The blue-robed young master’s sudden intrusion caused the atmosphere within the basin to freeze abruptly.
The two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from Yu Ling Sect exchanged glances, their expressions filled with vigilance and appraisal. Although they did not act immediately, they secretly circulated their spiritual power, locking onto this uninvited guest.
“Why should our Yu Ling Sect have to explain our actions to you?”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator who had spoken first said in a deep voice, his tone now laced with threat.
“Young man, some spectacles aren’t meant to be watched. Watching them will only bring trouble down on your head. If you know what’s good for you, turn around and leave now. We can pretend you were never here.”
The blue-robed young master—or rather, the person currently calling himself “Liang Lu”—upon hearing this, unhurriedly folded his folding fan and tapped it lightly against his palm. The warm smile at the corners of his lips remained unchanged.
“Bring trouble down on my head?”
He repeated the four words with a half-smile, his tone making it impossible to tell whether he was serious or teasing.
“To tell the truth, I’ve had this bad habit since childhood. The more people say something is ‘not to be provoked’ or ‘not to be seen,’ the more my heart itches with curiosity, and I simply must investigate it thoroughly.”
His gaze passed over the two Foundation Establishment cultivators and landed on the heavily injured red fox on the ground, which hung its head in silence. A very faint, almost imperceptible emotion flashed through his eyes.
“Besides…”
He paused, his tone still mild.
“Bullying the weak like this really doesn’t count as much of an entertaining spectacle.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators darkened simultaneously.
“Courting death!”
The lean, fair-skinned Foundation Establishment cultivator on the left let out a cold shout and raised his hand, sending a streak of black light shooting out.
The black light transformed in mid-air into a chain condensed from spiritual power, coiling toward Liang Lu’s neck like a venomous snake.
It was Yu Ling Sect’s signature “Spirit Binding Lock” technique, specially designed to counter demon races and capable of restraining the spiritual power of human cultivators as well.
Liang Lu neither dodged nor evaded, nor did he take out any magical tools.
He simply shifted his body slightly and casually extended his folding fan forward.
The moment the fan’s ribs made contact with the chain, the aggressive black chain melted away silently like snow under the scorching sun, dissolving into strands of black smoke that dissipated into the air.
“Spirit Binding Lock… your mastery is still a bit lacking.”
His voice remained unhurried.
The lean cultivator’s expression changed drastically. He was about to use another technique when the other Foundation Establishment cultivator beside him raised a hand to stop him.
This person’s appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were exceptionally sinister. He had remained silent and observant since Liang Lu’s appearance. Now, he spoke slowly.
“The spirit-dissolving technique you just used looks somewhat familiar.”
He stared at Liang Lu, speaking word by word.
“May I ask what your relationship is with the Liang family of Wu Province?”
Liang Lu raised an eyebrow, seeming slightly surprised.
“Oh? Someone actually remembers this name I haven’t used in so long.”
He did not deny it, merely turning the folding fan in his hand casually.
“The Liang family of Wu Province declined three generations ago. Now we’re nothing more than a rundown clan guarding a few old houses and some ancient books to get by. We hardly warrant such serious inquiry from you.”
He did not answer directly.
However, the sinister cultivator’s expression grew noticeably more grave, even carrying a hint of wariness.
The four words “Liang family of Wu Province” clearly unsettled him more than the technique that had dissolved the Spirit Binding Lock.
He was silent for a moment before turning his head to whisper a few words to the lean cultivator beside him.
The lean cultivator looked unwilling but ultimately did not object.
The sinister cultivator turned back to Liang Lu. His tone was no longer as aggressive as before, but still probing.
“Young Master Liang, our Yu Ling Sect has always minded our own business with the various noble families of Wu Province. Today’s matter might be a misunderstanding.”
He pointed at the red fox on the ground.
“This demon was a prey we tracked for many days, expending considerable effort to capture. If Young Master Liang has taken a liking to it, feel free to say so directly. Yu Ling Sect is not unreasonable. We can certainly part with a mere demon beast.”
His words showed a very low posture.
Upon hearing this, Liang Lu smiled. The smile remained gentle, yet there was no mirth in his eyes.
“Misunderstanding? Part with it?”
He shook his head lightly.
“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood my intentions.”
His tone remained calm, as if chatting about everyday matters.
“I have no interest in how your sect captures demon beasts or tames spirit pets. It’s just that earlier outside, I heard your sect’s disciples boasting about taking this fox back to the sect to ‘present it to a certain True Person in the inner sect.’”
He paused, his gaze landing on the sinister cultivator’s face.
“May I ask, has this fox ever actively harmed human lives? Has it ever brought disaster to any region?”
The sinister cultivator frowned and did not answer.
Liang Lu did not need his answer.
“It seems not. A red fox that lives deep in the mountains and cultivates in solitude, with neither acts of harming others nor traces of evil deeds, is to be captured by you all simply because ‘foxes become peerless beauties after gaining human form,’ branded with a master-servant contract, and reduced to a plaything for cultivators.”
His tone remained flat, as if stating a trivial matter.
“Is this what your sect calls ‘being reasonable’?”
For a moment, silence fell over the basin.
The few black-robed Qi Condensation disciples looked at each other, not daring to speak. The two Foundation Establishment cultivators’ faces turned iron-green, but unable to gauge the opponent’s true strength, they suppressed their anger and did not erupt.
The red fox, bound by chains, slowly raised its head.
Its eyes, blurred by tears, stared blankly at the water-blue figure, as if wanting to say something. However, only weak sounds escaped its throat.
It did not recognize who this person was or why he was speaking on its behalf.
It only suddenly felt that this blue robe, in this dim forest clearing, seemed brighter than the sunlight filtering through the branches and leaves.
