Revenge would not wait overnight

Xu Qi'an's heart sank. He reached out and grabbed the sword leaning against the artificial hill, then strode towards the girl with red and swollen eyes. "Where is he?"

"It's already been sent back to the village."

Qiu Chanyi led Xu Qi'an outside, sobbing as she said, "Ling Yun was brought back by someone. His leg was cut off. We can't summon his soul. Uncle Bailian said he has unfulfilled wishes."

Xu Qi'an's lips curled into a cold, sharp line.

Passing through the garden and following the cobblestone path, the two arrived at a courtyard, where they heard mournful cries as they approached.

The courtyard was bustling with people. The door to the main house was open, and Jinlian, Bailian, Chu Yuanzhen, Li Miaozhen, and others were inside. The remaining disciples stood in the courtyard.

In addition, Xu Qi'an saw someone unexpected.

Young Master Liu of the Ink Pavilion.

Xu Qi'an stepped across the threshold, his gaze sweeping around before landing on the bed, where a young man lay with his eyes wide open and his face deathly pale; he had been dead for some time.

His legs were severed at the knees, the cuts clean, indicating that the assailant was not only incredibly strong but also possessed an exceptionally sharp weapon.

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath and kept his voice calm. "Who did it?"

Young Master Liu cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "It was a mysterious young man, dressed in white robes, accompanied by two giants wearing bamboo hats. I heard that he had a conflict with Daoist Lanlian of the Earth Sect in the Three Immortals Pavilion, and the giant beside him injured Daoist Lanlian with a single slap."

The restaurant is a relatively enclosed space, and the two sides are not too far apart. Martial artists have an overwhelming advantage over other systems, but even if Master Lanlian is only at the middle to lower level among Lotus Daoists, the opponent's strength is at least that of a senior fourth-rank.

Xu Qi'an nodded expressionlessly.

Young Master Liu continued, "Then, that man publicly announced a reward, taking out four Law Artifact at once, and proclaiming that whoever could cut off Young Master Xu's arm would be rewarded with one artifact, and whoever could cut off all four limbs would be rewarded with four Law Artifact. If he could cut off Young Master Xu's head, he would give all the magical Law Artifact in the entire sword box to the meritorious person."

Li Miaozhen sneered, "Arrogant and conceited."

She seemed even angrier than Xu Qi'an.

Chu Yuanzhen frowned slightly, and rationally analyzed, "So, it seems that the white-robed young master came for Ningyan?"

Hengyuan clasped his hands together, shook his head and said, "Amitabha, this humble monk thinks it is unlikely. Lord Xu was in the capital before and only arrived in Jianzhou today. The news could not have spread so quickly, let alone attracted his enemies."

"Unless that the white-robed young man is actually from Jianzhou, but Young Master Liu said that the man's identity is mysterious and he is not from Jianzhou. Therefore, he must be after the lotus seed."

Master Hengyuan's IQ is above average, probably on par with Li Miaozhen's.

Master Jinlian looked at Xu Qi'an and said in a deep voice, "Do you remember this person?"

"I don't know him." Xu Qi'an shook his head, paused, and then sneered, "But I roughly understand which faction he belongs to."

Looking across the Nine Provinces, among the numerous forces and systems, who could easily produce so many Law Artifact and treat them like mere weeds?

The Bureau of Astronomy is acceptable!

However, the Bureau of Astronomy is not the only one; to be precise, only Warlock can do it. Moreover, they must be high-ranking Warlock, reaching the fourth-rank array master level, to forge magical Law Artifact.

That white-robed young man has the support of a high-ranking Warlock.

Xu Qi'an was all too familiar with high-ranking Warlock who did not come from the Bureau of Astronomy.

The luck surrounding me is related to a mysterious group of Warlock, who originally intended to use the tax silver case to target me. That young man in white robes must know about luck; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such strong hostility towards me.

Is the mysterious Warlock gang finally going to make their move against me?

Xu Qi'an's breathing became slightly rapid.

But he quickly dismissed the guess. Master Hengyuan was right; it was a chance encounter. The young man in white robes must have happened to be there and learned that he was in Jianzhou.

Such a high-profile act is out of character for that mysterious Warlock. It shouldn't be him manipulating things behind the scenes; it was just luck that brought me together with that young man in white robes.

