It was a chaotic night in the market city.
"Brother Lin, if I die, please take care of my wife and children."
Under the Zhou family's summons, Li Er Niu pleaded with a sorrowful look on his face.
As a hired talisman master, Lin Chang'an naturally wasn't obligated to heed the summons. Even if he went, the Zhou family would likely suspect him of disloyalty.
"Er Niu, don't worry. The market city's array isn't that easy to break. You'll be fine."
With a solemn expression, Lin Chang'an took out two tier-one mid-grade Golden Light Talismans and two tier-one low-grade Swiftness Talismans from his storage bag for Li Er Niu.
"Er Niu, be careful. Don't be impulsive!"
Li Er Niu cast a reluctant glance at his family. After taking the talismans, he left without looking back.
"Hide in the cellar."
It was a long-standing habit of Lin Chang'an's to dig cellars in his own house. He never expected to actually use one in this newly built home.
After arranging for Er Niu's family to hide in the cellar, Lin Chang'an deliberately created traces of a hasty escape.
Under the reddish night sky, Lin Chang'an knew it was the reflection of firelight.
He secretly climbed onto the roof. When he saw the distant market city again, a shiver ran down his spine.
Countless cultivators, their eyes red with greed, were madly smashing, grabbing, and looting.
"There are too many cultivators this time; everyone's looking to profit from the chaos."
Lin Chang'an quickly hid on the eaves, simultaneously casting his proficient-grade Invisibility Spell and Breath Concealment Art to reduce his presence to a minimum.
The night sky of the market city was filled with explosions of various colored spells, and cries of anguish were endless.
The Zhou Family
"Old Ancestor, many cultivators in the market city are plundering our properties. We've even spotted members of the Divine Sword Sect's brigands among them."
"Old Ancestor, the clan's mid-grade spirit stones are running low. Our Zhou family needs to maintain eight array nodes; I'm afraid we won't hold out!"
At this moment, the Zhou family's Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor listened to the reports from below, his presence imposing without needing to show anger.
"Ren Mao, did you say Divine Sword Sect brigands!?"
In this critical juncture, the Zhou family's Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor seemed to grasp something important. He covertly transmitted a message to his son.
The current clan head, Zhou Ren Mao, responded with a whispered message of his own:
"No mistake, Tie Shan escaped and reported it."
"Good!"
At this moment, the aged Zhou family's Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor seemed to have seized an opportunity to turn the tables.
"Ren Mao, abandon these three array nodes. You go personally!"
"Father, you—!"
Zhou Ren Mao was startled at first, but upon seeing the piercing gaze in his father's eyes, he instantly understood.
"I understand."
Without hesitation, Zhou Ren Mao, the head of the Zhou family, erupted with a terrifying Foundation Establishment aura. He openly led clan disciples, seemingly heading to reinforce the array nodes.
Watching this scene, the Zhou family's Old Ancestor cast a ruthless gaze towards the Wang family's direction.
"The Zhou family won't have it easy this time. Don't think your Wang family will get away unscathed either."
A beast attack, with Divine Sword Sect brigands active.
And specifically, his Zhou family's guarded array nodes were attacked and had problems.
Since the Wang family remained unharmed, they were now under suspicion of collaborating with the enemy.
The chaos that lasted all night gradually subsided with the dawn of the second day.
It also signaled the end of the state of anarchy.
Some laughed, some cried.
Some rejoiced, some grieved.
Some profited immensely by looting during the chaos.
And some were plundered during the chaos.
"Er Niu, are you alright?"
Li Er Niu, limping on one leg, returned, still bearing the look of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
"Thanks to your two mid-grade Golden Light Talismans, Brother Lin, I almost didn't make it back."
Upon seeing Lin Chang'an again, Li Er Niu was in tears, his face showing the clear signs of a near-death experience. It was then that Lin Chang'an suddenly realized.
The biggest difference between Li Er Niu and him was that Er Niu had family ties, he was no longer the rogue cultivator who once treated his life lightly.
Li Er Niu wiped away his disheveled appearance while recounting the events of last night.
"What? The Wang family colluded with the Divine Sword Sect brigands?"
Lin Chang'an was shocked, not expecting so many unexpected turns in a single night.
"Yes, even the clan head was injured last night. They say the brigands were fierce, destroying three array nodes, which allowed many demonic beasts to rush into the market city."
"And these brigands, according to the clan head, were indeed from the Divine Sword Sect..."
Good heavens.
First, demonic beasts attacked the market city, then the market city's array was destroyed by brigands, and now there's news that the Wang family colluded with them.
As Lin Chang'an pondered, Li Er Niu, holding his wife and children who had emerged from the cellar, was filled with emotion.
Lin Chang'an, however, grew somewhat silent.
He had just thought he found a reliable backer in a powerful Foundation Establishment clan, but it seemed they weren't so dependable after all.
The Zhou family didn't exactly abandon him last night, as their contract didn't cover that kind of relationship.
Getting the notes for making tier-one mid-grade Golden Light Talismans—he had to regularly exchange a certain amount each month for ten years. This relationship was more like a loan.
"My only reliance is my own strength."
Lin Chang'an mused. He had to quickly increase his strength.
The market city's turmoil, while a crisis, also came with opportunities. This was his best chance.
Around noon, Lin Chang'an arrived at the market city's streets.
"Brother Shen? Junior Sister?"
Seeing the looted shops, Lin Chang'an's expression changed.
Last night's chaos must have been disastrous for countless merchant associations.
Just as Lin Chang'an was looking for someone to inquire about the cultivators from this shop, other voices of argument and discussion simultaneously reached him from the street.
"Damn it, this time it's all the Zhou family's fault for capturing the tier-two demonic beast cubs! Otherwise, those Black Wind Wolves wouldn't have gone crazy, driving other beasts to attack the market city."
"I heard the cultivator couple surnamed Tian, who bought the Black Wind Wolf cub a few days ago, both perished in the wolf's mouth."
"Nonsense! It was clearly the Wang family colluding with the brigands."
"Last night, after the array broke, we personally witnessed it. We saw the Wolf King from afar."
Each side had their own arguments, throwing mud at each other.
"Brother Lin!"
Just then, a familiar voice rang out. Lin Chang'an turned his head and saw Lu Qingqing, looking a bit disheveled, in a distant alley.
"Junior Sister, are you two alright? Where's Shen Lie?"
"Brother Lin, Shen Lie is fine. He got a little injured protecting me during our escape last night. He's recovering in the house now. I came to check on the shop."
However, looking at the messy shop, Lu Qingqing's smile was a bit desolate.
Lin Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her. He comforted her, "It's good that you're safe."
Following Lu Qingqing, he arrived at their residence. Shen Lie was lying on the bed, his face pale and weak.
"Shen Lie, it's good that you're alright."
However, the weak Shen Lie had a tearful face.
"Brother Lin, what kind of situation is this? All these goods were prepared for Fellow Daoist Yun's Foundation Establishment, and now we've lost so much!"
Losing so much, if it were all his own, it would be fine, but these were all someone else's.
Lin Chang'an sighed inwardly upon hearing this. This Little Princess Yun Yao was truly unlucky.
The merchant association she meticulously supported had just begun, and now it was all gone.
The losses amounted to at least seven or eight hundred spirit stones, if not over a thousand.
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