After burning in alchemy fire, Sun Lanxiang’s magic flute came flying out of the rotten, broken tripod, and suspended in the air. It was crystal clear and spiritual energy encircled it. No matter the angle it was viewed from, it was better than before.

Ning Tao grabbed the magic flute and waved it casually but he could not work its power. He then placed it on the desk. He had intended to give it to Qing Zhui but Qing Zhui had put herself in seclusion so he could only wait until she came out.

Sun Lanxiang’s cell phone was also on the desk.

The last message from Sun Pingchuan was to wait for his call to confirm a meeting time and location but there was still no new message until now.

“Is he testing my patience or is he worried about being discovered by Wu Yue?” Ning Tao thought. His sight never left Sun Lanxiang’s cell phone. He walked to the entrance of the clinic.

The wooden door opened and snow was falling heavily outside. The street lights were illuminated in the snowy night. Yet, they were unable to light up the area they usually did so the alley looked dimmer than usual.

It was quiet in the alley and there was no one. Suddenly, a cat ran through the alley and stopped by the foot of a street light. It looked back at Ning Tao who was at the door then ran away.

Ning Tao shut the door then took the rotten, broken tripod to the shelves and placed it there. Subconsciously, he glanced at the Heavenly Hound tripod in the corner. Back then, after he had refined Howling Celestial Dog, the Heavenly Hound tripod was no longer a golden big-bellied tripod, it had become grey and dull and was filled with cracks. It was even more rotten and broken than the rotten, broken tripod. Thereafter, no matter what he refined with it had all failed. Yet seeing it now, he could see that its color was slightly more brilliant and the number of cracks had also reduced.

“Could it possibly be repairing itself?” Ning Tao thought to himself in shock.

It was still a mystery which generation of clinic owners the Heavenly Hound tripod belonged to. He only knew that the delicate, perfumed tripod was Meixiang Deity Zeng Ruxian’s tripod. She had died before the mark of 100,000 treatment fees. In the advent of rent collection day, his rent was only 8000 treatment fees, which was still 92,000 points behind hers. Just based on the figures, it was easy to see the gap between him and other people.

His eyes scanned the three tripods. Ning Tao suddenly had an unprecedented thought. “Chen Pingdao was a failure so he could not even leave a tripod before. This clinic has existed for God knows how long and only three tripods were allowed to be left behind. Those three people were more impressive than me now. Have they ever gone to the heavenly realm? Each tripod they left behind has a strong purpose. It is obvious that they were produced by the clinic according to each of them. And what had they gone through?”

They had already passed on; nobody would be able to answer his questions.

Beep beep…

There was suddenly a message notification from Sun Lanxiang’s cell phone.

Ning Tao hurriedly organized his thoughts then briskly walked over. He picked up Sun Lanxiang’s phone and opened that message.

This was a message from a new number: “Tonight at 1 a.m., Juyong Pass, bring my granddaughter.”

Even though there was no name, this was definitely Sun Pingchuan.

Ning Tao replied, “Have the things I asked for been prepared?”

The only party replied: “You’ll see it when it’s time.”

Ning Tao replied: “You better not pull tricks with me. Your granddaughter is with me. If I want her to live, she’ll live. If I want her do die, then she’ll have to die.”

The other party did not reply.

Ning Tao came to the Scriptures & Scrolls Store II where Sun Lanxiang was kept.

Sun Lanxiang glared at Ning Tao coldly. Her gaze was filled with hatred and animosity as if she would pounce at Ning Tao any moment, bite his neck, drink his blood, and consume his flesh.

Ning Tao said coolly, “There’s news from your grandfather. We’re meeting at Juyong Pass at 1 a.m. tonight to exchange the elixir prescription for your freedom.”

Sun Lanxiang’s eyes glistened. It was unclear what she was thinking.

Ning Tao stopped before Sun Lanxiang. “Say, should I believe him?”

Sun Lanxiang who was sitting cross-legged on the ground looked up at Ning Tao and asked, “You’re asking me?”

“There’re only the two of us here,” Ning Tao said.

Sun Lanxiang stayed silent before saying, “Don’t believe him. That’s a trap. You’ll die for sure.”

Ning Tao was slightly stunned. He did not expect such a reply from Sun Lanxiang. Not only did she not appear happy at all knowing that she would be soon free, but she had also even dampened his spirits. What was happening?

Sun Lanxiang said, “It’s you who had asked me. I’m simply saying what I think.”

“How would you be so kind?” Ning Tao activated his state of looking.

Sun Lanxiang appeared to be calm. “Nobody can betray Wu Yue. Neither can my grandfather. Wu Yue already knew why you kidnapped me; how would she not keep watch over my grandfather? My grandfather is loyal to Wu Yue, he will not ruin his reputation for me. Do you want to exchange me for the elixir prescription? You’re thinking too much.”

Ning Tao suddenly laughed, “Hehehe…”

“What are you laughing about?” Sun Lanxiang looked somewhat furious.

Ning Tao stopped laughing. “When you were saying that, your heartbeat was faster than usual by a fifth. Your brain’s blood flow was obviously more than before and your breathing frequency was intentionally suppressed by a third. If I couldn’t even tell that you were lying, can I still live up to my name as a cultivating doctor?”

