CHAPTER 656: CHAPTER 647: CHANCE ENCOUNTER AT WO HU TEMPLE MARKET

"Buzz!"

Jiang Yuan flicked his finger and produced the scroll, and a metallic sound echoed around his ears.

Previously, when it was being watched in the little courtyard, this scroll was clearly quite low-key. Perhaps it was due to encountering the designated task person; now, when taken out, it radiated brilliant golden light accompanied by a unique sound effect that would make anyone give it extra regard, even if unaware of its true value.

"Geez! A task-only item sure knows how to boost its own value!" he inwardly complained while shaking the scroll open, but it was no use; all he could see were the four large characters, "Task-only item".

This system is really stingy, not even letting me see a view.

However, as the golden light shimmered, the Mountains and Rivers Map in everyone’s eyes seemed to come alive.

The flowers and trees on the mountain bloomed with various petals falling; the water flowed gently with birds chirping joyfully, even the white clouds on the horizon drifted with the wind. A breeze came from the picture, blowing Gongxi Jin’s long hair, and her eyes widened instantly!

"Indeed... When Mr. Jiang takes action, it is a precious treasure!" Xie Chenyuan’s eyes were enviously red, but unfortunately, no matter how wide he opened them, he couldn’t discern the marvelous use of the suddenly animated landscape painting.

Gongxi Yanchang and his wife could make neither head nor tail of it, but their daughter’s demeanor clearly had an affinity with this treasure, making their hearts joyful.

[Side Task: The Worries of the City Lord of Carefree City]

[Task 6: Giving "The First Volume of the Mountains and Rivers Map" to Gongxi Jin to create good karma is now completed. Reward: Lucky Package +1 has been issued]

A glittering golden package flashed into the storage bag within Jiang Yuan’s sight, thus successfully completing the side task.

"Gongxi Jin thanks the senior for the bestowed treasure!" The young girl trembled slightly in excitement, kowtowed three times firmly, and the Mountains and Rivers Map scroll slipped into her body and disappeared, perfectly aligned.

From Jiang Yuan’s perspective, a side task was completed;

While from the viewpoint of others, Gongxi Jin resonated with the treasure, and after thanking Jiang Yuan for the gift, he happily presented the treasure to her.

"Understood?" Jiang Yuan was curious about what exactly was in the Mountains and Rivers Map, but asking directly might seem lowbrow, so he casually threw out the question.

These faint three words in Gongxi Jin’s ears were seen as a test from the senior.

Afraid to answer poorly, she took a deep breath nervously and nodded, saying, "I can sense the grandeur of the Dao intentions within the Mountains and Rivers Map, but due to my current realm being low, I cannot comprehend more.

Besides, the world in this painting, upon just one glance, entered my eyes encompassing myriad things, with opportunities too numerous to recount. The senior generously bestowed such treasure, I am deeply honored, and Gongxi Jin promises to remember this grace and work hard in cultivation, to heed the senior’s call in the future!"

She could never have dreamed that such a precious treasure, delivered so casually by Mr. Jiang, could hold the hope of ascension in her lifetime. Gongxi Jin wished nothing more than to pledge her loyalty on the spot, eager to follow him faithfully.

Not only does the Mountains and Rivers Map contain the intentions of Dao, but also a world within the painting?!

Everyone present gasped in shock, and Xie Chenyuan’s eyes turned even redder, thinking no wonder this young girl’s aura of fortune was so intensely red it turned purple, she truly is the Daughter of Fortune!

Don’t be jealous; everyone has their destiny... He took a deep breath to compose himself internally, but could not suppress the internal scream — why was I not the one destined for the Mountains and Rivers Map?!

Before this, Bai Yunqi had received the Secret Realm Key, and then Life Origin gifted by the Venerable Family, although envious, he did not lose composure, and he smiled, saying, "Miss Gongxi obtaining the family’s treasure will surely accomplish great things in the future, Bai congratulates you in advance."

"How on earth can I thank Mr. Jiang?!" The City Lord’s Wife realized and was overjoyed but didn’t know how to express it, only repeatedly voicing thanks;

Gongxi Yanchang also didn’t expect that after only handing over a pill formula and some demon cores, the other party would return with such a lavish gift, and it seemed with such ease, indicating such a treasured item was nothing remarkable.

He couldn’t help but be ecstatic, feeling his daughter spoke wisely; if she truly accomplished something worthwhile in the future and could be entrusted by him, wouldn’t countless more treasures then become easily attainable?

The family trio expressed their gratitude a thousand times over and was eventually escorted out by Bai Yunqi and Xie Chenyuan, leaving the courtyard quietly behind.

Jiang Yuan envied that world within the painting, but alas, the system didn’t allow him to use it, being stingy enough not even to let him look, so he casually opened the Lucky Package.

[Lucky Talisman: One-time item, wear to have fifteen minutes of lucky time, during which all matters go smoothly]

[Lucky Lock: One-time item, wear to gain team lucky time within ten minutes, during which all team matters go smoothly...]

......

A total of fifteen different lucky wearable items were stored in the storage bag, including ones for personal use and for team use, the only downside being the buff durations were short.

Currently, he had no immediate need for luck enhancement, so he stored them away for now, and then opened the courtyard communicator to use the pill formula in the Alchemy Room.

"The ’Jade Appearance Retaining Grass’ needed for making the Youthful Appearance Pill requires twenty stalks?" Eagerly clicking to start alchemy, yet he found that out of eighty-one kinds of herbs, apart from parts replaceable by demon cores, at least twenty different spirit medicines were still in ’unavailable’ status, and he didn’t have a single stalk of the main herb.

It’s no wonder this thing is so rarely seen; just getting all eighty-one ingredients together is quite a challenge.

