Chapter 123 - 120: Chance Encounter with Jing Qiyuan at the Lantern Festival

Chapter 123: Chapter 120: Chance Encounter with Jing Qiyuan at the Lantern Festival

"Martial Uncle, Happy Lantern Festival! Do you want to go see the lanterns together?"

The next day, Xiao Chen was in his courtyard practicing the Seven-Star Sword Technique.

Su Wanqing came running over again, inviting him to go out with her.

Ever since she started intentionally suppressing her Cultivation, she suddenly had a lot more free time.

This time, she even had her hair up in double buns and was wearing a red mink cloak. It was clear she had come prepared.

"Are the lanterns really that beautiful? You’re so eager to go see them every year."

"Of course they are! Martial Uncle, once you see them, you’ll never forget them."

"Alright, then. Let’s go have a look."

’It’s important to balance work and rest. After cultivating for days on end trying for a breakthrough, I suppose I should relax a little.’

’Besides, I’ve never seen the lanterns before. This is a good opportunity to check them out.’

The two of them arrived at the nearby Li Huo City, the largest city in the entire Li Huo Sect’s territory.

It was home not only to a large number of Cultivators but also to countless mortals.

Xiao Chen had inquired before and learned that Li State had no mortal kingdoms, only four classifications for settlements: villages, towns, counties, and cities.

Counties of all sizes were managed by nearby sects or powerful Cultivation Clans.

It was said that in some places, the mortals lived quite well.

After all, a sect’s most important goal was the annual selection of Immortal Seedlings—choosing children with Spiritual Roots to bring in new blood.

In comparison, they didn’t place much importance on things like grain.

But that also depended on luck. If you ended up in a place where the rulers were too lazy to manage it themselves and instead dispatched clan members or a representative to govern on their behalf, then it was a different story.

"Wow! Candied fruit skewers! Martial Uncle, would you like one?"

Su Wanqing was incredibly excited. The moment she saw someone selling snacks, she ran over, grabbed two skewers, and ran back.

"I don’t like candied fruit."

Xiao Chen shook his head, his attention focused on the nearby lanterns.

All sorts of lanterns hung on both sides of the street. Colorful and in various shapes, they resembled a magnificent, vibrant scroll painting.

There were lifelike dragon and phoenix lanterns, lotus lanterns symbolizing good fortune, and cleverly designed revolving lanterns, all of which decorated the main street in a dreamlike and fantastical display.

There were even many orchids and plum blossoms in vases, serving as adornments.

Their rich colors spread across the land; their myriad lights adorned the distant sky. Touching the heavens, they resembled falling stars; hanging by the towers, they looked like suspended moons.

"So? Aren’t they beautiful?"

Su Wanqing asked with a smile, munching on a hot roasted sweet potato she held in her hands.

Her mouth hadn’t stopped moving since they entered the city.

She had already eaten two candied fruit skewers, a bowl of hot oil tea, a handful of malt candy, a piece of osmanthus cake, a bundle of dragon’s beard candy, and a box of sweet steamed milk junket.

And on top of all that, she was still holding an unfinished Poria Cake.

Xiao Chen hadn’t been hungry, but watching her eat made his stomach rumble. "Can I try a piece of that cake?"

Su Wanqing generously handed it over. "Here. This shop’s Poria Cakes are the best."

He took a bite. Sure enough, it was sweet but not cloying, soft but not sticky. It melted in his mouth with a light, refreshing taste.

"This really is delicious. This wasn’t made by an ordinary person, was it? Could it be a Spirit Chef?"

Spirit Chefs were part of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.

The reason Baiyu Studio’s dishes were ranked number one in Li Huo Market was precisely because they had a Spirit Chef in the kitchen.

But Su Wanqing shook her head. "Nope. There are no Cultivators in that family. For generations, they’ve made a living by making Poria Cakes."

"The recipe has been passed down and improved for generations. I heard it’s been several hundred years."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen was rather impressed. "If that’s the case, they’re truly remarkable."

