After reporting to the Deacon’s Office, Elder Lü escorted Han Yu to the main hall to brief Sect Leader Qi on the encounter with the mysterious traveling merchant.

Sect Leader Qi listened intently, asking for every minute detail. He fell silent for a moment, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest of his throne. His conclusion mirrored Elder Lü’s.

“Although the merchant’s claims align with our disciple’s intelligence, and there is an eighty percent chance this is legitimate…” Sect Leader Qi paused, his expression serious. “And while it is true that a piece of Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart separated from the Ancestral Tree for over a decade should pose no threat to the main root, we cannot be careless.”

His gaze sharpened. “As long as there is even a sliver of risk, we cannot hand over a piece of the Ancestral Tree to an outsider of unknown origin.”

He stood up, his decision made.

“Han Yu, Elder Lü and I will accompany you. We will retrieve the parchment and find this merchant to conclude the trade personally. If there is even a hint of abnormality, the deal is off.”

“Even if we proceed,” Qi continued, pacing slowly, “we will attempt to offer other wood-attribute treasures as substitutes. If he refuses substitution, we will demand that the Great Zhou Crown Prince come to Green Grain Market for treatment under our supervision.”

“And if none of those conditions are met?” He flicked his sleeve. “Then the Qi Refining Spirit Boosting Pill and the Jade Spirit Berry will simply have to be forfeited.”

Elder Lü nodded solemnly.

Han Yu bowed, his voice steady. “The sect’s safety comes first. If the transaction cannot proceed, this disciple will not force it.”

With the plan set, Sect Leader Qi summoned his Green Jade Gourd. The artifact expanded in the air, and the three of them—along with Han Yu’s crow—stepped onto it. A moment later, they streaked out of the Wanchun Valley main peak.

The little crow led them to a hidden nest tucked away in the cliffs. It swooped down, its sharp claws retrieving the hidden parchment, and presented it to the Sect Leader.

Sect Leader Qi suspended the paper in mid-air with a pulse of Spiritual Power, scrutinizing it.

Han Yu activated his [Spirit Eye Technique]. To his vision, the paper was dull and lifeless—just an ordinary scrap of animal skin. However, he knew his cultivation was too low to see through advanced concealments, so he remained silent, waiting for the verdict.

After a dozen breaths, Sect Leader Qi reached out and pinched the air above the parchment.

“Since the esteemed guest can see this,” Qi read aloud, decoding the hidden message, “let us meet at the tavern in Green Grain Market. I will await your esteemed presence in Room Yi within three days.”

As soon as the last word was spoken, Qi exerted a burst of Spiritual Power, shredding the parchment into dust.

“Just ordinary paper,” Qi noted, brushing the dust from his fingers. “However, this is parchment, not the silk-backed paper common in the Nanli Kingdom. This texture is more frequently used in the Great Desert Dynasty or the Boyi Kingdom.”

He exchanged a look with Elder Lü. The fact that the merchant had chosen the Green Grain Market—Wanchun Valley’s own turf—suggested confidence, or perhaps sincerity. The risk of an ambush was low.

The Green Jade Gourd surged forward, carrying them toward the market.

Upon arrival at Green Grain Market, the gourd descended directly in front of the largest tavern.

Sect Leader Qi, Elder Lü, and Han Yu strode inside. The atmosphere in the tavern shifted instantly. The innkeeper and waiters rushed forward, bowing deeply in shock. Disciples of Wanchun Valley who had been drinking tea or wine scrambled to their feet, bowing respectfully to their Sect Leader.

In the corner, two rogue cultivators sat behind the crowd, watching the spectacle with wide eyes.

“Deactivate the tavern’s isolation Formation,” Sect Leader Qi commanded the innkeeper, his voice calm but allowing no refusal. “I intend to scan the area with my Divine Sense.”

“At once, Sect Leader!” The innkeeper fumbled with his Storage Bag to retrieve the control plate.

“Sect Leader Qi,” a voice cut through the tension.

One of the two rogue cultivators in the corner stood up, a faint smile playing on his lips. “There is no need to waste your Divine Sense. If you have something to say to me, speak directly.”

Sect Leader Qi turned his gaze slowly toward the man. “I am looking for you?”

“Are you not?” The rogue cultivator gestured to Han Yu. “You brought Elder Lü’s beloved disciple with you. He is precisely the esteemed guest I wish to trade with. Yesterday, I gave a paper to a crow; today, you arrive at the tavern. Such a coincidence suggests you are here for me.”

