Immortal of the Nine Realms

A maid led Qin Nie into the hall. He bowed respectfully to Chu Lan and then turned his gaze to Fang Chen. “Fellow Daoist, earlier at the Immortal Origin District, you clashed with the protectors of the Nine Yang Dao Sect, and the aftershocks affected us.”

“Is that so? I didn’t really notice. Did Young Master Qin Nie sustain any injuries?” Fang Chen asked, feigning surprise as he examined Qin Nie.

Qin Nie forced a smile and shook his head slightly. “There were no serious injuries, but we were knocked unconscious by the aftershocks.”

“Daoist Fang, you should be more cautious next time,” Chu Lan said with a hint of reproach.

Fang Chen nodded. “I’ll definitely be more cautious in the future.”

“I wonder if Daoist Fang has seen our storage rings?” Qin Nie asked casually. “When we woke up, we discovered that our storage rings had disappeared.”

“I didn’t pay much attention to it. It’s possible that someone took advantage of the chaos. Such incidents are quite common. Young Master Qin Nie should be more careful in the future and avoid crowded places,” Fang Chen said, shaking his head.

Qin Nie sighed. “To be honest, the items in Young Master Qi Fa’s storage ring are quite valuable. If they cannot be recovered, the Azure Dao Manor Lord will likely pin the blame on someone. There could be escalations.”

“Nie’er, quickly have the family’s cultivators investigate to see who would dare to take advantage of the situation and rob you,” Chu Lan advised.

Qin Nie glanced at Chu Lan and then at Fang Chen, deciding to be straightforward, “When we lost consciousness, Daoist Fang was nearby. Young Master Qi suspects Daoist Fang of being involved.”

Before Fang Chen could respond, Chu Lan stepped forward, her expression calm but stern. “Nie’er, are you doubting the integrity of the guest I invited?”

Qin Nie sighed. “First Lady, it’s not me who doubts but Young Master Qi. I’m left with no choice.”

“And what does he want you to do?” Chu Lan asked.

“He wants to personally search Daoist Fang and inspect his storage ring,” Qin Nie said softly. “This would confirm that Daoist Fang is not that kind of shameless thief and provide an explanation to Young Master Qi.”

“A search, you say? That can be arranged,” Chu Lan said, nodding as she slowly extended her arms. “Search me first, then Daoist Fang.”

Qin Nie was taken aback, and he grew conflicted. Finally, he said in a low voice, “First Lady, this is a highly sensitive matter. Please, don’t do this.”

“What do you mean? If you privately criticize my guest, I might choose to ignore it. But now, Nie’er has personally come to accuse him of theft and demands a search. Isn’t this just slapping me in the face? Although I, Chu Lan, am not a direct member of the Immortal Qin Clan, I will never allow others to trample on me and insult me at will.

”If you must conduct a search, then search me first, then Daoist Fang. It would be best to call my husband as well and conduct the search in his presence.”

Chu Lan’s stance was firm.

Qin Nie was silent for a few moments before cupping his fist. “I was being impolite. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, Qin Nie left. Though he was reluctant, he had no other options.

Glancing at Fang Chen, Chu Lan’s lips curved into a slight triumphant smile. For the first time, Fang Chen noticed a hint of playfulness in her demeanor, possibly due to the resolution of Qin Feng’s issue, which had lifted the despondence in her heart.

Chu Lan smiled. “Daoist Fang, what do you plan to do next?”

“Observe and wait for developments.”

“Observe and wait?”

Chu Lan nodded, not pressing further. She had no desire to get involved in these matters. With the Three Solar Fruit found, she was even less inclined to have any further dealings with the Spirit Blood Sect.

“Earlier, our agreement was for a hundred mid-grade spirit stones in exchange for the whereabouts of the Three Solar Fruit. Now that you’ve risked so much to retrieve it for me, here are an additional hundred mid-quality spirit stones. Please accept them.”

