Hidden Danger (2)

Ah Wan grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and hopped and bounced to the entrance of Xuan Yi Pavilion. After relaying the message to the hustler word for word, it hopped and bounced back again.

“Is Zhenren waiting for that person?”

Zheng Wan saw Shu Yuan chatting with the hustler from afar and shook her head hurriedly.
“No need. We just met by chance. Ah Wan, I still need to go to the market to buy some things.”

“Mhm!”
Ah Wan clenched its fists and patted its arms. “Ah Wan can carry them.”

“……”
Zheng Wan put it back in her interdimensional pouch mercilessly.

With Ah Wan around, she was bound to attract the attention of others. She had yet to fully understand the rules of the Heavenly Realms, but there was a saying that is universally true: If a tree is too tall and stands out in the whole forest, it is bound to be ravaged by the wind.

She was now at the bottom of the cultivation ladder and could not yet protect her parents, so it was better to keep a low profile.

Using his soul consciousness, Shu Yuan “watched” Zheng Wan leave, then withdrew his gaze and stepped foot into Xuan Yi Pavilion.

The mortal boy let go of him nervously, not even daring to hold his hand, and only followed quietly behind Shu Yuan. The hustler, who had just been impatient a moment ago, bent over in half at his waist immediately.
“Young master, you’ve suffered.”

“No matter.”
Shu Yuan, who had been addressed as “young master”, raised his lips in a smile. The originally largely sweet and handsome face actually seemed a little wicked. “The orthodox alliance has been very interesting recently.”

“Young master, you’re referring to…”
The hustler did not even dare to raise his head.

“The orthodox alliance has three innate Dao cores among their new recruits, and the soul of Fu Sheng Zhenjun that we’d gotten rid of has been recovered. This is originally bad news for us, but what’s interesting is that the ever-infallible impassive Dao core actually has a soft spot. And what’s even more interesting is that this soft spot is actually the third innate Dao core.”
The young master’s voice was gentle, but when it fell upon others’ ears, it was like a slippery snake.

The hustler arched his hands in a salute.
“Young master, should I go capture that female cultivator?”

“No need.”
Shu Yuan clasped his hands behind his back and looked out the window. “Li Wei seems to have a blood pact with her. If you touch her, he would definitely come personally. It doesn’t matter if you lose your life, but if you alert the snake in the grass…”

“Young master, what’s your plan then?”

Shu Yuan smiled and looked out the window.

Outside the window, two orioles were chirping happily with craned necks. Shu Yuan pushed open the window and spread out his hand. The white and tender palm revealed a slenderness that belonged only to youths, and in his palm was a small handful of wheat grain.

An oriole that had been used to being taken care of by humans hopped on his palm cautiously. Shu Yuan waited patiently for a while, and the other one also hopped up noisily.

The two orioles happily pecked at the grain. After eating for a while, they brushed each other’s feathers.

Shu Yuan stroked their feathers smilingly. Right at that moment, the two orioles suddenly let out an abrupt and shrill cry. With a shake of Shu Yuan’s hand, the two birds fell to the ground, their necks forming a strange angle with their bodies.

A few greyish-white feathers that were stained with blood fell.

Shu Yuan took out a white handkerchief from his storage pouch and wiped his hands gently.
“Say, what if I snatch that innate Dao core?”

“Young master, you mean…”

“If I can bewitch that Yuqing Sect’s innate Dao core, our alliance will not only have one more great general in the future, but it will also be a heavy blow to Guixu Sect’s Li Wei— just thinking about this is making me all excited.”

“Young master—” the hustler lowered his head. “Master had specially instructed you not to cause unnecessary trouble before he comes out of seclusion.”

“How dare you!”
Shu Yuan slapped his palm in the air, causing the hustler to spit blood. “If there is a next time, I will kill you.”

The hustler wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at him in adoration. In terms of talent, the young master would not lose to anyone. The young master was also an innate Dao core, and practised—— the Way of Killing.

As the conversation between Shu Yuan and the hustler was going on, Zheng Wan had returned to the stall market.

Along with the balance from last time, she had forty-one low-grade Yuan stones. She first spent ten low-grade Yuan stones to buy Yuan rice for her parents, then spent all the Yuan beads to buy fifteen reams of yellow talisman paper. Placing everything into her storage pouch, she returned to the eastern city.