After two hours of conversation at the Gu residence, Qin Lu returned to his own estate, a heavy weight settling in his chest.

He retreated to his cultivation chamber, settled onto the woven rush cushion, and crossed his legs into the lotus position. Silence filled the room, but his mind was a storm of calculation.

The ambush on You Ye and Yang Zhen, followed by the total annihilation of the Immortal Crane Sect, was meant to be a secret. Yet, despite Li Qingdu’s desperate attempts to suppress the information, the truth had leaked. Like water through a cracked jar, the news had slipped out, leading directly to today’s assassination attempt and the escalating friction between the two great powers.

The Wuji Sect and the Dragon Tiger Sect had been at each other’s throats for decades. Long-standing grievances had piled up like dry tinder; this incident was merely the spark needed to ignite a full-scale war.

But Qin Lu had a gnawing suspicion. Li Qingdu, the mastermind behind the initial raid, wouldn’t be able to wash his hands of this so easily. And by extension, Wuji Market—Li Qingdu’s stronghold—could not remain neutral.

Should I move?

The thought struck Qin Lu with sudden clarity.

When two Golden Core sects went to war, the collateral damage was apocalyptic. He was merely a Qi Refining cultivator on paper. Even with his hidden strength rivaling a Foundation Establishment expert, he was nothing more than an ant in the path of a storm. Against the true powerhouses of the region, he wouldn’t even be able to make a splash before drowning.

Slipping away quietly, putting distance between himself and the war zone, seemed the only logical play.

His current strength was sufficient to survive in the wilderness. He didn’t need a high-ranking escort to guide him out of the market; he could carve his own path.

If I leave here, I could head toward the central region of Flowing Cloud Prefecture. The war shouldn’t reach that far…

A mental map of the prefecture unfurled in his mind.

Flowing Cloud Prefecture was vast, a patchwork of territories interlocking like the jagged teeth of a beast. It was a chaotic ecosystem: isolated mortal kingdoms unaware of magic, dynasties backed by Qi Refining families, sects led by Foundation Establishment experts, and the titans—the Golden Core sects.

Mortals, factions, and cultivators of every stripe coexisted in this sprawling land. To Qin Lu’s knowledge, there were over twenty Golden Core factions in the prefecture. They ruled like warlords, carving up the land and hoarding cultivation resources.

There was Wang Shenzhi’s Combined Sword Sect, Zhang Zhenyuan’s Wuji Sect, and Zhu Lian’s Dragon Tiger Sect. Just in the vicinity of Wuji Market alone, three of these behemoths vied for control.

The books say Flowing Cloud Prefecture hasn’t seen a large-scale war in decades. It looks like the Wuji and Dragon Tiger sects are about to shatter that peace.

Qin Lu frowned, tapping his finger against his knee.

But do I really want to move? I just got stable here. If I leave, I’ll be starting over in a strange place, blind to the local powers and threats. Maybe I should wait until I hit Foundation Establishment…

His internal debate was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside his door. Steward Chen’s voice drifted through the wood.

“Master? Immortal Lu Xian has arrived to visit.”

“Old Lu?” Qin Lu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Isn’t he on duty at the auction house today? Why would he have time to come here?”

Qin Lu knew Lu Xian’s schedule by heart. The man was a creature of habit; showing up at this hour was an anomaly.

“Invite him in,” Qin Lu commanded.

“At once.”

Moments later, Steward Chen ushered the guests into the parlor. Qin Lu was surprised to see that Lu Xian wasn’t alone—Lu Anchen was with him, his face pale and drawn.

Qin Lu rose immediately, gesturing to the chairs. “Sit, sit. What brings the Lu family father-and-son duo to my humble abode today?”

“Brother Qin, I have… a matter of grave importance,” Lu Xian said. He leaned in, his voice barely a whisper, his eyes darting toward the door.

Seeing Lu Xian’s profound paranoia, Qin Lu didn’t waste time asking questions. He looked at his steward.

“Chen Ming, wait outside. Without my direct order, no one is to come within fifty feet of this room.”

