Chapter 41: A Night of Revenge under the Dark Moon and Black Wind
The wooden hut he had never visited before, and the accumulated dust suggested it hadn’t been inhabited for a long time.
"It is I, Young Master Fu, you haven’t given me the antidote yet!" Yu Qingtan sneered.
"Ha, that was just a replenishing pill from the Mortal Realm, non-toxic." Young Master Fu replied somewhat awkwardly.
Yu Qingtan showed an expression as if to say, I knew it would be so.
"Heh, it seems I misjudged, I thank Miss Qing Tan for saving my life. Where is this place?"
"This is a house owned by the Xue family. Your location could be tracked by the Qi family, so I hid you in a Spirit Beast Pouch. I could only let you out in a suitable place. You don’t mind, do you?"
Though a Spirit Beast Pouch could actually hold a cultivator, almost no one would do this, as it was quite a loss of face.
A cultivator should not be treated the same as spiritual beasts.
"No matter, the Qi family planted a powerful Blood Tether on me, but it has dissipated now. These kinds of Blood Tethers fade over time. How long have I been away from the Qi’s estate?"
"Over a month now. How are you feeling at the moment, Young Master Fu?" Yu Qingtan felt a tinge of disappointment in her heart, for she had wanted to lure the Qi family to the Xue household.
"The external injuries on my body are inconsequential. However, they fed me a Spirit Dispersal Pill, so it will take some time for my cultivation level to recover. Also, this chain is made from Second Stage Xuan iron. Although not a Spiritual Artifact, it is exceptionally sturdy; even a high-grade Second Stage Spiritual Artifact would struggle to cut through it, and it has a certain spirit-suppressing effect. With this chain on, even if my cultivation level recovers, I can only exert eighty percent of my strength."
Young Master Fu did not hide these details.
"Since Young Master Fu’s Blood Tether has dissipated, I should get you out of here. Do you have a place to go?"
Yu Qingtan asked, her plan to attract the Qi’s attention having fallen through, she could only consider other options.
"I find this spot quite nice. The Xue family has only one Foundation Establishment Cultivator with limited life span who often secludes himself. I’m pretty safe here."
Young Master Fu said, still minding the fact that he had been put into a Spirit Beast Pouch, though previously he had had no choice.
"That’s fine, then I’ll be leaving first."
Hearing this, Yu Qingtan prepared to leave.
"Wait, that is…"
Young Master Fu’s face showed embarrassment, and under Yu Qingtan’s puzzled gaze, he continued, "My name is Fu Nian."
Yu Qingtan chuckled to herself upon hearing this.
"I understand, Young Master Fu."
She then left the place, activated her Invisibility Technique, and departed from the Xue estate.
Since the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Xue family was often in seclusion, there was no need to use the Turtle Breathing Technique. Her spirit stones were indeed running low.
In the following days, Yu Qingtan shifted her cultivation time to the afternoon, and then every night after work, she would turn invisible and stake out the entrance to Xiao Yan’s home.
Xiao Yan also owned property in Suichuan Immortal City and lived in the same residential area as Yu Qingtan.
On the second night of staking out, she made a discovery.
Xiao Yan, dressed in a black robe that enveloped her entirely and a black veil covering her face, stealthily left her house.
Disciples of Tianxiang Pavilion who lived outside were, in principle, not allowed to leave at night mainly due to safety considerations, as the nights in Suichuan Immortal City weren’t very safe. If anything were to happen, the losses for Tianxiang Pavilion would be substantial.
Naturally, Yu Qingtan followed Xiao Yan closely.
On her way, Xiao Yan was very cautious, choosing paths that were almost deserted.
After wandering around the city for nearly half an hour, she finally arrived at a secluded alley.
In the alley was a small tavern that had already closed for the night.
Xiao Yan approached the front of the small tavern and gently tapped on the door in a specific rhythm, seven or eight times.
The door of the small tavern opened halfway, and Xiao Yan entered.
A waiter poked his head out, looked left and right, then closed the door again.
Little did he know, Yu Qingtan had just followed Xiao Yan into the small tavern.
Xiao Yan followed the waiter to the back hall of the tavern, where four people were dressed as the shopkeeper, accountant, chef, and waiter respectively.
Candles were lit in the back hall, casting irregular shadows behind the people.
"Oh, another customer has come calling."
The burly man dressed as a chef, munching on a pig’s trotter, saw Xiao Yan entering and said.
Xiao Yan paid him no mind, instead taking out a wooden token and a piece of paper and handing them to the old man dressed as the shopkeeper.
The old man glanced at them, his expression slightly changing.
"So it’s you, even though you are a distinguished guest of Misty Rain Tower, last time the information you provided was wrong, and we lost a valuable member because of it. You still want to take down the same target, but I’m afraid the price you’re offering isn’t enough," the old man said.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan’s brow furrowed, and just as she was about to raise her offer,
"Woof woof~ woof woof~"
Sounds of a dog barking rang out.
"So you’ve brought a tail with you, your Invisibility Technique isn’t badly practiced. If it weren’t for my precious daughter’s keen sense of smell, I wouldn’t have detected you at all," said the middle-aged scholar dressed as an accountant, stroking a black Spirit Dog, his expression wary.
At his words, the others were startled. The shopkeeper immediately cast a spell, activating the Protective Array in the area.
The rest of them also prepared themselves with their own methods.
The shopkeeper’s eyes shone with faint light as he used a pupil technique.
Then, he saw a figure in black, also wearing a veil.
It was Yu Qingtan.
When Yu Qingtan heard the name "Misty Rain Tower," she too was shocked.
This was the big fish she had found.
And from the shopkeeper’s words, Yu Qingtan understood that the previous assassination attempt with the Poison Needle was also Xiao Yan’s doing.
After that it was Xue Gui, then Liang Liang, and today she came back to Misty Rain Tower again.
She was determined to have a fight to the death with her.
"I never offended her, did I~?" Yu Qingtan thought to herself.
Because Yu Qingtan was now very confident, in order to save Spirit Stones, she did not use the Turtle Breathing Technique and didn’t expect to be discovered by a Spirit Dog.
The shopkeeper again used a pupil technique that counteracted the Invisibility Technique.
Yu Qingtan simply deactivated her Invisibility Technique.
"Yu Qingtan, it’s you!" Even with her face covered by a veil, Xiao Yan recognized this person she eagerly wanted to eliminate at first glance, based merely on her figure and eyes.
"Yes, Sister Xiao, it’s me. I really didn’t expect that the person repeatedly trying to kill me was you. We haven’t even exchanged more than a few words, have we?" Yu Qingtan said with a cold laugh.
"Hmph, you’re just a wild girl from the mountains, with no talent or looks, and somehow you used some bewitching trick to catch Young Master Luo’s eye. And you even refused him. Still, he sent you a precious gift like a Beauty Enhancement Pill, why does it belong to you?" Xiao Yan said, somewhat agitated.
It turns out that when Luo Xiang came to Tianxiang Pavilion previously, she was one of the reception staff; she naturally wanted to attach herself to this distinguished and promising young master.
Unfortunately, he never gave her a second look.
And seeing Yu Qingtan’s rapid rise recently, with the possibility of surpassing her position soon, her desire to kill grew even stronger.
"Oh, so you’re just a scorned dog that can’t get what it wants~" Yu Qingtan taunted.
"You little wretch, enjoy your brief triumph with words. You dare to come here today; it seems you’re not dying fast enough. I’ll double the price I offered just now, kill this wretch quickly!" Xiao Yan, so angry her face was twisted, shouted at the assassins around her.