Kill Him

Before heading to the Fulong Mountain Range, Chen Er had mentioned to Shi Yu that Manager Yan of Duize Tower had approached him, offering a higher price to purchase the spirit talismans she crafted.

However, Shi Yu had a poor impression of Manager Yan, and since doing business with Tongyi Pavilion was pleasant and smooth, she simply had Chen Er turn him down.

The spirit talismans she crafted were thirty percent more powerful than ordinary ones, making them hugely popular among the cultivators in the market town and bringing a great deal of customer foot traffic to Tongyi Pavilion.

Manager Yan was naturally green with envy. When the deal fell through, he did not hesitate to tear off all pretense of civility.

Yet this entire market town was built under the aegis of the Yuxu Sect, and Chen Er was an outer disciple of the Yuxu Sect after all. Was Manager Yan not afraid of inviting the sect's wrath?

Remembering that Manager Yan was on close terms with Lu Yujiao, Shi Yu realized Lu Yujiao was likely backing him and pulling the strings behind the scenes.

As she was thinking, the shop hand beside her spoke up, “Manager Jiang has been negotiating with Duize Tower over the past few days, demanding they release him, but those people refuse to listen to reason or threats. They’re completely fearless!”

“I heard that on that day, Manager Yan brought men and barged into this courtyard, smashing everything without a word. Brother Chen Er tried his best to protect the place, but... That’s all I know. Manager Jiang understands the situation much better.”

“I understand.” Shi Yu’s face looked grim. She glanced at the shop hand and said, “Let’s head to Tongyi Pavilion first.”

The shop hand nodded repeatedly and respectfully trotted ahead to lead the way.

Before leaving, Shi Yu cast another glance back at the courtyard.

The spiritual grain and spiritual vegetables in the small plots had been harvested long ago, and the water in the bucket was just ordinary well water.

Fortunately, before departing, she had instructed Chen Er that she would be leaving for the prefectural city soon, so there was no need to plant more spiritual grain. Right now, aside from mundane odds and ends, there was nothing in the yard that would expose her secrets.

Lowering her eyelashes, she shut the courtyard gate and set off toward Tongyi Pavilion.

The moment she arrived, Jiang Qihe spotted her immediately and hurried over. “Young Master Shi, you’ve finally shown yourself!”

Just as he was about to speak, he froze upon sensing the aura radiating from Shi Yu.

Having not seen her for days, he felt that she had grown noticeably stronger, to the point where he could no longer discern her cultivation level.

He recalled when he first met her; she hadn't even drawn Qi into her body and wasn't even at the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

Such rapid progress was truly incredible...

Jiang Qihe composed himself, skipped the pleasantries, and concisely explained the situation to Shi Yu.

In short, Manager Yan had discovered that Chen Er was working for Shi Yu as her servant. When the business deal failed, he sought to use Chen Er to coerce her.

In truth, having torn away all pretense to this extent, it was more likely that he simply wanted to humiliate Shi Yu.

After hearing Jiang Qihe out, Shi Yu asked, “Acting so domineering, isn't he afraid of turning the other cultivators away from Duize Tower?”

Jiang Qihe shook his head. “Though he abducted Chen Er as leverage, he used a righteous pretext.”

Shi Yu frowned. “How so?”

Jiang Qihe glanced at her and explained, “Disciples of the Yuxu Sect receive a monthly stipend from the sect, so they are required to put the sect first in all matters.”

“If they wish to earn extra cultivation resources, they can only take on missions at the sect's Merit Pavilion and exchange the contribution points earned from completing those missions for resources.”

Understanding instantly, Shi Yu asked, “So they moved against him on the grounds that, as a sect disciple, he was working for me?”

Jiang Qihe nodded and added, “In truth, while this rule exists on the surface, countless disciples in the sect privately accept bounties or side jobs. The sect elders mostly turn a blind eye, making the rule virtually meaningless.”

“Duize Tower maintains close ties with the Yuxu Sect, and Manager Yan even holds a nominal guest elder position within the Yuxu Sect.”

Shi Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

So if Manager Yan seized Chen Er under this pretext, outsiders would have no standing to criticize him.

“Besides...” Jiang Qihe hesitated before lowering his voice. “Behind this matter lies the shadow of Lu Yujiao, the Yuxu Sect's favored daughter of heaven.”

He paused on the words “favored daughter of heaven,” feeling that compared to the young youth before him, Lu Yujiao fell far short in both cultivation speed and talisman-crafting talent. Labeling her as such felt almost embarrassing.

Shi Yu was unaware of Jiang Qihe's inner thoughts and was not surprised by his words.

Previously, Lu Yujiao had falsely claimed credit for the spirit talismans she crafted, only to be publicly exposed immediately, suffering a massive humiliation.

Someone who had been placed high on a pedestal since childhood as a “favored daughter of heaven” would naturally find it unbearable and harbor a grudge.

Her fingertips tapped lightly against the table as she turned to look across the street at Duize Tower.

Under the blazing sun, a continuous stream of customers entered and left Duize Tower, where business was booming.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Manager Jiang.” Shi Yu turned and walked toward Duize Tower.

Worried that going alone might be unsafe, Jiang Qihe hurriedly gave a few instructions to his shop hands and quickened his pace to follow her.

Duize Tower sat directly across the street, splendidly constructed. Shi Yu stopped at the entrance and raised her eyes to look inside.

The door attendant glanced at her, then saw Jiang Qihe behind her, his eyes filled with vigilance. “What do you think you're doing?”

