Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 44 The Thief Who Stole the Lantern

Yuchuan County, Qingxuan Town.

Fang family.

A green-yellow light flew from the sky and gently landed in the courtyard.

The person who came revealed his figure, and it turned out to be a young man wearing a light green Taoist robe. He had an ordinary face, but an extraordinary temperament. There was a colorful sachet hanging around his waist, but his face was a little sallow at this moment, as if he had suffered serious injuries.

"Zhi An is back!"

An elderly man in fine clothes came out from the house with a happy look on his face. He turned his head and shouted to the inner room:

"Fang Zhinan, you little bastard, hurry up and get out here! Your brother is back!"

When Fang Zhian saw the old man in fancy clothes, he bowed and said softly, "Greetings, father."

This old man is none other than the current head of the Fang family who manages Qingxuan Town. His name is Fang Desheng. He is not young anymore, already in his fifties, but his spiritual connection is too poor, and his cultivation level is only at the eighth level of Condensation Yuan.

Fang Desheng was originally all smiles, but when he saw his son's dejected look, he was startled. He stepped forward to support Fang Zhian and asked with concern, "Zhian, what's wrong with you?"

Fang Zhian shook his head slightly and said, "Father, don't worry. The Immortal Sect sent me to guard the East China Sea. At that time, the sea monster invaded the area and I was injured."

"Hey!"

Fang Desheng looked distressed. "You've already established your foundation, and you're still injured. Is this injury serious?"

"It's okay, I'll just go back and recuperate for a year."

Fang Zhi put his hand on his father's arm to comfort him, and then said,
"Father, I just stopped by on my way back. I have to hurry back to report on my work, so I won't go in and sit down. The matter we discussed at home last month is almost here. Please ask my brother to come out. I'll go get the [Blue Ice Water] and report back to the Immortal Sect so that you can connect with the Wen family!"

"Yes, yes! It's more important for you to go back and heal your wounds first."

Fang Desheng turned around and saw no one in the hall. He turned towards the inner room and shouted angrily:

"Fang Zhinan! Are you deaf? Get out here and die!"

"Father, Zhinan is a rookie and inexperienced. When the Wen family arrives, he alone may not be able to control them. You will need to accompany him. This [Greedy Fish Lantern] is a foundation-building magic weapon. It is only because of my hard work over the past few years that I have earned the respect of the Immortal Sect and received this magic weapon as a gift."

"Speaking of which, my family is unlucky this year. In such a huge town like Qingxuan, we only got two Lingxi seeds, but we're short of three. Otherwise, I'd be reluctant to exchange this magical instrument for someone else. This young master of the Wen family, Wen Zaixian, is favored by the Jiang family and is a bit cunning. Father, don't listen to his nonsense. Our [Greedy Fish Lantern] is more than enough to exchange for three Lingxi seeds of his family."

Seeing that his brother didn't come out for a while, Fang Zhian began to instruct his father.

Fang Desheng nodded quickly after hearing this and said, "Don't worry, my son. I understand."

Fang Zhian sighed, "Sishui is in turmoil, and the East China Sea is also in turmoil. All the Ling family cultivators have gone to the front lines, leaving no one to take care of the clan's major affairs. Otherwise, my family would be a vassal of the Ling family, so why would we need to ask the Jiang family for help?"

"Father, there are less than two years left before the Taihe Jingwu Feast. I should encourage you to practice diligently and not slack off. Don't miss this rare opportunity. The next one will be ten years from now."

"well!"

Seeing that there was still no movement, Fang Desheng's ghostly fire shot up to the top of the door. He rushed to the main hall and roared loudly,
"Fang Zhinan! If you don't come out, I'll come and take care of you!"

"I'm coming!"

A thin young man, who looked somewhat similar to Fang Zhian, but with bigger eyes and unkempt hair, looked no more than twenty years old. He was wearing an undershirt and slippers, holding a coat in his hand. He walked out from the hall, bleary-eyed and yawned.

