Chapter 124
Chapter 124: Investigating Hidden Fragrance Pavilion
Cold Territory, the border.
By a small stream, a figure in white leaned against a tree, a sheathed black sword thrust into the ground at his side.
Pale light filtered through the gaps in the leaves and fell across the man’s face.
He was very young, appearing a little over twenty.
Clad in spotless, otherworldly white, with a jade coronet binding his forelock to reveal elegant features, his eyes carried a chill-tough resolve. He was like green bamboo rooted in stone, standing straight against the sky, unbowed and unafraid.
Though the man sat beneath the starry night of wild grasslands, he seemed a noble young lord fallen into the dusty mortal world; he moved among the red dust yet remained above it.
He glanced at the Nine Palace Mirror as a line of text surfaced, and a faint, helpless smile touched his lips as he murmured: “So it’s as I thought… a curious little girl.”
He added with quiet ease: “No matter.”
With the things he had given beforehand and the young lady’s quick wits, even a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator would find her hard to handle.
As for anyone above the Divine Transformation Stage, he thought with calm certainty: he would never give such a person the chance to leave this northern cold land alive.
This would be his future junior sister’s first true, steel-on-steel tempering. As senior brother, he could not allow her to return disappointed.
He composed many thoughts, yet his expression stayed unchanged. With a slight motion of his fingertips, he sent a reply, then put away the Nine Palace Mirror.
He rose, casually took up the sword at his side, and walked north.
The night was heavy.
Yet that swath of white seemed aloof from the world.
Over snow-blanketed earth, a keen blade-aura swept out; for an instant even the howling wind and drifting snow stilled.
Like a meteor streaking past, the sword light vanished into the northern sky.
…
At the same time.
Cloud Link City.
In the Heaven’s Evolution Sect disciples’ quarters.
Seeing eight short characters appear on the Nine Palace Mirror—“Do it boldly, stay safe”—Rong Shu felt her heart settle.
Next she had to consider carefully how to disguise herself as a Demonic Cultivator and enter Hidden Fragrance Pavilion.
However—
Her gaze fell on Little Hamster curled in his nest as she said with gentle firmness: “Yan Yan, stay in the room tomorrow. I’m going somewhere dangerous, and it’s not convenient to bring you.”
In truth, Rong Shu could take Little Hamster along. She had just bought a Beast Taming Pouch at the shop, which could hold living creatures.
At her words, Little Hamster climbed from the nest and tilted his head up at her, his meaning plain as he squeaked: “I want to go too.”
Rong Shu understood and rubbed his head with a smile as she coaxed him: “Yan Yan, if you go, you can only stay inside the Beast Taming Pouch.”
Little Hamster glanced at the Beast Taming Pouch she had taken out, and his expression turned hesitant.
It was pitch-dark inside the Beast Taming Pouch. He had gone in once at the shop and had leapt out with his fur puffed up.
One look had told Rong Shu he disliked being inside it.
Little Hamster could only nod slightly, placing his little paw in her palm as he requested: “Then come back quickly.”
She answered with a promise and another affectionate rub: “All right. I’ll bring you something tasty when I return.”
…
The next day.
Rong Shu went to watch the matches again.
Cheng Bu Fan was busy competing, while Fu Yong Kang had gone off mysteriously for who knew what.
After a night of thought, she watched the heated fights atop the arena with more composure than yesterday.
Below the stage, many sect elders and disciples, as well as numerous residents of Cloud Link City, had come to spectate.
Winning in front of such a crowd would certainly satisfy the vanity of the still high-spirited young disciples.
Only, whenever Rong Shu thought of the Demonic Cultivators lurking in the dark, the duels of these unsuspecting disciples felt somewhat flavorless.
Even so, she followed yesterday’s schedule, watched several matches, then left.
Afterward, she went to the alchemists’ sub-guild and stayed in the Myriad Books Tower to read.
Though she had decided to probe Hidden Fragrance Pavilion, she had not forgotten to verify the alchemy knowledge she had memorized yesterday.
Three hour later, Rong Shu left Myriad Books Tower and rented an alchemy room.
There, she compared what she had just memorized against her notes from the previous day and corrected any errors or omissions.
Only after finishing did she leave the alchemists’ sub-guild.
She did not return to an inn but instead sought out a secluded private home.
