Late at night, Taian City lay still and silent, and the Xu residence was steeped in tranquility.
A wisp of azure flame swayed without wind, casting the silhouettes of a man and a woman onto the paper window.
"We entered the pass faster than planned this time!"
Holding a wine cup in one hand and gently swirling it, Shen Yan said with lingering fear, "I thought the stationed official of Fengsui City would stop us... but everything went so smoothly. The Venerable One's 'Heavenly Guidance' was truly precise. I do not know where that man surnamed Xie came from, but after attaching ourselves to him, we passed through unimpeded all the way."
"It is not that the one surnamed Xie is formidable. It is the Venerable One who is formidable!"
Xu You smiled. "What sort of figure is the Venerable One? Since he has spoken, all we need do is obey. Has the token been kept intact?"
"Of course."
Shen Yan smiled as well.
She gave Xu You a look.
The deputy city lord of Taian City raised his hand and clenched his fist!
Bang!
In the next instant, the flames flickered, and the entire room was illuminated by dense specks of fluorescent light. Yet from outside, it remained pitch-black, like one had fallen into an abyss.
This small room had nearly a hundred talismans pasted over its beams, pillars, and every surface in all directions. Without exception, every one of them was meant to conceal auras and prevent outside investigation.
"Rest assured. This place is safe; even walls have no ears."
Xu You said calmly, "The token... can be brought out now."
Only after receiving this reply did Shen Yan relax slightly.
She drew breath again and again, steadying herself. Finally, she hardened her heart and tore off the talisman on her calf...
Riiip!
A crisp sound like tearing paper rang through the room. The other end of the talisman was actually tightly fused to flesh and blood. When it was torn away, blood and muscle clung to it in stringy strands. Shen Yan's face instantly turned pale, but her movements remained resolute as she completely ripped the talisman from the back of her calf.
Then, her other hand reached deep into the flesh.
Her slender fingers grasped something hard and slowly pulled it outward—
Throughout the entire process, Shen Yan did not let out a single muffled groan.
It was as though she were pulling out one of her own bones!
Several breaths later!
Clang!
The blood-soaked object fell to the floor with a clear ring.
Shen Yan collapsed onto the ground, gasping in huge breaths... She was nearly spent. Using the last of her strength, she slowly pressed the talisman back into place. The talisman fused into her bloodied calf, and the wound that had just been torn open gradually returned to its original state.
No one would have imagined that this talisman was actually used to stitch flesh and blood together!
If it had not been torn open—
No one would have known... that such an object was hidden inside Shen Yan's calf.
Xu You's gaze burned as he stared fixedly at the object Shen Yan had taken out.
"What exactly is this so-called token? Why does it look like a piece of bone?"
Shen Yan's face was pale, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
She examined the strange, hard object, roughly a foot long.
It looked like a Finger Bone.
But... it was definitely not human bone. If it truly was a Finger Bone, then the complete hand would have to be at least as large as her chest!
"You do not need to know what this object is. You only need to know... that it is immensely important. Now that it has been successfully delivered into Azure Prefecture, both of us have rendered great service."
Xu You took the object, retrieved a piece of white silk, carefully wiped it clean, and gingerly tucked it into his robes.
He murmured, "Next, I only need to hand the token to the next envoy before the agreed date, and the task will be perfectly completed."
After resting for quite a while—
Shen Yan finally spoke faintly. "Completing the mission is a good thing."
"But to get this object into Azure Prefecture, I endured the pain of slaughtering everyone on Lingluo Mountain... Even if the Great Chu Dynasty's imperial household has abandoned Northern Prefecture, this matter will sooner or later be investigated."
"You need not worry about the subsequent investigation. I will naturally smooth over Lingluo Mountain's troubles for you."
Xu You comforted her gently. "Look farther ahead. Once this matter is settled, the Venerable One will give you tenfold, a hundredfold compensation. By then, you will no longer merely be the head of the little Shen Household. Once the Demon Kingdom moves south, half of Northern Prefecture's fiefdom will be yours!"
"Half of Northern Prefecture's fiefdom?"
Shen Yan lowered her eyes and smiled, mocking herself. "Though I work for the Demon Race, I know exactly how much I weigh. Once this matter is over, I will be satisfied if I can safely become the master of Lingluo Mountain."
"As for you..."
She paused, then asked in puzzlement, "Five Azure Origin Pills are no small sum. You simply gave them away like that? You did not even make excuses to put him off?"
