In the small courtyard, the moment Wu Youfeng left, Wu Bufan entered seclusion to refine pills. With the aid of the spiritual spring, his success rate increased dramatically. That very day, he produced his first batch of Breaking Calamity Pills.
Nine was the ultimate number. A single batch of pills could yield at most nine and now, every time he refined, all nine formed perfectly, each one gleaming with spiritual luster.
For the second batch, he decided not to add spiritual water. Even so, he still produced high grade Breaking Calamity Pills. Yet when compared to those infused with spiritual water, these lacked both brilliance and potency.
He made a decision in his heart, to use spiritual water in large quantities to refine more Qi Replenishing Pills, Blood Restoring Pills and Recovery Pills.
A week later, a shimmer of light in his spiritual space alerted him that someone had arrived.
He put away the pills, exited the space and opened the door, just in time to see Chao Chen climbing over the wall.
Wu Bufan crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching with mild amusement.
Chao Chen’s face flushed red with embarrassment. “Let me hide here for a while.”
From the other side of the wall came the sound of hurried footsteps. Without a word, Wu Bufan pulled him inside.
Chao Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief, barely audible. He had truly been afraid Wu Bufan would turn him away. He had nowhere else left to go.
Wu Bufan’s fingers brushed lightly against Chao Chen’s wrist. The moment he sensed the chaotic spiritual energy within, his eyes darkened. “What did you do?”
Chao Chen pulled back his hand uncomfortably and shrugged. “Just taking back what’s mine. The people who stole from me weren’t too happy about it.”
Wu Bufan used his spiritual energy to help smooth out the turbulence in Chao Chen’s meridians. “If you don’t mind,” he said evenly, “why not tell me the whole story?”
A faint warmth stirred in Chao Chen’s heart. “It’s nothing too dramatic. It’s just that my father isn’t really my father. All those cultivation resources I received over the years came from the generous ‘support fees’ my real father paid to the Chao family.”
Outsiders often said Chao Shiyi doted on his son endlessly, giving him the best resources and treasures. But in truth, all those things had belonged to Chao Chen to begin with.
Wu Bufan was startled. “Your real father… something happened to him?”
For years, the Chao family had deliberately maintained the image of a father crazed with love for his son. Even Wu Bufan, who barely knew them, had heard countless times how Chao Shiyi showered his child with gifts.
But lately, the family’s attitude toward Chao Chen has shifted sharply. They had even dismissed the servants who once attended him closely, as though stripping away a disguise.
There was only one explanation, someone the Chao family feared was no longer around. They no longer needed to pretend.
Chao Chen’s eyes dimmed. “I think so.”
Wu Bufan asked quietly, “How did you find out?”
Chao Chen smiled faintly. “I opened what my real father left behind for me.”
Wu Bufan looked at him in confusion.
Chao Chen continued, “All these years, Chao Shiyi would occasionally draw my blood. Whenever I asked why, he refused to explain. A few days ago, he came again and this time he wanted a lot of it. I followed him in secret and saw him smear my blood onto a pitch black box. The box didn’t react at all. You know what he said then?”
He paused, eyes glinting with mischief as he stared at Wu Bufan. “He said, ‘So it really can’t be opened without the item from the secret realm?’”
Wu Bufan’s entire body stiffened.
So that was why, in the dream, Chao Chen had gone to the secret realm and ended up gravely injured, losing his cultivation.
Chao Chen leaned in close, his eyes bright and teasing. “Interested in going with me to the secret realm? Whatever treasure we find, we split it half and half.”
Wu Bufan gazed into Chao Chen’s eyes. They shone like starlight, brilliant and clear. His heartbeat quickened, his throat tightening. “You know where it is?”
“I do. My father left detailed instructions in his letter.”
After Chao Shiyi left home that day, Chao Chen had stolen the box with little effort. When he opened it, a surge of spiritual energy burst forth, immediately alerting Chao Shiyi.
He hadn’t known what was inside at the time but instinct told him it was dangerous. He had run for his life.
While fleeing, he managed to recognize the item within the box as his own, binding it to him. Only after that did he read his father’s letter.
