At dusk, Chen Huan and his group dragged their exhausted bodies back to City Lord Duanmu's Mansion.
Xiao Tasha looked especially pale. She could barely stand, and half her weight was slumped against Chen Huan. They had practically carried her back.
"What happened to you immortal masters...?" The steward of the guest courtyard came out to greet them and was greatly surprised. "Should I report this to the housekeeper?"
"No need." Chen Huan didn't look well either. He took a slight breath before saying, "We just traveled a long way today. It's nothing serious. Please bring us some water so we can wash up... By the way, where's Junior Brother Pei?"
Their return had caused quite a commotion. Even the mortal steward of the guest courtyard had been roused, so there was no reason a cultivator like Pei Ling wouldn't have heard them.
Yet he still hadn't shown himself. Surely he wasn't still sleeping?
Seeing the steward's bewildered expression, Chen Huan immediately said to Chen Mei, "Go check on him. Make sure Junior Brother Pei isn't feeling unwell!"
Chen Mei didn't dare delay. Ignoring her fatigue, she hurried off. But when she reached the small building and asked around, her expression changed at once. "What?! Pei Ling isn't here? Where did he go? When did he leave?"
The maid assigned to attend to Pei Ling knelt on the ground, trembling. "This servant doesn't know, immortal lady."
"You don't know? You're assigned to serve him here. How could you not know?" Chen Mei's heart sank. In her haste, her voice rose to a shrill pitch as she scolded, "Then what use are you?!"
She was terrified. Her cousin Chen Huan's Soul Summoning Banner was almost complete. If they failed at the last moment, then...
"What are you panicking for?" Chen Huan had hurried over as soon as he received the news, but he looked utterly composed.
He wasn't worried about Pei Ling escaping in the slightest.
Over the years, he had refined plenty of fellow disciples into his Soul Summoning Banner. The reason the Deacon Hall had never come knocking was that he had covered his tracks cleanly!
This time, he had personally chosen a mission in Luoshan City.
After all, Luoshan City lay among towering mountains. Besides the city, there was nowhere nearby to shelter. The rest of the region was overrun with insects and beasts, and filled with miasma. Even Qi Refining Stage cultivators born in Luoshan City had only a one-in-ten chance of walking out alive!
And Pei Ling was here for the first time.
Even if they let him flee for several days and nights, they could catch up with him easily!
Besides, it would be better if he didn't flee. Luoshan City was, after all, under the Sacred Sect's rule and City Lord Duanmu's jurisdiction. Although the City Lord was a smooth operator who wouldn't go out of his way to protect Pei Ling, if they dared attack him inside the city, the City Lord might not be willing to cover for them when the Deacon Hall investigated.
That would cost them dearly!
But if Pei Ling left the city of his own accord, heh...
Thinking of this, Chen Huan reminded her coolly, "Didn't you put Thousand-Mile Incense on him? Use the Tracking Bee to find his location first."
Chen Mei finally came to her senses. She hurriedly took out the Tracking Bee and communicated with it for a moment with her eyes closed. Then she couldn't help but feel delighted. "Brother, he's still in the city."
"Still in the city?" Chen Huan gave a faint, cold smile. "Roughly which direction is he in?"
"It seems..." Chen Mei focused for a moment, then looked puzzled. "It seems to be... the market in the north of the city?"
"The market?" Chen Huan abruptly turned to the maid and barked, "You've got some nerve! You dared lie to us to our faces! Junior Brother Pei just arrived. If he wanted to go to the market, why wouldn't he ask you for directions?! And you still dare claim you know nothing!"
The maid felt bitter. She was just a mortal servant. How could she afford to offend any cultivator?
She had hoped to bluff her way through, but now she could only confess honestly. "This servant was told by Immortal Master Pei not to reveal his whereabouts..."
Chen Mei's expression changed when she heard this. Could it be that he had discovered their intentions?
Chen Huan, however, remained composed. Pei Ling was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Even if he had seen through something, it was already too late!
Chen Huan immediately turned to Zhang Zhongqin. "He may have discovered something, or he may not have. Go to the north market at once and bring him back!"
"Yes!"
At that moment, in a teahouse at the market in Luoshan City,
Pei Ling was calmly sipping a pot of tea.
The local customs here were quite different from those in Luquan City, and there were more cultivators. As he wandered around, he had already come across several Rogue Cultivators.