"To achieve great things, one must not be bound by trifles."
Xu You sat before the desk and said this in a deliberately casual tone.
After a brief pause—
"With Jing'er present, if I acted in a way that went against my usual image, he would surely grow suspicious."
With a sigh, Xu You said helplessly, "Azure Prefecture is now within the Eight Hundred Li Forbidden Zone. Cities large and small are under the Imperial City Bureau's watch. King Youhai is determined to root out the 'Demon Race traitors.' If anything unusual appears within Taian City, even the slightest stir might be noticed and magnified."
Upon hearing the words "Demon Race traitors"—
Shen Yan's expression changed slightly, but she quickly calmed down. "Have you not personally confirmed that Xie Zhen truly does not possess the slightest trace of vital essence..."
"Carefulness keeps the boat sailing for ten thousand years. The Eight Hundred Li Forbidden Zone is not frightening, nor is King Youhai."
Xu You's expression turned grave as he slowly said, "The young Imperial Preceptor behind King Youhai is the one we truly need to beware of. The Venerable One repeatedly warned us not to let the Primal Chaos Monitor catch even the slightest thread of karma. From what I know of the Imperial City Bureau, all thirty-six cities of Azure Prefecture are likely within the Primal Chaos Monitor's surveillance range. If we act within a city, we will certainly be seen."
Shen Yan raised her brows. "Acting in the city... will be seen? You mean?"
"Exactly. The Primal Chaos Monitor can observe heavenly secrets and capture karma. But no matter how powerful it is, it cannot possibly cover all of Azure Prefecture..."
Xu You licked his dry lips and murmured, "I laid down a Spirit Severing Array outside Taian City long ago. As long as Xie Zhen leads people out of the city tonight, it will be our chance to act. With heavenly secrets cut off and killing intent erupting, I refuse to believe this killing trap can still be seen by the Primal Chaos Monitor."
Shen Yan let out a long sigh.
She asked with emotion, "I knew you must have left yourself a backup plan. So from the very beginning, you intended to kill Xie Zhen?"
"If it had only been one or two, that would have been manageable. Even three—I could have gritted my teeth and given them to him."
Xu You's gaze was cold. "The blame lies with that boy's appetite being too large. He learned a few worthless talismans from the Daoist sect, then forgot how high the heavens were and how thick the earth was, daring to open his lion's mouth at me..."
Shen Yan recalled the details of their time together on the road.
As well as the stationed official of Fengsui City's strange reversal in attitude afterward.
She could not help reminding him, "I always feel that Xie Zhen is very strange. Are you not worried that he is playing the pig to eat the tiger?"
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger? Is he worthy?"
Xu You snorted upon hearing that. "I have already seen through this brat. There is not even the tiniest bit of vital essence anywhere on his body. That alone would be one thing, but he does not even possess a Lifebound Artifact."
If he could not sense any vital essence—
Then either Xie Zhen was an ordinary Qi Refiner!
Or Xie Zhen was a great figure several realms above him, so high beyond reach!
Even someone at the peak of the Grotto-Heaven Realm could not achieve that...
That youth looked only a little over sixteen. Could he possibly be at the peak of the Grotto-Heaven Realm?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
In the entire Great Chu Dynasty, there had not been such a genius in nearly a hundred years!
Unless he was a Reincarnated Adept of the Daoist sect!
That possibility was like fishing a needle from the bottom of the sea... At the very least, Xu You did not believe it. If he truly were a Reincarnated Adept, would he covet a few Azure Origin Pills from him? How could a supreme figure treated as an honored guest by the Daoist sect possibly think highly of his meager little fortune?!
Just then, a hum sounded.
A tremor burst through the room. A talisman hanging from the beam erupted with brilliant white light, warning Xu You... the array patterns outside Taian City had activated. Someone had entered the trap!
"Good!"
A sharp gleam burst from Xu You's eyes.
"Just as I expected, this brat has a guilty conscience. He wants to run after taking the Azure Origin Pills!"
Only then did the stone hanging over Xu You's heart finally fall to the ground.
He extended his hand.
The great spear lying across the weapon rack suddenly flew up and landed in his palm.
"Xie Zhen, Xie Zhen..."
Xu You tightened his grip around the great spear, feeling the chill of cold iron against his palm as he spoke coldly, "You think you can leave after taking the goods? Where in the world is there such a good thing?"
"Zzz~~~"
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