The letter explained everything. Chao Chen could not describe what he felt, perhaps a strange sense of peace. After all, he still had a father who truly cared for him.
Wu Bufan tested carefully, “Why me? I’m only at the second level of Qi Refining.”
Chao Chen rolled his eyes. “You’re already at the fifth, no, wait. You’ve advanced again? That fast?”
He stared at Wu Bufan in disbelief. “Did you eat an immortal pill?”
Wu Bufan blinked, then chuckled. Without a word, he took out a pill and pushed it between Chao Chen’s lips. “Here, have one too.”
Caught off guard, Chao Chen nearly spat it out. But then he felt the hidden injuries in his body rapidly healing. Embarrassment colored his face, he realized he had judged Wu Bufan too hastily.
Wu Bufan found his expression amusing. His eyes gleamed with quiet laughter. “Next time, don’t go around blurting out other people’s cultivation levels. That sort of thing can get you killed.”
The guiding light in Wu Bufan’s spiritual space had once said that Chao Chen’s eyes were unusual but never explained how.
Chao Chen licked his lips and nodded. “Got it.”
He could tell he had just swallowed a Breaking Calamity Pill. He had taken them before but never one like this. The effect was at least ten times stronger.
Where in the world had Wu Bufan gotten such extraordinary pills? He wanted to ask but couldn’t bring himself to.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed outside, growing louder by the second.
Chao Chen’s expression darkened. “I have a way to hide.”
Wu Bufan nodded. “Then let me handle them.”
The Chao family had three experts at the Foundation Establishment stage. With their current strength, confronting them head on would be unwise.
Moments later, Wu Xutian and Chao Lingyue entered the courtyard with a group of servants in tow.
“Search!” Wu Xutian commanded.
The servants surged forward but before they could take more than a few steps, a violent force swept through the courtyard. One by one, they were sent flying backward.
Wu Xutian’s face darkened instantly. Chao Lingyue’s heart pounded as her gaze fixed on the figure stepping calmly out of the house.
Wu Bufan still had traces of spiritual energy shimmering at his fingertips. His expression was cool, his tone edged with displeasure. “Cousin, what’s the meaning of this?”
Wu Xutian’s jaw tightened. “That’s what I should be asking you!”
The servants he brought were all cultivators at least on the second level of Qi Refining. How could Wu Bufan, supposedly at the second level himself, send them all flying with a single wave of his sleeve?
Was he concealing his true strength?
Wu Bufan’s expression turned slightly cold. “Cousin, you barge into my courtyard uninvited and now you question me?”
Wu Xutian hesitated, his words caught in his throat. “They’re my men. You strike them, you strike at me.”
Wu Bufan’s tone hardened. “And what do you take me for? I am still a member of the Wu family’s side branch. Yet you let a group of servants trample over me? Are you not afraid the rest of the family will grow cold hearted seeing this?”
The Wu family had only one main line but more than ten collateral branches.
Even ants, when gathered in numbers, could bring down an elephant. Wu Xutian feared them uniting against him more than anything.
His jaw twitched, his face pale with suppressed anger.
When did Wu Bufan become so eloquent?
Chao Lingyue, seeing that Wu Xutian was gradually losing the upper hand, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Bufan, don’t be angry. We’re not here to cause trouble, we’re looking for someone.”
Wu Bufan raised an eyebrow, his expression faintly puzzled. “Looking for someone? In my courtyard? And who exactly might that be?”
“Chao Chen,” Chao Lingyue explained hurriedly. “He fell into demonic cultivation, wounded my father gravely and fled.”
Wu Bufan’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Isn’t the Chao family head a cultivator at the upper Foundation Establishment stage? How could he possibly be gravely injured by someone like Chao Chen, who’s only at the ninth level of Qi Refining?”
Chao Lingyue’s gaze flickered but her face remained composed, feigning anxious urgency. “He was caught off guard. My father never expected an attack from him and since Chao Chen has fallen into demonic ways, his strength is no longer what it once was.”