Bai Heng concealed herself deep within the ancient pagoda tree’s foliage, taking in the entire situation in the basin.
She watched as the youth calling himself “Liang Lu” forced the two Foundation Establishment cultivators into a dilemma with just a few words, and in her mind, she silently raised her assessment of his true cultivation and background by several levels.
To so calmly dissolve a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s technique, and with merely a suspected “noble family” identity, cause such obvious wariness in Yu Ling Sect cultivators—this person was definitely not an ordinary rogue cultivator.
The humble and low-key demeanor he had shown last time when calling himself “Lu Liang” while retrieving the bone fragment in Lan Province’s deep mountains was completely different from the sharp yet effortless noble young master persona he displayed now.
Which one was the real him?
Perhaps neither.
Bai Heng was in no hurry to draw conclusions. She simply tightened her concealment of her own aura even more, like a frosty white moonlight blending into the tree shadows, quietly observing this unpredictable turn of events caused by “Liang Lu’s” intervention.
The sinister cultivator’s expression shifted uncertainly.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and forced out a stiff smile.
“Young Master Liang’s words may be somewhat biased. Our Yu Ling Sect has stood for decades, passing down our teachings through the Dao of controlling spirits. Capturing demon beasts is the foundation of our sect’s existence. This fox has already awakened its intelligence. Bringing it into the sect for careful guidance, helping it cultivate and preventing its premature death—what harm is there in that?”
He paused, his tone growing heavier.
“Although you come from the Liang family of Wu Province, you have no right to interfere in our Yu Ling Sect’s internal affairs. If you are willing to leave now, our entire Yu Ling Sect will remember this favor. But if you insist on obstructing us—”
He did not finish, but the threat was clear.
Liang Lu listened quietly, his expression unchanged.
Only after the other finished did he let out a soft sigh.
“After saying all that, you’re essentially thinking that I’m merely ‘passing by.’ Given my family’s status and some connection to your sect, I surely wouldn’t truly fall out with Yu Ling Sect over a demon beast I’ve never met before.”
His tone was flat, as if summarizing the other’s point for him.
“And the reason you’re being so accommodating is simply because you fear the name ‘Liang family of Wu Province.’ You’re worried that I might have some protective treasure bestowed by my elders, or that Liang family experts are secretly accompanying me, and acting rashly would invite greater trouble.”
He paused, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile.
“So, if I were to tell you that I do indeed carry a ‘Law-Breaking Pearl’ bestowed by my grandfather, capable of withstanding a full-powered strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator, and that my hot-tempered third uncle is indeed hiding a hundred zhang away, ready to appear at any moment—what would you do then?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of both the sinister cultivator and the lean cultivator changed dramatically. They instinctively took half a step back, their divine sense frantically sweeping the surroundings.
However, the mountain forest around them was silent, with no trace of any high-level cultivator’s aura.
Liang Lu watched their vigilant, as-if-facing-a-great-enemy demeanor, and his smile deepened.
“Just kidding.”
His tone was as casual as if discussing what to eat for dinner.
“A Law-Breaking Pearl is such a precious item; how could my grandfather bestow it on an unworthy grandson like me? As for my third uncle—he should be in closed-door cultivation at our old residence in Wu Province right now. He has no leisure to accompany me to these remote mountains and wild ridges.”
He added earnestly.
“Of what I just said, about nine out of ten sentences were false. I hope the two of you won’t take offense.”
The sinister cultivator’s face turned from white to green, then from green to purple.
He finally realized that this smiling young man had been toying with them from beginning to end.
“You—”
He roared in anger, no longer caring about noble families or anything else, and raised his hand to unleash a fierce spiritual light straight at Liang Lu’s face.
This time, Liang Lu did not meet it head-on.
He shifted his feet lightly, his movements graceful and agile like a butterfly weaving through flowers, easily avoiding the attack. He even had the leisure to shake his head at the opponent with a hint of regret.
“Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, consumed by rage, your attack has lost all structure—pity, such a pity.”
As he dodged, he still had the composure to speak.
“If you would listen to my advice, now is the time to take your sect’s disciples and leave. There’s still a chance.”
His tone was sincere, as if genuinely considering their best interests.
“The two corpses hidden in the bushes on the east side already have quite a strong smell of blood. If you drag this out any longer and attract other demon beasts from the mountain or passing cultivators, your Yu Ling Sect’s reputation today might suffer even more.”
As soon as these words came out, not only the two Foundation Establishment cultivators but even Bai Heng, hidden atop the ancient pagoda tree, had her pupils contract sharply.
He knew.
He had known all along that the two Yu Ling Sect disciples were dead.
He even knew where the corpses were hidden.
Then what about her?
Had he also detected her presence long ago?
Bai Heng’s tail tightened unconsciously, her back arching slightly. Like a feline facing danger, she instinctively entered a state ready to strike or flee at any moment.
In the basin, the sinister cultivator’s movements also froze.
He whipped his head around, his divine sense frantically scanning the bushes to the east. Moments later, his face turned extremely ugly.
“Who did this!”
He ground his teeth, his gaze sharp as knives. However, he was not looking at Liang Lu but scanning the surrounding mountain forest with uncertainty and suspicion.
He realized that besides this mysterious “Young Master Liang,” there was another enemy hidden here.
An enemy capable of silently killing two late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators without having been detected until now.
Liang Lu, however, seemed unconcerned about the “enemy” in the shadows.
He simply put away his folding fan, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked past the Yu Ling Sect group toward the red fox, which was still prostrate on the ground. A faint spark of hope had rekindled in its eyes.
“I’ll be taking this fox with me.”
His tone was flat yet carried an unquestionable certainty.
“If any of you have objections—”
He paused, the smile on his lips faint.
“You might as well ask the friend hiding in the shadows over there if they will permit it.”