The exit of the Sanglin Secret Realm outside Xuancheng finally opened after being sealed for eight months.
When the Sanglin Secret Realm first appeared, rumors spread that it contained the legacy of a mighty expert, causing cultivators to fiercely contend for entry qualifications, with murder and looting becoming commonplace.
However, millennia had passed, and this minor secret realm had been thoroughly ransacked countless times. Leaving aside any legacies, its spiritual energy was barely any denser than the outside world, and its most abundant yields were merely low-grade spiritual plants.
The rumors of a legacy were thoroughly busted, and the Sanglin Secret Realm ultimately degenerated into a training ground for low-grade cultivators.
Usually, only rogue cultivators and disciples of minor sects came here; disciples of the major sects disdained such meager pickings.
Yan Jiuzhi had raised his cultivation to the Qi Condensation 10th Layer within the secret realm, three minor realms higher than in his previous life.
Time simply did not allow him to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, so he had no choice but to let the matter rest.
Outside the secret realm was a vast wasteland, currently bustling with people coming and going. Yan Jiuzhi observed his surroundings, identified his bearings, and was just about to leave when a burly, honest-looking fellow walked over and blocked his way.
"Fellow Daoist, I am a clerk from the Baolai Pavilion. Would you be willing to sell your gains from the secret realm to our shop?"
The fellow had an honest, unassuming face and even appeared somewhat unaccustomed to speaking.
"We buy everything. I've just started working at the shop and haven't managed to acquire a single thing yet. I'll offer you a higher price, how about that?"
As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together in embarrassment, wearing a pleading expression and gazing at Yan Jiuzhi with hopeful eyes.
Yan Jiuzhi sneered inwardly: *Hah, those memories are far too distant; I actually forgot about these scum.*
In his past life, he was still an innocent young cultivator who easily believed this man's words and boarded their carriage bound for Xuancheng.
Little did he know that the moment he stepped into the carriage, he would be drugged unconscious.
Immediately afterward, he and several other victims were imprisoned together, while those men prepared to sell them off.
Among the captured people, one seemed to be a runaway young miss from some prominent family.
Her family elders searched everywhere in the city, turning everything upside down.
Only then did he seize the opportunity in the chaos to escape.
However, by the time he finished selling his goods and rushed back to the Yunxiao Sect, it was already too late...
Yan Jiuzhi's gaze grew deep and profound. These human traffickers all deserved to die!
Reining in his emotions, he readily agreed, "Alright then, let's go."
Killing a few human traffickers was nothing; it wouldn't waste much time or effort anyway.
The fellow never expected things to go so smoothly, having originally anticipated needing to waste plenty of breath.
He hadn't even had time to pull out his fake Baolai Pavilion token before this person actually believed him?!
Judging by that washed-out pale blue robe, living conditions must have been bleak; this was simply a worldly-inexperienced young cultivator.
His gaze fell once more upon the youth's exquisitely otherworldly face, and a surge of fiery heat instantly flared in his chest.
This one could be sold for a massive fortune!
"Come, come, right this way. I'll find a few more people with the other clerks, and we can take a carriage into the city together—it's much more cost-effective that way."
The fellow was attentive and sincere, perfectly playing the part of a good clerk considering things for both the employer and the customer.
He led Yan Jiuzhi toward a carriage parked on a narrow path.
Along the way, he chattered incessantly. What seemed like ordinary idle chatter was actually probing for Yan Jiuzhi's background.
"Little brother, is your home far from here? Baolai Pavilion has plenty of items that are very reasonably priced. Although I just arrived, my older brother still holds some weight in the shop and can give you a discount. You can bring back some local specialties for your family and friends."
"Just a remote little place, we'll see about buying things when the time comes," Yan Jiuzhi replied perfunctorily.
The carriage was parked at the edge of the woods. This area was densely wooded and rarely frequented by people, with sparse weeds growing along the dilapidated earthen road beside it, though it didn't hinder the passage of carriages.
From afar, he spotted a few other people boarding that carriage as well—all low-grade young cultivators who looked far from affluent.
He counted the traffickers' accomplices: two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators and one Qi Condensation stage cultivator.
The person beside him was a Qi Condensation 5th Layer cultivator.
This was precisely one of the reasons he had fallen for the scam in his past life: this man looked honest and reliable, and his cultivation was even lower than his own, so what did he have to fear?
As a result, reality dealt him a ruthless slap in the face.
Yan Jiuzhi hardened his heart. This time, not only would he return that slap, but he would also smash them all to death.
"Big brother, this little brother is also coming into the city with us to sell goods. I've already arranged it; give him a higher price."
The honest-looking fellow bowed subserviently, cupping his fists toward a tall, thin man with a black mole on his face.
As the two exchanged glances, they had already communicated information only understood by each other.
"Easy, easy. Since he was brought by you, Old Seven, I will certainly give him the highest price."
The tall, thin man smiled with great bravado. Gazing at the extraordinarily handsome youth before him, his turbid eyes gleamed with greed, and his heart surged with intense excitement—he was about to strike it rich!
The burly fellow turned back and beckoned, signaling Yan Jiuzhi to board the carriage, "You go on up and wait for a moment."
He then turned back to ask his other companions, "How many people are still missing? We mustn't keep my little brother waiting too long."
