Chapter 9: The Fish in the Pond Cannot Escape the Calamity of the City Fire
At this time, the smoke near the short man had dispersed, but his figure was already gone.
"Tian Leizi, Escape Talisman, hmm, continue the search!" the man with eagle eyes and a high nose scanned the scene, snorted coldly, turned, and left, and the members of the Enforcement Team immediately dispersed to search.
"Foundation Establishment Cultivator." Sensing the spiritual power fluctuations of the short man and the man with eagle eyes and a high nose, Yu Qingtan and the others understood the cultivation level of the two men and did not dare to even breathe heavily, silently becoming invisible.
"That’s Qi Wei from the Qis, one of the chief leaders of the Enforcement Team, a cultivator at the peak of the mid- Foundation Establishment stage. That means the person just now must be the thief from last night!"
"You dare gossip about matters of Foundation Establishment seniors—are you tired of living?"
After the members of the Enforcement Team left with two people who were blasted to an unknown state of life or death, some people quietly discussed among themselves.
"We should hurry back as well. It’s quite dangerous outside!" Yu Qingtan said sincerely. She thought that Suichuan Immortal City would be safe with a Great Array for protection and a Golden Core Realm master in place, prohibiting private fights—she did not expect to encounter such an incident just by stepping outside, nearly getting involved.
"Mm-hm." Shen Wanning was also somewhat scared and agreed repeatedly.
On their way back, the two bought some more daily necessities.
...
Yu Qingtan, carrying two large parcels, returned to her room, which she had only lived in for a few days, and just locked the door.
Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth, and a short sword was placed against her neck.
"Stay silent if you want to live!" A deep male voice came from behind her.
What kind of terrible development was this?
Yu Qingtan internally screamed, but as someone who only knew the Cleansing Spell and was a beginner at the second layer of Qi Cultivation, she conceded very quickly.
She nodded slightly to show she understood, careful not to move too much.
That sword looked extremely sharp.
In her past life, she had killed chickens and fish, but she’d never experienced something like this.
Trembling.jpg.
The man behind her removed the sword and produced a Soundproof Talisman.
He then removed his other hand from Yu Qingtan’s mouth, came around to face her, and handed her a black pill.
"Swallow it." His voice was chilly, and his eyes fixed on Yu Qingtan.
Yu Qingtan hesitated.
"I’m only using this place to heal. When I leave, I will give you the antidote," the man explained.
Yu Qingtan had no choice but to take the pill and swallow it.
A bitter taste.
Yu Qingtan wanted to secretly move the pill into her System Space, but unfortunately, she had tried before and knew that she could only do so if she touched the item with her palm. The man kept watching her, and she found no opportunity to do so.
Plus, the pill dissolved as soon as it entered her stomach.
"Don’t bring anyone here, don’t think about telling others."
The man continued to threaten her, then sat back down on his meditation cushion to continue channeling his spiritual power to heal.
Yu Qingtan carefully turned to look, and her heart skipped a beat.
This man was the short man she had encountered in the Drunken Fairy Building, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the thief the Qis were chasing.
But he was clearly in a terrible state, his face pale and sweating profusely.
The man’s facial features were different from when they saw him at the Drunken Fairy Building, but the same clothes and a stature only slightly taller than Yu Qingtan’s made it easy for her to recognize him.
Yu Qingtan dared not look further, put down her things, and sat on the bedstead.
"He didn’t try to take over my bedstead; instead, he’s sitting on his own meditation cushion. Maybe he isn’t that bad?"
"But what if he wants to silence me once he’s healed?"
"Even if he doesn’t silence me, what if he turns bestial and does something to me?"
"I would surely be the laughingstock of other transmigrators!"
With thoughts racing through her mind, Yu Qingtan once again deeply felt how helpless one is in the Cultivation World without strength.
With this man beside her, Yu Qingtan did not dare to cultivate, so she took out a book she had borrowed from the library and began to read.
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Yu Qingtan didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was already dark, and her stomach let out a growling sound.
