“Well then, let’s see what this is,” Pu Feixiang said while clapping the dust off his hands.

Now that the entirety of Hui Shajing’s entourage had been taken care of, his first thought was to take a closer look at the token that was still lying in the hands of the unconscious young noble.

However, Zhao Yunxiao immediately stood in his way.

“Hold on, Senior Martial Brother Pu,” Zhao Yunxiao stopped him. “Let’s not be careless about this.”

“What’s the matter?” Pu Feixiang blinked in confusion.

“Junior Martial Brother Zhao is right to be careful. We don’t know if there are any traps incorporated into this,” Chu Han agreed. “Step back.”

“If you say so,” Pu Feixiang shrugged and did as he was told.

Chu Han raised his hand and started writing several characters in the air with his bare fingers, his essence energy coming together to form runic characters that were glowing as they hovered in the air.

“Seal!” Chu Han shouted and pointed towards the token.

At his command, the runic characters flew towards the token all at once.

But instead of a fierce collision of energy, the runic characters silently disappeared upon contact with the token, as though they were small pebbles sinking into a vast ocean.

Still, Chu Han’s efforts were not in vain.

As the runic characters entered the token, the red light emitted by the token started to dim.

This was a common sealing technique, though one would require quite a high level of skill to be able to execute it with as much ease as Chu Han.

By the time all the runic characters had disappeared into the token, not a single trace of the initial red light could be seen.

“You can take a look at it now,” Chu Han said.

Zhao Yunxiao stepped aside, allowing Pu Feixiang to step forward and pick up the token.

“It is quite heavy,” Pu Feixiang remarked. “How did that brat hold it up so easily?”

“Is that the important question here?” Gui Longcan rolled his eyes. “If you have nothing better to say, then hand it over to Senior Martial Brother Chu already!”

“It’s not like you have any constructive comments either,” Pu Feixiang retorted before passing the token to Chu Han.

“At least I didn’t overestimate myself by rushing to examine the token,” Gui Longcan argued.

“Judging from the aura contained within, this is probably given to him by a cultivator at the Essence Physique realm,” Chu Han remarked, ending their conversation. “What should we do, Senior Martial Brother Mo?”

“The answer is simple,” Mo Mian did not hesitate in his response. “Didn’t this guy say that the token would summon the cultivator? I say we wait for him right here!”

This effectively meant that Mo Mian was planning to take down the cultivator.

Zhao Yunxiao had expected as much.

After all, for the cultivator to have given a token to Hui Shajing, it would mean that they must have had some sort of relationship, even if it was strictly business.

To be involved with a person like Hui Shajing, it was more than likely that the cultivator had been doing something unsavoury in the area.

Who knew what this cultivator was up to?

All they knew was that if left unaddressed, this cultivator might just end up creating more problems for the folks living around here in the future.

Since they had gotten wind of this matter while they were still in the area, they might as well nip the problem in the bud right here and now.

That was definitely Mo Mian’s style!

“Understood,” Chu Han nodded, seemingly having predicted this response as well. “You heard the leader. Let’s get to work then!”

“Got it!” the rest of the party answered in unison.

***

It was just before dawn when Hui Shajing finally regained consciousness.

The early hour meant that the sky was still dark, so he had to squint to get used to the darkness that surrounded him.

No, that was not right.

Wasn’t he in the inn?

There should be lamps lighting up his surroundings if that was the case!

With that realisation, Hui Shajing became wide awake and nervously sat up while looking around him.

One thing was for sure – he was definitely not in the inn right now.

In fact, he could see the inn not far away in front of him.

Surprisingly, there was no light coming from within the inn right now.

During their stay over the past week, the innkeeper had always kept at least a single lamp lit throughout the night, so this was definitely a deviation from the norm.

Still, what he saw was enough for Hui Shajing to be certain of where he was. He was currently seated on the mountain path just in front of the inn.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Not only that, but there was also a thick rope tied around his body, securing his arms in place behind his back.

His feet were also tied together. Not to mention running, this would probably make it difficult for him to even walk!

And he was not alone either.

Lying not far away from him were Uncle Hei and Uncle Bai, their bodies tied up in a similar manner. It would appear that he was the first among the three to have regained consciousness.

As for the soldiers that made up the rest of his entourage, they were nowhere to be seen.

A cold breeze struck him at this moment, causing him to shiver all over.

That was when he realised how cold he was feeling right now, and that was despite donning some thick and luxurious robes that had always been pretty good at keeping him warm.

Just how long had he been out here in the open, fully exposed to the cold night winds of early spring?

At this moment, rays of red light caught his eye.

When he paid close attention, Hui Shajing realised that it was the same token that he had received from a cultivator.

Even if it was just for the materials used to create the token, such an item would have been coveted by many. However, it had still been carelessly left on the ground in front of him, almost as though it was nothing but worthless litter.

“Are you there?” Hui Shajing called out carefully.

He could not see anyone apart from the unconscious Uncle Hei and Uncle Bai, but he still asked just in case.

