Chapter 297 Assassin in a bamboo hat (updated in 9.1)
"Haha! Master Xu doesn't sell the account of the 'Wanhua Chamber of Commerce' and requires third-level spiritual veins. If he dares to enter the manor alone, his cultivation level may be more than fake elixirs."
Duan Lao was in a higher realm, and his spiritual consciousness swept over him to see Lu Changan's true cultivation level, with an unpredictable smile on his lips.
Naturally, he didn't know that this was his grandfather setting things off for his eldest grandson, and he didn't try his best to hide it.
Even though he was the grandson of the fourth generation, Lu Changan was still on guard.
Show higher strength to prevent the other party from becoming disloyal.
Of course, this possibility is not high.
Lu Changan is a hot topic in the Heyuan Oasis recently. There are oases within hundreds of miles, and the traces of the outside world can be seen when visiting the dojo mansions in them.
"Lao Duan has great magic power, but Xu's hidden tricks are ridiculous."
Lu Changan's expression changed slightly, and he tried to remain calm, as if he was afraid of this unfathomable master of pill formation.
"Zhenren Xu, there is no need to be embarrassed. It will be better if you have true elixir cultivation. With the third-level formation, guarding the Shanshui Manor will be a piece of cake."
Duan Lao has a gentle smile and everything is under control.
In addition to him, there is also the secret supervision of Grandma, who is enough to control Xu Zhenren.
The land spiritual veins on the island are also notarized and will not be relied upon by the other party.
In the past, when he was away, he took care of the other two branches. As a third-level formation mage, Granny Yun was responsible for taking care of and cultivating this third-level spiritual vein.
Granny Yun was limited by her qualifications and potential. In addition, she escaped and was seriously injured by a traitor from the sect. Her foundation was severely damaged and her cultivation was unable to progress.
Duan Lao's situation is similar.
Just to maintain their cultivation without regression, the two of them did not rely on the third-level spiritual veins.
Half an hour later.
Lu Changan and Duan Lao finalized many details and finally signed a third-level spiritual contract.
The spiritual contract constraints are relatively loose.
Lu Changan's annual task is to refine a certain amount of entrusted elixirs and help take care of Shanshui Manor.
There are three places for alchemy apprentices every ten years.
The spiritual contract initially stipulated that it would last for thirty years. Lu Changan could break the contract, but he would have to pay compensation for the expenses during the period of residence, which was calculated as twice the market price.
In addition, there is a supplement in the spiritual contract:
Shanshui Manor may be rented out to other people for at least ten to twenty years, or at most several decades, and it is hoped that Lu Changan will cooperate.
Lu Changan had no objection to this.
He once simulated the fourth reincarnation and speculated that the spiritual dojo cultivated here was one of the options for the descendants of Lihuo to start a family in the future.
For fear of being targeted, the descendants of the fourth generation did not dare to put their eggs in one basket in order to ensure the continuation of their bloodline.
Therefore, there are three branches of descendants distributed in Feng Yuan Kingdom, which are basically unrelated to each other.
Among them, the young and outstanding heirs, such as the Yun brothers and sisters, do not even know their origins.
As the grandson of Master Lihuo, Duan Lao is responsible for overall planning and only has contact with the leaders of the three branches.
Taking refuge in the war, the descendants of the fourth generation were in a state of insecurity.
The third-level alchemy masters are at fault, and the true alchemy cultivators are short of manpower.
If you can bind a reliable third-level alchemist to help refine alchemy, train apprentices, and at the same time help guard this alternative third-level spiritual vein, it will be the best of both worlds.
…
On the same day, Mr. Duan handed over the formation control order of Shanshui Manor to Lu Changan.
According to the agreement, Lu Changan was not allowed to change or change the formation outside the manor.
However, Lu Changan can set up his own formations in the mansion buildings inside the manor to protect privacy.
Lu Changan didn't care. The hidden formation he had set up was definitely stronger than the outer formation.
The forbidden-breaking treasure talisman he masters can easily break through third-level formations.
A few days later, Lu Changan officially settled in Shanshui Manor.
There is a ready-made basement under the mansion, and there is also a pool and artificial river in front of the pavilion.
