Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Report If You Can’t Fight Back 1
Translator: 549690339 & A
In the midst of their tense demeanor, Lu Xuan took out a Spirit Stone from his sleeve and excitedly handed it over to the Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level cultivator.
Dear friends, you’ve worked hard on your journey here. This is a little gift of Spirit Stones, please accept it as a token of respect and treat yourselves to some Spiritual Tea,” Lu Xuan said with his most sincere and warm smile.
The leading Qi Practitioner Intermediate Level cultivator could not refuse and consequently accepted it. He weighed the Spirit Stone on his hand and instantly knew its approximate quantity. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Seeing him accept the Spirit Stone, Lu Xuan slightly relaxed.
He did not want these three people to enter his Spirit Field and notice the Sword Grass, Dark Marrow Mushroom, and other rare and valuable spirit plants, in case they arouse envy and invite trouble.
If he were to refuse through force, he was confident that he could instantly eliminate the three men with his Qi Practicing Fifth Level Cultivation Level Special Magical Tool-Split Silver Blade, Second-Grade Sword Qi Talisman,’ and Thunder Fire Pearl.
However, he would not be able to bear the consequences that would ensue afterward. After all, there are many witnesses around, and it wouldn’t be possible to dispose of the three men unnoticed.
If this didn’t work, he could only resort to bribery. Twenty Spirit Stones to ward off the potential trouble was still acceptable.
Keeping up a facade smile on his face, he quietly took note of these three people in his mind, particularly the leading Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner, vowing to seize any opportunity to get his money’s worth back.
The Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner skillfully put all twenty Spirit Stones into his storage bag. The two Qi Cultivation Third Level cultivators at his side pretended not to notice anything and went along as usual.
“Looking at you, Friend Lu, you’re obviously a man of talent and integrity. I’m sure you wouldn’t have any connection with the Demon Envoy. How about you let my two subordinates take a look around your courtyard as a formality?” the Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner said with a smile to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan was taken aback, he understood the undertone in his words and instantly felt the rise of anger in his heart.
‘Tve already given you twenty Spirit Stones, and you holding onto them all by yourself is already outrageous enough, yet you still want me to satisfy your subordinates? Aren’t you afraid that this will fill your stomach beyond capacity?”
Lu Xuan was merely planning on getting even, but after hearing the Mid-stage Qi Practitioner’s words, Lu Xuan began to entertain hard-line thoughts of murdering the three men.
He then led the two Third Level Qi Cultivators into the courtyard and slipped each of them five Spirit Stones. After a casual glance, they left satisfied.
“My Spirit stones aren’t that easy to come by.”
Lu Xuan followed the two men out of the courtyard, watching their departing figures with a cold sneer in his heart.
Just as the three of them were about to go to another courtyard, Wang Shan came out of his house.
Seeing the Middle-Stage Qi Practitioner, his eyes lit up.
“Brother Tan, why have you come over here? You didn’t even visit me when you arrived,” a jovial Wang Shan approached, beaming.
“Didn’t you know I have a mission? And there’s so much official business to attend to. With the sporadic emergence of Demon Envoy figures in the market, I had to come out to check more frequently.”
“It has been so long since we last met, Brother Wang Shan, your cultivation level has deepened greatly,” the Mid-Stage Qi Practitioner replied with a smile.
“I see. Friend Lu is my neighbour, and he loves cultivating spirit plants most of all. He is simple and honest. Brother Tan, I hope you didn’t give him any hard time?”
“Not at all. On the contrary, Little Brother Lu is very upright and couldn’t possibly be associated with the Demon Envoy,” the cultivator surnamed Tan said, omitting the fact that he had just received twenty Spirit Stones from Lu Xuan.
“I’m glad to hear that. Let me introduce you to each other,” Wang Shan decided to introduce both parties.
“This is Friend Lu Xuan. He is at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation and is a Spirit Plant Master.”
“And this is Tan Xiao Dong, who is in charge of the market’s safety. He is deeply cultivated and has been at the Fifth Layer of Qi Cultivation for many years. He’s sort of my senior brother,” Wang Shan introduced both parties to each other.
