Lu Fubao, standing beside Fan Li, was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Did Fan Li truly have such severe internal injuries that would require precious medicinal herbs equivalent to the amount needed for all six hundred members of the Azure Cloud Sect?
And that amount… was it for healing or for fattening a pig?
Could Fan Li even consume that much?
Something felt amiss, but with her kind heart, she couldn't fathom that the master and disciple before her were orchestrating a medical scam.
"Alas!" Fan Li suddenly sighed, drawing everyone's attention.
He declared with a noble air, "My life is of little consequence. To have received Sect Leader Yu Shenzi's treatment and gained another ten to twenty years is already a great fortune! How could I, for my own sake, hinder the futures of six hundred disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect?"
Fan Li bowed deeply. "Please, Sect Leader Yu Shenzi, do not trouble yourself. I am willing to accept my fate and will not waste the precious herbs of the Azure Cloud Sect!"
Yu Shenzi's jaw dropped. He stood speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.
This was wrong. Fan Li's reaction didn't match the script he had envisioned. This man was clearly wealthy, yet he didn't seem to value his own life?
Or was he not as rich as he had assumed? Was that ninth-rank Earth-grade protective ring they had received the most valuable possession Fan Li and his wife owned?
Yu Shenzi reflected inwardly. Had he gone too far with his performance and ruined the plan?
No!
The Azure Cloud Sect, secluded in this remote and desolate location, was struggling to survive.
Fan Li was a rare opportunity, a fat sheep that had wandered into their den.
If they couldn't squeeze every last drop of wealth from him, Yu Shenzi wouldn't be able to rest easy!
With this thought in mind, he shifted his gaze to Lu Fubao.
A husband might be willing to face death with equanimity, but a wife would surely be reluctant to let her husband die.
Lu Fubao, he decided, would be his breakthrough point. Surely she wouldn't hesitate to spend money for her beloved husband?
"Madam Fan, what are your thoughts?" he asked gently. "To be honest, regardless of the cost, young friend Fan Li's condition can be cured. It would be a pity for him to give up on his life so easily."
After speaking, he glanced at Ling Xiao. It was clear that this master-disciple duo was well-rehearsed in their double act.
Ling Xiao immediately understood.
He too changed his tune, attempting to persuade Lu Fubao. "Brother Fan is indeed noble, but has he considered your feelings? If he passes away in ten years, what will become of you? To be left alone in this world, how tragic!"
The swift change in their tone finally allowed Lu Fubao to see through their facade.
'Heavens!' she thought in astonishment. 'Such shameless master and disciple, trying to trick us out of our spiritual treasures!'
She observed Fan Li's reaction, but he seemed calm and collected, as if he had seen through their scheme all along.
'Ah!' she realized. 'This scoundrel! He knew all along?! So I'm the only fool? I'm so angry! He should have warned me!'
The more Lu Fubao thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't help but step forward, pressing her body against Fan Li's back. In a blind spot hidden from everyone else's view, she pinched his waist hard with two fingers!
"Ouch!"
'Why is she pinching me?'
The pain almost made Fan Li cry out, but he managed to suppress it.
To Yu Shenzi and Ling Xiao, their subtle interaction appeared to be a display of affection between a loving couple.
"Ding!"
Suddenly, the familiar system notification sounded.
"New mission: Great Jin Imperial Hospital."
"Mission description: The Great Jin has been established, but its framework is incomplete. Please recruit the Azure Cloud Sect and create the Great Jin Imperial Hospital."
"Mission reward: Staff of Shennong."
"Staff of Shennong: A medical treasure of the Heavenly grade, first rank, crafted from the spiritual root of a primordial divine tree. The Staff of Shennong greatly enhances the effectiveness of medical secret techniques!"
Upon receiving the mission, Fan Li was speechless.
This damn system…
Its mission releases were always timely, but the rewards were often strange.
The Staff of Shennong… who would use it?
He didn't have any trusted medical cultivators in his circle.
Could he give it to Yu Shenzi?
This old Daoist priest was indeed skilled, but clearly a greedy and unscrupulous healer. Subduing him and making him work for Fan Li wouldn't be easy.
A Heavenly-grade treasure wasn't something you simply handed out to anyone, was it?
"Young friend Fan Li," Yu Shenzi spoke again.
"I have good news. After careful calculations, I've realized that the amount of herbs required to heal your injuries can actually be reduced by one-third."
Fan Li suppressed a smile and feigned surprise. "Reduced by so much? How is that possible?"
Yu Shenzi, despite his blatant lies, was shameless. He stroked his beard, assuming an air of wisdom and expertise.
"I momentarily forgot that my cultivation has recently advanced, reaching the first rank of the Unity realm. Using my unique medicinal pills in conjunction with the Azure Cloud Scripture to treat you, naturally, the amount of herbs required is less than when I was at the ninth rank of the Divine Transformation realm."
"Oh, I see!" Fan Li nodded repeatedly.
Lu Fubao, however, almost lost her composure.
Liar!
A big fat liar!
Yu Shenzi's Qi Sea was stable and brimming with spiritual energy. He had clearly been at the first rank of the Unity realm for quite some time, not recently broken through!
She observed Fan Li's reaction. He clearly knew that Yu Shenzi was lying, yet he pretended to cooperate.
A master liar and his apprentice?
Was this a large-scale fraud operation?!
Were all men in the world like this?
She had spent her childhood by her father's side, studying, learning, and cultivating her character. Her father, Lu Chunqiu, was a learned and upright scholar. Her senior brother, Yan Yuan, and all her other senior brothers were men of impeccable character and virtue.
But after leaving Lu City, she had encountered Fan Li, Xiang Chong, Crown Prince Wanli, Yu Shenzi, and Ling Xiao.
What were these monsters?!
Lu Fubao felt her worldview shattering.
'Wuwuwu… Daddy, have we boarded a pirate ship by following Fan Li?'
As these chaotic thoughts swirled in her mind, a young Daoist boy rushed into the main hall, panting heavily.
"Mas… Master! Something terrible has happened! Those villains from the Dark Heaven Sect are attacking our mountain gate again!"
Upon hearing the words 'Dark Heaven Sect,' Yu Shenzi shot to his feet.
He no longer cared about fleecing the fat sheep. He waved his hand, declaring, "All elders and disciples, follow me to repel the enemy!"
In an instant, hundreds of people, elders and disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, emerged from all directions, converging upon the main gate like an angry swarm of bees.
Yu Shenzi led them with anticipation of a fierce battle.
Fan Li was left bewildered.
Had he been abandoned?
As the fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, he felt a bit slighted.
As he pondered his next move, the familiar system notification sounded once more.
"Ding!"
"New mission: Great Jin Censorate."
"Mission description: Recruit the Dark Heaven Sect and establish the Great Jin's intelligence and assassination network."
"Mission reward: Fish-Gut Sword."
"Fish-Gut Sword: Seven inches long, one inch wide, weighs one jin and seven liang. Possesses unique poison and bleeding effects. A Heavenly-grade, first-rank treasure for assassination."
Fan Li froze for a moment, then bolted out of the hall.
"Where are you going?!" Lu Fubao asked in surprise.
"To mediate!" Fan Li shouted as he ran. "Both the Azure Cloud Sect and the Dark Heaven Sect are mine. It would be a huge loss if even one of them died!"