Lu Changan asked the rock rat to dig the pool deeper and lay a tunnel, which required a secret key to open the ban and lead to the basement.
The Xuanshui Turtle can move around in the pool on weekdays, and can also go to the basement to take care of the Xuantian Gourd Vine that reconnects with the earth's energy.
"The small third-level dojo in Shanshui Manor is enough for Xuan Shuigui and I to practice without having to invest additional spiritual stones."
After Lu Changan checked in, he was satisfied.
Xuan Shui Turtle's reliance on spiritual energy is only equivalent to the fake elixir cultivation, and part of it absorbs Lu Changan's golden elixir evergreen mana and absorbs the energy of the years during cultivation.
A considerable part of the monster's spells and abilities come from the power of blood.
Therefore, normal monsters are slightly less dependent on spiritual energy than human monks.
The Black Water Turtle is slightly lower than ordinary monsters.
As for the rock rat?
If you add the third-level mid-level big demon, this small spiritual vein will be too much to bear.
Lu Changan decided to raise it in the wild and make it self-sufficient.
The boundless desert is rich in earth spiritual energy, and there are many ore spiritual objects deep underground.
The ground rock rat enters here, leaping with fish in the vast sea, hunting sand beasts, exploring resources and treasures, and occasionally enjoying the autumn breeze, don't be too comfortable.
Lu Changan didn't have high demands. He only took 20 to 30 percent of the precious spiritual objects obtained through exploration and the harvest from killing the bandits.
In the beast-controlling inheritance left by Master Huang Lang, there is this wild breeding method, and the monsters that grow out are more wild and more powerful.
The cost is also very low.
The disadvantage is that the risk is high, it is easy to die while breeding, and the probability of rebellion increases.
There is no need for Lu Changan to worry about risks.
He has analyzed: Heyuan Oasis does not have third-order high-grade spiritual veins, so there is no permanent overhaul of the late-stage elixir formation.
This means that the Earth Rock Rat rules the roost in the surrounding area and can freely practice spiritual veins.
All sandworms, poisons, and strange beasts are its meals.
As long as you keep a low profile and don't infringe on the interests of the major forces in the oasis, there will be no risks.
…
Several months passed.
Lu Changan is at Shanshui Manor and is over 215 years old.
In the past few months, I have rarely seen the shadow of the ground rock rat, and I am simply enjoying myself.
I went back home twice on the way and gave Lu Changan some mineral artifacts.
Even without a fixed third-level spiritual vein, the Earth Rock Rat's cultivation speed was not lagging behind at all, and was even slightly faster.
Lu Changan estimated that this guy had eaten a lot secretly and turned a blind eye.
As for the Xuanshui Turtle, Lu Changan couldn't let it be too lazy or too comfortable.
The spiritual trees and herbs in Shanshui Manor, as well as some cubs obtained from the Yellow Wolf Master, were given to him to take care of.
Lu Changan would sell a small amount of those cub eggs in the oasis and sell them over a long period of time.
Among them, the rarer varieties will be sold at the Fairy City auction in the future.
The water and wood spells of Xuan Shui Turtle are suitable for doing these repetitive mechanical tasks.
This turtle has a lazy temperament and is indifferent to the world. It must be stimulated by external force, otherwise it will lie flat.
On this day, Duanlao returned to Shanshui Manor with three alchemy apprentices, two men and one woman.
The mysterious water turtle returns to the basement through the tunnel deep in the pool to avoid being discovered.
"Master Xu, please give me guidance for the next ten years."
The three apprentices brought by Duan Lao all have some potential in alchemy, and their talents are probably better than Lu Changan's.
"This is an agreement."
Lu Changan promised to come down.
Guiding apprentices does not mean accepting them as direct disciples, taking the time to answer doubts and give pointers.
Whether it can become a tool depends on their personal creation.
Lu Changan looked at the three apprentices, two with low-grade spiritual roots and one with medium-grade spiritual roots.
The one with middle-grade spiritual roots is called Niu Jie. He has a dark complexion and an ordinary appearance.
Duan Lao told Lu Changan that this person has a good talent in alchemy and hopes to pay attention to him.
"Niu Jie?"
Lu Changan felt weird, remember this person's name,
Master Lihuo lived for seven to eight hundred years, and few people in the world know his original name "Duan Daniu".
