There was an eerie silence in the pavilion for a moment.
An ordinary person would have long since avoided Liu Shi's sinister gaze, let alone the thin young woman before them. Although the bull-head mask obscured most of her features, judging by the pale skin around her ears and jawline, she looked even slightly younger, perhaps around 29 years old.
Liu Shi threw away the inexplicable yellow list and laughed again: "Are you teasing me?" There was a hint of gloom in his words.
"The Xuanbao Pavilion is where you receive quests." The girl didn't shy away, her tone relaxed. "Does my capturing of the succubus conflict with Hero Liu?"
The two seemed to be chatting casually, but the atmosphere was sharp.
In the dead silence, Liu Shi stared into her eyes. Just as he was about to reach out his hand, he heard the black-robed old man's voice again. This time, he was no longer as easygoing as before, but rather had a hint of urgency: "Young Sect Master, it's time for us to leave!"
He had wanted to stop Liu Shi when he provoked everyone. Even if he was in the Fusion Stage, weren't there any masters in the city? There were many extraordinary people. Could he alone have the ability to protect Liu Shi and walk around sideways?
And this girl...
The old man's sunken eye sockets stopped at her left arm. Although he was only at the fifth level of the Golden Core Realm, not a very high level of cultivation, there was a faint aura on her left arm that made even him shudder.
There must be something hidden.
Although Liu Shi was arrogant, he was not stupid. He quickly realized the elder's implication. His face changed immediately, but he ultimately did not take the risk of taking action in Xuanbao Pavilion.
"Judging from your attire, which sect are you from?" Liu Shi asked casually before leaving, not really intending to answer. He sneered, "Never mind, no matter who you are, you better hide well during the battle. If I see you... I never show any mercy to women, so you'll be on your own."
The group disappeared outside the door in the same grand manner as when they came.
Qiao Lingshan's breath, which had nearly stopped, finally came back to normal, her face flushed red. Yun Xian lifted a corner of the bull mask and glanced at her: "Take your breath, don't be anxious."
"I'm not anxious, but you are!" Qiao Lingshan also grew up in the sect. Although she had always heard of fighting and killing, this was her first time seeing such a scene. She almost couldn't breathe. "Didn't Senior Mu say not to clash with them?! What if they really started fighting?"
God knows she was just thinking that if she drew her sword and rushed forward, she could only hold on for a few seconds at most.
"I didn't have a conflict. Who knew he was so petty?" It was fake. In fact, Yun Xian had a bad habit since she was a child. She couldn't stand people showing off. She faced the various looks of disbelief from the crowd and put on the bull mask more tightly. "If I get beaten, I'll say I'm from Qinfang."
Qiao Lingshan: “…”
Qinfang didn’t offend you!
"So what do we do about this?" Qiao Lingshan picked up the torn-down yellow notice and frowned. "Once it's taken down, it's effective. If you don't complete the task, you'll have to pay a fine."
"I've already said it, I'm not looking for trouble." Yun Xian took the yellow list and carefully read the ink on it again, then looked up at the top floor of the Xuanbao Pavilion. A hidden gaze cast a curious look at her, seemingly not intending to hide it.
She knew from the beginning that the Pavilion Master was upstairs. If Liu Shi really took action, he would not die on the spot, but he would definitely be seriously injured.
"We're here to take on this mission." Yun Xian turned around, motioning for Qiao Lingshan to follow him. He slowly analyzed, "Look at this mission. First, the target is five succubi. You know, succubi aren't particularly aggressive. Secondly, the employer is generous, offering five hundred taels, and judging by the urgency in their tone, they might even double it..."
Qiao Lingshan: "You clearly know why such a good task has never been accepted at the prefecture level."
Yun Xian: “…”
Qiao Lingshan raised her voice: "Yun Xian!"
Yun Xian whistled nonchalantly.
Qiao Lingshan was a little exhausted.
