However, after Zhou Chun and another had defeated the attacking bandit cultivators, they did not stop for even a moment on their way back, regardless of the mana consumed, and flew straight back to Jiufeng Ridge.
It was only after they truly entered their clan's mountain gate that the two completely let down their guard and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, without returning to his own Flying Rock Peak, Zhou Daoquan directly accompanied Zhou Chun to meet with the clan leader Zhou Daoyi on Pagoda Peak and report the details of the attack.
"This seat is aware of what happened. It is good that you are unharmed. As for whether those two bandit cultivators were sent by Master Jiang, we can investigate that slowly. The truth will come out eventually!"
Zhou Daoyi nodded, apparently not shocked by the news.
In the Cultivation World, such incidents are hardly rare.
It's not just Foundation Establishment cultivators at risk; even Purple Mansion Phase Cultivators who travel to conduct trades involving precious items can fall prey to secret attacks.
In such situations, unless one could capture a bandit cultivator alive to testify, or find something among the bandit's possessions that could serve as evidence, one could only hold a grudge and seek revenge at an opportune time.
If there's no evidence and one's backing doesn't wield absolute power, families and sects typically wouldn't make a big show of helping to seek revenge.
It's possible to seek an eye for an eye by asking an elated clan elder or a friendly cultivator to help attack in secret.
Of course, that can be done.
But the issue is, how do you learn the exact whereabouts of someone so far away?
It's even possible that as soon as you enter their territory, they already know through various channels!
In that case, you might even end up being ambushed in return, killed as a bandit cultivator, dying in vain!
Thus, after such incidents, you'd hope for a powerful and close elder willing to take risks and forgo their cultivation, waiting outside the adversary's dwelling for years if necessary.
Or you simply wait, biding your time for ten or eight years until the other party lowers their guard before seeking your chance for revenge.
Clearly, neither condition is achievable at present.
The Supreme Elder, Zhou Mingde, although he thinks highly of Zhou Chun, wouldn't go so far as to personally assassinate an Alchemy Master with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation on the basis of an unfounded accusation!
Zhou Daoquan had already analyzed this situation for Zhou Chun on their way home, and Zhou Chun was well aware of it too.
Therefore, he did not expect his family to help avenge this grievance; he merely reported the circumstances nonchalantly.
Having reported the situation, he and Zhou Daoquan started to allocate the possessions left by Wei Tong.
Perhaps because he was a nomadic bandit cultivator, Wei Tong's storage pouch was very clean.
Apart from some elixirs for recovering mana and healing wounds or detoxifying, a few talismans, the rest were just a heap of classics and Spirit Coins.
However, cleanliness didn't mean there weren't valuable items inside.
First and foremost, there were more than five thousand four hundred Spirit Coins!
The healing and detoxifying elixirs were all extremely effective, very likely the handiwork of Master Jiang himself.
Additionally, there were two identical "Wind Walking Talismans" left in the storage pouch, probably purchased by Wei Tong for the purpose of chasing or escaping.
Regrettably, various circumstances had prevented him from ever using these two talismans.
As for the books and classics, Zhou Chun was quite hopeful initially, wishing to find evidence of collusion between Master Jiang and Wei Tong within them.
Yet unfortunately, Wei Tong did not leave such obvious evidence that could facilitate revenge.
These books and classics were merely records of cultivation techniques and secrets.
While these items seemed valuable, after the lessons from Zhou Daoyi, Zhou Chun did not dare to be overly credulous and decided to hand them over to the Supreme Elder Zhou Mingde for verification of their authenticity.
Last were the several magic artifacts left by Wei Tong, the most valuable possessions he carried.
First was the pair of Mandarin Duck Twin Blades, a set of mid-grade, second-tier magic artifacts with considerable power.
Although they were slightly damaged from clashing with Zhou Chun's Crimson Gold Flying Claw, the damage was minor and repairable, not greatly affecting their value.
Then there was the Serpent-Shaped Flying Dagger artifact—also a mid-grade, second-tier magic artifact capable of causing intense blast damage upon hitting a target, making it ideal for surprise attacks.
Next was the black gourd artifact used by Wei Tong, a low-grade, second-tier magic artifact, but the poisonous smoke it emitted was quite effective, especially against Demon Beasts and as a cover for escape.
The Body Protecting Golden Light that Wei Tong had used was, in fact, a jade amulet artifact.
However, whether due to its inherent fragility or some flaw, by the time Zhou Chun found it, the artifact was already shattered and no longer usable.
Yet, the most precious of Wei Tong's artifacts had to be the cyan Flying Boat Instrument.
Though only a low-grade, second-tier magic artifact by rank, its flying speed was extremely fast, enabling Wei Tong and another to catch up to their targets at a speed surpassing that of an average late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—truly a superb tool for chasing enemies or escaping.
Calculating the total, just the four artifacts obtained from Wei Tong were already worth over ten thousand Spirit Coins!