Claiming the Puppet Bodyguards

Before Li Feng could speak, Li Yao beat him to it.

The youth's voice carried undisguised flippancy, sounding especially grating beneath the tranquil moonlight. "You've got five bottles of Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills anyway. Let us have one."

Li Feng's face darkened, and his fingers tightened slightly inside his sleeve.

He shot Li Yao a stern sidelong glance, and an urgent voice transmission stabbed into Li Yao's sea of consciousness. "Shut your mouth! Let me do the talking!"

Li Yao curled his lip, his face full of disdain.

He kept staring fixedly at Lu Yang, his gaze full of overbearing entitlement—as if demanding someone else's belongings were the most natural thing in the world.

Li Feng took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the irritation between his brows. By the time he turned back to Lu Yang, a gentle smile was back on his face.

The smile was as gentle as a March breeze brushing across a lake without raising a ripple. "At the price you paid today, Martial Nephew Lu, a bottle of Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills comes to five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. We're willing to offer fifty-three hundred. What do you think?"

Qin Nanyue frowned and glanced sideways at Lu Yang. Her lips moved slightly, but she said nothing.

They had come to buy something, and they were offering a premium. On the surface, there was nothing to fault.

Whether to sell was entirely up to Lu Yang.

Even so, she silently sent him a crisp voice transmission. "Junior Brother Lu, what do you think? If you don't want to sell, refuse. If anything happens, I'll back you up. Our Qin Household has disciples in the inner sect too, and they're strong. We even have a personal disciple there, so we're not afraid of their Li Household."

A touch of warmth rose in Lu Yang's heart when he heard that.

Qin Nanyue had not hesitated in the slightest when she said it. She clearly regarded him as one of her own and was protecting him.

At the same time, his left hand suddenly grew warm.

A soft, slightly cool little hand reached over and grasped his fingers.

The hand trembled slightly, yet its grip was firm, as if doing its utmost to convey some kind of support.

Lu Yang turned his head and met Lin Ying's gentle, clear eyes.

She said nothing, only held his hand quietly, the worry in her eyes plain to see.

Lu Yang felt as though something soft had bumped against his heart.

He gently clasped Lin Ying's hand in return, wrapping his palm around her cool little hand and giving it a firm squeeze to reassure her.

Then he turned to Qin Nanyue and sent a voice transmission. "Thank you, Senior Sister Qin. I know what I'm doing."

Before, he would have had to weigh things carefully when facing the Li Household, a Golden Core aristocratic clan.

But things were different now. He had a full five Golden Core Realm bodyguards!

Leaving the others aside, Wang Da's panel attributes alone would make facing a cultivator at the same Peak Golden Core level a higher-dimensional beatdown.

With a trump card like that in hand, the Li Household was naturally nothing to worry about.

He paid Li Yao's behavior no mind at all.

Ignoring Li Yao's aggressive stare completely, he looked straight at Li Feng with a faint smile. "You must be joking, Martial Uncle Li. I'm not short of Spirit Stones. Supreme-grade pills are something one can encounter but not seek. In my view, they're far more valuable than Spirit Stones."

Li Feng's heart sank slightly. He immediately sent a voice transmission to restrain Li Yao, whose face had already turned ashen beside him.

Then Li Feng said unhurriedly, "You have a point, Martial Nephew Lu. Supreme-grade pills are indeed something one can encounter but not seek. In that case, is there anything you need? We could also trade goods for goods."

Lu Yang's lips curved slightly. "Things that are fairly rare on the market. Other types of supreme-grade pills, special Pill Formulas, supreme-grade Law Artifacts, or heavenly materials and earthly treasures like Azurite Jade Liquid... Of course, if what you offer is worth more than the Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills, Martial Uncle Li, I'd be willing to make up the difference in Spirit Stones."

For Lu Yang, it was not that he could not trade the Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills, but exchanging them for Spirit Stones was not worth it.

Trading them for some genuine treasures, now that was a guaranteed profit.

What was so special about Spirit Stones?

He was so poor that all he had left was Spirit Stones.

He still had a Mid-Grade Rebate Card, waiting to use it later to get a rebate on today's auction transaction worth one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

At the very, very least, he would receive a full five hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

For a minor cultivator at Mid-stage Qi Refining, just thinking about the number five hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones was already an absurd concept.

