Ever since hearing the rumors about the Wuji Sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivator from Cao Yunxi, Qin Lu had been on high alert.

He felt these rumors weren’t baseless. Coupled with the somewhat strange behavior Zhao Yan had displayed that day, he became even more convinced of his speculation.

If Sun Jing were to die, Wuji Market would surely descend into chaos.

And chaos meant that staying in the market would no longer be safe.

Under the weight of this pressure, Qin Lu felt a surge of urgency. He immediately cut back on his sleep, devoting all his energy to cultivation to accelerate the improvement of his strength.

As time passed, the festive atmosphere of the New Year gradually faded.

After the Lantern Festival, the New Year celebrations were officially over.

On this day, Qin Lu packed some personal belongings, bid Zhang Meng a brief farewell, and walked out of the courtyard gate.

To avoid drawing attention, he deliberately carried a cloth bundle on his back containing miscellaneous items to conceal the existence of his Storage Bag.

After all, he understood the principle that one should never flaunt their wealth.

“People are getting more guarded. The market really is descending into chaos…”

Qin Lu noted this as he brushed past a few pedestrians. The friendly faces he had seen on New Year’s Eve had vanished completely, replaced by looks of hostility and suspicion.

As news spread, information about Sun Jing gradually became known. The Wuji Sect’s continued silence and lack of explanation had caused unrest among many of the market’s cultivators.

As he walked, Qin Lu kept his right hand resting on the hilt of the Shangqing Sword at his waist, prepared to strike at any moment.

A small temple breeds big demons; a shallow pond teems with turtles.

When venturing outside, one had to be extremely cautious and meticulous.

After several months of training, he now exuded a somewhat imposing aura. His posture was upright, and his demeanor was vibrant and spirited. Apart from his slightly wide mouth affecting his looks, he had no major physical flaws.

Furthermore, having experienced several life-and-death battles, he carried a fierce intensity about him. Some of the weaker Loose Cultivators didn’t even dare to meet his gaze directly.

The journey was peaceful and uneventful.

Before long, he arrived at his destination—the Sky Book Pavilion.

The shop was bustling, with many cultivators inside selecting talismans. Qin Lu stepped forward and greeted the female cultivator attending to customers, stating that he was there to see Manager Yan.

“I’m truly sorry, esteemed guest. Manager Yan is not in the shop at the moment,” the female attendant replied with a polite smile.

“Not here? When will he return?”

“He might be back around noon. Does the esteemed guest have business with him?”

“I’m here to trade Body Protection Shields. I mentioned this matter to Manager Yan previously.”

“Oh! So it’s Fellow Daoist Qin. Manager Yan did inform me. Please follow me.”

The female attendant suddenly understood and turned to lead the way.

Passing through the main hall, Qin Lu entered a familiar small private room. He didn’t have to wait long before an elderly female cultivator came in to conduct the transaction.

Since the price was already fixed, there were no complications. The trade proceeded normally.

For over thirty Body Protection Shields, the total price came to one hundred and seventy Spirit Stones.

With the transaction concluded, Qin Lu walked out of the Sky Book Pavilion feeling quite satisfied.

However, just as he was walking along the road, a commotion erupted ahead of him.

“Get out of the way!”

“You’re blocking my path!”

“Don’t you know who we are?!”

Hearing this, Qin Lu looked up.

He saw a large group of people approaching not far down the street—seven or eight cultivators in total.

They occupied the entire width of the street as they walked. Anyone blocking their path was immediately shoved aside. They acted as if they owned the place.

It seems like another new gang has emerged…

The scene didn’t surprise Qin Lu at all.

During this period, for some unknown reason, the market’s patrol teams had mysteriously vanished. This led to many underground criminal forces surfacing. Now, gangs were sprouting up all over the market, engaged in constant conflict.

They had brought the chaos that was once confined to the Slums right into the heart of the market.

Wanting to avoid trouble, Qin Lu immediately turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, a shout was directed his way.

“Hey! Old Qin!”

Qin Lu paused mid-step and turned to look.

He saw a middle-aged cultivator with a simple, honest-looking face step out from the group and walk quickly toward him, wearing an excited expression.

It was Chen Wen—the original host’s so-called “friend.”

Qin Lu looked at Chen Wen standing before him. The man was dressed respectably now, which was a surprise.

“So? I’m different now, right?” Chen Wen flicked his robe sleeves with a proud, boastful smile.

“You certainly are different…”

Qin Lu glanced at Chen Wen’s hand—or rather, the missing fingers and palm—paused for a moment, and asked, “How did you come into money recently?”

“Heheh! I joined the Blue Wolf Gang!”

Chen Wen leaned closer and lowered his voice. “This robe is part of my share of the loot from our last fight!”

The Blue Wolf Gang—a gang formed by Loose Cultivators. Similar to the White Eyebrow Gang and Fierce Tiger Gang that Qin Lu had encountered before.

With the current market chaos and lax oversight, these forces had emerged one after another, recruiting members extensively to carve out a piece of the market’s profits.

“You dare go into life-and-death fights even with your arm disabled?” Qin Lu asked.

“Tch! Why wouldn’t I dare! I’ve thought it through. My life is worthless anyway. Why bother curing small ailments? If a big one hits, I’m dead regardless. Screw worrying! Fighting in just a few skirmishes earns me more Spirit Stones than I could make in a whole year!”

“I’m just afraid you might earn the money but have no life left to spend it.”

“No worries! Now, whenever I get money, I go straight to the pleasure houses to relax and have fun! Live happily for today! Heheh!”

A lewd smirk curled at Chen Wen’s lips as his eyes filled with lustful thoughts.

Seeing Chen Wen still as fond of women as ever, Qin Lu shook his head helplessly. “You really are an insatiable lecher who can’t stand being lonely…”

“Tch! Don’t talk nonsense!” Chen Wen paused briefly before continuing with a laugh. “The reason I came looking for you today is actually to invite you to join our gang.”

Qin Lu immediately shook his head. “Forget it. I have no intention of joining any gang.”

“Huh? Why not? Our gang is developing rapidly! If you join now, there’s an opportunity for advancement into the higher ranks! Spirit Stones will come pouring in by the handful! You could gamble all you want then!”

“Forget it, forget it. Thanks for the offer, but I have other matters to attend to. I need to go.”

Qin Lu quickly waved off further discussion and turned to leave.

Joking aside—he wanted absolutely nothing to do with such messy affairs, lest he end up dead without knowing how it happened.

Never associate with fools.

“Old Qin! Think carefully about it! Don’t say your buddy didn’t try pulling you up!” Chen Wen shouted loudly after him.

Qin Lu completely ignored it, acting as if he heard nothing as he walked away briskly.

Qin Lu did not head straight home. Instead, he entered an artifact shop.

Inside a private room, he sold off every single artifact he had obtained during recent events.

He had checked earlier, and none of these artifacts suited his personal style. As for the single high-grade artifact he had found, he had already given it to Zhang Meng for self-defense.

Therefore, today’s outing was specifically planned to fence all the stolen goods cleanly, once and for all.

Since they were stolen goods, he didn’t haggle over the price. Selling seven or eight low-grade artifacts netted him three hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.

This instantly made him wealthy again.

Afterward, he spent one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones on two robes engraved with formation arrays. upon exiting the artifact shop, he spent another hundred Spirit Stones on materials specifically for making talismans.