Crane Cry

If I couldn't provoke them, couldn't I at least hide from them?

"I just hope I don't have Protagonist's Fate, with trouble following me wherever I go. I'm only a little newbie at the Second Level of Qi Refining, with these skinny shoulders. I really can't bear such a heavy responsibility."

Wu Tao hurried along, feeling immensely irritated in his heart.

He only wanted to cultivate immortality in peace, to be as steady as an old hound. Why was that so difficult?

"Ah, I'm not the one at fault. The greater environment is simply like this. With my weak strength, I can't change it, so I can only adapt to it." Wu Tao sighed inwardly and could only bow his head to the realities of life.

"First, shopping!"

Wu Tao calculated the Spirit Stones on him. He had just sold goods for one hundred and two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. After deducting the ten percent tax and adding the Spirit Stones he had saved last month, he had a total of three hundred and seventy-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

He thought of the Ghost Shadow Magic Tool used by those Demonic Cultivators earlier. Someone from the Demon Slaying Hall had used Evil-Breaking Talismans against it, able to obliterate the ghost shadows released by the Demonic Dao Magic Tool.

As he pondered this, the Loose Cultivator surnamed Chen who sold Talismans passed by him.

Wu Tao immediately had a bad premonition:

Oh no. This Chen was going to buy at the bottom, scoop up Evil-Breaking Talismans, then sell them at inflated prices.

Thinking this, he immediately darted off, racing toward a nearby shop that sold Talismans.

He reached the Talisman shop at top speed. There were not many people yet; apparently, many Rogue Cultivators had not thought of this. He hurriedly spent one hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones to buy Five Evil-Breaking Talismans.

When he left the shop, the Loose Cultivator surnamed Chen happened to brush past him, and the other man glanced at him.

Wu Tao hurriedly pretended nothing had happened. He had seen through the Loose Cultivator surnamed Chen's strategy, but he could not engage in bottom-fishing himself. First, he did not have enough Spirit Stones and was not a specialized Talisman dealer like the Loose Cultivator surnamed Chen. Second, his strength was insufficient. If he sold them at high prices, people would set their eyes on him, and he could easily be robbed.

He still had to use his remaining Spirit Stones to buy other things.

At the Spirit Herb Shop, he spent another hundred Spirit Stones to buy medicinal herbs for tempering the Body. Then he made his way to Boss Yu's Artifact Material Shop, buying one hundred and twenty Starfire Stones and forty jin of Demon Silkworm Silk, which cost him another One Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.

He only had twenty-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones left.

"Go buy Spirit Rice from Uncle Han."

After searching Ding District Market for a long while, he finally found Han Tiezhu. At the moment, Han Tiezhu was the only one watching the stall. The news that a Devilish Cultivator had appeared in Yi District had not yet reached Ding District.

“Young Friend Li, you're here.” Han Tiezhu was exceedingly happy to see Wu Tao.

Wu Tao stepped forward and said, "Uncle Han, weigh out five Low-Grade Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Rice for me."

Han Tiezhu was extremely surprised. In the past, Wu Tao had always bought thirty jin at a time. Why was he suddenly buying one hundred and fifty jin this time? Was he planning to eat for a whole month? He asked in confusion, "Young Friend Li, why are you buying so much this time?"

Wu Tao said softly, "Uncle Han, I just returned from Yi District Market. A Devilish Cultivator appeared there and killed dozens of Rogue Cultivators. The people from the Demon Slaying Hall are searching everywhere. The Outer City may not be peaceful for a while, so Uncle Han, you should stay home these next few days. Wait until the Demon Slaying Hall kills the Devilish Cultivator before coming out to set up your stall again."

Upon hearing this, Han Tiezhu's pupils shrank, fear appearing on his face. Yet his gaze was filled with gratitude for Wu Tao's warning. Even his movements as he weighed the Spirit Rice sped up, and he said quickly, "Many thanks for the reminder, Young Friend Li. Then I'll stay in the fields these next few days and tend to the Spirit Rice Crop in peace."

Wu Tao nodded. Seemingly recalling something, he asked, "By the way, Uncle Han, did Mingxiu get her Spirit Planter Certificate?"

He should have smiled happily, but after hearing about the Devilish Cultivator, Han Tiezhu could not bring himself to be happy. He merely answered, "She got it ten days ago. Then she went to Wuquan Mountain Spirit Planting Hall and rented twenty mu of Spirit Fields. She can farm on her own now. Young Friend Li, here are one hundred and fifty-five jin of Spirit Rice. Take them. I'm packing up and heading home right now. Devilish Cultivators are cunning and sinister. My heart trembles if I stay out any longer."

