Cultivation Is Money-Grabbing C47

Chapter 47: Conspiracy – Checking Out the Dirty Money

“What’s the situation?”

Ji Mingyue: “Those who reforge their spiritual roots have unstable meridians in the early stages. Ideally, they should rest for a few years. Your friend immediately switching cultivation paths twice is extremely harmful to the body. Especially refining artifacts—artifact refiners require high-level spiritual roots the most. Excessive depletion of spiritual energy will only cause further damage to the dantian.”

“……”

“What should she do?”

Ji Mingyue: “Those who reforge their spiritual roots have unique constitutions. Other than Grandmaster Feng back in the day, no one knows how to completely resolve this issue. The only known method is to consume high-grade pills to replenish the lost spiritual energy.”

Lian Mu pondered for a moment and asked, “Did Grandmaster Feng leave behind any secret manuals recording methods to repair a damaged dantian?”

“Well…” Ji Mingyue hesitated. “It’s said that before Grandmaster Feng passed away, he had thought of a method but didn’t get the chance to test it. Later, some of his belongings were taken by the Feng Clan of the Western White Tiger Region. Finding them won’t be easy.”

“After all, the Feng Clan is backed by the Wunian Sect. Due to disputes over the ownership of the spiritual herb gardens, Wunian Sect and Gui Xian Sect have always been at odds, and most of the Feng Clan’s people are now in Wunian Sect.”

“In the upcoming Immortal Sect Tournament, two of the top alchemists are from the Feng Clan. One of them, Feng Yunyi, is the lead alchemist of Qingxuan Sect. It’s rumored that he and his father defected from the Feng Clan, so he might know something. But people from Qingxuan Sect always look down on us. Even if you ask him, there’s no guarantee you’ll get an answer.”

Hearing this, Lian Mu felt a glimmer of hope. No matter how difficult it was to find a solution, having a clue was better than nothing. She would be attending the Immortal Sect Tournament as well. Just because someone refused to talk to her didn’t mean she had no other means to get what she wanted.

Wen Yun leaned lazily to the side. Once Ji Mingyue finished speaking, he took his turn. “I think I’ve seen you before—you were with Xu Xianxing. How do you even get along with him?”

Lian Mu put away her notebook and casually replied, “I’ve known him for five years. He’s actually not as pretentious as you think. You broke his artifact, and he didn’t even get mad. He just didn’t like the way you apologized.”

Since Xu Xianxing had helped her before, Lian Mu put in a few good words for him.

“Really? But I’ve always talked like this,” Wen Yun said. “I went to apologize to him, and he gave me a weird attitude out of nowhere.”

Lian Mu: “There’s a huge misunderstanding between you two. But I can vouch for him—he’s not a petty person.”

Ji Mingyue’s gaze deepened. “So you’ve had conflicts with Senior Brother Xu before… No wonder that day…” when they met, they looked like they were ready to tear the roof off.

Wen Yun was silent for a moment, thinking it over. In the end, he decided to trust Lian Mu. “Alright… Lian Mu, do me a favor. If you get the chance, set up a meeting. I’ll properly apologize this time.”

“Oh, by the way, was that sword cultivator who fought Senior Sister Luo actually you?”

Lian Mu: “Even you’ve heard about it?”

So it really was her. Wen Yun had guessed right. “That day, I was passing by with Elder Qin. We saw your match from above. I thought those moves looked familiar.”

They were exactly the same as his, down to the subtle hand movements during the spinning kick.

Lian Mu’s infamous exploits were too numerous. Even Ji Mingyue, who had just returned to the sect, had heard of them. “How did you convince Xu Xianxing and Bai Li Que to mess with Wunian Sect?”

In her impression, Senior Brother Xu was a calm and reserved person, and Bai Li Que was always gentle and kind. Neither of them seemed like the type to do such a thing.

Lian Mu simply said, “They were never proper people to begin with.”

“Wait, that was you too?” Wen Yun was shocked. “…That’s so you. Honestly, when I first got back, I wanted to mess with Wunian Sect myself, but you beat me to it.”

Ji Mingyue frowned. “If I remember correctly, your clan is also in the Western White Tiger Region and has ties to Wunian Sect.”

“Family ties and sect grudges are separate matters. Besides, Elder Xin was kind to me. Their people tried to harm him, and I’ve had enough of it.”

