15: Chapter 15: Counterattack and Kill

"Senior Brother Chen gave instructions that it would be after midnight. That's when people sleep the deepest."

"Heh, that brat is probably hugging that ugly woman right now and having a sweet dream. Tsk tsk, he really must be starving to be able to swallow anything..."

Immediately followed by a wave of suppressed snickers.

Chen Yin's men! They were already lurking nearby! Ready to make a move at midnight!

Xiao Yuan's eyes turned cold, killing intent quietly spreading.

Almost simultaneously, in another direction, right at the edge of his perception, another set of faint dialogue came over:

"There seems to be someone over there too... Could they also be here for that brat?"

"Probably. Senior Brother Zhao gave a strict order that we must get that brat's Storage Pouch. If someone else beats us to it or we mess it up, we won't be able to report back."

Zhao Mingfang's men had come too!

They were also making a move at midnight, with a clear goal — to kill and snatch the Storage Pouch!

"Good, very good!" Xiao Yuan laughed out of extreme anger, cold light flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Chen Yin, Zhao Mingfang, in order to snatch things, you two really went to great lengths and threw away even your faces!"

He figured it out in an instant!

These two didn't dare to make a move themselves within the Sect for fear of leaving behind evidence, so they sent their trusted subordinates to do this dirty work.

As for whether the subordinates would swallow the things inside the Storage Pouch?

They weren't afraid at all — the Storage Pouch bore the master's imprint, and forcefully erasing it would leave obvious traces.

If the subordinates dared to be greedy and go back with an erased-imprint Storage Pouch, that would be courting death.

"Treating me like a soft persimmon for anyone to casually pinch?" Xiao Yuan slowly stood up and glanced at Luo Ziyan, who was still sleeping soundly on the bed.

"Just in time... I will use you guys to test my newly mastered skills, and by the way... collect some 'express deliveries'!"

With a thought, the Great Turtle Breathing Technique operated at full strength, instantly lowering his presence to the lowest point, almost merging with the surrounding dark environment.

His figure slipped out of the wooden house like a ghost, plunging into the deep night.

Possessing clear perception within a hundred meters, coupled with the ultimate presence concealment of the Great Turtle Breathing Technique, at this moment in the dark, he was the deadliest hunter.

And those "hunters" who thought they were lurking in the dark and waiting for the right moment didn't know — the roles of hunter and prey had quietly reversed.

"Killing at midnight?" Xiao Yuan hooked the corners of his mouth into a cold arc, "How about... we start right now?"

The night was as dark as ink, exactly the right time for murder and arson... ah no, for legitimate self-defense and garbage disposal.

Like an entityless shadow, under the cover of the Great Turtle Breathing Technique, Xiao Yuan silently glided toward his first target — the duo sent by Zhao Mingfang.

His hundred-meter perception acted like radar, locking on accurately.

These were two guys hiding behind a pile of rubble outside the Scrap Yard, both at the Qi Condensation 6th Layer.

Zhao Mingfang actually thought quite highly of him; for a Disciple who was only at the Qi Condensation 1st Layer in that guy's eyes, he actually sent two Disciples who were about to reach the Late Stage of Qi Condensation.

Xiao Yuan muttered inwardly, but his movements were not slow at all.

Like a ghost, he sneaked to three meters behind the two — the opponents were completely oblivious, still whispering complaints about how many mosquitoes there were and how boring the mission was.

Xiao Yuan's eyes grew slightly cold, and his fingers moved slightly.

Thorny Cage activated instantly.

"Swish, rustle!" Thorny vines instantly burst from the ground, instantly binding the two into a sashimi roll.

"Huh?!" The two turned pale with fright, wanting to struggle and cry for help!

A cold flash! Sword hum gently rang!

Gale Shadow-Chasing Sword Art activated! So fast it only left afterimages!

Two heads cleanly left their necks, their faces still frozen with shock and bewilderment.

Xiao Yuan put his sword back into the Storage Pouch, his movements smooth and flowing.

He nimbly pulled off the Storage Pouch from the waists of the two, and casually tossed a Flame Explosion Spell over.