“Understood, Master.” Chen Ming bowed and retreated, closing the heavy doors behind him.

Whoosh—

Qin Lu flicked his wrist, pouring qi into the room’s array. The air shimmered as the soundproofing barrier activated, sealing them in a cone of silence.

Only then did he turn back to his guests, his expression serious. “Is it that bad?”

He had to be cautious. He had known Lu Xian for some time, and even when they were ambushed by He Liang in the streets back in the day, the old appraiser had remained calm. He had never seen Lu Xian look this terrified.

Lu Xian leaned forward until he was nearly touching Qin Lu, his voice trembling.

“Brother Qin, I have reliable intelligence. In less than three days, a Golden Core cultivator will attack Wuji Market. If we don’t prepare now, we’re all dead men.”

“What?!” Qin Lu’s composure cracked.

A Golden Core cultivator? attacking the market? That wasn’t a battle; that was a natural disaster.

“Explain. Is the source solid? Who is the Golden Core?” Qin Lu fired the questions like arrows.

Lu Xian glanced sideways at his son. Lu Anchen looked like he had swallowed broken glass. The old man hesitated, then whispered, “The source is absolute. The attacker is the Dragon Tiger Sect’s Ancestor… Zhu Lian!”

“Zhu Lian?” Qin Lu’s heart skipped a beat. “Isn’t he supervising the front lines? Why would a supreme commander come here?”

“The report says he’s infiltrating alone. He plans to catch Wuji Market off guard, take Li Qingdu’s head, and bring it back to the front lines to boost morale.”

“A decapitation strike…” Qin Lu’s expression turned grim. He fell silent, processing the nightmare scenario. After a long pause, he looked up. “How did you get this information? Is it public?”

“No. As of now, only the three of us know.”

“Only us?” Qin Lu looked at them with scrutiny.

“Uncle Qin,” Lu Anchen spoke up for the first time, his voice hollow. “I learned this from… from Xu Ruling.”

Qin Lu blinked. He knew exactly who that was—Lu Anchen’s fiancée, the woman he was set to marry.

“Wait.” A realization struck Qin Lu like a bolt of lightning. The pieces of the puzzle clicked together with a sickening snap. “Xu Ruling… she’s the Dragon Tiger spy?”

“Yes.”

Lu Anchen nodded, his face twisting in pain.

“After we returned from the Immortal Crane Sect, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Those two Foundation Establishment experts arrived too quickly that day. They knew exactly where to go. Their arrival nearly ruined everything.”

Lu Anchen took a shaky breath. “I suspected there was a spy in the market feeding our movements to the Dragon Tiger Sect. The night before the mission, I… I had mentioned our departure to Ruling.”

“She only arrived in the market a year ago,” Lu Anchen continued bitterly. “The timing fit. I confronted her. I didn’t want to believe it, but… she admitted it. She was the one who sent the message to her sect elders, prompting them to rush to the Immortal Crane Sect to save You Ye.”

Qin Lu stared at him, stunned. “So that man and woman arrived so fast because of her report?”

“Correct.”

“And you’re saying,” Qin Lu pressed, “that after you exposed her identity, she just… told you that Zhu Lian was coming to massacre us?”

“No…” Lu Anchen shook his head slowly. “She told me voluntarily.”

“What? Why?”

“Ah…” Anchen let out a long, ragged sigh. “She said she didn’t want me to die. She told me the secret so I would run away and survive.”

…Is this love?

Qin Lu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What a melodramatic, third-rate romance novel plot.

“Brother Qin,” Lu Xian interrupted, his urgency cutting through the tension. “You hear it, don’t you? Zhu Lian is coming. Wuji Market is going to become a river of blood. You participated in the destruction of the Immortal Crane Sect—you’re implicated in this just as much as we are. If the Dragon Tiger Sect takes over, none of us will be spared.”

“So, Old Lu, what are you proposing?”

Lu Xian gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with fear and determination.

“We leave Wuji Market. Tonight.”