The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Xiao Fan folded the letter and put it back in the envelope, his expression normal. But Gu Yuan sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to ask who the letter's owner was.

Xiao Fan handed over the letter. After reading it, Gu Yuan clicked his tongue and said, "This guy surnamed Wei is really persistent. Last time at Ziyan Ferry, Liu Changgeng blocked my way, and I've been holding a grudge ever since."

Xiao Fan put down the letter, stood with his hands behind his back, and smiled, "Then let him go. Everyone saw it when he unleashed the Creation Fire at the Crossing River Ferry last time. He can report it, why should I hide it?"

He turned and walked to the stone table in the courtyard, poured himself a drink, and said, "Let him wait. I haven't figured things out in the Northern Ice Plains yet, and I don't have time to waste on his betting spree in the Flame Abyss. I'll come find him again after I've finished what I need to do."

Gu Yuan was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter, slapping his thigh and exclaiming, "Excellent technique!"

Han Fei was carrying a plate of food out of the kitchen when he heard this and joined in the commotion. The courtyard was immediately filled with laughter and chatter, and even the wind chimes hanging in the corridor jingled and tinkled.

Yun Ruoxi placed the ancient book on her lap, turned to look at Xiao Fan, her face gilded by the afterglow of the setting sun. She smiled but said nothing.

The urgent report from the Northern Ice Plains didn't arrive at the Pill Tower until five days later. A deacon from the Alliance personally delivered a box of frozen ice core samples. As soon as Xiao Fan opened the box, he felt a chilling aura that he hadn't experienced in a long time.

This aura is exactly the same as the Yin energy overflowing from the Ice Sea Tower, only much thinner, seemingly a residual aura leaking from the depths of the glacier.

After reading the report, Jiang Yuanji pondered for a long time: "This ice tower was the first one you repaired, and it's also the one that took the longest. The geological structure of that area is relatively weak, and this ice fissure should have been caused by years of erosion from the cold air. However, since this black aura has appeared, we cannot let our guard down."

Xiao Fan nodded in agreement. He packed his luggage; he wasn't bringing many people this time. The Northern Ice Plains were even harsher than the Southern Frontier, and with Han Fei's current cultivation level, he simply couldn't withstand so many days of severe cold.

Finally, he took Yun Ruoxi and Gu Yuan with him, traveling light, and headed north.

As autumn deepens, the temperature decreases the further north you go.

Half a month later, when the three arrived at the edge of the ice field, the ground had become as hard as iron. Xiao Fan followed the route he remembered and headed towards the ice tower. His divine sense extended deep into the ice layer, trying to find the crack mentioned in the report.

As expected, four deep ravines appeared within a radius of twenty miles centered on the ice tower, one of which was more than a meter wide.

Xiao Fan lay prone on the ice wall, placing the Creation Flame into it. The crimson-gold light extended several feet downwards along the ice wall before reaching its bottom. A small wisp of dark gray gas was curled up in a crevice, like frozen smoke.

He used the Thunderfire Token as a catalyst, and a thin bolt of lightning shot out from the crack.

When the silver arc of electricity touched the gray mist, there was a soft "boom" sound, and the mist quickly dissipated, leaving only a wisp of black smoke rising from the crack and being blown away by the cold wind.

"It's resolved." Xiao Fan put away the Thunderfire Token, got up from the ground, and patted the ice off his knees.

Master Gu Yuan checked the other cracks again and only felt relieved after confirming that there was no lingering yin energy.

The three of them spent half a day circling the ice tower, and the sealing runes at the bottom of the tower were still glowing faintly.

This tower, the first one Xiao Fan repaired, is even more solid than the previous ones, perhaps because of the passage of time; the earth's veins have become one with the tower's foundation.

On his way back, Xiao Fan passed through a small town on the edge of the ice plains and rested at an inn. Yun Ruoxi, sitting by the fire warming her hands, suddenly asked, "How do you plan to reply to Wei Huoshou's letter?"

Xiao Fan added another piece of firewood to the charcoal stove, sparks flying everywhere: "Since he's already mentioned the Thunderfire Token, then I'm not in a hurry. If the Blackfire Sect really comes looking for me, I might go and see them. I haven't asked the person behind that woman who stole tiles in the Southern Frontier yet."

Yun Ruoxi glanced at him sideways. "You're trying to use Wei Huoshou to lure out the Blackfire Sect members?"

Xiao Fan smiled without saying a word. For over a hundred years, the Black Fire Sect had remained hidden in the shadows, their movements shrouded in secrecy; finding them was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

However, since Wei Huoshou has offered the information, let's go with the flow and use the Thunderfire Token as bait to see what we can catch.

The firelight from the fireplace reflected in the depths of his eyes, making his dark brown pupils appear bright and sharp.

On the third day after returning to the Pill Tower, Xiao Fan wrote a letter to Wei Huoshou. The letter contained only one sentence: "After the New Year."

He handed the letter to Old Zhao, the gatekeeper, and asked him to deliver it out of the city. Then he took out an old book, placed it on the table, and sorted them according to their importance.

The ice fissures in the northern region have been cleared, and the Dark Sea in the South China Sea cannot be resolved either. Only the southern border, the eastern part of the western region, and some remote mountain ranges in the central and southern parts of the Daqing Empire remain.

The first batch consists of twelve targets, distributed across three different regions, each requiring seven to eight days to complete.

Xiao Fan unfolded a map of the Great Qing Empire next to the booklet and used a vermilion pen to draw each node stroke by stroke. His pen moved swiftly and steadily.

Master Gu Yuan walked in carrying a cup of hot tea, stood behind him for a while, and then said, "This work is even more demanding than repairing the pagoda."

"However, since you insist on doing this, I'll go with you. I know the situation in Southern Xinjiang, and I still have some of the Gu worm that Granny Miao gave me; I might be able to use it."

Xiao Fan put down his vermilion pen, picked up a cup of hot tea and drank it down. The warmth went down his throat and dispelled the autumn chill outside the window.

He looked up at the study window, where the ginkgo tree had turned quite yellow, bathed in the golden sunlight of the afternoon sun.

The wind blows, and the leaves twirl and fall down, landing in the cracks of the bluestone slabs, where they are picked up by the janitors who sweep the yard and piled up.

Han Fei's footsteps echoed in the corridor. "Brother Xiao! Another letter has arrived from the gatekeeper. This time, it's from the southern border, and it even has the character 'Miao' written on it!"

Xiao Fan put down his teacup, a smile appearing on his face.

Although Granny Miao was thousands of miles away, every time she sent a letter, it was because she had something important to discuss.

He reached out and took the letter from Han Fei's hand, gently running his finger along the sealing wax to pull out the thin piece of paper.

The handwriting on the letter was still Granny Miao's crooked yet vigorous handwriting. Xiao Fan read it word by word, his brows furrowing slightly, but quickly relaxing. He folded the letter and put it in his pocket, then turned to look at Gu Yuan.

He began, "We'll postpone our trip to the southern border region for now. Granny Miao's letter said she used witchcraft to suppress several bonfires there, and she wants us to hurry elsewhere."