If You Can't Beat Them, Report Them

Under the three men's tense gazes, Lu Xuan took out a handful of Spirit Stones from his sleeve and warmly stuffed them toward that Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator.

"Fellow Daoists, you've had such a hard time inspecting all the way here. Here are a few Spirit Stones, nothing worthy of respect. Please have a cup of spirit tea, Fellow Daoists."

The most sincere and fervent smile surfaced on Lu Xuan's face.

The leading Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator could not refuse him, so he accepted them in passing. He lightly weighed the Spirit Stones in his hand, and with his seasoned experience, he instantly knew the approximate number. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Seeing him accept the Spirit Stones, Lu Xuan relaxed slightly.

He did not want these three to enter his Spirit Field and see rare and precious spirit plants such as the Sword Grass and Dark Marrow Mushroom, lest others covet them and bring disaster upon him.

If he refused by force, he was confident that with his own Qi Refining Stage 5 cultivation, plus the First Grade Special Magic Tool, the Split Silver Blade, the Second Grade Talismans, the Myriad Sword Qi Talisman and Thunderfire Pearl, he could annihilate the three of them in an instant.

But he could not bear the consequences afterward. After all, there were too many people and too many ears around; it was impossible to deal with the three without gods knowing and ghosts noticing.

Since that road was blocked, bribery was the only option. Twenty Spirit Stones to erase a possible storm was still acceptable.

A fake smile hung on his face as he committed the three of them—especially the leading Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator—to memory, secretly resolving that if he ever got the chance, he would take it back doubled.

The Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator slipped all twenty Spirit Stones into his own Storage Bag without leaving a trace. The two Qi Training Stage 3 cultivators beside him looked as normal as ever, as though they had seen nothing at all.

"I can tell at a glance that you are a man of fine bearing, open and upright. You certainly wouldn't be colluding with Evil Spirits. How about this: I'll have my two subordinates go through the motions and take a casual look around your courtyard."

The Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator said to Lu Xuan with a smile.

Lu Xuan was taken aback. Hearing the meaning hidden outside the strings of his words, a nameless anger immediately rose in his heart.

"I've already given you twenty Spirit Stones. Fine, you swallowed them all by yourself, but now you still want me to feed your two subordinates too? Aren't you afraid of stuffing your belly until it bursts?"

If before he had only intended to win back face, then after the Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator said this, Lu Xuan had a strong desire to kill all three of them.

He led the two Qi Training Stage 3 cultivators into the courtyard and stuffed five Spirit Stones to each of them. The two casually glanced around, satisfied, and left.

"My Spirit Stones aren't that easy to earn."

Lu Xuan followed the two out of the courtyard. Watching their figures from behind, he sneered inwardly.

Just as the three were about to go to another courtyard, Wang Shan suddenly walked out from his home.

When he saw the Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator, his eyes lit up.

"Senior Brother Tan, how did you end up over here? Since you came, why didn't you go inside and see me, your Junior Brother?"

Wang Shan, his face glowing with health, walked over with a smile.

"Isn't it because there are mission requirements from above and official business is keeping me busy? Evil Spirits keep appearing one after another in the Marketplace, so I had no choice but to come out and carry out more inspections.

Junior Brother Wang Shan, it's been a long time. Your cultivation has grown much deeper."

The Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator responded with a smile.

"So that's how it is. This Daoist Lu is my neighbor. He usually loves cultivating spirit plants most, and he's simple and honest. Senior Brother Tan, you didn't make things difficult for him, did you?"

"How could I? Little Brother Lu is clearly an incomparably upright person at first glance. Naturally, he couldn't possibly have any connection to Evil Spirits."

The Tan Surname Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator said, not mentioning in the slightest the matter of having just pocketed Lu Xuan's twenty Spirit Stones.

"That's good. Let me introduce you to each other."

"This is Daoist Lu Xuan, Qi Training Stage 3 cultivation, a Spirit Plant Master."

"This is Tan Xiaodong, a deacon in charge of security in the Marketplace. His cultivation is deep; he entered Qi Refining Stage 5 many years ago. He can be considered my Senior Brother."

Wang Shan introduced both sides' identities to each other.