"And the fireworks later are amazing, too!"

Su Wanqing’s eyes lit up with anticipation as she mentioned the fireworks. "It’s almost time! We need to hurry and get a good spot."

To Xiao Chen, however, fireworks were less impressive.

He had seen bigger and better displays, and with Magic at his disposal, he didn’t find fireworks particularly novel.

So as he watched, his gaze started to wander.

And as he did, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd—the Jing Family Patriarch, Jing Qiyuan.

Although Xiao Chen had only met him once, he still remembered him.

Previously, Jing Qiyuan had visited on behalf of the Jiang Family, claiming to have a message for him, but Xiao Chen had thrown him out.

’Maybe that sounds a bit too subjective.’

But in Xiao Chen’s mind, he had already been labeled as a lackey for the Jiang Family.

Now, seeing him standing with another unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Xiao Chen immediately suspected they were up to no good, plotting something sinister.

’Meeting like this must be fate.’

’I was so busy with my Cultivation that I’d almost forgotten about this guy.’

’But since our paths have crossed today, I can’t let this opportunity slip by again.’

He decided to take on a little side project: on behalf of the sect’s Demon Extermination Hall, he would investigate Jing Qiyuan to see if he was involved with Tong Mo.

After making up an excuse to send Su Wanqing back, Xiao Chen put on his Stealth Cloak and began tailing Jing Qiyuan from a distance.

With the aid of his Divine Sense, his tracking was extremely covert and even harder to detect.

As it turned out, Xiao Chen watched as the two of them left the city and headed into an increasingly remote area.

’At first, he wondered if he had been discovered.’

But soon, he saw Jing Qiyuan and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivator arrive at a mountain hollow.

In the hollow were a large number of bound Cultivators, guarded by members of the Jing Family.

Nearby, a few scattered men in black were returning with newly captured Loose Cultivators.

"Qiyuan, I’ll have to trouble you to send these people over."

"Rest assured, Xiuguo. You can leave the rest to me."

Once they had gathered a hundred Loose Cultivators, Jing Qiyuan began directing the Jing Family cultivators to pack them into wooden barrels, which were then loaded onto horse-drawn carts and taken away to the northwest.

’The Jing Family won’t get away.’

’To avoid alerting the enemy, I’ll take them down one by one.’

Xiao Chen patiently waited for Jing Qiyuan to leave with the Jing Family members, then turned his attention to the other group.

This group had just finished tying up the Loose Cultivators and was preparing to return to their clan.

But halfway there, as they were crossing a small bridge, a flash of golden light appeared.

A mysterious figure in a Cloak then blocked their path.

The leading Patriarch raised a hand, signaling his clansmen to halt.

He stepped forward himself. "Fellow Daoist, we are from the Li Huo Zhu Family. May I ask your business in blocking our path?"

’Oh ho? Trying to use the Li Huo Sect to intimidate me? You’ve seriously miscalculated.’

Completely unafraid, Xiao Chen took out his Fire-Storage Treasure Gourd and unleashed a Li Huo Demon Vibration.

Thirty-six bolts of Li Huo Thunder completely engulfed all the Zhu Family cultivators present.

Zhu Xiuguo was greatly alarmed and hastily summoned a Magic Shield to protect himself.

But when he blocked one bolt of Li Huo Thunder and looked back, the Zhu Family cultivators behind him were already strewn across the ground, their bodies blown to pieces, with not a single one left intact.

Zhu Xiuguo’s eyes instantly turned red with fury, but he remained remarkably calm. He knew the situation was dire and that he couldn’t afford a direct confrontation.

He pointed a finger at Xiao Chen. "You audacious fiend! How dare you commit murder in the Li Huo Sect’s territory! The sect’s seniors will not spare you!"

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

As he spoke, a Talisman floated out from his sleeve.

It instantly transformed into a ninety-foot-long python that lunged at Xiao Chen with its jaws wide open.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Xiuguo turned and fled on his sword, attempting to escape.