There was no response.

“Is anyone there?” Hui Shajing called out again, this time a little louder.

Still no response.

Were the cultivators gone?

Hui Shajing tried to look around once more, but the darkness continued to shroud his surroundings, preventing him from seeing far.

Despite it being a mountain path, there were still plenty of trees and rocks around, making it easy for someone to hide if they wanted to.

Still, he could not possibly remain seated like this forever, could he?

“Uncle Hei, Uncle Bai! Wake up!” Hui Shajing called out while wriggling his way over to them.

However, he did not manage to get far before bumping into someone’s leg.

“Where do you think you are going?” an indifferent voice caused him to freeze in place.

He slowly looked up to see Pu Feixiang staring straight down at him.

This stare from Pu Feixiang felt even colder than the night winds, causing him to nervously swallow his saliva.

“C-Cultivator sir,” Hui Shajing forced a smile before struggling to sit up once more. “I was just wondering if my companions are fine...”

“They are not dead... yet,” Pu Feixiang answered. “Anything else you want to know?”

“You know, this is all a misunderstanding. Haha...” Hui Shajing laughed awkwardly. “I swear that we have always been law abiding people and haven’t done anything to harm anyone.”

“Save your breath,” Pu Feixiang scoffed. “I think we have spoken enough about tha-”

Instead of finishing his sentence, Pu Feixiang suddenly looked up at the roof of the inn.

Curious about his actions, Hui Shajing looked in the same direction as well, and his eyes immediately lit up in surprise.

Despite the darkness of the night, the light from the moon still made it possible to make out the fact that there was a figure standing on the roof.

“Is that...?” Hui Shajing muttered hesitantly.

He was unsure of who it was since the distance made it difficult for him to see clearly, but that was not the case for Pu Feixiang.

Pu Feixiang stared straight at the figure, and the figure was similarly staring right back at him.

This person stood silently on the roof, wearing long robes that fluttered loosely with the wind. The robes were long enough that if one did not pay close attention, they might just mistake the robes for a huge flag erected on the rooftop.

Slowly, the figure pulled down the long hood that covered the head, revealing a beautiful face capable of enchanting countless men.

It was a young lady who looked to be in her mid twenties, blessed with sharp and distinct features that left little room for improvement.

At the same time, pulling down her hood also released her long black hair from the constraints of her robes, allowing it to flutter freely in the wind along with her robes.

With the moon acting as a backdrop, she looked just like a fairy who had walked straight out of a painting.

Or at least, that would have been the case had it not been for the malevolent aura coming from her.

This unrestrained release of her dark aura instantly betrayed the graceful smile that she was wearing right now, revealing her sinister intent.

Rather than a fairy, it would probably be more accurate to call her an enchanting devil instead!

“Greetings, Young Sir,” the lady spoke in a courteous manner, nevertheless. “It seems you have been waiting for my arrival?”

She spoke in a casual manner, but her words still travelled long and far, resonating in the ears of both Hui Shajing and Pu Feixiang as though she was right next to them.

“Greetings, Young Lady,” Pu Feixiang answered in a similar manner while pointing to the token on the ground. “May I ask if you are the original owner of this token?”

“And if I am?” the young lady answered with an enchanting smile.

“Hahaha! You are all dead!” Hui Shajing finally realised who the young lady was, and started laughing boisterously. “Too bad! You had the chance to escape earlier, but you didn’t make use of it. It is too late for you now. Only death awaits!”

“So, are you going to take my life like he said?” Pu Feixiang spoke without taking a single glance at Hui Shajing.

“That would depend on why you are waiting for me here. Don’t you agree?” the young lady asked without losing her smile.

“I guess that’s true,” Pu Feixiang said. “If you have given the token to this man knowing that he would treat it as impunity to commit atrocities, then we might have a problem here.”

“Oh? And what kind of problem would that be?” the young lady tilted her head in confusion.

“For example, I might have to capture you here,” Pu Feixiang did not beat about the bush.

“You want to capture me?” the young lady covered her mouth with a hand and chuckled. “How kinky! Just what are you intending to do after capturing me?”

Pu Feixiang: “...”

He was at a momentary loss of words, clearly not expecting his warning to be treated this lightly.

“Why are you not saying anything? Are you busy imagining it in your head?” the young lady laughed. “What if I tell you that there is no need for mere imagination? After all, I do have to admit that you are actually quite cute!”

But instead of Pu Feixiang’s reply, what she heard in response was a calm voice coming from behind her.

“Why don’t you stop teasing my junior martial brother?”

The young lady widened her eyes in shock and immediately spun around, only to come face to face with Mo Mian.

At the same time, a sword light flashed as the Jadewind Sword headed straight for her.

They had to patiently interrogate Hui Shajing earlier so as to avoid committing the mistake of wronging an innocent mortal.

But now that they were dealing with a member of the infamous Scarlet Leaf Sect, there was no longer a need for them to show any mercy!