Inside were only an old woman, a young woman, and a swaddled infant.
Judging by the situation, the adult men of the household were away at work.
Rong Shu scattered a little harmless powder to gently stupefy them, then began to change.
After taking a Disguise Pill and a Voice Changing Pill, she recalled every last detail of the Demonic Cultivator she had seen the night before, missing not a single thread.
Only once she had become him completely did she move on to body shape and clothing.
Before disposing of the Demonic Cultivator’s corpse, she had stripped him of his clothes.
There were, of course, Soul Severing Sect disciple robes in the Demonic Cultivator’s Storage Pouch, but she could hardly swagger in wearing a disciple’s uniform.
As for altering her build, back in the sect’s secret realm, senior brother Lin Dao had given her a Body Altering Bracer.
Later, in the black market, she had picked up a similar treasure—a pendant.
However, the pendant’s concealment was mediocre; a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator could see through it. It was also a defective piece, usable at most seven or eight more times, four hours per use.
This time, the Demonic Cultivators’ assembly gathered only Qi Refining Stage disciples; deceiving a band of Qi Refining Stage Demonic Cultivators would be more than enough.
If a Nascent Soul Stage Demonic Cultivator truly appeared, Rong Shu could only use the Seventh Grade Shape Shifting Pill Lin Dao had given her.
After checking everything several times, she left the house and headed for Hidden Fragrance Pavilion.
…
Inside Hidden Fragrance Pavilion.
Courtesans of every style drifted among the tables and private rooms.
The clear, lilting notes of silk and bamboo instruments wafted through the establishment without cease.
Upon arriving, Rong Shu first booked a small, secluded private room, then casually ordered a few side dishes.
She did not touch the food at Hidden Fragrance Pavilion. Instead, she took out a small bottle of low-proof fruit wine from her Storage Pouch; one cup would last her a long while.
Without drawing notice, she probed the crowd.
There were ordinary folk and cultivators alike, though cultivators were in the majority.
Among those cultivators, she still had to pick out which were Demonic Cultivators.
Uncertain how one “made contact” or “assembled” within Hidden Fragrance Pavilion, she could only observe the other Demonic Cultivators’ behavior and infer what she needed.
She waited for quite some time and identified several likely Demonic Cultivators.
They shared a common trait: they seemed to be heading toward the rear courtyard.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to investigate the back courtyard when—
A black figure suddenly appeared in her room.
A man’s puzzled voice reached her as he spoke with casual familiarity: “Kid, why are you still here?”
Rong Shu kept her face impassive as she sized him up.
He was at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, with proper features that were hardly vicious.
Yet such an “ordinary” person addressed her—supposedly a Demonic Cultivator—in this practiced tone. His identity, then, was obvious.
Her gaze dropped to the shadow at his feet, and she felt a flicker of surprise.
This man also possessed a dark spiritual root.
Moreover, had he not approached so close, she would not have sensed him at all.
Judging from his tone, he likely knew the original unlucky Demonic Cultivator.
Whether friend or foe was unknown.
But given Demonic Cultivators’ usual habits, even fellow disciples rarely got along harmoniously; excessive warmth was out of the question.
She asked with cold composure, every movement of his under her covert watch as she stayed ready to flee at the slightest wrongness: “What do you want?”
Her dual metal-earth roots—once a minor source of annoyance to her for slow cultivation—put her at only the seventh layer of Qi Refining. The unlucky Demonic Cultivator had been at the sixth. With just one layer’s difference, she could easily claim a recent breakthrough without issue.
She had checked the corpse the previous night: a four-root cultivator of dark, metal, earth, and fire.
The man took a few steps closer and reached for the cup on her table to taste, but she was a step faster, sweeping it into her Storage Pouch. His face stiffened a shade before he retracted his hand with a sheepish look and said: “They’ve called an assembly, and you still have time to admire beauties and drink?”
Rong Shu rose with a chilly face and replied evenly: “I was just going.”
Seeing no change in his expression, she allowed herself a tiny breath of relief.
It seemed there was no flaw for now. Since she had run into a “familiar face,” there was no need to probe bit by bit; she only had to follow him.
At first she walked in front, but as they neared the rear courtyard, she slowed by design to fall a step behind.
