SFS 114 Secret Teachings of the Master
114 Secret Teachings of the Master
The flying boat took off, and Thousand Egret Island gradually receded into the distance.
Xu Yan placed a small pile of Qiankun bags in front of him, of various sizes and colors.
He looked through them one by one, and immediately grinned from ear to ear: I'm rich, I'm rich!
There were more than twenty Qiankun bags in total, and more than ten of them were filled with various materials. It was obvious without asking that these Qiankun bags must have come from the Eight-Character Mustache and his accomplices.
Despite their small number and relatively weak strength, they reaped considerable rewards.
Xu Yan even dug out a lot of array materials covered in mud, clearly indicating that he had dug up the island's protective array!
Even if he didn't understand formations, he knew that protective formations were valuable, and even if they were recycled and reused, they would still be a great fortune.
To be honest, Xu Yan had also thought about digging for this thing, but whether it was breaking the formation or destroying it, he had to understand the formation first before he knew where to dig.
Even with his mastery of formations, if he were to hold the manual and compare it line by line, he still wouldn't be able to figure out what those obscure directions and terms meant.
In reality, the illegal excavation gangs may not be experts, but they are willing to put in a lot of effort and dig up the entire island, so they naturally have no trouble finding anything.
After carefully sorting and storing away the spoils of the trip, Xu Yan handed a Qiankun bag to Han Suniang: "Come, come, everyone who finds it gets a share!"
Han Suniang nervously refused: "No, no, no, I can't accept it."
"Keep it, it's all stolen anyway." Xu Yan forced it into Han Suniang's hand. "You and A-Wu are cultivators now, how can you cultivate without money?"
As she spoke, she pinched Ah Wu's little cheek.
Han Suniang hesitated for a moment before finally putting away her Qiankun bag: "Thank you, benefactor."
"No need." Xu Yan waved his hand, then suddenly adopted a serious expression. "Su Niang, what are your plans for the future?"
"Your plans?" Han Suniang was taken aback. "I am willing to follow my benefactor."
Xu Yan shook his head without hesitation: "I am about to embark on a long journey, a journey fraught with danger and peril. Even I myself will face a life-or-death situation. If you two come with me, it will only be more dangerous."
Han Suniang looked somber: "I will follow my benefactor's arrangements."
Xu Yan nodded: "Alright, then I'll find a city or a fairy town..."
As they were speaking, several airships suddenly appeared ahead, and he immediately became alert: "Get down!"
Han Suniang immediately pressed Awu down, and Xu Yan maneuvered the flying boat to go far away.
The other airships did not follow, but cautiously avoided the area as well.
Judging from their direction, they seemed to be heading towards Qianlu Island as well. And the direction they came from... Xu Yan's heart stirred, and he immediately changed direction and flew towards Xianfang.
From afar, one could see many people busy in the Xianfang, which had been silent for more than half a year. The ruins on the ground had been mostly cleared up, and the damaged houses were being repaired.
Before the flying boat even landed, several sword lights had already taken the initiative to meet it.
Xu Yan secretly prepared for any unexpected events, but a familiar voice came from the other end: "Mo Ting, Mo Ting—"
Xu Yan was taken aback, both surprised and delighted: "Uncle Pan—"
Upon meeting, the two were pleasantly surprised and inquired about each other's experiences.
Xu Yan didn't say that he killed Yan Qiao, he only said that he had been hiding until now.
Manager Pan's experience was also very simple. After escaping from the Immortal Market, he hid in a valley hundreds of miles away to avoid trouble. He only returned to the Immortal Market a few months ago when the turmoil had completely subsided.
Not only Manager Pan returned, but also many of the original neighbors.
Xu Yan couldn't help but say, "Qianlu Island is finished. Without the protection of a sect, this Immortal Pavilion..."
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a pang of sadness.
Xu Yan asked, "Haven't you ever thought about starting over in a different place?"
"Easier said than done!" Manager Pan sighed. "People are cheap when they leave their hometown, and goods are expensive when they leave their hometown. Moving to another place is easy, but being in an unfamiliar place... sigh!"
Someone nearby whispered, "This is our home. Where else can we go if we don't come back here?"
Xu Yan didn't know what to say.
In his mind, it has always been true that trees die when transplanted, but people thrive when they move. Changing places is no big deal; it's just starting over.
But after thinking about the environment here carefully, I feel it's understandable.
This is not a modern world with a sound legal system; the law of the jungle prevails, and plundering and extortion are the norm.
Leaving is easy; failing to reach the destination is another matter entirely.
After everyone had left, Xu Yan and Manager Pan began discussing their future plans.
Manager Pan planned to expand Qianlu Talisman Industry and hoped that Xu Yan could stay. In this way, with a large number of spirit talismans in hand, they could deal with the Blood Demon Sect if it attacked again.
Xu Yan frankly stated that he had to return to his sect and would not have the opportunity to come back in the short term.
Manager Pan remained silent for a long time before saying, "Mo Ting, I have another request."
"Please feel free to speak."
"The magical artifact you used against the Blood Demon Cult that day was extraordinary; I've never seen anything like it before. I wonder if you crafted it yourself, or..."
Xu Yan suddenly realized: "It's a secret recipe from my sect."
Manager Pan was extremely disappointed: "So that's how it is. I was being presumptuous."
Xu Yan understood his meaning, took out a pistol and placed it on the table: "This is called a pistol. Its power is extraordinary. Even a mortal with no strength can kill a Qi Refining cultivator, and even threaten a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
Manager Pan's gaze sharpened: "Is this really true?"
"There is absolutely no falsehood in this," Xu Yan said.
Shopkeeper Pan picked up the pistol and examined it closely, its internal and external structure clearly visible. He frowned and said, "It's clearly an ordinary object, how can it have such power?"
Xu Yan placed a thunder talisman on the table: "The secret lies here."
Shopkeeper Pan's pupils contracted, and he said in a deep voice, "Mo Ting, this item must never fall into the hands of ordinary people! Remember, remember!"
Xu Yan immediately felt as if he had swallowed a fly, but outwardly remained calm: "Why?"
Manager Pan arrogantly declared, "Mortals are nothing but ants, while we cultivators are the pillars of this world. If mortals can also kill cultivators... then chaos will soon follow!"
Xu Yan sneered inwardly: You have quite a good eye!
He had assumed that Manager Pan wanted to acquire some firearms to guard the Immortal Pavilion, but he never expected that the first thing the other party thought of was that they must not let mortals get their hands on them.
"Uncle Pan, I only said this thing is incredibly powerful." Xu Yan pointed at the lightning talisman bullet. "This is a secret recipe from my sect. Without cultivation, how could one activate the jade talisman?"
Manager Pan was taken aback, then smiled with relief: "I misunderstood."
That's what she said, and she managed her facial expression well, but Xu Yan could sense that the other person's thoughts weren't so simple.
Xu Yan smiled and deliberately said, "Given my friendship with Uncle Pan, it wouldn't be a problem to give this to him. However, this item is a secret passed down within our sect..."
"It's alright, it's alright!" Manager Pan forced a smile. "Since it's a secret technique passed down within our sect, let's just forget about it."
Xu Yan tapped his knuckles lightly on the table: "It costs more!"
Yeah, this is the third time I've used this phrase, and it still feels just as great!
The turn of events came so suddenly that it almost strained Manager Pan's back: "Is this really true?"
"That's true." Xu Yan nodded. "However, that jade talisman is no ordinary item. If I don't have a reasonable price, I'll have a hard time explaining it to my sect."