Baiting the Hook

Qin Fei had learned that the merchant association was going to be attacked from the Yama Pendant.

For the past six months, the Yama Pendant had remained sealed, without anything unusual happening.

That had come as a relief to Qin Fei.

He had carefully taken it out, intending to see whether anything had changed. Nothing had, but he had found a mission to hunt down members of the merchant association.

Someone had already accepted the mission, and the targets were still Tang Zhan and the others.

But Tiezhu's name was missing from the list, while Qin Fei's had appeared on it.

Tiezhu was now in the military camp, so it was only natural that they had given up on him.

But Qin Fei had not expected to become a target himself.

Unfortunately, he could not see who had accepted the mission, nor did he know who had posted it.

The mission did have a deadline, though: it had to be completed within a month.

Presumably, they would make their move before long.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tang Zhan's expression turned utterly cold:

"They just won't stop haunting us. I've just broken through, so let them come. This time, none of them are getting away."

He had just broken through, which gave him a measure of confidence.

Most importantly, the two Qi Refining Ninth Layer experts Fairy Caiyi had sent were still at the merchant association. They would come in handy.

Wang Hu's face was also full of killing intent. After so long with the merchant association, he had fully settled in and considered himself one of its members.

"Since we've learned about it in advance, we can prepare early. What, can they still turn the heavens upside down?"

Qin Fei, however, looked grave as he warned them:

"Since they're striking again, they must have some confidence in their chances. Perhaps they even know we have Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators protecting us. We absolutely must not be careless."

"Then what do you suggest, Brother Qin...?"

The others also realized how serious the matter was and turned to look at him.

Qin Fei narrowed his eyes and said:

"The one who tied the bell must untie it. Why would the other side go to such lengths to target a few minor Rogue Cultivators like us? Their main target is still the merchant association.

"In that case, why not invite Senior Caiyi to oversee things and capture them all in one stroke? Then we can find out who's pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Everyone's eyes lit up at Qin Fei's suggestion.

Senior Caiyi was a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator. With her there, no matter how the other side laid its plans, it would be to no avail.

"I'll contact Senior Caiyi right away, but she has so many affairs to attend to. I'm just afraid she won't have time to come."

"It's all right. Let's try first. If she really can't make it, we'll find another way."

Fortunately, after Tang Zhan reported everything in full, Senior Caiyi immediately agreed to come at once.

She also wanted to know who was targeting her.

However, she was far away and still had some matters to deal with, so she estimated it would take her half a month to arrive.

She therefore instructed Tang Zhan and the others to avoid going out alone as much as possible over the next half month and wait until she arrived before doing anything.

Naturally, none of them dared disobey. They no longer had time to eat the food and drink they had brought, so they handed it all to Qin Fei before returning to make their own preparations.

After they left, Qin Fei checked the Black Tortoise Breath-Concealing Array again for anything he might have missed.

His name was on the hunting list this time, so he had no choice but to be careful.

After checking the array, he took a few Kui Balls from the Storage Bag at his waist.

The Kui Balls fell to the ground and suddenly transformed into several spiders the size of millet grains.

The little spiders shuddered all over, then crawled off in different directions.

Some went to the entrance and hid in cracks between the stones nearby, while others climbed tree trunks and settled on the bark...

Once the little spiders had settled in place, their bodies suddenly changed color, blending perfectly into the background.

Seeing this, Qin Fei nodded in satisfaction, then took out several more Kui Balls and scattered them into the air.

The Kui Balls shifted and changed, finally becoming several mechanical birds that landed in the treetops nearby.

The birds were remarkably lifelike, and pleasant birdsong came from their beaks from time to time.

From a distance, it looked as though several real little birds were playing and frolicking.

Only by deliberately examining them with Divine Sense could one spot a hint of the truth.

These two types of puppet were new ones unlocked after the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion was upgraded.

[Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion (lv5) (237/600)]

[Pavilion master: Qin Fei]

[Puppets: Image-Recording Spider (first-tier puppet), Wooden Kite (first-tier puppet), Flame Martial Envoy (exclusive puppet)...]

[Bonuses: puppet speed +5%, power +5%, consumption -5%]

[Blueprints available to unlock: none]

[Image-Recording Spider]

[Rank: first-tier puppet]

[Talent: camouflage ability +5%]

[Function: monitors a designated area around the clock, records images, and can sound a warning when enemies approach]

[Wooden Kite]

[Rank: first-tier puppet]

[Talent: camouflage ability +5%]

[Function: a biomimetic bird that can monitor enemy activity within a five-li radius and sound a warning when it detects anything unusual]

Although neither type of puppet was a combat puppet, both were extremely useful.

In particular, both came with camouflage. Unless someone examined them carefully with Divine Sense, they could easily be fooled.

After making sure nothing else had been overlooked, Qin Fei returned to the scrap yard and entered seclusion for a month.

He planned to go nowhere for that month and wait for the mission targeting the merchant association to fail.

Only now did he discover some of the Yama Pendant's benefits.

Even without accepting the missions on it, he could still obtain some secret information from it.

For example, this time, he had been able to learn in advance that someone was going to strike at the merchant association.

He decided to lift the seal on the Yama Pendant for the time being.

Batch after batch of puppets was brought into the scrap yard. Qin Fei was overjoyed and continued studying the Puppet Techniques contained within them.

He had also accumulated a great deal of rare materials by dismantling and refining the puppets. Most were of no use for the time being, but when he made higher-tier puppets in the future, they would definitely be of great use.

Under these circumstances, let alone a month in seclusion, Qin Fei would not find it dull even after three or five years.

Just like that, the days passed one by one.

After Tang Zhan and the others went back, none of them went out again. Whenever something needed doing, they sent the merchant association's Rogue Cultivators instead.

Perhaps because they had never found a chance to strike, the killers had actually fallen silent.

During this time, a major event suddenly took place in Shangyu Market.

The young master of the Lu Household was about to marry the daughter of the Lin Household, and the two had already become engaged.

With the Lin and Lu Households joined by marriage, the situation in Shangyu Market would become even more stable.

For a time, the entire market was abuzz, and a lantern festival was held on the main street to celebrate the important occasion.

Fairy Caiyi also finally arrived in secret at this time.

The following day, Tang Zhan and the others appeared at the lantern festival. They were unusually active, even setting up to sell their products.

Qin Fei also received word asking him to go bait the hook and lure the killers in.

Fairy Caiyi would remain hidden in the shadows and capture anyone who made a move at once.

Just then, a message flew in from Lin Man, inviting him to visit the lantern festival with her.

The last time, Lin Man had revealed her feelings for him, but he had been devoted to cultivation and had tactfully turned her down.

Since then, the two had not been in contact for a long time.

They usually saw each other only when collecting their pay, and even then they spoke only about work.

Qin Fei did not know why Lin Man had invited him.

But when he remembered that he was going to the lantern festival to bait the hook anyway, he accepted.