59: Chapter 59: The Deacon Zhou Who Did Not Disappear

Imperial Capital of Jing, South City.

The stronghold of the Jade Maiden Palace was located on a fairly bustling street, with a sign hanging at the entrance reading "Jade Maiden Trading Firm," dealing in Spirit Plants, Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Spiritual Artifacts.

Xiao Yuan stood at the entrance, confirmed his bearings, and stepped inside.

Before entering, he had already changed back to his original appearance—if Luo Ziyan was inside and saw his middle-aged uncle look, she would probably thrust her sword at him.

As for his cultivation, he concealed it back to the Qi Condensation 4th Layer.

Keeping a low profile was something he was used to.

There were a few counters set up inside the trading firm, selling some low-grade Spirit Medicine and Talismans, and business was desolate.

A young Disciple was sitting behind the counter, nodding off with his head lowered.

Xiao Yuan walked over and knocked on the counter.

"Dong, dong."

The Disciple was startled awake, rubbed his eyes, and raised his head.

The moment he saw Xiao Yuan, he frowned, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes.

If Xiao Yuan had not been wearing the attire of a Jade Maiden Palace Disciple, he might have already spoken up to chase him away.

Xiao Yuan took out his Jade Maiden Palace Disciple token and placed it on the counter.

"I am a Sect Disciple here to execute a mission, and I would like to rest at the stronghold for a few days."

The Disciple took the token, flipped it over to look at it a few times, and confirmed it was genuine, but his attitude remained perfunctory: "Fine, there are empty rooms in the backyard, pick one yourself. Feed yourself and don't run around blindly."

Xiao Yuan put away the token, but instead of leaving immediately, he asked: "I would like to inquire, there was previously a Senior Sister named Luo Ziyan who brought a few fellow apprentices here to execute a mission. Where are they now?"

The Disciple's expression changed slightly.

But soon, he returned to normal and waved his hand, saying: "Oh, you mean them? They went out to execute a mission, left many days ago, and haven't come back yet."

Xiao Yuan stared into his eyes: "Where did they go? When will they be back?"

The Disciple grew impatient: "How would I know? Their legs are attached to their own bodies; they don't report their itinerary to me. If you want to wait, just wait here."

Finished speaking, he lowered his head and continued pretentiously flipping through the ledger, looking as though he didn't want to chat anymore.

Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes.

This fellow had a problem.

That fleeting abnormality just now had not escaped his eyes.

The other party definitely knew where Luo Ziyan was, but he had a guilty conscience!

Yet he didn't press further, merely nodding: "Alright, then I'll stay here first."

The Disciple didn't even raise his head.

Xiao Yuan turned and walked toward the backyard, his gaze slowly turning cold!

Everywhere in the stronghold exuded strangeness; a Deacon had gone missing, yet the other party didn't show the slightest bit of anxiety, and even had time to take a nap.

It was as if it had nothing to do with him.

Furthermore, when Luo Ziyan and the others came over to execute their mission, they definitely would have had contact with the other party.

Their whereabouts might even have been disclosed, yet the other party actually claimed not to know.

His gaze was evasive; he was obviously lying.

What made Xiao Yuan even more vigilant was that just as he walked toward the backyard, the person behind him seemed to be shining something at him.

Although that feeling was fleeting, with his formidable perception, he definitely hadn't sensed incorrectly.

Xiao Yuan walked into the backyard, picked a secluded empty room to stay in, and immediately sat down cross-legged.

His perception, comparable to Divine Sense, quietly spread out, shrouding the entire stronghold.

The Disciple was still behind the counter, but he was no longer flipping through the ledger; instead, he cast a few strange glances toward the backyard direction.

Xiao Yuan withdrew his perception and let out a cold sneer.

Tonight, I'm afraid there will be a good show to watch.

Nightfall.

Xiao Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

Suddenly, he caught a trace of a faint, sweetish Aura drifting in through the gap in the door.