Sun Lanxiang yelled furiously, “Then go die, nobody’s stopping you!”

Ning Tao said, “You’re protecting your grandfather, right? You’re worried that he’ll steal the elixir prescription to save you then Wu Yue will kill him, right? You two depend on each other, who would bear to let the other die? Just with that, I actually believe that the transaction tonight is real.”

“Then aren’t you afraid that Wu Yue would be there to kill you?”

“Her flying sword has been ruined, should I be scared of her biting me? If she came, I’ll back you and your grandfather up,” Ning Tao said.

Sun Lanxiang was stunned.

Ning Tao took out his phone and took a look then said, “I’m heading over. If I get my hands on the elixir prescription then you’ll be free again. After that, you and your grandfather should leave Hua Country and hide for a while.”

Sun Lanxiang looked at Ning Tao, and stayed completely silent.

She had indeed wanted to stop Ning Tao from going to carry out the transaction, sacrificing herself to protect her grandfather Sun Pingchuan. She did not expect Ning Tao to expose her and believed her grandfather’s sincerity and determination even more. She knew that saying anything would be useless at this point. Apart from waiting silently, there was nothing she could do.

Ning Tao pushed the God’s Will electric motorbike to the wall and opened the blood lock in the cave where he first met Qing Zhui, then pushed his God’s Will electric motorbike into it…

An hour later, the God’s Will electric motorbike appeared before the door of the Juyong Pass.

It was wintertime, snow was falling from the sky. The place was empty, not a person was present.

Ning Tao passed the entrance and rode his God’s Will electric motorbike to a hill. After observing and ensuring that nobody was around, he opened a blood lock and pushed the God’s Will electric motorbike back into the clinic and returned to the hill before the convenient door closed.

At this time, there was still another hour until the meeting time with Sun Pingchuan.

Ning Tao climbed up the hill with Ladder under Feet and very effortlessly got up the city wall, then climbed towards a mountaintop. He did not know whether Sun Pingchuan was coming too but he had to survey the surroundings. That hill could allow him to easily survey the surroundings of the transaction location.

After half an hour, Ning Tao came to that mountain. He watched afar and could see the entire tourist attraction area of Juyong Pass. He activated his state of looking and very soon saw a presence of innate aura, but those were all of ordinary people. Only the tourist attraction’s staff were still around at this time.

Ning Tao looked in another direction. That was a mountain range of peaks and valleys, the ancient Great Wall extended to those mountains. Heavy snow fell, a cold wind blew. It was a majestic yet melancholic image.

Suddenly, a colorful ball of light came flying from a part of the Great Wall from that mountaintop. Within the innate aura was a heavy air of bluish spiritual energy. That was clearly a practitioner. There was no need to guess who that was.

Sun Pingchuan was here.

Sun Pingchuan was clearly early too for the same purpose as him, to go to the highest mountaintop to survey the surrounding.

With that, they had met without sending each other text messages.

Ning Tao sat on a rock and intentionally turned on his cell phone to make some light and get Sun Pingchuan to come over. As he waited, he entered the Practitioners’ Club’s WeChat group.

He had not checked the group chat in a while and hundreds of messages had accumulated. Tens of them had mentioned him.

Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit: “@Doctor Ning: You’ve finally appeared? You can’t just keep quiet like this, right?”

Zhang Chengdong, the imperial Qing physician: “Why are you even mentioning him? I know where Doctor Ning is but I’m not telling.”

Sure-to-be-Immortal Liu Qiangzhong: “Could he have been taken away by demons and died from being sucked dry?”

Lei Zhenzi from Lingxiao Sect: “Don’t talk nonsense. This is a cultivation group chat. We want to exchange cultivation knowledge, spiritual material, and elixirs. Why don’t you go watch those live-streams if you want to talk about this?”

Independent Practitioner Wu Taichao: “I have something proper to say. I’ve heard lately that there is a very impressive cultivating doctor with top-notch elixir-refining skills. Do you think Doctor Ning did not dare to show himself because he is ashamed?”

Ning Tao smiled wryly. Had these people made mocking him their business?

Happy Little Deity: “I’ve heard of that too. That cultivating doctor called themself the Spiritual Cat Deity. They can make Grandmaster Elixirs, they’re incredible. Which one of you has seen a Grandmaster Elixir? It’s said that the price of their elixir has been bumped up to 50 million a pill. Damn, why not rob someone instead?”

Ning Tao’s heart skipped a beat and said to himself, “I could only forcibly make an elementary level Grandmaster Elixir with the help of Spirit Gathering Pearl. Where did that Spiritual Cat Deity come from, to be able to make Grandmaster Elixirs in this kind of environment?”

Ning Tao was about to send a message to ask them about it but thought that his comment would invite a messy debate, it was not time yet. So he dropped the idea after thinking about it.

The world today was chaotic and superficial. That “Spiritual Cat Deity” must be a cultivating doctor who wanted fame and money and was trying to create a buzz around themselves. They were harmless to him. Even if they could make Grandmaster Elixirs, what did it have to do with him?

Footsteps came.

Sun Pingchuan was there.