Chapter 1066: Taking the Initiative to Visit
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Upon hearing Ning Cheng, a Dao Raising Holy Emperor, daring to directly call out Liu Fangzhenâs name, the girlâs face darkened, and she spoke with a slightly stern tone, âIndeed, City Lord Liu has something to discuss with you. Alchemist Ning, please follow me.â
If anyone else invited him, he might have considered going. But it was Liu Fangzhen, Ning Cheng would never go. Moreover, it couldnât even be considered an invitation from Liu Fangzhen. Putting it bluntly, it was an order. From beginning to end, the girl didnât mention the word âinvitationâ from Liu Fangzhen, only that he had something to discuss with him or that he was looking for him.
Moreover, this girl became visibly upset after mentioning Liu Fangzhenâs name. And now, she didnât even bother to ask if he had the time, just directly telling him to follow her. Did this person think that he was the master of the heavens and earth? Perhaps the Dao Courts and the Dao Sects in the Grand Change Realm had strict hierarchies, but Ning Cheng wasnât a member of any of those forces.
âXixi, letâs go. The Grand Change Alchemy City has grown crowded. Letâs not bother finding a place and go see Master Sichen.â Ning Cheng didnât even acknowledge the girl and instead spoke to Xixi.
âAlchemist Ning, you should first pay respects to City Lord Liu.â The girlâs expression became even more unpleasant. Throughout history, whenever Liu Fangzhen wanted to see someone, she only needed to say the word. Most of the time, she didnât even need to personally appear. Just sending someone to greet them was enough. But now, she deliberately had to use the term âpay respectsâ, implying that City Lord Liuâs status was much higher than Ning Chengâs.
Even if this wasnât Crow Pavilion Sacred Dao City, in this place, no one dared to ignore what City Lord Liu said. This time, she only came to find Ning Cheng to give him face because of his alchemist identity. But now it seemed that even if she gave others enough face, others might not give her any attention.
Ning Cheng finally stopped walking and looked at the girl, asking, âDoes Liu Fangzhen know me?â
âLord Liu has never met Alchemist Ning before.â Upon Ning Cheng calling out Liu Fangzhenâs name for the second time, the girl became even angrier. However, she dared not do anything to the alchemists participating in the Five Grand Realmsâ Alchemy Competition.
After saying these words, she felt a little displeased and even threatened, âNing Cheng, Lord Liu wants to see you. Have you considered the consequences if you refuse? Iâm afraid it wouldnât be something a mere alchemist from the Grand Essence Realm could bear. Even if your alchemy skills are top tier, it wonât make a difference.â
Ning Cheng smiled faintly. He didnât need threats; he would have refused no matter the condition. Threaten him? Who did Liu Fangzhen think he was?
âLiu Fangzhen doesnât know me, and I donât know him. Why should I meet him? Does he have one more egg than others, or is his face bigger than othersâ asses?â
After saying these words, Ning Cheng didnât wait for the other party to respond and left.
It wasnât that he wanted to deliberately offend Liu Fangzhen, but there was no room left between them. Showing further patience or restraint wouldnât have improved things anyway. Since Liu Fangzhen tried to approach him for no reason, it meant that he should have caught on to a few clues. Asking him to come to meet him was probably to force him to reveal the truth. In other words, if he went to meet Liu Fangzhen and Liu Fangzhen âaccidentallyâ killed him, he could only blame his bad luck.
With Liu Fangzhenâs status, killing a small alchemist who wasnât even from the Grand Change Realm wouldnât mean much, not even if he faced condemnation or investigation from the Pill Union.
He was destined to be enemies with Liu Fangzhen and thus didnât need to crawl around to lick the other partyâs smelly feet.
Watching Ning Cheng and Xixi leave, the messenger girlâs face turned pale with anger, and her body visibly shook from all the restraint she could muster. She had never met such an arrogant person till now. Just a Dao Raising Holy Emperor, even if he was a pill sage, so what?
âBig Brother Ning, Liu Fangzhen is notorious for seeking revenge for even the smallest grievances. Iâm afraidâŠâŠâ Xixi quietly expressed her concern.
