That night—
Li An didn’t wait at the maple grove of South Hill. Instead, he casually lingered near the Zhao Clan’s main gate, watching from afar.
By dusk, Wang Dazhu’s carriage rolled out again, and Li An quietly followed.
Wang Dazhu headed once more toward Mianhong Residence, but this time, he stepped off at the alley entrance and instructed the carriage to wait there.
He walked in, ducked into a side alley when no one was looking, and then made his way toward the maple grove.
…
An hour later—
“Brother An, is that you?!”
Bathed in moonlight, amidst the fiery-red maple trees, Wang Dazhu called out loudly, startling the birds nesting in the trees.
No response.
Wang Dazhu looked puzzled. He walked around, searching, but found no trace of anyone.
“Is he not here?”
He simply sat down and waited patiently.
Only when the moon was about to set did he rise to leave.
“Dazhu.”
From within the grove, Li An finally stepped out with a smile. “It’s been a long time.”
Wang Dazhu turned around quickly. The moment he saw Li An, his eyes lit up with joy. He strode over excitedly and exclaimed, “Brother An, it really is you?”
“That’s wonderful! That’s really wonderful!”
Overcome with emotion, he pulled Li An into a hug. “I looked for you everywhere but couldn’t find you. I thought you’d died in that battle at Bright Sun Market District. So you’re alive—this is great!”
“Why did you wait so long to come find me, Brother An…”
The two sat down beneath the maple trees and caught up.
It turned out that when Wang Dazhu had received Li An’s letter all those years ago, he happened to have a task that required him to leave the sect. So after completing it, he spent half a month near the spiritual mine, collecting Vein-Washing Sand for Li An along the way.
That half month saved him from the Clear Sun Sect disaster.
When he heard what had happened to the main sect, Wang Dazhu was struck with panic and fled. Naive and simple-minded, he hadn’t thought to go to the Liuyang River Market District. Instead, he returned to his home village and laid low for half a year.
Later, upon learning that Zhao Xianchuan had survived and returned to the family, Wang Dazhu sought refuge with the Zhao Clan.
Thanks to his high talent in artifact crafting, Zhao Xianchuan treated him with great importance.
Today, he had reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining—same as Li An—and was ready to pursue Foundation Establishment.
“Brother An, thank you. If it weren’t for you back then, I would’ve died…”
Gratitude filled Wang Dazhu’s eyes.
“It was just a coincidence,” Li An replied with a faint smile.
“Don’t lie to me, Brother An. I know it wasn’t just a coincidence… We had a gathering once, and Tan Qingxue was there. She asked if you were still alive and told me that it was you who saved us.”
“She said that you saved her and me… That we were the ones closest to you in the sect, and if we survived, then you surely did too!”
Wang Dazhu spoke with great emotion, his eyes slightly damp. “Brother An, all these years… you were the only one who ever truly treated me well…”
He was utterly sincere.
“Dazhu, hasn’t Zhao Xianchuan also treated you well? I heard he even wants to marry off his younger aunt or older sister to you?” Li An teased.
“He has treated me well. But his younger aunt and sister—I don’t want to marry them. Brother An, I want to leave. I want to leave the Zhao Clan!”
Wang Dazhu spoke directly and without hesitation.
Li An asked, “Why? Did Zhao Xianchuan do something to upset you?”
“No, he’s been very good to me over the years. I just… want to leave,” Wang Dazhu said, clearly troubled, though he didn’t explain further.
Li An said, “If you want to leave, you need to plan your escape carefully. Make no mention of it until you’re absolutely sure.”
Wang Dazhu nodded. “By the way, Brother An, did you come here for something important?”
Li An replied, “I’d like to ask a favor.”
“Say no more. As long as I can do it, I’ll give it my all!”
“Can this be used to craft a Second-Grade artifact?” Li An pulled out the turtle shell from the Soulbeast and handed it over.
Wang Dazhu examined it carefully, surprised. “Such high-quality material… Absolutely!”
“Give me seven days!”
He agreed without hesitation.
Li An said, “Alright. But I have other matters to attend to. I’ll come back for it in a month—same place. Dazhu, please don’t tell anyone I came here… including Zhao Xianchuan.”
The two parted ways there.
But Li An didn’t leave. He continued to quietly observe the Zhao Clan from the shadows, staying vigilant for signs of any demonic cultivators.
A month passed—no activity.
When the two met again, Wang Dazhu was fully prepared. But Li An asked him to wait one more month.
By the third month, Li An was finally at ease and handed over both the turtle shell and the turtle horn.
Li An had even considered taking Wang Dazhu with him—it would’ve been safest that way.
But the reason Wang Dazhu could craft Second-Grade artifacts wasn’t just his talent—it was also thanks to an Earth Fire source owned by the Zhao Clan!
Earth Fire significantly boosted the success rate and quality of artifact crafting. For someone who hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment, it was especially crucial.
…
Another month passed.
Li An monitored the Zhao Clan closely and even expanded his surveillance to neighboring towns, making sure no demonic cultivators had shown up.
Then one day, a carriage emerged from the Zhao Clan, but Li An frowned.
This time, Wang Dazhu wasn’t alone.
Through the carriage window, Li An spotted another familiar face. Zhao Xianchuan!
What’s more, the carriage didn’t stop at Mianhong Residence. It went straight out of town and headed toward the maple grove.
Li An scouted cautiously, confirming that only Zhao Xianchuan and Wang Dazhu had come—no others were following.
“Brother An, I’m here. Brother Xianchuan came too—”
Upon entering the maple grove, Wang Dazhu called out loudly.
Zhao Xianchuan also spoke up, his voice warm: “Brother Li, it’s been years. I’ve missed you dearly. Come out, let us meet again!”
Li An stayed hidden for a while, thinking carefully, before finally stepping out.
“Brother Zhao, it’s been a long time.”
He smiled faintly.
“Brother Li, I really had to work hard to find you!”
Zhao Xianchuan walked up and gave Li An a friendly punch in the chest. “All these years and not even a single visit! And now that you’ve come, you only told Dazhu. Brother Li, that’s not fair to me. If I hadn’t noticed how cheerful Dazhu’s been lately and kept pressing him, I wouldn’t even know you were here!”
Eight years had changed Zhao Xianchuan—he now carried the calm authority of a true leader. Years at the helm of his clan had clearly transformed him.
Li An glanced at Wang Dazhu, who looked filled with guilt and helplessness. “Brother An… both pieces are finished… but I didn’t bring them…”
“Oh?” Li An turned his gaze toward Zhao Xianchuan.
“I told him not to,” Zhao Xianchuan said with a smile.
“Brother Li, after all these years, you must come back with me for a few days. Stay a while. Don’t worry—your two treasures are being nourished by Earth Fire. Their quality will only improve!”
Li An smiled. “Very well…”
“Please, Brother Li!”
Zhao Xianchuan immediately extended a hand, gesturing for him to enter.
The three of them boarded the carriage and returned to the Zhao Clan.
…
(End of Chapter)