“Young Master Zhang!”
The man shouted as soon as he entered the courtyard, instantly donning a fawning smile and dropping to one knee before the youth.
The white-robed man, addressed as Young Master Zhang, raised an eyebrow upon seeing the newcomer.
He spat a grape seed into the hand of a waiting maidservant and waved them away.
“All of you, leave.”
The maids bowed and retreated. Soon, only Young Master Zhang and Scarface remained in the courtyard.
Young Master Zhang sat up slightly, his gaze burning as he looked at the man.
“The matter I entrusted to you—is it done?”
“It’s done, it’s done!”
Scarface replied with a bow and a scrape.
“Rest assured, Young Master, that girl Li Ji has already been sent to the Yihong Brothel. I specifically instructed the madam to coax her gently at first.”
“Once night falls, I’ll have a few servants knock on her door and say things to terrify her, telling her she has to take guests tonight. When she’s frightened out of her wits and pushed onto the stage, that’s when you will conveniently appear, Young Master.”
As he spoke, the man rubbed his hands together with pride.
“At that time, you can redeem her.”
“You’ll be saving her from a fiery pit, Young Master. Since she can’t go home now, she’ll be completely devoted to you from then on. You can do whatever you want with her.”
The white-robed man burst into laughter.
“Good, good! You don’t look like much, but you certainly have ways about you!”
Waving his hand, Young Master Zhang added, “Fine, you did this beautifully. You’ll get what I promised. Dismissed.”
“Thank you, Young Master! Thank you!”
The man nodded repeatedly and prepared to leave.
Young Master Zhang picked up a teacup from the table and took a slow, leisurely sip, a trace of smugness flashing in his eyes.
He didn’t actually care for Li Ji; he simply found the girl beautiful and wanted to possess her for his own amusement.
Walking to the courtyard gate, the man seemed to remember something.
He stopped, turned back, and spoke to Young Master Zhang.
“By the way, Young Master, there’s one more thing I almost forgot to mention. There was a bit of a hitch when I was seizing the girl.”
“Oh? What hitch?”
The white-robed man set down his teacup, his brows furrowing slightly.
“When I was taking her, two young people suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A man and a woman. They looked like… like immortal masters who practice cultivation,” the man said.
“Immortal masters?”
Young Master Zhang’s expression shifted.
“And then? Did they discover anything?”
“Not at all. The woman was quite beautiful, but she wasn’t very bright. I told her a few lines about ‘paying back debts being natural and right,’ and she immediately went silent.”
“As for the man,” Scarface curled his lip in disdain, “he was like a piece of wood. He didn’t seem interested in the matter at all. After the woman said a few words, he just ignored it. I reckon he didn’t want to get involved from the start.”
Young Master Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and let out a contemptuous snort. “I see. They were probably just two wandering cultivators from who-knows-where. Likely greenhorns who have never seen the world.”
Waving his hand again, Young Master Zhang said, “Never mind. Since you did a good job, I’ll add an extra 20% to your reward.”
The man’s purpose in bringing up the matter was precisely to claim credit.
Having achieved his goal, his face lit up with smiles.
“Thank you, Young Master Zhang! Thank you!”
The man bowed again.
“If there’s nothing else, this lowly one will take his leave.”
Young Master Zhang closed his eyes as if resting, offering no further response.
But just as the man was about to depart, his footsteps suddenly faltered.
An inexplicable chill surged from his spine to the top of his head, making his entire body go stiff.
Young Master Zhang seemed to sense something as well, as his eyes snapped open.
“Senior Brother, I believe the situation is quite clear now, isn’t it?”
A cold female voice rang out from above, shattering the silence of the courtyard.
“Yes, it is clear this time,” a younger male voice followed immediately.
Both Scarface and Young Master Zhang froze, spinning around abruptly.
Floating in the air not far behind them were two figures.
The youth wore green robes, with black hair and black eyes.
His face was handsome, and his temperament was as calm as water, his eyes devoid of any emotional color.
The young woman wore a pale blue dress.
She was beautiful, but her eyes were cold as she looked at the two men with absolute disgust.
“Im—Immortal masters!”
The moment the man saw them, he fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
This time, however, his legs had gone weak with terror.
His face turned as pale as paper, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Young Master Zhang finally reacted as well.
His smugness instantly transformed into horror, and his complexion became extremely unsightly.
“You… you are…”
“I am the piece of wood,” Chen Yuyang said flatly.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was crystal clear.
He tapped his toes lightly and landed steadily on the ground.
Hearing Chen Yuyang’s introduction, the smile Yunlian had been holding back due to her anger finally broke through.
‘My senior brother may have no expression, but he’s quite humorous.’
The young woman landed beside Chen Yuyang.
“Immortal master, I… I didn’t mean it that way, I…”
How could Young Master Zhang not realize that they had overheard everything he just said?
He scrambled out of his armchair and bowed repeatedly to Chen Yuyang and Yunlian.
“I failed to recognize your greatness! I spoke arrogantly! Please forgive me, immortal masters! Please forgive me!”
“Don’t worry. We aren’t here to pursue the fact that you were talking about us behind our backs,” Chen Yuyang said, his tone remains calm.
