Chapter 142

Chapter 142: A Dragon Trapped in Shallows (1)

With a simple wave of Xia You’s hand, a burst of earth magic surged forth before everyone’s startled eyes, flattening the entire mountain stronghold into level ground.

The bandits stared in shock. Some of them even collapsed directly to the dirt, their knees weak from fear. Only the second-in-command, who happened to be driving the carriage personally, managed to retain a shred of dignity.

The second-in-command clearly understood—someone with power that could move mountains must be an immortal from legend. Without question, these two stunning beauties before him were not mortal.

“Immortal Maidens…” the second-in-command stammered, tongue twisting helplessly.

Xia You smiled, deeply satisfied with her display. She had done this deliberately. Although most of the victims in the corpse pit had lost their lives to the mountain stronghold chief, these bandits who had assisted such evil deeds were equally guilty. Had they not been mortals, she would have already ended their lives.

Yun Xi spoke softly, smiling: “Let’s depart.”

“Yes, yes!” The second-in-command hastily calmed his wildly beating heart, cracked the whip, and drove the horses onto the official road.

Inside the carriage, Xia You spoke to Yun Xi through divine sense: “These people are all wicked. Are we really letting them go?”

“Not truly,” Yun Xi responded calmly, “After we find Fellow Daoist Yu and Fellow Daoist Liu, we’ll make them surrender themselves to the county officials.”

“Do you think the local officials here will uphold justice?” Xia You asked skeptically.

“We’ll see,” Yun Xi replied thoughtfully. “If not, then they’ll remain as our servants. After all, Fellow Daoist Yu and Fellow Daoist Liu also need someone to drive their carriage.”

“You make a fair point,” Xia You agreed.

But unlike Yun Xi and Xia You, Yu Qing Cheng and Liu Hao Tian were having considerably worse luck. When they were flung from the teleportation channel, the power of space had battered their bodies fiercely, leaving them seriously injured with cracked meridians. Their spiritual energy had completely drained away to resist the tearing forces, leaving them barely able to even open their storage bags.

Of all places, they landed in the Resting Glow Pavilion, Jinshan County’s largest brothel.

The brothel’s owner was initially stunned by the beautiful pair who fell from the heavens, but soon wild joy overtook him. With such breathtaking beauties under his roof, the Resting Glow Pavilion’s fame would surely skyrocket.

Blinded by immense potential profits, he conveniently overlooked the mysterious nature of their arrival. He swiftly confiscated their belongings and posted guards to keep watch.

When Yu Qing Cheng awoke, she nearly exploded with rage. Ever since stepping onto the path of cultivation, she had never suffered such humiliation. She swore silently that she’d tear down the Resting Glow Pavilion brick by brick, and the ugly man responsible would die by her hand.

Compared to her, Liu Hao Tian remained much calmer. He comforted her, saying, “Junior Sister, the mortals have a saying: ‘A gentleman’s revenge is not too late even after ten years.’ We are Foundation Establishment cultivators with two hundred years of life ahead of us. We have ample time for revenge. Right now, our priority must be healing our injuries, retrieving our storage bags, and reuniting with Fellow Daoist Wei.”

Yu Qing Cheng took deep breaths, gradually calming herself. Then she frowned, saying, “Thank goodness Yun Xi’s guiding red string kept us together. If we had been separated, things would be far worse. But the spiritual energy here is terribly thin, clearly the mortal world. Repairing our meridians will take forever.”

Liu Hao Tian’s brow furrowed in agreement. “Our spirit stones are in the storage bags. Let’s first find a way to get them back.”

“Agreed,” Yu Qing Cheng nodded.

From that point on, they became obedient, offering no resistance to their captor’s demands and playing the part of helpless victims resigned to their fate.

Boss Shen, the owner of Resting Glow Pavilion, tried subtly probing their origins. Liu Hao Tian purposely wore a look of evasiveness, only vaguely mentioning that their family had faced calamity, forcing them into exile. He gave no further details.

Boss Shen took this minimal information and eagerly filled in the gaps himself. Given their refined clothing and delicate jewelry, clearly from wealthy origins, he concluded that they must be descendants of some disgraced noble family. Feeling he had grasped their vulnerability, he grew increasingly brazen with his demands.

“You two have fallen to the state of fugitives, which means your family must have suffered greatly,” Boss Shen said arrogantly. “As the master of Resting Glow Pavilion, I can offer you protection and shelter. You should both be grateful.”

Yu Qing Cheng, committed to retrieving her storage bag, played her role convincingly. Her eyes reddened, voice trembling as she pleaded softly, “Lord Husband Shen, we siblings are deeply grateful for your protection. As long as you do not reveal our whereabouts, we shall obey your every word.”

Hearing these pleasing words, Boss Shen grew even happier. He waved his fan leisurely, saying, “Rest assured. As long as you help me win over the county magistrate, you’ll lack for nothing. Wealth, fine clothes, jewelry, and servants—you’ll live as well as you ever did.”

Liu Hao Tian glared at the greasy man before him, forcibly suppressing his murderous impulses. After struggling inwardly, he said softly, “Lord Husband Shen, we siblings fully understand your intentions. But before anything else, we have one small request and hope you can grant it.”

Boss Shen immediately grew cautious. “Tell me. If it’s reasonable, I’ll grant it.”

His meaning was clear: they shouldn’t push their luck.

Yu Qing Cheng quickly spoke, her voice filled with sorrow: “Lord Husband Shen, when we were unconscious, you had someone change our clothes, but our embroidered pouches weren’t returned. Those pouches were sewn by our mother. They are very dear to us. Our mother has passed away, and those pouches are our only memento of her. Can you kindly return them? Of course, you may inspect them first. They are ordinary pouches, empty but exquisitely embroidered.”

Her pleading, mournful gaze was so beautiful and sorrowful that Boss Shen momentarily lost himself.

Indeed, Boss Shen had taken those items to destroy their escape route and investigate their origins. He had noticed the exquisite pouches: one embroidered with orchids, the other roses, both clearly of high quality.

“Fine,” he relented, “I’ll look for the pouches and, if I find them, return them.”

“Thank you so much, Lord Husband Shen,” Yu Qing Cheng replied immediately, her face brightening into a dazzling smile, further captivating him.

“Well, you both rest well,” Boss Shen laughed heartily. “Recover quickly. Great days are waiting ahead!” With that, he left the room.

The guards promptly locked the door behind him and patrolled the area, ensuring no escape was possible.

As soon as Boss Shen left, Liu Hao Tian’s face darkened. He bitterly regretted their current predicament.

Yu Qing Cheng comforted him, “Senior Brother Liu, endure a little longer. This place is comfortable enough for us to heal without interruption. Once we reclaim our storage bags and repair our meridians, we’ll settle all scores then.”

“Fine. I’ll endure,” Liu Hao Tian sighed.

Boss Shen, despite his cunning, had never seen a cultivator’s storage bag before. To him, these precious items appeared as ordinary pouches filled with cotton—completely harmless. Two days later, he returned Yu Qing Cheng’s bag, slyly claiming Liu Hao Tian’s had been damaged and was being repaired.

Thus began their quiet endurance, two dragons trapped in shallows, awaiting their moment to soar free once again.