Wu Tao accepted the Spirit Rice and bade Han Tiezhu farewell. He then bought another twenty-five jin of Monster Meat at Ding District Market before hurrying home.

After returning home, he activated the Soundproof Anti-Peeping Formation and took out everything he had purchased.

Looking at these things, Wu Tao still did not feel entirely at ease. If the Devilish Cultivator attacked, he had no confidence at all. The only thing he could do was use the Five Evil-Breaking Talismans to destroy some ghost shadows, then refine the Starfire Stones and Demon Silkworm Silk into Small Spirit Shield Robes and wear them all on his body.

After that, he could use them to stall for some time, then shout for help and draw the immortal cultivators from the Demon Slaying Hall over.

The danger should be resolved.

"Forget it. Do all that man can and leave the rest to Heaven. I've already gone this far. If the heavens insist on taking back this life of mine, then at worst I'll transmigrate back to Earth. First, refine the magic robes."

Wu Tao carried the Starfire Stones and Demon Silkworm Silk into the Cultivation Room. After meditating for a while, he forcibly calmed his uneasy spirit. Once he had adjusted his state, he began refining the magic robes.

For several days in a row, Wu Tao stayed in the Cultivation Room, refining magic robes day and night without rest.

Whenever his Essence, Qi, and Spirit grew listless, he used Spirit Stones to recover.

Every time he successfully refined a Small Spirit Shield Robe, he immediately refined its Restriction, put it on, and then continued his refining work.

Again and again.

Five days later, all one hundred and twenty Starfire Stones and forty jin of Demon Silkworm Silk had been refined into Small Spirit Shield Robes. Twenty were successful, while four failed—all because his tension over the Devilish Cultivator had caused him to fail.

Otherwise, he might have achieved a perfect success rate.

At this moment, Wu Tao wore one Wind-Speed Magic Robe and twelve Small Spirit Shield Robes. His body was so bloated that he looked like a huge maggot, utterly hideous. If not for the fact that, with his current cultivation, he could only activate twelve Small Spirit Shield Robes in succession, he would definitely have worn all twenty.

Being uglier was still better than losing his life.

Over the past five days, the outside world had been filled with wind and crane cries. Immortal cultivators from the Demon Slaying Hall went door to door conducting searches every day. Wu Tao's home had been searched five times, which showed that the Devilish Cultivator had yet to be found.

Then he would keep staying inside.

This day, it was time for the Demon Slaying Hall to conduct another search. The Sound-Proofing and Anti-Peeping Array issued a notification, and Wu Tao immediately shuffled over to the door, pressing one eye to the peephole.

The Sound-Proofing and Anti-Peeping Array had been specially fitted with a peephole. One could see outside from within, but those outside could not peer inside.

Wu Tao saw an immortal cultivator in a Demon Slaying Hall uniform standing outside the door. He hurriedly opened it and invited him in. When the Demon Slaying Hall cultivator saw bloated Wu Tao, his expression became wonderfully colorful.

But he said nothing. Holding a Treasure Mirror-type Magic Tool, he swept it back and forth through Wu Tao's home. Only after confirming that no Devilish Cultivator was hiding there did he say to Wu Tao, "If you discover traces of a Devilish Cultivator, or find any suspicious Rogue Cultivators, you may report it to the Demon Slaying Hall. There will be rewards."

Wu Tao hurriedly agreed and saw the Demon Slaying Hall cultivator off.

As for reporting a Devilish Cultivator, even if he were given twenty more guts, he would not dare. What if the Devilish Cultivator retaliated after being reported? His little body could not withstand that.

After closing the door, Wu Tao sat down and began thinking about his next step.

His original plan had been to start using Medicinal Baths to Temper Body after refining the Small Spirit Shield Robes, cultivate the Dragon Spear Body Tempering Art, and then practice Wind and Thunder Form.

But it seemed a medicinal bath required him to be naked. Wouldn't he have to take off all these Small Spirit Shield Robes?

What if the Devilish Cultivator barged in right when he took them off?

Wouldn't he be completely finished?

He did not believe there could be such a coincidence in this world, but fate loved playing jokes on people.

For a moment, Wu Tao was deeply conflicted.

"Ah, I was too nervous at the time. How did I fail to think of this? Damn Devilish Cultivator..." Wu Tao slapped his forehead, filled with regret.