Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Chapter 205: Chapter 174: Looted Clean, the Reason for Betraying the Clan

“Mo Qingxue?”

Li Chang’an was familiar with the name.

He had a Favor Token from Mo Qingxue, which he’d received back in Qinghe Marketplace in exchange for the corpse of a Shadowless Finch. He still hadn’t used it.

Mo Qingxue’s talent was extraordinary. She had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment many years ago and showed promise of reaching the Golden Core realm.

The later he used this Token, the more valuable it would become.

Perhaps he could eventually exchange it for a favor from a Golden Core Master!

At this thought, Li Chang’an asked, “Daoist Mo, since your father died in battle for Mo Qingxue, did she not look after you and your sister afterward?”

“Sigh. The Young Miss is completely focused on her cultivation. How could she possibly concern herself with such matters?”

A sorrowful expression appeared on Mo Feng’s face as he sighed deeply.

After his father died, the situation for him and his sister within the family took a sharp downturn.

Many family members demanded he hand over the Tier Two Puppet, claiming it was family property and didn’t belong to him and his sister.

He took a hard stance and refused to hand it over.

Later, the Patriarch even decided to marry his sister off to the Zhou Family, using her as a tool for a marriage alliance.

Furthermore, the man from the Zhou Family had mental problems—he was a fool who couldn’t cultivate!

Mo Feng was both furious and heartbroken.

In a fit of rage, he fled with his sister, leaving the Mo Family behind.

After hearing the story, Li Chang’an shook his head slightly.

“For the Mo Family to treat the descendants of a meritorious member like this, their internal affairs must be in chaos. It’s no wonder a Golden Core Master hasn’t appeared in all these years. They can only rely on a Tier Three Puppet to maintain their standing among the Seven Great Noble Families.”

Without a true Golden Core Master presiding over them, the Mo Family’s ranking among the Seven Great Noble Families wasn’t particularly high.

However, a Puppet had its advantages.

As long as it wasn’t destroyed, it could be passed down for generations.

A Golden Core Master, on the other hand, would eventually reach the end of their lifespan.

Mo Feng sighed and said, “Daoist Li, you are absolutely right. Perhaps it is precisely because of that Tier Three Puppet that many in the Mo Family lack a sense of urgency. They are all busy with internal strife, which has led the Mo Family to its current state.”

“Daoist Mo, based on what you’ve said, is my only option to discard this Tier Two Puppet?”

Li Chang’an brought the conversation back to the Puppet.

A Tier Two Puppet was quite valuable.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he really didn’t want to just throw it away.

Mo Feng pondered for a moment.

“Daoist Li, I can help you dismantle it and salvage some of the safe materials. The core components and materials, however, must be discarded.”

“Alright, then.”

Li Chang’an had no other choice. After all, he was no match for the entire Mo Family right now.

Every little bit he could salvage was a win.

Next, Mo Feng began to work, cleanly and efficiently dismantling the Tier Two Puppet.

He was a member of the Mo Family, after all, and possessed a Tier Two Low Grade Skill, so he dismantled it very quickly.

Before long, a pile of materials lay before Li Chang’an.

“Daoist Li, these materials are all safe to use.”

“Alright, let me see.”

Li Chang’an picked up the materials and inspected them one by one.

The Array Patterns carved into the materials had all been erased, restoring them to their original state, ready to be re-inscribed.

The remaining components and materials had to be discarded.

All in all, Li Chang’an recovered over half of the Puppet’s materials, only needing to discard the smaller portion.

But that small portion of materials from the core was the most valuable.

’If I want to build a Tier Two Puppet myself, I’ll still need to gather more materials.’

Li Chang’an mused.

His puppetry skills were already at the Tier One Peak, and now that he had obtained the inheritance, he would soon be able to break through to Tier Two.

“Daoist Mo, do you have any spare Tier Two Puppet Materials?”

“I have some, but not many.”

Mo Feng understood what Li Chang’an meant.

He immediately took out all the Tier Two Puppet Materials he had collected and gave them directly to Li Chang’an.

Li Chang’an did not refuse and accepted them all.

But it still wasn’t enough.

’It’s still not quite enough. I’ll just have to gather the rest slowly.’

Finally, Li Chang’an took the Puppet’s core materials and descended deep into the earth.

He discarded the materials there and used several Burning Talismans to scorch them black before returning to the surface to bid farewell to Mo Feng and his sister.

“Daoist Mo, I have other matters to attend to. I’m heading to the Black Market. You two should focus on recovering.”

“Daoist Li, wait!”

“Hm? Is there something else?”

Li Chang’an paused and turned to look back at Mo Feng.

Mo Feng quickly explained, “Daoist Li, Yan Yuan, the master of Blood Beast Valley, has returned. He’s no longer exploring the Secret Realm and is in the Black Market right now! He’s put out the word that he wants to tear you to shreds.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Li Chang’an wasn’t worried.

He could just change his identity.

Worried that he was underestimating his enemy, Mo Feng added a few more words.

That Yan Yuan was different from him; he wasn’t forced to betray his family, he did so voluntarily.

Back then, for the sake of a Treasure used to nurture Spirit Beasts, Yan Yuan killed a fellow family disciple they were adventuring with in a Secret Realm. He then proactively defected from his family, changing his surname from “Zhou” to “Yan” to show that he was cutting all ties.

Upon hearing this, Li Chang’an had a moment of realization.

’So that’s how it is. I was wondering why that guy’s surname wasn’t Zhou.’

“Daoist Li, that Yan Yuan is a vicious and cruel man. You must not let your guard down.”

“I understand.”

Li Chang’an cupped his hands in a salute, then turned and left without another moment’s delay.

On his way to the Black Market, he changed his identity, storing the “Li Fan” human skin in his Storage Pouch and taking out a disposable, fake skin he had made himself, draping it over the Puppet Body.

Before long, the Black Market was in sight.

Li Chang’an controlled the fake-skinned puppet and swaggered into the Black Market.

Just as he entered the Black Market, he saw a wanted poster put up by Blood Beast Valley.

“Five thousand Spirit Stones for the one who kills Li Fan.”

“Five hundred Spirit Stones for valuable information.”

“For common information…”

Li Chang’an stood before the wanted poster, patiently reading through it line by line.

He had to admit, a major power like Blood Beast Valley was much richer than Xu Fugui’s second senior brother.

A full five thousand Spirit Stones—many at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer couldn’t save up that much.

But Li Chang’an still felt the price was too low. Surely he was worth more than that.

Besides, given Blood Beast Valley’s way of doing things, whether they would actually pay the reward was another question entirely.

Li Chang’an looked away.

He activated his Pupil of Truth and began searching for treasures in the Black Market.

Before long, he managed to find an overlooked Tier One Top Grade Wood Treasure.

’Not bad. Another score.’

Li Chang’an smiled and put the Treasure away.

He continued to browse.

A moment later, his steps suddenly halted in front of a stall.

Most of the Treasures on this stall were unremarkable, appearing to have little value.

But…

Among them was a waist token with a nearly invisible silver dot on its edge.

’It’s this kind of storage Treasure again!’

Li Chang’an’s interest was piqued. This type of Treasure couldn’t be refined with Magical Power; it could only be accessed by touch with one’s Divine Sense.