"Zhi Nan, you've already successfully infused your spirit and gained spiritual awareness, but you're still lying in bed?"

Fang Zhian frowned and muttered when he saw his brother's slovenly appearance.

"Big brother."

Fang Zhinan smiled and explained, "It was cold last night, and a few friends in town invited me over, so I had a couple of extra drinks."

The eldest brother Fang Zhian had the same temperament as his father Fang Desheng, both of them were soft-hearted. Seeing his younger brother drinking too much and staying in bed, not doing his job, he couldn't bear to scold him. He just said:

"You are gifted and intelligent, much better than me. You should practice more and do less of these mundane things in the future."

"I know, brother."

Fang Zhinan put on his clothes, chuckled, and asked,

"Brother, are you coming back to get that [Blue Ice Water]?"

"Ah."

Fang Zhian nodded and asked, "Should we have gathered enough spiritual energy?"

"It should be enough." Fang Zhinan squatted down to put on his shoes and said,
"Brother, please don't blame me. I've been practicing in Tangchuan Cave Abode, and guarding the Qi-gathering magical instrument [Greedy Fish Lantern] by the way. But the day before yesterday, I went to the ghost market in Qinghui Town next door to buy medicinal pills. When I came back yesterday, a friend invited me to his house. I drank a few more cups, so I didn't go to the cave abode and went back home."

"I don't blame you. It's good that you know not to give up your cultivation. Nowadays, your peers in the family are not doing well, and it all depends on you and me. Don't let your father down." Fang Zhian felt relieved when he saw that Fang Zhinan still knew how to explain, and spoke gently.

"Yeah, yeah, Zhinan, you really should learn from your brother and stop hanging out with your scoundrel friends all day, reciting poems and writing couplets. What's the point?"

Fang Desheng, who was listening nearby, quickly agreed.

"Humph! What do you mean by that, Daddy? What kind of bad friends are you talking about?"

Fang Zhinan was a little unhappy when he heard this. He groaned and stood up and shouted,
"What's wrong with reciting poems and writing couplets? What's wrong with cultivating immortality and seeking the truth? Then, please tell me, Dad, what is the purpose of life? Why have I been led around by you by the nose since I was born? Can't I do something I enjoy?"

"Look at you, kid, your stubborn temper is back again!"

Fang Desheng kept pointing at Fang Zhinan, feeling angry and furious. After a while, he put his hands down, shook his head and sighed, his words getting stuck in his throat.

Fang Zhian frowned and said unhappily:

"Zhi Nan, no one is forcing you to practice, but the world is like this, who has a choice? It's like sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat. If I hadn't joined the Immortal Sect, would my family still have a share in Qingxuan Town? Wouldn't my family have been chased to some mountain valley, living off the wind and snow? We wouldn't even have enough food to eat, so how could we let you go out and recite poetry and write couplets?"

"Look at the Wang family in the same town. They also have cultivators. Wang Chuhui, less than forty years old, has reached the seventh level of Condensation Yuan. It's just that there is no Taoist in the family who can build a foundation. Isn't he suppressed by my family? This is the importance of cultivation." "Zhi Nan, I'm not showing off, nor do I blame you. Father taught us since we were young and practiced hard. It's all for our own good. You can't be disrespectful to him."

"Brother, I don't mean anything else. I know you and Dad have worked hard, but I've never had much interest in cultivation. You all know that life is tiring, but you still have to put some shackles on yourselves. I really don't understand."

Fang Zhinan has been rebellious since childhood and never takes his cowardly father seriously, but he has always been in awe of his brother and has softened his tone.

"I understand the fundamentals of household management. I didn't say I won't practice cultivation. What's wrong with me taking a break occasionally? I'm only nineteen now. If I reach the Condensed Essence stage, I'll have a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years, plenty of time for cultivation. Enjoy life to the fullest, otherwise, all the finery and beauty will be wasted. It will be too late to turn back."