"Boom!" The fireball accurately landed on the corpses, igniting rapidly, and within a few breaths, the two corpses were burned down until hardly any ashes were left. A night breeze blew, leaving no trace.

Xiao Yuan turned his cold gaze to the next target — Chen Yin's men.

Extending his perception, Xiao Yuan let out an "eh" in his heart.

Two Qi Condensation 7th Layer cultivators!

They already belonged to the realm of the Late Stage of Qi Condensation!

Compared to Zhao Mingfang, Chen Yin seemed to think even higher of him.

Xiao Yuan's eyes grew even colder.

However, this was also understandable — the two Qi Condensation 4th Layer guys sent previously had vanished into thin air, so it was normal for Chen Yin to be cautious and raise the stakes.

He followed the same pattern and sneaked to the best position.

Those two Qi Condensation 7th Layer Disciples were obviously more alert, but only to the extent of "looking around from time to time."

In front of the Minor Achievement level concealment of the Great Turtle Breathing Technique, their perception was no different from being blind.

He activated the Thorny Cage instantly once again!

The vines displayed their Divine Might once more! Instant binding!

Though the two had higher cultivation, their reactions were still a fraction of a second too slow, letting shock and anger erupt in their eyes as they frantically surged their spiritual power, trying to snap the vines.

But it was too late.

The same cold light, the same sword art, the same swiftness like the wind!

"Puff! Puff!"

Two soft sounds, and the world was quiet.

Xiao Yuan put away his sword and calmly glanced at the corpses.

Looting the corpses, taking the pouches, setting fires, all done in one go.

As the flames completely extinguished, it was as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Yuan clapped his hands, flashed his figure, and silently sneaked back to his dilapidated wooden house.

Inside, Luo Ziyan was still sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to the assassination outside the window.

Xiao Yuan channeled a wisp of gentle spiritual power over to ensure she could sleep soundly until dawn, and then began to tally his spoils.

Four Storage Pouches laid out in a row.

After some sorting, the harvest was as follows:

Low-Grade Spirit Stone: 121 pieces.

marrow cleansing pill: 65 pieces.

Talisman: 16 sheets.

Spiritual Artifact: 4 pieces, one sword and one saber, a shield, and a hook with a strange shape.

Other Low Grade Medicinal Pills: 26 pieces, for restoring Qi, healing, and the like.

Miscellaneous items: Disciple tokens, change of clothes, a few basic Cultivation Technique copies, dry rations.

Xiao Yuan felt speechless inwardly; they were already at the Qi Condensation 6th or 7th Layer, yet they were still this poor.

But on second thought, compared to his previous self, it was much better!

Contentment brings happiness!

He immediately summoned the small tripod and began processing and upgrading.

65 Low Grade marrow cleansing pills turned into 65 Perfect marrow cleansing pills!

16 Low Grade Talismans turned into 16 Tier-1 Top-Grade Talismans!

Amidst the flowing brilliance, the energy bar of the small tripod also went "swish" down to the bottom.

Xiao Yuan looked at the small tripod, which had once again become dim, and was speechless: "This energy... is really not durable! Like mobile data, it runs out after just a few swipes!"

He glanced at Luo Ziyan sleeping soundly on the bed, her delicate sleeping face still carrying a trace of exhaustion.

He sighed.

Forget it, let her off for tonight.

The first time, tossing her around too much, what if it leaves a psychological shadow and she refuses to 'cooperate' in the future? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Slow and steady wins the race, slow and steady.

He put away the Medicinal Pills and Talismans, sat cross-legged, and began his customary routine of taking pills to Cultivate.

Perfect Medicinal Pills were truly wonderful, one after another, and his spiritual power grew steadily.

Time quietly passed.

When a fish-belly white appeared on the edge of the sky, Luo Ziyan's eyelashes trembled on the bed, and she slowly woke up.

Almost simultaneously, Xiao Yuan also opened his eyes, ending his Cultivation.

Four eyes met.

Luo Ziyan was a bit dazed at first, then memories came flooding back, and her face flushed red "with a thud". She quickly lowered her head, her hands unconsciously gripping the quilt tightly.

Xiao Yuan looked at her appearance, smiled, and stood up to stretch his muscles and bones.