Novel Full Chapter 145: So, It Was You
Chapter 145: Chapter 145: So, It Was You
The scenes from the nightmare were already seared deep into Cao Shaolong’s mind.
「Not long ago.」
When he was attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment,
that gory scene had reappeared uncontrollably, nearly causing him to suffer a Qi deviation.
Fortunately, he had made ample preparations, purchasing a large number of Treasures in advance designed to bring about a Calm Heart and Peaceful Mind.
In the end, he precariously managed to succeed, becoming a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.
Cao Shaolong felt he couldn’t let this continue, so he visited an Elder in his Sect who was skilled in Divination and asked him to perform one for him.
The result of the Divination left him utterly shocked.
According to the Divination,
the nightmare would eventually come true!
In other words, he, just like his younger brother, would die by Li Chang’an’s Sword Qi!
And so, Cao Shaolong made a decision.
’Strike first to gain the upper hand!’
Actually,
he had never planned to interfere in the matter between Li Chang’an and the Cao Family.
He had grown up in the Sect and felt no real sense of belonging to the Cao Family; his only desire was to continue his cultivation there.
However,
the Divination showed that Li Chang’an would kill him.
He had no choice but to leave the Sect.
’First, I’ll eliminate Li Chang’an, then I’ll return to the Sect to cultivate.’
If Li Chang’an had known what he was thinking,
he would have been utterly astonished.
This was because
Li Chang’an had never once considered killing Cao Shaolong.
Before today, the two had never met and had no direct conflict.
But…
Today, Cao Shaolong had suddenly appeared at his door, radiating killing intent.
This, in turn, sparked killing intent in Li Chang’an toward him.
“Su Yuyan, step aside! I will kill him today!”
Cao Shaolong shouted coldly, his aura surging.
As a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, his aura alone was enough to immobilize most Qi Refining Cultivators.
However,
just at that moment,
the aura of another Foundation Establishment Cultivator suddenly appeared outside the courtyard.
With it came a fiery red flash of light.
’This is bad!’
Cao Shaolong instantly sensed the aura of death and scrambled to send out a Spiritual Artifact to block the fiery red light.
BOOM!
The two collided, and a tyrannical wave of Spiritual Power instantly blasted out in all directions.
The fiery red light shot backward, landing in its owner’s hand and revealing itself to be a crimson dagger.
“Zheng Qingqing!”
Cao Shaolong’s expression darkened as he glared fixedly at the newcomer.
The one who had just attacked him…
…was none other than Zheng Qingqing!
She was dressed in a long, fiery red gown, her gaze cold and indifferent as she looked at him.
“Cao Shaolong, you’re a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, for heaven’s sake. How can you be so shameless as to attack a Qi Refining Junior?”
The feud between the Cao Family and the Zheng Family was long-standing.
As the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of their families’ younger generation, they were naturally mortal enemies.
This was their first time meeting, and the earlier clash had allowed them to gauge each other’s strength.
Both were in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, having broken through not long ago.
Their strengths were more or less equal.
If they continued to fight, they would only attract the attention of other Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
If the commotion grew too large, neither of them would benefit.
“Li Chang’an, consider yourself lucky today!”
Cao Shaolong knew full well that he could no longer kill Li Chang’an today.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he forcefully suppressed all his killing intent and rage, retracted his Foundation Establishment aura, and turned to leave.
Before he left,
his icy voice drifted into Li Chang’an’s ears.
“Remember, your luck won’t last forever!”
“I’ll remember that,”
Li Chang’an replied via sound transmission, his expression unchanging.
Soon,
Cao Shaolong’s figure vanished from sight.
A moment later, Zheng Qingqing walked into the courtyard.
Her red gown fluttering, her gaze shifted to Su Yuyan, who stood protectively in front of Li Chang’an.
In that same instant,
Su Yuyan’s own bright, lively eyes met hers.
For a brief moment, their gazes met, clashing in mid-air before they both looked away.
Su Yuyan cupped her hands. “Greetings, Senior!”