Yes, Yun Xian was right. Succubi are indeed not highly skilled among the demons, nor do they pose a life-threatening threat. But capturing them is truly a challenge! Demons, unlike humans, have weak moral standards, and succubi are notoriously difficult to deal with. They'll do anything to escape, and they're incredibly slippery, impossible to catch. Even if you're lucky enough to catch them, barefoot isn't afraid of those wearing shoes. Do you watch them undress? If you dare to close your eyes, expect to return empty-handed. If you don't, and don't express your feelings, others will find it strange.
In short, to catch them, not only does it take more effort than imagined, but there is also the risk of reputation being damaged at any time.
No matter how you look at it, chasing a group of succubi around can't be called "extremely brave" or "keeping calm in the face of temptation". The upright disciples who are willing to eliminate evil and punish evil are unwilling to take it, and it can only be done by those who don't care about reputation and have no morals - but people without morals can make more money in anything than catching succubi, so naturally few people would look up to them.
Alas, Qiao Lingshan thought, what a sin!
After taking on the task, with the help of the director of Xuanbao Pavilion, the two of them soon met the person who issued the commission.
The man was a restaurant owner, with a sallow complexion, a long beard, and a black hat. He was slowly wiping a jade bowl with a cloth. Upon seeing the two of them, he looked suspicious, "Just you two?"
Doesn't this look similar?
"Yes." Yun Xian said, "Just us."
Qiao Lingshan added: "There might be another Qin Xiu." Although it is of no great use, it is still half a head after all.
"It's my fault. I forgot to fill it in. This isn't as simple as you think." The restaurant owner took one look at the bounty they brought and sighed, "This was originally written by my son. He went to the clinic yesterday and hasn't woken up yet."
Succubi were not uncommon, but they were usually found in brothels and brothels, and it was unheard of for them to go hunting together. A few days ago, his son went to listen to a little music as usual, and the next day, he started to act strange.
"They say there's always a chance of success. Succubi absorb the essence of Yang to gain power. They usually stop when they're done and won't kill anyone."
The restaurant owner described it vividly, "But these succubi were desperate, sucking everything out, leaving nothing behind! I later investigated and found out that my son only managed to survive for ten days because of his cultivation. Ever since that Saintess from the Demon Cult arrived here, there have been several cases of people being sucked dry and left on the street. Oh, those shrunken ones, they were really scary. I thought they had been run over by a carriage."
Judging from how vividly he described it, even with a hint of gloating, it seemed that this son was probably not very important to him.
Qiao Lingshan: “…………” What a vivid picture.
Yun Xian was thinking, here it comes!
In the story, Zhong Changyao, passing by, rescued a fleeing succubus with his sword. Mistaking the succubus for an innocent woman who had been forced upon her, he followed through, escorting her home. From then on, the succubus secretly fell in love with him.
When the two met for the second time, everything had changed. Zhong Changyao and Jimo Shu met in the Four-way War, but he found out that the good girl he mistakenly thought was actually Jimo Shu's capable subordinate. He was suddenly heartbroken and felt that his sincerity had been wasted. From then on, the two became strangers and no one mentioned their previous relationship again.
But the good times didn't last. Later, in a cave within the Four Directions Secret Realm, Zhong Changyao was mysteriously poisoned. Strangely, there wasn't a single healer within a hundred miles. Only the succubus possessed the ability to neutralize the poison. So, in the dim cave, the two were forced to do something unspeakable.
After the deed was accomplished, the strange poison was completely transferred into the succubus's body. She lay dying in Zhong Changyao's arms, stroking his sorrowful face. "Lord Yao, don't be sad. I have no regrets in my life for being so close to you..."
Then he vomited blood and died.
She added a bit of background in her voiceover, saying that the succubus clan was different from what everyone imagined. Although they seemed to be experienced in battle, they actually used charm to confuse the opponent. In other words, this was actually her first time.
Well, it's extremely far-fetched. It's similar to the story of some courtesans who are still virgins after being married for the fourth time and have children.
