"It's Mu Xuan."

Mu Xuan... A figure flashed through Lin Hao's mind.

Mu Xuan and he were both at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

But Mu Xuan had a relative who was an elder, and he often flaunted his power in the outer sect, bullying disciples without any backing.

Just because Lin Hao didn't yield to him in a small internal competition, Mu Xuan bore a grudge against him.

"Sending a woman to make a deal and assassinate me while I'm distracted, that bastard is truly insidious!" A fierce glint flashed in Lin Hao's eyes.

He preferred to keep a low profile and develop quietly, but that didn't mean he would be a coward. If someone was trying to kill him, would he just sit back and do nothing?

"Mu Xuan, I will kill you!"

Seeing the cold glint in Lin Hao's eyes, Li Xunran couldn't help but be startled.

"Senior Brother Lin, I've told you everything. Can you put the dagger away? What if..."

"Bitch, do you think you have the right to negotiate with me?

You trespassed into my cave dwelling and attempted to assassinate a fellow disciple. Just these two offenses are enough for me to kill you."

Li Xunran's face turned pale, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes as she sobbed, "Senior Brother Lin, spare me! I was blinded by greed and made a terrible mistake.

I won't dare to do it again. I'll give you everything in my storage bag, just spare my worthless life!

Senior Brother... no... Master, I'm willing to be your servant and serve you well."

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"But you're someone Mu Xuan sent. Keeping you by my side is like inviting a tiger into my home, waiting for you to stab me in the back?"

Cold sweat dripped from Li Xunran's forehead. To save her life, her mind raced.

"Master, do you have any poison pills that can control people? You can give me one, then you'll be at ease!"

"You're quite clever, but those things are too expensive. I don't have any! And you're not worth me buying a poison pill just for you. Serve me well in the future, or die. Understand?"

Li Xunran nodded like a pecking chick.

"Master, could you return my storage bag?" she asked cautiously.

"Open it."

Li Xunran's heart trembled, fearing he would take her belongings, but she dared not resist.

With a wave of her delicate hand, a sky-blue spiritual energy flew out, unlocking the storage bag's seal.

Lin Hao emptied its contents: a bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills, a low-grade magical artifact, a few mid-grade talismans, and the rest were women's clothes.

Not even a single spirit stone. He cursed her as a pauper under his breath, then kept the Spirit Gathering Pills, saying indifferently, "I'll keep this bottle of pills as punishment for your previous misconduct."

The pills Lin Hao had given her were impossible to take back, and her only pills had been confiscated. Li Xunran felt a pang of pain.

But fearing his ruthlessness, she swallowed her dissatisfaction.

***

The next day, after letting Li Xunran go.

Lin Hao drew three talismans and planned to go down the mountain.

He mainly needed to visit the market.

To sell some talismans, exchange them for spirit stones to set up his cave dwelling, increasing the concentration of spiritual energy.

Only inner disciples could fly on swords within the sect; outer disciples had to walk down the mountain.

As he neared the foot of the mountain, he spotted Li Xunran and immediately frowned.

Her suspicious behavior caught Lin Hao's attention, and he followed her quietly with cold eyes.

She wound her way to the area where the servant disciples lived, finally stopping in front of a courtyard. After cautiously observing for any abnormalities, she slipped inside.

Lin Hao's confusion deepened. He concealed his spiritual energy and silently circled to the back of the courtyard, then climbed over the wall.

Sticking close to the wall, he listened to the sounds inside.

There were voices of a man and a woman conversing.

The voices were very familiar, and Lin Hao's expression grew colder as he stealthily approached the window, peering through a narrow gap to observe the scene inside.

Just as he suspected, Li Xunran was secretly meeting with Mu Xuan!

This woman was truly shameless!

Lin Hao cursed them in his heart, focusing on eavesdropping on the bitch couple's conversation.

"Boss Mu, I failed the assassination... but he's already under my control, letting me stay by his side."

"Then proceed with the second plan!" Mu Xuan said. "That kid is really lucky. You could have been with me, without doing such dangerous tasks."

Li Xunran was the woman he fancied, but she always made excuses, unwilling to be with him, yet now she was with that brat Lin Hao.

"Boss Mu, what about the promised reward?" Li Xunran didn't want to waste words with Mu Xuan.

Seeing Li Xunran still acting so aloof, Mu Xuan's expression changed.

But he suppressed his anger, thinking to himself, a defiled woman is no longer worthy of being mine!

"Don't worry, I won't shortchange you."

Mu Xuan took out a small jade bottle and said.

"Inside are ten Spirit Gathering Pills, your reward for gaining Lin Hao's trust.

Tonight, give that dog Lin Hao the Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder, then wait for me to come and torture him to death!

Once it's done, you'll be richly rewarded!"

"Alright!" Li Xunran took the jade bottle and said.

Outside the window, Lin Hao's face was icy cold.

Very well, bitch couple, if you dare to come tonight, I'll send you both to hell!