In a secluded alley not far from the Lingbao Pavilion, the man in black halted. In his hand, a white robe materialized out of thin air. Glancing around, he swiftly stripped off the black attire and donned the white, then two slender golden needles appeared in his palm, embedding themselves with lightning speed into his cheeks.

Fingers gently massaged the points, and in an instant, his gaunt, skeletal face began to fill out, visibly rounding before the eye.

This man was none other than Nie Kong.

“Done!”

Plucking out the needles and tucking both them and the black clothing into his pet pack, Nie Kong scrutinized himself, only relaxing with a profound sigh of relief when he found no discernible flaws.

Originally, Nie Kong had planned to wait a few more days before selling the 'Rejuvenation Dew.' But the medicinal power accumulated within his body had been entirely absorbed by Xiangxiang the night before last. After just one day of hunger yesterday, the little thing’s leaves had begun to droop, its stem bent, its roots weak, and its color significantly dulled.

Waking this morning to find the little creature near death, Nie Kong was genuinely worried it would starve to death, forcing him to move up the plan to sell the spiritual medicine.

Before heading to the Lingbao Pavilion, Nie Kong first bought a long wig, then mixed some medicinal liquid to tint his exposed skin a jaundiced yellow, and finally purchased a white shirt to keep in his pet pack as a backup. Upon reaching the vicinity of the Lingbao Pavilion, Nie Kong used the golden needles again to stimulate the tiny meridians in his face, causing the muscles of his cheeks to contract.

Of course, this contraction could only last for about half an hour at most. If held too long, it could easily cause actual muscle atrophy, making recovery difficult.

Having disguised himself, Nie Kong finally entered the Lingbao Pavilion. The process of selling the medicine was simple and exceptionally smooth. After leaving, Nie Kong immediately set about restoring his appearance: first removing the wig, wiping off the medicinal dye on his skin, changing clothes, and then using the golden needles to allow his acutely contracted muscles to relax.

Thinking about how selling a single bottle of Rejuvenation Dew had forced him to act like a common thief, Nie Kong managed a wry smile.

Still, even if it was troublesome, it was worth it. The existence of the 'Violet Illusionary Spirit Incense' was his greatest secret, something that could never be exposed under any circumstances. Once he could summon the Medicine Cauldron outside his body, he would no longer need to sneak around and hide like this.

The only thing that truly surprised Nie Kong was encountering Mu Hongling, whom he had only met the day before yesterday, inside the Lingbao Pavilion. She appeared quite familiar with the Pavilion’s staff.

"The Lingbao Pavilion is the property of the Mu family of Luocheng. Mu Hongling is also surnamed Mu, and her mother is from the Nie family... For centuries, intermarriage between the Nie family of Jiyang and the Mu family of Luocheng has been commonplace. It seems that little brat Mu Hongling must be from the Mu family of Luocheng."

Nie Kong mused internally, rubbing his slightly sore jaw, and then swaggered out of the narrow alley. The main road outside was deserted, with only two or three pedestrians visible.

“Whoosh!”

Suddenly, a sound tore through the air, and a streak of blue light flashed past him like lightning. Startled, Nie Kong focused his gaze, but the blue streak had already vanished around the corner ahead.

Rushing off to be reincarnated, are we!

Nie Kong muttered under his breath, took a couple of steps forward, only to see that same fleeting figure re-enter his vision, stopping abruptly right in front of him with a sharp swish.

It was a middle-aged man, dressed in a plain blue robe, lean in build, sporting a thick, short black mustache framing his lips, his eyes filled with anxious urgency.

“Young man, did you happen to see a fellow dressed in black pass by here?”

The middle-aged man gestured wildly with both hands, speaking hurriedly, “That person had a sallow, sunken face, looked to be in his twenties… his height… his height was about the same as yours.”

Isn't that describing me?

