Arrest
The next morning, Lin Yunwang was so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
The person beside her was still fast asleep, most of their face tucked under the covers, showing no trace of yesterday's boisterousness.
She carefully moved the arms and legs that were pressing down on her.
Recalling that yesterday this person insisted on sharing a room with him no matter what, and no matter how much Sang Zhao tried to persuade him, it was to no avail, Lin Yunwang had no choice but to change rooms.
But this scoundrel grabbed her clothes tightly and said, quite unreasonably, that he had a headache and needed to live with Yun to get better.
Perhaps it was because the young master of Xuanji Pavilion's behavior was too disgraceful to Qiling City, but in the end, she was suppressed by Fan Qingdu with force, who grabbed her by the back of the neck and dragged her away.
In the middle of the night, for some reason, she sneaked into the room again.
Lin Yunwang couldn't resist Liu Xubai's coquettishness, which always reminded her of the innocent and romantic children in Shixi Village. In addition, she was really tired today and it was already late at night, so she didn't have the heart to send her away.
Perhaps it was just rambling in a dream, "Yunwang, you really look like my brother..."
"But I am a woman."
"I'm talking about personality."
Liu Xubai turned his head toward Yun Wang and said in a muffled voice, "You are all... as long as I beg you a few times, you will swallow any bitterness yourself."
"I am not."
Lin Yun spoke so softly that he almost didn't hear himself.
She didn't ask how Liu Xubai could define her after only meeting her once. Instead, her hand gently rested on Liu Xubai's thin back, just like the gentle, strong, and compassionate brother she had described.
I gently patted her back to lull her to sleep.
Suddenly, pine needles rained down from the ancient cypress trees outside the window, interrupting her reverie.
Hearing the strange noise, Lin Yun hurriedly put on his coat. Seeing that Liu Xubai was still asleep, he tried calling out to him a few times, but Liu Xubai was still fast asleep.
She had no choice but to take out a few talismans from her sleeves and place them around the bed as a kind of protective barrier.
There were only two people in the lobby.
Sang Zhao and Fan Qingdu remained calm and composed, sitting upright with two bowls of white porridge beside them.
Seeing Yun come downstairs, Sang Zhao calmly said, "No rush, let's have breakfast first."
She took the bowl and chopsticks from Sang Zhao and, seeing that neither of them reacted, calmed down as well.
"Miss Liu is still asleep."
She had changed her address for Liu Xubai from "Young Master" to "Miss Liu." Sharing a bed for one night had brought them much closer.
She's really not good at dealing with people like that.
Lin Yunwang still stubbornly believed that she and this young master were destined to clash and were incompatible from the start.
"Since there's no rush, let her continue sleeping," Yun Wang said, swallowing the last mouthful of porridge.
Sang Zhao agreed, while Fan Qingdu remained expressionless as always, seemingly in agreement as well. The three chatted casually in the lobby, with Lin Yun doing most of the talking, Sang Zhao adding a few words, and Fan Qingdu nodding.
Lin Yun was talking about the new dishes at the restaurant when he suddenly heard a rustling sound at the door.
"They're here."
The sword in Fan Qingdu's hand was already making a loud clanging sound.
It is both a reminder and a warning.
It turned out that the first one to lose patience was that evil cultivator.
The gate shattered, and splinters of wood rained down. Amidst the swirling dust, the black-robed figure was shrouded in blood-red runes, his fingernails sharper than blades.
It was no longer recognizable as a human; it resembled a hazy human form formed from a mass of black mist.
"Roar~ What great strength!" Liu Xubai also woke up and leaned against the second-floor railing, watching the commotion.
Hearing the mockery, the man's anger intensified. "I'm angry!"
The remaining half of the door panel, carrying a foul stench, rushed straight at his face. Fan Qingdu, without drawing his sword, flipped the sandalwood table over with his other hand. Sang Zhao then threw out three yellow talismans, which ignited upon contact with the wind and turned into flames that crashed into the broken wood.
"Take good care of yourself."
"be safe."