Wu Xutian’s face was dark as thunder. He added coldly, “Chao Chen isn’t even a true member of the Chao family. He was merely an orphan my uncle picked up out of pity. The family head raised him, taught him, provided for him as though he were his own flesh and blood. But what did he do in return? He turned to darkness, betrayed his benefactor and even tried to murder the man who raised him. He’s the very image of the farmer and the viper!”
Wu Bufan’s mouth fell open slightly, his expression a picture of disbelief. “If that’s the case, why are you here, looking for him in my courtyard?”
Chao Lingyue’s eyes shifted subtly. “Because he disappeared somewhere near here. We thought perhaps he might be hiding in your place.”
That wasn’t the full truth, it was instinct. From the last time they met, Chao Lingyue had felt that Wu Bufan seemed to be shielding Chao Chen, in some subtle, inexplicable way.
The feeling had only grown stronger since then. So when she heard that Chao Chen had vanished in this area, the first place that came to her mind was Wu Bufan’s residence.
She was certain he would come to seek shelter here.
Wu Bufan frowned. “That’s quite an unreasonable guess. There are dozens of courtyards nearby. What makes you think he’s hiding in mine?”
He paused for a beat, then said with a faintly mocking tone, “Or could it be… that you regret breaking off our engagement?”
Chao Lingyue’s face instantly turned green.
Wu Xutian’s jaw tightened and he forced the words through clenched teeth. “Bufan, you’re overthinking this!”
Since when has Wu Bufan become so shamelessly bold?
Had the trials in the Xichuan Secret Realm somehow toughened his skin as well as his strength?
Wu Bufan sighed, his tone touched with mild regret. “There’s no one here. You may leave.”
Wu Xutian actually wanted to leave. Judging by Wu Bufan’s demeanor, there was no way Chao Chen was hiding here.
But Chao Lingyue refused to give up. “Bufan, can’t you at least let us take a look inside? We’ve come all this way, surely you won’t make us leave empty handed.”
Wu Bufan looked at her with exaggerated confusion. “And how exactly is that my concern? Whether you come or go has nothing to do with me. You’re not my fiancée anymore, remember?”
Chao Lingyue’s lips trembled. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
Did this mean that now that she was no longer his fiancée, Wu Bufan no longer cared about her at all? Was all of his past kindness toward her merely because of the engagement?
The realization hit her like a stone to the chest. Thinking back on the complete change in his attitude since their betrothal was dissolved, a cold sinking feeling spread through her heart. Perhaps she really had guessed right.
Wu Xutian forced a stiff smile, his voice strained but still carrying the arrogance of the main family. “Bufan, I am your elder cousin and the legitimate heir of the Wu family. Surely you can grant me this small request?”
Wu Bufan shook his head. “No. I refuse.”
Chao Lingyue’s expression darkened. “Bufan, you’ve refused us again and again. Are you truly hiding that demonic cultivator here?”
Her voice softened into something pleading. “You’re being deceived, aren’t you? That man even dared to harm my father. Once you’re no longer useful to him, he’ll kill you without hesitation. Please, don’t be so foolish!”
A sharp light glinted in Wu Xutian’s eyes. “Bufan, if you dare to consort with Chao Chen, don’t blame me for doing what’s necessary, for the sake of the family.”
Wu Bufan’s expression grew dark. With a wave of his hand, a fierce gust swept through the courtyard, flinging open every door in sight. “Look,” he said flatly. “See for yourselves. But this is my bottom line.”
His voice turned cold as steel. “Even a clay statue has its temper. Don’t push me.”
Wu Xutian’s face twisted, fury warring with restraint.
If not for the lingering prestige of Wu Rongyang within the family, he would have already forced his way inside without a second thought.
Chao Lingyue’s gaze swept inch by inch across the courtyard, searching every visible corner within the rooms.
