Chapter 1514: Chapter 1514: Difficult Entry to the Fang Market
The number of people ambushed by the Yinsha is not large; it’s not that they don’t want to deploy more, but rather, at the moment, there’s no one available to send.
Ji Buseng, being a Golden Core cultivator, shamelessly executed a Chen-tier expert from the Yinsha, greatly angering them, which is why they sent out three Golden Core cultivators; otherwise, they might not have cared to intervene.
Unfortunately, Ji Buseng is not alone; he has Master Sumiao by his side.
Two Golden Core cultivators against three Golden Core cultivators makes for quite a lively battle. Although Ji Buseng’s combat strength is formidable, among the five Golden Core cultivators, only the Yinsha have a Mid-Stage Golden Core, while the other four are at the Initial Golden Core Stage.
At this critical juncture, Qu Jianlei and Xiao Meng rushed in. Seven Golden Core cultivators engaged in chaotic battle, eliminating a disciple from the Yinsha Sect who had just embraced the core. Then they sensed more Yinsha reinforcements arriving, prompting the four to flee.
Qu Jianlei came primarily to ensure Feng Jun’s safety, with no immediate need for a divination — actually, given his relationship with Feng Jun, even without a formal request, he could negotiate the matter, and not only him, Xiao Meng is the same.
Therefore, he let Ji Buseng and Sumiao have the credit for the kill; how they divide it is none of his business.
Qu Jianlei is well aware that killing this Initial Golden Core stage cultivator might have big repercussions — slain right after embracing the core; it’s no wonder Yinsha would go berserk.
Ji Buseng understands this point too, which is why, after discussing, they decided to leave Yinsha Fang City temporarily.
Thus, the four real cultivators departed from Yinsha Fang City, but where Ji Buseng and Sumiao went, Qu Jianlei and Xiao Meng were not privy to.
Master Qu and his companion retreated back to Rong Mountain Square Market; they didn’t find it shameful, as this place is not far from the Yinsha Headquarters, albeit not as close as the Yinsha Fang City — a tactical withdrawal.
They even considered that Ji Buseng and Sumiao might likely have retreated to Rong Mountain as well; retreating any further is improbable.
However, both sides were too embarrassed to inquire directly. Indeed, some matters are taboo, and if the relationship hasn’t reached that level, it’s best not to pry — one piece of information could involve matters of life and death.
“Ji Buseng and Sumiao,” Feng Jun pondered; he knew these two’s relationship way too well. Others were merely parroting rumors, but he was the close friend of their granddaughter, “They both have divination needs.”
Ji Buseng is nearly certain to advance to the Mid-Stage Golden Core, merely needing some probability boost, and Sumiao is close behind.
So, Feng Jun was a bit curious, “They couldn’t be hunting just one Golden Core, could they?”
Qu Jianlei nodded, “I see Ji Buseng also wants to hunt two Golden Cores; anyway, this Golden Core won’t make it into the registry.”
The deceased Initial Golden Core was newly ascended, not earlier than Qu Jianlei, thus not included in Yinsha’s Nine Golden Core assembly; in principle, his death shouldn’t have much impact.
However, from the Yinsha Sect’s perspective, it’s a different story — our newly minted Golden Core, a rising star, was killed by them; this is certainly not something to let slide.
Nonetheless, this is a matter of opinion; after all, the person is already dead, gnashing teeth won’t bring him back, right?
Feng Jun didn’t pay this much attention, considering a dead genius as merely a deceased individual, while the living must find ways to survive — does entering the registry matter? He sincerely cared about one point, “How did you find me?”
This question had to be asked; he was going around killing in Yinsha’s territory, yet they couldn’t find him, even as recently as a few hours ago when someone used divination to try locating him. Nevertheless, he still evaded capture.
The person attempting the divination surely had a higher cultivation level than Qu Jianlei, so Feng Jun was quite puzzled — if he couldn’t find me, how did you manage it?
Qu Jianlei’s face rarely showed an expression of awkwardness, “Well, Mountain Master Feng, my mission is to protect you, you understand; it’s always been my mission, so I considered… what if I lost you?”
Feng Jun felt truly speechless, thus lit a cigarette, “You… continue!”
“What else… can I continue with?” Qu Jianlei spread his hands, speaking with a mix of humor and frustration, “So I put a bit of Spiral Flower fragrance on you while I brought along two Spiral Flower Insects.”
Feng Jun hearing this, couldn’t help but smirk, “You really… put a lot of faith in me.”
Spiral Flowers are unique to Crimson Phoenix, possessing Crimson Sun attributes, only growing around Crimson Phoenix; they are extremely rare, a primary ingredient for crafting Fire Marrow Pills, considered a rare commodity outside, perhaps not a Natural Treasure, but still highly coveted.
Many have attempted cultivation outside Crimson Phoenix’s territory, all failing without exception.
The primary reason? Many believe it’s due to the lack of Spiral Flower Insects — only these insects can enable Spiral Flowers to thrive.
Whether this guess is correct is hard to say, but Spiral Flower Insects are undoubtedly unobtainable even with money.
Feng Jun disliked having his actions monitored by others — genuinely disliked it, his secrets were too many; however, Qu Jianlei aimed to ensure his safety, even using such a rare item as Spiral Flower Insects, leaving him without words.
Qu Jianlei believed his explanation would suffice — it’s all for the best for you.
