Chapter 46: Maid Xiaoqian

Lu An frowned and quickly asked:

"Me? How did the conflict between your two families end up targeting me?"

Li Ziyou couldn't help but smile wryly and explained:

"The root cause lies in the Withered Tree Blossoming Spring Painting. After the Ding family's ancestor failed his Core Formation, he learned that this painting passed through your hands and grew suspicious of you."

"However, the Ding family was continuously defeated and couldn't spare any effort."

"Now that their defeat is certain, their remaining disciples have scattered, and these Foundation Establishment cultivators have disappeared as well."

"It seems they won't let you off, but I don't understand. Even if they kill you, how does that resolve their grudge? Can it help them advance to Core Formation again?"

Lu An's heart stirred. It seemed that the Foundation Establishment ancestor had discovered something about the Withered Tree Blossoming Spring Painting and intended to deal with him to regain it.

But is this painting truly that important to him?

Instead of reorganizing the remaining members of his family and finding a new place to settle, they are targeting him.

It seems the importance of this painting exceeds his expectations.

He wondered if the other two visualization paintings in the ancestor's possession also had such marvelous uses.

But then he smiled and shook his head.

The Ding family wants to deal with me, the Lingxiao Sect wants to deal with me, and even the senior brother of the Divine Talisman Pavilion seems to hold hostility toward me.

Am I destined to be a natural enemy?

He mocked himself and then pushed the thought aside, turning to Li Ziyou and saying:

"Thank you for the information, Brother Li. I will be careful."

Li Ziyou looked somewhat embarrassed and said apologetically:

"This matter has caused trouble for you. The Ding family has redirected their hatred toward you because of my family."

"I will speak to the three Foundation Establishment ancestors of my family and see if they can come and provide some protection."

Lu An waved his hand and smiled:

"There's no need for that, Brother Li. This matter is not your fault."

"As for the Foundation Establishment ancestors, it's better to avoid causing more trouble during this crucial time when you are competing for the position of young master."

"Speaking of which, since the war is nearly over, do you know if a date has been set?"

Li Ziyou's face finally showed a smile.

"It's set for one week from now."

"I came to inform you that the helpers my elder brother has invited are highly skilled, so you should prepare early."

Lu An's interest was piqued, and he quickly asked:

"Do you know who the talisman master is?"

Li Ziyou's expression grew serious, and he said slowly:

"It's the senior brother of the Divine Talisman Pavilion!"

Lu An's face showed recognition. He had long heard of this person's reputation.

It was said that he had never been defeated in the Divine Talisman Pavilion and had an extremely high level of talisman-making skill, surpassing even Lu Xuan.

It would not be an exaggeration to call him the top talisman master among the younger generation in the Divine Talisman Pavilion.

Instead of feeling afraid, Lu An was somewhat excited.

He had never feared anyone in the field of talismans, even some older generation cultivators.

Meeting this person, he naturally wanted to have a sparring match.

However, he came from an unorthodox background and had never taken the first-level talisman master examination, so in terms of status, he was indeed lower than the senior brother of the Divine Talisman Pavilion.

It was likely that the Li family elders would not hold much hope for him.

"A formidable opponent. Does Brother Li have confidence in me?"

Li Ziyou was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily.

"Although this person is strong, compared to you, Brother Lu, it's like comparing a firefly to the light of the moon. He truly overestimates himself."

He flattered Lu An, giving him some confidence, but inwardly he was deeply worried.

The senior brother of the Divine Talisman Pavilion was well-known in Guxian County.

In his view, although Lu An was strong, he was no match for this person.

Yet, aside from Lu An, he couldn't find a suitable candidate and could only resort to a desperate measure.

Lu An saw through it but didn't point it out. He simply enjoyed his tea and didn't discuss the matter further.

After Li Ziyou took his leave, Lu An called Bai Sheng and asked:

"How many spirit stones are currently on the account of Lingfu Residence?"

Bai Sheng thought for a moment and replied:

"We haven't done the accounting for today yet, but as of yesterday, there are a total of one thousand two hundred and fifty-four stones."

Lu An nodded. After deducting the offerings owed to Ying Chang and others, as well as Bai Sheng's wages and other expenses, there should be around seven to eight hundred left.

"Settle the offerings with Brother Ying and the others. Take out two hundred spirit stones to give to Uncle Zhao, and use the rest to purchase materials for the Ningxin Talisman. I need to focus on making it."

In the evening, Bai Sheng returned to Lingfu Residence with a somewhat evasive expression, like a child who had done something wrong, and didn't dare look Lu An in the eye.

Lu An furrowed his brows and asked calmly:

"What's wrong? Did you not complete the task I gave you?"

Bai Sheng hesitated, then finally took a deep breath and said:

"Master, I've completed the tasks you assigned, but... but..."

Lu An's face darkened as he stared at Bai Sheng without saying a word. Knowing he could not hide the matter, Bai Sheng confessed:

"I happened upon an elderly man selling his daughter in distress and, out of pity, took it upon myself to buy her and bring her back."

Lu An raised an eyebrow, surprised by the turn of events.

"Bring her in."

Bai Sheng, feeling a bit anxious, quickly called out to the door.

"Master wishes to see you, come inside."

A timid girl entered, her demeanor shy and hesitant, avoiding eye contact. Lu An took a glance and saw that the girl wore coarse clothes, her sleeves washed pale, with several tattered patches—an appearance typical of someone from a poor family.

"Raise your head."

After some hesitation, the girl slowly raised her head. Her hair hung down over her left forehead, covering half of her face. Beneath the strands, her cheek was marred with dark red burn scars, creating a frightening sight.

Lu An raised an eyebrow and lifted his hand to push aside the girl's hair. She instinctively flinched but then stopped herself, allowing him to inspect her.

After a moment, Lu An withdrew his hand and asked calmly:

"How did this happen?"

"Master, my home caught fire, and I accidentally got burned."

Lu An nodded, then continued to ask:

"What is your name?"

The girl, seeing that he bore no ill will, gathered a bit of courage.

"My name is Xiao Qian. Greetings, sir."

She stole a glance at Lu An before quickly lowering her head again. Sensing no spiritual power from her body, Lu An confirmed she had no cultivation. He nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"It's just a burn scar, no need to hide. You're still fine as you are."

Xiao Qian seemed momentarily stunned, a flicker of something unreadable passing through her eyes, but it quickly vanished.

Lu An turned to Bai Sheng and said:

"Let this be the last time. Now go settle her in."

Overjoyed, Bai Sheng eagerly led Xiao Qian out.

"Master has agreed, now thank him."

Xiao Qian gave a formal bow, her expression joyful, though what was in her heart, no one could tell. After dismissing the two, Lu An made his way to the backyard.

Ying Chang was sitting with Fang Ling, sharing intimate words. Upon seeing Lu An, Ying Chang casually let go of his arm around her waist, his face showing no embarrassment as he asked:

"Brother Lu, care for some sparring today?"

Lu An shook his head and instead asked:

"Did you see the new servant girl Bai Sheng brought in?"

"You mean the new one? Bai Sheng just introduced her to us—her story's quite pitiful. Such a young girl, with her face burned like that," Fang Ling said sympathetically, feeling a natural urge to protect the girl.

Lu An had different thoughts, his expression becoming more serious.

"Brother Ying, I'll need you to keep an eye on her. If she's just an ordinary girl, fine. But let's make sure she's not an assassin from Lingxiao Pavilion."