Druid Fairy

Chapter 161 Royal Family Alchemy
Stay away from places of battle and conflict, and wait until you reach a secluded place.

Li Pingcan then recounted his gains.

The divine sense of the dragon circled around the ghost artifact, which was a black banner embroidered with three blue-faced, fanged demons. It was chillingly cold to the touch, as if holding a piece of ancient ice.

As soon as you probe in, you feel a violent and resentful intent lashing out at you, and you can almost hear the mournful wails of thousands of wronged souls.

"Something heretical and unorthodox."

Li Pingcan frowned. As a druid who was close to nature, he had an instinctive aversion to magical artifacts that were forged with living souls.

While the "Three Ghost Banners" are indeed powerful, the entanglements of cause and effect and karma on them are equally astonishing.

Prolonged use will inevitably backfire. At best, it will cause a drastic change in temperament, making one bloodthirsty; at worst, it will cause one's soul to be devoured by ghosts, leading to an irredeemable end.

"Keeping it is just a nuisance; it's better to exchange it for real spirit stones."

Li Pingcan made up his mind and felt no more reluctance.

He has always been pragmatic. In his opinion, this kind of flashy but impractical equipment, which also comes with a "curse" attribute, is far less useful than a Spirit-Nourishing Pill that can restore mana at crucial moments.

He returned to that bustling market of rogue cultivators, still dressed as an ordinary middle-aged rogue cultivator.

This time, instead of wandering around, he went straight to a stall that specialized in buying all kinds of "difficult and miscellaneous items".

The stall owner was a fellow shrouded in a black robe, his face obscured—such people were extremely common in the black market, practically a local specialty.

When Li Pingcan slapped the "Three Ghost Banner" and several ghost-drawn talismans seized from the masked man onto the stall, the black-robed man's aura clearly fluctuated slightly.

"A ghost-based magical artifact? Or a complete set of talismans?"

A barely perceptible hint of excitement crept into his voice, "Fellow Daoist, is the origin of this item legitimate?"

"Whether it's legitimate or not, will you accept it or not?" Li Pingcan's voice was hoarse, mimicking the unique vigilance and impatience of a rogue cultivator.

"Take it, of course!"

The man in black chuckled, "I'll take anything good. This banner is in good condition and has plenty of resentment. How about this, sixty mid-grade spirit stones, plus these talismans, I'll take them all."

"One hundred yuan," Li Pingcan said succinctly.

“Fellow Daoist, that’s a bit unfair of you.” The black-robed man’s voice turned cold. “Although the Ghost Dao artifacts are quite powerful, they are ultimately minor Dao artifacts that cannot be brought into the light. If you take them elsewhere, you probably won’t even be able to sell them for thirty yuan.”

"Then it's ninety yuan, not a penny less." Li Pingcan made a move to take the item back.

"and many more!"

The man in black robes quickly stopped him, hesitated for a moment, and then gritted his teeth and said, "Seventy-five! That's the most I can give! This is already a generous amount for your sake!"

"Deal." Li Pingcan pushed the items over decisively.

He knew in his heart that although this ghostly artifact was evil, it was a coveted treasure in the hands of some cultivators who specialized in this path, and its value was far more than sixty-five mid-grade spirit stones.

However, the key is to get rid of this hot potato as soon as possible and exchange it for tangible resources.

With the heavy bag of spirit stones in his hand, Li Pingcan was in high spirits.

As for the few weapons that were seized from the unlucky fellows and couldn't be sold for much, they were useless to keep but a pity to throw away, so they were all thrown into the "warehouse" in the future, to be taken out as rewards when the family members needed them.

He's become more discerning now, and he no longer finds some of the little gadgets appealing.

…………

"This is a storage ring that Father specially sent via Xiaofei..."

Li Mengze looked at the antique-style storage ring, which was made entirely of an unknown type of jade and carved with delicate cloud patterns. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and it was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

His face was full of curiosity as he took the ring and probed it with his divine sense.

The spirit stones glittered and piled up like a mountain. Li Mengze's clear eyes widened instantly, as if he had just learned that he was a "rich second generation" after suffering for fifteen years.

