"Then I'll have to thank you, Senior Brother Huang," Pei Ling replied calmly.
With that, Pei Ling turned and headed back to his room.
Watching Pei Ling return to his room, Huang Xian suddenly said, "Junior Sister Chen, did you hear what that brat just said?"
Chen Mei emerged from the shadows of the bushes. Moonlight dappled her face, illuminating her cold expression. "I'll send the Tracking Bee to search right now!"
Before long, the sachet Pei Ling had deliberately tossed into the bamboo grove earlier was found by the two of them.
"We did pass through here when we came back this afternoon," Chen Mei said.
Huang Xian inspected it a few times. Seeing that it was merely an ordinary sachet used by mortals, he paid it no mind and said indifferently, "He left without bringing a weapon. Looks like he really is searching for something. We'll return it to him tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Meanwhile, inside the small building.
Pei Ling frowned deeply. He had made quite a few preparations in advance, so running into Huang Xian just now had not come as a surprise.
Since Chen Huan and the others intended to harm him, they would certainly have people keeping an eye on him.
But that wasn't the most important thing right now. It was that he hadn't been able to contact Wu Liu just now!
"This is trouble!"
"If Wu Liu isn't here, then with my cultivation and strength, I'm no match for Chen Huan, let alone the fact that there are five of them!"
"Should I ask City Lord Duanmu for help?"
"No! The City Lord and I aren't related. Without something valuable enough to sway him, he won't help me."
"Besides, Chen Huan and the others deliberately chose this place. They must have prepared for this."
"Then... could I borrow Fairy Li's name to make them afraid to touch me?"
After thinking it over for a moment, Pei Ling shook his head. Borrowing Fairy Li's name was a move he absolutely couldn't use unless he had no other choice.
Because right now, he couldn't be sure whether Wu Liu was actually hiding nearby!
If Wu Liu was lurking in the shadows, watching him, and he used her master's name to act, Wu Liu would take his life at the first opportunity!
"There are two ways to test whether Wu Liu is here: first, skin Chen Mei; second, master the [Blood Snail Evasion Technique]!"
"If I try the first and Wu Liu isn't here, I'm finished!"
"To be safe, mastering the [Blood Snail Evasion Technique] is the better choice."
"But I can't cultivate it in the city!"
"Otherwise, if the system causes another major disaster, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"I have to go outside the city."
"Tomorrow, I'll ask Chen Huan if he wants to go outside the city on a mission together."
"And Chen Mei is the key to keeping me alive right now. Tomorrow, I have to stay by her side every moment!"
"That way, even if Chen Huan suddenly makes a move against me along the way, I'll have Chen Mei as a hostage. And if Wu Liu is there, I might even be able to draw her out!"
Having made up his mind, Pei Ling glanced at the sky outside the window. It was already late at night. To stay well-rested, he hurriedly went to sleep.
Early the next morning.
Pei Ling had just gotten out of bed and dressed when someone knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Junior Brother Pei, are you up?" Chen Mei's voice came from outside.
At that, Pei Ling slung the Aversion to Life Saber over his back and immediately went to open the door.
The door swung open. Chen Mei stood outside, looking lovely in her long crimson skirt, while Chen Huan and the others were right behind her.
The moment everyone saw Pei Ling, smiles appeared on their faces.
Yes, everything was ready.
They had set up the Sub-array of the Soul Devouring Mother-Child Array in Luoshan yesterday.
Today, all they had to do was take Pei Ling there and lock him inside the Sub-array, then set up the main array. After that, they could sit back and wait for the Soul Summoning Banner to be fully refined!
This kid was so adorably stupid. He still hadn't noticed anything wrong.
All they had to do now was keep up the pretense of friendly fellow disciples, string him along, and lure him step by step into the Sub-array.
That would save them the trouble and ensure their most important offering for the Soul Summoning Banner remained completely intact in body, qi, and spirit!
