Chapter 45: The Cost of Three Pieces of Information

The matter was quickly settled, with Guo Ming persuaded by Chu Danqing to assign Xie Liyang to guard the Lu residence.

After finishing their discussion, Chu Danqing returned straight to his quarters without delay.

The first thing he saw upon entering the room was the brocade box on the table.

He remembered clearly that no such object had been there when he left.

He picked up a stick and poked at it from a distance.

There were no traps or hidden weapons—only a strong herbal scent wafting toward him.

“Ah, this must be the rare medicinal treasure Lu Yin promised to deliver later,” Chu Danqing recalled—he’d said last night he’d send it later today.

He’d been out all day, and if it hadn’t been delivered, he might not have remembered until tomorrow.

He walked over and saw it was a ginseng, fully formed into a human shape with complete leaves and roots.

【Thousand-Year Hundred-Root Ginseng】

【Type: Material】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Effect 1: Usable in potion, food, and related preparations】

(Note: Potency too strong—preliminary disciples must not consume directly)

“No, not one—three.” Chu Danqing looked again: the brocade box had three layers, each holding one Thousand-Year Hundred-Root Ginseng.

He promptly stored both the ginseng and the box away.

Though the brocade box had no attribute panel, it was no ordinary item.

When closed, it sealed the herbal scent completely—clearly designed for storage.

“Fine item—perfect for Da Bao,” Chu Danqing thought. Lu Yin truly understood people and was remarkably generous.

Had time and circumstance allowed, he’d have rushed to acquire other auxiliary materials to craft a cultivation resource centered on the Thousand-Year Hundred-Root Ginseng for Da Bao.

To fully unlock the effect of these three ginsengs, he’d need to return to the Dimension Paradise.

If he could make Da Bao grow rapidly in a short time, wasting some potency would be acceptable—but it wasn’t possible.

“Other auxiliary materials don’t need to be this good—ordinary herbs will do,” Chu Danqing thought, considering asking the Lu family to help procure some.

He had no deep knowledge of pharmacology, only enough to identify the properties of resources for Da Bao’s cultivation—beyond that, he was blind.

He checked the sky—it was late. He set the matter aside for now; he could send a note to Lu Yin later.

“Rest,” Chu Danqing said, extinguishing the lamp and going to sleep.

He’d been busy today, so he slept soundly.

Only when his alarm rang did he awaken from sleep.

The night passed without incident—any trouble would be handled by Da Bao.

Summoning systems inherently sacrifice combat power to enhance summoned beings; if you also demanded the summoner himself be strong, why choose a summoning system at all?

A perfect balance surely exists—but not something Chu Danqing could obtain at his current stage.

After breakfast, Chu Danqing set out for Nanshan with Da Bao.

As the carriage was about to depart, it was halted.

“Master Chu, I heard you were attacked again last night,” Lu Qiaoyun appeared out of nowhere.

Chu Danqing pulled back the carriage curtain and said, “Petty thieves—no threat.”

“I have urgent matters—I won’t trouble Miss Lu further.”

“Wait, I need to speak with you,” Lu Qiaoyun grabbed the coachman and yanked him down as Chu Danqing moved to leave.

Chu Danqing’s face showed resignation: “Then please hurry, Miss Lu—my business is urgent.”

His urgent business, of course, was not hunting Zhanji Tiger—it was distancing himself from Lu Qiaoyun.

He couldn’t let her develop feelings for him just because he saved her life—that was ingratitude.

As Lu Qiaoyun opened her mouth, Chu Danqing gave Da Bao a glance.

Da Bao didn’t fully understand, but he usually acted on instinct.

So he followed his own impulse, seized Lu Qiaoyun as she climbed into the carriage, and hung her from a nearby tall tree.

He then shoved the coachman back into the carriage and drove off.

“Well done, Da Bao,” Chu Danqing praised.

Da Bao didn’t know why, but he grinned fiercely anyway.

“Master Chu, forgive this servant for speaking out of turn, but Miss Lu—” the coachman ventured.

Chu Danqing cut him off: “If you know it’s none of your business, then don’t speak.”

Didn’t he know the situation? He and Lu Qiaoyun were barely acquainted—less familiar than Lu Yin and Ji Yun.

In Chu Danqing’s view, Lu Qiaoyun was simply caught in romantic delusion.

Once he left this trial world and time passed, she’d naturally come to her senses.

So there was no need for further contact.

On the road to Nanshan, Chu Danqing encountered Xiong Mou, who was also leaving the city.

After a moment’s thought, Xiong Mou ordered his soldiers to halt and wait for Chu Danqing’s carriage to pass.

When they met, the carriage stopped as well.

“Going to Nanshan?” he asked, looking at Chu Danqing inside the carriage, speaking only three words.

Chu Danqing nodded: “You’re going to Xijiu, I’m going to Nanshan—what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“But I advise you not to get involved further. Finish your business at Nanshan and leave immediately—you’ll keep your life.” Xiong Mou glanced at Da Bao and added.

His meaning—leave this trial world.

“You’ve uncovered a lot. Mind sharing what you know?” Chu Danqing said, pulling out a weak healing potion.

To gain information, one must offer sincerity.

Xiong Mou approached him not out of kindness, but to imply: you can pay for more.

“One more bottle and I won’t mind,” Xiong Mou said, pleased with Chu Danqing’s attitude—but it wasn’t enough.

Chu Danqing didn’t haggle—he handed over another bottle.

It amounted to giving away all the weak healing potions Jin Baiyan and Han Meng had compensated him with.

Xiong Mou accepted and whispered: “The one who came is the Third Disciple of the Taiping Dao Master—Ren Gong Dao Shi—here to guard his son’s path to Dao by severing the Three Corpses.”

“With the Dujiaojiao and Zhanji Tiger dead, two-thirds of his Dao path is broken. Even if he succeeds, his future achievements will be limited.”

“You’ve made a mortal enemy of Ren Gong Dao Shi.”

Three short sentences revealed the magnitude of the trouble ahead.

Xiong Mou held an official post; Chu Danqing was merely a retainer of the Lu family. Who they’d kill first to vent their rage was obvious.

After speaking, Xiong Mou left immediately.

Yet Chu Danqing felt something was off.

Not that Xiong Mou lied—but it felt like a puppet show.

This feeling didn’t come from being manipulated himself, but from the sense that the government, the Lu family, the Taiping Dao, the Ji family, and all other powers in Yangxian County were being controlled by an invisible hand.

Including this so-called Ren Gong Dao Shi and his son coming to sever the Three Corpses.

The method of severing the Three Corpses in the Ren Volume of the Taiping Book wasn’t a forbidden art—it was orthodox, open, and upright. Why the secrecy?

“Let’s go to Nanshan,” Chu Danqing pushed aside his doubts for now, deciding to deal with Zhanji Tiger first.

(End of Chapter)