Duanlao's surname is derived from the pseudonym "Duan".
Niu Jie's cattle should be similar.
Having lived incognito for hundreds of years, those who pry into the legacy left by Master Lihuo can almost be put to rest.
"If Master Xu can train a third-level alchemist for me, the third-level dojo in Shanshui Manor can be transferred to you at a cheap price."
Before leaving, Duan Lao made a message and promised.
Lu Changan smiled and didn't care much about such flattering words.
This small third-level spiritual vein is useful to him now, but when he reaches the mid-to-late stage of pill formation and adds the Xuan Shui Turtle, it won't be enough.
Cultivating and improving spiritual veins is extremely slow. It takes hundreds or thousands of years to invest, and it cannot be done by several generations of monks.
If you want to be fast, unless you snatch the spiritual veins of other forces and move them to cultivate them, you have to have a skilled formation pulse master.
…
That night.
Duan Lao, dressed in a broad robe, appeared on the third floor of Qizhen Building in Heyuanfang City.
"I've met grandma."
Duan Lao faced the wrinkled silver-haired old woman and bowed respectfully.
According to seniority, Granny Yun is her grandmother.
In fact, Duan Lao is about the same age as Granny Yun and is not the latter's descendant.
Granny Yun was the last wife that Master Lihuo married during his Nascent Soul stage, and she was also the youngest Taoist companion.
Most of the other Taoist wives and concubines who were married by building foundations and forming pills have basically passed away.
"That Mr. Xu, are you still at ease?"
Granny Yun signaled him to excuse herself, but the latter stood respectfully and refused to sit down.
"Those who have been initially approved by grandma will naturally feel at ease. That Master Xu was once intercepted and killed in Scorpio Desert City. He was poor, humble and easy-going. Judging from his words, deeds and temperament, he must be an elegant gentleman."
Duanlao paused and added:
"However, when my grandson met Xu Zhenren twice, there was no such feeling of rapport and intimacy."
"oh?"
Grandma Yun's doubts are still unresolved.
She and Yun Ling had similar feelings, but Duan Lao, as the grandson of Zhenren Lihuo, did not.
You know, Yun Ling is two generations younger than Duan Lao.
It can be inferred from this that the feeling of rapport may not necessarily be a relationship with Zhenren Lihuo.
"Is it related to the Yun family?"
Grandma Yun thought to herself.
Yun Yan and Yun Ling both have Yun family blood.
Yun Ling looks a bit like Yun Yan when she was young.
Coupled with her talent for drawing talismans, Granny Yun trained Yun Ling as an elite.
"Perhaps it's because Zhenren Xu practices martial arts and has an elegant temperament that easily gives a good impression to female cultivators."
Duan Lao speculated.
"Um."
Grandma Yun nodded, but did not express her true thoughts.
Naturally, the two of them did not understand the cause and effect.
Duan Lao is just one of the many descendants of Master Lihuo, and his bond is not that deep.
Although Yun Ling is of lower generation and farther apart, she is also the reincarnation of Guan Qiaozhi and has a close relationship with Lu Changan.
Granny Yun is the last official Taoist wife of Master Lihuo. She has deep feelings and a bond second only to Yun Ling.
"Grandma, that traitor from Fang Town arrived in Gutian City this year and may have traced the clues."
"Although the other two have third-level puppets and third-level spiritual beasts, they don't have real elixirs. Once they are targeted by this kid, they will be extremely dangerous. My grandson must go over there as soon as possible, keep an eye on them secretly, and beware of that thief."
Upon hearing the name "Fangzhen", Granny Yun showed fear.
She faked her death and escaped, but was discovered by Fang Zhen, the elder of the inner sect, who led his men to sneak attack her and seriously injured her.
Fang Zhen was once the deputy head of the Lihuo Palace Law Enforcement Hall, and he was very thoughtful.
In the middle stage of pill formation and in the early stage of the attack, there are many people. Yun Yan relied on the trump card given by her husband to injure the thief and narrowly escaped death.
"Be careful and don't expose your whereabouts."
Grandma Yun ordered.
"Grandma, don't worry. Now that Master Xu is in charge of Shanshui Manor, my grandson will have more time and energy to deal with..."
