Chapter 19: The Hidden Deception

[Rich young lady? This outfit is more like a high-class maid from a wealthy family, the old woman shouldn’t have failed to notice. She must be lying, tricking a girl to come here must have some hidden purpose.]

A li outside the courtyard, Lian Yueying stood on an evergreen tree, hidden among the leaves.

A talisman hung from her right ear, capturing every conversation from the courtyard far below.

After hearing the middle-aged man speak, the old woman hurried inside.

The two men didn’t stop her; they simply stayed where they were.

Seeing this, Lian Yueying landed on the ground and paced left and right.

[They haven’t revealed any spiritual power, so I can’t tell their cultivation levels, nor why they asked the old woman to bring the girl back. According to the young man, he saw the last person going to the stall was me. Since he didn’t check the package, he probably didn’t notice I slipped a talisman inside… Good thing I hid in the teahouse for a while.]

Lian Yueying had hidden talismans in the package—one for tracking location, the other paired with the one on her earring for communication.

She had kept her guard since suspecting the old woman, never following too closely when tracking.

Now she understood that these were rogue cultivators causing trouble, but Lian Yueying dared not confront them rashly.

[I’ve seen the wanted notices issued by the Daoist Alliance. Even if they’re just Foundation Establishment, not to mention Golden Core, there are cases of cultivators harming mortals.]

Of course, Golden Core-level troublemakers were rare; even Foundation Establishment cultivators rarely caused chaos.

So these two were most likely still in the Qi Refining stage.

While Lian Yueying was debating her next move, she suddenly sensed fluctuations from the tracking talisman.

She quickly climbed the tree to look at the courtyard, spotting the middle-aged man touching his storage pouch at the waist.

The spiritual power fluctuations emitted were detectable.

[Qi Refining, stage six… A man in his forties with only this cultivation. His talent must be mediocre, probably started cultivating halfway through life.]

In theory, the first three stages of Qi Refining are similar to martial arts inner training, so many worldly people with some affinity would switch to cultivation midway.

[However, at his age, he likely won’t achieve much. As for the young man, his cultivation may not be high… No, he’s about the same age as Zhou Yan; talent can be unpredictable. Young cultivators with high levels can be terrifying. I can’t assume his roots are poor just because he’s harming mortals.]

Two choices lay before Lian Yueying: act opportunistically or rush back to her sect for help.

Even though Tuo Mountain Sect was part of the righteous Thousand Sects, cultivators, whether righteous or evil, often prioritized their own benefits.

Lian Yueying currently had no solid proof that these two were rogue cultivators, so she couldn’t get the sect to issue a mission.

Besides, the sect was over twenty li away. Even if she ran at full speed, it would take fifteen minutes, and there was no guarantee she could catch them.

[Facing enemies alone has its disadvantages, but it also has benefits. At least whatever I gain will be on my terms. Hm… I need to prepare early.]

She confirmed her surroundings and found a clearing in the forest.

From her storage pouch, she took out a brush, cinnabar, and talisman paper—over a hundred sheets.

She had just mastered the Qingfeng Dart yesterday and hadn’t had time to make talismans.

Now was the perfect moment.

The Qingfeng Dart was stronger than the Da Shi Blade and smaller, allowing careful placement in traps without self-injury.

Since she needed to act, Lian Yueying wanted to avoid revealing her true form.

She drew a few talismans to recall the steps, then removed ten true talismans from her hair and scattered them.

She then drew eighteen Qingfeng Dart true talismans and attached them.

At Qi Refining stage seven, she could use many more true talismans simultaneously.

Her current spiritual power recovery allowed her to prepare eighteen true talismans.

After the true talismans came the regular ones.

Immersed in talisman-making, she completed over a hundred in less than ten minutes.

This was Lian Yueying’s second trap setup, faster and more refined than the first.

Her enhanced senses allowed her to monitor both the communication talisman and surrounding movements.

The trap mimicked a formation, with talismans arranged in a circle.

Each talisman was brushed with a command talisman, imbued with faint blue spiritual power.

After flickering, the blue dimmed, and Lian Yueying covered them with a layer of floating soil.

She repeated this, then concealed the setup further.

Even someone who had been here before would struggle to notice any difference.

Three quarters of an hour passed.

No sound came through the communication talisman.

After confirming the trap was intact, Lian Yueying climbed a branch and watched the two in the courtyard, hesitating slightly.

[Cultivators shouldn’t interfere in mortal lives. These two not only broke the rules but asked the old woman to bring a girl back. They must have ulterior motives… Hm, I need to find out without taking risks myself. I should ask the villagers first.]

