"No harm done."
Chen Fan shook his head.
This was outside the city wall of Cave No. 1; with the wall raised, little would be exposed, if anything.
"Alright."
Qi Feng nodded, took out a stick of incense from his pocket, lit it, and then seemed to enter a sudden meditative state, motionless where he was. After the incense burned out, he slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and spoke with a complicated tone,
"Sect Leader Chen, this Mystical Beast is named the 'Sky-Devouring Crocodile.'"
"It is an extremely rare species, with immense potential."
"In terms of value, it might outclass all Mystical Beasts in Riversouth combined. However... there is a mutation among Sky-Devouring Crocodiles. Only about one in ten thousand Sky-Devouring Crocodiles inherits this mutation."
"One of the manifestations is that its wounds cannot heal."
"Even the smallest wound cannot heal. If Sect Leader Chen hadn't nourished it with Holy Water these past few days, it would have bled to death by now. Unless Sect Leader Chen is willing to sustain nourishment, it will..."
He trailed off, not daring to finish his sentence.
His father had said he was willing to buy the corpse of the Sky-Devouring Crocodile at a high price.
But he didn't dare to mention it.
It was obvious that Sect Leader Chen had an emotional attachment to this Crocodile; otherwise, he wouldn't have paid such a high price to keep it alive.
"No solution at all?"
Chen Fan frowned and asked.
"There is."
Qi Feng drew a deep breath and nodded. "Heaven's decree may cover forty-nine parts, yet destiny always leaves a loophole. There is no disease in this world that cannot be cured. As long as you find a Natural Treasure called the Snow Lotus and feed the Lotus to it, it will be cured."
"However..."
"Although the Snow Lotus is only a green-grade Natural Treasure, it is extremely rare. It takes a hundred years to mature and must be cultivated in a special formation. My father doesn't know that formation; he only learned about it from ancient texts."
"Aside from this, there is no other way."
Qi Feng's tone was full of regret.
This practically sentenced the Sky-Devouring Crocodile to death. It was truly a pity for such a rare Sky-Devouring Crocodile to die like this.
A hundred years of cultivation.
Perhaps only those top-tier forces would have started cultivating such Natural Treasures a century ago.
It was the inheritance that had brought a top-tier force where they were.
Expending immense efforts solely to pass down a 'Snow Lotus' to future generations----this was hardly a practice that ordinary forces could afford. They weren't even sure if they would last another ten years. How could they free up a hand to pave the way for a century later?
...
"What a shame."
Chen Fan sighed, then gently tapped Heyhey's head. "Let's go back to tea."
The problem was solved.
Snow Lotus.
Extremely rare.
But..
By chance, he got one in the warehouse, stored in the "Natural Treasure Room."
Actually, it wasn't a coincidence.
It had dawned on him why that person who had smashed the mountain with a hammer hadn't taken "Heyhey" along on the departure. They must have realized that Heyhey had inherited this disease and had planted the "Snow Lotus" for Heyhey.
They wanted Heyhey to eat the Snow Lotus after it matured.
But clearly, Heyhey forgot.
He had also understood why Heyhey was so timid.
In every likelihood, not long after Heyhey was born, that person kept repeating,
"You mustn't get hurt, you mustn't get hurt."
"If you get hurt, you'll die, if you get hurt, you'll die."
"Eat the Snow Lotus once it's mature."
With a poor brain back then, Heyhey only remembered the first two lines.
It didn't eat the Snow Lotus even after it matured.
He had long wondered why, with Heyhey's strength, it hunted by driving the creatures off the cliff. It made no sense.
Sky-Devouring Crocodile.
What a domineering name!
...
Inside the hut.
The old man trailing behind Qi Feng drawled, "That is a Level 3 city wall, with the uniform Eerie Blood Pattern."
They were all sharp-eyed and knowledgeable people.
They knew full well how many Eerie Stones a length of city wall aligned in pattern would have cost.
"Mhm."
Gongyang Yiyue nodded, not in the mood for conversation.
Seeing that no one else intended to speak, the old man didn't remark further.
Instead, he picked up his cup and discreetly enjoyed the tea.
"Everyone."
Chen Fan came back with Qi Feng, wearing a ready smile, yet, before he could say anything, he suddenly raised an eyebrow. "More distinguished guests are here. Would you all like to come along?"
"Of course."
...
"Rivernorth Chamber of Commerce sends congratulations, 3,000 Eerie Stones!"
"Riversouth One Sword Sect sends congratulations, 5,000 Eerie Stones!"
In the abyss pit, more and more forces arrived to pay their respects. The gifts were heaping up, and Wang Kui tallied them while announcing with a booming voice.