Young Master Zhang breathed a small sigh of relief.
But before he could finish that breath, he realized something was wrong.
“Then… then what are the two immortal masters here for?”
If it wasn’t for that, then why?
“Senior Brother, what do you think we should do?”
Ignoring Young Master Zhang’s question, Yunlian turned to Chen Yuyang.
“How do you think we should handle this?”
Chen Yuyang asked, looking back at her.
Yunlian’s gaze swept over the man slumped on the ground before landing on Young Master Zhang.
Her voice was cold and decisive.
“I think they should be killed. Scum like this are only a plague if left alive.”
“Then we kill them.”
Chen Yuyang answered without a hint of hesitation.
Hearing the word “kill,” Young Master Zhang felt a surge of cold air rush from his feet to his head.
He quickly fell to his knees and began slamming his head against the ground, crying out for mercy.
“Mercy, immortal masters! Spare my life! It’s not my fault! It really wasn’t me!”
Pointing wildly at the man beside him, Young Master Zhang screamed, “It was him! This bastard came up with the idea! He said Li Ji was beautiful and her father was a coward who was easy to deal with! I was confused for a moment and was led astray by him! Please, immortal masters, look into it! Spare me just this once, I won’t do it again!”
Scarface had been scared out of his mind, but hearing Young Master Zhang push all the blame onto him, his desperation overcame his fear.
He roared at the top of his lungs:
“Bullshit! You were the one who saw how beautiful Li Ji was and didn’t want to take a concubine, only wanting to play with her! I—”
“Shut up! You dog, how dare you slander me!”
Young Master Zhang cursed in a panic.
“I’m slandering you? Young Master Zhang, you were clearly the one who sought me out and asked me if I had a way!”
The man decided to go all out, exposing the truth without mercy.
For a moment, the two of them were pointing fingers, saliva flying everywhere as they displayed their hideous true natures.
Standing to the side and watching this dog-eat-dog spectacle, Yunlian found it incredibly noisy.
She didn’t want to listen anymore.
With a flick of her wrist, a long sword appeared in her hand.
A sharp flash of sword light flickered.
The voices of Young Master Zhang and Scarface ceased abruptly.
In the next instant, a line of blood appeared on their necks.
Two heads rolled away.
Blood erupted like fountains, and the heavy scent of iron filled the air.
The headless corpses swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground, twitching.
Looking at the two corpses, Yunlian felt a slight wave of nausea.
But after killing them, a sense of relief suddenly washed over her.
“What do we do next, Senior Brother?” Yunlian asked, turning back to Chen Yuyang.
“What do you think we should do?” Chen Yuyang asked again.
Yunlian thought for a moment.
Her eyes became firm, and she nodded. “Save her.”
Without another word, Yunlian tapped her toes and took to the air, heading toward the brothel.
Chen Yuyang followed.
Not long after, Chen Yuyang and Yunlian left the brothel with Li Ji, whose eyes were swollen from crying and who still didn’t understand the situation.
They headed straight out of the city.
In a quiet, ruined temple outside the city, Chen Yuyang and Yunlian explained the entire sequence of events to her.
Li Ji listened silently, her expression shifting from confusion to shock and then to despair.
After they finished, she sat stunned for a long time before tears welled up again.
She didn’t make a sound as she struggled to wipe them away.
Seeing Li Ji like this, Yunlian took a step forward and spoke softly.
“What are your plans for the future?”
After a pause, Yunlian added, “If you want to go home, we can take you back immediately and ensure your safety.”
“If you want to do something else, like living somewhere else, we will help you to the end and make arrangements for you.”
Li Ji bit her lip, looking back toward the town.
“I… I don’t want to go back.”
At this moment, her heart had turned completely cold toward her father and the place she called home.
She knew that even if she returned, she would never be happy.
“Then what do you intend to do?”
Yunlian asked with concern.
Li Ji took a deep breath, turned around, and bowed deeply to Chen Yuyang and Yunlian.
“The two immortal masters have saved me from a sea of suffering. I have no way to repay this kindness.”
“If you do not find me unworthy, I am willing to follow you. I will be your servant or maid, attending to your needs without a single complaint.”
Yunlian didn’t answer immediately but looked at Chen Yuyang.
Chen Yuyang’s gaze fell upon Li Ji.
“A Rank 4 Spiritual Root. That’s not too bad,” he said flatly.
He continued, “In that case, are you willing to join my Hehuan Sect to cultivate?”
“Hehuan Sect?” Although Li Ji didn’t know much about cultivation sects, the name “Hehuan” made her heart skip a beat, and a faint blush appeared on her face.
However, thinking of her current situation, she didn’t hesitate for a second.
She bowed again.
“I will follow the immortal master’s arrangements.”
Chen Yuyang nodded.
“Junior Sister, wait here. Do not wander off. I will take her back first.”
Yunlian was startled.
Before she could ask her senior brother how he intended to take her back, Chen Yuyang and Li Ji vanished in the next instant.
[Divine Ability — Shrinking the Earth to an Inch]
Though she didn’t know what method Chen Yuyang had used, Yunlian could only stand there and continue to wait.