Reborn Medicine King

Seeing Fang Xiang in such a rush, Jiang Fann asked, "Why the hurry?"    

Fang Xiang looked very serious. "Let's talk while we walk. We need to leave the city first."    

Judging by Fang Xiang's reaction, something troublesome must have happened; otherwise, he wouldn't be acting this way. They reached the teleportation array, where Fang Xiang quickly showed his credentials and used it to take Jiang Fann to the nearest city to their destination.    

Once there, they didn't linger but quickly left the city limits, slowing down only after reaching the outskirts.    

Jiang Fann chuckled, "Can you tell me now? Is the Heaven Pavilion disbanding or something?"    

Fang Xiang replied sternly, "This is no time for jokes. We might be in big trouble."    

"Trouble?"    

Fang Xiang nodded. "After I returned to the Heaven Pavilion, the manager here informed me that someone has been secretly investigating both of us. We must have overlooked something. The people behind this are influential, and it might not even be the same group."    

"Oh!"    

Fang Xiang glanced at Jiang Fann, noticing he seemed unfazed.    

"Oh? You're not worried?"    

Jiang Fann smiled, "What's the use of worrying? If trouble comes, we'll face it. I have nothing to hide. If they want to know me, let them. You mentioned my name is on the Starry Sea list; I'm already in the public eye. If someone wants to cause trouble, let them try."    

At this moment, Jiang Fann showed no trace of fear. His eyes were still bright with confidence, and he remained calm even when trouble loomed. He had been like this the entire journey.    

"No wonder the Academy has its eyes on you as a promising candidate. Your courage is unmatched, and I'll stick with you through thick and thin," Fang Xiang said, feeling a surge of confidence from Jiang Fann's demeanor.    

As he calmed down, Fang Xiang recalled the recent events. During the Fire Kirin's legacy, Jiang Fann had sealed his senses, leaving him unaware of what transpired. However, once his senses returned, the three guardian beasts were clearly wary of Jiang Fann, indicating something significant had occurred.    

He was almost certain that Jiang Fann had a backup plan, enough to handle most troubles.    

Jiang Fann suggested to Fang Xiang, "Traveling with me might bring you trouble. You still have ties with the Heaven Pavilion. Maybe you should head to Fire Valley and find some beauty there. I'll be fine on my own."    

"Are you underestimating me? I'm not leaving like that. I hope to gain some benefits by staying with you. If there's ever a chance to visit the Academy, that would be amazing. With my abilities, I doubt I'd ever get through its gates otherwise."    

Jiang Fann chuckled, "If the day comes when I head to the Academy, I'll take you with me. But I have many obligations and won't be staying in the upper realms forever. You should also focus on your own path."    

Fang Xiang nodded, "I have my own plans."    

The two continued walking without pause. Fang Xiang was analyzing the origins of the cultivators investigating their identities. Understanding who they were dealing with would make it much easier to handle the situation. At the very least, they couldn't let their opponents remain in the shadows, as that would be too passive.    

"Recently, too many factions have been watching us, especially after your astonishing performance at the Danmen event. It's bound to draw a lot of attention," Jiang Fann said.    

"Most of those cultivators won't expend much effort to uncover our identities," he continued. "Danmen might be an exception, but we've rarely slipped up. The auction at the royal city of the Jian Dynasty was one such time. We seemed to have offended some big shot there, giving them reason to investigate us. The question is whether they have the capability."    

Fang Xiang agreed wholeheartedly. "That big shot on the fifth floor of the auction house certainly has the means and ability, and so does Danmen. Aside from them, do you suspect anyone else?"    

Jiang Fann replied, "There were those cultivators using poison arts, but it's unlikely to be them. They're not top-tier cultivators and usually keep a low profile. The only other possibility might be Fire Melt Valley, but they probably wouldn't look into my background. We have a decent relationship with their elder, and we just left there, so the timing doesn't match."    

Fang Xiang nodded, "So, the most likely suspects are Danmen and the guy who bid against you for the immortal gold at the auction."    

After speaking, he took out a communication talisman.    

He continued, "I'll let my mentor know about the situation and see if he can use his connections to help identify the important figure at the auction that day."    

Jiang Fann nodded, agreeing that knowing the person's identity would indeed make things easier to handle. The talisman flew off, disappearing into the sky as Jiang Fann and his companion soared through the air, heading straight for their destination.    