She felt a bit embarrassed and glanced at the man, noticing that he had also opened his eyes and was looking at her.
Yu Qingtan took out the meat pies and pastries she had bought that day and asked the man cautiously, "Senior, would you like some?"
"No need, I’ve already undergone fasting." The man’s complexion had regained some color, but he still spoke without any expression.
"Oh~"
So Yu Qingtan ignored him and sat down at the table to start eating.
After finishing her meal, Yu Qingtan noticed the man had closed his eyes again.
She then took out the two Storage Talismans she had bought that day, infused a wisp of Spiritual Power, and activated one of the Storage Talismans.
Then, two Gold Ingots appeared above the Storage Talisman which had turned into scrap paper.
In the Cultivation World, Gold Ingots had very little purchasing power, but it was better than nothing.
Feeling the fluctuation of Spiritual Power, the shorter man opened his eyes and saw Yu Qingtan activating a Storage Talisman. He sneered inwardly and closed his eyes again.
Yu Qingtan noticed this and put away the Gold Ingots, then activated the other Storage Talisman.
The moment the items from within the talisman appeared, Yu Qingtan swiftly took them into her System Space and replaced them with a set of Illusionary Elegance Garments.
Since she was sitting to the side of the shorter man, and he had his eyes closed, Yu Qingtan’s subtle movements went unnoticed.
"Wow, it’s actually a Magic Artifact, such a beautiful set of clothes!"
Yu Qingtan began to perform.
The shorter man opened his eyes again and saw the scene, inwardly sighing at the young girl’s good luck.
But he said, "Keep it down, you’re disturbing my healing!"
Immediately, Yu Qingtan went silent, then gently placed the clothes in the wardrobe and quietly returned to her bed to continue reading.
…
"Qing Tan, Qing Tan!"
Yu Qingtan had been dreaming about herself becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, flying through the sky on a sword, oh so free and easy, when she was awoken by the knocking on the door outside.
She had been unable to stay awake last night and had fallen asleep.
Coming to her senses, Yu Qingtan suddenly felt anxious, looked down at her intact clothes, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
She pulled aside the curtain, meeting the sharp gaze of the shorter man.
"Remember not to expose my existence, just carry on as usual."
The indifferent voice of the shorter man echoed in her mind through Divine Sense communication.
Yu Qingtan nodded repeatedly.
The man had not used Divine Sense communication yesterday, probably because his injuries were too severe, but today he seemed much better.
Seeing that Yu Qingtan understood, the shorter man walked over to the wardrobe and hid himself without making a sound.
Yu Qingtan performed a Cleansing Spell on herself, tidied her hair a bit, and then opened the door.
It was Shen Wanning who had knocked.
"Wanning, you’re early!" It was half an hour earlier than their usual time for breakfast.
"I have some good news to share with you, so I came over early!" Shen Wanning’s face was full of smiles, she looked very happy.
"What good news?" They locked the door and headed toward the dining hall.
Shen Wanning looked around to make sure no one was there and then whispered in Yu Qingtan’s ear, "The Storage Talisman I bought yesterday contained a first-grade superior magic sword. It seems I truly am a person with deep fortune, hehe."
Yu Qingtan was also somewhat shocked.
The other Storage Talisman she opened yesterday had a piece of Spirit Iron weighing over one jin, one of the most common Refinement Materials, where one Spirit Stone could buy a hundred jin.
She also whispered, "I have some good news to share with you too. The two Storage Talismans yielded a set of first-grade inferior Magic Clothing for me, hehe!"
"Wow, Qing Tan, you’re so lucky, let me have a look!" Shen Wanning’s eyes sparkled, suddenly feeling that her own magic sword wasn’t that exciting anymore.
"I’ll show you in your room after we have breakfast, but you have to keep it a secret, I still want to make a splash the day after tomorrow night!"
"Of course, my lips are sealed. When the time comes, you might just rank at the top."
"With you around, how could I possibly take the top spot."
…
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