Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 37 037: A Friend's Success Leads to Zhi Xia's Suspicion
"A morning should be enough time for them to come and go; they shouldn't still be inside the Imperial Observatory."

At the entrance of the pastry shop, Zhao Wuji sampled the pastries while observing for a moment.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual inside or outside the Imperial Observatory, and that no one in the surrounding shops was talking about anything, he felt relieved.

Tao Fei and Bi Yuxiang have probably already left the Imperial Observatory, but whether they succeeded is uncertain.

Brother Zhao

Just then, a sweet voice, tinged with surprise, came from the street nearby.

Zhao Wuji turned around in surprise and spotted the figure of Li Nianwei, a star official, dressed in a star official robe.

"Nianwei," Zhao Wuji greeted with a smile and a nod, "going on duty now? Would you like a box of plum blossom cakes?"

"Ah—yes, yes! So you like his plum blossom cakes too, Brother Zhao. I just finished my shift and was about to go back."

Li Nianwei followed with a smile into the house, her bright eyes and white teeth radiating sunshine.

"So you've already finished your work." Zhao Wuji nodded familiarly. "I'm taking this plum blossom cake back to the medicine boy and maids."

"Brother Zhao, you're such a kind person."

Zhao Wuji took another box of plum blossom cakes. Seeing that Li Nianwei was happily tasting a piece and showed no signs of trouble, he felt completely relaxed.

After chatting with the woman for a while, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura.

A quick glance revealed a flamboyant figure in red emerging from a jewelry shop diagonally across the street.

He immediately bid farewell to the reluctant Li Nianwei, drove off in the carriage, and headed towards the alley.

"Brother Zhao, what a coincidence! So you're here too, and with such a beautiful young lady by your side."

Inside the alley, a slightly exaggerated voice rang out.

With a 'whoosh', Tao Fei, dressed in red, unfolded a folding fan inscribed with the four characters 'Feng Liu Tian Xia' (meaning "The World's Most Charming and Unparalleled"), appearing dashing and extraordinary.

"Brother Tao." Zhao Wuji smiled faintly, knowing that Tao had not deliberately led him here.

“Brother Zhao, Old Man Bi and I have been enjoying the sights and sounds of the capital for three days now. This capital city is full of drunken revelry, and we respectable people can’t stand it. We’re ready to leave.”

Tao Fei waved his folding fan, glanced at Zhao Wuji with a half-smile, blinked his peach blossom eyes, and said, "We are brothers, no need for further words. I know you have always enjoyed collecting ancient books and fine wines."

Before I leave, I'm giving you a jar of Zui Yang Chun wine, which I'll keep at Qianxiang Pavilion. Remember to retrieve it.

I didn't invite you to refine pills this time, but next time you come to Flying Flower City, we'll refine pills and brew wine together.

Zhao Wuji's heart stirred, and he smiled and nodded, "Alright, let's go. If you're going to leave, then leave quickly, as the city should be under martial law soon."

Tao Fei was startled and snapped his folding fan shut. "What news did you hear?"

Zhao Wuji raised his hand to stop Tao Fei's wild guesses and said calmly, "It's the Supreme Sect that caused the trouble. You should leave quickly."

Tao Fei breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "Damn madman."

He then waved his hand and walked deeper into the alley.

"I'm really gone."

Zhao Wuji fell silent for a moment, knowing that his bad friend had most likely succeeded this time.

I've come to say goodbye, but I don't want to say much to him, not wanting to implicate him in the future. Everything is understood without words.

As for "Zui Yang Chun," it is clearly not just a jar of wine; it may actually be an ancient book.

"But why store it in a place like Qianxiang Pavilion? I've already given it up."

Zhao Wuji watched his friend's retreating figure disappear around the corner of the alley and shook his head helplessly.

This mischievous friend of mine loves to drink the strongest liquor, wear the reddest clothes, and play with the most beautiful women. This time, he's gone completely insane again, making his life quite eventful.

He didn't rush to Qianxiang Pavilion to get the wine, but returned to his official residence first.

It was already noon, and the aroma of dishes wafted from the chimneys of the official residence.

"Sir, you're back so soon? The kitchen is preparing lunch. What would you like to eat? I'll go and tell them right away."

Xiao Yue, dressed in a pair of black silk phoenix-head shoes, exuded youthful energy. She busied herself taking the winter coat that Zhao Wuji had taken off, smiling sweetly as she busied herself with chores.