Fortunately, Jiang Yuan doesn’t face an aging crisis yet, so gathering the spirit medicine can be done slowly. Surprisingly, he wonders how the little fox is doing and if he might find a chance to establish connections within the Underground City of Cloud City where all sorts of rare medicinal ingredients are available—it would be much more convenient!

"For now..." He looks at the time, feeling it’s slightly late to head to Cold Spring City; the main mission can be completed soon, so it’s better to wait until tomorrow night to take action.

This remaining time shouldn’t be wasted either; let’s go to the mysterious cave to earn some points and see what good stuff can be exchanged!

Deciding on this plan, Jiang Yuan swiftly entered the replica inside the Divine Mountain statue;

Bai Yunqi and Xie Chenyuan also divined an outcome and directly entered the Flood Dragon Tomb for exploration;

Hu Zhile took Yun Mo near Carefree City to fight monsters and level up, leaving the courtyard in Carefree City tranquil, with only the night wind causing the trees to rustle softly.

A faint mist hung across the sky, and from afar, splendid buildings built against the mountains could be seen.

"Wo Hu Temple Market, I wonder if this visit will yield any rewards." Qu Luming’s tall, slender figure shimmered in front of a shop resembling a Buddha niche, his hands behind his back slightly hunched, strolling through and casting an arbitrary gaze over bustling demon cultivators.

Under orders from his main body, he searched various markets for demon cultivators—a task he found rather boring as, despite uncovering many hidden characters, no useful information had been gained thus far.

In contrast, the mysterious Mr. Jiang seemed much more intriguing.

Qu Luming reached Wo Hu Temple Market and immediately visited the market steward, soon discovering traces of "Cloud Grocery Store" and "Mr. Jiang." As was customary, he first proceeded to check the status at the grocery store.

It was still closed but heard that some time ago, the store sold excellent elixirs amidst the Wo Hu Temple Immortal Peach incident, during which elixir prices skyrocketed, with the owner making a tidy sum of Spirit Stones by selling many elixirs.

Beyond this, Qu Luming could not gather any interesting rumors.

However, the Wo Hu Temple Immortal Peach incident caused much unrest, and soon after, news of "Immortal Peach" auctions at the market’s Treasure Pavilion drew his interest towards its pavilion master, Cang Lingdong. He wanted to seize the opportunity to investigate how she obtained the "Immortal Peach" for auction.

Should he encounter the auction, he wouldn’t mind getting a couple of peaches for his main body to taste.

Just as he arrived at the top-level Treasure Pavilion entrance, Qu Luming glanced into the bustling shop, his eyes instantly lighting up—Oh? A rather charming little fox demon!

Her aura seemed slightly unstable, indicating that her Foundation Establishment wasn’t achieved too long ago; she was dressed in a delicate blue-purple palace gown, and her silver long hair highlighted her face, making it as cute and charming as a blooming peach flower, with two furry big fox ears atop her head and a fluffy fox tail sticking up. It appeared her Transformation Technique cultivation truly left much to be desired.

But those beautiful big eyes sparkled brightly, her slightest expressions naturally carried captivating charm, causing even Qu Luming, whose eyes generally only held geniuses, to take a few more glances.

"Young, charming, and cute, indeed quite likable." He stood at the shop entrance, his gaze towards the little fox softening noticeably.

In the past, encountering someone with poor cultivation talent like this fool, he wouldn’t bother with a second look, but today, he couldn’t help feeling a bit of tenderness, thinking this little one was silly yet very cute. If he could personally guide her, her cultivation would take quite a leap...

"Du Li?!"

He couldn’t bear to interrupt the atmosphere of appreciating the silly little beauty, but a cold exclamation from behind made Qu Luming suddenly tense up. Turning to look, he discovered a female demon cultivator with an immensely deep aura!

Even Cloud City City Lord Yuan Man didn’t expect such an unexpected encounter with a familiar face.

Her exit this time aimed at seeking Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could prolong lifespan, having learned that Wo Hu Temple Market’s Treasure Pavilion auction had "Immortal Peaches" able to extend lifespan. She hurried to investigate.

Just upon reaching Treasure Pavilion, Yuan Man caught a familiar scent, immediately arching her brows and narrowing her eyes slightly.

"You are..." when the other turned her head, displaying an unfamiliar face. She hesitated slightly before sneering, "Du Li’s avatar being a ghost cultivator, it seems seizing my fortune really benefited him greatly."

Qu Luming’s heart skipped a beat, damn it, another of the main body’s good deeds!

Seizing fortune? Let’s hope it was mere competition for opportunities; if anything else was forcibly taken, today might spell disaster.

"Qu Luming greets the senior." Though he had cultivated to the Soul Refining Realm, he couldn’t discern the other’s prowess in any detail. This female cultivator undoubtedly surpassed his realm by a considerable margin, and Qu Luming knew better than to confront her directly, hence he respectfully bowed.

Yuan Man laughed in exasperation, "You don’t know me? It seems Du Li still feels guilty, not daring to tell his avatar about legendary feats from back then. Ha, he dared to covet my ascension to the Tribulation Crossing Realm with only a Void Refinement Realm cultivation, successfully seizing my Life Origin..."

Taking a step forward, her petite figure overshadowed Qu Luming’s overwhelming height, her voice cold, "Such glorious feats should be known throughout the Three Realms given Du Li’s nature, yet his avatar remains oblivious. Truly amusing."

"Life Origin?" Qu Luming’s voice trembled slightly, thinking how the main body has gotten him into trouble!

Ambushing someone during Thunder Tribulation Crossing for realm ascension indeed sounds like something the main body would do; damn it... tell me earlier! I could have stayed clear!

Now being directly cornered in the market, what should be done?