Troubles Again

Aotian and Rihai didn't have to wait long before the old man's son knocked on the door.

"Father, it's me." The man's deep voice sounded from behind the door.

"Come in," the old man replied indifferently.

The son pushed the door open and entered, followed by a few servants carrying several storage bags. Carefully, they placed them on the center table before silently withdrawing. The man remained behind his father, who was calmly sipping his tea.

Aotian and Rihai, however, hadn't even touched the tea in front of them.

The old man cast a sidelong glance at his son, who understood the signal and began speaking politely.

"Here are the things you requested. This is the complete item list."

He pulled a jade slip from the storage bag at his waist and handed it to Aotian, who activated it without hesitation.

The list contained hundreds of types of spiritual herbs. Unfortunately, the pavilion had only managed to gather the best available at the moment, ranging in age from 10 to 99 years, with only limited quantities of the older ones.

Additionally, there were various materials for artifact refinement and formation items. However, everything was of Refiner-Tier, nothing particularly rare.

Even so, Aotian was satisfied.

In the slip he had given them, he had set limits on the quantity of common materials. While herbs were light, refining materials were heavy, and carrying them home wouldn't be easy.

In total, there were about 4,000 assorted herbs and approximately 300 kilograms of materials.

Altogether, the weight slightly exceeded 300 kilograms—an amount Aotian considered manageable.

The real weight was in the cost: 800 mid-grade spirit stones, equivalent to more than half a million low-grade stones—exactly 800,000.

'Now my fortune has dropped to a mere 149,200 mid-grade stones. What a pity.' Aotian thought, amused.

'It seems spirit stones have lost their value in my eyes. Both the billions I acquired from the Shi family and the stones I obtained from selling the Foundation Establishment technique…'

He reflected, distracted.

'In truth, it's because even as a Qi Refinement cultivator, I'm already playing with big fish. 150,000 mid-grade stones are an unrivaled fortune for a Qi Refiner. Even this pavilion, a branch of a major force, nearly had to empty its treasury to gather so many. But for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's probably just a decent amount. Not too little, not too much.'

Rihai squeezed his hand, pulling him back to reality.

In front of them, the old man smiled as he bid them farewell, satisfied with the deal.

After all, transactions involving so many mid-grade stones were rare in this massive but low-level city.

"Before you go, I'd like to thank you for the last transaction. Thanks to it, I was promoted to supervisor of the Qianbao Pavilion's branch in a larger city. My son will take over my position as the manager of this branch in Azure Cloud City. If you need anything, you can seek him out, and he'll help however he can."

The old man spoke with a smile and then suddenly shot a stern glance at his son—a clear warning. The younger man immediately stepped forward and gave a slight bow to both of them.

"Rest assured. If you encounter any problems, you can come to me, and I'll do my best to assist you."

He said seriously.

Of course, Aotian wouldn't trust the morality of these two just because of their flowery words. Everything was driven by interests. The moment he lost his value, they wouldn't hesitate to turn their backs on him.

"Hmm…" He murmured lightly, squeezed Rihai's hand, and walked away without looking back.

Father and son continued smiling until Aotian and Rihai disappeared into the crowd.

…

It didn't take long for Aotian and Rihai to get close to home.

But as they walked toward the floating platform, several hooded figures suddenly surrounded them.

They exchanged glances, surprised, and immediately focused on the silhouettes around them.

The passersby, noticing the encirclement, quickly fled, fearing getting involved.

Many recognized the emblem on the figures' chests.

"Damn! It's the Blood Pavilion!"

Some murmured in terror, running even faster.

A few bolder individuals, however, hid nearby, perhaps hoping to profit from the chaos. But some of the hooded figures stepped out from the group and dealt with these bystanders cruelly, directly beheading a few. The rest fled on their own.

Within moments, a morbid silence took over the area.

Only Aotian and Rihai, now confused but alert, remained, surrounded by the dark figures.

Everyone stood still, analyzing one another, until a sound echoed through the air.

Tock… tock… tock…

An old man with red hair and a wrinkled face emerged, leaning on a cane.

The sound of the cane striking the stone floor reverberated as he advanced calmly.

The hooded figures parted to let him through.

Tock!

He walked forward until he stopped directly in front of Aotian and Rihai, positioning his cane in front of him and resting his hands atop it.

Ignoring Aotian, he fixed a cold gaze on Rihai, as if the hood covering her face was no obstacle.

"Liu… Rihai."

He pronounced her name slowly, his voice carrying a hint of ferocity.

