ALL NOVEL Chapter 177: Shifting Blame
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The fat-headed merchant did not leave Red Water Market immediately. After the trading session ended, he returned to his inn.
The next day, an elderly man with a slightly chubby face and flowery beard emerged from the inn and wandered around the market stalls for about half an hour, buying two low-value items.
The elderly man with the flowery beard was none other than the merchant in disguise, and neither identity was his true appearance.
Even though he switched identities, he couldn’t escape the deliberate surveillance of the Fake-Dan Immortal.
Two days later.
About two to three hundred li outside Red Water Market.
The fat merchant with the gray box on his back was riding a black-and-gray second-rank flying bird, weaving through the clouds.
Apart from Lan Chang'an and the Fake-Dan Immortal who had hidden his identity and cultivation, no one noticed when he slipped out of the market.
“Are you a merchant, fellow Daoist? I have an ancient artifact that was unearthed not long ago and am looking for someone to appraise it for sale.”A burly man in a black robe flew towards him through the clouds.
“Sorry, I don’t trade with people outside the market,” the fat merchant said cautiously, even though the black-robed man only appeared to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage.
“Why don’t you take a look at this item—”
“No need!”
The merchant controlled his flying bird, intending to go around the man.
“Your Excellency is so ungrateful, don’t blame this one for being forceful.”
The black-robed man’s face darkened, and his figure suddenly blurred, leaving only an afterimage in place.
“Late Foundation Establishment!”
The merchant’s expression changed dramatically as he suddenly felt a powerful spiritual pressure from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Whoosh!
A black fist, surrounded by violent winds, appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
Prepared for trouble, the merchant quickly summoned a supreme-grade defensive silver shield. A silver light screen in the shape of an arc protected him from the front.
Boom! Crack!
The silver shield trembled violently, and the condensed silver light screen shattered instantly. Several cracks appeared on the supreme-grade defensive magical weapon, and its spiritual light dimmed to almost nothing.
“No! You’re not just Foundation Establishment—”
The merchant was terrified, retreating rapidly. He slapped two talismans onto himself, both of which were second-rank superior grades.
One was a defensive talisman, and the other was an escape talisman.
Abandoning the supreme-grade defensive magical weapon, he sent his flying bird to attack the black-robed man while he used the escape talisman to flee.
As a traveling merchant, he had no shortage of life-saving methods.
“Trying to escape? It won’t be that easy.”
At this moment, the black-robed man’s body emitted faint pulses of Core power, and his physical strength was formidable.
With one punch, he sent the supreme-grade magical weapon flying, and with another, he punched through the second-rank flying bird’s abdomen, destroying it effortlessly.
Whoosh!
Like an arrow leaving the bow, the black-robed man rapidly closed in on the fleeing merchant, who was being boosted by the escape talisman.
The Immortal-level spiritual energy was too conspicuous.
Therefore, the black-robed man restrained his use of Core power, only using forty to fifty percent of his strength, combined with his physical power, to ensure he killed the target without causing too much commotion.
“Please, Immortal, spare me! I’m willing to hand over all my possessions!” The merchant, in despair, pleaded for his life.
The black-robed man ignored him, manipulating a supreme-grade flying knife magical weapon. The bright blade flashed through the air, cutting through the merchant’s defensive shield and sending him plummeting to the ground.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a streak of light flew in from a distance, radiating the aura of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“Tsk, tsk, murder and robbery? And I happened to stumble upon it.”
The newcomer was a young man wearing a bamboo hat. He didn’t make any effort to avoid the fleeing pair, appearing quite confident.
“Fellow Daoist, please help me! Ah…”
Before the merchant’s body could hit the ground, it was sliced in half by a Core power-infused strike.
“Wait, this aura... a Fake-Dan Immortal—”
As he got closer, the young man in the bamboo hat’s expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, he turned and fled.
...
The black-robed man pulled over the items from the merchant’s body and then looked at the fleeing Foundation Establishment young man in the bamboo hat.
“Unlucky!”
