Chapter 15

Su Wanyao covered her mouth and laughed softly, revealing a hint of trembling white teeth.

"No cost—just wanted to be friends with Elder Chen."

Friends?

Chen Zhao smiled lightly.

As for them, forget it.

But that sister Xin Tong? Worth getting to know.

"Then thank you all."

Chen Zhao's expression softened as he bowed.

"But please, call me younger brother—I'd rather this not be widely known."

As soon as these words were spoken, Tiantian Kan Xiao Shu Ku, many books, ttks. tw choose freely

Liu Chen's brow relaxed instead.

It seemed he felt considerable pressure from Chen Zhao's identity as a Dharma Master.

But if they addressed each other as elder and younger brother, it would feel more intimate—seen from this angle, his reaction became all the more intriguing.

Chen Zhao observed this closely.

He thought silently to himself.

These two were not as close as they appeared.

At least for Liu Chen, he cared more about his cultivation than about those around him.

Su Wanyao remained completely unaware of Liu Chen's change.

She stood up and gestured invitingly:

"In that case, I'll take younger brother Chen to pick out an Array."

"But be prepared—sister is a bit odd..."

Earth-Character Bing-Chen Cave Abode.

This place, above the Ren Zi Dong Fu, was rich in Spirit Qi, and the Cave Abode was a single room, even more spacious.

Afternoon sunlight spilled in, casting the interior into dimness.

Two women and one man hiding in the shadows naturally invited idle speculation.

Xin Tong had changed into a plain robe; beneath her sweat, her curves were hazy, while Su Wanyao leaned one hand on the table, trembling slightly.

"This is... Chen Zhao, younger brother Chen."

Su Wanyao struggled to hold herself up,

"You've met before."

"Younger brother Chen..." Xin Tong swallowed hard, speaking with difficulty.

"Sister Xin, long admired."

Chen Zhao leaned on the table, also unsteady,

"By the way, sister, you really have a lot of stuff..."

He looked around—everywhere were worthless clutter: medicine bottles, pots for cooking Spirit Rice... a chaotic mess, making it hard to stand.

But not a single Array Diagram in sight.

"Can't... can't bear to throw away—what if I need it one day?"

Xin Tong gave a light huff, her tone sweetly childish:

"I bought all this with Spirit Stones—I have to keep it!"

Chen Zhao rubbed his forehead.

"But sister, as a Formation Master, you must have Array Diagrams—could I see them?"

"I have... but... my Storage Bag is full, I need to look for a while."

Xin Tong barely managed to pull out her Storage Bag from her waist and began rummaging through it,

"Low-grade Spirit Gathering Array, forty Low-grade Spirit Stones; Simple Defensive Array, thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones..."

Chen Zhao listened for a moment.

These Arrays were decent—the Low-grade Spirit Gathering Array boosted Spirit Qi concentration by forty percent, and the Simple Defensive Array could withstand attacks from Qi Refining mid-stage.

"Do you have one that can gather Spirit Qi, attack, and defend—all three?"

"No such thing exists."

Xin Tong, ignoring Spirit Stones, still spoke haltingly:

"But a simple composite one... I do have—the Vortex Guarding Origin Array. It gathers Spirit Qi and provides alerting, but no defense."

No defense...

Might that be a bit problematic.

Chen Zhao stroked his chin, musing:

"Is there one that combines all three functions?"

"There is..." Xin Tong murmured softly:

"That Array isn't finished yet—if... you help me break through to Qi Refining eighth layer, I'll sell it to you."

Hearing this, Chen Zhao

Immediately recalled: Xin Tong possessed the Empty Spirit Body—she could never break past Qi Refining seventh layer.

He had the Divination Tube, but had yet to receive any relevant information from it.

"Forget it—I'll take the Vortex Guarding Origin Array."

Chen Zhao prepared to pull out Spirit Stones:

"Wan Yao senior sister once said she'd give me a thirty percent discount… Wan Yao senior sister?"

He snapped his head up.

Only then did he realize Su Wanyao had vanished without a trace.

"Fine, thirty percent off it is."

Xin Tong sighed.

Whether it was because she heard Chen Zhao settle for less, or because she was getting a discount.

