indeed the work of that treacherous talisman master, he won't easily show himself."

On top of the city wall, another demonic cultivator spoke beside Qi An.

"It's embarrassing, really embarrassing!"

Qi An's fists slammed heavily on the battlements, gritting his teeth.

Twice, he was deceived by that treacherous talisman master...

"Don't be afraid. This time we suffered a big loss, with even the helmsman losing two lives and hundreds of people gone. The sect won't care about your small losses."

"Go see the helmsman first."

...

Shortly after.

Inside a secret hall in Tianyang City.

A middle-aged demonic cultivator sat at the head, and it was none other than "Soul-Taking Horse-Face"!

A group of disciples had arrived.

"We really screwed up this time..."

Soul-Taking Horse-Face cursed, looking worried and dispirited.

"Helmsman, don't worry. I have already counted our losses here. They are minimal, and the gains are great. Just the things we looted from the cultivators who escaped from Baihu City are enough for us to lay low for ten years..."

A demonic cultivator in the late Foundation Building stage stepped forward.

"You know nothing."

Soul-Taking Horse-Face said, "If Old Third had succeeded, it would have been fine. But not only did he fail, he also emptied our treasury. That White-Haired Tigress... we might have to take the lead in dealing with her in the future."

"This kind of she-devil is bold and ruthless, not easy to deal with, not easy at all!"

He shook his head repeatedly, sighing.

Upon hearing this, the group of demonic cultivators were all filled with dread.

Indeed, this time, Baihu Zhenren's plan was not only known for its ruthlessness outside, but even within the demonic sect, everyone was wary of it.

Baihu City was a tough nut to crack!

Not comparable to Xuan Yang Sect.

Soul-Taking Horse-Face raised his eyes and looked down, saying, "Qi An, I heard you wet yourself again?"

Qi An stood up, his face extremely ugly, "Helmsman, I really didn't expect someone to know about our plan in advance and ambush us at the predetermined location..."

Someone else said, "Reporting to the helmsman, this matter is not Qi An's fault. He was already very cautious and even stayed for an extra day before leaving. But he didn't expect that treacherous talisman master to have such patience..."

Qi An said, "Helmsman, rest assured, I will strengthen the investigation and find him..."

"You better forget it!"

Soul-Taking Horse-Face didn't bother to hide his disdain, "That treacherous talisman master is bold and meticulous, a ruthless character. You can't beat him."

"Don't look for him anymore, pretend he doesn't exist."

"This kind of person knows how to be sensible. As long as we don't bother him, he won't dare to interfere with our affairs. At most, he'll follow us and snatch some leftovers. It's not worth our effort."

Qi An felt extremely unwilling in his heart, but could only say, "Yes, I will comply."

"Notify everyone to rest for a while. In a few years, we might have to take action again... Teng Zhuo, you stay."

Soul-Taking Horse-Face waved his hand.

Everyone dispersed immediately.

"Master, is there something you want me to do?"

A Foundation Building demonic cultivator respectfully stepped forward.

Soul-Taking Horse-Face waved his hand, and a jade plate formation instantly appeared, containing a large number of Thunderous Talismans, obviously to prevent anyone from prying.

"From today onwards, you will specifically search for this treacherous talisman master for me."

Soul-Taking Horse-Face said.

Teng Zhuo was slightly surprised. Didn't the master say to pretend he doesn't exist?

"I'll tell you a few pieces of information, and you go find him."

Soul-Taking Horse-Face squinted his eyes, "First, his current cultivation should be at the peak of Qi Refining or the early stage of Foundation Building..."

"Second, he has definitely learned the Yin-Yang Demon Furnace Technique, and there's a high probability that he also knows the Blood-Flesh Furnace Technique!"

"Third, he must have stayed in Baihu City for a period of time, maybe even built a foundation there."

Teng Zhuo was shocked to hear this. How did the master know so much?

"You idiot, don't you think about it? If he could ambush us before we ambushed him, it means he knew about our plan!"

Soul-Taking Horse-Face seemed to see through Teng Zhuo's doubts and cursed, "But only Old Third knows the core plan."

"If he knows Old Third's plan, it means Old Third probably regarded him as a confidant... and even went undercover. But he didn't even know that there was a mole in his own team. Old Third is such a fool!"

Soul-Taking Horse-Face shook his head repeatedly, "From this point alone, we can be sure that he must have stayed in Baihu City for a long time. The other deductions are easy."

