Chapter 184: Chapter 43 Li Yue’an
Miss Fu Yingying was startled, “More money? How much more?”
After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Xuan said, “How about this, add 100,000 Origin Currency, and if we really encounter danger, I can ensure you remain unharmed!”
No matter what level of strength this Li Yue’an has reached, as long as he hasn’t achieved the Primordial Spirit, it wouldn’t pose much of a problem to him.
Protecting a single person was a minor task for him.
Fu Yingying was somewhat annoyed, “You mean to say I’m only worth 100,000?”
Zhang Xuan shook his head, “You’re not worth that, it’s just to make you cooperate more willingly, that’s why I offered a high price…”
“…”
Fu Yingying was so angry she gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes glaring at the man before her, wishing she could bite him to death.
She practiced the Fox Charm Destiny. Every move and every word she uttered held enormous allure for the opposite sex. It hadn’t worked the last time, and knowing he was coming this time, she had gone all out with her preparations and charm. Yet, in his eyes, she seemed not even worth 100,000!
She was thoroughly offended.
“Shall we set off directly, or do you need to prepare?”
Not wanting to waste any more words with him, Zhang Xuan asked.
“Let’s leave now, but… I’ll need to bring two people with me!”
Knowing her powers of seduction were useless, Fu Yingying had no choice but to give up.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
If she dared to go with him, she must have made her preparations. Otherwise, should he kill her and put the blame on Li Yue’an, nobody would say a thing.
After a short wait, an old man and a youth approached together. The elder arrived and bowed with fists clasped towards Fu Yingying, “Miss!”
Fu Yingying introduced them, “Elder Ling, this is my bodyguard Mo Xiaosheng, Mo Lao. He will join us today, and the other is a disciple of Li Yue’an, Fan Xing! Mr. Mo, Fan Xing, this is Fate Master Ling Buyang from the Heaven Mandate Hall.”
Zhang Xuan looked toward the two newly arrived individuals.
The youth’s cultivation level was immediately apparent to him; Six Layers of Viscera within Sixfold of the Source Pool, not too strong but not weak either. The elder, however, was somewhat inscrutable, yet he gave off a sense of pressure, similar to that of Elder Liu!
That meant this elder’s strength had reached at least the secondary level of the Travel Realm in the Primordial Spirit.
No wonder Fu Yingying dared to proceed. With such a bodyguard and her own strength not being weak, she indeed had some capital.
With everyone present, Fu Yingying ceased to speak further. She signaled, jumped into a small boat, and Zhang Xuan followed closely after.
“You are Li Yue’an’s disciple?”
Sitting in the boat, Zhang Xuan looked at Fan Xing curiously, who was not far away.
Fan Xing nodded slightly, apparently not keen on making conversation and looking rather stern.
“Who gave you the audacity to disrespect me?”
Seeing Fan Xing’s attitude, Zhang Xuan’s brows furrowed, and a glint of the saber appeared at his fingertips, stabbing straight out.
Fan Xing was startled and quickly retreated several steps, nearly falling off the boat.
At that moment, Mo Xiaosheng’s spirit stirred, and a power blocked the glint of the saber.
“Elder Ling… what are you trying to do?” Miss Fu reacted, her brows furrowing.
“Nothing much, just teaching him some manners!” Zhang Xuan said dismissively, his spirit immersing in the Library of Heaven’s Path and looking at the newly-formed book.
“Fan Xing, cultivator of the Han Yuan Dynasty, disciple to Li Yue’an, practices Betrayal Destiny…”
“As expected!”
Zhang Xuan nodded.
He had tested the young man deliberately to make him employ his skills, thus creating a book to verify whether what Fu Yingying said was true or false.
Now it seemed this disciple indeed intended to betray his master and plotted to kill him.
With the identity confirmed, Zhang Xuan said no more. The small boat rocked as it traveled for a tea’s time, leaving the black market and returning to Han Yuan City.
The four of them then took a horse-drawn carriage, progressing for another two hours until a modest-sized valley with mountains all around and dense green vegetation appeared before them.
Fan Xing pointed toward the deep forest, “My master and I have been concealed here! He claimed to take me as a disciple, but in reality, I was made to cook and serve him. At best, he would scold me, and at worst, he would beat me. Normally, I could only enter the city once a month to purchase supplies…”
Fu Yingying sighed, “Thousands in Han Yuan City want to find him, and everyone assumes this Fate Master has been hiding in the city. They would never dream that he’s hidden here. If it weren’t for you, we would probably never have found him, not even if we tried to the death!”
This valley was located dozens of miles from Han Yuan City, away from the official roads and surrounded by forests infested with Primordial Beasts, where ordinary people seldom ventured.
“That’s not right!”
Zhang Xuan shook his head, disagreeing with her, “A Fate Master has an esteemed status and could live well anywhere. If he couldn’t stay in Han Yuan City, he could simply adopt a disguise and live freely in other cities. There’s no need to hide in such a remote location like a fugitive!”
Feng Yizhou had a bounty on his head too, didn’t he still swagger around living comfortably?
Even if this guy didn’t have any backing and many wanted him dead, he still wouldn’t have to hide in the mountains like a wild man!