"I've long admired you, long admired you. Daoist Tan is iron-faced and impartial, devoted to his duties. To have such a highly cultivated deacon guarding us is the good fortune of the many cultivators in the Marketplace."

Lu Xuan said in a tone dripping with yin and yang.

"Wang Shan, why didn't you come out earlier? If you'd come out a little sooner, maybe I could have saved those dozens of Spirit Stones, and this Senior Brother of yours might have kept his life too."

He could not help grumbling inwardly, grieving bitterly over the thirty Spirit Stones he had lost.

"Awooo~~!!"

Inside the courtyard, seeing Wang Shan enter, the Cloud Stepping Lynx, which had been quietly staying in the corner the whole time, suddenly let out a low growl.

"Quiet!"

Lu Xuan lightly patted the gray-white fur on its pointed ears.

The Cloud Stepping Lynx cub's pair of Emerald Green Pupils stared coldly at Wang Shan and the others. It no longer roared, but kept baring its teeth and grimacing.

After the few of them exchanged a few words, Wang Shan left together with Tan Xiaodong and the other two.

Only after their figures disappeared did the Cloud Stepping Lynx cub quiet down and return to its elegant posture. With a light leap, four white clouds landed on Lu Xuan's shoulder.

"Don't bark randomly in the future, got it?"

Lu Xuan picked it up, set it on the ground, and tugged at the fur on the tips of its ears.

"Awooo~~~"

The Azure-Eyed Cloud Stepping Lynx pinched its throat, working hard to let out a cutesy, affected voice.

"Mm?"

Lu Xuan suddenly discovered that something was slightly off.

He remembered clearly that when Wang Shan had come in just now, the Lynx Cub's cry had not sounded as affected and artificial as it did now, but rough and blunt.

Aside from the first time it had let out such a roar in front of him, that sound had appeared only three times.

Twice when Wang Shan had entered his courtyard, and once when it discovered the Mutated Cultivator in the market.

His expression instantly turned cold and stern. That time in the market, the Lynx Cub had discovered something abnormal on that cultivator's body. Then during the two times it roared when it encountered Wang Shan, had it also discovered something? "Did you discover something on that neighbor?"

Thinking of the strangeness of the Azure-Eyed Cloud Stepping Lynx's pair of green eyes, Lu Xuan asked it.

The Cloud Stepping Lynx was a Variant Demon Beast with no low intelligence. It stared with its round eyes and nodded its little head.

"The same as that Mutated Cultivator in the market?"

Lu Xuan continued asking.

The cub first nodded, then shook its head.

"What's nodding and shaking your head supposed to mean?"

"Right, the time when that cultivator in the market mutated was after the many cultivators who had been reclaiming the secret realm came back and the Evil Spirits erupted, while the lynx had already roared to warn me before that when it saw Wang Shan."

"So the nod means there's an Evil Spirit or some other abnormality inside Wang Shan's body, and the shake of the head means it's different from the Mutated Cultivator in the market?"

Lu Xuan guessed the rough outline.

"With a time bomb like that at my side, how should I handle it properly? Meet soldiers with generals and floodwaters with earthworks, or strike first and gain the upper hand?"

"If I hold my troops still, that would be far too passive. There's such a thing as being a thief for a thousand days, but never guarding against thieves for a thousand days."

"But if I strike first, I don't know whether I can beat him."

"If it were only Wang Shan's own strength at Qi Refining Stage 5, that would be fine; the odds would be good. But with that unknown Evil Spirit inside his body added in, it becomes unpredictable."

"And Wang Shan is a Patrol Captain in the market, with official backing. It would be easy to get more things entangled."

"More importantly, I still don't know what strange Evil Spirit might exist behind him."

For a moment, Lu Xuan sank into a dilemma. Not solve it? He lived near Wang Shan, so he would have to be constantly anxious and afraid. Moving out was not realistic either; after all, he had paid so much rent to lease this courtyard.

But if he did solve it, he would easily expose himself to danger.

"Is there any method that's both safe and effective?"

Lu Xuan pondered silently.

"I've got it. Hasn't Vast Forest Market been cleaning out Evil Spirits on a large scale lately? Why not use this pretext and have their own people deal with him?"

"If I can't beat him, I can report him!"