"Alright, alright, you're the one who talks too much. Go get that magic weapon back. Your brother was injured while fighting monsters in the East China Sea and needs to go back to the Immortal Sect to heal."

Fang Desheng really had no idea what to do with this kid. Not only was he stubborn, but he also had a lot of big principles to talk about. Sometimes he couldn't even win an argument with him. At this point, he was too lazy to argue with him anymore.

"I know, I'm cleaning it right now, right?"

Fang Zhinan took out a small copper mirror and a sandalwood comb from his storage bag and slowly began to tidy up his appearance.

"Forget it, I'll go with you. I'll take the [Blue Ice Water], and you take the [Greedy Fish Lantern] back home." Fang Zhian was annoyed when he saw his brother's appearance, and said with a cold face.

"Okay!" Fang Zhinan used a wooden hairpin to tie up his hair and said with a smile, "Brother, let's go together. This will save me from having to come back to this house. I still prefer to stay out alone."

Seeing his heartless look, Fang Zhian sighed and shook his head, looking at his father's embarrassed face beside him, with a look of loss in his eyes. As soon as his brother finished speaking, he snorted, waved his sleeves, and went back to the backyard without saying goodbye.

I secretly sighed in my heart: "The family is already short of people, and the Wang family is eyeing us covetously. My brother is acting ridiculously. I wonder when he will grow up?"

This house is located on the bank of Tangchuan River. It is a very large property with houses connected to each other, with several entrances inside each other.

After Fang Desheng left in anger, the brothers Fang Zhian and Fang Zhinan followed suit and went out. After just a few steps, they reached the river. They each practiced the "water-avoidance technique" and went deeper into the river.

After a while, the two of them arrived at the dark cave entrance at the bottom of the river. As soon as they reached the entrance, Fang Zhian's face changed and he whispered, "Not good!"

After saying that, his figure flashed and he hurriedly went in.

"What's wrong?"

Fang Zhinan was confused, but seeing his brother in a hurry, he quickly followed him in.

This Tangchuan Cave, built at the bottom of the Tangchuan River, was originally the place where the Fang family practiced in seclusion. The two of them had come here countless times since they were young, so they walked through the cave as if it were flat ground. In just a moment, they arrived in front of the stone gate.

The further Fang Zhinan walked, the more he felt something was wrong. When he reached the stone gate, his spiritual sense sensed something was wrong. He felt something was wrong. His face was no longer relaxed. He was filled with fear and cursed:
"Which thief dares to trespass on our territory?"

"Fang Zhinan, ah Fang Zhinan! You're going to kill my family!"

Fang Zhian was already a Taoist who had established his foundation, so his spiritual awareness was naturally much stronger than Fang Zhinan's. He had already noticed something was wrong and was angry and anxious. He said something to himself and with a casual move of his hand, a small fluorescent fruit jumped out of the colorful sachet on his waist, just like a red orange. The small fruit bounced and floated in the water.

In an instant, the small fruit grew several times larger and emitted a bright white light, illuminating every detail of the underwater stone chamber in an instant.

"Fang Zhinan, I want to ask you!"

Fang Zhian glanced around, and as expected, he was furious. He turned around and asked in a deep voice,

"Where's the light?"

"This this…"

Fang Zhinan was completely dumbfounded. The entire cave was flooded by the river water. The "Three-in-One Glazed Talisman Formation" he had set up with talismans for the Condensation Period was also broken. He was filled with shock and anger, and felt unbelievable. He stuttered and said,
"The day before yesterday, this lamp was still on this lampstand. How... could it be like this?"

"How could this happen? Look at what you've done! You've been rambling all day, trying to clear yourself of all responsibility! You couldn't even keep a light on, and now you've caused this terrible disaster. You're really trying to push our family into the fire pit!"