"We're not missing anyone. We can leave directly once you're on the carriage."
That man wore an upright expression and smiled quite heartily at Yan Jiuzhi, "Little brother, rest assured, our Baolai Pavilion has always operated with integrity. The price we offer is definitely fair; you won't find a higher price anywhere else."
Yan Jiuzhi sneered inwardly. *Heh~ What a fine show they're putting on.*
Tightening his grip on the sword hilt in his hand, he placed one foot onto the carriage. His seemingly casual action had actually long since analyzed the positioning and flaws of those few individuals thoroughly.
The tall, thin man possessed the highest cultivation among the traffickers, with the strength of the Foundation Establishment 7th Layer.
All four of them surrounded the carriage entrance, evidently intending to prevent anyone from escaping.
The tall, thin man held a drugged cloth in his hand, feigning an intention to help Yan Jiuzhi up. However, the moment his hand touched the other's arm, his throat was instantly slashed.
A moment later, blood slowly oozed out. The smile had yet to fade from the man's face, his eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
With eyes wide and staring, he slowly collapsed, watching the youth blur before his eyes.
His final glance froze upon the oppressive, gloomy sky, dying with his grievances unredressed.
Yan Jiuzhi's peerlessly sharp sword stance remained unwithdrawn. The killing intent imbued within the sword qi had condensed almost into reality, piercing fiercely and at blinding speed into the chest of the other Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
Before the opponent even had time to retrieve his weapon, his heart had already been minced to pieces under that fierce sword qi.
The eyes of the other two Qi Condensation stage traffickers went wide as saucers. Before they could make any reaction, their throats were slit by a chilling flash of sword light.
This battle concluded with extreme swiftness; the four of them crashed to the ground almost at the very same moment.
Their eyes were dilated to the utmost, filled with shock and utter disbelief.
As if they had yet to snap out of this sudden attack, their lives were cut short in this very instant.
Right up until the final moment of his life, the honest-looking trafficker could not believe that he had actually brought back such a terrifying, fatal star of retribution.
Yan Jiuzhi wiped the blood from his sword on their clothes before picking up their storage pouches and taking their weapons as well.
Just right, his senior brother and senior sister didn't have flying swords or storage pouches yet; these items would suit them perfectly.
The horses whinnied restlessly on the spot, the sound of their hooves appearing quite flustered. Had they not been tethered to the trees, they likely would have bolted long ago.
He stepped onto the carriage with one foot, pushed open the door, and saw six youths lying horizontally inside, all of superior appearance.
Judging by her breathing, one of them was merely feigning unconsciousness. D
Yan Jiuzhi paid no heed to this. For him, his primary goal was to execute these hateful human traffickers; saving these people was merely incidental.
After untying the spirit-binding ropes from their bodies, Yan Jiuzhi turned without the slightest hesitation, stepped onto his flying Dharma Artifact, and sped away.
As for what followed, naturally someone would handle it.
The pink-robed girl opened her eyes the moment the spirit-binding rope was undone, catching only a fleeting glimpse of the youth's exquisitely defined profile.
Did the person who saved them actually leave directly without dropping a single word?
She had no chance to even voice her gratitude. Pausing for a moment, she plucked a distress talisman from the inside of her collar and shot it fiercely into the sky.
This time, which member of her family was trying to harm her?
...
As the sun set in the west, the orange-red afterglow sprinkled like a light gauze over the main road outside Maocheng, making the speeding carriages appear as though they were coated with a layer of gold and red.
Lixi returned loaded with triumphs, bringing back five large carts full of food, daily necessities, and clothing, rushing back to the Yunxiao Sect in a flurry of activity.
She was going home to commit a robbery... Bah! To collect her allowance.
She had spent the past two months at the Yunxiao Sect exceptionally happily.
Her senior brother and senior sister treated her with utmost care, and her master and elders were all very amiable in temperament.
Every day she practiced cultivation, trained with the sword, and studied medical principles, living a life far more fulfilling and interesting than staying confined in her boudoir.
In the past, she could only read books and practice calligraphy; she couldn't possibly be expected to do things like embroidery.
The moment she picked up needle and thread, her mother would start nagging her with those absurd doctrines of the three obediences and four virtues.
She would rather endure the bearded old pedant's blowing of beard and staring of eyes than squeeze in to study scholarship alongside her younger brother.
She refused to embroider such useless nonsense!
Her current life of cultivation was the carefree and liberated existence of her dreams, and without any marriage crises, it was simply perfect.
There was only one minor flaw...
This sect was simply far too poor!
Nowadays, times were especially difficult due to offering free medical consultations.
Lixi had always been someone who could not endure hardship.
She had already reached the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer, so shouldn't she report this joyous news to her father?
Though her father had stroked his beard in fury, he still prepared five large carts of supplies for her.
She wasn't taking them for nothing, either—wasn't she also helping tidy up the family's rebellious son?
Li Nan was an absolute menace, and among the whole family, only she could keep him in line.
Look, after a round of iron fists, her younger brother became obedient, didn't he?
If he dared to stir up trouble again, she would go right back to deal with him.
The carriages arrived before the gates of the Yunxiao Sect.
A youth in azure robes was standing right at the entrance, looking as though he couldn't decide whether to go in or not.
Lixi found it rather strange. Who was this person?