Behind him followed a simple, thin girl with bright, dark eyes that were both curious and timid.

"No need. I'll just take a few fake fasting pills to stave off hunger later. Here's a plum blossom cake, take it."

Zhao Wuji glanced at the thin girl and asked, "Is this the wine seller's sister?" "Yes, her name is Xiao Lan."

Xiao Yue raised her arched eyebrows and happily accepted the plum blossom cake. "Xiao Lan, quickly bow to the adults."

Upon hearing this, the slender girl bowed somewhat awkwardly, appearing rather reserved.

"No need for formalities, make yourself at home here."

Zhao Wuji smiled faintly and entered the alchemy room.

He now tries to eat as little regular food as possible, and mostly survives by eating homemade pseudo-fasting pills.

If one has to balance martial arts training, one may have to reduce their meat intake occasionally.

This is mainly because ordinary stir-fried food has too much smoky and mixed smell, which, like the mixed atmosphere of the marketplace, can affect one's spirituality.

The saying that cultivators are detached from worldly affairs actually originates from this.

In an era rich in spiritual energy, the impact would not be significant.

However, in this degenerate age, maintaining spiritual purity is extremely important.

After entering the alchemy room, Zhao Wuji took out the jade box containing the dregs of the medicine, which the emperor had given him, and examined the dregs again.

To him, the dregs of the medicine were quite strange. The surface resembled a dark red mud-like substance, but some of the substances inside seemed to have solidified into some kind of fossil crystals under the high-temperature refining and the erosion of time.

This may also be why the spiritual energy in the dregs of the medicine was not lost.

The yang energy within it is the yang energy from the combined medicinal effects of sunflower, specifically the carbonized portion.

Zhao Wuji planned to use his pill-making technique to extract the sunflower components from the dregs of the medicine, and use them to refine the Golden Jade Pill, thus deciphering the secret of the ingestion method.

As for the other material components, after finding them useless in research, they were absorbed by the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearl and transformed into cultivation resources.

However, given the current lack of Moon Dew Grass, it is not the right time to refine the Golden Jade Pill.

On the way back, he also asked Nan Zhixia about the Moon Dew Grass.

The other party's response was the same as last time.

The implication is that this candidate saintess no longer has Moon Dew Grass, but the news that there is Moon Dew Grass in the Rime Cave is true.

"The Rime Cave is near Hanshan Temple in Hanshan. The white fox's grandfather also lived in seclusion in Hanshan. It seems that Hanshan is quite unique."

"Perhaps I could hire martial artists or herb gatherers to help me gather herbs in that frost cave."

Zhao Wuji carefully kept the jade box safe and took out two fake fasting pills from the medicine jar to quench his hunger.

He then went out and instructed Xiaoyue to contact the manager of Zhicaotang in the city and ask him to find a herb gatherer to go into the mountains to collect herbs.

He will not leave the city to go to the Wusong Cave in person for the time being, after all, there is an old fox with accomplished cultivation in Hanshan who is still watching him.

Meanwhile, in the underground chamber inside the Nan family mansion, Nan Zhixia secretly investigated and, after confirming that no one from the Supreme Sect had appeared in the imperial city, completely relaxed.

"I wonder which righteous person has done such a good deed for our Supreme Sect. Could it be him?"

Suddenly, the image of the old senior she had met on the banks of the Zhuque River flashed into her mind.

Inside the imperial palace, a single sword strike killed a man.

They were using the Supreme Seven Swords Technique of their Supreme Sect, which was very likely that of that senior.

This sword technique is recorded on a sacred artifact, and that senior had once come into contact with the sacred artifact.

"Who exactly is this person? First, he returned the sacred artifact, and then he helped us kill people."

Nan Zhixia felt admiration and secret satisfaction.

Because they received information that the person who was killed was the prison warden of the Imperial Household Department.

Another eunuch from the imperial palace also disappeared, and it is said that the blame has been placed on the Supreme Sect.

"These two, one who tormented Protector Xu and the other who killed Hall Master Yang, both deserved to die."

Her eyes flashed with murderous intent as she pulled a medicine bottle from her bosom, but then her gaze softened.

She immediately took out the sacred artifact, the Xuanxing Cloud Pattern Bowl, and activated it with the Source Crystal.

He then dripped Zhao Wuji's blood from the medicine bottle into a small bowl, anxiously and expectantly waiting to test Zhao Wuji's spiritual aptitude.
(End of this chapter)