“There’s no need to be so formal. Any friend of Daoist Li is a friend of mine,”
Zheng Qingqing said, a gentle smile gracing her features as she spoke, not putting on the airs of a senior.
Li Chang’an stood up and thanked Zheng Qingqing.
“Thank you for your help, Miss. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid Cao Shaolong would have attacked by force.”
“Think nothing of it, Daoist Li. You were only dragged into the feud between our two families in the first place,”
Zheng Qingqing replied gently.
Nearby, Su Yuyan suddenly chimed in, telling Li Chang’an, “Brother Li, even if Cao Shaolong had really attacked, I could have protected you! I have a Protective Treasure from my master!”
Li Chang’an smiled. “I know, Yuyan. Thank you for today, as well.”
“It’s nothing. Didn’t you always protect me in the past, Brother Li?”
Su Yuyan gave a slight smile.
「Afterward」
The three of them sat down in the courtyard and began to talk.
With Li Chang’an’s introduction, Su Yuyan and Zheng Qingqing formally met.
Then, Zheng Qingqing explained the purpose of her visit.
“Daoist Li, I returned to Qinghe Marketplace a short while ago. I gave the two Life-Extending Treasures to our Ancestor, extending his life by twenty years.”
“Congratulations, Miss.”
Li Chang’an understood.
For the next twenty years, Zheng Qingqing would be free, no longer needing to worry about her family’s affairs.
Zheng Qingqing announced that she had officially become an Honored Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.
From now on, she would be permanently stationed there.
“The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower’s requirements are fairly relaxed. I just need to refine a few Tier Two Elixirs each month, and they provide all the materials.”
“That’s excellent.”
Li Chang’an congratulated her again.
This was equivalent to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower providing materials specifically to help Zheng Qingqing improve her proficiency in Alchemy.
If this continued,
it wouldn’t be long before Zheng Qingqing could attempt to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill!
Just then,
Zheng Qingqing suddenly took out a shimmering golden Token and placed it in front of Li Chang’an.
“Daoist Li, this Token signifies the status of a VIP at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. With it, you can purchase certain precious Treasures that are not shown to the general public,”
Zheng Qingqing explained.
“So, the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower only sells a fraction of its Treasures to the public?”
“That’s right.”
“I see.”
Li Chang’an had long suspected that the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower wasn’t as modest as it appeared.
If it really only had the Treasures on display, it might as well have been called the “Thousand Treasures Tower” or even the “Hundred Treasures Tower.”
In the past, he was just an ordinary Loose Cultivator.
His status wasn’t high enough.
He wasn’t worthy of being taken seriously by the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.
But now, with this VIP Token, things would be completely different.
“I was just worrying about not being able to find the Treasures I need. Thank you, Miss.”
Li Chang’an thanked her sincerely and put the Token away.
The moment he finished speaking,
Su Yuyan spoke up again, her voice somewhat urgent.
“Brother Li, my Sect’s Treasure Vault has plenty of Treasures, too! If you need anything in the future, just let me know!”
“Okay, I will.”
Li Chang’an replied instantly.
Zheng Qingqing pressed her lips into a smile, her beautiful eyes glancing at Su Yuyan, and said no more about Treasures.
She changed the subject, bringing up Cao Shaolong again.
“By the way, Daoist Li, have you had any previous conflicts with Cao Shaolong?”
“No.”
“That’s odd. Why was his killing intent so strong? If it was just because of our families’ feud, there would be no need for him to target you so specifically.”
Zheng Qingqing looked puzzled.
Things having reached this point, Li Chang’an saw no reason to hide it any longer.
The Cao Family would likely get the news from Cao Shaolong soon, and there were almost certainly Zheng Family spies within the Cao Family.
“Miss, I think… it might be because I killed his younger brother, Cao Shaolin.”
“What?”
Zheng Qingqing was stunned for a moment.
Her limpid eyes stared blankly at Li Chang’an, as if she were meeting him for the very first time.
“So it was you who killed him!”