After leaving the City Lord's mansion, Luo Ren bowed deeply to Li Xuan and said, "Senior Li, thank you for today's matter."
"It's nothing. Doctor Luo, since everything is settled, you can go back now. I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't be accompanying you." Li Xuan waved his hand with a smile. His words fell, and he immediately headed in another direction.
Seeing this, Luo Ren's outstretched hand froze mid-air. He then shook his head and turned towards the direction of the pharmacy.
As Luo Ren gradually disappeared into the crowd, Li Xuan reappeared at the spot where he had parted ways with Luo Ren. Glancing at the City Lord's mansion, a thoughtful expression appeared in Li Xuan's eyes. With a swift movement, he headed towards the rear of the mansion.
Meanwhile, the man trailing behind Li Xuan frowned slightly as he saw Li Xuan and Luo Ren separate. However, when he saw Li Xuan heading towards the back of the City Lord's mansion, a sinister smile curved his lips.
This man was Hua Yao Yu, the third among the brothers, assigned by the elderly matriarch of Po Suo City to follow Li Xuan.
What Hua Yao Yu didn't know was that Li Xuan, who was ahead of him, also had a slight curve of his lips.
"You've been following me for a while now. Can you come out?" Li Xuan stopped at a secluded alley and spoke slowly.
Hua Yao Yu, who was lurking in the corner behind, was startled. He had been discovered. However, Hua Yao Yu was not worried. Since he had been found, he might as well come out directly.
"How did you discover me?" Hua Yao Yu asked Li Xuan with some curiosity.
"I suppose you're curious how I, with my strength, could easily detect you, who is at the intermediate level of the Eternal Realm," Li Xuan said with a slight smile.
Hua Yao Yu's expression changed drastically. "You... you can even see through my strength! Who are you? Are you someone sent by Dong Bi City?"
"Who I am is not important. What is important is what you want by following me?" Li Xuan shook his head and looked at Hua Yao Yu.
Inwardly, Li Xuan was curious if there were also Spirit Masters in Dong Bi City, whom Hua Yao Yu feared so much. And judging by Hua Yao Yu's expression, there seemed to be some secrets he was unaware of.
"What do I want? Kid, you don't look like Luo Ren's nephew. Whatever your purpose in coming to Po Suo City, as long as you obediently hand over the Qi-boosting pills you possess, I can let you live well in our Po Suo City."
"Otherwise, next year on this day will be your death anniversary!" Hua Yao Yu declared, his aura instantly erupting.
Li Xuan chuckled. "Ignorance is bliss. Since I can see through your realm, do you think your meager strength can kill me?"
As Li Xuan's words faded, he stomped his foot. The immense force of the rebound propelled him towards Hua Yao Yu.
Hua Yao Yu's face turned ashen. In an instant, his vision darkened, and Li Xuan had him by the throat.
"Cough cough... You... Who exactly are you!" Hua Yao Yu finally realized that this seemingly weak youth before him was someone he couldn't even contend with.
Li Xuan smiled. "As I said, who I am is not important. I just want to know why you are collecting those medicinal herbs. As far as I know, for Spirit Masters, these herbs are no longer that important, aren't they?"
As Li Xuan questioned him, Hua Yao Yu's expression changed again. He then gritted his teeth, seemingly unwilling to reveal anything.
Seeing this, Li Xuan gradually increased the pressure in his grip, his voice chillingly cold. "It seems you're not going to tell me. In that case, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"I... I'll tell you!" As Li Xuan's grip tightened, the feeling of impending death filled Hua Yao Yu with unprecedented fear.
He thought that if he died, what would be the point of hiding these secrets? With this thought, Hua Yao Yu's face turned red as he spoke intermittently.
"I'll give you one last chance. If I find out you've lied even a little, you know the consequences. Of course, you can also try to escape. I believe besides you, those five others know as well. If anything you say seems amiss, don't blame me."
Li Xuan released his grip, his voice extremely cold.
As soon as Hua Yao Yu was released, he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Hearing Li Xuan's words, Hua Yao Yu trembled and looked up at Li Xuan in terror.
Indeed, the moment Li Xuan let go, Hua Yao Yu had considered escaping. But now, after Li Xuan's warning, he dared not harbor any侥幸心理.
"What I say is the absolute truth. You, you must believe me," Hua Yao Yu said hastily.