Occasionally, they encountered other groups of cultivators along the way, but no greetings were exchanged, as there was a mutual sense of caution between the groups.    

After flying for half a day, they found themselves above a range of mountains, dense with forests and rarely visited by people. According to the map, this was a mountainous area inhabited by many spirit beasts and demonic creatures, but nothing particularly unusual was noted in the description.    

The drunkard from that day had marked a rough location, and they would need to search further upon arrival. However, Jiang Fann had records in his treasure compendium that mentioned something similar, which is why he chose to explore this area. The value of the immortal gold was undeniable, and such a treasure was worth pursuing.    

By evening, Jiang Fann and his companion landed in the mountains, setting up a campfire in a sheltered spot to rest. The mountain air was cool at night, with the occasional sound of animals moving about. However, no demonic beasts dared to approach them, as cultivators were considered formidable threats to such creatures.    

Jiang Fann spoke up, "At dawn, we'll head straight to the area that guy marked. We don't know what the situation is over there, so we need to be cautious."    

"Should we assume different identities when we go there?"    

Jiang Fann shook his head. "No need for that yet. If someone is hiding in the shadows, drawing them out might not be a bad thing. After all, our previous analysis was just speculation."    

The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, the two set off over the mountains, getting closer to their destination.    

Once they entered the mountains, they hadn't seen any practitioners around. But near their destination, Jiang Fann noticed groups of young practitioners seemingly searching for something.    

These young people weren't very advanced in their skills, most hadn't even reached the Dao Understanding Stage. Since this area wasn't particularly dangerous, it was a good place for them to train without much risk.    

Jiang Fann paid them no mind and continued forward with Fang Xiang.    

Fang Xiang, however, took note of the young practitioners' attire. After they had walked some distance, he remarked to Jiang Fann, "Those groups come from different factions. I recognized the outfits of a couple of them; they're not from around here but from other kingdoms. With their level of skill, it doesn't make sense for them to travel such a long way just to train here. Places like this are everywhere."    

Jiang Fann chuckled, "That means there's something here that other places don't have. Isn't that why we're here too?"    

"True, but why are most of them gathering in that specific area?"    

As soon as he finished speaking, a few more groups appeared in the mountains ahead. Like the young folks before, they were earnestly searching for something, laughing and joking around, moving at a leisurely pace without any elders in sight.    

The two continued on without stopping, walking for about another ten minutes until they reached the area marked by the drunkard. Here, they paused to take a look around, trying to see if there was anything special about the place.    

About fifty yards away, another group of young adventurers was resting. Unlike the previous groups, these young people were dressed in a variety of styles, suggesting they weren't sent by any particular organization.    

The arrival of Jiang Fann and his companion caught the attention of the resting group, though they weren't too surprised, given the presence of other teams in the area. Jiang Fann and his companion had suppressed their auras, making it difficult for the others to gauge their abilities, which naturally drew a few extra glances.    

Fang Xiang spoke up, "Do you think these guys also traded drinks with that drunkard?"    

"With so many people in the city every day, it's not surprising some would trade with him. If no one did, he wouldn't be hanging around there," Jiang Fann replied.    

Fang Xiang suggested, "So, what should we do now? Should we create a distraction somewhere else to draw these adventurers away?"    

Jiang Fann shook his head. "Being too obvious isn't good. If there's really something to find, I have my own ways to avoid attracting their attention."    

At that moment, a young man from the nearby group discreetly took out a piece of Spirit Attached Jade and whispered something. The others around him didn't notice, and everything seemed normal.    

The area looked quite ordinary, with no noticeable differences from the places they'd passed before. There was nothing unusual in the range of their Spiritual Sense.    

Soon, Fang Xiang began to lose patience. "Isn't this like finding a needle in a haystack? That drunkard better not have been messing with us."    

"At least you have a defined area to search, so don't rush it," came the reply.    

Once they were out of sight of other practitioners, Jiang Fann activated his Divine Eye, scrutinizing the surroundings more closely, hoping to detect any hidden Spiritual Strength fluctuations.    

As for the crystals they acquired that day, he had studied them multiple times and had memorized their aura. If he sensed it, he wouldn't miss it.    

Fang Xiang was also trying his own methods, but unfortunately, they weren't yielding any results. "There are just two of us. It'd be great to have more help."    

Jiang Fann agreed that it was a good idea, especially since he had plenty of allies with strong abilities in sensing Spiritual Strength. Suddenly, small figures began to appear in front of Jiang Fann.    

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