There, he gave her a glimpse of a Demonic Cultivator’s concealment method, and she was secretly impressed.
The true assembly point for the Demonic Cultivators lay beneath Hidden Fragrance Pavilion.
Partway along, he lowered his voice mysteriously and made an invitation: “Xu Liu, want to do something big with your brother?”
Rong Shu kept her tone flat as she asked: “What is it?”
He said with a touch of excitement: “You’ve heard, right? Heaven’s Evolution Sect’s Immortal Venerable Ze Yu recently took a new personal disciple, and she happens to be here in the city.”
Then, more animated: “Her cultivation is only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining right now. Catching her will be a breeze.”
For a heartbeat Rong Shu’s expression turned subtle, but it smoothed out at once as she agreed with cool poise: “Yes, that could work. A fine target.”
“I also heard this personal disciple is only so in name and isn’t favored.”
He gave a sinister little grin as he reasoned: “Not favored is best. Righteous sects treat personal disciples like the apple of their eye. If she isn’t favored, she won’t have many life-saving treasures and will be even easier to take.”
He pressed her: “So, what do you think?”
Rong Shu didn’t answer at once but countered instead with a level question: “If it’s such a good thing, why not do it alone?”
He rolled his eyes and laughed, evading neatly as he said: “A little extra insurance, that’s all.”
Seeing this, she did not pursue it. She simply gave a brief instruction: “Fine.”
She added a quiet warning: “Don’t spread this to more people. Others aren’t fools; they’ll also be thinking of snatching the personal disciple.”
He nodded readily, though his heart was not so aligned. Smart men were not limited to him alone. Others might already be eyeing that personal disciple. That was why he was in a hurry to pull in a helper.
With their cooperation confirmed, Rong Shu began to plan: “In a few days we can set an ambush. In fact, these past two days I have had my eye on this personal disciple and have kept track of her routine.”
“She watches several matches in the morning, and around noon she usually goes out shopping. That time window is the best moment for us to act.”
Hearing her sincere, thorough analysis, the man’s delight grew.
“Good, good. After we receive the mission, we’ll pick a suitable day and pay this personal disciple a visit,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting with a bloodthirsty curl as he added: “Capturing a personal disciple alive brings a very generous sect reward.”
…
They had not spoken for long when several Foundation Establishment Stage Demonic Cultivators arrived.
They swept their gazes over the gathered Qi Refining Stage Demonic Cultivators and announced crisply: “The sect has an urgent mission. Complete your assignments and rewards will be issued according to contribution.”
Demonic Cultivators were straightforward; there was little empty ceremony.
Next, the Foundation Establishment cultivators began verifying everyone’s identity.
From her place a bit farther back, Rong Shu clearly saw those ahead: one after another either activated their sect technique or directly unfurled a Soul Summoning Banner.
Any method that could prove their identity was brought out.
When it was her turn, she naturally produced the unlucky Demonic Cultivator’s Soul Summoning Banner and drew forth fine threads of dark spiritual qi.
The Soul Severing Sect’s techniques were rooted in the dark attribute.
Cultivators without a dark spiritual root would, more often than not, implant an artificial one in their bodies.
She had practiced with the banner last night and used it a few times; now there was no awkwardness at all.
Thus she bluffed her way through.
Once identities were confirmed, they began assigning tasks.
Rong Shu was sent to watch a small sector on the southern side of Cloud Link City.
The other Demonic Cultivators each received their own areas to monitor.
At the Qi Refining Stage, cultivators in struggles between powers could only serve as runners or cannon fodder.
Rong Shu regretted not gaining more useful information, though the other Qi Refining Stage Demonic Cultivators quietly breathed easier. A lookout assignment was relatively light.
The Demonic Cultivator who had schemed with Rong Shu about capturing the personal disciple sidled up again and muttered under his breath: “No idea what the sect is planning with such a big mobilization this time.”
His name was Liu Kai; Rong Shu had taken a moment to flip through the contacts in the unlucky Demonic Cultivator Xu Liu’s Nine Palace Mirror.
Xu Liu had labeled his contacts with names and cultivation levels, placing those with decent relations in a separate interface.
In the end, she confirmed the man was indeed Liu Kai.
Rong Shu shrugged and answered with a show of indifference: “Who knows. We just do as the higher-ups say.”