Chapter 104

Chapter 104: The Plot Unfolds

When the news spread that a team would be organized to wipe out demonic cultivators, the disciples buzzed with speculation, and the three still playing Fight the Landlord, including Rong Shu, heard it as well.

Cheng Bu Fan leaned in, ready to whisper to the other two, only to find both of them utterly at ease, faces relaxed and unworried. [Right, both of them are in the Qi Refining Stage; they do not need to go at all, so of course they are not concerned.] Feeling a sudden stab to the heart, he muttered: “You two…”

Rong Shu clenched her fist to cheer him on, then said with a bright smile: “Senior Brother Cheng, go for it.”

Fu Yong Kang grinned and, eyes crinkling, added: “Go raise some hell, and if you can, kill a few demonic cultivators. The Sky Piercing Sect will be watching from the sidelines. If you perform poorly…” He let the words trail off, everything left unsaid yet obvious.

Cheng Bu Fan rolled up his sleeves and snorted with mock bravado: “I know, I know, it is just demonic cultivators. Easy work.”

After Cheng Bu Fan left, word came that the giant ship would remain near Maple Leaf City, which did not surprise Rong Shu. With some sect elders and disciples heading out to eradicate demonic cultivators, the ship would not keep advancing; it had to find a place to anchor and wait.

When the giant ship settled, Rong Shu noticed many Qi Refining Stage disciples disembarking. After asking around, she learned that Qi Refining Stage disciples did not need to join the eradication plan and were free to move about Maple Leaf City.

Fu Yong Kang made a suggestion, voice eager from two days cooped up on board: “Rong Shu, let us go down too.”

Rong Shu shook her head and answered softly: “Better not. A demonic cultivator stronghold was just discovered nearby. Maple Leaf City is still quite a distance from Black Wind Town, but there is no guarantee demonic cultivators are not lurking inside the city.” She glanced toward the ship’s guarded rails and added, calm and practical: “It is safer on the flying ship. With sect elders keeping watch here, those demonic cultivators will not dare to barge in so brazenly.”

She thought of all the disciples who might wander the streets and of how the sect elders could not watch every lane at once, then concluded: “If something happens in the city…”

Fu Yong Kang rubbed his neck, conceding as her reasoning sank in: “That does make sense.” He had plenty of life-saving treasures on him and could have risked a stroll, but Rong Shu did not. If he dragged her down and trouble came, he could not bear that responsibility.

He flipped his stance without shame and said decisively: “Then we are not going.”

He brightened a beat later and asked: “Should we find a third player for Fight the Landlord?”

Rong Shu waved it off with a small laugh: “No need. There is a two-player variant.”

Fu Yong Kang perked up: “Really? While Cheng Bu Fan is away, let us try it.”

“…”

Elsewhere, the three disciples at the tenth level of Qi Refining who had been secretly tracking Rong Shu’s movements grew anxious. If she never left the ship, what could they do? However bold they might be, they could not very well kill someone on the giant ship itself, especially with Fu Yong Kang, scion of a cultivation clan, at her side. They did not care about Rong Shu’s background, but they could not afford to provoke him. They had factored in being exposed afterward, but they had not planned on dying before even making a move.

Just as they were fretting and scheming, an opportunity presented itself. A message came from the sect elders that the giant ship would be recalled, as it was too conspicuous sitting there.

With no choice, Rong Shu and Fu Yong Kang disembarked.

Watching the Heaven’s Evolution Sect disciples in uniform stroll openly into the city, Rong Shu hesitated. [Should we really not disguise ourselves before entering? With so many Heaven’s Evolution Sect disciples suddenly arriving in Maple Leaf City, if demonic cultivators are inside, the news might leak.]

As she weighed it, three male disciples approached with polite smiles and spoke in a respectful tone: “Junior brother and junior sister, the sect elders asked us to purchase supplies in the city. Everyone else has gone far afield, and we cannot find suitable hands for the errand. Could you help us?”

“Purchase supplies?” Rong Shu’s brows lifted in puzzlement. They were cultivators, and they had storage pouches. [What kind of supplies would not fit in three storage pouches?]

Sensing her doubt, another disciple added quickly: “In addition to buying supplies, Maple Leaf City has a Giant Spirit Sect outpost. The sect elders want us to scout for news there, since a demonic cultivator stronghold was just found in Black Wind Town.”

He lowered his voice, explaining the access rules: “But the outpost does not share information with just anyone. Aside from inner-sect elders, only personal disciples can obtain it. Outer-sect disciples like us do not have the clearance.”

Rong Shu, wearing a personal disciple’s attire, stood out among the Qi Refining Stage crowd. The other personal disciples had mostly reached the Foundation Establishment Stage or even the Golden Core Stage and had all gone to join the eradication mission.

The explanation held few gaps and sounded reasonable.

“Which sect elder said so?” Rong Shu asked anyway, her tone mild. “Would it not be better for a sect elder to go personally?”

The disciple who had spoken earlier pulled a helpless face: “Most of the sect elders have already headed to Black Wind Town. The ones who remain must safeguard the other disciples from the shadows. They do not have a free moment.”

Rong Shu glanced toward the spot where the flying ship had previously descended. The ship had already been recalled, and the remaining dozen or so sect elders were flying one by one toward the city. With most disciples choosing to enter, the sect elders naturally followed to supervise. If she lingered out here, she might soon be alone.

Fu Yong Kang said, easygoing as ever: “Rong Shu, since that is the situation, let us go in. We will be quick.”

“All right,” Rong Shu nodded, then looked at the three senior brothers and added candidly: “But I do not know the way. Would the three senior brothers lead?”

“Of course,” one replied with a confident chuckle. “We passed through Maple Leaf City on a training trip once and stayed a few days.”

“Then we will trouble you to guide us,” Rong Shu said.

“Do not worry, junior sister, we will protect you,” another said warmly.

Sensing the sturdy auras of the tenth level of Qi Refining rolling off their bodies, Rong Shu inclined her head: “Then I will rely on you three.”

“…”

After they entered the city, the three Qi Refining Stage disciples proposed splitting into two teams in the name of efficiency. Fu Yong Kang was paired with one disciple, while Rong Shu went with the other two.