Xiang Jinglong’s face darkened.
In order to avoid revealing his identity and cultivation, he had been careful to restrain his use of Immortal-level spiritual energy. Otherwise, he would have to change places immediately after each job, attracting the sect’s attention.
Unexpectedly, there happened to be a strong player at the peak of Foundation Establishment passing by in the vicinity.
Judging by the opponent’s spiritual energy fluctuations, he was by no means a rogue cultivator.
“Since you’ve seen this, you’ll have to pay the price!”
Xiang Jinglong sneered, deciding not to hide any longer. His Core power surged as he quickly moved to kill the young man in the bamboo hat.
The young man in the bamboo hat, though his appearance differed, had the exact same cultivation and aura as Senior Brother Zhuo.
Even though Xiang Jinglong had hidden his identity, he didn’t want to leave a witness behind and planned to relocate after finishing this job, keeping a low profile for a while.
“Fake-Dan Immortal, killing and seizing treasures! It’s shameful that such scum exists in the Liang Kingdom cultivation world!”
The young man in the bamboo hat shouted as he channeled his mana.
“Seeking death!”
Xiang Jinglong’s face turned grim. As soon as he was within attack range, he manipulated the supreme-grade flying knife magical weapon to strike at the young man in the bamboo hat.
Though he had hidden his identity, as long as he didn’t use his unique magical treasure and wasn’t witnessed by someone familiar, he wouldn’t easily be exposed.
“Senior, please be merciful, I'm just passing through—”
The young man in the bamboo hat hurriedly summoned a black umbrella magical weapon, raising a dense black flame barrier to protect himself.
This supreme-grade magical weapon was one of the finest of its kind and had been used by the “Night Fisherman” before.
With a loud bang, the black flame shield was shattered, and the fiery shockwave swept across dozens of zhang.
Before the flames and dust had even settled, a streak of azure light shot through the sky, speeding away like a meteor.
“A quasi-third-rank escape talisman!”
Xiang Jinglong’s expression shifted slightly, and his brow furrowed.
Speed was not his strong suit. Catching up to this person would likely take considerable effort.
Moreover, it could lead to further complications, potentially revealing his identity.
“Fake-Dan Immortal, killing and seizing treasures—”
As the azure light fled, the young man in the bamboo hat transmitted his voice to the surroundings.
Hearing this, Xiang Jinglong hesitated to give chase. After all, they were near the market, where there were many cultivators around.
“Hahaha! To be able to escape from ‘Old He,’ you’ve got some skill, kid!”
Xiang Jinglong laughed aloud, transmitting his voice over several li before changing direction and flying towards a remote area.
...
“Old He?”
The young man in the bamboo hat showed a peculiar expression, confirming that the Fake-Dan Immortal had given up the chase.
He hadn’t expected Xiang Jinglong to be so cautious in his actions this time.
Xiang Jinglong had not exposed his identity nor used his personal magical treasure.
When Xiang Jinglong committed murder and robbery, he had concealed his spiritual energy and used only supreme-grade magical weapons.
If it weren’t for the young man in the bamboo hat showing up, any nearby cultivators would have mistaken him for a late Foundation Establishment cultivator as long as they didn’t get too close.
However, Xiang Jinglong’s cultivation level as a Fake-Dan Immortal had ultimately been revealed.
“No matter if you’re Xiang Jinglong or He Yuanwu. As long as Senior Brother Zhuo left traces nearby and had an encounter with a Fake-Dan Immortal, the pot has been dumped.”
Lan Chang'an, who had taken on the appearance of the young man in the bamboo hat using the “Hundred Illusions Mask,” held the black umbrella magical weapon once owned by the Night Fisherman as he rapidly fled through the sky.
Since they were near the market, it was inevitable that other cultivators would notice along the way.
The quasi-third-rank escape talisman he used was the one that Senior Brother Zhuo had obtained from Song Wenshu.
The spiritual energy fluctuations, the magical weapon used, and the escape methods all aligned perfectly with the “deceased identity.”