Teng Zhuo suddenly realized and said, "Master, what should I do after I find him? Should I kill him?"

"No, inform me."

The horse-faced deity of death had a solemn expression. "You must not tell anyone about this matter. You can only do it quietly on your own, understand?"

"I have to personally kill this little talisman master!"

Teng Zhuo shivered. "Disciple obeys!"

Teng Zhuo left.

The horse-faced deity of death remained seated, lost in thought. Suddenly, he stood up and whispered, "Old San, oh Old San, you useless piece of mud that can't even stick to a wall, it's better if you're dead... I'll find someone else."

...

After passing through the outer city gate, one needed to register their name, origin, and other information, and receive an identity card before being allowed to enter.

"Jiang Yuan, 105 years old, Qi Refining seventh level, talisman master, scattered cultivator of Baihu City..."

After completing the registration, Li An hunched his back and entered the city.

What came into view were bustling and wide streets, densely packed buildings, and a bustling river of people, almost all of whom were cultivators.

The city and its population surpassed Baihu City in every aspect.

Li An casually found an inn to stay in.

He stayed in the inn for three days and carefully inquired about the current situation in Tianyang City.

Tianyang City was the commanding territory of Li Xiaoyuan, the Northern General of the Great Li Dynasty. It covered thousands of miles and had a dense population.

The forces within the city were also complex.

Under the Li Xiaoyuan's Northern General's Mansion, there was the City Lord's Mansion, which had various departments responsible for different affairs within the city. As a result, the order within the city was well-maintained, far surpassing the scattered cultivation area of Baihu City.

There were also many cultivator families, sects, and scattered cultivators within the city.

What pleased Li An the most was that there was a fourth-grade spiritual vein and two third-grade spiritual veins within the city!

It could be said that in the barren northern region of the Great Li Dynasty, this city was a holy land for cultivation.

However, although it was a cultivation paradise, it had nothing to do with ordinary people. The spiritual veins were divided among the major forces within the city, and only the areas with weaker spiritual energy in the second-grade spiritual vein were available for rent. Not only were the prices expensive, but one also needed connections to be able to rent them.

It was difficult for ordinary people to survive there, destined to be cut off from high-quality resources.

Li An was not in a hurry. He rented a small house on Ping'an Street and temporarily settled down.

He played the role of a poor and sickly old talisman master.

Occasionally, he would go out to buy some low-grade talisman paper and talisman brushes, and also sell some talismans to barely sustain his life.

At this stage, he was still inquiring, observing, and analyzing the situation of each force within the city in order to prepare for the road ahead.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, a piece of news from the outside world spread into Tianyang City, causing a huge sensation.

Baihu True Immortal successfully transformed her Gold Core!

She became a...

Gold Core cultivator!

This news was like a hurricane.

"When everyone thought that Baihu True Immortal was only using the opportunity to eliminate the demonic sect, they didn't expect that she was really preparing to transform her Gold Core!"

"She first forcefully exterminated the demonic sect, then seized opportunities amidst the storm... She's truly formidable!"

"A Gold Core expert is destined to become a legend..."

For a while, the city was filled with discussions.

Even Li An was stunned for a long time.

Even he couldn't help but sigh at the courage and scheming of this woman. She was truly extraordinary.

A Gold Core expert, a Nascent Soul reserve...

From then on, Baihu City would rise rapidly, and its development would likely be extremely fast.

If Xu Qiuhui hadn't died in the previous battle, and had now attached herself to the Gold Core expert, her future would also be bright.

Even in Tianyang City, many people went to Baihu City.

Some predicted that after becoming a Gold Core expert, Baihu True Immortal would most likely establish her own sect. It would be a great fortune to be among the first batch to join.

Li An seriously considered whether or not to go and seek refuge...

But in the end, he chose to stay.

Even if Baihu True Immortal really established her own sect, and Li An could enter her sect, it wouldn't mean much to him.

Baihu True Immortal already had over a dozen disciples.

Even if there were resources for Foundation Establishment, Li An, as a latecomer, wouldn't have a chance.

If that was the case, what was the point of going?

What Li An wanted... she couldn't give.

...

Li An used the identity of "Jiang Yuan" and stayed in the city for four years.

Four years passed in the blink of an eye, and Li An quietly left Tianyang City.

After leaving the city, he followed the Beiyang Avenue towards Baihu City. Only when he reached an uninhabited place did he change his appearance and head towards the place where he buried his resources four years ago!

It was time to retrieve them.

...

(End of this chapter)