Raise a sword!

In the cultivation room, Jiang Peng took out all the items from her storage bag.

A box the size of a head, and inside was indeed a head, the very head that Jiang Peng had captured last night.

This proves that the person is indeed dead. Even though Cangshan Pavilion is concerned about the person behind the scenes, it has no intention of wronging Jiang Peng.

The moment the remaining two items were touched, golden characters immediately appeared before their eyes.

[Wind Chaser Boots: Tier 1 High-Grade Magic Weapon, Increases Speed]

[Golden Armor Talisman: Tier 1 Top-Grade Talisman, Protective]

These two items are likely the real compensation offered by the so-called "lax management" forces behind the scenes.

Among Qi Refining cultivators, the means to preserve one's life have always been the most precious.

If a magic sword of the same grade and quality sells for 500 spirit stones, a magic weapon that provides defense or increases escape speed will sell for at least 700 spirit stones.

Moreover, there is a market for it but no price.

There are many people who want to buy them, but very few actually put these kinds of ritual objects out for sale.

The pair of Wind Chasing Boots in front of me have reached the first-tier superior grade, which is a standard magic weapon that is hard to buy even if you have money.

As for that top-grade Golden Armor Talisman, it was also quite extraordinary.

Jiang Peng had seen a mid-grade one of these items in the hands of the cultivators who robbed him in the black market last time. It could summon two golden shields to protect a large area around the person.

The first-tier top-grade Golden Armor Talisman can summon a golden shield that covers the entire body without any blind spots.

"This must be because Cangshan Pavilion contacted the person behind it. I guess it was something like, 'If anything goes wrong, no matter if they did it or not, we'll find them.'"

If that weren't the case, an apology would probably just involve sending a batch of spirit stones; the other party wouldn't specifically choose two items for self-defense.

This shows that they are afraid Jiang Peng will get into trouble again.

...

In the following days, Jiang Peng heard some rumors every time she went out to buy ingredients.

Wu Qian, the manager of Baicaotang, went astray during his cultivation, suffered a qi deviation, and died.

What happened? The second young master of the Li family angered the elders again, had his leg broken, and was taken away from the market.

If it were only once or twice, Jiang Peng would just ignore it and take it as a joke.

But there were always unrelated people around her who deliberately brought it up, and gradually, Jiang Peng began to understand what was going on.

"This was said intentionally for me to hear!"

After a moment's thought, he roughly guessed the whole story.

It turns out that Baicaotang was a business owned by the Li family.

Considering his repeated rejections of Baicaotang's offers, coupled with his uncontrollable nature as an alchemist, and the Li family's recent manipulation of the market in an attempt to make a quick fortune, he realized that the Li family was also trying to profit from the situation.

"So that's how it is inside and out." Jiang Peng suddenly realized.

It's likely that Baicaotang was a business managed by that second young master, and the manager, Wu Qian, told that second young master about his affairs, which led to the subsequent events.

Jiang Peng wasn't sure if her guess was right, but the fact that the other party had even sent people to spread rumors both openly and secretly was clearly a sign of submission, so Jiang Peng stopped thinking about it and completely let it go.

He was completely unaware that Baicaotang was indeed a business of the Li family, but had no connection whatsoever with the second young master.

Why would the Li family entrust their business to a spoiled brat?

If the second young master truly had a talent for business, he wouldn't have ended up using the complete Qi Refining Technique that his family had painstakingly acquired to fish in the black market.

As for Wu Qian's death, it was actually only because the Li family discovered that Wu Qian might have had a grudge against Jiang Peng.

...

In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.

The area around the market has become increasingly turbulent lately.

at home.

Jiang Peng was making dumplings in the kitchen, wearing an apron and with her hands covered in flour.

"Have you heard about what happened yesterday?" Lan Yingying leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching with great interest as Jiang Peng pinched a dumpling into shape with both hands.

She had never seen dumplings made before, but she was now watching with great interest.

"Is it about the beast tide hitting the west side of the market?" Jiang Peng replied casually.

Just yesterday, a scattered horde of beasts stormed into Cangshan Market. Although the horde didn't even trigger the market's protective array, it was dispersed and then annihilated by the combined efforts of the market's cultivators.

However, the appearance of the beast tide in front of the market still caused considerable panic.

This proves that the situation on the front lines is becoming increasingly unfavorable and is deteriorating.

"I'm leaving for the front lines of the beast tide tomorrow. This conscription order came suddenly, it seems the upper sect also feels that the situation is getting out of control."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Peng slowed down her movements slightly.

"Wasn't it said that the beast tide was secretly orchestrated and controlled by the upper sect?"

Lan Yingying shook her head and said, "Every plan has its flaws. To secretly plot with a great demon is like asking a tiger for its skin... Besides, from the very beginning, there have been mysterious forces involved in this beast tide."

"Originally, the Upper Sect thought it was the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion, but later the Jade Pavilion Sword Pavilion said that the Upper Sect was slandering them, and then actually sent people to be enemies with the Upper Sect. They even said that if they were to take action, they would openly chop off heads, without any of those roundabout ways."

Jiang Peng clicked his tongue in amazement.

The painting style of Jade Pavilion and Sword Pavilion is truly bizarre.

When someone is falsely accused, the way Jian Ge clarifies the situation is to actually do the things that the other party said to be falsely accused.

Your Cangshan Sect claims that our Sword Pavilion is secretly causing trouble during the beast tide?

Screw you! If we, the Sword Pavilion, want to cause trouble, we'll do it openly. Come on, I'll send people to cause trouble for you right now!

What brain circuit?

"Boil water," Jiang Peng instructed.

"Okay." Lan Yingying responded and skillfully took charge of the stove in Jiang Peng's house.

Soon, the two bowls of dumplings were cooked.

The dumplings were scooped into a bowl of pre-mixed sauce and topped with steaming hot dumpling soup. Lan Yingying, who was standing nearby, couldn't wait to take a bowl and head out of the kitchen.

In the dead of winter, the two of them, each with a bowl of sour soup dumplings, ate in the courtyard, sweating profusely.

After the meal, Lan Yingying left a message talisman.

"After I leave, someone else will come to collect the Dragon Tiger Pills each month. Keep this talisman safe. When the person arrives at the market, they will use this talisman to contact you."

After giving her instructions, Lan Yingying left.

After Jiang Peng finished cleaning up the dishes, her gaze fell on Ah Huang, who was munching on a dumpling in the corner of the kitchen.

Despite raising it for so long, Ah Huang hasn't grown any bigger, and its skin has become increasingly dry lately.

Although she had never owned a pet, Jiang Peng felt this was not a good omen.

"Hey kid... don't you think something's off?"

"Squeak—"

Hmm, looks like you enjoyed the dumplings quite a bit.

However, Jiang Peng still felt something was amiss.

Ah Huang is merely a bloodline reversion to its ancestral form; it is not a high-level demon beast with a lineage, and it may not even know what's wrong with it.

"But the monster meat might not be enough for this little thing to grow. I'll have to find out later if raising a monster pet requires anything else."

After all, it was a demon pet with a bloodline that had reverted to its ancestral form, and Jiang Peng didn't want to ruin Ah Huang because of her unintentional mistake.