He knew his father was always mysterious and extraordinary, but he never expected him to be so extravagant, hiding such a "huge sum of money"!
"Good heavens, there must be at least several hundred or even a thousand mid-grade spirit stones in here!"

At the same time, there were also several divine thoughts left by his father in the storage ring.

“Ze’er, I need you to do something for me. These spirit stones are your ‘start-up capital.’ You need to use this money to discreetly gather some information for me within the academy.”

The list of "Blood Maple Forest" and many second-tier spiritual materials appeared before Li Mengze's eyes at the same time.

“These places and these materials are extremely secretive. You need to use your connections and your intelligence to find out their origin, place of origin, and... how to obtain them. Remember, this matter must never be known to a third party, including your teacher.”

……

Li Mengze looked at the list in his hand. These were all materials for refining arrays, which meant that his father was likely an array master.

It is no wonder that he possesses such immense wealth.

"Dad, you've been hiding this really well!"

"rest assured."

He nodded emphatically, revealing a confident smile remarkably similar to Li Pingcan's: "I will definitely handle this matter well."

But to perfectly complete his father's task, the reputation of being an outstanding student of the academy was far from enough. He usually enjoyed reading extensively in the library, but he had never heard of these secret matters.

Perhaps only the royal library holds so many secrets.

Li Mengze looked down at a name card on the table and clenched his fist slightly—it was a spot for the royal family alchemist trial!
…………

The prefectural academy.

The preliminary trials for the royal alchemists have finally begun.

Those qualified to participate in this trial are all alchemy geniuses cultivated by various cultivation families and sects within the prefecture with countless efforts.

They were either of noble birth or exceptionally gifted, each carrying an innate pride.

When Li Mengze, dressed in a blue robe, stood quietly in the crowd, he only attracted the attention of a small number of people.

"Hey, isn't this Teacher Su's precious apprentice? What's he doing here?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. He's a big shot at the academy now. Even the elders are full of praise for him."

"So what? Alchemy relies on foundation and inheritance. What kind of knowledge could someone from an ordinary family have?"

Amidst the whispers, an arrogant and domineering voice suddenly rang out without warning.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Don't you have eyes?!"

A young girl dressed in a pale yellow dress, adorned with a gold hairpin, and with exquisite makeup, stormed over, surrounded by a group of servants. Everyone who passed by had to make way for her.

The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a beautiful face and a tall figure, but her pretty phoenix eyes were filled with undisguised arrogance and disdain. "It's Princess Qingyang, Wei Ling'er!"

"My God, why is she here too? Isn't she a specialist in talismans?"

"What do you know! She's been raised on rare and precious herbs since she was a child, and it's said that she has quite a talent for alchemy."

Among the crowd, a thin-faced boy dressed in gray cloth frowned as he looked at Wei Ling'er's arrogant demeanor, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

His name was Chen Haoran. He came from a poor family and only managed to pass the entrance exam to become a commoner disciple of the academy thanks to his extraordinary perseverance and talent. He couldn't stand the arrogant and domineering attitude of these aristocratic children.

Seeing Wei Ling'er's servant roughly shove away a classmate who nearly fell, Chen Haoran could no longer hold back and muttered under his breath, "Bullying others with their power, utterly ignorant."

Although his voice was soft, Wei Ling'er, with her keen ears and eyes, heard it clearly.

"What did you say?"

Wei Ling'er turned her head sharply, her beautiful phoenix eyes instantly turning cold as she stared intently at Chen Haoran.

Chen Haoran felt a chill run down his spine, but he still straightened his back and met her gaze with neither arrogance nor servility.

"I said, you're bullying people by abusing your power."

"good very good!"

Wei Ling'er laughed in anger. She looked Chen Haoran up and down, her eyes as if she were looking at an ant that she could crush at will.

"A poor wretch who can't even afford a decent robe dares to bark so arrogantly in front of me, the county magistrate? It seems I've been too kind to you lowly commoners, making you forget what manners are!"

Before she finished speaking, she flicked her wrist, and a crimson whip crackling with lightning lashed out like a venomous snake, striking fiercely towards Chen Haoran's face!