…
In the blink of an eye, three years passed.
Lu Changan practiced comfortably and leisurely in Shanshui Manor without being disturbed by the outside world.
The eldest grandson is very relieved about him. He hasn't come back in the past three years?
Shanshui Manor seems to have become Lu Changan's private monastery.
The down-and-out Xu Zhenren integrated into the Heyuan Oasis and became a homeowner.
On the oasis, there are fewer and fewer forces and monks paying attention to Lu Changan.
However, the "Wanhua Chamber of Commerce" in the Heyuan Oasis was somewhat prejudiced against Lu Changan's rejection.
This chamber of commerce controls nearly half of the spiritual trees, herbs, and alchemy materials in the oasis.
Lu Changan could not buy those rare alchemy materials through the channels of the chamber of commerce, nor could he enjoy discounts on normal supplies.
Perhaps this is Wanhua Chamber of Commerce's alternative way of suppressing Lu Changan's rejection.
This restriction is of little significance to Lu Changan.
Alchemist is not his major in cultivating immortals, and he even ranks at the bottom among several existing skills.
Moreover, Lu Changan came from Liang State and purchased a lot of medicinal herbs that were scarce here.
"Blastoise, if you keep messing around, Bell will ignore you."
In Shanshui Manor, a girl's voice sounded like silver bells in the wind from the pool.
A water arrow turtle about 10 feet wide sprayed a jet of water onto the girl in a blue dress with starry eyes and white teeth.
Yun Ling's nose was wrinkled, her pink face was filled with anger, her hair was wet, and her long skirt was soaked, outlining her exquisite undulating curves.
Poof!
The water arrow turtle swam to Yun Ling's feet, spitting out bubbles, and sweetly comforted and apologized.
Yun Ling snorted softly, stretched out her white jade foot like a tender lotus root, and kicked it.
The water arrow turtle had rough skin and thick flesh and was not afraid of pain. It stretched out its head in a flattering manner and rubbed the girl's feet.
"It's so itchy, please be gentle, the point is..."
Yun Ling giggled, her eyes sparkling, she pursed her pink lips, held up her wet long skirt, and sat slumped on the thick turtle back.
"Sister, stop making trouble, girls' families must understand etiquette and sense of shame..."
In the waterside corridor, Yunhao, who had been promoted to the foundation building stage, touched his nose and smiled bitterly.
He secretly cursed, not only was he a middle-grade water arrow turtle, he was also rare in the desert.
For some reason, when Yun Ling saw this water arrow turtle for the first time, she fell in love with it and was filled with motherly love.
Blastoise also fell in love with her at first sight.
The first time I visited Shanshui Manor was to seek elixirs and add rare treasures to the store.
Later, in order to meet the Blastoise, Yun Ling took the initiative to help Mr. Xu run errands and do odd jobs.
The current water arrow turtle is naturally a black water turtle that can change its shape, similar to the human disguise technique.
In order to meet Yun Ling.
Xuan Shui Turtle unexpectedly changed from laziness to working hard and mastered the art of shape-shifting a year ago.
This can make it easy to form different turtle species.
However, it cannot cross species.
The Water Arrow Turtle is a common water turtle. Its general outline and water spells are 70% similar to the Black Water Turtle.
"Brother Niu, when will Master Xu be released from seclusion?"
Yun Hao found Niu Jie, headed by three alchemy apprentices. This man had outstanding alchemy talent and was already a first-level alchemist.
"Senior Huiyun, the real person is refining elixirs. He has only been here for a few days, at least a few days, and at most ten days."
Niu Jie was dark-skinned and ordinary-looking, and he said with a cupped hand.
Yun Hao sighed and looked at his sister with a rosy face and a bright smile.
…
Niu Jie, the Yun brothers and sisters and others did not notice that there was a vague shadow sneaking into Shanshui Manor without anyone noticing.
The third-order formation in the manor is in vain.
The blurry shadow passed behind a thousand-year-old tree, and his indifferent eyes glanced at Yun Ling and Xuan Shui Turtle, who were playing not far away.
It was a mysterious man in a hat wearing a gray robe and a black cloak.
The inner sides of his arms were like magnets holding a shuriken.
Uh-huh!