It was an emergency, leaving them with no other options. Although Jimo Shu had learned of this, could she lose her temper? Of course not. After all, Zhong Changyao was forced into this situation, and he didn't want to do it.
She was lost in thought, while Qiao Lingshan was diligently checking in. "So, Boss, do you have any other news? For example, where were they last seen?"
"I'm not quite sure about this."
Besides, this was not something two little girls could handle. They weren't even at the Nascent Soul stage, so how could they arrest someone? The shopkeeper glanced at them and said, "Okay, you've made such a long trip. I'll give you some tea."
It was clearly an order to leave. Qiao Lingshan was too shy to argue for it, not to mention that she had never intended to catch the succubus in the first place. Yun Xian came to his senses and asked, "Does the shopkeeper not trust us?"
Oh, why did he say it so directly? The shopkeeper said embarrassedly: "No, it's just..."
"Perhaps the shopkeeper doesn't know this." Yun Xian smiled calmly and said in a shocking voice, "In fact, we are the elite players in this Four-way Battle."
Qiao Lingshan: “…”
Her fingers under the table began to curl secretly.
The shopkeeper was stunned and even more unconvinced: "You, you guys?"
The bull-headed girl before him was masked, her face obscured by a mask, her expression invisible, yet she exuded a sense of confidence and composure. Then, she fished out the deed and gently placed it on the table. Her robe shifted slightly as she retrieved it, and through the slit between her sleeves, she could vaguely see the black-gold scabbard, gleaming with a dim, muffled light.
These two people are actually sword cultivators!
"Eastern Realm, Jiange..." The restaurant owner recognized the handwriting and the emblem, his expression changed, and he looked up in surprise and asked, "Could it be that you are fellow disciples of Su Chi?!"
It seems that the eldest brother has a very high reputation in all the cities. Qiao Lingshan was about to agree, but Yun Xian was the first to deny it: "No."
Shopkeeper: "That is..."
"I am just a humble person." Yun Xian paused for a moment, tilted his head slightly and said, "I am just your direct disciple's sister. Due to some things, I haven't seen my senior brother for a long time."
The shopkeeper was in awe: "I didn't expect there would be such a connection..."
Qiao Lingshan: “???”
What do you mean by "long time no see"?! We haven't even met at all! ! Big Brother, do you know you're just making random connections here?!
"That's right." Yun Xian frowned and said righteously, "Those succubi have behaved perversely and have crossed the line of being a demon. This is really too much. I will never allow this to happen again!"
"As expected of a sword cultivator! You punish evil and support the weak, hate evil as your enemy, and are upright and unyielding. Truly a sect with a clean and upright character. I was mistaken." The restaurant owner stroked his goatee, finally softening his tone and praisingly saying, "Then I'll leave this matter to you."
Qiao Lingshan was overjoyed: "Thank you, shopkeeper!"
Although she didn't know why she was so overjoyed, she clearly didn't want to go in the first place.
The three of them looked at each other, all with gentle smiles on their faces. In this harmonious atmosphere, Yun Xian slowly said, "Wait a minute."
Shopkeeper: "Wait a minute? What's the matter? Just speak up."
Now that he knew the identities of the two, he was overjoyed, and even the two ugly bull-head masks looked handsome.
"It's not a big deal." Yun Xian nodded slightly, tapping his fingers on the table, and said solemnly, "It's just that we have to go in and out of the brothel and capture the succubus with swords. We are new here and not very familiar with this place, so there are many obstacles. In addition, the shopkeeper's son is still in a coma. This matter is urgent and cannot be delayed. It must be handled as soon as possible..."
"That's quite right." The shopkeeper was confused. "It is indeed necessary to overcome difficulties. So, what do you mean, young friend?"
"What I mean is," Yun Xian maintained his righteous demeanor. He extended a thin, delicate hand toward the shopkeeper, his fingertips covered in calluses from sword practice, and said in a resounding voice, "Can you pay more?"
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