The trio realized then that this unassuming man was the traveling merchant.

He looked nothing like the puppet Han Yu had met before. This man was thin, gaunt, and around forty years old. He lacked the greasy, coin-counting aura of a typical merchant. He looked like a scholar who had seen hard times.

“So, you are the merchant,” Elder Lü said, eyeing him critically. “We caught one of your puppets before, but this is the first time we’ve seen your true face.”

The merchant smiled and waved a hand at his drinking companion. “You may go.”

The other rogue cultivator, who had been frozen in terror upon realizing his ‘friend’ had offended the behemoth that was Wanchun Valley, stumbled backward and tried to flee.

“Hold.”

Sect Leader Qi waved his hand. A gentle but firm wall of Spiritual Power blocked the fleeing man’s path. “Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. Once we conclude our business and confirm you are uninvolved, you may leave. Please understand our caution.”

The merchant chuckled, shaking his head.

“You sects… you are always so imposing when dealing with us rogue cultivators. You capture whom you please, release whom you please, kill whom you please.” He looked at Qi with a wry expression. “Last time you captured my puppet. This time… you aren’t planning on killing to seize treasures, are you?”

“Certainly not,” Sect Leader Qi replied evenly. “For a rogue cultivator to reach Foundation Establishment through sheer toil is no small feat. It is rare to find one who has not taken the evil path of murder and plunder, but instead insists on doing honest business. That alone makes you better than most.”

Qi took a step forward. “We destroyed your puppet because you colluded with a traitor within our sect. But today, we are here to discuss a transaction.”

The merchant stared at Qi for a moment, genuine surprise flashing in his eyes. He laughed softly.

“Your Wanchun Valley is truly… unique.”

“I have traveled to many places,” the merchant said, his tone turning cynical. “Sects willing to sit down and reason are rare. Usually, when a sect sees someone like me, they rely on their strength to shout ‘Monster!’ or ‘Villain!’ and declare that ‘everyone has the right to punish evil.’ Then they swarm forward to kill me and loot my goods.”

He shrugged. “I honestly thought I would have to refine this avatar all over again today.”

Avatar?

Sect Leader Qi, Elder Lü, and Han Yu stiffened. This Foundation Establishment cultivator standing before them was not the main body?

If he could project an avatar of this strength, his true cultivation must be extraordinary. It explained how he could travel safely between the Southern Domain and the Central Heaven Domain.

“Since you wish to trade, let us trade. I am naturally willing,” the merchant’s avatar said pleasantly.

He waved his hand casually toward his terrified drinking companion.

Whoosh.

The panicked rogue cultivator vanished, sucked instantly into a Storage Bag.

Han Yu blinked. It was a decoy—a literal illusion technique made manifest. It had been so convincing that it had fooled even Sect Leader Qi, a Golden Core cultivator.

The merchant turned and led the way upstairs without a care in the world.

He stopped at Room Yi, pressed a command talisman against the door, and pushed it open.

The air inside was cold.

Dominating the center of the room was a massive, pitch-black coffin.

Standing silently on either side of the coffin were four figures—two men, two women. They were alive, breathing, yet they stood with the stillness of grave goods, as if waiting to be buried alongside their master.

Sect Leader Qi, Elder Lü, and Han Yu stopped at the threshold. The atmosphere was oppressive, surreal.

The merchant avatar chuckled and walked over to the casket. He rapped his knuckles against the black wood.

Thud. Thud.

“Esteemed guest,” the merchant called out, his voice echoing in the silence. “The person with the Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart has arrived.”

A heavy, muffled sound came from within the coffin.

The four attendants moved in unison, sliding the heavy lid aside.

Slowly, painfully, a figure rose from the darkness of the box.

It was a man. Or rather, a mountain of flesh. His face was the color of ash, his expression slack and dull. He stood up blankly, his movements stiff, like a corpse that had forgotten how to be alive.

“Co… come…?” The voice was thick, struggling through layers of fat and lethargy. “Has he… come…?”

“Yes, esteemed guest, he has come,” the merchant said with a bright, professional smile, contrasting sharply with the macabre scene. “The Sect Leader of Wanchun Valley has personally come to conduct the transaction.”

He spread his hands, looking between the zombie-like prince and the stunned cultivators.

“Now, the three of us can have a proper discussion!”