"In the blink of an eye, back again, huh!"

Ye Haochuan stepped out of the Teleportation Array, secretly marveling in his heart at how convenient this array was. Otherwise, with a distance of thirteen thousand miles, it would take him a long time to come back and find Niu Kui and the others.

As he pondered, he nodded slightly toward the lean elder.

The elder had been dozing on a desk and was suddenly startled upon seeing Ye Haochuan, his mouth agape with surprise.

"Young fellow, where do you hail from?"

The elder sat up from the desk, squinting his eyes as he sized up Ye Haochuan.

He remembered that Ye Haochuan had just left here not long ago, and now he was back. How could he return so soon?

After all, the cost of a single teleportation is a massive expense for most Immortal Transformation Cultivators.

Moreover, when Ye Haochuan left, he was only at the Nascent Soul Peak, and yet in just one short month, he had reached Immortal Transformation Early Stage with a significant conversion rate of Flower Energy. It seemed unlikely without someone’s support.

"I am Ye Haochuan."

Ye Haochuan was initially stunned but thought he might use the Teleportation Array again in the future, and since the elder was no weakling, there was no need to offend him, so he politely responded to the elder.

The elder was puzzled, never having heard of any powerful family nearby with the surname Ye. However, he did not ask further and casually exchanged a few words with Ye Haochuan.

Seeing that there was no further business, Ye Haochuan soon bade farewell and left.

After leaving the place where the Teleportation Array was located, Ye Haochuan headed straight for the tavern where Niu Kui was staying.

Over a month passed. Who knows if Niu Kui managed to find Long Keyue.

"Oh my, Mr. Ye, how could you dare to come back? Hurry and hide so no one sees you!"

As soon as Ye Haochuan reached the tavern entrance, the Shop Assistant stopped him.

The assistant, speaking sneakily, looked around furtively and only pulled Ye Haochuan into an alley beside the tavern once he saw no one around.

"Brother Shop Assistant, what’s the matter? Why can’t I return?" Ye Haochuan looked puzzled.

"You don’t know?" the assistant said nervously, "Your companion got into trouble and was captured by people from the County Marquis Mansion. If you aren’t careful, you might get implicated!"

What? Niu Kui was captured?

Ye Haochuan frowned upon hearing the Shop Assistant’s words. With Niu Kui’s honest and straightforward demeanor, how could he be captured?

He left Niu Kui to inquire about Long Keyue’s whereabouts because he knew Niu Kui was not a troublemaker.

Being captured suddenly, there surely must be some intrigue here.

"Brother Shop Assistant, did the people from the County Marquis Mansion say what crime my companion committed?" Ye Haochuan asked carefully.

"The dignitaries from the County Marquis Mansion said your companion owed Young Master Li Red Crystals, so..."

The assistant recalled the events and explained them to Ye Haochuan.

"There’s a contract?"

Ye Haochuan’s eyebrows furrowed deeply. Niu Kui was a guy who came from the deep mountains and had no one to teach him growing up. How could he possibly have signed a contract with anyone?

Ye Haochuan increasingly felt there was definitely something suspicious going on.

But the Shop Assistant did not have a high status and did not know any insider information, so after Ye Haochuan inquired further, he couldn’t gather any more useful information.

"Brother Shop Assistant, thank you."

Ye Haochuan took out several hundred Red Crystals and handed them to the Shop Assistant to show his gratitude.

"No need to be polite, have a safe journey, sir!"

The Shop Assistant, clutching the hundreds of Red Crystals, grinned from ear to ear, thanking Ye Haochuan profusely.

The reason he was so "concerned" about Ye Haochuan’s affairs was because of Ye Haochuan’s generosity. Now, it indeed turned out as he expected, gaining some good fortune.

After leaving the tavern, Ye Haochuan headed straight to the County Marquis Mansion.

"What do you want? This is an important place in the County Marquis Mansion. Dare to trespass, are you looking for death?"

It’s said that even a fifth-ranking official at the gate of the Prime Minister could wield authority, and as the lord of Anxi County, the Marquis could be considered the local emperor here, so the guards at the gate, though mostly at the Nascent Soul Stage, didn’t really take Ye Haochuan, an Immortal Transformation Stage cultivator, seriously.

"I’m looking for your County Marquis!" Ye Haochuan said coldly, expressionless.

"Oh, you really think that just because you successfully broke through to become Immortal Transformation, you’re someone important? The County Marquis is not someone you can meet just because you say so."

A guard at the Immortal Transformation Early Stage sneered as he walked out from behind the gate; from the expressions of the other guards, it was clear this guy was the head guard.

Seeing the head guard speak, several other guards immediately sneered in agreement, "I advise you, before our boss gets mad, hurry up and leave, or if our boss makes a move, you’ll regret being born in this world!"

"Shut up!"

Already annoyed by Niu Kui’s situation, upon hearing this, Ye Haochuan’s sword-like eyebrows stood upright, his anger boiling.

"Damn, is this guy out of his mind?"

The head guard ogled Ye Haochuan as if looking at a fool, suddenly laughed, "Guys, do you know why snakes shed their skin?"

"Why?"

The other guards were stunned, somewhat confused by the head guard’s remark, yet they still echoed.

"Heh, because, like this kid, it feels itchy!" the head guard spoke with a self-assumed profundity.

"Hahaha~" The other guards burst into laughter, their eyes full of mockery.

"Oh, look, this kid is angry, huh?" Seeing Ye Haochuan’s displeased expression, the head guard laughed even more heartily, "Brothers, should I apologize to him? Hahaha!"

"Boss, if you’re going to apologize, using the long spear in your hand to apologize seems fitting, I believe this kid will surely forgive you..." a guard joked.

"Good idea!"

The head guard grinned maliciously, and a long spear appeared in his hand, stabbing without hesitation toward Ye Haochuan’s knee.

This thrust wasn’t meant to kill Ye Haochuan but intended to injure his knee, making him kneel and suffer a humiliating disgrace.

At that moment, the head guard suddenly felt a blur before his eyes. Then, a tremendous force pulled the spear from his palm, and with a clang, it embedded into the nearby wall.

When he came to his senses, a menacing long halberd adorned with impressive power had its tip mere half an inch from his throat.

"So... so strong!" The head guard looked at Ye Haochuan in disbelief, his hands and feet involuntarily trembling.

Though his earlier attack seemed casual, he actually used seventy to eighty percent of his strength. After all, the opponent was also at Immortal Transformation Early Stage. He couldn’t afford to be complacent to the extent of using no strength.

However, Ye Haochuan didn’t even give a glance to his seventy to eighty percent strength.

Ye Haochuan’s swift aggression and unparalleled speed made him fearful.

He believed that even if he exerted his full twelve parts strength, he couldn’t be a match for Ye Haochuan even for one round.

But, despite his fear, he showed no trace of dread, instead coldly snorting, "Brat, daring to lay a hand on someone from the County Marquis Mansion, you’re doomed to die today!"

As if to confirm his words, chaos suddenly erupted from the County Marquis Mansion gate, followed by a thunderous roar.

"Who’s so bold as to cause trouble at the County Marquis Mansion?"