"It's getting late. Chen Huan and the others should be coming for me soon..." Pei Ling thought. To test whether Chen Huan and the others truly had ulterior motives, all he had to do was hide from Chen Huan.
Of course, if Chen Huan and the others really were up to no good, Pei Ling had deliberately chosen the market to avoid provoking them into attacking him prematurely.
It was crowded and full of prying eyes. If Chen Huan dared attack him, there was no way he would escape the Chongming Sect's investigation afterward!
A group that had to work tirelessly for a few dozen spirit stones would never be able to pay a fine of over ten thousand!
Unless Chen Huan and the others slaughtered every mortal in the market. But if they did that, would City Lord Duanmu agree to it?
As Pei Ling pondered this, he suddenly heard a shout from behind him. "Pei Ling!"
He recognized Chen Mei's voice. His eyes shifted slightly, and then he calmly turned around.
Chen Mei was the first to rush over, with Zhang Zhongqin close behind. The two of them strode up to Pei Ling and immediately flanked him, one on each side. Chen Mei barked, "Didn't you say you'd spend today resting in the guest courtyard? Why did you sneak out?"
Pei Ling remained calm. These two... really did seem a little off!
"Senior Sister Chen, I was going to rest, but I lay on the bed for a while and couldn't fall asleep, so I came out for a walk." Thinking this to himself, Pei Ling explained casually, "I was worried the senior brothers and sisters might also be resting, so I didn't disturb you."
Zhang Zhongqin's expression darkened. "Since we're all in the same group, you should tell us when you come and go. If you suddenly disappear without a word, how could we not worry?"
"Senior Brother Zhang is right. I didn't think it through this time," Pei Ling said earnestly.
Seeing that Pei Ling wasn't at all flustered and seemed to have simply come out for a walk, the two secretly breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a glance. Chen Mei softened her tone a little and snorted, "I'll let it go this time. If you do it again, don't expect me to care about you."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. I'll tell you if anything comes up from now on," Pei Ling replied at once. "It's getting late. Let's head back to City Lord Duanmu's Mansion!"
That was exactly what Chen Mei and Zhang Zhongqin wanted. The two nodded without a second thought. "Right! Let's head back to the City Lord's Mansion first!"
The three of them set off together.
All along the way, Pei Ling made a point of walking close to Chen Mei, practically pressing his body against hers.
Chen Mei's brows furrowed. She was deeply displeased, but she was worried Pei Ling might run off along the way, so she couldn't scold him. She didn't even dare move away.
After they had walked a little farther, Pei Ling pushed his luck and draped an arm right over Chen Mei's shoulder!
Chen Mei's body stiffened. When she came to her senses, she immediately snapped, "Junior Brother Pei, you..."
"Senior Sister Chen, you've always cared so much about me. Doesn't that mean you like me?" Pei Ling asked, feigning confusion.
Chen Mei was struck dumb. She instinctively looked at Zhang Zhongqin, only to see that he was also taken aback. But when he recovered, he not only failed to stop her, but even signaled with his eyes for her to play along!
At this, Chen Mei's expression turned ugly. But seeing Pei Ling still gazing at her seriously, she could only answer with great reluctance, "A little..."
"Then what's the problem? We cultivators should be open and straightforward. Why cling to the so-called rules of etiquette like ordinary mortals, acting all coy and bashful?" Pei Ling replied decisively. He stopped resting his arm on her shoulder and wrapped it around her slender waist instead, then swaggered toward the City Lord's Mansion.
As they passed a group of mortals on the street, Pei Ling suddenly pinched Chen Mei hard on the waist.
"Ah!" Chen Mei cried out in fright, nearly wrenching herself free of Pei Ling's arm.
Zhang Zhongqin's attention was drawn to them for a moment, too.
While the two were distracted, Pei Ling quietly made his move and stole a sachet from one of the mortals.
Seeing that Pei Ling was only taking liberties with her, Chen Mei was both shocked and furious. Zhang Zhongqin, however, finally put his mind at ease. This fellow was bold as brass when it came to women; he wouldn't have to worry about him refusing to play along with the plan.
Some time later, the three returned to City Lord Duanmu's Mansion. As they passed through a bamboo grove on the grounds, Pei Ling repeated his trick and groped Chen Mei again. While she cried out and Zhang Zhongqin was distracted, he quietly tossed the sachet he had stolen earlier behind a clump of bamboo...
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