“Nice to meet you. Officer Tan is impartial and dedicated. Having such a strong professional guarding the marketplace is a blessing for all cultivators,” Lu Xuan said ironically.
“Why didn’t you come out earlier, Wang Shan? If you had come out a bit earlier, I might’ve been able to save those dozens of Spirit Stones, and your senior brother’s life could’ve been spared.”
He couldn’t help but grumble in his heart, lamenting the loss of his thirty Spirit Stones.
“Roar—!!”
In the courtyard, upon seeing Wang Shan come in, the Cloud Leopard that had been quietly waiting in the corner suddenly growled.
“Quiet!”
Lu Xuan gently patted its ash-gray fur on the sharp ears.
The Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast stared coldly at Wang Shan and the others With its pair of emerald eyes, no longer roaring, but its teeth were bared.
After a few exchanges, Wang Shan and the three others left together. After the figures of the few men disappeared, the Cloud Leopard Juvenile Beast finally calmed down, regaining its elegant posture. With a gentle leap, four white clouds landed on Lu Xuan’s shoulder.
“Don’t bark at will in the future, understand?”
Lu Xuan picked it up, put it on the ground, and gently pulled its ear-tufted hair.
“Roar ”
The Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink pinched its throat, trying hard to make a falsetto sound.
“Huh?”
Lu Xuan suddenly sensed something was not right.
He clearly remembered that when Wang Shan had just come in, the civet juvenile’s roar was not as pretending as it is now, but straight and harsh.
Besides roaring once in front of him for the first time, it growled like this only three times.
Twice when Wang Shan entered his courtyard and once when he discovered the Metamorphosis Cultivator in the market.
His expression suddenly turned grim. The time at the market, when the civet juvenile discovered something unusual about that cultivator. The two times it roared upon seeing Wang Shan, did it discover anything?
“Did you discover something irregular about that neighbor?”
Lu Xuan thought of the peculiarities of the Bi Jing Cloud Treading Mink’s emerald eyes and asked it.
The Cloud Treading Leopard was a Different Species Demon Beast with high spiritual intelligence. With its round eyes, it nodded its small head.
“Like the Metamorphosis Cultivator in the market?”
Lu Xuan continued to ask.
The juvenile beast first nodded and then shook its head.
“What does nodding and shaking the head mean?”
“Yes, the event with the cultivator at the market occurred after the multitude of cultivators returned from the cultivation of Secret Land and the Demon Envoy broke out. But the Mink gave me a warning growl the first time it saw Wang Shan.”
“Does nodding mean that Wang Shan’s body is carrying the Demon Envoy or other abnormalities, and shaking the head indicate that there’s some difference between him and the cultivator at the market?”
Lu Xuan roughly guessed.
“What should I do about a ticking time bomb nearby? Should I just wait and watch, or pre-emptively attack?”
“Remaining idle seems too passive, as there’s a saying that you can only attempt robbery for a thousand days, not safeguard against it for a thousand days.”
“But if I attack first, will I be able to beat him?”
“If it’s just Wang Shan with his Qi Cultivating Fifth Level power, then things would still look hopeful. But when the unpredictable Demon Envoy inside is added into the equation, it becomes impossible to predict.”
“Moreover, Wang Shan is a minor leader of the patrol guards in the market with an official background. It would be easy to get entangled with more affairs.”
“More importantly, I don’t know what eerie Demon Envoy could be lurking behind him.”
Lu Xuan fell into a dilemma. If he doesn’t solve it, he will always have to worry as he lives near Wang Shan. Moving out is unrealistic, after all, he has paid so much rent for this courtyard.
But, if he chooses to solve it, it might put him at risk too.
“Is there a safe and effective method?”
Lu Xuan was deep in thought.
“Doesn’t Linyang Market carry out a large-scale purge of Demon Envoy recently? Why not take this opportunity to solve this from within?”
“If I can’t beat him, I can report!”