Bang! Bang! Bang!
With a few strikes, the talisman shield trembled violently, its glow flickering wildly. It looked like it could shatter at any moment.
"Bloodburning Technique? A Foundation Establishment cultivator about to sit in death meditation?" From the fourth floor, Wei Tu instantly saw through the plain-clothed old man's background.
This time, Lou Sanhua had come prepared, and this old man was clearly a disposable pawn.
'Good thing Yuan Jie and I made preparations in advance.'
Wei Tu's expression turned cold. His gaze shifted to the street outside the shop, where Fairy Baohua was just about to arrive.
These last few days leading up to the Golden Tent Election were too crucial. Everyone in the Cangkun Alliance was on alert, ready to move at any moment.
That was why, when Wei Tu sent word, Yuan Jie could quickly dispatch someone—specifically Fairy Baohua, who ranked third in open combat strength within the alliance.
While Wei Tu had the strength to deal with Lou Sanhua and her two protectors, he didn't want to make a move unless it was absolutely necessary.
First, to conceal his strength.
No one yet knew that Wei Tu had already broken through to mid-stage Golden Core, and not just in cultivation—he'd also achieved dual cultivation in both body and technique.
Second, to avoid attracting attention and giving the She Ri Tribe and Feng Wu Tribe another excuse to target him.
Right now, what those two tribes feared most was his mastery of the alchemy path, not his strength.
If he were to show his hand, the next people they sent wouldn't be just Lou Sanhua. They'd send someone even stronger—maybe another cultivator at the brink of death, like that old man, willing to trade their life for his.
…
"Stop!"
Just as the shield was about to break, Fairy Baohua arrived in time. In a flash, she appeared next to Tao Fangde and gently tapped the plain-clothed old man's chest with her jade palm.
The old man spat blood, flew backward, and hit the ground. By the time he landed, he was already dead.
"Baohua, what's the meaning of this?"
"You dare kill someone in broad daylight?"
Lou Sanhua's eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of wariness as she shouted.
From her sharp perception, she could tell that Fairy Baohua's current strength had reached the top tier of mid-stage Golden Core.
"Someone's causing trouble in Alchemist Wei's shop, and since he's not good at combat, of course I had to step in to help him."
Fairy Baohua smiled lightly.
She wasn't lying. In her mind, Wei Tu really wasn't a skilled fighter. His fame came from his roles as an alchemist and talisman master.
"As for killing in broad daylight?" Fairy Baohua covered her mouth with a light laugh and retorted, "Lou, this is the Wei Clan's Talisman and Pill Shop, not some random street. If someone causes trouble inside the shop, the shop has every right to strike back."
"As for his death—it's because he was too weak and used a demonic secret technique to boost his strength."
"You—!" Lou Sanhua was furious but couldn't find a way to argue against Baohua's logic.
Indeed, the old man's death was partly due to Baohua's strike, but more than that, it was because he used the Bloodburning Technique.
That sort of thing could be confirmed with a single examination of the corpse.
There was no way to twist the facts.
But what really infuriated Lou Sanhua wasn't the old man's death. It was that he failed to break the talisman shield before dying, leaving her in an awkward and passive position.
What she didn't know was that talismans crafted by Wei Tu were slightly stronger than average ones of the same rank.
That the old man had nearly broken the shield already meant he was giving it his all. It wasn't that he was holding back or slacking off.
"Baohua, I'm not here to argue with you. I came to have Wei Tu refine a batch of Blood-Cleaving Pills."
"If he won't come out, I'm not leaving."
Lou Sanhua crossed her arms and stared coldly at Fairy Baohua, refusing to back down.
"In that case, Fairy Lou, our shop will temporarily close for business."
Tao Fangde didn't play along. He cupped his hands toward Lou Sanhua, then motioned to the apprentices inside the shop to shut everything down.
The biggest business of the Wei Clan's Talisman and Pill Shop wasn't in selling low-grade pills and talismans. It was in commissions from Golden Core cultivators for third-rank pills and talismans.
So closing for a while was just surface damage—it wouldn't hurt the shop at its core.
"Hold on, Manager Tao. You might want to hear what kind of payment my lady is willing to offer."
