Starting as a spiritual plant master, may I eventually become the master of all lands.

The man in white nodded in satisfaction as he observed the expressions on everyone's faces.

He turned his head to the big-headed, powdered-faced man and asked, "Did you find it?"

A large-headed, powder-faced person was looking around on the water with a furrowed brow, then shook their large head:

"Strange, the last spirit fish should be nearby."

The handsome face of the man in white darkened.

"Let's use another talisman to blast it out. One spirit fish is enough to buy several low-level talismans. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."

The big-headed man pondered for a moment, then nodded.

He then glared at the shore and shouted, "Get out of here, or if a few people get blown up, don't blame us."

"Why bother with them! Our business is more important," the man in white said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the townspeople, fearing that they were about to use the same tactics again, retreated in fear.

All the fishing boats retreated to the shore.

Only Song Chuan's boat was still moving, but because there were so many fish below, the boat was moving slowly and was quite conspicuous.

The old man exclaimed in alarm, "Sir, should we turn back first?"

Song Chuan shook his head: "We're heading south, so we won't get in their way. You just need to focus on sailing."

The old man and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance, both looking troubled.

At this moment, the cultivator surnamed Mi and the man in white also saw the ship where Song Chuan was. Seeing that someone was being unreasonable, they were about to scold him.

But when they looked at the person standing at the bow of the ship, their eyes narrowed and their expressions changed slightly.

Upon reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining, the two felt a chill run down their spines.

The man in white suddenly broke into a broad smile, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "So you are a fellow practitioner. We apologize for not looking closely earlier. Please forgive us."

Song Chuan said with a lazy expression, "I thought this fellow Daoist was going to tell me to get lost too."

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. I was indeed blind just now. I apologize to you and hope you will not take it to heart," the cultivator surnamed Mi replied.

The old man and Yang Cheng next to Song Chuan broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing the conversation, not daring to utter a sound.

"I am Mi Cheng, and this is Li Kefeng. We are both independent cultivators from Baiquan County. Judging from your young age, you have already reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining. You must be a disciple of a major sect or from a prominent family."

The cultivator surnamed Mi spoke again, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.

"I am indeed a disciple of a family in this area, but as for which family, I cannot disclose that information."

Song Chuan said in a nonchalant tone, then changed the subject:

"It seems you two fellow cultivators have come to Snowfield Lake as if searching for something. Could you perhaps tell us?"

Li Kefeng and Mi Cheng exchanged a glance and said with a wry smile:

"Don't laugh at us, fellow cultivator, but we've come here in search of these migrating golden salmon. Among these fish are spirit fish that have developed demonic energy, which would be a considerable source of income for us rogue cultivators. I imagine you wouldn't even deign to look down on such insignificant creatures."

"I think you two fellow Daoists have caught quite a few spirit fish. Why don't you just stop here? Once your talismans explode, how many fish will be left? Won't these mortals just be disappointed?"

Song Chuan said expressionlessly.

"this……"

Li Kefeng looked troubled. He glanced at Mi Cheng, whose brows furrowed slightly.

"The towns around here are all controlled by Foundation Establishment families. If any mortal with connections complains to them, even rogue cultivators will be barred from entering Snowfield Lake in the future," Song Chuan said leisurely.

Li Kefeng pondered for a moment and said, "Since you have said so, how can we not understand?"

Song Chuan then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said with a smile, "In that case, farewell."

Then he turned his gaze to his father-in-law: "Let's set sail. I have family matters to attend to."

The old man and Yang Cheng were already on edge, and upon hearing Song Chuan's words, they quickly started the boat again.

Upon seeing this, Li Kefeng and Mi Cheng returned the greeting.

Mi Cheng frowned and patted the hull of the boat, which then sailed away into the distance.

Song Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his cabin.

He had just put on a calm and collected demeanor and asserted his status as a member of his family, all to make these two back down.

If we don't scare these two away quickly, who knows how long they'll be searching here?

If they just left, and the people following them actually caught up and asked about the two of them, wouldn't their whereabouts be immediately exposed?

Although the probability is low, it's better to be safe.

At this moment, Li Kefeng and Mi Cheng were standing on the small boat, their faces gloomy.

"That person should have just entered the mid-stage of Qi Refining; his aura was unstable. In my opinion, we shouldn't have listened to him back then," Mi Chengyu said with a hint of complaint.

Li Kefeng shook his head: "That's still mid-stage Qi Refining. Besides, what if his family is nearby? We should be careful."

Then his eyes flickered, and he continued:

"Judging from his destination, he should be heading to Daicheng. He is all alone. In my opinion, we should tell Fellow Daoist Lin about this and see if he has any thoughts about this person."

Mi Cheng looked up, his eyes showing sudden realization: "That's right, it just so happens that Fellow Daoist Lin is in Daicheng. Brother Li, you've thought things through perfectly."

Li Kefeng smiled slightly, while Mi Cheng patted the bow of the boat, changed direction, avoided Song Chuan, and sped towards Daicheng.

After entering the cabin, Song Chuan took out the Black Horn Hammer and began to refine it.

Encountering this kind of thing right after stepping out of the house, even though nothing serious happened, still made him a little more worried about the road ahead.

After this incident, the old man and Yang Cheng felt even more awe for Song Chuan. The two traveled day and night and finally delivered Song Chuan to the ferry outside Daicheng City three days later.

Song Chuan bid farewell to the two and mingled into the crowd at the ferry crossing.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard on Biquan Mountain.

The three figures were talking about something.

"According to Song Qi, who was on duty that day, Song Chuan said he would come back after collecting herbs, but we haven't seen him for two days," one of them said.

"Could this guy have skipped going to Wisteria Valley and secretly run away?" a woman's voice rang out.

"Alright, I asked my aunt, and she said Song Chuan went to Wisteria Valley a long time ago," said another man with a somewhat deep voice.

"What? I told him I'd see him off, and he just left without a word. Could he know something?" the first voice said with some concern.

"If we don't tell him, what will he know? There's no time to lose, you two should hurry to Wucheng and see if we can still catch up," the man with the deep voice said.

"What if we can't catch up?" the woman asked.

"It doesn't matter if we can't catch up. Vine Flower Valley isn't so easy to get to. Besides, with only four spiritual roots, what can he do if he goes to Vine Flower Valley? He'll probably never see it again in his lifetime." The man with the deep voice sneered.

These three people who were secretly plotting could never have imagined that Song Chuan was already in Daicheng.

Daicheng was a very important city in Baiquan County. This was because there was a majestic mountain called Daishan to the north of the city, which was the place where emperors of the mortal world performed the Fengshan ceremony.

Millions of locals live here, along with countless traveling merchants, peddlers, and literary figures, making this city incredibly lively.

Song Chuan walked along a street lined with inns, looking for a place to stay. The passenger boats from Daicheng wouldn't depart until early the next morning.

As dusk settled, the streets were bustling with people.

I asked several guesthouses, but none of them had any rooms available.

It turns out that tomorrow is the day when mortals worship the mountain in winter, and the place is fully booked tonight.

But a kind waiter told him that he could go to "Chang Shao Ju" on the east side of the street, where there were many guest rooms.

So he arrived at the entrance of a very grand inn, glanced at the sign "Changshaoju" and stepped inside.