When she found nothing, her face grew tight, unwilling to accept it.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Coffee is technically a form of emotional support.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Dream to RealityChapter 2 · Those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortuneChapter 3 · Retrieve the tokenChapter 4 · Top-tier alchemistChapter 5 · A cooperative treasure hunt?Chapter 6 · Thousand mile Thundercloud LeopardChapter 7 · Chaotic Strange EntityChapter 8 · Back to Xichuan TownChapter 9 · How could Wu Bufan be stronger than him!Chapter 10 · Wu Bufan possess so many top-grade pills?Chapter 11 · This time, she will not let anyone take what is hers away againChapter 12 · Seize the luckChapter 13 · Mutant Purple Thunder BeastChapter 14 · I’m afraid he’ll get angryChapter 15 · PumiceChapter 16 · Enemies meet on a narrow roadChapter 17 · Becoming Daoist CouplesChapter 18 · Top-grade Calamity-Breaking PillChapter 19 · The amazing effects of top-grade pillsChapter 20 · Basic Body ForgingChapter 21 · One world cannot contain two chosen ones.Chapter 22 · PuppetChapter 23 · AuctionChapter 24 · Space FoundationChapter 25 · Top-grade Foundation Building PillChapter 26 · Increased space areaChapter 27 · The competition BeginChapter 28 · RobbedChapter 29 · Turn Defeat into Victory!Chapter 30 · The Death of Wu KeyuanChapter 31 · BetChapter 32 · Even the way Chao Chen talks is so cuteChapter 33 · Avenge Wu KeyuanChapter 34 · Finding Bodhi Wood at a BargainChapter 35 · Little PuppetChapter 36 · Explosive PillsChapter 37 · I’ll concedeChapter 38 · You are a genius, so your Daoist partner must also be a genius.Chapter 39 · The Third Elder was refused a disciple.Chapter 40 · Has the floating marrow stone secret been exposed?Chapter 41 · How Could There Be Such a Sinister Human!Chapter 42 · The Mutated Mugwort FoxChapter 43 · Wandering the JianghuChapter 44 · Ancient ElixirChapter 45 · I feel like I’m about to be struck by lightning!Chapter 46 · Earth-level Secret RealmChapter 47 · The spot is practically yours.Chapter 48 · His Daoist partner is truly amazing!Chapter 49 · The legacy in the libraryChapter 50 · Dual cultivation techniquesChapter 51 · First genius Ji Pu RanChapter 52 · Shifting the blame eastwardChapter 53 · The little puppet went to run errandsChapter 54 · The Explosive Pill once again demonstrated its power.Chapter 55 · Chao Lingyue’s cultivation levelChapter 56 · Little Money-GrubberChapter 57 · What a venomous mouth!Chapter 58 · Enter the secret realmChapter 59 · A huge windfall fell from the sky.Chapter 60 · The birth of a rare treasureChapter 61 · This alchemy furnace is quite uniqueChapter 62 · The alchemy furnace that walked right into the trapChapter 63 · Xiao Zi’s Self-Rescue GuideChapter 64 · Spirit Field Micro RealmChapter 65 · Someone Planning to Reap the Benefits?Chapter 66 · Are You Lost?Chapter 67 · Chao Chen, Corrupted by the Big Handsome PotChapter 68 · Is Your phoenix Fish Sect Collecting Trash?Chapter 69 · The Death of Hui SipingChapter 70 · No, Junior Brother Chao, Where’s Your Backbone…Chapter 71 · Has His Identity Been Exposed?Chapter 72 · This Child Is Far Too ShrewdChapter 73 · Young people are wonderful. They fall asleep the moment they lie downChapter 74 · Sparrow Alchemist Chao Lingyue?Chapter 75 · The Silver Tongued Chao ChenChapter 76 · What’s the rush? I have moreChapter 77 · Leave the sectChapter 78 · Showing Off on a Grand ScaleChapter 79 · The Sparrow Alchemist Returns to the Martial WorldChapter 80 · Does Junior Brother Chao know about this?Chapter 81 · The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole BehindChapter 82 · So FierceChapter 83 · They’ve been targeted by the local bulliesChapter 84 · The Kid