12dz Chapter 299 Returning to One's Roots
Chapter 299 Returning to One's Roots
At this moment, Du Fan was absolutely certain that the woman and the three people in front of him belonged to the same organization, which was most likely an assassin organization, and its power was definitely not small.
"Manager Jia, enough with the nonsense. Have you found the material that Hall Master Sun asked you to collect?" A voice devoid of emotion suddenly rang out, its gender unclear, but it carried an extremely chilling aura.
"This old man has already found the material for Master Sun, but it is currently en route and should arrive in three days at most," the tall, thin old man explained hastily, his body trembling slightly.
"Three days? Fine, we won't make things difficult for you now. However, if you haven't received the goods by then, you know the consequences, right?" The cold voice rang out again.
Without waiting for the tall, thin old man to say anything, the three men in black turned and left without looking back.
After the three men in black disappeared, the tall, thin old man seemed to have all his strength drained away. He suddenly staggered and almost fell over.
"May I ask, shopkeeper, who exactly are those three men in black that you are so afraid of them?" Du Fan quietly approached the old man, helped him up, and asked the question without making a sound.
"Fellow Daoist's question has confirmed my suspicions even more. You must be a cultivator from an outer island, here to attend the Sea and Sky Feast. If you were from this island, how could you not know the origins of these three?" The tall, thin old man forced a smile and sighed.
"Oh? Hearing you say that, shopkeeper, it seems these three men in black must be quite extraordinary?" Du Fan's expression shifted.
"That's natural. Actually, it's not a secret. Since you're interested, I might as well tell you about it so that you won't get into trouble when you encounter these people in the future."
The group these people belonged to was an assassin organization called "Returning to Roots," which included assassins ranging from Qi Refining Realm cultivators to Nascent Soul Realm experts, making it one of the most powerful and transcendent forces on Falling Leaf Island.
This faction primarily takes on assassination missions from its employers to earn huge commissions in spirit stones. They also engage in other businesses such as hunting demonic beasts, searching for rare and precious items, and gathering intelligence.
The assassins under the Fallen Leaves Return to Roots banner are almost all top performers at the same level, and their cultivation techniques are mostly strange and unpredictable, so they rarely encounter opponents among those of the same level.
Throughout Fallen Leaf Island, this organization's influence is deeply entrenched; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's ubiquitous. Even in other islands of the Earthly Fiends Archipelago, the influence of Fallen Leaves Returning to Their Roots can be seen. The tall, thin old man took a deep breath and slowly spoke.
"Fallen leaves return to their roots, Fallen Leaf Island, these two names are so similar, could there be some connection between them?" Du Fan's eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but ask.
"To be honest, there is some connection. It is said that the mastermind behind the 'Returning to One's Roots' project is one of the island's vice-island lords."
"Of course, this is just a legend and has not been widely accepted. I dare not guarantee the veracity of such claims." The tall, thin old man pondered for a moment before speaking with some reservation.
"Oh, thank you for your guidance, shopkeeper!" Du Fan frowned, and after a long while, his expression changed. He smiled slightly at the old man and thanked him in this way.
……
After bidding farewell to the tall, thin old man, Du Fan visited more than ten ordinary shops in the market. His gains were pitifully small. He didn't acquire a single set of array tools for the Lesser Five Elements Demon Extermination Array. However, he did obtain three minor materials for refining the Bone and Tendon Cleansing Pill.
Next, Du Fan did not enter any ordinary shops again, but planned to go directly to a large shopping mall. Although there would be some risks involved, he couldn't worry about that now. He couldn't let worrying about trouble ruin everything.
Besides, his stay on Fallen Leaf Island is only temporary. He will return to Crescent Island after the competition. Even if he has caused some trouble here, everything will disappear after he leaves Fallen Leaf Island.
As he navigated the two narrow alleys and stepped onto a wide street, his eyes flickered slightly.
In a prominent spot on this street, a tall and magnificent building stands, five stories high. Above the main entrance on the first floor hangs a huge stone plaque with the three large characters "Sun and Moon Tower" inscribed on it.
Du Fan glanced at the plaque, and after a brief moment's thought, he gave up the idea of stepping inside.
Back on Crescent Island, he hadn't had a good impression of this building. After completing the transaction of dozens of deep yellow demon cores that day, the other party even sent people to follow him. Given the terrifying strength and ill intentions of such a force, he decided to keep his distance.