Chu Lan’s delicate hand opened to reveal a neatly stacked pile of mid-grade spirit stones. Each one was perfectly uniform, about the size of a thumbnail.

Seeing Fang Chen remain silent, Chu Lan assumed he found the amount insufficient and explained with a wry smile, “I’ve inquired and found that even for a single Three Solar Fruit, cultivators would be willing to pay up to a thousand mid-grade spirit stones. I know two hundred is a modest amount, but this is all I can offer. Please don’t find it lacking.”

Fang Chen smiled and thought about how to use the spirit stones.

Although the Realm of Three Thousand Dao was excellent, it required five hundred mid-grade spirit stones to allow him entry. Since mid-grade spirit stones are far more valuable than low-quality spirit stones, gathering five hundred of them was quite challenging.

Fang Chen accepted the spirit stones and casually asked, “First Lady, if I want to purchase a Profound spiritual treasure, where should I go?”

Chu Lan was relieved that Fang Chen accepted the spirit stones. However, she revealed an expression of surprise when she heard his question.

“Daoist Fang, Profound rank treasures are incredibly precious and in high demand. If you wish to purchase one, you would need to go directly to the Artifact Master’s residence. The only Artifact Master in the Immortal Qin Clan region capable of crafting Profound spiritual treasures is an elder from the Nine Yang Dao Sect....”

Fang Chen was somewhat surprised. He asked a few more questions and discovered that whether in the Azure Dao Manor or other regions of the Central Continent, Profound spiritual treasures were not sold by ordinary merchants. They were typically available only directly from Artifact Masters, and the purchase depended on connections.

Artifact Masters who could craft Profound Rank weapons usually didn’t entertain strangers. Since Fang Chen had recently offended the Nine Yang Dao Sect, the possibility of buying a Profound Rank weapon from them was zero.

“Daoist Fang, my clan, the Chu Clan, knows an Artifact Master named the Kun Hai Sage. He resides on the Red Mist Island in the Immortal Demonic Sea. If you truly wish to purchase a Profound spiritual treasure, you might have some luck there.”

Chu Lan handed a jade slip to Fang Chen. “This jade token represents the Chu Clan. Although Kun Hai Sage may not necessarily agree to assist you, at least he won’t immediately drive you away.”

Fang Chen accepted the jade slip. “Thank you, First Lady.”

After a few more inquiries, he confirmed that there were only four Artifact Masters capable of crafting Profound spiritual treasures within Azure Dao Manor. Besides the one from the Nine Yang Dao Sect, the other three had poor relations with the Immortal Qin Clan.

Returning to his chambers, Fang Chen’s soul left his body once again and arrived at Qin Nie’s courtyard. In addition to the Golden Core Realm disciple of the Spirit Blood Sect stationed by Qin Nie near Chu Lan, there were several more figures in the courtyard, including Foundation Building Realm, Golden Core Realm, and one Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

“Everyone, please make sure to retrieve the storage rings within seven days,” Qin Nie said with a blank expression.

The others exchanged glances. The Nascent Soul cultivator furrowed his brow and scrutinized Qin Nie.

“Qin Nie, did you really carry the Three Solar Fruit with you?” the Nascent Soul cultivator asked.

Qin Nie nodded lightly.

A hint of anger flashed in the Nascent Soul cultivator’s eyes. “This item is extremely important. Why didn’t you entrust it to me for safekeeping?”

“It is safest with me,” Qin Nie said coldly. “This is my test and cannot be compromised.”

The Nascent Soul cultivator sneered. “Cannot be compromised? Now even the storage rings are lost. If this affects the test, it might disappoint the Radiant Sun Spirit Monarch.”

The Radiant Sun Spirit Monarch?

Fang Chen’s eyes flickered. Immortal Void Rush once said that in the Spirit Blood Sect, Spirit Monarch was a title for cultivators in the Middle Three Realms.