Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

When Xu Lingguang finally left the clan's territory, his face was practically frozen from smiling.

He sincerely praised Lan Jian's fine character, saying that she was truly a golden opportunity who would grant any request, and that Lan Jian had excellent taste!

Because he had taken out insurance with Lan Jian, Xu Lingguang's expectations for the Hundred Refinements Competition became extremely high.

He thought about it for a moment and decided that he could not only join in the fun, but also bring more pills. He might even be able to make a small profit while there were many people. He already had enough pills for Manager Zhao, mainly because the demand was high and stable, but if he had the opportunity to sell them himself, cutting out the middleman's markup, that would also be a good deal.

With that in mind, Xu Lingguang took the opportunity to refine some pills before setting off.

We naturally brought more of the commonly used Red Sun Pill, Bone-Growing Pill, and Qi-Boosting Pill, and also refined some less common but special pills according to Yuan Jiu's notes, such as the Illusion Pill that can change appearance and the Lightning-Attracting Pill that can temper the body with lightning.

After haphazardly preparing a bunch of pills, putting on his magic robes, taking his protective magic items, and enough spirit stones, Xu Lingguang was ready to set off.

He planned to first go to Qingyu City to rent a carriage, and while he was there, ask Manager Zhao for some information, before setting off for Wenling Slope.

However, he encountered a small problem on the day of departure.

The four little ones surrounded him, looking at him pitifully with their round eyes, wanting to go too.

Mu Yun was the most self-righteous. He climbed onto Xu Lingguang's head, squatted down, and said, "I can go down the mountain. I want to go."

Xu Lingguang was in a bind. The reason he didn't take Muyun with him was because he was afraid the other three cubs would cause trouble, so he simply treated them all the same and didn't take any of them. But he didn't expect that the cubs would still cause trouble in the end.

He patiently persuaded them, "I'm going to take care of important business, not to play." Then he looked at the other three pitiful cubs and said, "You three have special identities. If your eldest brother knew that I was taking you down the mountain, he would definitely be angry."

Yu Rong's ears drooped, knowing that she couldn't win the argument, so she resorted to tantrums: "We just won't tell Big Brother. He didn't know last time either."

Yun Feng also hugged Xu Lingguang's leg, looking at him with wet eyes: "Yu Rong secretly went down the mountain, and Zhao Ling and I didn't know."

Zhao Ling stopped standing still. He grabbed Xu Lingguang's collar with his beak and hung on his chest like a rogue, his short, fleshy wings flapping back and forth.

Xu Lingguang: "..."

There's no way to explain this to them.

Just as he was having a headache, Youyu came over, and he immediately felt like he had found a savior: "Youyu, you've come at the right time. I need to go down the mountain for a while. Could you please take care of the cubs during this time?"

When faced with danger, the cubs are noticeably more obedient.

Yu Rong and Yun Feng reluctantly let go of Xu Lingguang's claws, but Mu Yun and Zhao Ling stubbornly clung to him.

Youyu glanced at the sullen cubs, hesitated slightly, and then said, "Let them go if they want to. I'll talk to my elder brother."

Xu Lingguang looked at him with some surprise, not understanding why he suddenly agreed to let the cub go down the mountain.

The previously listless cubs perked up immediately upon hearing this, looking at him with surprise and delight: "Really?"

Youyu squatted down, touched the two cubs, picked them up, and said to Xu Lingguang, "You might not be able to take care of them by yourself. If you don't mind, I can come with you."

Xu Lingguang was naturally delighted, though he was a little unsure about traveling alone.

Although Youyu is younger than me, he is a Chenghuang and looks very powerful. With him by my side, wouldn't that be an extra layer of insurance?

So the original plan for Xu Lingguang to take on the Hundred Refinements Competition alone turned into a family trip for two people and four children.

The four cubs, in particular, were very excited about going out for the first time and kept pestering Xu Lingguang with questions.

Seeing their excited expressions, Xu Lingguang considered things further, worried that the young Chenghuang cubs might attract unwanted attention. So he fed Yu Rong and Yun Feng each a Transformation Pill.

The Transformation Pill can change one's appearance. After the two cubs ate it, they turned into round-headed but very ordinary cat spirit pets.

As for Mu Yun and Zhao Ling, they didn't need to disguise themselves. Mu Yun looked like an ordinary spirit rat; treasure-hunting rats were so rare that most people wouldn't recognize them. As for Zhao Ling, although he was a phoenix, he was so small that, apart from his bright red downy feathers, he looked like an ordinary little bird, making it difficult to associate him with the phoenix clan.

After making the preparations, Xu Lingguang led the cubs down the mountain.

He discussed with Youyu that they should rent a carriage after arriving in Qingyu City so that it would be convenient to travel with the cub. However, Youyu replied, "There's no need to rent one. My brother and I have a spare carriage for our daily travels."

As he spoke, he took a carriage out of his Sumeru Ring.

The carriage was drawn by four pure black horses. Although the carriage was not as large and luxurious as the one I saw in front of Qianjin Tower, the pearls hanging from the curtains of the carriage alone showed that it was very valuable and not something that ordinary people could afford.

Xu Lingguang waved his hands repeatedly: "This is too conspicuous. It's easy to be spotted when you're out and about."

He himself is a fragile injured person, and Yu is also young, plus he has four cubs, so it's better for him to keep a low profile and not attract too much attention.

Yu Ting explained, "This is already the most ordinary carriage, and it has defensive formations engraved on it, making it even safer. If we encounter any danger, I will handle it. You take the cub and go first."

Xu Lingguang: "..."

Okay, I don't really understand what it means to be ordinary among you rich people.

He took a deep breath and decided to do it himself. He first removed two of the spirit horses pulling the carriage, and then took off the gorgeous decorations on the outside of the carriage. After a lot of work, the originally very luxurious and beautiful carriage instantly became much more ordinary. Xu Lingguang was satisfied and said, "That's fine. It won't attract too much attention on the road."

The four children couldn't wait to get on the carriage and were peeking out the window, urging us to set off quickly.

Xu Lingguang boarded the carriage, and Youyu drove the spirit horse towards Qingyu City.

With the Hundred Refinements Competition imminent, Qingyu City was indeed much more lively than usual. As the carriage sped past in mid-air, Xu Lingguang saw many cultivators either riding magical artifacts or traveling in other modes of transportation passing by them.

Even on the ground, there were crowds of people. This grand event was not only a gathering of cultivators, but also a chance for many ordinary people to join in the fun.

Qingyu City was more than ten times more bustling than usual.

Looking at the various people, Xu Lingguang said to Youyu, "Let's go to Qianjinlou first. Manager Zhao and I will inquire about the Hundred Refinements Competition before we head to Wenlingpo."

Yu, who was driving the carriage, paused slightly, then nodded casually: "Mm."