...
Two hours later.
Several hundred li outside Red Water Market, near the entrance of a snake’s den at the foot of a cliff.
Lan Chang'an stood in the shade of a tree, observing the situation at the entrance of the snake’s den.
Because Senior Brother Zhuo had been placed under a restriction, there were no signs of movement from within the den.
Squeak!
The Earth Burrowing Rat stood by his feet, curiously watching.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lan Chang'an confirmed that Senior Brother Zhuo had completely stopped breathing.
It wasn’t that Lan Chang'an didn’t want to give Senior Brother Zhuo a quick death.
The main reason was that this person had a significant background—he was the great-grandson of a Core Formation elder of Flame Departing Palace.
In his previous life, Lan Chang'an had known about a certain secret technique related to death markings.
Certain ancient sects could place such a marking on their direct descendants, if one of these marked individuals was killed, the murderer would be tainted with a trace of the marking or leave behind a sign.
Though the likelihood of this applying to Senior Brother Zhuo was low, Lan Chang'an didn’t want to take any chances.
“There’s nothing unusual…”
After waiting for a while longer, Lan Chang'an merged his consciousness with the Nine Seal Stele, using its powerful spiritual sense amplification to examine the interior of the snake’s den.
Whoosh!
Before leaving, Lan Chang'an cast a fire spell, and searing flames engulfed the snake’s den, thoroughly destroying all evidence.
After finishing up, he adjusted his appearance once again and began his journey back.
“Not half a year has passed since the battle with the ‘Night Fisherman.’ Under normal circumstances, Senior Brother Zhuo should have recovered by now, and only a Fake-Dan Immortal or stronger could kill him.”
“Time, place, and characters—all have been distanced from Wuqi Mountain.”
On his way back, Lan Chang'an mentally reviewed everything, ensuring that there were no obvious flaws.
...
Hinterland of Liang Kingdom.
Over a vast lake of dark red, scalding lava stood a grand and radiant palace complex.
This was the location of “Flame Departing Palace,” the number one sect in the Liang Kingdom, situated within an underground space spanning hundreds of li, where the fire spiritual energy was exceptionally abundant.
At the Flame Departing Palace gate, within the Law Enforcement Hall.
In a solemn, cold hall.
Clink! Crack!
A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a square face, clad in iron armor and at the early Core Formation Realm, opened his hand to reveal a shattered blood jade.
“The northeast direction, near the Mo Family’s region…”
The iron-armored middle-aged man gazed at the broken blood jade in his hand, closing his eyes to sense for a few breaths, and came to a preliminary conclusion.
His face showed a slight gloom.
Such a good chess piece is dead so suddenly.
After pondering for a moment, the iron-armored middle-aged man sent out a transmission talisman and then closed his eyes to rest his mind.
Half a day later.
A refined-looking man in a green robe hurried over.
“Disciple Song Wenshu greets Deputy Hall Master Fang!”
The green-robed man respectfully bowed.
The iron-armored middle-aged man before him was the Deputy Hall Master of the Flame Departing Palace Law Enforcement Hall.
The Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall is also held by the Law Enforcement Elder.
This Deputy Hall Master Fang was essentially the second-in-command of the enforcement arm of a Nascent Soul-level sect.
“Zhuo Yangping is dead.”
The iron-armored middle-aged man’s tone was calm, but there was an inexplicable sense of oppression within the hall.
“Senior Brother Zhuo is dead?” Song Wenshu’s face shook in disbelief.
“Senior Brother Zhuo had a magical treasure prototype and a quasi-third-rank escape talisman. Unless an Immortal strikes…”
To be precise, even if a Fake-Dan Immortal wanted to kill Senior Brother Zhuo, it would take some effort.
“With Zhuo Yangping’s strength, he wouldn’t have died without leaving a trace.”
The iron-armored middle-aged man paused for a moment before giving instructions:
“Wenshu, you investigate this matter privately. Don’t alert the others within the sect.”
(End of chapter)