Li Xuan waved his hand. "Let's begin."
Hua Yao Yu then began to speak, "This matter all started when our Hua family accidentally discovered that cave mansion. Twenty years ago, our Hua family in Po Suo Village was just an ordinary farming family. At that time..."
As Hua Yao Yu narrated, Li Xuan finally understood. It turned out that the Hua family's weak strength was due to the short duration of their cultivation.
Twenty years ago, Hua Shi, the matriarch of the Hua family, was collecting firewood on the mountain when she accidentally fell down a cliff. She thought she would die there, but instead, a beam of spiritual light caught her.
Hua Shi then discovered that this spiritual light had entered her body, and her body immediately straightened. She also felt her strength increase significantly.
Having survived the ordeal, Hua Shi naturally wanted to go home quickly. After searching, she discovered a fire-breathing monster in the cave mansion. And by accident, Hua Shi had disturbed the monster and had to flee in panic.
Coincidentally, Hua Shi found an exit.
After returning home, Hua Shi told this matter to her three sons. Naturally, Hua Yao Yu and his brothers thought their mother was rambling.
However, seeing their mother's complexion improve and her stoop disappear, they became intrigued.
But when Hua Shi took Hua Yao Yu and his two brothers back to the cave mansion, they had only found a damaged cultivation technique and a bottle of pills when the mansion began to shake.
Hua Shi and the three brothers were terrified and fled immediately. Afterward, they watched as the cave mansion closed and sank back into the ground.
Hua Shi brought the three brothers home and began to study the damaged cultivation technique and the bottle of pills they had obtained. Driven by curiosity, the three brothers each swallowed a pill from the bottle, and by chance, they embarked on the path of cultivation.
The cultivation technique of the Hua family was from the damaged technique found in the cave mansion. Since the technique was incomplete, the Hua family only managed to cultivate it superficially.
As each year passed, on a specific day, the cave mansion would reappear. Over time, the Hua family figured out this pattern.
However, each time they entered the cave mansion, they were driven out by the fire-breathing monster. Therefore, the Hua family had to ask Luo Ren to help them find medicinal herbs for healing.
"You mean to say that there is a fire-breathing monster in that cave mansion? And your Hua family has only explored the outer areas?" Li Xuan asked after pondering Hua Yao Yu's words.
Hua Yao Yu nodded, sounding somewhat puzzled. "That monster can not only breathe fire but also has wings on its back. But it's strange, as long as we don't enter the second level, the monster won't attack us. However, we have already searched the entire first level."
"So you are trying to gather those herbs to prepare for entering the second level?"
Since the monster blocked the second level and did not target those entering the first, there must be treasures within the second level.
Otherwise, such a creature wouldn't remain there permanently. Moreover, Li Xuan had a bold guess: perhaps this monster was there to guard the treasures in the second level.
Hua Yao Yu nodded and said with a wry smile, "It seems Dong Bi City already knows about our unauthorized city construction. If we can't improve our strength, we will have no power to resist Dong Bi City."
"I see. Stand up. Although your strength is somewhat lacking, you should still be able to stand by now, shouldn't you? Let's go. Take me to see your mother. Perhaps I can help you enter the second level. Of course, we'll discuss what's inside and how to divide it once we're there."
"Don't worry, I won't claim everything for myself. And regardless of the outcome, I will help you improve your strength by one level. Consider this my bargaining chip for this transaction."
Li Xuan then looked at Hua Yao Yu, clearly intrigued by the cave mansion.
"What! You said you can take us into the second level? But... there's a fire-breathing monster in there. Can you really guarantee you can defeat it? And is it true that you can help us improve our strength by one level?" Hua Yao Yu's eyes widened as he looked at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan smiled. "Don't mention you alone, even if all of your Hua family members attack me together, you won't be able to touch my sleeve. I'm just curious about the cave mansion. The choice is yours."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Hua Yao Yu's eyes, and he then looked at Li Xuan. "I cannot make this decision alone. If Mother agrees, then my three brothers and I will not object."
"Alright," Li Xuan nodded slowly. He had subdued Hua Yao Yu with casual effort. If Hua Yao Yu wasn't foolish, he would understand Li Xuan's strength.
At this moment, Hua Yao Yu no longer harbored any侥幸心理. He looked at Li Xuan, awaiting his instructions.
Li Xuan waved his hand. "Let's go."