Cave Entrance

Beside the wall under the bed, there was a narrow crack. If not for the direction of the water flow revealing it, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

The three exchanged glances. Wei Hongqing took out several iron darts, Zuo Gaofeng held his twin axes, and Liu Xiaolou drew the Three Xuan Sword. With a flick of his right wrist, he slightly extended the Misty Incense Tendon.

After preparing for an enemy engagement, Wei Hongqing half-reclined, moved to the corner of the wall, and gently inserted an iron dart into the crack, trying to pry up the flagstone that protruded from the gap. However, he didn't dare to apply too much force, and after several attempts, he failed.

While pondering, he reached out and felt around the vicinity for a while. As expected, he found a slightly raised spot and pressed it downwards.

Two flagstones, each about a foot square, suddenly caved in, revealing a hole in the ground.

It was pitch black below the hole, and nothing could be seen clearly. Wei Hongqing pointed at the unconscious woman, and Zuo Gaofeng pulled her over, handing her to Wei Hongqing.

Wei Hongqing grabbed one of the woman's arms and lowered her feet into the hole, then her body, then her head, before finally reaching the bottom.

Using the woman as a shield, Wei Hongqing followed her down. The hole was very small, and it took considerable effort to get in, creating some noise. He tried a few times because of this, but there was no reaction from below.

Soon, lights appeared below the hole. Wei Hongqing had lit a fire starter. Shortly after, Zuo Gaofeng also descended.

After a moment, Zuo Gaofeng turned back and said to Liu Xiaolou, "The tunnel is very long, and Lu Zi'an doesn't seem to be inside. He and I will go in to explore. You stay here to provide support."

Liu Xiaolou waited silently at the entrance of the hole. After about two more quarters of an hour, when he was almost losing patience, Zuo Gaofeng's head emerged from the hole again. "Quick, we found him! Have the Hermit and Tan Bazhang come down together, and prepare to act!"

Liu Xiaolou's heart leaped. He rushed out of the courtyard and called for the Western Mountain Hermit and Tan Bazhang to enter the house. Both of them were excited and nervous. They each took out their magical artifacts and descended into the tunnel one by one.

Facing a master at the tenth layer of Qi Refining, how could they not be nervous?

The tunnel was very narrow. Zuo Gaofeng held a lit pine branch and ran ahead in small steps. The others followed behind. They didn't know how many turns they had made or how long they had run before they emerged from the ground again. A gust of cool breeze extinguished the flames leaping in their hearts.

Zuo Gaofeng had already extinguished the torch and pointed to a patch of darkness ahead, which was vaguely a cliff. They tiptoed closer, turned a corner around the cliff, and suddenly their eyes lit up.

Below the cliff was a stone cave, and firelight flickered within.

Wei Hongqing was seven or eight zhang away from the cave entrance, hiding behind a clump of dense bushes. Beside him was the woman who had already woken up. Her meridians were sealed, rendering her speechless, and her eyes were filled with despair.

Liu Xiaolou quietly asked, "Is he in there?"

Wei Hongqing nodded.

Liu Xiaolou asked again, "Is it him?"

Wei Hongqing nodded again.

The firelight in the cave continued to flicker, and everything seemed normal. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wei Hongqing pointed to the cliff top above the cave entrance and gestured to Tan Bazhang. Tan Bazhang nodded and took a detour upwards.

Zuo Gaofeng took up a position to the left of the cave entrance, while the Western Mountain Hermit went to a tree diagonally opposite the cave entrance. Liu Xiaolou saw him take out a mechanism that looked like a crossbow box.

Wei Hongqing beckoned Liu Xiaolou to join him, and they moved inch by inch to the right of the cave entrance, still holding the woman.

Tan Bazhang had already reached the top of the cave entrance and signaled to Wei Hongqing below. Wei Hongqing then nudged Liu Xiaolou, signaling him to begin.

Liu Xiaolou slowly crouched down and extended his palm, probing along the ground. His hand was obscured by the weeds at the cave entrance, making it difficult to detect from inside. The Misty Incense Tendon extended from his wrist cuff, propelled by true essence, releasing a colorless smoke that was difficult for the naked eye to discern, drifting towards the cave.

The cave was much larger than the house, and the entrance was wide open, with a bonfire lit. The effect of the Misty Incense would be significantly affected. Of course, there was also an advantage: because of the bonfire, the scent was even harder to identify.

His movements were very light, and the Misty Incense was blocked by his sleeve. Except for Wei Hongqing, the other three did not know that the ambush had begun, and they continued to stare at Wei Hongqing, waiting for his command to act.

The Misty Incense was continuously being propelled. Liu Xiaolou could sense that the incense tendon had shortened by a third. Although it pained him, he knew that this was not the time to be stingy; he was dealing with a master, far superior to the woman at his feet.

Before the year, he had gone out on a business trip with Wei Hongqing. It was also a master at the tenth layer of Qi Refining. At that time, there was not much Misty Incense left. After fully propelling it, the effect was not particularly good, resulting in a fierce battle. Fortunately, he had many companions, otherwise, the target would have truly escaped.

He also knew that with his current cultivation, the Misty Incense he refined was certainly not good enough, and the power he propelled was far from adequate. Even if he propelled the entire incense tendon, he probably wouldn't be able to incapacitate Lu Zi'an in the cave. However, as long as it had some effect, the surprise attack would be much more stable.

He maintained a strange posture. Zuo Gaofeng, Tan Bazhang, and the Western Mountain Hermit now realized that Younger Brother Liu was casting a spell to administer poison. When the woman in the house was drugged before, the others had not witnessed it firsthand and did not find it particularly strange. Now that they saw it with their own eyes, they found it incredible.

Where was the blowpipe they were promised? Where was the medicinal smoke they were promised?

It all started so silently?

Several of them couldn't help but feel a chill.

Lu Zi'an was indeed in the cave. He hooked his feet into a crevice on the cave ceiling, his body clinging tightly to the ceiling like a gecko, staring intently at the cave entrance.

To the left of the cave entrance, there was a breath, almost imperceptible, indicating that the person ambushing there had a cultivation level of at least the sixth layer of Qi Refining, but definitely not the ninth layer. To the right of the cave entrance, there were three people. Two breaths were steady, and one was weak. He suspected it was a common small group among rogue cultivators, and they should cooperate quite skillfully during combat. There should be another person in the tree far outside the cave, as he had heard the sound of a branch bending just now. Although it was very light, it could not escape his perception.

Lu Zi'an had a short sword, about an inch long, hidden under his tongue. This was his ultimate skill honed over many years. As long as the enemy dared to show their head, he was confident that he could kill one by surprise. He was not afraid of the remaining four combined.

What he needed to consider was how to prevent anyone from escaping. Otherwise, if the news leaked, he would face endless pursuit from Tianmu Mountain. In fact, even if he killed all these timid scoundrels who dared not show their faces, he could not stay here any longer. It was hateful that his half-month of secluded cultivation was in vain, and he had not been able to break through to perfection. Everything needed to start anew, and the time to take the Foundation Establishment Pill was still uncertain.

Well, he also had to take Ping Gu with him when he left. He wondered if Ping Gu was in danger?

As soon as he thought of Ping Gu, an alluring figure inexplicably appeared in Lu Zi'an's mind, twisting and turning, making him feel a dry mouth and throat.

Damn it, I'm so hot