Like a ghost, the mysterious man in a bamboo hat walked around the waterside pavilions, avoiding everyone's senses and restrictions, and quietly approached Lu Changan's alchemy room.
The blurry shadow flashed again, passed through the crack in the door, and entered the alchemy room.
The temperature in the alchemy room is very high, and the blue-red light outlines the angular and cold face of the man in a bamboo hat.
In front of the alchemy furnace, there is an elegant middle-aged man in a blue shirt, making secrets on his hands to control the green-gold true fire, with a meticulous expression.
He didn't seem to notice the uninvited guest behind him.
The man in the bamboo hat raised his sleeves, revealing the sleeve arrows inside. The cold light flashed and was aimed at Lu Changan's back.
"Meet Master Changqing."
The assassin in the bamboo hat bowed his hands and made a stiff, cold voice.
"How was the check?"
Lu Changan asked calmly without looking back.
"Back to the real person, after a sneak investigation, it was confirmed that the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce has indeed cultivated the main ingredient of the third-level longevity pill, and there is more than one longevity fruit."
"In addition, the chamber of commerce has a third-level alchemy master who will prepare third-level longevity elixirs in the future to enhance the influence of the chamber of commerce."
"Well done."
Lu Changan praised.
In fact, the above are just self-questions and answers, simulating real-person conversations for the purpose of training assassin puppets.
…
Two months ago, Lu Changan made a breakthrough in his puppet skills and refined a third-level mid-grade puppet.
For this third-level mid-level puppet, Lu Changan used "Xing Peng" from the Wujian Sect as a template to create the form of a human assassin.
Using the flesh and skin technique learned from Adamaru, he disguised himself as a man in a hat.
This assassin puppet has a relatively fragile body and its defensive capabilities are not as good as the third-level low-grade turtle puppet.
However, he is agile, extremely fast, good at hiding, and has strong assassination capabilities.
Lu Changan customized the magic weapon or parts for it, including a cloak to increase its concealment.
In terms of assassination, there are shurikens and sleeve arrows, which are small magic weapons that can be smeared with third-level mid-grade poison.
In addition, it is also equipped with special poisonous smoke bombs, which can cover the spiritual senses, weaken the opponent, and facilitate escape or fishing in troubled waters.
Initially, Lu Changan injected the shadow of the first soul into the assassin puppet. As a result, the power of the soul during the Qi refining period was unable to control the abilities of the third-level mid-level puppet.
Therefore, Lu Changan infused it with the shadow of the soul of the second life.
The second life is the soul at the peak of elixir formation.
The combat skills and various micro-manipulations of the assassin puppet are even better than those of monks of the same level.
However, the consumption of souls and puppet crystals is quite large.
The effective distance of remote control reaches thousands of miles.
If you don't fight and just travel and conduct reconnaissance, you can make do within 10,000 miles.
Such a long distance has almost the same effect as an external incarnation.
However, the assassin puppet has no independent consciousness and must be controlled remotely by Lu Changan in order to exert its true strength.
In terms of realism, the assassin puppet deceives Qi refining and foundation building is okay.
If you have a close conversation for a long time, clues may be revealed.
When meeting a Dan-Jie cultivator, it is easier to reveal one's secrets.
"I heard that the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce is attacking the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, and wants to annex the latter. How long do you think the latter can hold on?"
Lu Changan stabilized the real fire in front of the alchemy furnace and said thoughtfully.
"Although the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce has a gap in its true elixir cultivators, it has turned around in recent years. A pair of fake elixir men and women at the helm of this chamber of commerce have perfected the lost combined attack technique."
"This technique draws on the power of the stars and the moon, and allows men and women to attack together, and has supernatural powers that transcend levels. A few months ago, the Zhendan killer and others hired by the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce were defeated by the two of them at night. They were seriously injured and barely escaped... "
Lu Changan understood it from the perspective of the Nascent Soul stage and felt that the combined attack technique had a lot of potential.
If it weren't for Yun Yan's recommendation, the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce would have been his alternative force.
"Do you know what to do next?"
"My subordinate understands!"
The cloaked assassin opened his leather armor, took out a few pieces of puppet crystal and embedded them in his chest. Then he disappeared from the alchemy room with a blurry afterimage.
(End of chapter)
