Chapter 25: The First True Person Law Must Be Remembered!

Yulou hadn’t expected Wang Xianmao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could go to such lengths.

He checked room by room, conversing with the free cultivators, trying to learn their experiences after moving in, to find room for improvement.

Such a task should never be done by a Foundation Establishment cultivator—even a Qi Refining cultivator doing it would seem absurd.

If before, Wang Xianmao had given Yulou the impression of a reliable, approachable, and kind elder,

then now, Yulou saw in Wang Xianmao his true grit and strength.

It wasn’t terrifying that a Foundation Establishment cultivator would humble himself to speak with poor free cultivators; what was terrifying was the logic behind this behavior that Wang Xianmao revealed.

To accomplish something well, he could go to such lengths.

Such a person, even outside the cultivation world, could still succeed in the mortal realm!

“How was your day?”

Noticing Yulou’s arrival, Wang Xianmao ended his conversation with the free cultivators and walked toward them.

The corridor of the wooden building was narrow; Yulou slightly turned his body to make space for the clan chief.

“My master asked his daughter to deliver a message—he wishes to meet True Person Danri together with you, saying there will be a great reward.”

“What do you think?”

“He’s no ordinary figure.”

Xiang Yuan still didn’t understand what had happened.

Hongmei’s Shitan , the Wang clan’s response, Yulou’s concern—he understood none of it.

“Exactly, so we must take him with us.”

Downstairs, Wang Xianmao waved his hand; Tang Nianqiu saw it and hurried over to listen.

“Fuyuanju will make the following adjustments—write this down.

They understand the pricing; the key is to make water access more convenient, and set up a place to store luggage.

Free cultivators trust our Wang clan and will leave their belongings here; if they come back alive to retrieve them, we can charge a storage fee.

If they don’t come back, after a certain number of years, the items become ours.

Though not worth many spirit stones, it’s still some income.”

“I understand, Master Tang!”

Tang Nianqiu replied respectfully.

“Hmm.”

Wang Xianmao nodded and left the back courtyard; Yulou quickly followed.

When Xiang Yuan saw Bai Lu entering with a tray, he thought he’d eat first, but Bai Lu shoved him hard in the lower back with the tray, signaling him to hurry after his elder brother.

Confused, Xiang Yuan walked off; Tang Nianqiu turned his hands behind his back and asked expressionlessly.

“You’re getting along well with them?”

Not understanding Tang Nianqiu’s tone, Bai Lu replied instinctively.

“No! No! Young Master Yulou and Young Master Xiang Yuan only see me as staff—they’re noble heirs of the Wang clan, so whatever they order, I do.”

“Hmm. Pay attention to your words and conduct from now on—don’t be as careless as just now, understood?”

“Yes, Shopkeeper. Bai Lu knows his mistake!”

Back in the room, Wang Xianmao sat on a chair and lectured the two boys.

“Hongmei isn’t simple, and neither is our Wang clan.

True Person Danri is your Jingyi’s ancestral uncle; both he and Jingyi’s master, Xuanduan True Person, were disciples of Mangxiang True Person.

No matter Hongmei’s purpose in meeting Danri, we have nothing to fear.”

True Person, True Person, True Person—Xiang Yuan’s head was spinning.

“Clan Chief, Danri is only a Purple Mansion cultivator—why do you all call him True Person? And Xuanduan True Person is also a Purple Mansion cultivator, isn’t he?”

The clan chief chuckled and shook his head, pointing at Xiang Yuan.

“Foolish child, how many Golden Core True Persons are there? Which Purple Mansion cultivator doesn’t dream of attaining Golden Core?

When there’s no Golden Core around, we call Purple Mansion cultivators True Person—it’s our respect for our seniors!”

At that moment, a gray message talisman flew in, but was blocked by a rising array when it reached Wang Xianmao’s window.

Wang Xianmao raised his hand, caught the talisman, scanned it with his spiritual sense, then burned it to ash.

What else happened?

“Let me test you again—if you meet a Golden Core True Person, what should you call them?”

Facing the clan chief’s question, Yulou shook his head; Xiang Yuan had no idea.

“Call them Immortal Sovereign. Ha ha! When you meet a Purple Mansion cultivator, call them True Person; when you meet a Golden Core True Person, call them Immortal Sovereign.

I call this the ‘First True Person Law’—remember it well, never be foolish again.”

Damn, the First True Person Law.

Yulou learned another lesson.

Cultivation, cultivation—every detail matters!

“Enough. Come with me to the banquet—Jingyi’s younger brother Guo Baichi came with True Person Danri too. I’ll take you to broaden your horizons.”

Wang Jingyi, the Wang clan’s Foundation Establishment ancestral elder ranked among the True Disciples of Red Lantern Illumination.

