Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 556 Strengthening the Relationship! Someone's Following Us!

Chen Fan fell silent.

He never imagined that the radishes and sweet potatoes he casually planted in the space within the bowl would become the favorite food of an ancient auspicious beast.

Old Li's large-scale acquisition of spiritual plants wasn't entirely for resale; it was likely primarily to feed that picky sacred beast. The reason the Eighteenth Elder valued him so highly wasn't because of him personally, but because his spiritual plants could satisfy that ancestor.

But this is for the best.

In this way, his cooperation with Baicaotang had an unbreakable foundation.

It should be noted that Baicaotang is the largest spiritual medicine merchant in Tiannanxing, with branches throughout the four major cultivation kingdoms, and even has business dealings with the third-level cultivation kingdom of Daqin.

With Baicaotang as a backer, things will be much easier in the future.

"I can continue to supply the sacred beasts with food," Chen Fan said slowly. "However, I must make it clear beforehand that I can supply a batch of spirit rice, radishes, and sweet potatoes every month, in quantities no less than the previous share given to Old Li. But you must keep my whereabouts hidden!"

Upon hearing this, the Eighteenth Elder's eyes lit up immediately. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Good! It's a deal! Don't worry about our whereabouts, young friend. Baicaotang considers you a distinguished guest and would never betray its own people! Also, I'll have someone send you a Baicaotang Guest Elder token later. With this token, you can have priority in purchasing medicinal herbs at any Baicaotang branch in Tiannanxing, at a price calculated at cost, which is 30% lower than the market price. In addition, Guest Elders receive a monthly stipend of one thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Although it's not much, it's a small token of our appreciation."

He took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it over.

The jade pendant was even more exquisite than the VIP token given by Manager Qian. The front was engraved with a nine-leaf lingzhi mushroom, and the back was engraved with the character "客" (guest). It faintly shimmered with spiritual light.

Chen Fan accepted the token with both hands and said solemnly, "Thank you, Elder."

The Eighteenth Elder waved his hand and stood up: "I have to rush back to feed that ancestor, so I won't stay any longer. I'll trouble you, young friend, to provide the sacred beast's food. Just send it to any of the Hundred Herbs Hall branches every month, and they will use a teleportation array to send it directly to headquarters."

He walked to the door, then suddenly turned back to look at Chen Fan, a meaningful glint in his eyes:

"Young friend, I've heard a bit about the dangers you've faced on your journey from the sealed land to the Great Yu Imperial City. The Eight Great Families still have their kill orders against you, and the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Wang family is no pushover either. If you encounter any insurmountable obstacles, while Hundred Herbs Hall cannot directly intervene, we can still provide some intelligence and material support."

Chen Fan cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your guidance, Elder."

The eighteenth elder nodded, pushed open the door, and left.

After he left, Manager Qian came in again to exchange a few pleasantries and personally escorted Chen Fan to the door.

Emerging from Baicaotang, the midday sun in the imperial city was blazing, and cultivators thronged the Vermilion Bird Avenue.

Chen Fan walked back along the way he came, and after crossing two streets, he paused almost imperceptibly.

Someone is talking to him.

The aura was well concealed, blending into the bustling crowd on the street like a drop of water merging into a river.

If he hadn't cultivated the Fixed Word Technique, which gave him a far greater sensitivity to the surrounding energy than others of the same level, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect that faint sense of being locked on.

Moreover, the other party's tracking technique was extremely skillful, changing location every few dozen breaths, sometimes close and sometimes far, always maintaining just the right distance.

Could they be from the Wang family?

Chen Fan remained outwardly calm, but he had already made up his mind.

You have to understand that he publicly humiliated Wang Teng at the auction house. Given the Wang family's vengeful nature, it would be strange if they didn't send someone to investigate.

He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly; it seemed the Wang family had more manpower in the capital than he had anticipated.

Pretending not to notice, Chen Fan did not turn around or change his route. He maintained the proper pace of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and walked unhurriedly along the main street toward the city gate.

After leaving the city gate, the crowds outside the city gradually thinned out. A faint light flashed beneath his feet as he summoned a low-level flying sword, which transformed into a long rainbow and flew towards the desolate outskirts of the imperial city.

And sure enough, the aura behind them followed.

After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a desolate mountain forest appeared ahead.

The mountains were low and the forests were sparse. There was no sign of human habitation for dozens of miles around, except for a few low-level demonic beasts that let out a few weak cries in the forest.

Chen Fan then landed in a mountain hollow, stood with his hands behind his back on a blue stone, and said indifferently without turning his head: "You've been following me for so long, come out."

There was a moment of silence in the forest behind them, followed by a low, cold laugh.

Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a gray robe emerged from the shadows of the trees. He had a thin face, high cheekbones, and a pair of triangular eyes that gleamed with cold light. His cultivation level was clearly at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

The man looked Chen Fan up and down, a mocking smile playing on his lips like a cat playing with a mouse.

"He does have some vigilance." The gray-robed cultivator paced back and forth, his tone contemptuous. "What a pity, with only the cultivation of the late Foundation Establishment stage, even the highest level of vigilance will only prolong his life by a few more moments."

Chen Fan turned around, looked at the unfamiliar face, and said calmly, "A member of the Wang family?"

The gray-robed cultivator smiled arrogantly: "Since you know I'm from the Wang family, you probably understand why I've come looking for you. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to challenge my young master Teng in the auction house? You're simply courting death. Young master Teng said that anyone who makes him lose face in public never sees the sun rise the next day. Will you surrender and come back with me to kowtow and confess your sins, or will I break your limbs and drag you back? I advise you to choose the first option; at least you'll suffer less physical pain."

As he spoke, his five fingers were slightly spread, with faint sparks dancing between them, and a scorching pressure enveloped Chen Fan.

Although the fire elemental power of the early Nascent Soul stage cultivator was not fully unleashed, it was still enough to make an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator tremble with fear and collapse to the ground.

However, Chen Fan stood still, completely motionless.

The gray-robed cultivator frowned slightly, thinking that the other party had been frightened into a daze. He snorted coldly, stepped forward, and reached out to grab Chen Fan's neck.

A burst of flames erupted between his five fingers, transforming into a crimson spiritual claw. The scorching heat caused the withered grass on the ground to crackle and pop.

But just as that spiritual claw was about to touch his collar, Chen Fan's aura suddenly changed.

A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from his body, like a volcano that had been dormant for many years suddenly erupting.

Grayish-white light swirled around him, and the terrifying pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator poured out without reservation, crushing the crimson fiery claw along with the protective spiritual light on the gray-robed cultivator's body.

The gray-robed monk's sinister smile froze instantly.

His pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and his spiritual energy seemed to freeze under that oppressive force, making even breathing extremely difficult.

His lips trembled a few times, and he managed to squeeze out a sound from deep in his throat:

"You...you're in the late Nascent Soul stage!"