This whip strike was swift and vicious; it was clearly a deadly blow!

Chen Haoran's expression changed drastically. He never expected that the other party would commit violence in public because of a single sentence!

He tried to dodge, but the lightning attached to the whip had a numbing effect, slowing his reaction by half a beat.

Just as the whip was about to strike his face, Li Mengze's pupils suddenly contracted.

He didn't want to get involved, but seeing a classmate about to be publicly disfigured because of a single word of justice, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Li Mengze flicked his finger, and a small pebble, with a whooshing sound, struck the tip of the crimson whip with perfect accuracy.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, the unstoppable whip was slightly deflected, grazing Chen Haoran's cheek and leaving only a light red mark on his face.

Wei Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. She turned her head sharply and stared at everyone, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Where did this stray dog ​​come from, daring to interfere in the affairs of this county magistrate?!"

The surrounding students were so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe and retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Chen Haoran covered his face, the burning pain and the deep humiliation making him tremble all over, his teeth grinding together.

Li Mengze, sitting in the corner, frowned almost imperceptibly.

"Mad dog."

He gave this county princess a clear definition in his mind.

Having been taught by his father, Li Pingcan, since childhood, he deeply understands one principle: in this world, never provoke those who have no bottom line and act solely on their whims. Because you never know what crazy thing they might do next.

This Lady Wei is clearly that kind of person.

Relying on his family background, he acts ruthlessly and without any scruples. Chen Haoran only muttered something under his breath, yet he received such humiliation. If a direct confrontation were to occur, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Mengze made up his mind not only to stay away from this "mad dog," but also to never have any contact with her in his life.

He quietly took two steps back, trying to completely disappear into the shadows of the crowd and minimize his presence.

Just as Wei Ling'er raised her long whip, seemingly wanting to give Chen Haoran another whack as a warning to others, an old and dignified voice rang out like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

"Stop! This is a sacred place for alchemy; what kind of behavior is this!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man in a gray robe dressed as an elder of the academy, holding a scroll of prescriptions, walking from not far away with a somber expression.

As he walked, his steps were steady, exuding an aura of authority that silenced the noisy air around him.

"It's a royal elder!"

"What brings Elder Zhao here?"

When Wei Ling'er saw the person who came, her arrogant demeanor immediately subsided.

Although she was spoiled, she knew her limits. This royal elder held a very important position in the academy, and even her father had to be polite to him.

"Elder Zhao." She reluctantly put away her whip, nodded slightly to the old man, and paid her respects.

Elder Zhao didn't even glance at the disheveled Chen Haoran on the ground. He merely swept his gaze across Wei Ling'er with lightning speed and coldly snorted, "The royal family's alchemy trial is imminent. You are all the future pillars of the state. Anyone who makes a disturbance or disrupts order, regardless of status, will be disqualified and severely punished!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Wei Ling'er's face turned pale and then red. She knew that Elder Zhao's words were ostensibly meant for everyone, but in reality, every word was a warning to her.

But she couldn't refute it, so she could only keep her anger bottled up inside.

She glared fiercely at Chen Haoran, her eyes filled with venom, as if to say: You just wait!

Elder Zhao said no more, clearly not wanting to get involved in such trivial matters between juniors.

The storm seemed to have subsided.

Seeing this, Li Mengze became even more determined not to cause trouble.

Unfortunately, sometimes you can't avoid trouble just because you want to.

Wei Ling'er was being publicly reprimanded by Elder Zhao, and she had nowhere to vent her nameless anger.

She was filled with rage, but dared not vent it on the royal elders. She could only look around the crowd with a frustrated gaze, like a mother leopard searching for prey.

Her gaze swept over the silent, timid students, over Chen Haoran who was covering his face with resentment and humiliation, and finally, as if by some strange twist of fate, settled on the calm-looking boy in the corner.

Li Mengze's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

His quiet demeanor, so out of place with his surroundings, was seen by the arrogant county princess as a silent provocation, a peculiar and jarring sight.

Wei Ling'er narrowed her fierce phoenix eyes slightly. She put away her long whip and took a graceful step, walking straight towards Li Mengze amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

(End of this chapter)