Inside the room.
Shopkeeper Wang and his son backed away in terror again and again, while Liu Yanran removed her mask and coldly watched the father and son before her.
"Y-You... don't kill me. Think carefully about your future. Even if you can escape after killing me, what about your sister?"
Shopkeeper Wang's trembling face had gone deathly pale. With a thump, he dropped to his knees, cold sweat beading across his pallid face as he repeatedly urged her to show mercy.
Yet when Shopkeeper Wang seized upon her weak spot, Liu Yanran smiled. Only, compared to her former decisiveness, there was now an extra hint of dark cunning.
"The ones who killed you father and son were clearly rogue cultivators. What does that have to do with me?"
Looking at the Wang father and son, who had been swaggering and bullying her just days ago but now crawled before her like stray dogs begging for mercy, Liu Yanran's eyes revealed a flicker of satisfaction.
Seeing the killing intent in Liu Yanran's eyes, Wang Sheng immediately pleaded, "Don't, don't! My father was the one who forcibly seized the shop. It has nothing to do with me. If you want to kill someone, kill him!"
Seeing his son behave like this, Shopkeeper Wang's face instantly turned livid. Pointing at his son with a trembling hand, he stammered, "Beast... beast! You beast!"
Watching the father and son bite each other like dogs, Liu Yanran felt even more delighted. Yet at the very instant father and son turned against each other, a sudden change occurred.
"Son!"
Shopkeeper Wang roared. Hidden by their bodies as they argued, Wang Sheng had finally managed to gather some spiritual power despite the nervous sweat covering his face. At such close range, he hurled the Fireball Technique in his hand straight at Liu Yanran's chest.
"Bitch! Die!"
Seeing the panicked look in Liu Yanran's eyes as she failed to dodge in time, Wang Sheng's face twisted into a savage grin.
Boom—
Yet the fireball passed straight through Liu Yanran's figure and smashed into the door, setting it ablaze. Wang Sheng cried out in shock and fury, "You!"
Liu Yanran was nowhere to be seen. The moment Wang Sheng realized what had happened, a bloodstained sword point had already pierced through his chest.
"Son!"
Seeing the sword protruding from his son's chest, Shopkeeper Wang let out a heart-rending cry of shock and rage.
Splat!
The longsword pierced through Wang Sheng's body and sank into Shopkeeper Wang's chest once more. In an instant, the room was filled with the thick stench of blood.
As the burning flames died down, soft footsteps sounded. Only then did Liu Yanran calmly walk in from outside.
Wang Sheng raised his head and stared at the scene in disbelief. "You! This is an array!"
Seeing the unwillingness in Wang Sheng's eyes, Liu Yanran sneered. "Did you think that if your Fireball Technique failed to hit me, it could still ignite the door and draw the patrol?"
"Even if you screamed yourselves hoarse, even if this shop burned to ashes, no one outside would hear the slightest sound or see the slightest change."
"Ruthless..." Wang Sheng said hoarsely. By now, he could already feel the strength draining from his body. Turning to look at his father's eyes, still wide open in death, he could not help but reveal a bitter smile.
"Father, your son has disappointed you..."
Yet Liu Yanran remained coldly at a safe distance. Using the Object Manipulation Technique to control her flying sword, she added another strike across their throats, completely extinguishing the father and son's life.
"The strong devour the weak. That is the law of survival in this world."
Looking at the two corpses, Liu Yanran coldly began stripping the father and son of their wealth, especially the bag of Spirit Stones on the table.
The next day, just as dawn broke, an urgent report arrived at the Patrol Prefecture.
"Brother Lin, bad news! Last night, rogue cultivators killed the Wang father and son in West City and looted everything from their shop."
Lin Chang'an, who had spent the whole night listening to music, flew into a rage upon hearing this. He slammed the table hard. "What! Rogue cultivators are running rampant within my jurisdiction?"
Zhang Qing, standing nearby, also got into the spirit of it. With an angry expression, he chimed in, "Junior Brother, these rogue cultivators have become far too brazen lately. They simply do not put our Great Sword Sect in their eyes."
Inside the main hall, Li Han, Qi Feng, and the Liu sisters watched the two perform. The scene was both comical and ironic.
Even Liu Feiyu saw through it clearly. A trace of embarrassment appeared on her face, and her gaze drifted uneasily. Clearly, her guilty conscience was making a thief of her own heart.
"Li Han, Qi Feng, from today onward, you two will lead men to strengthen the defenses. Do not let these rogue cultivators exploit any more loopholes."
"Yes!" The two cupped their hands in unison. Then Li Han raised his head and said somewhat awkwardly, "Brother, the Wang shop is on the street that belonged to the Liu Family before. We only just took it over, so a few oversights are normal."
Good heavens, seeing Li Han play along so well, Lin Chang'an's eyes revealed an approving smile. Yet he kept a stern face and directly rebuked him.
"What? Because we just took over, we can allow oversights? From today onward, I do not want to hear that again."
"Yes!"
As Lin Chang'an flared up, the person who had come to report wisely withdrew.
Just as Lin Chang'an's anger had yet to subside, Liu Yanran slowly stepped forward.
"Brother Lin, that shop originally belonged to my sister and me. Now that the Wang father and son are dead, the shop is still under our names!"
Liu Yanran slowly took out an identity token, which clearly recorded the shop's ownership.
Yet Lin Chang'an revealed a troubled expression upon seeing this. "It would not be appropriate to let you go back now, would it?"
Liu Yanran smiled faintly and slowly took out a heavy bag of Spirit Stones, placing it on the table with a crisp clink.
"Brother Lin, the Wang father and son were simply unlucky. If they had not forcibly occupied my family's shop, my sister and I would have been the unlucky ones last night."
Seeing that Liu Yanran was now so sensible, with none of yesterday's resentment remaining in her eyes as though she had suddenly come to understand, Lin Chang'an's eyes crinkled with a smile. He leisurely sat down, openly lifted a cup of tea without the slightest attempt at concealment, and looked her up and down.
"The Wang father and son were just killed by rogue cultivators, and then I let you sisters return to take over the shop. This..."
Seeing the teasing look in Lin Chang'an's eyes, Liu Yanran smiled and took out another bag of Spirit Stones, placing it on the table.
"The shop originally belonged to my sister and me. Who could gossip about Brother Lin?" Liu Yanran said calmly, appearing utterly justified at that moment.
But Lin Chang'an furrowed his brow with a solemn expression. "That shop is in a bustling district, and now you..."
His gaze meaningfully fell upon the black vein-like patterns exposed at Liu Yanran's neck. Liu Yanran smiled. She understood.
"The street where the incident occurred was originally managed by my Liu Family. I know that place better than anyone. Liu Yanran is willing to join the patrol."
With a clear gaze, Liu Yanran spoke these words, then took out another bag of Spirit Stones and placed it on the table. "This is precisely a time when people are needed. Brother Lin should not be too rigid in selecting talent."
Liu Yanran and Lin Chang'an spoke in riddles to each other, leaving Liu Feiyu somewhat bewildered. Zhang Qing, however, saw everything clearly—and precisely because he understood, his eyes widened.
Good heavens, Junior Brother Lin's methods were as sharp as ever. Not only was he eating from both ends, he had also gained a sixth layer Qi Condensation cultivator as his right-hand support.
And once she croaked, wouldn't the shop fall right back into his hands?
Brilliant!
I ask all fellow Daoists for recommendation votes. They are free and refresh every day.
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