Lian Mu had already guessed what he was about to say next. Sure enough—

“They’re leaving tomorrow. How about tonight, the three of us hit them with something heavy?”

Ji Mingyue frowned. “Those are Wunian Sect elders. If something goes wrong—”

“Relax. Those two elders are dual-spirit-root alchemists, and they’re not even that strong. They got their positions just by being old. Meanwhile, we have three heavenly spirit roots.”

Lian Mu: “?”

Where did the third one come from?

Before she could explain or refuse, Wen Yun continued, “All they have is a pile of dirty money and not much actual skill.”

“How much dirty money?” Lian Mu asked.

“A lot.” Wen Yun gestured roughly. “Are you in? I’ll grab them, Ji Mingyue will drug them unconscious, and you’ll beat them up.”

Lian Mu: “Alright, let’s check out the dirty money.”

Ji Mingyue hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly, leaving her as the only hesitant one. “…You two are ridiculous. When?”

Lian Mu and Wen Yun—one a sword cultivator, the other a body cultivator—naturally had the advantage when it came to fighting. But someone had to clean up the mess afterward. Ji Mingyue, as an alchemist skilled in poisons and venomous insects, was highly proficient at handling aftermaths.

“Tonight, at the Hour of the Boar (9-11 PM).”

The three of them quickly came to an agreement and began planning their operation.

…

…

That afternoon, the dining hall was as crowded as ever. Three figures wove through the crowd, chatting and laughing before sitting at the same table.

Those three were Lian Mu, Ji Mingyue, and Wen Yun.

Lian Mu sat in the middle, with Ji Mingyue and Wen Yun on either side, engaged in lively conversation.

Not far away, at another table, two pairs of eyes were locked onto them.

Xu Xianxing put down the pastry in his hand, watching the three people across from him chatting and laughing. His heart felt sour. “She’s really gotten close to them. It’s only been two days, and they’re already eating at the same table.”

Baili Que also had mixed feelings, but he remained composed. “It’s normal to make new friends. Lian Mu can’t always stay with just us.”

“But we’ve been sitting here for so long, and she hasn’t even noticed us,” Xu Xianxing said.

Baili Que: “……”

Hadn’t they just arrived fifteen minutes ago?

“That Wen Yun is too despicable.” Xu Xianxing took a bite of the pastry. “He targets me, steals my friend—I will never forgive him.”

Baili Que: “……Why don’t you just call Lian Mu over?”

“No way. If I call Lian Mu, he’ll see me.” Xu Xianxing switched seats, turning his back to the three of them. “You call her over.”

Baili Que: “……”

Without another word, he stood up and walked over.

On the other side, the three were discussing how to sneak into the main peak at night and capture someone when Baili Que suddenly interrupted them.

Wen Yun looked up—it was the talisman cultivator who usually stuck with Xu Xianxing. But he had a decent impression of him, so he politely asked, “Do you need something?”

Lian Mu also noticed him. “You came alone? Where’s Xu Xianxing?”

Baili Que shook his head without answering. Lian Mu assumed Xu Xianxing hadn’t come, so she pointed to the seat across from them. “Sit down. We have an idea—want to join?”

Wen Yun turned to Lian Mu. “Are you sure about telling him?”

“Don’t worry, he’s tight-lipped—very reliable. He’s a Heaven-Spirit-Root talisman cultivator. With him on board, we’ll have even more firepower.”

Hearing that Lian Mu vouched for him, Wen Yun nodded. “Alright then.”

Ji Mingyue began explaining their plan. Baili Que had originally come to fetch Lian Mu, but as he listened, he couldn’t help leaning in.

From a distance, the four of them had their heads close together, looking like they were sharing a secret.

Baili Que: “Are we really doing this?”

Lian Mu: “Why not? Elder Murong told me before that we shouldn’t make trouble openly—which means we can do it in secret.”

“Ambushing Wunian Sect and giving them a good beating”—just hearing those words was… incredibly satisfying.

“I’ll draw a teleportation array so you can get in and out of the main peak.” Baili Que joined in without hesitation.

As the four of them discussed, they got more and more excited. Baili Que, caught up in the planning, completely forgot about the task Xu Xianxing had given him.

Meanwhile, a lonely Xu Xianxing sat alone not far away: “……”