At the thought, Chen Huan's smile broadened. He casually stuffed the sachet they had found last night into Pei Ling's hand and said, "Junior Brother Pei, today we—"
Before he could finish, Pei Ling hurried to Chen Mei's side and, right in front of her older brother, swept her into his arms.
Chen Huan's expression instantly stiffened. Chen Mei instinctively tried to struggle, but she was worried Pei Ling would realize something was wrong. Though furious and embarrassed inside, she didn't dare move a muscle.
"Senior Brother Chen, it's boring staying in the city. When can we go out on a mission?" Pei Ling asked, as if he were already her lover.
Chen Huan was livid. The reason they had come to find Pei Ling so early was to come up with an excuse to take him into Luoshan. Now that he had brought it up himself, it couldn't have worked out better.
But for him to lay hands on his sister in front of him, brazenly taking such liberties—it was outrageous!
Seeing Chen Huan's expression darken, Zhang Zhongqin hurriedly sent a voice transmission to persuade him. "Senior Brother Chen, he's going to be a dead man soon anyway. Why bother getting worked up over an offering?"
"Exactly, Senior Brother Chen. The bigger picture matters!" Huang Xian added through a voice transmission.
At that, Chen Huan understood what mattered most. He forcibly suppressed his anger and pasted on a smile. "Since Junior Brother Pei wants to go on a mission, let's leave the city now!"
A moment later, the group left Luoshan City. When they reached a secluded spot, Chen Huan said to Xiao Tasha, "I'll have to trouble you again, Junior Sister Xiao."
Xiao Tasha glanced at him tenderly. "It's no trouble, Senior Brother Chen. Don't worry. I'll make sure your wish comes true."
As she spoke, she took out an array disk and formed several hand seals, sending them into it. Then she cried, "Wind, rise!"
A fierce wind suddenly surged from flat ground, swept everyone up, and carried them swiftly toward the distant foothills of Luoshan!
As the wind lifted him into the air, Pei Ling held Chen Mei even tighter. Seeing that Chen Huan and the others didn't seem intent on attacking him while they had the chance, he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Looking out, he quickly caught sight of a swath of pink and white in the southeast, a bright splash of color against the vast expanse of green. It was a huge grove of flowers...
Of the three missions they had taken, the first was to deliver a letter to City Lord Duanmu, which they had already completed; the second was to kill the flower demon; and the third was to deal with a Purple-Eyed Sable at the sixth level of the Wisdom Opening Realm.
Under normal circumstances, the mission they should be doing now was killing the flower demon.
Yet they were heading southwest, where deep greens and pale greens stretched together in a swath.
Though that direction was lush with plants, it was all grass and trees.
No matter how he looked at it, the flower demon couldn't be there.
"The flower demon should be in that grove of flowers in the southeast. The place Chen Huan and the others are taking me now is probably Luoshan..."
"Looks like they're planning to make a move against me too. I have to act faster than they do!"
Pei Ling thought without letting it show.
After a while, the group dropped out of the gale, having flown to the edge of the dense forest at the foot of Luoshan.
But using that technique had left Xiao Tasha severely drained. Her face was deathly pale, and she looked ready to collapse. She couldn't even speak.
Chen Huan hurried over and personally helped her, fussing over her for a while. Then he said, "You'll have to cast a spell yourself later, Junior Sister. For now, let Huang Xian carry you."
Xiao Tasha looked somewhat displeased and kept glancing at Chen Huan with her beautiful eyes. Clearly, she would have preferred him to carry her.
But Chen Huan quietly explained that the forest was complicated, that he was the strongest and had to keep watch over the group at all times, and that he couldn't look after her himself... Xiao Tasha reluctantly agreed.
Watching this, Pei Ling narrowed his eyes. Xiao Tasha seemed to be very important to this group. In other words, as long as Xiao Tasha hadn't recovered, he would be safe!
Before you continue