Seeing the small piece of jade bottle unintentionally exposed from the man’s right palm as he gestured, Nie Kong instantly knew this person was chasing after someone from the Lingbao Pavilion. Internally, he was shocked, but his expression remained outwardly placid. He pondered for a moment before replying, “Let me think… black clothes… twenties… sallow and thin face… Ah, I remember now, there really was such a person. He seemed to have gone that way.” Nie Kong pointed towards the alley where he had changed his clothes.

“Thank you, thank you.”

The middle-aged man was overjoyed, cupped his hands in thanks, and plunged headlong into the alley.

After successfully tricking him away, Nie Kong secretly felt a wave of relief. It was fortunate he had restored his original appearance immediately after leaving the Lingbao Pavilion; otherwise, he would certainly have been caught red-handed by this fellow. This man’s speed was astonishing; his cultivation level was at least at the Spirit Fusion stage. If he had been cornered, there would truly have been no escape.

Since this middle-aged man was carrying a jade bottle around and possessed considerable cultivation, he must be someone important within the Lingbao Pavilion...

Nie Kong felt suspicious. He had only sold a bottle of 'Rejuvenation Dew.' While a Rejuvenation Dew with ninety percent integration was rare, it certainly wasn't unheard of. Logically, with the Lingbao Pavilion’s deep resources, they shouldn't be making such a fuss over it. At this moment, Nie Kong was unaware that the integration level of his Rejuvenation Dew had reached a perfect ten-tenths, otherwise, he wouldn't have held such doubts.

Unable to fathom the reason, Nie Kong became inwardly vigilant. Regardless of the Lingbao Pavilion’s intentions, he could not reveal his identity. His disguise had been intended solely to prevent detection by members of the Nie family while selling the medicine, but the recent incident added the Lingbao Pavilion to his list of potential threats.

Afterward, Nie Kong wondered if anyone else was still observing him.

For safety, upon returning to the bustling center of Jiyang City, Nie Kong did not rush to use the newly acquired spirit card to buy medicinal herbs. Instead, he sauntered leisurely through the streets teeming with vendors. By noon, Nie Kong was finally returning to the Nie residence, carrying two large bags of purchases...

...

Lingbao Pavilion, First Floor.

Mu Hongling and Xiao Ling sat side-by-side behind the counter, propping their chins on their arms, staring blankly at each other. After much anxious waiting, Mo Xingtu’s figure finally appeared at the entrance.

“Uncle Mo.”

“Master.”

The two girls’ eyes lit up, and they sprang up like coiled springs, but upon seeing Mo Xingtu’s dejected expression, they immediately knew his trip out had yielded no results.

Indeed, as he approached the counter, Mo Xingtu shook his head with a bitter smile, “That fellow is too quick to escape; it seems he was prepared long ago.”

He had pursued for a long time in the direction Nie Kong had pointed, yet found no trace of the man. Later, remembering that Nie Kong was about the same height as that person, Mo Xingtu had quietly tailed Nie Kong, but Nie Kong showed no weaknesses along the way. In the end, Mo Xingtu had to dismiss his suspicions and return to the Lingbao Pavilion.

Mu Hongling said cheerfully, “Uncle Mo, don’t fret. This Jiyang City belongs to the Nie family. I suggest we ask them for help to search the entire city. With the relationship between our Mu family and the Nie family, they have no reason to refuse. As long as that person is still in Jiyang City, we will find him.”

“Right.”

Mo Xingtu slapped the counter hard, a glimmer of hope returning to his expression. “If the Rejuvenation Dew was indeed refined by him personally, then we must persuade this person to join our Lingbao Pavilion. If not, no matter how many spirit coins it costs, we must uncover the source of the 'Rejuvenation Dew.'”

“I’ll go to the Nie family immediately.”

Having made up his mind, Mo Xingtu did not delay. He commanded, “Hongling, you come with me. Xiao Ling, report this matter to the General Store in Luocheng, the capital. Also, under no circumstances is the matter of the ten-tenths integration to be revealed externally. If the Nie family finds out, they won't hand the person over even if they locate him.”

“Understood!”

“…”

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