https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-86-The-Breath-Gathering-Spirit-Technique/12831574/
Chapter 87: The Death of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator
Chapter 87: The Death of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator
“What? You’re saying a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator died in our Great River Market?”
Early in the morning, Luo Chen was startled by the heated discussion in the courtyard as he stepped out of his room.
Qin Liangchen and his wife, Gu Caiyi, Bai Meiling, and Feng Xia were all gathered, discussing the death of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Bai Meiling chattered, “The body was discovered the day before yesterday. A Golden Core cultivator from the Ailao Mountains used a soul token and a tracking artifact to retrieve it from the bottom of the Lancang River near the Great River Market.”
“It wasn’t suicide, it was murder!”
“Duh, which cultivator in their right mind would commit suicide?” Luo Chen couldn’t help but ask, “If it was murder, why didn’t the killer dispose of the body? Throwing it in the river is a bit crude. They could have used a high-level true fire to burn it to ashes.”
“Maybe the killer wanted to, but couldn’t!” Bai Meiling tilted her head and replied.
“Once you kill someone, can’t you at least destroy the body?”
“The Foundation Establishment cultivator had a defensive artifact. It was specially obtained from a Golden Core elder by his wife.”
A defensive artifact!
Luo Chen’s eyelids twitched. He then realized the atmosphere was a bit off.
Why were Bai Meiling and Qin Liangchen doing all the talking, while Gu Caiyi remained silent?
Noticing Luo Chen’s gaze, Gu Caiyi’s expression turned complex.
“Fei Baiwen indeed had a unique defensive artifact, and it was particularly strange, called a Cage. It’s said that when activated, it transforms into a small immortal house, completely isolating all spiritual energy. Unless attacked by a late-stage Golden Core method, the Cage is unbreakable.”
“Of course, once the Cage is activated, the person inside can’t get out either. They can only wait for rescue.”
Indeed, a unique artifact.
Defending against enemies while also locking oneself in.
Meng Qinglian was very surprised, “Caiyi, you know that late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?”
Gu Caiyi nodded lightly and pointed to a piece of gauze she was wearing.
“This was a high-quality defensive artifact he gave me when he stayed at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion in the Great River Market.”
A high-quality defensive artifact, just given away like that?
That deceased late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was quite generous!
For a moment, Meng Qinglian, Bai Meiling, and the others looked at Gu Caiyi with strange expressions.
Gu Caiyi didn’t explain. She had wanted to return the artifact, but the other party refused, saying that once he gave something away, it couldn’t be taken back. It would be a slap in the face to him.
“Fei Baiwen?”
Luo Chen repeated the name, then said subconsciously, “Isn’t that the contractor from the Ailao Mountains?”
Contractor?
Gu Caiyi already knew what the term meant. She gave Luo Chen a look and sighed, “Yes, it’s him. Otherwise, why would a Golden Core elder from the Ailao Mountains come looking for him personally? Because of this, the Immortal Construction Residence in the Great River Market has been closed for the past two days.”
The Immortal Construction Residence closed?
Luo Chen suddenly understood. No wonder the Ailao Mountain cultivator who helped him build his alchemy room left in a hurry without collecting the final payment.
It must have been because of the incident at home!
“He came to the Great River Market to repair the spirit residence and help build the debate platform. Who would kill him, and who could kill him?” Luo Chen was incredibly curious, speculating about the man’s background, “Not to mention his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, but as the son-in-law of a Golden Core cultivator’s granddaughter, no one should dare to touch him!”
Everyone was puzzled and continued discussing for a while before dispersing.
After all, they all had work to do.
However, before leaving, Meng Qinglian reminded everyone to be careful when going out and about.
The murderer of Fei Baiwen might be an outsider, and there was a high possibility they were still hiding in the Great River Market.
Everyone agreed, but didn’t take it too seriously.
Those people were involved in big business, killing late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. They wouldn’t have time to bother with small fry like them.
As Luo Chen put it, “As long as I’m just a pile of shit, no one will want to step on me.”
This comment earned him a round of scolding from the female neighbors.
The alchemy room was nearing completion, and the number of helpers coming and going only increased.
Luo Chen, no longer as leisurely as before, became busier.
“Roldo, Luo Wudi’s nephew, at the 4th level of Qi Condensation.”
“Yang Qi, the son of Yang Wei of the Dragon Coiling Tiger clan, at the 1st level of Qi Condensation, only nine years old! Is he being sent to the Alchemy Hall?”
“Milan, Uncle Mi Hua’s granddaughter? At the 4th level of Qi Condensation, 21 years old. Her talent must not be great; otherwise, she would have been sent to a major sect long ago.”
One by one, faces—some young, some hopeful, some skeptical, some proud—flashed through Luo Chen’s mind.
These were all people that the various hall leaders had sent to his Alchemy Hall.
