Chapter 119: Returning to Town

“How about fifty thousand each?” Zheng Lan ventured, testing the waters.

“Ha—” Zhang Pu merely sneered coldly, offering no reply.

In truth, Zheng Lan was only tentatively starting with a low price. She knew that some elixirs could reasonably fetch tens of thousands. Yet, she was still unfamiliar with the quality of Zhang Pu’s pills; they were undoubtedly far superior to the high-grade ones she had seen on the market.

“Let’s say one hundred thousand,” Zheng Lan pressed again.

This time Zhang Pu remained silent.

From his expression, Zheng Lan sensed that even this price was far too low.

Could it be that he expected tens or even hundreds of thousands for just one pill? She almost cursed inwardly.

This man… he really knew how to extort!

A surge of indignation rose within her, yet she thought resolutely: Let him extort! I won’t let him have his way. At worst, I’ll just endure it.

Zhang Pu, meanwhile, could read her thoughts perfectly.

He sneered to himself: Soon enough, you’ll be the one begging me, along with your entire clan. When that time comes, they’ll all willingly agree that my price is a bargain.

At first, Lin Hongbin had indeed been lurking nearby, watching and waiting. But with Zhang Pu firmly in control, he dared not act recklessly.

Only when the three of them were about to leave the mountain did Lin Hongbin reluctantly disappear.

With Zhang Pu present, Lin Hongbin clearly understood that capturing Zheng Lan was utterly impossible.

Helpless, he could only wait for another opportunity.

He figured Zhang Pu couldn’t protect Zheng Lan forever; yet once she returned to her family’s territory, his chances would vanish altogether.

Ultimately, Lin Hongbin despised Zhang Pu.

It was almost as if, intentionally or not, Zhang Pu’s expedition to the Poison Dragon Pool had ruined his plans—Zhang Pu snatched the essence of the Wulong Spirit and prevented him from seizing Zheng Lan.

Of course, Zhang Pu had no idea what Lin Hongbin thought, and even if he did, he wouldn’t care. Lin Hongbin was nothing more than a defeated opponent to him.

In truth, Zhang Pu knew he didn’t have any extra pills to sell to Zheng Lan. He hadn’t yet acquired a spatial pouch like those in the cultivation world, no space ring to hold countless items. Moreover, he hadn’t refined many pills at home; his career in alchemy had only just begun.

Naturally, Zhang Pu would never explain this to Zheng Lan, nor would he reveal that the few remaining pills on him were reserved for Elder Ge—and even for himself.

No one could guarantee that on the way back they wouldn’t encounter formidable enemies like Wulong or Lin Hongbin again. There was no such thing as absolute security in this world.

At dawn, Zhang Pu and his companions would rendezvous with Liu Yingde’s group.

Meanwhile, reinforcements summoned by Zheng Lan’s faction, including wealthy young heirs, also arrived.

Zhang Pu wanted no further entanglements with Zheng Lan and hinted to Liu Yingde that his group would leave quietly.

Zheng Lan sensed this but, recalling Zhang Pu’s earlier prowess—how he had bested Wulong and seemed to control the formidable Ghost Shadow—she dared not interfere.

She was a clever woman; observing the relationship between Zhang Pu and the Ghost Shadow, she deduced one thing clearly: for a creature like the Ghost Shadow to obey a human, it must already be under Zhang Pu’s control.

This student was truly terrifying.

Now, Zheng Lan’s thoughts turned to how to leverage her family’s influence to win over someone like Zhang Pu. She wouldn’t dare chase him down aggressively.

She knew it wasn’t that she lacked charm—it was simply that Zhang Pu wasn’t interested.

But at over twenty years old, and usually surrounded by admirers, how could she lower herself to pursue a mere student?

She believed it nearly impossible to win him over on her own; she would have to rely on the power of her family first.

Besides, whether she could win him at all was another matter.

As for Zhang Pu, he knew Zheng Lan’s family was wealthy and he had a strong desire to make money, but for now, he had no intention of sticking close to her.

Regarding the Poison Dragon Pool incident—several deaths and the aftermath—Zhang Pu thought it best to simply wash his hands of it. Someone else would clean up the mess.

Every team, and even every individual who had ventured to the Poison Dragon Pool, ultimately gained some divine herb or benefit.

As for the essence of the Wulong Spirit, anyone who wanted to snatch it could try. Just Zheng Lan mentioning it would make many aware.

Yet Zhang Pu harbored no fear; if anything, he had returned to the fearless and indomitable Zhang Emperor he once was.

Zhang Pu and Liu Yingde returned to Wulong Town. Along with two experts from the Wu Gui Sect, the four of them were lucky to have survived.

Though Zhang Pu had been injured in his battle against Wulong, he gained a powerful ally in the Ghost Shadow, Elder Ge.

Zhang Pu insisted on not returning just yet; since they were here, he wanted to see the Golden Wood.

To him, the Golden Wood held far greater significance than for an ordinary person.

Most came merely out of curiosity, but for Zhang Pu, it was about alchemy.

The Golden Wood had no economic value for most, but to Zhang Pu, it could be a source of profit—pills refined from it would translate directly into money.

Liu Yingde initially worried that since Zhang Pu had obtained the Wulong essence, he should hurry back to their territory. But Zhang Pu’s determination to inspect the Golden Wood left him no choice.

Later, Liu Yingde comforted himself with the thought that the Golden Wood’s area was nothing like the deadly Poison Dragon Pool.

Although remote, such matters were trivial for men like them.

Since Elder Ge had agreed to follow Zhang Pu temporarily, and Zhang Pu intended to bring him back to the Flower Sea Inn, it was only right to introduce him to Liu Yingde and the Wu Gui Sect members—to prevent unnecessary conflict if Elder Ge’s identity was exposed.

Even someone like Liu Yingde was initially shocked and somewhat reluctant to accept the Ghost Shadow Elder Ge’s alliance with Zhang Pu. He remained wary beneath the surface.

Zhang Pu, of course, paid no mind to Liu Yingde’s true feelings. So long as there was no open conflict, it was all that mattered.

Here, Zhang Pu was in command; he would lead the group to the Golden Wood to see the strange trees. Neither Liu Yingde nor Elder Ge could object.

After resting one night at a Wulong Town inn, they set out the next day upon asking for directions.

Elder Ge prowled near the inn that night, unseen by others.

Zhang Pu thought to himself: next, I’ll use some pills to strengthen Elder Ge, restoring him to his peak. Then, ordinary people will find it even harder to detect him.