Du Fan bypassed the Sun and Moon Tower, passed through several alleys, and appeared on another wide street. In the distance, he could vaguely see a building at the end of the street that was no less imposing than the Sun and Moon Tower.
Du Fan paused and pondered for a moment, then made up his mind and strode straight toward the building.
In less than the time it takes to eat a meal, Du Fan appeared beside the magnificent building. Above the main gate, a huge plaque bore three large, elegant characters: "Qiuye Xuan!"
Du Fan glanced at the huge plaque above the entrance, silently recited the three words, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside without further hesitation.
What came into Du Fan's view was an exceptionally spacious hall, covering an area of more than ten acres.
There were over a hundred cultivators in the hall, but there was no commotion. Everyone was quietly looking at the merchandise, and even when they spoke, they kept their voices to a minimum.
Rows of jade shelves were arranged in a staggered manner. Next to each shelf, a beautiful young female cultivator dressed in emerald green stood gracefully, either explaining the various items to the cultivators who came here, or standing quietly with a smile on her face.
Among these young women, their cultivation levels were all around the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining stage, making this a formidable lineup.
As soon as Du Fan entered the lobby, a beautiful woman with striking features approached him. She smiled before speaking, gave a graceful bow, and then gently parted her lips to say, "Welcome to Qiuye Pavilion. May I ask what this fellow Daoist needs? Perhaps I can help you."
"Hmm, this is a list of the items I need. Please take a look, fellow Daoist." Du Fan nodded calmly, patted his storage bag at his waist with one hand, and immediately took out a yellow sheet of paper listing more than thirty kinds of materials, handing it directly to the woman in front of him.
The beautiful woman smiled slightly at Du Fan, then reached out and took it, her gaze immediately falling on the list.
After a short while, the woman frowned slightly, let out a soft breath, bowed slightly to Du Fan, and said apologetically, "The items you need are a bit too obscure. Our shop cannot gather them all. At most, we can provide you with thirteen of them."
"Thirteen kinds...that's fine too, but I don't know which thirteen kinds. I would be grateful if you could enlighten me." Du Fan's face did not show the disappointment the woman had expected. Instead, he said with renewed spirits.
"No problem, we have all of these in stock: spider silk grass, brocade flower, transformation stone, money tree wood..." The woman visibly relaxed upon seeing this, and after a charming smile, she listed them out for Du Fan one by one.
"I wonder how much these things cost? I need to find out before I can make a decision. Also, does your shop sell the seeds of these medicinal herbs?" Du Fan pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"That's natural. This jade slip contains the prices of the above items. Fellow Daoist, please take a look. Of course, if you end up spending more than a hundred spirit stones, our shop will naturally give you some discounts."
"As for seeds of spiritual herbs, our shop also sells them." The woman smiled slightly and said this.
"Alright, fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, let me take a look first." Du Fan nodded, took the jade slip, and sent a wisp of his divine sense into it.
Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was up, Du Fan withdrew his divine sense and looked at the woman's beautiful face. He said calmly, "I have no problem with the price. Twenty of each kind of spiritual herb, one hundred of each kind of seed, and one of each of the remaining refining materials and magical tools."
"Alright, fellow Daoist, you may wish to browse the other goods in the hall. In no more than the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, I will have all these items prepared for you."
The woman didn't show much surprise at Du Fan's wealthy and powerful appearance. After giving him a slight bow, she turned and walked towards the staircase leading to the second floor.
After watching the woman go up to the second floor, Du Fan glanced around and found that there were no cultivators on one of the shelves. He immediately took a step and headed straight there.
About the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Du Fan stood somewhere next to the shelf.
Before him stood a pristine white stone platform, upon which was an inverted light cover, about a foot in diameter, of pale blue semi-circular light. Inside, one could clearly see more than a dozen small and exquisite ornaments.
These ornaments include bracelets, rings, alms bowls, and small bowls, each with a different style and color. They all emit a faint, precious light, and their interplay seems to create a strange connection between them. They are clearly a set of ritual implements and look quite extraordinary.
"Fellow Daoist, what you requested has been prepared by your younger sister." A melodious female voice came from behind Du Fan.
Du Fan turned and smiled slightly at the woman, then took the storage bag from her. After scanning it with his divine sense, he nodded with satisfaction. He then glanced at the beautiful woman with a half-smile and said indifferently, "The item is fine. I wonder... what discount could you possibly offer me?"