Before long, they spotted a small white porcelain vial in the pit they had dug up. One of them picked up the vial and opened it, a look of suppressed rage immediately crossing their face.
“They didn’t eat the food the inn sent over that day,” the woman said. “They even picked out our treasures. They knew we were watching them.”
“Senior Sister, what do we do now?” a male disciple asked. “According to the innkeeper, they left two days ago. Since the Gu isn’t on them, we have no way to manipulate the insects to delay them.”
“Send word back immediately,” the woman said, pursing her lips. “We need to hurry back as well.”
Lian Li had no idea that the small porcelain vial he had buried on a whim had managed to prank their pursuers once again.
Two days was enough time for the three of them to enter the depths of the Southern Border. The Spirit Cult was not some obscure, nameless sect, so their location was easy to ascertain.
The trio rushed toward the Spirit Cult almost without pause.
Within the Spirit Cult, Qu Tingquan sat inside a massive bathing pool.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and her brow was furrowed as if she were fighting against something.
From time to time, young women entered the room, carrying bowls of strange medicinal juices which they poured into the pool.
With every additional bowl of medicine, Qu Tingquan’s brow furrowed a bit deeper.
Outside the bathhouse, a figure completely shrouded in a purple hooded robe reached out a hand. A bird the size of a fist landed on her palm.
She removed a small slip of paper from the bird’s leg.
After reading the contents, her expression instantly turned grim.
She turned to the person beside her and said, “Speed up the progress.”
“But…” someone tried to advise, “if we speed up any further, I fear her body won’t be able to take it, causing permanent damage. Moreover, her Internal Energy is profound; we can only let it soak in slowly. If we act with undue haste, we might lose control over the Holy Gu.”
The purple-robed woman said coldly, “I don’t care about damage. At worst, she’ll just be a vessel for nourishment. Once we find another suitable person to nourish it, we can transfer it. As for the control of the Holy Gu…”
The purple-robed woman raised her hand and produced a small, iridescent insect. “I will find a way to suppress her before we lose control.”
The purple-robed woman held a high status; since she had spoken, the others could only do as they were told.
Lian Li and the others became exceptionally cautious once they entered the Spirit Cult’s sphere of influence.
Even Lian Li, who usually talked the most, fell silent.
Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air rushed toward Lian Li. The moment he heard it, he didn’t even think, diving to the side and pulling his whip into his hand.
Clang—!
The sound of cold weapons colliding rang out. Lian Li looked over to see that the hidden weapon aimed at his original position had already been struck down by Yun Huizhou’s blade.
Even if he hadn’t dodged, that hidden weapon wouldn’t have hit him.
However, Lian Li knew in his heart that he couldn’t always wait for Yun Huizhou to draw his blade and block for him; he had to dodge when he needed to.
Zhao Honglan’s sword was also out of its sheath as he charged toward the direction the hidden weapon had come from.
Yet, the moment he left, various hidden weapons flew in from all directions. The target of every single projectile was only one person—Lian Li.
Realizing this, Lian Li cursed inwardly.
Damn it, they see I have the lowest martial arts among the three, so they’re treating me like a soft persimmon, aren’t they?
Immediately, he stood his ground and swung his whip so fast it created an airtight defense.
Yun Huizhou stood behind Lian Li, intercepting all the hidden weapons coming from the rear. This allowed Lian Li to focus solely on the other three directions.
Fortunately, his weapon was a whip and long enough. When swung, it carried a fierce wind. Once fueled by Internal Energy, the wind could deflect many hidden weapons or stall them for a split second, giving him enough time to make fine adjustments to his positioning and evade.
Once this wave of hidden weapons ended, Yun Huizhou charged directly toward the direction where the projectiles had been densest. Lian Li hurriedly followed by his side.
Sure enough, three strangers—two men and one woman—were in that direction. Seeing them approach, the strangers immediately raised their hands in a posture to release more hidden weapons.
Yun Huizhou said, “Watch my back for hidden weapons. I’ll finish these three quickly.”
“Alright,” Lian Li agreed without hesitation.
Lian Li knew he wasn’t the main damage dealer in this situation, so he didn’t take the initiative to seek a duel. Instead, he stayed three paces behind Yun Huizhou, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.
He was ready at any moment to help Yun Huizhou block any underhanded moves.
Yun Huizhou’s Movement Technique was incredibly fast, closing the distance to the three people almost instantly. At that moment, a highly concealed hidden weapon, packed with powerful internal strength, shot toward Yun Huizhou’s back.
Lian Li had been guarding against exactly this. He raised his hand and struck the hidden weapon with his whip, knocking it off course so it embedded itself into the trunk of a nearby tree.
At the same time, he spotted the person who had fired the weapon. While deflecting the attack, he raised his left hand and activated the mechanical gadget strapped to his wrist, firing a projectile at the sneak attacker.
That person also hurriedly dodged.
Lian Li wasn’t disappointed when he missed; the shot was intended to intimidate and buy time for Yun Huizhou anyway.
Following this brief exchange of hidden weapons, two more people suddenly jumped out from another direction. These two didn’t go for Yun Huizhou or Zhao Honglan; instead, they joined the previous attacker and rushed straight for Lian Li.
Lian Li took one look—one Second-class level and two Third-class levels. He hurriedly shouted to Yun Huizhou.
“Yun Huizhou, watch your own back! I’m being ganged up on! Finish up quickly and come find me, I can’t hold out for long!”
After saying that, he pushed his Movement Technique to its limit, leaping up and down to evade.
This group really thought highly of him. A single Second-class master was already enough to make him run like a cornered rat, let alone with two Third-class masters assisting.
Regardless of whether these people wanted to kill or capture him, he certainly couldn’t let them succeed.
Lian Li made up his mind not to fight back, focusing entirely on kiting them until Yun Huizhou or Zhao Honglan could return to help.
The three chased Lian Li for a while and found that this man was truly as slippery as an eel. His martial arts weren’t very high, but his Movement Technique was incredibly fast—he must have learned a top-tier technique.
If they kept chasing like this, it would be troublesome once the other two finished their fights and returned.
Thus, the three chasing Lian Li decided to give up. They turned toward Yun Huizhou, intending to gang up on him instead.
How could Lian Li let them go over there? Yun Huizhou was already facing one First-class Master and two Second-class masters.
If these three joined in, Yun Huizhou would be in trouble.
Seeing the three turn around, Lian Li couldn’t exactly rush up to intercept them; that would be no different from seeking death.
He narrowed his eyes, plucked a handful of leaves, and threw them like hidden weapons at the three.
The three reacted quickly, and not a single leaf hit them. Lian Li hadn’t expected to hit them anyway.
He only waited for the three of them to look back at him. Then, he made a face at them and said in a very obnoxious tone, “Can’t catch me, can’t catch me! You little useless trash! Blehhh!”
