Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Demonic Cultivators Strike

Over the next few days, Rong Shu publicly cut back on how often she went out.

It was no longer a secret in the city that demonic cultivators were ambushing sect disciples.

If she kept swaggering around as if nothing were wrong, it might arouse suspicion. So Rong Shu reduced her time outside.

That, however, made the demonic cultivators who had been watching Rong Shu and wanting to make a move grow impatient.

Among them, Liu Kai, who had previously dealt with Rong Shu, sent a message through the Nine Palace Mirror: “We should strike within the next two days; if we wait any longer, that little girl may not dare to step outside.”

As Rong Shu stepped out of the Alchemist Sub-Guild, she replied while posing as Xu Liu: “All right. I’ll keep track of Rong Shu’s movements. The moment there’s a chance, I’ll notify you to come.”

Liu Kai answered: “Good!”

After sending the message, Rong Shu put away the Nine Palace Mirror that belonged to Xu Liu.

Liu Kai had to die.

It was not because Rong Shu bore a grudge against him for wanting her life, but because Liu Kai knew Xu Liu. They were not close, but if Rong Shu continued to use the identity of “Xu Liu,” there was no guarantee Liu Kai wouldn’t one day sense something was off.

The safest approach was to eliminate Liu Kai.

For now, the demonic cultivator identity of Xu Liu was still useful, and Rong Shu had no intention of discarding it yet.

Once she had pushed her way a bit further into the demonic cultivators’ ranks, she could learn some of their plans in advance and guard against them.

After leaving the Alchemist Sub-Guild, Rong Shu wandered as if aimlessly through several streets.

Whenever she reached a visual blind spot, she quietly placed Formation Discs no larger than a palm.

The Formation Discs came in many disguises, sometimes looking like an ordinary stone, sometimes like a splintered scrap of wood, wholly unremarkable.

Lin Dao had bought these Formation Discs for Rong Shu in the black market.

Rong Shu was not good at formations, and if she went herself she would very likely be cheated.

These Formation Discs bore no marks and had obscure origins, so no one could trace a thread back to her.

After several days of work, Rong Shu had secretly laid out several arrays—trapping, maze, killing—that could be triggered with a single thought.

With the preparations complete, Rong Shu sat back and waited for the demonic cultivators who wanted her life to come knocking.

On the fifth day, in the morning, Rong Shu watched several matches.

In the afternoon, she set out for the Alchemist Sub-Guild.

Before leaving, she sent Liu Kai a message: “Rong Shu is on her way to the Alchemist Sub-Guild.”

A moment later Liu Kai’s reply arrived at once: “Good! I’ll come immediately!”

Since all Nine Palace Mirrors were the same model, Rong Shu walked down the street openly answering Liu Kai with one in hand: “I’ve been tailing Rong Shu in the dark the whole time. Hurry.”

The front of Rong Shu’s robe bulged slightly.

Half of a Little Hamster’s head peeked out.

Rong Shu reached up and stroked the Little Hamster’s head, saying softly: “Yan Yan, hold on tight so you don’t fall.”

Anyone who had been watching Rong Shu closely would have noticed that she had been carrying a Little Hamster these days and never let it leave her side.

If she had put the Little Hamster into a Beast Taming Pouch ahead of time, that alone would raise suspicion.

If you are going to act, act the part completely; so Rong Shu kept the Little Hamster outside to play along with her performance.

Besides Liu Kai, there were probably other demonic cultivators shadowing her.

This time, Rong Shu could not afford the slightest carelessness.

After she had walked for a while, a chill pricked her heart.

[Here they come.]

This time, Rong Shu deliberately showed a small flaw, drifting away from crowded streets.

[One… two… three…]

She sensed more and more unfamiliar auras following her in the shadows.

Rong Shu understood.

These were demonic cultivators who wanted to capture alive the personal disciple of Immortal Venerable Ze Yu.

For the past few days she had conspicuously stayed in at night.

The demonic cultivators coveting Rong Shu had found no chance and were probably growing anxious.

Now that there was an opening, even in broad daylight, they would not let it slip.

Rong Shu chose to face them in daylight because most of those demonic cultivators relied on artificial dark-type spiritual roots.

Night was the demonic cultivators’ home field.

For Rong Shu, night was not her only choice.

[Fifteen in total?]

Rong Shu was quietly startled that so many were eyeing her.

And those were only the ones she could sense.

[When this is over, I need to find a technique that can pierce concealment.] With that thought tucked away, Rong Shu’s face remained calm as she drew the demonic cultivators step by step into her “trap.”

Hidden in the dark, the demonic cultivators tailing Rong Shu naturally sensed one another’s presence.

Most of them were at the Qi Refining Stage.

A Soul Severing Sect demonic cultivator sneered at a counterpart from Eternal Torment Sect: “Hmph, you shady types who can’t show your faces came too?”

The Eternal Torment Sect demonic cultivator shot back: “Right back at you, filth that reeks of corpses.”

Several alluring women among the demonic cultivators covered their mouths and laughed: “Bald donkey, you’ve been dogging a little girl all this way. Aren’t you ashamed?”

The monks being mocked kept benevolent faces as they said, “Amitabha, merely passing by.”

Although the four sects had formed a temporary alliance, their disciples generally could not stand one another.

All the more so now that personal gain was at stake.

There was only one Rong Shu.

A dozen-plus people were not going to be satisfied.

“Since that’s the case, let’s rely on our own abilities,” Liu Kai said, smoothing things over. He had already been noticed by the others and cursed them inwardly, but he was also relieved that Xu Liu apparently had not been discovered.

Xu Liu’s concealment had improved.

So long had passed and no one had seen a trace of him.

If Liu Kai had not been receiving occasional messages from Xu Liu, he would have thought the latter never came at all.