In that case, this might be an opportunity for me.

Kill him, summon his spirit, and unravel all the mysteries.

Seeing that he remained silent and showed no sign of wanting to explain, the others did not press him further.

Young Master Liu said, "Then, that white-robed young master captured Ling Yun, cut off his legs, and made him crawl back. I wasn't there at the time, but after hearing the news, I rushed over immediately."

At this point, Young Master Liu revealed his anger:

"I saw Ling Yun crawling in the street, leaving two long trails of blood. He was already delirious, but he was still struggling to crawl. The white-robed young man was right next to Ling Yun, holding a glass of plum wine, watching the spectacle with a grin, and not allowing anyone else to help Ling Yun."

"Ling Yun crawled all the way to the edge of town before he died. Only after that white-robed young master left did I dare to go forward and bring him back. I'm sorry."

Li Miaozhen gritted her teeth.

The white lotus nun's pretty face was as cold as frost. She had already heard it once, but she still couldn't hide her anger.

"Senior Brother Jinlian, has our Heaven and Earth Society really fallen to this level? Everyone can trample on us like this." The White Lotus Daoist lamented, "Lingyun is a child we've watched grow up."

Master Jinlian looked at Xu Qi'an and said in a deep voice, "His soul cannot be summoned, and his eyes cannot be closed. Is there anything you want to say to him?"

Xu Qi'an walked to the bedside, silently looked at Ling Yun, and after a long while, said softly, "You've completed your mission."

He reached out and wiped Ling Yun's face, then closed his eyes.

Xu Qi'an felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Master Jinlian comforted him, saying, "For Daoist School disciples, death is not the end. We will nurture his soul. He has simply changed the way he accompanies us."

Xu Qi'an remained noncommittal, looking at the crowd:

"Then the current situation is very dangerous. The Martial Alliance, the Earth Sect, the Prince of Huai's secret agents, and this guy who suddenly appeared—his strength is unknown, but his two attendants are at least at the peak of the fourth rank. Moreover, it is expected that he has a large number of Law Artifact."

"Even with our formations in place, can we really withstand so many experts on our own tomorrow?"

This was a question that everyone present had considered, and the conclusion was disappointing.

Previously, everyone was so engrossed in their anger over Ling Yun's ordeal that no one had mentioned it.

A look of worry flashed in Master Jinlian's eyes.

"Have all the disciples leave the courtyard. I have an idea," Xu Qi'an said in a low voice.

Everyone immediately looked over.

The White Lotus Daoist nun left the courtyard and dismissed her disciples.

After the door closed, Xu Qi'an slowly said, "Since the home advantage has been reduced, instead of waiting for the enemy to gather tomorrow, we should take the initiative and divide and conquer them."

He met everyone's gazes and said in a deep voice, "Charge! Charge in after dusk!"

The White Lotus Daoist nun never expected him to utter such nonsense, and blurted out:

"No, we must protect the lotus seeds. How can we possibly fight our way into the town? Besides, the town is teeming with experts now. Without the support of an array, you have no chance of defeating them."

Abandoning home-field advantage and charging into enemy territory is tantamount to suicide.

Xu Qi'an said, "That guy deliberately made such a big commotion and humiliated Ling Yun, just to lure me over. He definitely knows my background and understands my temperament."

Whether it was beheading his superior, single-handedly holding off the rebels in Yunzhou, or later killing the Duke, all of these actions demonstrate that Xu Qi'an was an impulsive and hot-tempered warrior.

That guy's actions during the day were either his true nature or an attempt to lure him into a trap.

"Then why are you still going?" Li Miaozhen frowned.

"I said we were going to kill our way through, but I didn't say we were going to fight in the town," Xu Qi'an sneered.

"What do you mean by that?" Chu Yuanzhen was taken aback.

Xu Qi'an did not answer directly, but instead analyzed:

"Tomorrow, the forces gathered in the town will launch a major attack, and we will have to bear all the pressure. There are experts from the Martial Alliance, experts from the Earth Sect, spies from the Prince of Huai, and that newly appeared little bastard. Because of this, even with the support of the formation, we may not be able to win."

"But what if we divide the enemy up beforehand?"

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Qi'an left the courtyard and saw that the disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society had not dispersed and were gathered outside the courtyard.

