"Zhengchun, are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
After landing beside Zhou Chun, Zhou Daoquan's first priority wasn't to comfort his injured Spirit Pet, the Earth Armored Bear, but to ask if Zhou Chun was injured.
Clearly, in his heart, Zhou Chun's well-being far outweighed that of the Earth Armored Bear, which had been his companion for over a hundred years.
This deeply touched Zhou Chun.
He quickly shook his head and said, "Thanks to Elder's Earth Armored Bear's desperate protection, I wasn't harmed. Elder, you should hurry and treat it!"
"I'm glad you're not hurt. As for Xiong Shan, don't worry about it. It's thick-skinned and tough; these wounds will heal completely after just half a month's rest."
Zhou Daoquan glanced at the Spirit Pet licking its wounds and said with a light chuckle.
However, despite what he said, he quickly went over to the Spirit Pet's side, praised it for a while, and then took out top-quality Spirit Beast Feed and Healing Pills from his Storage Pouch and fed them to the Earth Armored Bear.
Zhou Chun, whose sight was sharp, distinctly saw a small bottle of Jade Spirit Bee's Spirit Honey included in the feed.
Clearly, Zhou Daoquan was just as caring as ever, feigning indifference with his words but deeply caring for his Spirit Pet in his actions.
The Earth Armored Bear, having received its favorite Spirit Honey, completely forgot about its pain and happily wrapped its tongue around the small bottle, delicately and slowly sipping the Spirit Honey inside, afraid of finishing it in one gulp.
This almost made Zhou Chun burst into laughter.
Watching the Earth Armored Bear like that, Zhou Chun thought it must have pulled a Zhu Bajie eating the Ginseng Fruit many times before; that's why it has learned to be so careful now.
Zhou Chun guessed if it could use a Storage Pouch, it would probably store the honey away to later dilute it with up to a hundred times more water.
Even though the taste would be much poorer, at least it'd be filling!
After Zhou Daoquan had fed the Spirit Pet, Zhou Chun also collected the items Wei Tong left behind.
Then, pointing to Wei Tong's body, shattered on the ground, he said, "Elder, what do you think is the reason these two were after us?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoquan's expression instantly darkened, and he spoke in a low tone, "In my opinion, it's almost certainly related to Master Jiang!"
"You think they were acting under Master Jiang's orders?"
Zhou Chun's expression became serious, and his tone grave.
Zhou Daoquan immediately nodded and said, "Even if they weren't acting on his orders, he must have leaked our identities and whereabouts!"
After saying this, he added, "That fellow who escaped, given that he cultivates the Combat Technique, can't be a nobody. When we return, we'll just have to make some inquiries with the Wang Family, and we'll find out. We should also warn the Wang Family to be cautious of that Master Jiang!"
Hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately replied, "Elder is right. The Wang Family has greatly aided me this time; when we return, I myself will bring gifts to offer my thanks."
"That is the proper course of action."
Zhou Daoquan slightly nodded, fully approving of his decision.
So, the two of them quickly mounted the Vermilion Flame Crane and continued their journey back to the clan.
Meanwhile, after fleeing the battlefield, Su Qiang grew increasingly furious.
He was angry at Wei Tong for his incompetence, for ruining everything.
He was also angry at Master Jiang for the inaccurate intelligence, which severely underestimated the target's strength.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he went directly to the Dongling Marketplace to confront Master Jiang in person.
"Now with Second Wei dead, there are many things I can't accomplish without him as a partner. The losses are immeasurable!"
"And all of this is because of the faulty information you provided, Master Jiang!"
"Tell me, Master Jiang, how do you plan to compensate me for this?"
In the back courtyard of the pharmacy, Su Qiang's face was livid as he yelled at Master Jiang, his tone filled with anger.
After hearing Su Qiang's words, Master Jiang's normally rosy cheeks also grew dark in an instant.
He first scanned Su Qiang's furious gaze, then said with a chilly demeanor, "Wei Tong was a useless piece of trash. His death is of no concern. Why should you be angry on his behalf?"
"As for your claim that Jiang provided inaccurate information, that's simply unreasonable. I had only stated that the two of them were newly promoted late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Foundation Establishment Cultivators; I never mentioned how strong they were, nor did I order you to lay a hand on them."
"If you chose to take action, you must bear the consequences of that action!"
As he spoke, he added coldly, "Jiang doesn't blame you for startling the snake and damaging my reputation, which is lenient enough!"
Upon hearing this, Su Qiang was provoked to the point of laughter and sneered, "Damage your reputation? If Master Jiang cares about his reputation, then you should indeed compensate me. Otherwise, if Su's mouth slips one day and I say something I shouldn't, it won't bode well for you, Master Jiang!"
"Are you threatening me, Jiang?"
Master Jiang's eyes turned cold, his gaze freezing as he looked at Su Qiang.
Faced with his stare, Su Qiang felt a chill in his heart, as if preyed upon by a fierce beast.
But recalling his own strength and what he knew about the other party's vulnerabilities, he straightened his back and retorted with a cold laugh, "What if I am threatening you? Do you really think you can kill me to silence the matter?"
Anyway, with Wei Tong dead and lacking those "Cloud Piercing Law Eyes" and the Flying Boat Instrument, it would be difficult for him to pursue other Foundation Establishment Cultivators alone. It seems his career as a Bandit Cultivator couldn't go on.
Better to confront Master Jiang directly and blackmail this old man for a handsome compensation, then wash his hands of this business for good.