Thus, he disregarded this minor detail, his concern being, “Where have you been recently, you nearly drove me to panic.”
“Huh?” Feng Jun gave him an astonished glance, “I went to Jumu, didn’t you know? I even killed two Golden Cores there… Yue Wu and Ling Bing.”
“Did you really kill them?” Qu Jianlei was visibly shocked, “I heard the news too and found it hard to believe. You, at the Preliminary Stage, really managed to kill two Golden Cores and scare away Hanpo?”
Some people are naturally not good at talking, which results in them having few friends. However, Master Qu’s questioning hit Feng Jun’s proud spot, so he didn’t mind at all and instead felt, “You really know how to join in the fun.”
So he smiled and casually said, “They wanted to leave arrogantly, and I certainly couldn’t allow that, right? So I ambushed them.”
His words were light, but who were Qu Jianlei and Master Xiaomeng? Of course, they knew it wasn’t easy.
The four of them, all Golden Cores, had besieged three Golden Cores but only barely managed to kill one who had just formed their core. Feng Jun, against three, including two strong Golden Cores, stunningly slew two and forced the other to flee for his life.
An ambush? If an ambush could achieve such results, it was indeed shocking. Even the Five Golden Cores had ambushed Feng Jun, and what was the result?
Qu Jianlei praised him twice, then asked, “How did you get here so quickly again?”
That question was indeed too straightforward. Xiaomeng felt it was a bit inappropriate, so she spoke up, “Jianlei means to ask, Mountain Master Feng, what do you intend to do at Rong Mountain, and do you need our cooperation?”
Feng Jun thought for a moment before answering, “I plan to take a look at the Yinsha Annex and see if I can infiltrate the defensive formation.”
“You plan to target the Yinsha Annex?” Qu Jianlei’s eyes lit up, “Do you know how to sneak into the Rong Mountain Square Market?”
Feng Jun was taken aback, “The Market… is hard to get into?”
“Indeed it’s hard to get in,” Qu Jianlei replied with a smile, “The annex is right next to the market, but recently the authentication system’s been activated, checking the true identities of anyone entering or leaving. They claim it’s due to spatial instability lately, fearing demonic fiends sneaking in.”
Demonic fiends sneaking in, that’s nonsense. From his gloating expression, it was clear he was mocking the Yinsha Sect.
Feng Jun frowned, “So it’s easy to get exposed?”
“Alone, yes, it’s easy to get exposed,” Qu Jianlei continued smiling, “but with the two of us, it’ll be easy… We have a secret path that leads directly to the market.”
“A secret path…” Feng Jun pondered for a moment and asked, “This must be a secret strategy of Crimson Phoenix against the Yinsha Sect, right?”
“Of course,” Qu Jianlei confirmed Feng Jun’s speculation, “Crimson Phoenix and Yinsha have been at odds for thousands of years, how could they not have some strategic setups?”
Feng Jun hesitated before speaking, “But now exposing your strategic moves because of me, is it appropriate?”
Qu Jianlei boisterously stated, “What’s the difference? You hold significant importance to Crimson Phoenix, and these arrangements are permissible for you to know.”
Feng Jun shook his head with a smile, “I think it’s better if I don’t know.”
Seeing his refusal, Qu Jianlei was about to persuade him, but then heard him say again, “One of you going in is enough, I have a pair of Transfer Matrix Plates here, wouldn’t it be convenient if you just teleported me in?”
Master Xiaomeng thought for a moment, then nodded, “That’s feasible, it would indeed make things convenient for everyone.”
Qu Jianlei seemed a bit anxious, “Wouldn’t that be too formal?”
“Mountain Master Feng wants to avoid any hint of impropriety,” Master Xiaomeng glanced at him. Women are naturally subtler than men; she sensed Feng Jun’s deliberate sense of distance but still smiled and explained, “He’s afraid we’d insistently escort him back to Crimson Phoenix.”
This woman isn’t remotely foolish! Feng Jun mentally praised her, yet he said with a smile, “Not necessarily afraid of insistence, such a possibility doesn’t exist now. The key is in friendships, one should proactively avoid taboos, and mind the measure, for friendship to last.”
Qu Jianlei nodded, feeling a slight disappointment, but he understood the reasoning behind Feng Jun’s words, although it was somewhat uncomfortable.
“I’ll go in first then,” Master Xiaomeng volunteered and then glanced at Qu Jianlei, “Can the Transfer Matrix Plates be detected in the market?”
Although she is Master Jinian, her understanding of the market wasn’t as thorough as that of Qu Rongxun, who frequently undertook missions.
Qu Jianlei nodded, “They can indeed be detected, but only during emergencies would the market’s warning formation be elevated to the highest level. Right now Rong Mountain is only under general surveillance.”
Feng Jun also felt it wasn’t a big issue, “As far as I know, Yinsha has prepared many Transfer Matrix Plates this time, leaving backups at various markets. They probably don’t want the markets making a joke out of them either, do they?”
Ultimately, he didn’t want to learn too many of Crimson Phoenix’s secrets; knowing too much about secrets will eventually lead to regret.
He took out a set of Transfer Matrix Plates and handed one to Xiaomeng, “In that case, it would be appreciated, Fellow Daoist Xiaomeng.”
He was unaware that in the Yinsha Annex within Rong Mountain Square Market, a grey compass was sitting squarely on an obsidian stand.
(Until the update for summoning tickets.)