Chapter 142: A Sudden Surge of Killing Intent

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“Do you think I would guess or not?” Yan Shu wanted to give him a classic retort, but glancing at the 42 points of goodwill on his head, she decided to keep a low profile for now and ask Third Senior Brother once they were out.

Come to think of it, she had been away from the Xuanyuan Sect for a day and a night already, and she wondered when her senior brothers would come looking for her.

It should be soon. On her birthday night, the First Senior Brother even mentioned that she was to take on two direct disciples this time.

Although she declined, citing her inability to teach well and fear of leading disciples astray, the expressions of the First and Fourth Senior Brothers didn’t look like they intended to give up.

Yan Shu frowned; for some reason, she always felt there was some tension between her senior brothers and Xiao Jihan.

The Second and Third Senior Brothers were fine, mostly just going along, but the First and Fourth Senior Brothers seemed to have some premonition, always implying she should keep her distance from Xiao Jihan.

As for Xiao Jihan...

He indeed never said anything about keeping her away from the senior brothers. On the contrary, he cared about her relationships with them and had a demeanor that said, “As long as you’re happy, I don’t mind suffering a bit.”

She saw through the male lead’s facade of being a fresh and pure white lotus.

Therefore, when Xiao Jihan said he wanted to leave Xuanyuan Sect, she thought it over and agreed.

In the original story, as mortal enemies who wouldn’t rest until one died, all she could do was to separate them temporarily.

Yan Shu originally thought this was a “runaway” to avoid the ending, but now it seemed not entirely so; Xiao Jihan and Third Senior Brother must have reached some agreement.

After all, as a calculating person, the male lead wouldn’t offend all her senior brothers at once; otherwise, how could he maintain his innocent white flower image?

Speaking of calculating, Yan Shu frowned and gave Xiao Jihan a suspicious glance.

Did he really get cheated out of so many spirit stones?

“The situation has come to this point, we might as well stay and make a big haul!” a voice in the secret chamber pulled Yan Shu back to reality.

“Second Brother’s right! Since we’ve done it, if we don’t get enough, we won’t even be able to escape. After the Xuanyuan Sect finishes recruiting disciples, we can leave—it’s not too late then!”

“Then big brother, it’s tough on you, being the city lord for a few more months!”

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“Haha, big brother doesn’t think it’s tough at all. So many beauties taking turns to sleep with him, big brother is very happy!”

“That’s not true. Big brother is at the Nascent Soul stage; the essence he gives those women is their gain! Haven’t you noticed, the women in the harem have become even more radiant?”

“I’m not hogging them alone; their radiance is partly thanks to you guys too!”

“Uh uh uh!”

“Shut up! This is no place for your chatter! If it weren’t for your ties to the Yunzhou royal family, you’d have been killed with one sword long ago!”

“Uh uh uh... uh!”

“All right, quiet now.”

“By the way, big brother, how long are we staying in this secret chamber?”

“Wait it out. After tonight, it’ll be fine. Losing so many mid-grade spirit stones, those two must be unwilling. Once tonight passes and they can’t find anything, they’ll leave.”

“Qinglei Sect is just a small sect no one’s heard of. Why is big brother being so cautious? You’re a Nascent Soul, and the three of us are all mid-stage Golden Core. At worst, we kill them!”

“What do you know?! The smaller the sect, the more protective they are. If these two die in Xuanyuan City, the so-called Qinglei Sect will definitely demand an explanation from Xuanyuan Sect. We’re here to make money, not to cause trouble.”

“Yes yes yes, big brother is wise!”

Hearing this, Yan Shu finally understood what had happened.

These four were a group of rogue cultivators who had kidnapped the real Xuanyuan City lord, with the leader taking his place, planning to make a quick profit and leave.

From the noise, the real Xuanyuan City lord was now in the secret chamber, unconscious.

Usurping a position was despicable enough, but the leader also slept with the city lord’s women. Putting herself in their shoes, Yan Shu felt a wave of nausea.

And those women—they were all deceived. In the mortal realm, chastity was still highly valued. She couldn’t imagine how those women would react when the truth came out.

The four were not highly cultivated; she and Xiao Jihan could easily handle them. The key problem was that if they rushed in now, they couldn’t guarantee the kidnappers wouldn’t take the city lord hostage.

But if they waited until tomorrow to deal with it outside, things would definitely escalate. From a woman’s perspective, Yan Shu hoped it could be resolved quietly.

It was best not to let those women know. Even if the real city lord was rescued and no longer favored them, they would at worst think they had fallen out of favor. That’s much better than knowing the truth.

Thinking of the four in the secret chamber, Yan Shu’s heart brimmed with murderous intent.

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Scum like them didn’t deserve to live!

Not wanting to alert the enemy, Yan Shu hastily suppressed her killing intent, lifted her eyes toward Xiao Jihan, and whispered, “What do we do now?”

For Xiao Jihan, there was really no dilemma.

From his perspective, for the real Xuanyuan City lord’s safety, it was best to leave first and wait for those people to come out so they could be taken down in one fell swoop.

But Yan Shu’s momentary murderous intent was so obvious, clearly showing her protective feelings toward those women in the harem.

Xiao Jihan was silent for a moment, then took a porcelain bottle from a mustard seed pouch, poured out a pill, and handed it to her. Slightly tilting his head to avoid her gaze, he whispered, “This is a fifth-grade invisibility pill. It has the same effect as an invisibility talisman and lasts for two hours.”

“We’ll wait here for a while. After those people all come out, we’ll capture them all in the passageway.”

Invisibility pills and talismans have similar effects, concealing both form and aura. The higher the grade, the better the effect.

A fifth-grade invisibility pill is undetectable to cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, whether it’s a pill or talisman, like regulatory tools in the previous world, they cannot be crafted and used individually.

The Jiuzhou Continent had been peaceful for thirty or forty thousand years. Although there was no Cultivator Alliance, the major sects had written treaties stipulating what could and could not be refined.

Even rogue cultivators who wanted to refine such items had to register with the nine largest sects of Jiuzhou; otherwise, it was considered unauthorized production. Upon discovery, the items would be confiscated and punishments imposed, including being barred from entering any secret realms.

After all, almost all heavenly treasures now come from secret realms. Being banned from these realms meant cutting off all opportunities.

All disciples learn these regulations upon entering their sects, just like the jade slips Xiao Jihan had copied recently.

Yan Shu looked at the invisibility pill in her hand. “Was this… something you only learned after copying the jade slip?”

Xiao Jihan looked up at her and gently nodded, his phoenix-like eyes full of innocence.

Yan Shu: ...