Lu Yang's words were like a flame, setting off the powder keg Li Yao had kept bottled up for so long.

His eyes flew wide, and his voice rose a notch in near fury. "If I had a treasure like Azurite Jade Liquid, I'd trade it to you for Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills?! Don't you think you sound ridiculous?!"

Lu Yang turned his head unhurriedly and looked at him with a hint of a smile. "Weren't you planning to buy my Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills with Spirit Stones? What's the difference?"

"You—!" Li Yao's handsome face flushed crimson, and his eyes nearly spat fire.

Li Feng immediately reached out and pressed a hand onto Li Yao's shoulder. His five fingers tightened sharply, pinning him in place like an iron clamp.

He turned and glared at Li Yao, and the chill in that look made Li Yao instinctively shrink his neck.

Li Feng then turned back to Lu Yang, his expression swiftly returning to normal.

He cupped his hands properly toward Lu Yang, his sincere tone tinged with resignation. "His family spoiled him. Please don't take it to heart, Martial Nephew Lu. A trade requires both parties to be willing. We're all fellow disciples, so naturally, we can't force the matter. If you don't wish to trade, we'll leave it at that."

He did not consider himself generous enough to trade the treasures he had saved up for pills meant for his younger male cousin.

Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills were good, but they were good for Li Yao, not for him.

Seeing that Li Feng had put it that way, Lu Yang said no more.

He smiled and nodded. "In that case, I'm afraid I must apologize, Martial Uncle."

Li Feng waved a hand, the gentle smile on his face undiminished. "It's nothing. It's getting late, and we should be going back. Farewell, all three of you."

With that, he pulled Li Yao by the arm and turned to leave.

Dragged along, Li Yao stumbled awkwardly, twisting back from time to time to rake Lu Yang with a venomous glare, like a vicious dog being pulled away by its leash.

The two figures gradually melted into the night.

Only then did Qin Nanyue knit her brows, her tone somewhat grave. "I know of Martial Uncle Li Feng. He's a disciple of True Person Du Chongxiao of Golden Light Peak. He isn't a True Disciple, but I've heard he's extremely strong. In the sect, Li Feng has always kept such a low profile that he barely has any presence, and there have never been any bad rumors about him. But this Li Yao..."

Her voice paused, and undisguised disgust flashed through her eyes. "He doesn't look like a good sort. He's probably grown used to throwing his weight around under the great tree of the Li Household, and that's how he ended up with such a character."

Lin Ying nodded gently, her delicate brows knitting slightly. "That man looks rather violent by nature."

She raised her eyes to Lu Yang, her large, limpid eyes full of undisguised worry. "Junior Brother Lu, Li Yao is a descendant of a Golden Core aristocratic clan, after all. Offending him like this... will it really be all right?"

Moonlight fell on her face, clearly outlining her slightly pursed lips and gently furrowed brows.

Seeing how worried Lin Ying looked, Lu Yang felt as though something had lightly poked his heart.

He could not help reaching out to pinch Lin Ying's soft little cheek. Beneath his fingertips, her skin was as tender as a freshly peeled egg and faintly warm.

Lin Ying's face suddenly burned.

The blush spread from her cheeks to the roots of her ears, then burned its way down to her neck.

She lowered her head in a fluster, her dark hair slipping off her shoulders and hiding most of her face.

Lu Yang spoke lightly. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

Seeing how untroubled Lu Yang was and recalling the confidence with which he had spent a hundred thousand earlier, Lin Ying felt the taut string in her heart loosen a little.

That's true... Junior Brother Lu's background probably isn't simple either.

I was worrying too much about him.

Qin Nanyue felt the same way.

Seeing how relaxed Lu Yang was, as though he did not take the Li Household seriously at all, she became a little more certain of her earlier guess.

After all, even her Qin Household had to be somewhat cautious when dealing with the Li Household.

Yet Lu Yang did not care in the slightest.

As far as he was concerned, the Li Household apparently was not much of a threat.

And the Li Household had a Peak Golden Core cultivator holding the fort!

There was probably a Nascent Soul-level figure standing behind this fellow.

Qin Nanyue slowly exhaled, and the worry weighing on her heart dispersed.

She turned to look at Lin Ying, who was still blushing with her head lowered, then suddenly folded her arms and deliberately put on a stern face, her tone three parts feigned anger and seven parts teasing:

"Lu Yang! You're flirting with my Yingying right in front of me. Are you pretending I don't exist?!"