Seeing that Ning Cheng did not acknowledge Liu Fangzhenâs summons and spoke out against him, Xixi couldnât help but worry.
Ning Cheng smiled and said, âXixi, you donât need to worry. Since Liu Fangzhen has come looking for us, it shows he had suspicions about us. Thus, even if we were to obey his words, he wouldnât let us off.â
âIâm sorry Iâve caused you this much trouble,â Xixi said with a hint of sadness, thinking again of Yuan Ji, who had stopped them earlier.
Ning Cheng said directly, âXixi, I think you misunderstood something. Pan Qianâs matter is my matter, too. After all, weâre life-long friends.â
Putting Liu Fangzhenâs matter aside, Ning Cheng quickly found Sichen Qiutian. Fortunately, Sichen Qiutian had already arranged a room in the same inn as him.
âŠâŠ
The five Grand Dao Courts had their respective inns in the Grand Change Alchemy City; thus, Liu Fangzhen resided in the Treasured Stone Inn, which wasnât far from the Matchless Inn, where Ning Cheng stayed. However, in the Grand Change Alchemy City, even if the buildings stood beside each other, one couldnât use oneâs spiritual consciousness to observe.
At this moment, Liu Fangzhen listened calmly to the messenger girlâs words. He showed no anger or change in his gaze even when Ning Cheng compared his face to someoneâs ass.
After the messenger girl delivered the full report, he spoke calmly, âYou may leave. I understand.â
âŠâŠ
After returning to the inn, Ning Cheng continued studying the Compendium of Celestial Flora. He understood that as long as he didnât go out, Liu Fangzhen couldnât do anything to him.
At the same time, if doubts arose, Ning Cheng would immediately seek advice from Lu Dongze, who also resided in the Matchless Inn. Lu Dongze couldnât help with the few unmarked plants in the book, but for the things he knew, he explained to Ning Cheng without reservation and in great detail.
Thus, Ning Cheng read two-thirds of the book in just two months, bringing him immense benefits. It was not just because of the content but also due to his discussion on alchemy with Lu Dongze, which gave him many insights. It also made him understand that Lu Dongze vastly surpassed Sichen Qiutian in alchemy proficiency.
Thus, apart from advancing his understanding of alchemy, Ning Cheng also formed a deep friendship with Lu Dongze. Plus, over the many interactions, he understood that Lu Dongze had a straightforward personality and didnât like beating around the bush. Such a character could easily offend people, yet he got along well with Ning Cheng.
One day, just as Ning Cheng had just put down the Compendium of Celestial Flora, someone activated the restriction on his roomâs entrance.
Ning Chengâs spiritual consciousness swept out, seeing Sichen Qiutian standing at the door with an unfamiliar middle-aged scholar. He immediately noticed that the cultivation level of this stranger wasnât inferior to Sichen Qiutianâs. In other words, this person was at least a Dao Fusion expert. Which Dao Fusion Holy Emperor wanted to meet him now?
Ning Cheng opened the restriction at the door but hadnât spoken yet when Sichen Qiutian smiled and said, âNing Cheng, this is City Lord Liu Fangzhen from Crow Pavilion Sacred Dao City. He had heard about your remarkable alchemy skills and specially came to visit.â
If it were an ordinary person, they would surely be shocked upon hearing that a City Lord at the Dao Fusion Holy Emperor level came to visit a lowly cultivator like Ning Cheng. However, Sichen Qiutian didnât find it surprising at all. In his mind, Ning Cheng was more than qualified to receive a visit from any Dao Fusion Holy Emperor.
However, Ning Cheng didnât feel so. Rather, he felt somewhat taken aback. He didnât expect Liu Fangzhen to have such a âmagnanimousâ personality. After mocking someone in such a way, most people would have decided to strike back in secret. None would have come for such a visit openly. He mercilessly ridiculed Liu Fangzhen back then, not because of his disdain for Liu Fangzhenâs attitude but because he knew they would never become friends and to make it clear to himself that he had an enemy like Liu Fangzhen. If Liu Fangzhen had plotted his actions secretly, it would have taken time, which he could have used to prepare for the Five Grand Realmsâ Alchemy Competition without worries.