The moment Sang Zhao and Yun Wang's eyes met, they exchanged words of advice.
Lin Yun flashed behind the evil cultivator, intending to strike him.
He transformed into black mist, his black robe falling to the ground and swirling around the group.
"Playing tricks!"
If several people joined forces, the evil cultivator would definitely be no match for him. Right now, he planned to break through one by one.
Pick the softest persimmons to squeeze.
His first target was Sang Zhao, who was still recovering from serious injuries.
The sharp nails were about to pierce Sang Zhao's heart, but a burst of spiritual energy from who-knows-where forced him to change direction and slash towards his eyes.
A long spear descended from the second floor, interrupting his movements.
"My spear is named All Evils, and it is dedicated to killing evil cultivators like you!"
"It's nothing but a trivial skill." The man slammed his palms on the ground, and black blood gushed out from the cracks in the ground, as if it were about to devour the people.
Sang Zhao immediately drew talismans in the air, and specks of fluorescent light disappeared into the black blood, stopping its growth.
Lin Yun also tried using fire talismans, but unfortunately, the results were minimal.
"Hehehehe".
The evil cultivator made strange noises, and the group felt a sense of foreboding.
The black blood suddenly transformed into skeletons, and no matter what method was used, they could not be harmed in the slightest.
"That's really strange."
The Jingyin Sect occasionally assigns its disciples missions to hunt down evil cultivators. Sang Zhao has participated in several missions and has never seen an evil cultivator with such abilities.
Evil cultivation refers to heretical practices that involve killing to seize treasures and forcibly absorbing the spiritual power of others. Their characteristics are often impure spiritual power and the karmic burden they carry.
"Hehe, I put a lot of effort into making this... Today, let's fight to the death!" Although he said this, he concealed his figure and hid in the black mist, wanting to take advantage of their unpreparedness to launch a sneak attack.
The more complicated the situation became, the calmer the four of them remained.
"The ending was already predetermined."
Lin Yun focused most of his spiritual power on the short sword, and with a gentle swing, severed the connection between the skull and the black blood on the ground.
The control over the skeletons vanished, and they galloped towards the figure in the black mist like wild horses.
This is cause and effect.
"The plan has changed; capture him alive." Now it seems there are too many mysteries surrounding this evil cultivator.
Fan Qingdu's words clearly enraged him.
The karmic obstacles on the evil cultivator's body transformed into a turbid stream, binding the swordsman's hand.
"Yesterday, it was you who set up the formation to trick me!" he roared angrily at Fan Qingdu.
He heard that immortals had descended upon the city and wanted to escape, but it was like being trapped in a maze. No matter what he did, he was stuck in the same place. He could only take a few steps in a specific direction. After searching all night, he finally found the inn.
"It seems that the governor does not understand the principle that a siege must be left undefended."
Just as Lin Yunwang and Liu Xubai were about to help, a sword appeared out of thin air, slicing straight at the evil cultivator's hands.
This man reacted quickly, creating distance between himself and Fan Qingdu. However, his left hand was still severed.
"Don't resist." Sang Zhao approached and placed the immobilization talisman on his back.
The evil cultivator turned around and used his remaining right hand to grab Sang Zhao's wrist, and the black energy quickly spread to Sang Zhao's entire body.
Without much thought, he focused his mind, drew his sword, and severed the black aura.
"It is indeed a fine sword. However, if you had simply cut off my right hand earlier, you wouldn't be in this predicament now." The evil cultivator extended his index finger, black energy swirling around it, and a sudden thunderclap descended.
Sang Zhao was stunned when he saw the lightning-summoning technique.
"Watch out!" Lin Yun lunged at Sang Zhao, and the two tumbled among the broken tables and chairs nearby.
"Senior brother, are you alright?" The girl carefully checked him for injuries. "Is it because your old injuries haven't fully healed yet?" She knew that Sang Zhao had been stunned by the thunder, but she needed a different reason right now.
Under Fan Qingdu's cover, she helped Sang Zhao away from where the thunderbolt had struck.
