Chapter 3005 — An Liwen Offers a Plan

An Liwen had recently made quite a bit of money, which brought him directly to Miss Luan's attention through the Northern Branch helmsman of the Fire Wolf Gang. Just then, Old Ancestor Xuanchen sent out an invitation, inviting An Liwen and the leaders behind him to visit the Five Luminaries Sect, and so Miss Luan made her appearance.

Had it been an ordinary sect, Miss Luan would certainly not have shown herself, but the Five Luminaries Sect was different. She had heard of this sect that stood at the very pinnacle of the cultivation world, and that was why she had agreed to come.

And for An Liwen, this was the first time he had laid eyes on the greatest boss of the Fire Wolf Gang and the Red Conch. Still, if he could catch the eye of the greatest boss, then the day of his rise to wealth and glory could not be far off.

"Straight to the point!" Old Ancestor Xuanchen nodded and said, "I have already been in contact with young brother An Liwen here. As it happens, Dr. Yin wishes to use a few cultivators for experiments, to create a new model of modified biochemically altered humans. I can provide two cultivators ready at hand."

"Oh? On what terms?" Miss Luan was no fool and asked directly. After all, finding cultivators to experiment on was no easy matter—what cultivator would willingly submit to modification? Yet ordinary people were of no use; Dr. Yin had already modified many of them without achieving a breakthrough, and so could only turn to cultivators.

Moreover, cultivators possessed formidable strength. Unless they volunteered for modification, even the Fire Wolf Gang, powerful as it was, could never capture a few cultivators and make them cooperate obediently with the procedure.

"I hear the Fire Wolf Gang excels at raising the dead to life—so long as some tissue in the body remains living, the person can be turned into a biochemically altered human. Is that so?" asked Old Ancestor Xuanchen.

"Quite right. What do you intend to do?" Miss Luan did not deny it. "Only, this technique is rather advanced. Yin Siren would still have difficulty managing it on his own."

"That is precisely why I sought out Miss Luan!" said Old Ancestor Xuanchen. "If Miss Luan were to perform the procedure herself, I fear the matter would become much simpler! What do you say, Miss Luan—could you lend a hand?"

"Who is it you wish to revive and modify?" Miss Luan neither agreed nor refused, but only asked. She too was weighing the stakes, to see just how much benefit this matter might bring her.

"It is a grand-disciple of mine, beaten into a vegetative state and lying unconscious. All I need is for him to awaken while the attribute structure within his body remains unchanged—in plain terms, to preserve the portion of his power as a cultivator!" The person Old Ancestor Xuanchen spoke of was, of course, Tagan Long. At present, Tianchan the Hidden One had failed to receive the inheritance, and Xuanchen had no choice but to set his sights on Tagan Long once more.

But refining a fourth-grade Great Return Pill was utterly hopeless, a thing far beyond reach. He had no way out and could only think of other schemes. After turning it over and over in his mind, his attention fell upon the Fire Wolf Gang, and he resolved to strike a bargain with them.

"That is absolutely out of the question!" To Old Ancestor Xuanchen's surprise, Miss Luan shot down his plan with a single sentence. "To bring your grand-disciple back to life with extraordinary power—that is no problem. But to preserve the attributes and strength within his body—that I cannot do, at least not now! Were he an ordinary person, we might make an attempt, but the crux is that your grand-disciple is already gravely injured. I must alter some of his genes to revive him, and who knows whether the attributes in his body will change?"

Miss Luan refused outright what could not be done, to spare herself trouble should problems arise later.

"I see..." Old Ancestor Xuanchen was at once somewhat disappointed. "So that is why I said—why not first try with the two cultivators we provide here?"

"I have already said it: the living and the dead are not the same. There is no comparison," Miss Luan shook her head and refused.

"Can you not think of some way?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen was unwilling to let it go. "Name whatever price you wish!"

"It truly cannot be done." Miss Luan shook her head and said mildly, "You know the style of our center as well. Cooperation with others is fine, but what we cannot do, we will not lightly promise."

"Dr. Luan, Old Ancestor Xuanchen, I have heard a certain rumor—would the two of you care to hear it?" An Liwen suddenly cut in at this point.

"Oh? What rumor?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen looked toward An Liwen and asked at once. He certainly did not think An Liwen would raise some topic unrelated to the matter at hand; if he spoke now, it must have to do with Tagan Long's injuries.

"Some time ago, Wei Zhao was struck by a rare poison, and had his meridians and dantian destroyed. I imagine Old Ancestor Xuanchen is not unfamiliar with this?" asked An Liwen. "Yet Wei Zhao later recovered. Do you know why?"

"I had heard as much, but you know the reason?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen's expression turned grave as he looked at An Liwen.

"I have guessed at some of it!" An Liwen said with no small measure of smugness. "According to my sources, after Wei Zhao was injured he was at his wits' end, and a whole crowd of his underlings rushed to his villa. That proves the news of Wei Zhao's poisoning and injury was true—Wei Zhao could not have been feigning it; he had truly run into trouble!"

"Naturally. That poison, after all, came from my own hand. It would be strange indeed if it had no effect!" Old Ancestor Xuanchen nodded, and did not conceal it.

"Oh?" This news startled An Liwen. "Old Ancestor Xuanchen, you too are Wei Zhao's enemy? Then why is Wei Zhao still alive?"

What puzzled An Liwen, though, was this: the Five Luminaries Sect commanded such power—why resort to poison to deal with Wei Zhao? Send out a few skilled hands at random, and Wei Zhao would be done for.

"For certain reasons, I and my people cannot act in person." Old Ancestor Xuanchen waved a hand and said, somewhat awkwardly, "Let us set that aside for now. Continue with your speculation."

"Very well. At first Wei Zhao was recuperating in his villa the whole time, but afterward a person came to the villa!" said An Liwen.

"Who?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen frowned, somewhat displeased that An Liwen was keeping him in suspense.

"Sun Jingyan!" said An Liwen. "Our An family was once one of the four great families and five lesser families of the secular world, and we know well the peculiarity of the secular Sun family—that is, everyone in the Sun family knows a special mantra technique that can heal others' injuries!"

"Oh? You mean to say Wei Zhao's injuries were healed by that Sun... Sun Jingyan?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen was startled. He was no stranger to the name Sun Jingyan—was she not the girl who had gone with Wei Zhao to the Uulonghot Mountains? RS