She looked to be in her thirties, and she was clearly much stronger than a Core Formation Cultivator like Yu Duchuan.
And then there was her Daoist partner, Yu Qiheng.
It even gave the impression that he was the one truly in charge of Yongzhou Pass, which most likely meant he had already reached the Golden Core realm.
’Even a figure of his caliber had to be so polite.’
’That means my guess is very likely true.’
’The cub’s master must be an Immortal Descendant on par with the Golden Core realm. And since they’re from the Half-Life Qi Family, their status is, at minimum, equal to Yu Qiheng’s.’
’Good thing I didn’t rush to take Yu Sheng back to Yongzhou.’
Lin Shu shook his head.
With only one or two months left, he really had to push himself harder.
But it seemed he had already earned all the Merit and Sin Coins he could. ’Where am I supposed to find more now?’
Thanks to the Demon Cleansing of the Demon Mountain, the Group of Demons didn’t dare show their faces for now.
’Without being able to use the Demons as a cover, it’ll be hard to make a move against the Immortal Descendants.’
And the Great Shun Cultivators weren’t crossing over.
Lin Shu sighed softly.
Just then, he suddenly lifted his gaze and looked out the window.
The wandering wisp of his split soul had finally brought back useful information.
"I knew I could count on you."
His Mysterious Cyan Silk Robe swayed gently as he sat by the window, a thoughtful expression surfacing on his fair face.
「A tea stall on the outskirts of Shihu City.」
Steward Luo picked up his teacup and gazed toward the inn.
A complex mix of emotions appeared in his eyes.
In all his years stationed in the city, he had never seen such a dazzling disciple.
If Yu Duchuan was the City Lord, then Lin Shu now faintly carried the air of a Little City Lord.
If he hadn’t underestimated the master and disciple back then, if he had just been patient for another half a month, he wouldn’t have offended them both and brought this monumental trouble upon himself.
That was no exaggeration.
As Lin Shu’s fame grew, so too did the trouble Steward Luo found himself in.
In the eyes of the Great Shun Cultivators, it increasingly looked as if he were the one paving the way for Lin Shu.
It looked as if he were using the lives of Great Shun disciples as stepping stones for the young man’s successful ascent to the position of Mountain Master.
From the initial four lives he was blamed for, to the subsequent twelve, and now... he had lost count.
If Lin Shu truly became a Mountain Master and left Yongzhou Pass, this perception would be set in stone.
Steward Luo worried that even if he returned to any prefecture in Yongzhou, he would suffer sleepless nights, constantly at risk of being captured and torn to pieces by Great Shun Cultivators.
’Since I’ve already offended him, I might as well be ruthless!’
"Miss Chen, are you still feeling as composed as ever?"
Steward Luo took a sip of tea and said with a humorless smile, "If my calculations are correct, you’ve earned just over sixteen hundred merit points this month. Less than thirty percent of last month’s total, isn’t it?"
Chen Xiangzhu’s expression was numb as she stared blankly at the ground.
With the other Cultivators enjoying such a stable environment, she had completely lost control of her disciples.
Even Lu Yun, who had followed her for years, couldn’t stop the others from secretly crushing their Child Stones, though he himself didn’t dare do so.
After all her years in Shihu City, she had somehow ended up in a worse position than even a newly arrived Immortal Descendant.
That man, Lin, had actually garrisoned the entire Shihu Border Region all by himself!
"Tell me what you want me to do."
Chen Xiangzhu let out a bitter laugh, madness welling in her eyes as she slowly raised her head. "I just want him dead!"
"No need to be so tense."
Steward Luo set down his teacup. "I’ve already made arrangements with the Great Shun side, but this boy is cunning by nature and always keeps a few tricks up his sleeve. Relying on that group of Cultivators alone isn’t foolproof."
"Then who else are you going to get to help?" Chen Xiangzhu asked, confused.
"I need to borrow two wisps of your aura, Miss Chen. And they must be potent."
Steward Luo held up two fingers, his lips curling into a savage grin. "One to lure the Demons, and the other to be secretly placed on Lu Yun. He’s the most obedient, so he won’t be on his guard against you."
"Then, I will ask you to leave Shihu City with me, Miss Chen, to create the false impression that you’ve gone out on an errand."
"Of course, we don’t need to actually go anywhere. We just need to let that Group of Demons know. We can just find some random place to stay for the night."
"Come morning, Shihu will be back to the way it was."
Steward Luo’s voice seemed to hold a bewitching power.
Chen Xiangzhu hesitated, but not because she was reluctant to sacrifice Lu Yun.
’He was just a disciple, and not even a particularly talented one. If he died, she could just recruit another.’
She was simply worried about the danger. "Which Demon General do you plan to lure out? Are you certain of this?"
"The Moon-Devouring Demon General, of course," Steward Luo said softly, rubbing his face. "The Demon-slaying Bureau is arriving soon. It wants to make a name for itself, and its time is running out. It’s certain to seize any opportunity it gets."
"Of course, if a few more happen to show up..."
The hunchbacked old man’s shoulders trembled as he let out a sinister laugh, just imagining the scene of Lin Shu being torn apart by Demons. "He loves to stand guard, doesn’t he? Well, this time I’ll let him guard until he’s had his fill!"
’The boy had brought this destructive gale upon himself.’
’I am merely borrowing the wind.’
Chen Xiangzhu was silent for a long time. Then, pressing a hand to her chest, her features contorted as she forcibly tore a wisp of aura from her body.
She handed it to the hunchbacked old man and said coldly, "I’ll trust you this one time. Go and bring Lu Yun to me."
’Great Shun and Demons, working together.’
’Forget Lin Shu—even one of Yu Duchuan’s own Core Formation Disciples would meet their end beyond the pass.’
’A mere Steward, when he decided to be ruthless, could actually orchestrate a confrontation of this scale.’
’It was truly quite a surprise.’

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