Character Name Replacements:
Luo Chen (no change, as it's already a common transliteration)
Luo Invincible -> Luo Unyielding (to better convey the meaning of "Invincible")
Luo Roldo (no change, as it appears to be a transliterated name already)
Tang Quan (no change, as it's already a common transliteration)
Zeng Wen (no change, as it's already a common transliteration)
Mi Shuhua -> Mi Shu-Hua (added hyphen for clarity, common in Chinese-English transliterations)
Mi Junping -> Mi Jun-Ping (added hyphen for clarity, common in Chinese-English transliterations)
Mi Li (no change, as it's already a common transliteration)
Wang Haichao (no change, as it's already a common transliteration)
Gao Tingyuan (no change, as it's already a common transliteration)
Text with Replacements:
Luo Chen found it hard to refuse, as this was a condition he had agreed to during the Hall of Bright Moon meeting.
He had promised to do his best to cultivate alchemy skills for their descendants.
Of course, he would teach them. Whether he put his heart into it was another matter entirely.
As for how many of these people would actually become skilled alchemists, well, that was a different story.
What kind of joke was this? He, Luo Chen, was still working on solidifying his own alchemy foundations!
Holding the Hundred Herbs Handbook, Luo Chen glanced at the group of young people in the Crescent Moon Valley and couldn't help but sneer.
These people were unreliable. He needed to cultivate a new batch of helpers.
Inside the Crescent Moon Valley, a group of young people gathered, bored and chatting idly.
Their conversation was filled with curiosity about Luo Chen, the new Alchemy Hall Master.
"He's younger than me, and he's already the head of a hall?"
The speaker was Luo Unyielding's nephew, Luo Roldo.
His fierce aura suggested he had been to the mountains and had faced demonic beasts.
But such experience was of little use in front of the others.
Everyone's elders had also fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
Tang Quan snorted, "Sure, you're older. But your realm isn't as high as his. Besides fighting, what else can you do? In the world of cultivation, skill is what matters!"
Tang Quan was a recommended candidate by Zeng Wen.
He had no familial ties to Zeng Wen, just the descendant of a deceased brother.
Knowing that Zeng Wen and Luo Chen were close, he naturally leaned towards Luo Chen.
Luo Roldo's face turned red. "Sure, you're skilled. Probably learned a lot of seduction techniques from your sickly tiger of an uncle!"
Tang Quan suddenly stood up.
"Little punk, say that again?"
"I'm afraid of you?"
Seeing the two about to argue, the others were helpless.
Tang Quan wasn't afraid of Luo Roldo. The latter's father was dead, and his uncle Zeng Wen didn't pay much attention to him. So, he often went into the mountains with the Combat Hall members to hunt demonic beasts.
In terms of cultivation, the two were evenly matched.
"Everyone, please stop arguing, okay?"
Hearing this gentle voice, Luo and Tang had to hold back their harsh words.
This was because the speaker was the granddaughter of the Head of the Family, Uncle Mi Shu-Hua, and her mother, Mi Jun-Ping, was the head of the Merit Hall.
Mi Li, with her three spiritual roots, was at the Fourth Level of Qi Condensation.
Her beautiful face was always pale, as if she were ill.
She forced a smile. "We're all here at the Alchemy Hall to learn alchemy from the Hall Master. Why make things so awkward?"
Some agreed, while others remained silent.
They had all heard different things about the Alchemy Hall from their elders.
Some held it in high regard, while others dismissed it.
Thus, the young people at the Alchemy Hall had different motivations.
Some were here to learn alchemy, while others were just sent here to pass the time.
Mi Li sighed, feeling uneasy.
In the Mi family, she wasn't very important.
Her weak constitution had wasted many resources from her parents, but she had gained nothing in return.
Now, with the Mi family flourishing under Uncle Mi Shu-Hua's leadership, talented individuals were emerging in droves, including one of her peers who had a chance to join a sect.
Her status had plummeted.
Her mother insisting on sending her to the Alchemy Hall only added to her unease.
Was it to pass the time, or did her mother hope she would learn something?
Just as she was feeling anxious, her companion let out a strange cry.
She looked up to see a streak of earthy yellow light cutting across the sky and disappearing into the depths of the Crescent Moon Valley.
"It's Grandfather!" Mi Li thought.
"Little Luo, how is the research on the Jade Marrow Elixir going?"
As soon as he landed, Mi Shu-Hua got straight to the point.
Luo Chen rolled his eyes. "You really trust me, don't you? I've only had it for a few days! If it were that easy to refine, your Mi family would have been selling it in bulk long ago!"
Mi Shu-Hua chuckled awkwardly, knowing he had been a bit too eager.
But after his conversation with Wang Haichao last night, he had two important matters to address.
One was to ensure that Gao Tingyuan didn't cause any trouble for Luo Chen in the future.
The other was more pressing.
If the Broken Mountain Sect's Alchemy Hall could produce high-quality pills, the Great River Alliance would also get involved.
Then, with the Great River Alliance's distribution channels, their pills could be sold in other markets.
Sighing, Mi Shu-Hua suppressed his urgency.
"The opening ceremony is set for three days from now. We'll invite some internal cultivators to witness it."
"I'm planning a grand ceremony for you. Any ideas?"
Luo Chen blinked. A ceremony? A grand event?
The bigger, the better!
"Sure, we can combine the hall opening with the furnace lighting. I'll show you what a true alchemy master can do!"
(End of Chapter)
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