Mo Xiaosheng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, “Elder Ling doesn’t seem to be aware that not only did Li Yue’an offend the experts of Heaven Mandate Hall, but he also offended the Han Yuan Royal Family. If he stayed in the city, or fled to another city, he would sooner or later be discovered. By hiding this way, it actually makes it harder for others to guess.”
Fu Yingying nodded, “Mr. Mo is right. After all, I wouldn’t have thought that such an expert would hide among us.”
“Is that so?”
Zhang Xuan didn’t say much more and instead looked at Fan Xing, “This valley doesn’t seem big; I haven’t seen any houses or huts. Could it be that you live in a cave?”
Fan Xing’s visible panic flickered momentarily before he finally nodded, “Yes… we live in a cave below!”
“How big is the cave and where exactly is it? I could try to send my spirit to check it out first…”
said Zhang Xuan.
“Send your spirit to check it out? What do you mean?”
Mo Xiaosheng frowned, “Though one may use their spirit to investigate, it’s also very easy for peers of equal strength to detect it. If you startle the snake by beating the grass, causing this person to flee, where will we search for him then?”
“Mr. Mo, what’s there to worry about? I just think that this place doesn’t look like anyone has lived here. Li Yue’an, being someone who can kill his benefactor and his teacher, isn’t timid. Could he really stay tucked away in this place? Visiting the city only once a month? You may believe it, but I don’t!”
Zhang Xuan looked at Fu Yingying and shook his head, disappointment evident in his eyes, “Even if you wanted to kill me, you could’ve come up with a better excuse, a more plausible location, right? Catching someone here, do you think I’d believe you?”
Fu Yingying frowned, “What do you mean?”
Seeing her confused look that didn’t seem feigned, Zhang Xuan was taken aback, “You don’t know?”
His thoughts turned in his mind, and he instantly understood, looking at the elderly man before him, “It seems you’ve hidden yourself well, but I wonder whether to call you Mr. Mo or Li Yue’an!”
“You mean… Mr. Mo is Li Yue’an? How is that possible!”
Fu Yingying shook her head, “Mr. Mo has been loyal to me for many years, serving with dedication and effort…”
“True or not, a try will reveal all!”
Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, “Mr. Mo, with your strength, detaching your spirit is quite simple. So, why don’t you use your spirit to explore a bit? Would that be possible?”
“If I detach my spirit, my body will be defenseless. If you strike me down at that moment, wouldn’t I have no chance to resist?” Mo Xiaosheng sneered.
Zhang Xuan replied, “With Miss Fu here, it should be no problem, right? Or do you not even trust your own mistress?”
Fu Yingying nodded, “Mr. Mo, rest assured. With me here, Elder Ling certainly won’t make a move…”
“He won’t make a move, but I will strike you…”
With a slight lift of his eyebrows, Mo Xiaosheng’s fists turned, and he pounded fiercely toward Fu Yingying before him.
The punch was full of strength, tearing the air apart and emitting a boom like thunder, seemingly capable of crushing everything in its way.
Unexpectedly confronted with a direct attack, Fu Yingying’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She wanted to counter but it was too late; she could only muster all the strength within her body, intending to withstand the blow.
At the same moment, her palms moved, and two amulets flew out. They exploded with a “bang!” transforming into a golden air shield.
The defense of the air shield was not bad, but against Mo Xiaosheng’s fist, it still couldn’t withstand and immediately shattered. Just when the Black Market Master couldn’t bear it and was about to get hurt by the punch, a faint voice rang out near her ear, “One hundred thousand Origin Currency, don’t forget…”
The next moment, she saw Ling Buyang, not far from her, already standing in front before she was aware, throwing a punch to meet the one coming at her.
The punch was not only quicker but also carried the sharp glint of a saber, piercing through the dull booming air with ease.
The fists met.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Ling Buyang and Mo Xiaosheng both stepped back at the same time, appearing evenly matched with neither able to best the other.
“Mr. Mo, what are you doing?”
Fu Yingying was so angry she was almost exploding.
“Mr. Mo? I just said, he is Li Yue’an!”
Seeing the woman still confused at this point, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.
“I thought I disguised myself well. For so many years, hiding by her side, nobody noticed. How did you see through me?”
Mo Xiaosheng looked over with a face full of disbelief in his eyes.
“You did disguise yourself well, but there were two obvious mistakes. First, your disciple, Fan Xing, dared to go to the black market to find people to assault his own teacher. Should I call him brave or foolish?”
Mo Xiaosheng and Fan Xing looked at each other and found themselves speechless.
Indeed, being in the Viscera Realm was too weak. Such cultivation daring to scheme against a cultivator of the Ninefold of the Source Pool; one misstep and it would be
their own demise.
Zhang Xuan continued, “You primarily practice the Betrayal Destiny, skilled in betraying others to gain strength, so you must be a suspicious person. You would definitely guard against your own disciple… because a disciple’s betrayal can also make them stronger. If I say that Fan Xing can resist such temptation, would you believe it yourself?”
“This… you just deduced my identity from speculation like this?” Mo Xiaosheng furrowed his brow.
“Of course not just this!”
Zhang Xuan continued, “The round trip from here to the black market takes at least four or five hours, so a whole day goes by just like that! With Li Yue’an’s suspicious nature, even if Fan Xing was just buying groceries or gathering supplies, he surely wouldn’t be at ease… Therefore, I concluded that the person must be nearby, and you, from every aspect, seemed the most appropriate!”