"Ravine Wang Clan sends congratulations, 9,832 Eerie Stones, 17 unappraised white-grade Extraordinary Treasures, 11 appraised white-grade Extraordinary Treasures, 2 unappraised green-grade Extraordinary Treasures, 1 appraised green-grade Extraordinary Treasure, and 2 Building Blueprints."
"..."
With this, Wang Kui seemed to have become aware of something. He stared expressionlessly at the familiar old man before him, who was forcing an awkward smile he had never seen before.
"Long time no see, Master."
"Uh... uh..." The Wang Patriarch's eyes darted around in embarrassment. "It's good to see you're alive."
"Yeah."
"Good, good. I'm happy to see you've made something of yourself. I have always believed you'd soar to great heights someday."
"Almost forgot." Wang Kui suddenly remembered something, slapped himself on the forehead, and looked toward Zhou Mo, who was busy nearby. "Lend me your blade. According to the Ravine Wang Clan's rules, leaving the clan requires three stabs."
"Here." Zhou Mo handed his blade to Wang Kui without hesitation. "Wash it clean when you're done."
"No, no!" The Wang Patriarch went pale instantly. He even adopted a pleading tone, his voice trembling with a sob, "Brother Wang, Brother Wang, it's really not necessary..."
Among the visiting forces, he was the most unimportant.
Next to him were forces like the King of Medicine Valley and the Gongyang Clan. Even the Rivernorth Chamber of Commerce, the juggernaut in Rivernorth, was also here. In their presence, he didn't even dare to speak loudly.
Seeing people looking his way, he felt even more disturbed.
Wang Kui sneered. "Then let me ask you, among all the Wang Clan station masters, was I the most capable?"
"Yes." The Wang Patriarch nodded firmly.
"Over the years, no matter which station I had been assigned to, even if its business had done poorly previously, I had managed to let it thrive. True or not?"
"Yes..."
The Wang Patriarch drew back and looked around, feeling somewhat awkward.
"Was my ability sufficient?"
"Yes."
"Was my seniority sufficient?"
"Yes."
"Did I do a good job as a station master?"
"Yes."
"Then why, after working 13 years for the Clan, was I still a station master?"
"Because..."
The Wang Patriarch hung his head, mumbling with difficulty, "Because you were good as a station master..."
"So you mean being good justifies no promotion at all?"
"Uh..." The Wang Patriarch was at a loss for words. If he didn't let those who do well continue in their posts, should he give the job to those who do poorly instead?
"It's fine."
Wang Kui suddenly laughed and patted the Wang Patriarch's shoulder. "I never thought you'd come. Now that you're here, don't leave from now on. I've already discussed your Ravine Wang Clan with the Sect Leader."
"Your Wang Clan is to be dissolved immediately."
"As for you."
"You'll work as a station master for the Fan Sect for the coming 13 years. Not until then may you return to your family. You'd better work hard as I did. I'll go supervise you every so often."
The Wang Patriarch showed little resistance. Instead, he heaved a long sigh of relief, "Alright, alright. I'll do any of the Sect's bidding. I'll serve the Sect faithfully."
During the rainy season, he had been keeping an eye on the Rivernorth Chen Clan Station No. 37.
It was only on the last day of the rainy season that it was extinguished.
After that, the Fan Sect rose to prominence.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the one who had established the Fan Sect was likely the disfavored son from the Chen Clan. Keeping a force running required manpower. The Ravine Wang Clan Station No. 17 happened to be nearby, and the station master might well have been recruited.
A station master who worked for the Wang Clan for 13 years without a promotion—wouldn't he hold a grudge against the clan?
He didn't believe there wasn't.
So, when he saw other forces flocking to the Fan Sect, he hurriedly followed.
He didn't dare to be the first to arrive.
Being the first was risky.
He figured that if he came with the crowd, they couldn't kill him publicly anyway —it would look bad.
He brought all the clan's assets with him.
If Wang Kui hadn't joined the Fan Sect, he would have offered only 1,000 Eerie Stones.
But if Wang Kui was there, he would hand over all of them as a ransom. The outcome wasn't bad—at least his family could stay alive, and he only had to work as a station master for 13 years, which was entirely acceptable.
As for resistance...
A force capable of knocking off an Eerie King, one that had attracted so many major forces to pay their respects—how could a small fry like the Ravine Wang Clan possibly oppose them?
Now that everything had been settled, he felt much more relaxed. He scurried over to Wang Kui's side, "Brother Wang, is there anything I can help with? I see the canyon entrance lacks a guard. Maybe I go guard it first?"
"If there's anything else, just let me know."
"..."
Wang Kui stood where he was, in a long silence.
During the rainy season, he had often fantasized about this moment.