"Material cost: forty low-grade Spirit Stones. Labor cost: twenty. After discount: forty-two low-grade Spirit Stones. No pills accepted. Come next week to collect."

Just as she was when they first met at Baixian Tower.

The moment Spirit Stones were mentioned, she perked right up.

She snatched the Spirit Stones Chen Zhao handed her, hugging them to her chest, eyes gleaming.

Chen Zhao sighed helplessly and turned to leave the Cave Abode.

Meanwhile.

Behind a cabinet, Su Wanyao hunched her back and struggled out.

"Left so abruptly?"

"That shouldn't be it—she wore semi-transparent gauze, looked innocent… isn't that his type?"

"I… told you the first time I met him—he can't be won over with female charm."

Xin Tong didn't turn around, only rubbed her face against the Spirit Stones, murmuring softly:

"He agreed to come because of me, the Formation Master… no, because of my Array."

"That's bad—I only know how to rely on this. By the time he rises to Outer Disciple, he'll probably refuse to even see me, like all the other Alchemists."

Su Wanyao crossed her arms and sighed.

She was trying to win over Chen Zhao now precisely because he was still a Registered Disciple and wouldn't demand too much—but Chen Zhao was impervious to both flattery and pressure.

"Without an Alchemist, how will I fight my sister… oh, by the way—did he reject you too, because of your Empty Spirit Body?"

Hearing this, Xin Tong's expression darkened, and she nodded.

"Why is Su Wanyao so obsessed with Alchemists?"

Chen Zhao returned to his Cave Abode, puzzled.

He tried asking Liu Chen, but the man knew nothing of the matter.

"Forget it. All I want now is the Array. This has nothing to do with me."

Chen Zhao decided not to dig deeper.

He swallowed the Qi Gathering Powder, sat cross-legged, and began cultivation.

Half a month later.

"Chen brother, something's happened."

Liu Chen hurried over to Chen Zhao:

"A group of Robber Cultivators have been ambushing lone disciples down the mountain. Zheng Daocai was attacked too. To retaliate, the sect has ordered Registered Disciples to go out and exterminate them—we're all on the list!"

Hearing this, Chen Zhao paused to consider.

To the sect, Robber Cultivators harassing disciples undermined its authority.

Registered Disciples were low-ranking; sending them out cost next to nothing—perfect for the task.

It all made sense.

But—

"How could a ragtag gang of Robber Cultivators dare rob sect disciples?"

Chen Zhao couldn't help but wonder.

Robber Cultivators lack trust; they often turn on each other over loot, making any real alliance extremely unlikely.

Unless—

There truly was a trustworthy organization behind them, with profits outweighing the risks…

Chen Zhao couldn't help but recall the gathering in the southern suburbs.

"I heard from Wan Yao senior sister that one of our disciples killed a Robber Cultivator—but he was the father of a Robber Cultivator boss,"

Liu Chen whispered:

"The boss, seeking revenge, is using Fulong Mountain's natural defenses to ambush our disciples, striking once and moving on—nearly impossible to kill."

Wait.

Why did this sound so familiar?

"What… what's the boss's father called?"

"I heard his nickname is 'Ba Mian Jin Gang'… why? Do you recognize him?"

Perfect—everything matched.

Chen Zhao's lips twitched.

But Liu Chen ignored his reaction and went on:

"The Discipline Hall has assigned this as a trial mission—no refusal allowed. Six of us are on the list: Zhao Dehai is the strongest, so he'll lead. We depart next month."

Chen Zhao frowned.

No refusal allowed… such missions were rare. Why did they get stuck with this one?

Even though Robber Cultivators weren't strong, he had no desire to take this risk.

As he pondered—

Ink and water surfaced in his palm.

【Divination Lines have been refreshed】

【Today's Divination Lines·Great Misfortune】: Avoid traveling, engaging in combat; to interpret the sign, one Spirit Stone of low grade is required.

Yet after interpreting the sign, the Divination Lines left him even more baffled.

【Today's Divination Lines·Great Misfortune】: You leave the mountain to suppress bandits, encounter robbers, succumb to yin poison, and die.

That's it?