Yulou hadn’t expected he’d merely wanted to deliver a message and sneak a meal—even if he couldn’t get one, it didn’t matter.

But now he was about to meet a disciple of a Purple Mansion cultivator—this was getting too wild.

Inside the Garrison Cultivator’s residence, Wang Xianmao led the two brothers into the banquet hall.

Jiang Bao, the former top dog of Qingxi Alley, sat in the first seat on the left.

At the head sat Guo Baichi, disciple of True Person Danri.

The first seat on the right was held by Zhuochi Daozhang of Dishi Cave.

The second elder of the Gu clan had taken a back seat, quietly playing the humble servant.

“Brother Baichi, good to see you again.”

Though all present were from high-ranking sects, Wang Xianmao wasn’t intimidated—he calmly greeted Guo Baichi at the head table.

The Wang clan had long been a vassal of Red Lantern Illumination; fundamentally, they were all one family—like senior executives and branch managers.

“Xianmao, take your seat. Tonight is just for exchange,” Guo Baichi gestured invitingly, his tone and manner courteous.

Unlike Jiang Bao, Guo Baichi didn’t come with a blur or invisibility cloak; Yulou secretly glanced and saw this Purple Mansion disciple had three eyes.

As Yulou looked, Guo Baichi’s two eyes were fixed on the table, but his third eye on his forehead turned sharply toward Yulou—Yulou immediately lowered his head.

Guo Baichi clearly didn’t care about a Qi Refining junior’s stare—he focused entirely on chatting with the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Sitting behind the clan chief, Yulou fell into thought.

Wang Xianmao, his body a pale green, nearly like a corpse.

Jiang Bao, with his blur and invisibility cloak.

Guo Baichi, with a third eye on his forehead.

These three were clearly unlike Zhuochi of Dishi Cave or the Gu clan’s second elder—one more inhuman than the next.

Yulou assumed Jiang Bao and Wang Xianmao were probably stronger.

After all, Jiang Bao was a scion of a Purple Mansion family, naturally possessing the ability to vanish into stillness.

The clan chief was their own ancestral elder, able to converse as an equal with Guo Baichi—so naturally he must be rated higher.

“Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s get to the main matter.”

Seeing all who received the message talismans had arrived, Guo Baichi prepared to begin tonight’s real business.

The moment he spoke, the hall fell silent.

Only the two attendants assigned to add temporary seats for Yulou and Xiang Yuan were still moving.

Yes, among the Foundation Establishment cultivators present, only Wang Xianmao had brought family juniors to broaden their horizons.

This was why Yulou believed his clan chief’s strength was extraordinary.

“Red Lantern Illumination’s Merit Hall has been stationed in the sect marketplace for several years—everyone knows why.

Simply put, Master Mangxiang needs vast resources to attain Golden Core.

All of you are veterans of Red Lantern Illumination—you know how the sect has treated you.

This time, my master personally brought the Merit Hall to Qingxi, and there’s another change—the items available for exchange this time will be better than ever!

Red Lantern Illumination’s unique Candlelight Nourishing Soul Pills and Golden Vase Supplementing Deficiency Pills will be available, and the auxiliary medicines for Foundation Establishment will be fully open—there are...”

What Guo Baichi said after that no one in the hall cared about anymore.

Candlelight Nourishing Soul Pills—the best auxiliary elixir for opening Purple Mansion in the Wunan Basin, a Red Lantern Illumination secret, priceless and unavailable on the market.

Golden Vase Supplementing Deficiency Pills—one of the essential treasures for single-element cultivators to open Purple Mansion; swallowing four of them allows a fully established Foundation Establishment single-element cultivator to skip the long process of refining their foundation and directly attempt Purple Mansion—also priceless and unavailable on the market.

“Brother Baichi, the Candlelight Nourishing Soul Pills and Golden Vase Supplementing Deficiency Pills are expensive—we can’t afford them.”

Zhuochi Daozhang of Dishi Cave sighed.

After introducing the changes to the Merit Hall, Guo Baichi took a sip of spirit wine, set down his cup, and smiled.

“No problem. Master Mangxiang’s attainment of Golden Core is the most important matter for Red Lantern Illumination in the next hundred years.

You’re all insiders—you may use your family’s or sect’s future earnings as collateral to exchange for merit.

That way, even if you can’t afford it now, you can still obtain these precious pills and repay them gradually.”

Yulou’s grip on his chopsticks tightened slightly.

A clan chief from a wealthy merchant family.

Deploying a fairyland-style Jiucaishougeji to previously ignored Qi Refining marketplaces.

Now they’re pre-ordering future revenues from vassal sects and families, cutting the future’s young grass through loans.

Red Lanterns glow, red lanterns glow—these ten sects are truly extraordinary.

He now understands why the lone cultivators in the Ghost Market were so eager to buy Shuiyu!