Deciding this, she crossed the forest from the west side of the village, moving toward the old woman’s house in the east, looking for someone to question.

The village women gathered at the entrance knew most village affairs.

Autumn harvests were over, and they had time to gossip.

Even from a distance, Lian Yueying could hear them discussing her as she approached.

“Look at that girl, so fresh and pretty.”

“Which one? Oh, whose daughter? Shouldn’t be from our village.”

“Even if she’s not from here, she looks different. Maybe visiting from the city? The Li family in the north returned recently… I don’t know them well. Who would recognize her?”

The women never concluded anything.

[The Li family up north probably isn’t often in the village. I don’t know their situation, so better not use their name.]

Lian Yueying stopped nearby.

The women had stopped discussing her.

She smiled: “Hello, neighbors. I’m a maid of the Gu household. My master sent me to find a house for future use. Could you help me with an introduction?”

She placed ten copper coins in her palm, immediately attracting their attention.

Although her outfit didn’t resemble a villager or a wealthy young lady, no one doubted her.

One woman quickly stepped forward.

“You’re smart, little girl. I know everything about the village.”

She hurried forward, taking the coins, wary that Lian Yueying might change her mind or that others might try to snatch the task.

Lian Yueying paid no mind and turned to leave.

The woman walked beside her, smiling: “I’m Auntie Wang. May I know your name?”

“Call me Xiao Liu, Auntie Wang.”

“Alright, Xiao Liu. What kind of house are you looking for? Many are empty, belonged to villagers who moved to the city. I can help if you want to find them.”

[Earlier they said I was showy. Now they’re eager to help—like the village gossip I expected, probably hoping for more money.]

Indeed, Lian Yueying did look elegant in the village.

Three silver flowers hung from her single ponytail, with blue and brown hairpins at the knot.

The white earring highlighted her fair, delicate face.

Six months of painful body refinement had matured her.

Her slightly childish face had opened up, surpassing even city young ladies in looks.

Auntie Wang’s subtle appraisal didn’t escape Lian Yueying’s perception.

Her satisfaction wasn’t about being judged—it was her own pleasure in dressing nicely.

Since both her parents were ordinary-looking, Lian Yueying’s beauty and the “Great Yin” body were naturally linked.

Seeing Lian Yueying silent, Auntie Wang grew anxious: “I won’t take the money in vain. Wait for Master Gu’s approval later.”

“Hehe, no rush, Auntie Wang. My master is generous. Once the matter is done, there will be rewards. Lead the way.”

Walking along the intersecting paths, Lian Yueying listened to Auntie Wang, deliberately glancing east to draw her attention, then nodded.

“Do you prefer the east side, Xiao Liu?”

“Yes, I don’t mind. It mainly depends on what my master thinks.”

Seeing Auntie Wang agree, Lian Yueying asked: “Is there a path through the forest to the east?”

“There used to be.”

Auntie Wang leaned closer and whispered: “Most empty houses are there, but it’s not safe.”

[Perhaps related to those two rogue cultivators, but I can’t be sure. Better not reveal too much.]

“Not safe? If there are bandits or wild beasts, we can call the authorities.”

“Sigh, what can the authorities do!”

Auntie Wang recounted the forest’s strange events.

About half a year ago, the Li family’s granddaughter went to pick fruit and didn’t return.

The eldest daughter-in-law also disappeared while searching.

The authorities were alerted but found nothing.

Since then, villagers avoided the forest.

Lian Yueying nodded, momentarily forgetting to act scared.

Auntie Wang assumed disbelief, gave no further thought, and warned again: “Some who went to search never returned. Xiao Liu, be careful.”

“Hehe, of course. I’m just a weak girl; hearing this is already chilling.”

[This situation is likely man-made.]

“I see people still live at the east end. Aren’t they afraid?”

“They are, but last year conscription took away many strong men. Only elders remain. The Li family suffered most—both sons conscripted, daughters disappeared, one daughter-in-law returned to her natal home, Li Niu fell ill, leaving only the eldest daughter selling jewelry in the city to pay for medicine.”

Lian Yueying nodded, face showing sympathy.

She gave Auntie Wang five more copper coins and whispered a few words.

Before Auntie Wang went east, Lian Yueying subtly controlled the communication talisman into her possession.

Two quarters later, Auntie Wang returned.

“All asked. Li Niu is bedridden. Besides the eldest daughter, two men are there, both from her natal family.”

Auntie Wang described the two men’s appearances.

Lian Yueying confirmed they were the rogue cultivators she had seen, then used the excuse of reporting back before deciding her next step.

Of course, she had left from the west and returned via the east.

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