Spirit Stones

"You two, go kill this woman!"

"If you can't beat her, withdraw. It won't count as failing your mission!"

Those were the orders the Zhang Family's young master had given the two of them during the day. Afterward, Tian Youfu had eaten meat and drunk wine with his companion, waiting for nightfall.

His companion was named Qi Fugui. He had joined the Zhang Family a few years later than Tian Youfu and came from another dynasty called the Great Sheng Dynasty.

Tian Youfu's memories continued right up until Bai Zishan drove that little blue sword through him and killed him. As for who had asked the Zhang Family's young master to order the two of them to attack, there was not the slightest trace of that in his memories.

Clearly, whoever had approached the Zhang Family's young master had deliberately concealed their identity.

Of course, Tian Youfu did not even know the Zhang Family's young master's name.

Mighty Warriors like them, raised and trained from childhood, only needed to know which family they served.

They were not yet qualified to know their master's name.

"Mortal. Took Body Tempering Pills."

Lu Mingyue soon carried the other Mighty Warrior's corpse into the room. Sure enough, his memories offered no further information either.

After all, his strength was considerably inferior to Tian Youfu's.

Tian Youfu could fight cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage, fifth level, while Qi Fugui could only fight cultivators at the third layer of Qi Refining. They belonged to different tiers of Mighty Warriors within the Zhang Family!

"Spirit-nullifying iron armor and spirit-nullifying weapons are standard equipment for Mighty Warriors. Apart from those, these two had nothing on them..."

"Even if I know they came from the Zhang Family, I can't just make an accusation with nothing to back it up. Steward Deng won't believe my side of the story alone..."

"That damned bastard. If it wasn't Bai Zishan, who else asked the Zhang Family to act? And they even hired two Mighty Warriors of different strengths. Killing me was just a pretense-the real aim was to play the hero rescuing the beauty!"

Because of Bai Zishan's sudden appearance, Lu Mingyue inexplicably recalled the look of "admiration" he had shown her after she had dealt with Guo Yang and his companion.

And from what Lu Mingyue knew from her previous life, hadn't old-fashioned romances in that world all loved having the hero rescue the beauty?

Thinking of it that way perfectly explained why two Mighty Warriors had appeared, yet the weaker Qi Fugui had attacked first, with Tian Youfu only acting after Qi Fugui had died!

"If they hadn't come from the same cultivation Aristocratic Clan, I couldn't be certain. But sending the weaker one first and the stronger one afterward was clearly a two-pronged preparation, just waiting for Bai Zishan to appear and rescue me!"

Inside the room, Lu Mingyue rubbed her chin, feeling that her guess was probably close to the truth.

Unfortunately, even if Lu Mingyue had guessed the truth, it meant nothing.

Deng Yuan had already told her that unless she had absolute proof, she could not do whatever she wanted just because she belonged to the City Patrol Office. When she had to swallow a loss, she had to swallow it!

"Zhang Family... I'll remember you!"

Drawing a deep breath, Lu Mingyue looked at the two corpses, then returned to her room and cultivated cross-legged until dawn.

She could dispose of the corpses herself, but Lu Mingyue had no intention of burying them in her own courtyard. That would be far too unsettling.

Besides, although neither Mighty Warrior's corpse carried any evidence that could implicate the Zhang Family, taking them to the City Patrol Office for disposal would at least serve as a warning to its members.

Did they think they could kill members of the City Patrol Office whenever they pleased?

This was Taiping City!

Everyone in the City Patrol Office belonged to the lineage of disciples under Taiping City's City Lord. The only difference was whether they could meet that mysterious City Lord.

Lu Mingyue did not believe the Zhang Family would dare attack her again after losing two Mighty Warriors!

Things did indeed turn out just as Lu Mingyue had expected.

The Zhang Family truly did not dare attack her again.

Mostly because it was not worth it.

After all, only two Mighty Warriors had died. Though training such deathsworn consumed considerable resources, a cultivation Aristocratic Clan did not lack that small amount. Besides, the Zhang Family would never dare make an enemy of the City Patrol Office.

However...

"Fellow Daoist Bai, our Zhang Family suffered quite a loss this time to help you win a beauty's favor!"

Inside a residence in Taiping City, sprawling over who knew how many meters, two people sat opposite each other in a pavilion.

One was a young man in a black robe edged with gold-the Zhang Family's young master, a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

And sitting opposite him was none other than Bai Zishan!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, here is the agreed payment."

Hearing the Zhang Family's young master's tone, Bai Zishan expressionlessly raised a hand and tapped the Storage Bag at his waist, taking out two pale blue, almost transparent stones and placing them before him.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-

As the two Spirit Stones landed on the table, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth actually rushed over to envelop them. A burning light shone in the Zhang Family's young master's eyes.

"You truly are generous, Fellow Daoist Bai!"

With a wave of the Zhang Family's young master's hand, the two stones vanished. Yet he was in no hurry to see Bai Zishan off.

"I heard from the younger members of my clan that the City Patrol Office's corpse collector is only at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Stage. To think you would spend two Spirit Stones on a female cultivator like her..."

Indeed, the two stones Bai Zishan had taken out were Spirit Stones, which were exceedingly precious even in Taiping City!

At this point, the Zhang Family's young master's gaze flickered as he looked at Bai Zishan. He even leaned forward slightly, staring fixedly at him.

"Could it be that this female cultivator possesses some opportunity or fortune more precious than these two Lower-Grade Spirit Stones?"

Even Taiping City's City Lord placed great importance on Spirit Stones. Otherwise, Deng Yuan would not have initially used pills as Lu Mingyue's monthly pay.

Though the Zhang Family was a cultivation Aristocratic Clan, its reserves fell far short of Taiping City's.

Thus, treasures like Spirit Stones were even more important to the Zhang Family.

"Hmph!"

Yet upon hearing the Zhang Family's young master's words, Bai Zishan snorted coldly, and an immensely powerful surge of origin power erupted from him.

The Zhang Family's young master's expression changed at once. His body could not move, and beads of sweat as large as beans seeped from his forehead.

Towering waves surged through his heart. This fellow surnamed Bai had rendered him utterly unable to resist through the pressure of his cultivation alone-and he was at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, our transaction is already over!"

Bai Zishan stood and cast an expressionless sidelong glance at the Zhang Family's young master, a cold curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

"You would do well not to be too curious about my affairs, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Otherwise..."

Before finishing his words, Bai Zishan had already turned and left.

But his meaning was already perfectly clear.

If the Zhang Family's young master dared touch his prey, he would not mind taking action and leaving the Zhang Family with a few fewer cultivators!