Volume One, Chapter 19: Utterly Audacious!

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Liuyuyan, who had already been overwhelmed by despair, felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hated herself, and even more so Ye Feng and Su Yun’er. If it weren’t for them, how could she have ended up in such a miserable state? Yet, the voice commanding “Stop!” sounded like a divine melody in her ears. With tears like pear blossoms in the rain, Liuyuyan looked up toward the source of the voice.

She saw a beautiful woman holding a golden-furred golden thread cat. Her eyes shimmered like rippling water, carrying a subtle, keen intelligence. Observing Liuyuyan’s appearance, the woman lifted her skirt and crouched down, clicking her tongue in admiration. Then she scolded the burly men nearby, “Are you all just strong men with nowhere to exert your strength? We are honest businessmen; don’t embarrass me in public. Get down!”

The kneeling men broke out in cold sweat. Though they were cultivators, they were also servants. The beautiful woman didn’t say anything further as punishment, but they knew this incident had been noted. From now on, they must remain vigilant, lest they sully the lady’s eyes again, which would mean death without a grave. They were well aware of the woman’s ruthless methods.

One by one, the men bowed and withdrew, and the bustling market around them returned to its usual state. The woman, after carefully examining Liuyuyan, smiled gently and said, “I didn’t expect that our Zhuxian Market has quite a few beauties among us!” “You’re not bad!”

Liuyuyan’s pupils constricted slightly. She had thought this was her salvation, but seeing the respectful demeanor of the burly men toward the woman filled her with even greater fear. After all, if the woman were truly harmless, how could she command so many strong cultivator men? This lady was certainly no ordinary figure!

Liuyuyan cautiously said, “Thank you, madam, for your rescue.” “I, Liuyuyan, humbly thank you here.”

The woman narrowed her eyes, stroked the golden thread cat’s fur, and shook her head slightly. “It’s nothing.” “I heard you came here looking for the Secret Shop?”

Liuyuyan’s pupils shrank as if her tail had been stepped on. She hurriedly shook her head. “I was just curious. Since the Secret Shop is so troublesome, I’m no longer interested.”

She hastily tried to leave. The woman laughed softly, and the golden thread cat suddenly leapt onto Liuyuyan’s shoulder. A terrifying force gripped her body. Liuyuyan felt completely controlled, unable to exert any strength. She glanced fearfully at the cat, noticing a strong earthy yellow gleam in its pupils.

“This… this is a demonic beast spirit pet!” Her terror grew.

“No trouble, no trouble!” the woman said. “In such a hurry to leave?”

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“You said to thank me, but empty words won’t do.” Liuyuyan’s face was pale, cold sweat running down. “Of course not, senior. I really was just curious, nothing else.”

The woman covered her mouth and laughed, then glanced at Liuyuyan again before seeming to lose interest. “Since you’re so curious, I’ll grant your wish.” “The Secret Shop happens to need several beautiful female cultivators to serve as hostesses for this trading event.” “Since you’re willing, why not stay and help me?” “Oh, and it’s paid.”

“The Secret Shop trade lasts three days, earning a medium-grade spirit stone each day.”

Before Liuyuyan could respond, the woman waved at a burly cultivator behind her. “Take her inside to wash up and dress.”

“Too many clothes!” the strong cultivator muttered, obeying orders.

A group of maids soon appeared, smiling as they escorted Liuyuyan into an inconspicuous shop.

…

Night fell.

Yet Zhuxian Market remained bustling. Scattered around, shop after shop, and many stalls behind them sparkled faintly, all illuminated by a kind of Merit Stone known as Moonlight Stone.

Moonlight Stone emits a glow like moonlight, covering a broad area—one stone alone can illuminate about five zhang in radius. So the Moonlight Stones in the many shops lit up Zhuxian Market like two intersecting rivers of stars.

At the center stood the Wanbao Pavilion, brilliantly lit. Yet even with cultivators present late at night, they only browsed lower-grade magical artifacts on the first floor. The second floor, where Ye Feng had entered, was completely empty.

Inside the treasure pavilion, the guards were either dozing off or meditating in shadowy corners.

No one noticed a faint, slender shadow slip inside Wanbao Pavilion, entering the third floor silently under many watchful eyes.

As everyone knew, the third floor belonged to the Pavilion Mistress Feng Niang and served as a reception for high-level refiners and cultivators, even Foundation Establishment stage practitioners.

Only upon entering the third floor did the shadow gradually take shape.

Had Ye Feng been here, he would have been astounded, for the newcomer was none other than Su Yun’er.

Su Yun’er wore the exquisite “Elegance Beyond Compare” gifted by him, with a gauzy outer robe shimmering like moonlight—a low-grade spirit artifact.

Apart from these, she carried nothing else—not a single piece of jewelry.

In her hand, she held a milky white jade pendant.

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The pendant’s faint rosy glow completely enveloped Su Yun’er.

The pendant concealed her form;

The gauze robe masked her aura.

As for the “Elegance Beyond Compare,” though a medium-grade spirit artifact with adequate defense, at this moment its concealment value far outweighed its protection.

Thanks to the pendant’s concealment, others could not see her shape.

If anyone detected her, they would likely feel a rush of blood to the head, fainting in disbelief.

Biting her lip, Su Yun’er began searching each room on the third floor.

She confirmed that except for Feng Niang’s room, which was occupied, the rest were quiet.

After a long time, Su Yun’er finally entered the treasure storage room.

Searching through the protective light barrier, she found nothing but a medium-grade cultivation manual titled “Three Suns Bring Prosperity.”

No trace of high-grade cultivation techniques.

Though she had predicted this, experiencing such disappointment firsthand was disheartening.

Biting her lip, she pondered.

There were few places in Zhuxian Market like Wanbao Pavilion.

If no high-grade manuals were found in the storage, two possibilities remained:

Either Zhuxian Market was too small, and such high-grade manuals didn’t exist in a Wanbao Pavilion at this level;

Or the high-grade manuals were too precious to be stored there, kept instead close to the Pavilion Mistress Feng Niang.

After all, it was reasonable for a large shop like Wanbao Pavilion to have one or two storage artifacts on hand.

The more Su Yun’er thought, the more plausible this seemed.

But it undoubtedly increased the difficulty.

She was unwilling to leave empty-handed.

The invisibility pendant came from the Red Dust Cavern; it was a rare treasure.

But it had limited uses.

Three cracks on the pendant were spreading rapidly toward the center.

Once the cracks connected, her concealed form would be instantly exposed.

If she missed this chance, she would no longer have the strength to advance into Wanbao Pavilion.

Gritting her teeth, Su Yun’er steeled herself and approached Feng Niang’s room.