What treasure did the young lady acquire?

Back in the courtyard, Fang Li couldn't calm her mind.

The strange sensation emanating from the black stone in the market felt like feathers constantly scratching at her senses.

That shared, primordial aura was something she couldn't ignore.

“No…it can’t be my imagination.” She put down the handkerchief she couldn’t embroider no matter what she did and stood up.

"Tongzi, did you record that fluctuation just now?" she asked in her mind.

[“Host! The fluctuation was too weak and the duration too short to be fully detected! But it definitely exists! There's something strange about that stone!”]

Fang Li no longer hesitated. She made an excuse, saying she needed to go to the market to buy some more embroidery thread, and hurriedly left.

Arriving at the secluded secondhand stall again, the drowsy old man was still dozing. Fang Li's heart skipped a beat; the dark, inconspicuous stone still lay quietly in the corner.

She took a deep breath, trying to appear calm, and walked forward, casually pointing to a few worthless trinkets before finally pointing to the black stone: "Uncle, can I have this as a bonus? It looks quite heavy, enough to weigh down a pickle jar."

The old man lifted his eyelids and glanced at it, seeing it was just a broken stone, he waved his hand dismissively: "Take it away, take it away."

Fang Li suppressed her excitement, paid the money, wrapped the stone and other items in a cloth, and quickly left.

Back in her little house in the courtyard, she immediately closed the door and placed the black stone on the table. She examined it closely; the stone's surface was rough and dull, looking no different from an ordinary, mundane rock.

She gathered a wisp of chaotic spiritual energy at her fingertips and carefully reached out towards the stone.

The moment that wisp of spiritual energy touched the stone!

A sudden change has occurred!

The originally inconspicuous fine lines on the surface of the stone seemed to come alive, greedily absorbing that wisp of chaotic spiritual energy!

Immediately afterwards, a faint "crack" sound came from inside the stone, and more fine cracks began to appear on the surface! From within the cracks, a trace of chaotic energy of the same origin as her slowly spread out!

Although it was only a trace, it sent a jolt through Fang Li's body! Her damaged Chaos Dao Foundation resonated spontaneously, emanating a longing!

"Host! It's a treasure! It's the origin of chaos! Although there's only a tiny bit left, it's enough for you to repair a little bit of your Dao foundation and recover a tiny bit of your strength!"

Fang Li was overjoyed and immediately tried to guide that wisp of primordial energy into herself. The process was slow and difficult, but the effect was remarkable.

She was so immersed in the joy of recovery that she didn't remember to prepare dinner until evening.

She carefully hid the stone, got up and went out, intending to buy some vegetables at the street corner.

However, as soon as she turned into a quiet alley not far from her home, she was blocked by several people.

They were a few thugs dressed in a sleazy style with fierce looks. The leader was a burly man with a scar on his face, holding a wooden stick in his hand and staring at her with hostile eyes.

"Young lady, what treasure have you gotten in such a hurry? Show it to us brothers!" Scarface said with a lewd grin, arms crossed, while his henchmen behind him laughed maliciously.

Fang Li frowned slightly, not expecting that her momentary carelessness would attract the attention of these street thugs. Not wanting to cause trouble or expose herself, she patiently said, "Gentlemen, you must have misunderstood. I only bought some ordinary trinkets, nothing precious."

"Stop talking nonsense! I saw you grinning like an idiot at that black rock with my own eyes!" yelled a skinny, monkey-like thug. "Hand it over right now!"

The group took a step closer, but the alley was narrow, and their retreat was blocked. The scarred man even reached out, trying to grab her arm.

Fang Li's eyes turned cold.

She had intended to keep a low profile, but the other party clearly had no intention of letting things go peacefully. If they harassed her and searched her, discovering that the stone was unusual, the consequences would be even more unpredictable.

"Tsk." A hint of impatience and hostility rose in her heart. The trace of chaotic spiritual energy that had just recovered subconsciously circulated, mixing with an invisible pressure, and all of it gathered in her eyes!

She raised her eyes and coldly swept her gaze over the group of thugs.

In that instant, the scarred man felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! Her eyes were icy cold, a gray light gathering within them. He had never seen anything like this before, and his face turned deathly pale.

"Ghost...ghost!" he screamed, the wooden stick in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed. He scrambled out of the alley.

The other thugs were terrified, feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cave at that glance, their hands and feet turning ice-cold. They scrambled and fled as if a vengeful ghost was chasing them, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

The alleyway instantly fell silent, leaving Fang Li standing alone.

Fang Li: "..."

She blinked and slowly suppressed her aura.

"It seems like... I've gone too far. Will I get exposed?" she muttered to herself guiltily. That last action was entirely an instinctive reaction.

"Host is mighty! Your aura of dominance is overflowing! Don't worry! Mortal souls are fragile and cannot withstand even the slightest pressure. They will only find your eyes particularly frightening and think you've been possessed! They will not think of cultivating immortality!"

Just then, two figures appeared at the alley entrance.

Ye Wuyang was still holding a few pieces of freshly made ice in his hand. His eyes swept over the puddle on the ground and the figure running wildly in the distance, finally landing on Fang Li, his gaze slightly narrowed.

Shen Yunzhou also appeared from another direction, his hand on the hilt of the sword wrapped in coarse cloth. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that there was no threat, he looked at Fang Li with a slight frown.

Ye Wuyang walked up to her, paused for a moment, and then said in a cold, hard voice with concern, "...Next time, call me." She shouldn't dirty her hands with such lowly fry.

Shen Yunzhou stepped forward and stood on her other side: "Ant...no need for you to lift a finger." His gaze swept over her, confirming that she was unharmed.

Fang Li looked at the two big shots, who seemed to think, "Leave this little thing to the bodyguards," and chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, it's nothing, it's nothing, they just tripped and fell..." She felt a little embarrassed.

She quickly walked out of the alley, the small joy she felt from regaining a bit of her strength being greatly diminished by this unexpected turn of events.

However, neither Fang Li, nor Ye Wuyang and Shen Yunzhou, who were secretly watching her, realized that the moment she stirred that wisp of chaotic energy, it seemed to trigger a connection in the dark.

In the depths of chaos in a distant land, a consciousness flickered slightly.

A whisper tinged with doubt echoed quietly in the endless void:

"Um?"

----------------

During the festive season, Blackrock City is hosting its annual grand lantern festival.

As night falls, all kinds of lanterns adorn the long street with dazzling lights, attracting throngs of tourists and creating a cacophony that almost shakes the night sky of this remote border town.

Children run and laugh, holding candied hawthorns; teenagers whisper among themselves under the lantern riddles—a lively scene of everyday life.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was somewhat subtle.

"A lantern festival?" Fang Li looked up from her embroidery hoop, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. Having lived in the immortal realm for so long, she rarely saw such pure human entertainment.

"Too many people will attract too much attention." Ye Wuyang wiped the ice-making equipment, his voice indifferent, clearly unwilling to join in the fun.

Shen Yunzhou silently wiped the sword wrapped in coarse cloth, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but a hint of disapproval was evident in his expression.

Ji Qianqiu's eyes lit up: "I heard there's lots of food! And there's a variety show too!"

Xie Chen closed the ledger and smiled slightly: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Occasionally immersing oneself in the world can help... calm the mind." He glanced at everyone, his tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable air, "Always staying indoors will only arouse suspicion."

Ultimately, under Xie Chen's theory that it "helps with disguise" and Ji Qianqiu's insistence on "wanting to see," the five people and one dog were half-forced into joining the bustling crowd.