Is Missing?Chapter 85 · A Thing from the Void: SilkChapter 86 · Chao Chen became famousChapter 87 · The Devil MentorChapter 88 · The four little ones went out to gain experienceChapter 89 · The Students Who Were Truly ConvincedChapter 90 · What a Bountiful Harvest!Chapter 91 · No Random KissingChapter 92 · Detoxification PillChapter 93 · Master Wu, your Daoist partner has disappearedChapter 94 · The Demonic ThiefChapter 95 · Fellow Daoist, are you selling this sparrow?Chapter 96 · Unexpected disaster, nothing moreChapter 97 · My Daoist partner was born in the Year of the PigChapter 98 · The Undying Devil ChildChapter 99 · Exotic Treasure! Buddha Flame Glazed Light!Chapter 100 · We stole the Beast Taming Sect’s treasure vaultChapter 101 · Waaaaah… Why is this strange fire so gay?Chapter 102 · The Mysterious Pill – Flower in the MirrorChapter 103 Part 1 · As Expected, You Can’t Produce Different Dreams from the Same Bed…Chapter 103 Part 2 · As Expected, You Can’t Produce Different Dreams from the Same Bed…Chapter 104 Part 1 · Separation and ReunionChapter 104 Part 2 · Separation and ReunionChapter 105 Part 1 · Renowned throughout the continent!Chapter 105 Part 2 · Renowned throughout the continent!Chapter 106 · Chao Chen’s RevengeChapter 107 · The Death of Chao LingyueChapter 108 · A Narcissistic Man or a Great Beauty?Chapter 109 · This Person Has No MannersChapter 110 · The Ancient Spirit Botanical GardenChapter 111 · Thousand-Thread Poison WomanChapter 112 · I am not kindChapter 113 · Are you the most handsome man here?Chapter 114 Part 1 · ReunionChapter 114 Part 2 · ReunionChapter 115 Part 1 · Diandian said that you got it into someone’s stomach yourselfChapter 115 Part 2 · Diandian said that you got it into someone’s stomach yourselfChapter 116 · Central ContinentChapter 116 Part 1 · Central ContinentChapter 117 Part 1 · The Ancient Dao Companion ContractChapter 117 Part 2 · The Ancient Dao Companion ContractChapter 118 · Heaven Above, Dust BelowChapter 118 Part 1 · Heaven Above, Dust BelowChapter 119 · Xiao Chen will also be embarrassedChapter 120 · The moon is so bright tonightChapter 121 Part 1 · Treasure ArrayChapter 121 Part 2 · Treasure ArrayChapter 122 Part 1 · Poisonous MushroomChapter 122 Part 2 · Poisonous MushroomChapter 123 Part 1 · Turmoil at the AuctionChapter 123 Part 2 · Turmoil at the AuctionChapter 124 Part 1 · Advancement! A Nascent Soul Cultivator Reaches the Divine Transformation Realm!…Chapter 124 Part 2 · Advancement! A Nascent Soul Cultivator Reaches the Divine Transformation Realm!…Chapter 125 Part 1 · Xiao Chen Displays His Great Divine Might: Wu Bufan…Chapter 125 Part 2 · Xiao Chen Displays His Great Divine Might: Wu Bufan…Chapter 126 · Ice spirit tower has explodedChapter 127 Part 1 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 127 Part 2 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 127 Part 3 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 128 Part 1 · Being Followed?Chapter 128 Part 2 · Being Followed?Chapter 129 · Magical ArtifactChapter 131 · A Declaration of WarChapter 132 · A chaotic war of words: Friend or foe indistinguishable…Chapter 133 Part 1 · The Royal Grand CompetitionChapter 133 Part 2 · The Royal Grand CompetitionChapter 134 Part 1 · Adults Don’t Make Choices, I’ll Take Them All…Chapter 134 Part 2 · Adults Don’t Make Choices, I’ll Take Them All…Chapter 135 Part 1 · Little Daddy Takes a Bite, Big Daddy’s Form…Chapter 135 Part 2 · Little Daddy Takes a Bite, Big Daddy’s Form…Chapter 136 Part 1 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left BehindChapter 136 Part 2 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left BehindChapter 136 Part 3 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left Behind