Rihai remained still for a moment. Then, suddenly, she raised her hand.

The old man's eyes widened, taking a step back, ready to retreat.

But Rihai merely pulled down her hood, revealing her beautiful face and eyes as sharp as ice blades.

Her lips parted, and her icy voice echoed.

"Jun Moji, it seems you're just as cowardly as ever."

The man, now recognized as Jun Moji, did not show hatred in his expression upon hearing those words, but the bulging veins in his hands, gripping the cane tightly, betrayed his state of mind.

Soon, he calmed himself and looked at Rihai with indifference.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he spoke in his aged and grim voice:

"I could normally be furious with you, but for a dead person, it's not worth wasting my time."

He said coldly, which made Rihai scoff with a half-smile and an icy gaze.

"Heh, just you and your few subordinates from the Blood Pavilion? Even at your peak, you couldn't face me, even with those trash of yours. Let alone now that you're at death's door, you old thing."

She mocked mercilessly.

Aotian's heart beat a little faster upon seeing the domineering Liu Rihai. He found this fierce side of his tigress incredibly charming.

To be honest, he was confused about everything happening and who these people were, but now didn't seem like a good time to ask, so he just watched the spectacle.

The old man merely shook his head at her taunt.

"I think you don't understand. I'm not the only one who came to kill you this time."

He said slowly.

Aotian and Rihai's eyes widened as several figures emerged from the shadows, joining the crowd.

Many bore the Blood Pavilion's emblem on their chests, but others did not. Yet they all had one thing in common: they were hooded.

However, the most terrifying part was not their numbers, but the overwhelming auras indicating large quantities of cultivators at the peak and perfection of Qi Refinement.

Rihai's eyes widened at the sight, and her heart pounded. She looked at Aotian beside her, and her chest tightened, nearly suffocating.

She couldn't even guarantee she could escape. After all, there were hundreds of high-level cultivators present. If she had even the slightest chance, Aotian, at the first level of Qi Refinement, had absolutely none.

Since Aotian hid his aura, she didn't know he had reached the fourth level of Refinement. But even if she did, she still wouldn't have any hope with such an insignificant level of strength.

A hint of despair flashed in her eyes.

'I'm sorry, Father. Maybe today is the day I fall. I can't follow your order to live well... after all, I promised I would never abandon those I love again.'

She thought, determined, and cast a furtive glance at Aotian, engraving the face of the man she loved in her mind before their likely deaths.

But it wasn't in her nature to give up without a fight.

Steeling her gaze, she faced the crowd.

"With such a massive mobilization of forces, I can only assume the city lord himself ordered this. May I ask why such a commotion over me?"

She asked calmly, her icy eyes locked onto the strongest aura in the group.

The person she was staring at raised a hand and slowly pulled back his hood.

Then, the handsome face of a middle-aged man with blue hair and a polished smile emerged before them.

"It seems that the famous Miss Liu lives up to her reputation. As the best fighter in the city, I have heard your name for a long time. They say that the invincible Miss Liu is so strong that even those at the perfection of Qi Refinement can only tremble before her."

The city lord spoke in a friendly tone, his words refined yet leading nowhere.

Rihai narrowed her eyes.

In any other situation, she would have told him to "cut the crap" and "get straight to the point," but now, she dared not.

If she wanted any chance to survive with Aotian, now was not the time to provoke the enemy.

But if she didn't dare—someone else did.

"Hey, can you cut the crap? I'm late to settle a bet."

Aotian's deep and carefree voice suddenly rang out, freezing the air and wiping the smile off the city lord's face.

Rihai couldn't help but look at him, helpless.

'It seems plans never account for pig teammates.'

She thought with a mix of amusement and resignation.

But seeing Aotian so fearless in the face of life and death made her desperate heart feel lighter, and a small smile formed on her lips.

'Well, if we're going to die, then let's die. I've never feared death anyway.'

Then, she remembered her father's words once more.

'A cultivator is always gambling against death. If they lose, death takes them. If they win, death takes revenge—stripping away everything and everyone around them, leaving them alone. In the end, a moment comes when they must choose… it seems that today, I'll make the same choice as you, Father.'

For some reason, this thought seemed to free her from all her inhibitions.

With a light heart, she lifted her chin slightly, exuding a nobility and arrogance she had never shown before.

Her dominant gaze swept over the crowd around them, and she smiled playfully.

"Well then, speak quickly. Today, we all have an appointment with death, so it's best not to keep her waiting."