An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Alleys, alleys, and still the alleys.

Duan Sanfu’s forehead veins throbbed until he finally saw Luo Chen enter a three-courtyard SiHeYuan. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

”No wonder the brothers in the gang have been searching for so long and couldn’t find him.

”So he had already moved to the inner city and picked such a remote place to live.”

The younger brother next to him was eager to act. ”Brother Duan, what should we do now? Should we storm in and drag that kid to Second Brother Gao?”

Smack!

A slap landed on the younger brother’s head, leaving him staring back with a grievance-filled expression.

Duan Sanfu growled, ”Do you even know where we are? This is the inner city! This is Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s territory, with a Golden Core Adept overseeing it. Do you plan to kidnap someone right under their nose?”

The younger brother muttered, ”But he’s just a third stage weakling. If the two of us strike, we could knock him out and take him away without anyone knowing. At most, we’d just get him drunk and say he passed out leaving the city.”

”Are you blind?!” Duan Sanfu shouted, then quickly looked around and lowered his voice. ”That kid’s already at the fourth stage of Qi-Refining. Can’t you tell?”

The younger brother was stunned. ”Wasn’t he at the third stage? How did he jump to the fourth in just a month or two?”

Even though it was just one stage apart, the difference between the third and fourth stages of Qi-Refining was significant.

A third-stage cultivator could barely cast two spells and wielded enchanted artifacts awkwardly. Without even basic martial skills, they were practically useless. They could easily take him away. But at the fourth stage, it meant he had enough spirit energy to cast spells and wield artifacts for a longer time.

In a fight, it would be easy to cause a commotion if they weren’t careful.

Duan Sanfu patted the younger brother on the shoulder. ”We’ve already scouted his place. The next steps will be decided after Second Brother Gao finishes the life-and-death duel.”

”Alright, I’ll go report back now.”

”What about me?”

”You stay here and keep watch. Make sure that kid lives here long-term. It’ll make it easier to grab him later.”

”Oh, alright.” The younger brother sulked and crouched in a shaded corner.

Rustle…

He glanced down and saw a black tail darting into the shadows and chuckled to himself. People always said how great the inner city was, but it seemed no different from the outer city—there were still rats here.

***

Inside SiHeYuan, Luo Chen sat cross-legged on the ground, exerting himself to channel his spirit energy. After a long time, the pangolin puppet beast returned to his hand.

”Gao Tingyuan is still investigating his brother’s death and even plans to make a move against me.”

Luo Chen’s expression shifted between light and dark. He stood up and paced around the courtyard, deep in thought.

Through the puppet beast earlier, he had barely managed to overhear some information. The other party was currently preoccupied, but after the gang’s duel, they would undoubtedly target him. If that happened, he would be in serious danger.

Still, to dare act in the inner city, that took some serious guts! Luo Chen’s lips curled slightly, as if he had thought of something amusing.

Suddenly, a voice rang out in front of him.

”Fellow Daoist, which courtyard are you from?”

A middle-aged man stood there, giving Luo Chen a curious look. Luo Chen smiled faintly and pointed toward the two connected courtyards behind him.

”I’m from the back courtyard. Just moved in. Hello there!”

”A new neighbor, huh? I’m Wan Xiaoshan.”

”Call me Jinxian. A pleasure to meet you.”

”Oh, Fellow Daoist, what an auspicious name. You might just ascend to Da Luo Jinxian and achieve eternal life in the future!”

Da Luo? Well, it’s possible. Though currently known as Little Luo, perhaps one day he could earn the title Great Luo.

Of course, for a first meeting, he had to remain humble.

”Ah, it’s nothing worth mentioning. I’ve got something to attend to. I’ll head back now.”

Luo Chen waved and bid farewell to his newly acquainted ”neighbor” before heading toward the archway of the central courtyard.

Before leaving, he seemed to remember something and offered a sincere reminder.

”Fellow Daoist Wan Xiaoshan, with so many visiting cultivators lately, Dahe Market has become a mixed bag. Some might be planning to cause trouble for honest folks like us. Be careful when you’re out and about!”

Wan Xiaoshan was taken back for a moment before replying nonchalantly, ”It’s fine. The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion anticipated this and sent a patrol team of Foundation Establishment sword cultivators. If we encounter troublemakers, we’ll just capture and beat them to death.”

”Really? That’s fantastic!” Luo Chen’s eyes lit up, and his steps grew lighter as he quickly passed through the courtyard archway and into the back courtyard.

He turned a screen wall, disappearing entirely from view.

Wan Xiaoshan chuckled and shook his head. This Fellow Daoist was truly timid.

Who would dare stir up trouble in the inner city in broad daylight?

Not to mention the inner city, even the outer city was exceptionally safe nowadays.

Who would dare provoke the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?

Still smiling, he stepped out of the courtyard, planning to visit a nearby trade fair. Though he dismissed the warning inwardly, he was still extra cautious when leaving. This courtyard did see a lot of traffic, so it was possible for bad intentioned raiding cultivators to slip in.

With these thoughts in mind, he began scrutinizing everyone he looked at with a hint of suspicion.

Huh? Why is that guy acting so suspiciously? He’s even daring to stare at me?

We have no past grudges or recent conflicts. Why is he staring at me? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Jinxian was right?

No, I need to report this to the patrol team immediately.

After glaring fiercely at a Dajiang Gang lackey crouched in a corner drawing circles, Wan Xiaoshan quickened his pace.

The lackey stared at Wan Xiaoshan in confusion. What’s wrong with that guy? Can’t he just walk normally? Why is he staring at me?

Forget it. No point arguing with someone like that. I’ll just keep an eye on Luo Chen and make sure he doesn’t escape.

Once this job is done, Brother Duan will definitely value me more. Maybe even Second Brother Gao will take notice and let me join the ship to earn big spirit stones!

With that thought, his anticipation for the days ahead grew brighter.

However, not even half a stick of incense later, several streaks of light descended from the sky, encircling him tightly.

”Yes, it’s him! He kept staring at me. He’s definitely planning to kill me, rob me of the mid-grade flying sword I just bought, and maybe even strip me of my brand-new daoist robe!”

The lackey was dumbfounded!

One of the patrol team’s leading cultivators stepped forward with a frown. ”Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? Squatting around like this, are you planning a robbery?”

His tone was sharp, and his words echoed faintly.

The lackey was momentarily stunned, then blurted out in a daze, ”I’m from the outer district, a porter for the Dajiang Gang. I’m just watching someone. Not robbing, just planning to kidnap someone.”

As soon as he finished, he snapped back to his senses. His face turned deathly pale in an instant.

How did I end up spilling everything?

Slap!

The patrol leader slapped him hard and barked, ”I hate low-stage raiders like you the most. No skill at all! Come with me!”

”Where to?”

”You’ve been caught. Next, you’re heading to Red Pillar Prison for a hundred years. Win ten matches on the Debate Platform, and then you can crawl out!”

The lackey’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t tell whether he was stunned by the slap or by the grim of his future.

After the patrol team left, Wan Xiaoshan patted his chest in lingering fear.

Good thing I acted smart!

No, I can’t keep this to myself. I need to warn the neighbors in the other three courtyards.

Without hesitation, he steadied his breath and shouted as he ran. ”There are raiders nearby! Everyone, be cautious when coming and going!”

Nearby cultivators came out of their homes.

”Yes, it was me, Wan Xiaoshan, who reported them. Scum like that deserves to rot in Red Pillar Prison!

”Oh, it’s nothing worth mentioning. No need to thank me!”