When Fang Zhian saw that the [Greedy Fish Lantern] had disappeared, he was furious and cursed fiercely. He felt his blood boiling and the wound in his abdomen ached slightly. He quickly practiced the profound skills to stabilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that was surging in his body and asked angrily,
"Over the years, my family has spent almost all their money on building my foundation and joining the Immortal Sect. This year, my luck has been bad, and I'm short of three Lingxi seeds. I went through a lot of trouble to get three from the Wen family, and now look what's going on! The spiritual energy is gone! The magic weapon is gone too! There's no money left in the family, and I'm empty-handed. What can you use to go to Wen Zaixian to exchange for Lingxi seeds?
"Fang Zhinan! You're still reciting poems and writing couplets! I'm afraid you're just sitting here waiting to die!"

"Brother, I know I was wrong. There's no point in saying more. What should I do? Come up with a plan!"

Fang Zhinan had lived in Qingxuan Town since he was a child. He was usually inconsistent in his behavior and had little experience. Naturally, he panicked and asked about Fang Zhian in a crying voice.

"make a decision?"

The more Fang Zhian thought about it, the more depressed he became. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He was so heartbroken that he really wanted to give his brother a slap in the face. Turning around, he saw his tearful face, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He made up his mind, grabbed Fang Zhinan's collar, and shouted in a low voice,
"Fang Zhinan, at this point, there's no other way for my family to survive. Listen carefully! You must not tell anyone about this!"

"Now, the four immortal sects have taken action in Sishui and Jianshui, fighting fiercely with the Si Crystal Palace. We are also being invaded by the sea monsters of the East Sea Crystal Palace. The Southeast Li Wu and Southwestern Barbarian Monsters see an opportunity and are making their own moves. Now, all the cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage in each town and family have been transferred by the immortal sects to the front lines to resist the enemy. This is our family's only chance of survival!"

"I'm seriously injured and will be leaving today to report back. I'll then be ordered to retreat and heal. Besides, I can't help you with this skin on. Although the deadline for handing over the money is still nearly two years away, it's getting closer and closer, and everyone is busy making deals in secret. My Qingxuan Town is located in the middle of Yuchuan. It has no other advantages except for the Longmen Gorge. The mountains are high and the water is dangerous, making it a strategic location with many connections!"

"Talk to my father about sending more people and taking advantage of this. I don't care whether you're after people or money. There are still three days left before the deal with the Wen family ends. You'd better take care of this mess for me within these three days!"

After saying that, he pushed him hard and scolded him:

"Did you hear it clearly?"

Fang Zhinan woke up as if from a dream, and immediately understood what his elder brother said. Now his family had no money and no one. How could he get such a large sum of money as 3,000 spirit stones in a short time? He could only take the risk and rob people on the way, which was the worst option.

But given the current situation at home, this is probably not the worst option, but the best option.

If you can steal or rob one or two valuable belongings from the passing wealthy young men, you can use them as bargaining chips to exchange for your child, or even directly rob the Lingxi child from someone else, which would be even easier.

What the eldest brother said couldn't be clearer. Even if his actions were eventually exposed and something happened, as long as they were not the direct descendants of the four major families, he would be the one to back up the family in the Immortal Sect.

At that moment, a fierce look flashed in his eyes. He nodded vigorously and said through gritted teeth:
"Brother, I understand!"

"That evil thief who stole the lantern probably has a grudge against my family. Judging from the situation now, it's possible that the Wang family in town discovered my situation and is deliberately trying to take advantage of my misfortune!"

Fang Zhian's face turned ashen, his eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he gritted his teeth and said,
"The Wang family has been jealous of my family for many years. It's just that they have a brother-in-law who is practicing in the Immortal Sect. His cultivation level is almost the same as mine. Fang Zhinan, please don't act rashly on this matter for now. Wait until I recover from my injury before we deal with it!"

"How can I allow others to sleep beside my bed? If I don't get rid of the Wang family, how can I firmly control Qingxuan Town?!"

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(End of this chapter)