Chapter 48: He’s Here

While Yin Kang Xuehan was certainly eager to find her sister, her own safety was the paramount concern.

The very fact that Zhuang Hancheng could hold sway over Canggu City was proof enough of his power.

If he were to escape, she and her followers would likely meet their end here.

To die while carrying out their orders would be an absurd and pathetic fate.

Seeing Yin Kang Xuehan about to leave, the attendant grew anxious.

At most, she would face a trivial reprimand upon her return.

But as for them, they would likely become food.

He quickly spoke up.

“Heavenly Fox King, please don’t be hasty. If you return like this, the other demon kings might think you’re merely going through the motions. They could use it as a pretext to cause trouble for you, leading to more unnecessary conflict. Your strength is beyond question, but such matters would only dirty your hands.”

At his words, Yin Kang Xuehan couldn’t help but pause.

Upon reflection, she realized the young demon had a point.

That group of fellows had never looked upon her favorably, and while she had dealt with many who caused her trouble, the constant killing had grown tiresome.

Besides, as the young demon said, it would indeed dirty her hands.

“Then in your opinion…”

“The formation you provided is strong enough to hold Zhuang Hancheng for a day. If you could delay the proceedings, we can postpone the welcoming banquet until evening. Should Qin Yangjun not have returned by then, we will move against his group. That way, we won’t return empty-handed, and the demon kings above will have no excuse to make things difficult for you.”

“You do have some sense. Very well, we shall do as you say.”

Yin Kang Xuehan waved her hand, preparing to depart, but after two steps, she remembered something.

“By the way, where is that boy, Zhuang Daoyan?”

Zhuang Daoyan was Zhuang Hancheng’s only son.

If he were killed, Zhuang Hancheng would surely go mad, which was why Yin Kang Xuehan hadn’t laid a hand on him.

However, precisely because he was the only son, Zhuang Hancheng doted on him excessively, raising him to be utterly lawless.

To prevent the boy from stirring up trouble, she had to keep an eye on his movements.

The attendant before her understood her thoughts and had already made arrangements.

“He has gone out, but you need not worry. I’ve sent two of my own people to follow him. The boy is quite dull-witted; he will never notice anything amiss.”

“Good.”

With that, Yin Kang Xuehan straightened her robes.

Now, she just had to find a way to stall for time.

Qin Yangjun led the three women on a meandering path through Canggu City.

Though they never stopped for long, their route was enough to bewilder Jiang Yanfeng, who was tailing them.

‘Has the boy gotten lost?’

Of course, it was just a fleeting thought.

He didn’t believe for a moment that Qin Yangjun could have detected his pursuit.

And indeed, Qin Yangjun hadn’t pinpointed his location, but he knew he was being followed.

Furthermore, Qin Yangjun was not lost; he was simply ensuring the timing of the plot was perfect.

The time, the place, and the people—not a single element could be out of place, or all his efforts would be for naught.

At this point, Hua Yaoyao, walking beside him, could no longer contain her impatience.

She had thought that coming down early with Qin Yangjun was for gathering intelligence or some other important task.

She had not expected to be wandering around aimlessly.

Utterly failing to grasp her senior brother’s motive for slipping away early, she whispered, “Senior Brother, what exactly are we doing here in Canggu City at this hour?”

Qin Yangjun offered a mysterious smile.

“Patience, Junior Sister. You will soon find out.”

Beside them, Yu Lingyue cast a sidelong glance toward a particular spot.

She had sensed their follower from the very beginning, and from their winding path, she could tell that her senior brother was deliberately taking detours.

‘Is Senior Brother planning something again?’

With this thought in mind, Yu Lingyue remained silent for the entire journey, quietly following along just like Ah Ling.

Qin Yangjun glanced up at the sky.

According to the plot, the incident was supposed to happen right after Yu Lingyue left the welcoming banquet.

The time was about right.

With that, Qin Yangjun headed straight for his destination.

Soon, he led the group to a stall managed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The stall was cluttered with a miscellany of items—an assortment of herbs, ancient jades, and even fractured spiritual artifacts.

Yu Lingyue’s gaze swept across the stall before landing squarely on an ancient piece of jade.

She could feel an immense power contained within it; it had to be a protective magical artifact.

Judging by the spiritual energy it contained, it seemed capable of withstanding a full-force blow from an early-stage Void Grotto Realm cultivator.

Faced with such a fine life-saving artifact, she was, to be honest, quite tempted.

She couldn’t help but look at Qin Yangjun, only to find his gaze also fixed upon the ancient jade.

“Shopkeeper, this piece of jade…”

“Shopkeeper, I’ll take this jade. How many spirit stones?”

Before Qin Yangjun could finish, Jiang Yanfeng suddenly appeared at the stall, his eyes locked on the ancient jade in contemplation.

Ah Ling frowned beside them.

“Young Master Jiang, my master saw this jade first. What is the meaning of this?”

“What… your master? Oh, oh, so our great Chief Disciple Qin is here as well. My apologies, my apologies, I didn’t see you just now. As for you saying your master saw it first…”

Jiang Yanfeng smirked and slapped two high-grade spirit stones onto the stall.

At the sight of the high-grade spirit stones, the rogue cultivator’s eyes went wide.

Two high-grade spirit stones were equivalent to two hundred mid-grade ones—more than he earned in an entire year of running his stall.

It seemed he had run into a wealthy young master today.

“Shopkeeper, a simple yes or no. Are you selling?”

“Selling! Selling! Of course, I’m selling! Young Master, this jade is yours.”

As he spoke, the stall owner hastily scooped up the spirit stones, as if afraid Jiang Yanfeng would change his mind.

Jiang Yanfeng then raised the corner of his mouth, casting a provocative look at Qin Yangjun.

“Now, regardless of who saw it first, the jade is mine.”

“Jiang Yanfeng! Don’t go too far! Senior Brother clearly saw it first!”

Hua Yaoyao glared daggers at Jiang Yanfeng.

Ah Ling was even less inclined to tolerate this.

Just as she was about to teach this arrogant fool a lesson, Qin Yangjun’s golden-threaded fan gently blocked her path.

“Shopkeeper, I’ll take that piece of jade!”

A languid voice drifted from behind them.

A faint smile touched the corners of Qin Yangjun’s lips.

‘He’s here.’

The newcomer was a young man whose ordinary features held a hint of untamed arrogance.

He was dressed in fine clothes, a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and was flanked by two attendants.

Yu Lingyue could sense that his cultivation was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, but despite being at the same level as her, she could see that his steps were unsteady and the spiritual energy within him was faint.

Clearly, his cultivation had been artificially inflated with precious resources.

His actual strength wasn’t even worth her notice.

But his two attendants…

Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, and… hmm… why is their aura so strange?

Yu Lingyue’s brow furrowed slightly.

It was as if a layer of mist shrouded their auras.

However, she didn’t probe any deeper, lest she be discovered.

She didn’t dwell on it too much, either.

The world was full of countless strange and varied cultivation methods; perhaps they simply practiced some special technique she had never encountered.

It seemed this person who had appeared out of nowhere had quite the special status.

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