Enchanting incense?

He sneered inwardly, held his breath, and circulated his Five Elements spiritual power within his body, instantly refining the tiny amount of enchanting incense he had inhaled until it was completely clean.

His perception, comparable to Divine Sense, quietly spread out.

Outside the door, two figures were stealthily approaching.

One was the Qi Condensation 6th Layer Disciple from daytime.

The other... was a man in his thirties wearing a gray robe with a chilly Aura, at the Peak of Qi Refining Level 9.

The two stopped at the door, pricking up their ears to listen to the movement inside.

"How is it?" the gray-robed man lowered his voice.

"Wait a little longer, the enchanting incense takes a quarter of an hour to take effect," the Disciple said in a low voice. "Deacon Zhou, are you sure you want to take action personally? A trash at the Qi Condensation 4th Layer is someone I can take down all by myself."

The gray-robed man addressed as "Deacon Zhou" let out a cold snort: "What do you understand? That brat's Spiritual Root is definitely not trash."

A look of greed flashed in his eyes: "When you tested him with the induction stone during the day, I was watching from the dark. That five-colored radiance... is definitely of High Grade quality or above! It might even be a top-grade Spiritual Root!"

The Disciple gasped: "Top-grade?!"

"There's no mistake." Deacon Zhou licked his lips. "Sending goods like this to the main altar means the Materials for an earth-grade foundation establishment pill will be roughly one-fifth collected!"

The Disciple became excited: "Then we..."

"Wait a quarter of an hour for the enchanting incense to take full effect, then go in and capture the person," Deacon Zhou sneered. "A Qi Condensation 4th Layer is easy pickings."

The two waited quietly outside the door.

A quarter of an hour later.

"It's about time." Deacon Zhou waved his hand and pushed open the room door.

Yet when they entered the room, both of them were stunned.

In the dim room, Xiao Yuan was sitting quietly on the bed, his pair of eyes glowing shockingly brightly in the darkness, looking at them with a playful expression.

"Two gentlemen, you've been waiting for a long time, right?" Xiao Yuan spoke with a smile.

Deacon Zhou and the Disciple both startled in unison.

"You... you weren't charmed?" the Disciple blurted out.

Xiao Yuan stood up and patted the non-existent dust on his body: "With just that kind of inferior enchanting incense, you dare to bring it out to make a fool of yourselves?"

The Disciple's expression stiffened, and then he grew angry out of shame.

"So what if you weren't charmed?" He sneered, "A trash at the Qi Condensation 4th Layer has quite strong vigilance. However—"

He stepped forward, his Aura fully unleashed: "Do you think you can run away? If you know what's good for you, obediently capture yourself without a fight and suffer less hardship! Otherwise, don't blame me for being unpolite!"

Xiao Yuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

That smile made the Disciple feel inexplicably creeped out.

"Do you really think," Xiao Yuan spoke leisurely, "that you can take me down?"

He turned his head to look at Deacon Zhou, his gaze meaningful: "Deacon Zhou Yuansheng, right?"

Deacon Zhou's pupils shrank abruptly!

"You... how do you know my name?!"

Xiao Yuan spread his hands: "Apart from you, who was sent here by the Jade Maiden Palace, there shouldn't be anyone else who can be called Deacon Zhou."

Zhou Yuansheng's expression turned gloomy, and shock and suspicion flashed in his eyes.

But soon, he regained his composure and let out a cold laugh: "So what if you guessed it? A clever person, but unfortunately cleverness is the undoing of cleverness."

He moved his wrist, and the Aura of Half-step Foundation Establishment erupted with a boom: "Since you know, even less can I spare you."

Yet Xiao Yuan was unhurried, raising his hand to make a "wait a moment" gesture.

"Deacon Zhou, what's the rush? Why don't you let me guess first, what kind of play are you two putting on?"

Zhou Yuansheng raised an eyebrow: "You want to stall for time?"