Wang Hao watched the man endure the crowd’s ridicule for a moment longer. The situation was pitiful.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a small bag of Spirit Stones onto the stall. “The seed. I’ll take it.”

He didn’t wait for a reaction, turning and vanishing into the bustling market streams before the vendor could even blink.

“Oh, just put it down… wait, what? You want it?” The burly man stared dumbfounded at the heavy pouch in his hand. When he looked up, the mysterious customer was gone.

It wasn’t charity. Wang Hao had confirmed the authenticity of the Void Mulberry Divine Tree seed. Whether he planted it back at the family estate or resold it later, the return on investment would be astronomical. It was simply good business.

A few days later, Wang Hao and Li Derong departed the shop under the envious gazes of the onlookers, heading for the teleportation array to return to the Qingyuan Market.

Before leaving, Wang Hao had entrusted Wang Yanfeng with three Foundation Establishment Pills. He instructed him to administer them to Wang Wenyan and the others at his discretion, though he explicitly withheld one from Wang Wenxiu for the time being—loyalty and performance needed to be verified first.

As for the outstanding debt to the Li family, Wang Hao settled it with two Foundation Establishment Pills and a sum of Spirit Stones. Li Derong was ecstatic. He had scoured the entire city for news of an auction to no avail, and Wang Hao’s arrival had been like timely rain in a drought.

Li Derong was equal parts grateful and bewildered. The gratitude was obvious; the confusion stemmed from how Wang Hao had acquired such precious pills. Wang Hao merely waved it off, citing “business dealings” with the Treasure Clarity Pavilion.

Upon arriving at the Qingyuan Market, Wang Hao asked Li Derong to wait a couple of days while he checked on the Wang family’s local storefront.

Wang Yanzhi was on duty when Wang Hao walked in. Seeing his nephew, he hurriedly excused himself from a customer and rushed over, concern etched on his face. “Wenhao? What are you doing here? Is something wrong at home?”

Wang Yanzhi was unaware of the overseas expedition. Seeing the shop bustling with activity, Wang Hao smiled reassuringly. “Nothing is wrong, Tenth Uncle. I’m just here to make some purchases. The business looks thriving.”

At the mention of the shop, Wang Yanzhi beamed, his posture straightening with the pride of a man whose pockets were no longer empty. “Thanks to your blessing, we’re doing well. Since you’re here to buy, go rest in the backyard. Tell me what you need, and I’ll send someone to fetch it.”

Wang Hao raised a hand. “No need, Uncle. The things I need aren’t available to ordinary clan members. I have to go personally.”

“I understand,” Yanzhi said, not prying further. “Oh, before I forget—your friends from the Qingyuan Sect came by a few days ago asking for you. They left a message saying if you arrived, you should find them at the Qingyuan Sect’s shop. Here is the message talisman.”

Wang Hao took the talisman. “Did they leave a name?”

“One was called Chen Qing, I believe. A Foundation Establishment cultivator. I didn’t dare ask too many questions.”

“I thought so,” Wang Hao nodded. “I’ll pay them a visit.”

Since they had come knocking and they shared a history, it was only polite to respond. He bid his uncle farewell and headed toward the Qingyuan Pavilion.

Walking through the streets, he activated the talisman. His brows furrowed as the message played in his mind: an invitation to explore a secret ruin.

He shook his head with a wry smile. “Those two… they tasted sweetness last time, and now they want another bite.”

The message warned that the exploration would be highly dangerous. Several other disciples would be joining, which gave Wang Hao pause. He was confident in his survival skills, but his cultivation and experience were still limited compared to seasoned veterans. Ruins were unpredictable, and strangers even more so.

With so many people involved, would there even be enough loot to go around?

His current strategy was to ‘turtle up’—to stay low, cultivate safely, and avoid unnecessary risks. The prudent choice was to decline.

Having made up his mind, Wang Hao stepped into the Qingyuan Pavilion.

After stating his business to the attendant, he waited only the time it took to drink a cup of tea before Chen Qing rushed in, looking flustered but pleased.

“Brother Wang! It has been years. Your cultivation has grown even more profound.”

“And yours has improved greatly as well, Senior Sister Chen,” Wang Hao replied with a polite smile.

“I can hardly compare to you,” she sighed, a touch of genuine envy in her voice. “But this isn’t the place to talk. Please, come to my cave dwelling.”

Chen Qing was stationed at the market, so her residence was nearby. It was a modest but elegantly appointed space.

“It’s a bit simple; please don’t laugh, Brother Wang,” she said as she deactivated the defensive wards and ushered him inside.

“If this is simple, Senior Sister, then my home is a hole in the ground.”

They sat, and Chen Qing brewed a pot of spirit tea. After the requisite small talk, she cut to the chase. “I assume you received the message. What are your thoughts on the exploration?”

Wang Hao set down his cup. “Senior Sister Chen, I don’t mean to be evasive, but if this is a joint operation by Qingyuan Sect disciples, why invite an outsider like me?”

“Because you have exceptional qualities,” Chen Qing said frankly. “You advance quickly, but more importantly, you have achieved success in Body Cultivation. The ruin is located in an ancient battlefield surrounded by fierce Astral Winds. Ordinary cultivators can’t withstand the pressure, but for you, it would be trivial. Furthermore, we will need brute force to breach certain formations.”

“Is that the only reason?” Wang Hao pressed. “Surely the Qingyuan Sect has its own Body Cultivators.”

Chen Qing shook her head. “Not many at the Foundation Establishment level. There are a few, but we aren’t close with them. To invite them would require heavy payments that would eat into our profits. We’ve already spent a fortune buying the intelligence for this ruin with Senior Sister Du. If we dilute the shares too much, we’ll have worked for nothing.”

“Senior Sister Du?”

“Du Xiandie. I introduced you to her last time.”

Wang Hao’s interest piqued. “She is going as well?”

“Yes. We bought the information together. My Senior Brother and I don’t have high status in the sect, so we rely on Senior Sister Du’s network. She is currently refining special artifacts to break the ruin’s arrays, while my brother is attempting to break through to the third layer of Foundation Establishment. Finding the remaining personnel fell to me.”

Chen Qing laid it all out with refreshing candor. It sounded like a standard, high-risk, high-reward dungeon dive.

“If you agree, we follow standard rules: individual finds belong to the finder; group finds are split evenly. As initiators, we have first pick, but if loot is scarce, those who receive items must compensate the others with Spirit Stones. You won’t go home empty-handed.”

The terms were fair. Wang Hao fell silent, weighing the scales.

Last time, Chen Qing and Chu He had helped him secure the Mystic Yin Fruit without hesitation, and the introduction to Du Xiandie had been invaluable. He owed them a solid favor. While Chu He claimed to owe him, Wang Hao had walked away with the alchemical furnace—the most valuable item from their previous venture. It had been an equal trade, which meant the debt of gratitude for their help remained on his side.

Seeing his hesitation, Chen Qing added, “There is no rush. We need about a year to prepare the artifacts and master the formations. You can take your time to consider.”

Wang Hao nodded slowly. A year was a long time—enough to solidify his current gains. And repaying a debt was important for his Dao heart.

“Very well. I need to return to my family for a time regardless. I will return in one year to give you my final answer.”