Following the commotion at the mountain gate, Fan Li excused himself and returned to the thatched hut on the mountainside to rest. Yu Shenzi, recognizing that haste makes waste, suppressed his urge to fleece the "fat sheep" and allowed Fan Li and Lu Fubao to depart.

The moment they reached the hut, Lu Fubao began packing their belongings.

“What are you doing?” Fan Li asked, curious.

“We’re leaving,” she declared as she gathered their things. “Your injuries are seventy to eighty percent healed. We can handle the rest without the Azure Cloud Sect’s help. I don’t trust Yu Shenzi. We should leave as soon as possible.”

Fan Li was surprised.

He hadn't expected Lu Fubao, despite her youthful appearance, to be so decisive. It reminded him of how she had acted after Xiang Ning’s abduction. Emulating Princess Chang Le, she had kept the palace gates tightly shut, both to avoid any suspicion with Xiang Chong and to ensure her own safety.

“There’s no need to pack. We’re not going anywhere,” Fan Li chuckled.

“What?” Lu Fubao froze, her brows furrowing in confusion.

“Yu Shenzi may have saved your life, but that ninth-rank Earth-grade ring we gave him was a generous payment. He's clearly after your wealth. Why won’t you leave?”

Instead of answering, Fan Li simply made a silencing gesture and pointed towards the door.

Lu Fubao followed his gaze and gasped.

Ling Xiao was sitting cross-legged in a meditative trance on a patch of grass by the mountain path.

“He’s watching us?” she exclaimed.

Fan Li nodded.

They knew they were the "fat sheep," and Yu Shenzi wouldn't let them go easily. Fan Li, however, had no intention of letting go of the Azure Cloud Sect either. Six hundred disciples, with medical skills surpassing even the Imperial Hospital of the Great Chu, were a valuable asset.

Failing to lure them to the Great Jin would be a disgrace to his title as a traitor.

“He’s at the ninth rank of the Golden Core realm,” Lu Fubao said through gritted teeth. “I can handle him, but I’m worried about alerting Yu Shenzi.”

Fan Li smiled wryly. Lu Fubao clearly hadn't understood his intentions.

“We’re not going anywhere. We’ll stay here, comfortably provided for by the Azure Cloud Sect. Yu Shenzi may be plotting against me, but I’m plotting against him as well.”

Lu Fubao was bewildered, completely lost. What was he planning?

Seeing her anxious expression, Fan Li decided to finally confide in her. He revealed the true purpose of his trip to Mount Yunmeng, his recruitment of the third-generation Guiguzi, Wang Ban, and the establishment of the Great Jin dynasty.

“You… you… you’re rebelling?” Lu Fubao’s jaw dropped.

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“Not rebelling,” Fan Li corrected her with a smile. “I’m still the Chancellor of the Great Chu, but I’m also the founding emperor of the Great Jin. The two nations are separated by vast mountains and pose no threat to each other.”

He then explained his plan to recruit the Azure Cloud Sect and establish the Great Jin’s Imperial Hospital. In his mind, Lu Chunqiu had always been his ally, and by extension, so was Lu Fubao. He had many secrets, and sharing some of them with trusted confidantes could strengthen their bond.

He hadn't anticipated, however, that Lu Fubao would be so overwhelmed. Her mind was in turmoil.

‘What do I do? My father was tricked by Fan Li, which led to my marriage into the Great Chu. Now he's established his own nation? Should Lu City remain loyal to the Great Chu or switch allegiance to the Great Jin? Switching to the Great Jin… wouldn’t that mean acknowledging Fan Li as emperor? Ahhh! Fan Li as emperor, what about me?’

Fan Li’s establishment of his own nation had left Lu Fubao feeling strangely abandoned.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Fan Li, oblivious to her emotional turmoil, continued, “Besides the Azure Cloud Sect, I’ve also set my sights on the Dark Heaven Sect. They cultivate the art of stealth and assassination. I plan to establish the Great Jin Censorate, and they would be the perfect candidates… Ouch! Why are you pinching me?!”

Lu Fubao pinched him hard on his thigh, then, not satisfied with just one, she pinched him again and again!

Fan Li howled in pain. He tried to fight back, but Lu Fubao, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was far stronger.

Soon, the thatched hut was filled with his cries of agony.

Outside, Ling Xiao frowned as he heard the commotion.

“Such agonizing screams? Is this a regular occurrence for this couple? Could it be that… Miss Lu… has unusual preferences?”

A shiver ran down his spine as these thoughts crossed his mind. His fantasies about Lu Fubao dissipated.

Inside the hut, Lu Fubao continued her assault, her eyes brimming with tears, looking both like the perpetrator and the victim.

Fan Li, it seemed, deserved his punishment.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” he finally managed to say.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“Your father and Lu City can temporarily remain loyal to the Great Chu. They can always switch to the Great Jin later, depending on the situation. But regardless of where you are, you will always be my people!”

His outburst seemed to stop Lu Fubao’s pinching.

Fan Li waited, making sure he was safe from further attacks, before cautiously looking at her.

Why was she blushing?

Their eyes met, and a long silence stretched between them.

After a while, when Fan Li could no longer bear the tension, he heard Lu Fubao’s soft voice.

“Do you mean it?”

“Mean what?” he asked, baffled.

Her question was so vague; he had no idea what she was asking.

Lu Fubao, however, changed the subject. “In your eyes, are my father and I just tools? To be used and discarded?”

“Tools?”

Fan Li scratched his head, confused as to why she thought so poorly of him.

“No way! Marquis Lu enlightens the world with his teachings, earning the respect of millions. He’s someone I admire and share common goals with. We would share fortune and misfortune together, the only thing missing is a formal oath of brotherhood…”

When dealing with women, speaking nonsense was better than saying nothing at all. Attitude was everything!

Sure enough, as Fan Li’s words became increasingly ridiculous, Lu Fubao burst into laughter. She glared at him playfully.

“You? Swearing brotherhood with my father? You, Fan Li, trying to become my elder? Dream on!”

…

Two days passed peacefully in the mountainside hut. On the third day, Ling Xiao arrived with orders for Fan Li to meet with the sect leader.

In the main hall of the Azure Cloud Sect, a silver tray held a jade bowl filled with a thick, porridge-like concoction.

“Young friend Fan Li, please take your medicine.”

Yu Shenzi looked weary, his eyes bloodshot. It seemed brewing this medicine had taken a toll on him.

‘This bowl of Longevity Broth is a secret recipe passed down from the royal physicians of the pre-Qin era. It possesses extraordinary healing properties, capable of reviving the dying and restoring bones. It’s also greatly beneficial for cultivation! Even ordinary ninth-rank Earth-grade or first-rank Heavenly-grade pills cannot compare to this broth. Today, I shall let young friend Fan Li experience its true worth, so he won’t feel cheated when paying for it.’

Fan Li had seen much in his lifetime. With just a sniff, he could tell that the Longevity Broth was extraordinary. Yu Shenzi hadn’t given him some ordinary concoction.

‘Despite the suspicion of price gouging, it seems I’m truly getting what I paid for.’ He found himself starting to admire Yu Shenzi.

A gentleman loves money, but he obtains it through righteous means.