"Regardless of life or death, I will take responsibility." Seeing someone injured, Liu Xubai thrust his spear tip straight at the evil cultivator's heart.
"I'll handle this." Seeing that the three had reached a safe area, the renowned Tianyuan Palace Territory Envoy, who rarely ventured out, finally unleashed his true power.
He pointed to the artifact that he controlled to summon from the void; a blue light flashed at the end of the sword, emitting a clear, resonant sword cry.
The sword energy sliced across his wrist and ankle...
The dense sword energy forced the evil cultivator to retreat repeatedly, only to collide with a cold, long spear.
There's no way to retreat.
He then realized that all his meridians were severed, and blood was gushing from his hands and feet. He collapsed to the ground.
"Monsters, you are all monsters!" A normal person would have been scared out of their wits by his combo attack.
Before he could say anything more, Liu Xubai kicked him to the ground, stomping hard on his injured wrist, and watched indifferently as he howled on the ground, "Does a wicked cultivator who kills and refines corpses have the right to judge us?"
"Although I've never seen your magic before, I'm not afraid of it. Besides, you're a truly disgusting person," Lin Yun silently added with a gentle but sharp remark.
It was Sang Zhao who first stopped Liu Xubai from making a move. "Young Master, could you please give me some face?"
He crouched down and affixed a talisman to the evil cultivator's body, the incantation on it merging into his flesh. "This is a Truth Talisman. You must speak the truth completely, or you will suffer immense pain. Do you understand?"
Seeing that he remained silent, Sang Zhao did not get angry, but said gently, "Then, the first question. What's your name?"
The heretical practitioner turned his head away, refusing to answer.
But as time passed, he felt excruciating pain, as if something inside his body was gnawing at his liver, and his lips were pulled, causing him to utter the truth, "Ma Yang."
"Okay, the second question: who taught you the thunder magic you use?" This question surprised everyone present; no one had expected him to ask it so frankly.
Lightning magic was a unique secret technique of the former sect leader of the Jingyin Sect. However, with his death, his sect declined, and this lightning magic gradually disappeared.
His cause of death had long been a taboo in the cultivation world.
Lin Yunwang was unaware of the intricacies of the situation, but she knew that Sang Zhao's earlier erratic behavior was due to the sudden thunderclap.
"I don't know... it seems like I suddenly learned it." No one can lie in the face of talismans. Seeing that his expression was normal, Sang Zhao understood.
He patted the dust off his clothes, stood up, and bowed to Liu Xubai and Fan Qingdu. "Thank you, Young Master and Territory Envoy, for giving me the opportunity to ask questions." He handed the mother talisman that could control evil cultivators to Liu Xubai. "This is my gift of gratitude."
"Hey," the spirited woman with bright eyes waved her hand and said, "Now that we've met, we're friends, no need to be so polite." But she still accepted the truth talisman.
Although talismans are now common, complex ones are still rare, and given her lack of skill in drawing them, they are even scarcer. Originally, she had planned to resolve the matter through force and torture, but now things have become much easier.
With a flick of her finger, Liu Xubai caused the waist token to slip from the brocade ribbon on Fan Qingdu's clothes. She tossed the token, still warm from her touch, to Yun Wang, "Catch!"
The hollowed-out character "启" (Qi) gleamed in the sunlight. "With it, you can freely enter and leave Qiling City."
"It's so valuable..." she declined.
In the past few days, she has been cramming on knowledge about the cultivation world. Although she doesn't have a comprehensive understanding, she knows that Qiling City does not open its channels to outsiders except at specific times.
"Just accept it without worry. If I hadn't forgotten it, I wouldn't have needed it at all." After saying that, she glared fiercely at Fan Qingdu.
This scene made Yunwang burst out laughing.
In the end, she accepted the gift and promised, "I will keep it safe. Once I have completed my studies, I will personally go to Qiling City and return it to you intact." She also made a joke.
Fan Qingdu remained silent, still holding his sword.
In the past few days, Lin Yun has figured out his personality; if he doesn't object, it means he agrees.
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