Lin Ying was utterly stunned by the blast of her words.

Her ears were so red they seemed ready to drip blood, and her head sank lower and lower. She wished she could bury her face in her chest.

Lu Yang was briefly taken aback, then put on an expression of serious thought.

He stroked his chin, a look of sudden understanding appearing on his face. "I understand, Senior Sister Qin. How about I flirt with you too?"

Qin Nanyue froze on the spot.

Her expression shifted from indignation to shock. As the night breeze blew past, she suddenly felt her face grow a little hot.

"Are you asking for death?!" She glared fiercely at Lu Yang, though her voice sounded somewhat lacking in confidence. "Watch out, or I'll beat you up! I'm at Peak Qi Refinement, at least. Dealing with a brat like you is still no problem!"

As she spoke, she raised a fair little fist and shook it in front of Lu Yang, her knuckles cracking.

Then, before Lu Yang could reply, Qin Nanyue grabbed Lin Ying by the wrist and dragged her forward with great strides.

"Yingying, let's go! Ignore this lecher!"

Lin Ying still had not recovered from what had just been said. Her body was limp as she stumbled along in Qin Nanyue's grip.

Lu Yang watched the two graceful figures recede into the moonlight.

One dragged the other along with carefree strides, while the other stumbled as she was pulled. The sight was both comical and pleasing to the eye.

A faint smile rose to his lips. Only then did he set off after them at an unhurried pace.

The night was black as ink, the starlight like scattered fragments.

The three walked toward the exit along the market's main street, paved with bluestone.

Most of the shops lining the street had already closed. One or two small, ever-burning spirit lamps remained on their shut doors, casting long patterns of light and shadow across the flagstones.

A few scattered hawkers' cries and the hearty laughter of drinkers could still be heard in the distance, drifting through the quiet night as though from another world.

Beyond the market gates, the mountain path suddenly opened up.

The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's mountain gate was faintly visible in the distance through the night. The spiritual light of its mountain-protecting formation flowed among the peaks, like silver dragons winding slowly along the ridges.

Lu Yang suddenly stopped.

Qin Nanyue and Lin Ying turned back to look at him at the same time.

He smiled. "Senior Sister Lin, Senior Sister Qin, you two go back to the sect first. I still have something to do."

Qin Nanyue glanced at him, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

Her intuition told her that whatever Lu Yang had to do probably had something to do with Li Yao.

But she did not ask any further. She reached out to take hold of Lin Ying, who seemed about to say something, and smiled briskly. "Then we'll go on ahead. Stay safe. Today's auction has only just ended, and although we're within the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's territory, there's no telling where some audacious Bandit Cultivator might be hiding."

Lu Yang nodded. "I know."

Qin Nanyue led Lin Ying a couple of steps away before Lin Ying looked back at Lu Yang. "Stay safe, Junior Brother Lu!"

The two slender figures gradually blurred and disappeared into the overlapping shadows of the trees along the mountain path.

Lu Yang watched them leave until they were no longer in sight. Only then did he turn and plunge into the mountain forest beside him.

It was much darker among the trees than on the mountain path.

Dense branches and leaves sliced the starlight and moonlight into fragments, scattering them in mottled patches on the ground.

Dead twigs and fallen leaves crackled softly underfoot, mingling with the low chirping of unknown night insects to form a peculiar rhythm in the silence.

Lu Yang's heartbeat quickened slightly, and an anticipation he could not suppress rose in his eyes.

He had sent the two women ahead so he could claim his squad of bodyguards.

Naturally, he could not claim five Golden Core Realm puppets inside the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

The sect was covered by a mountain-protecting formation and layer upon layer of restrictions. If the spiritual power fluctuations of five unfamiliar Golden Core-level beings appeared inside the sect at once, the commotion would surely draw the Law Enforcement Hall and even the elders of every peak.

Only outside the sect could he claim them without making a sound.

Lu Yang made his way through the woods for a while and found a secluded clearing far from the mountain path.

Mountains surrounded it on all sides, and the forest was dense. A circle of cool moonlight filtered down from overhead, illuminating the center of the clearing in silver.

He stopped, took a deep breath of the slightly cool night air, and summoned the system panel.