Thus, Ning Cheng hadnât expected Liu Fangzhen to seek him out proactively.
âAh, the honourable City Lord Liu graces me with a visit. Please come in. Union Master Sichen, please come inside as well.â Liu Fangzhen had come to visit with âhumilityâ this time, and regardless of his purpose, Ning Cheng couldnât say anything else unless he turned hostile.
He also needed to make a show inviting Union Master Sichen; otherwise, what would he do if Liu Fangzhen suddenly made a move?
Regardless of what Ning Cheng thought, Sichen Qiutian had no intention of leaving. Disregarding why Liu Fangzhen came to meet Ning Cheng, Liu Fangzhen was a Dao Fusion Holy Emperor. He had high hopes for Ning Cheng, so he naturally couldnât let Ning Cheng be alone with a stranger who was a Dao Fusion Holy Emperor.
âThis time, I have also been invited by the Grand Change Pill Union for the Five Grand Realmsâ Alchemy Competition. I have heard that Pill Sage Ningâs alchemy skills have reached a new height, so I couldnât help but come uninvited. I hope you can pardon the rudeness of my actions, Pill Sage Ning.â Liu Fangzhen spoke naturally and politely. It was as if the person who had ordered Ning Cheng to see him wasnât him.
âI didnât expect City Lord Liu to also be a lover of alchemy. Thatâs wonderful. Letâs discuss alchemy togetherâŠâŠâ Ning Cheng feigned surprise. If Liu Fangzhen agreed to discuss alchemy, he could completely engross himself in discussions with Sichen Qiutian and ignore Liu Fangzhen for several days and nights.
Liu Fangzhen hurriedly waved his hand and said, âI enjoy interacting with alchemists, but my understanding of alchemy itself is not as profound. When Pill Sage Ning first arrived in the Grand Change Realm, I heard you went for a stroll. I wonder what gains you might have made?â
Regardless of the intent behind Liu Fangzhenâs question, Ning Cheng calmly replied, âThe Grand Change Realm is vast. Despite travelling around for a few days, I couldnât find anything, so I returned to the Alchemy City.â
Liu Fangzhen spoke seriously, âI greatly admire Pill Sage Ningâs achievements in alchemy. However, although the five Great Dao Courts jointly maintain the Grand Change Realm, it is still somewhat turbulent. Alchemists have always made the greatest contributions. Plus, the Grand Change Alchemy City is close to the Treasured Stone Dao Court, so if anything were to happen, I would truly feel unworthy of hosting the Alchemy Competition.â
Ning Cheng sneered internally but didnât respond. Letâs see how you play this out.
Seeing that Ning Cheng didnât respond, Liu Fangzhen had to take the initiative and said, âPill Sage Ning, you should be aware of the Grand Change Realmâs Ancient Giants, right? The Ancient Giants once sought to seize the entire Grand Change Realm, but luckily, we discovered it early and went through many bloody hardships to prevent this disaster. Unfortunately, some fish had slipped through the net. As the saying goes, a wildfire cannot be extinguished, while the spring winds can bring it back to life. What they lack the most are alchemists who can refine dao pills for them. Thatâs why I am very concerned about the Five Grand Realmsâ Alchemy Competition.â
âMany thanks, City Lord Liu, for your concern. But I donât plan to leave this place until the Five Grand Realmsâ Alchemy Competition ends.â Ning Cheng replied with a somewhat sarcastic tone. Was the Ancient Giant Clan a threat? Liu Fangzhen didnât know how to write the word âshameâ.
Liu Fangzhen nodded and said solemnly, âI heard that there is a woman named Xixi by your side, who came from the Five Grand Realmsâ Void Market?â
Here it comes, Ning Cheng thought to himself. He didnât know if Liu Fangzhen learned about Xixi after Yuan Ji died. But based on his judgement, it should have been after Yuan Jiâs death. Otherwise, someone like Liu Fangzhen wouldnât have waited until he and Xixi arrived at the Grand Change Alchemy City before intercepting them.
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