Qiu Chanyi, her eyes red-rimmed, took a few steps forward, her face filled with anticipation. "Young Master Xu, you... you will avenge Ling Yun, won't you?"

Xu Qi'an nodded silently.

The disciples bowed and paid their respects.

In a small town, in a certain house, Rongrong sat on a small wooden stool in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hand, gazing blankly at the sky.

What are you worried about?

A soft, melodious voice came from behind.

Rongrong quickly jumped up from the small wooden stool, head bowed. "Master."

Xiao Yuenu nodded slightly, her bright eyes sweeping over Rongrong, and smiled, "After you came back, you inquired everywhere about that young master's identity. You've taken a fancy to him?"

Rongrong was taken aback, then shook her head with a wry smile.

"Looks like she's taken a liking to him."

No, it's not.

Before Rongrong could explain, Xiao Yuenü's words left her speechless. "I was talking about Xu Qi'an."

Rongrong said in a voice barely above a whisper, "No, it's not that. I just admire and respect him, that's why I'm worried about him."

Admiration transcends gender.

For example, Mo Ge Gongzi, who had a very good relationship with her, also greatly admired Xu Yinluo.

Xiao Yuenu nodded. "That young man in white robes has a mysterious background, and his two attendants are extremely powerful, ranking among the top even in Jianzhou. He hasn't revealed his own strength, but he doesn't seem weak either."

Rongrong said worriedly, "I can sense that many people have been tempted by those Law Artifact. Xu Yinluo is probably in danger tomorrow."

"It's inevitable that we've provoked such a powerful and wealthy enemy. However, Xu Yinluo is also quite strong, and he has the Vajra Divine Skill protecting him. Although he's no match for those two henchmen, escaping shouldn't be a problem," Xiao Yuenu comforted her.

It's a miracle they survived.

The inn in the small town after dusk.

Qiu Qian, dressed in white robes and a jade belt, stood by the window with his hands behind his back. Two burly men sat at the table, one silent, the other admonishing in a deep voice, "Young Master, this will disrupt the plan. This is not allowed."

Qiu Qian sneered, "You should know my situation. Doing nothing will only make things more difficult for me. However, if we can capture Xu Qi'an and bring him back..."

"All threats and covetousness will vanish like smoke; no one will be able to shake my position."

The Left Envoy continued to advise, "A person with great fortune will always turn misfortune into good fortune. Even that one could only let nature take its course; otherwise, he would have died long ago, and there would be no need for your intervention."

Qiu Qian frowned, somewhat displeased. "Luck isn't everything, otherwise, who would bother cultivating? Everyone would be vying for luck."

He turned his head, glanced at the setting sun in the west, and clicked his tongue. "Looks like I underestimated him. He didn't take the bait. Hmm, maybe his companions stopped him."

As they were talking, there was a knock on the guest room door, which was then pushed open.

Qiu Qian frowned and turned around, seeing an incomparably handsome young man standing outside the door, a sword tucked into his waistband, his cold gaze sweeping over the three of them.

Looking at this clearly disguised man, Qiu Qian revealed a sinister smile, "Xu Qi'an!"

"It's me!" Xu Qi'an nodded, giving an affirmative answer.

"You really came."

Qiu Qian revealed a smug smile, "I've analyzed your personality. You're impulsive, assertive, and intolerant of injustice. I openly provoked you in town and killed that Earth Sect disciple. Given your personality, you definitely won't tolerate that."

"I guessed it." Xu Qi'an nodded, giving his affirmative answer once again.

"Did you guess that the demon-possessed Daoist priests of the Earth Sect, and the secret agents of the Prince of Huai, have already surrounded the entire inn?" Qiu Qian's smile carried the confidence of someone in control of the situation.

"A senior colleague once told me that everyone has weaknesses in their personality, and if you can exploit those weaknesses, you can strike a fatal blow."

Several powerful auras approached, drawing near the inn.

Qiu Qian's smile widened.

"You've really figured out my weakness."

Xu Qi'an, who had maintained a blank expression throughout, revealed a cold smile, "A self-righteous fool."

As soon as the words were spoken, a figure in white suddenly appeared in the room, accompanied by a deep chant. "The sea has no end, the sky is the shore; the art reaches its peak, I am the summit."

He stomped down, and the ground lit up with array patterns that quickly covered the entire guest room.

The next moment, everyone present vanished.