At that moment, one of the old women behind Lou Sanhua finally spoke up.
"What reward?"
Fairy Baohua spoke up in place of Tao Fangde. After all, Tao Fangde didn't have the standing to deal with someone like Lou Sanhua.
"A Form-Shifting Spirit Ganoderma!"
The old woman flipped her hand, revealing a small mushroom sprite bound by golden thread.
The sprite was about three inches tall, with a topknot hairstyle and a carved jade-like appearance, no different from an ordinary child—except for the root tendrils still trailing from its feet.
"A Spirit-Awakened Plant?" Some cultivators in the room were stunned.
Spirit-Awakened Plants were rare treasures, longed for by Golden Core cultivators. No matter the faction, such items were seldom seen and extremely precious.
But what puzzled everyone was that—even with the Feng Wu Tribe's wealth—why would they bring out something like this over a petty dispute?
After all, Spirit-Awakened Plants had to do with the future of a tribe's Divine Masters.
"A Form-Shifting Spirit Ganoderma isn't truly a Spirit-Awakened Plant. It's more of a substitute."
Soon, someone knowledgeable began explaining to others nearby.
It turned out that herbs like ganoderma and ginseng were naturally prone to developing spirits. However, for such herbs to fully evolve into Spirit-Awakened Plants, it took a very long time.
And no cultivator would ever patiently wait for that.
So, once the herb took on a human-like form and started showing signs of intelligence, they'd harvest it immediately.
Even so, a humanoid "Form-Shifting Spirit Ganoderma" was still rare and valuable—something often saved as the highlight of high-tier auctions.
"A Form-Shifting Spirit Ganoderma…"
Fairy Baohua's eyes lit up. Clearly, just like everyone else, she was tempted by it.
"Daoist Wei, these are nearly impossible to find. If you're confident you can win it, I'll buy it from you at market value and owe you a favor."
She sent a sound-transmission to Wei Tu.
She, like Lou Sanhua, knew that Wei Tu had previously succeeded in refining the Blood-Cleaving Pill.
"Of course, if you don't want to do it, I won't hold it against you."
Fairy Baohua sounded sincere.
"I hesitated because the Golden Tent Election is so close. If I accept Lou Sanhua's request and she stirs up trouble, it could affect Daoist Yuan's plans."
Wei Tu shared his concern.
As long as the election wasn't jeopardized, showing off his previously revealed alchemy skills wasn't a big deal.
"Don't worry, Daoist Wei. The Golden Tent Election was decided long ago. With support from Divine Master Du Long and Divine Master Donglai, Yuan Jie is sure to win."
"Lou Sanhua's troublemaking today probably just stems from the fact that the three Divine Masters of our alliance are currently locked in a standoff and can't intervene here."
Fairy Baohua spoke calmly.
Du Long and Donglai?
Hearing this, Wei Tu finally understood which Divine Masters were backing Yuan Jie.
There were three Divine Masters in the Ying Ding Tribe: Du Long, He Di, and Donglai, who was stationed in Falling Sun City.
Among them, Du Long and He Di didn't get along.
And now, with Fairy Baohua only naming Du Long and Donglai as Yuan Jie's supporters, it was clear that He Di did not support Yuan Jie becoming the Right Virtuous King.
That didn't necessarily mean He Di supported the current Right Virtuous King either. He might be supporting some other tribal leader like Yuan Jie instead.
After all, with the Second Prince dead, the Right Virtuous King's house lacked a worthy successor.
Opposing just for the sake of opposing didn't make much sense within a structured faction.
Wei Tu didn't doubt Fairy Baohua's words. Compared to him, she was truly Yuan Jie's right-hand woman and close confidante.
"Alright. I'll accept this request, Fairy Baohua. But aside from the favor, I'd also like to study your Hundred Flowers Secret Art."
Wei Tu thought for a moment and laid out his terms.
Fairy Baohua didn't follow the usual Five Element Dao paths seen in the cultivation world. She practiced the 'Way of a Hundred Flowers,' which branched off from the Wood Element Dao.
Back during the Sword Trial Competition, Wei Tu had watched her in action and had been fascinated by it.
—She could easily plant undetectable, hard-to-resist poisons on opponents mid-fight.