Shi Yu spoke calmly, “Tell your Manager Yan to come out. Say Shi Yu is here.”

Hearing her name, the attendant froze for a second before turning to shout inside.

Shi Yu did not wait long before Manager Yan came strolling out, squinting his eyes and clapping his hands with a wide grin. “Yo, a distinguished guest has arrived.”

Unwilling to waste breath on small talk, Shi Yu asked directly, “Where is Chen Er?”

Manager Yan waved his hand and feigned a rebuke at his subordinates. “Didn't you hear our distinguished guest? Hurry and help Chen Er out here.”

Several men dressed like guards behind him bowed in acknowledgment and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Manager Yan looked at Shi Yu with a beaming smile. “Since our distinguished guest wishes to see Chen Er, there is no harm in letting you see him.”

He winced and put on a troubled expression. “However, Chen Er broke the rules of the Yuxu Sect and still needs to undergo disciplinary punishment. So, after having a look, our distinguished guest should head back.”

Shi Yu let out a soft chuckle. “What if I insist on taking him with me?”

“Well...” Manager Yan showed a look of difficulty, though his eyes were full of calculation. “I'm afraid that wouldn't conform to the rules.”

“However, humble as I am, I possess some connections with the Yuxu Sect. If I were to intercede, waiving Chen Er's punishment wouldn't be difficult. Only...”

“Only what?” Shi Yu prompted along.

Manager Yan shot a glance at Jiang Qihe behind her and chuckled slyly. “As long as our distinguished guest promises that all spirit talismans you craft in the future will be sold exclusively to Duize Tower, I will spare no effort to see that Chen Er is properly taken care of.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qihe's gaze sharpened, and he looked at Shi Yu with a trace of nervousness.

Passing cultivators on the street noticed the standoff and gathered around to watch the spectacle. Before long, a crowd had assembled outside Duize Tower, whispering among themselves.

“What's going on?”

“Shh, keep your voice down! Do you see that kid? I caught a glimpse of him back at the defense line. Those highly sought-after talismans sold at Tongyi Pavilion were crafted by his hand!”

“Really? Then what's happening now? Why did he and Manager Jiang come over to Duize Tower?”

“Let me tell you...”

Shi Yu's expression remained unchanged, completely unruffled.

Just then, the guards emerged carrying a person, whom they dumped unceremoniously at Manager Yan's feet.

Shi Yu looked at Chen Er at Manager Yan's feet and saw that he was on the verge of death, his consciousness fading.

Beside her, Jiang Qihe was equally alarmed. Chen Er's face was deathly pale, his lips dry, and fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. His eyes were tightly shut as he breathed rapidly, clearly in excruciating pain.

Through his tattered clothes, one could see he was beaten black and blue, covered in gruesome bruises and wounds. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles, clearly fractured when his bones were brutally snapped.

Jiang Qihe could not help looking toward Shi Yu, but her eyelashes hung low, hiding her expression.

Manager Yan stroked the beard on his chin, gave the half-dead Chen Er a light kick, and asked Shi Yu with a grin, “How has our distinguished guest decided?”

Shi Yu raised her eyes and murmured, “You are seeking death.”

Manager Yan sneered. He had never expected Shi Yu to agree in the first place; he simply wanted to use Chen Er to humiliate her.

Seeing that all pretenses were dropped, he stopped addressing her as “distinguished guest.” Reaching into his storage bag, he pulled out a woman's outer garment and tossed it to the ground, staring at Shi Yu with a cryptic smile. “Should I call you Young Master Shi, or... Young Lady Shi?”

This outer garment was the very one rummaged out of the wardrobe in the courtyard's inner room.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers turned their startled gazes to Shi Yu's face.

Jiang Qihe's mind went blank as he too stared at Shi Yu.

The youth before him could not be called extraordinarily handsome, yet her slender and upright posture exuded a refined and agile aura.

Young Master Shi was... actually a woman?

Jiang Qihe faintly felt he had overlooked something, but could not recall what it was at the moment, his brows knitting tightly together.

Shi Yu was no longer the powerless weakling who had first arrived in the Origin Realm. She had already reached the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. Though that was hardly impressive in the vast Origin Realm, at least here, she possessed the strength to protect herself.

Disguising herself as a male had been a self-preservation measure when she had no cultivation. Now that her female identity was exposed, it made no difference to her.

However, what Manager Yan had done—whether destroying her courtyard, rummaging through her wardrobe, or beating Chen Er into this state—had undeniably crossed the line and incensed her.

“You are seeking death,” she repeated softly.

With that, her hands slipped into her sleeves. When they reemerged, a stack of spirit talismans rested in her palm.

Shi Yu raised her hand so the surrounding onlookers could see the spirit talismans clearly. Then, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “These are five Tier-2 Spirit Wandering Talismans.”

In the market town, Tier-2 spirit talismans were a rare sight, let alone Tier-2 teleportation talismans.

Teleportation talismans involved spatial attributes and were exceptionally difficult to craft. Even higher-tier talisman masters could not guarantee making them, making them priceless items that money often could not buy.

Having even one extra such talisman, if used properly, was equivalent to having an extra life.

Instantly, an uproar broke out, and every eye in the crowd locked onto her.

Greed, longing, shock—an array of intense emotions surged through the onlookers.

“Spirit Wandering Talismans! They are actually Spirit Wandering Talismans!”

“To produce five Spirit Wandering Talismans all at once—could she have crafted them herself?!”

Shi Yu understood better than anyone that artifact refining, alchemy, array formations, or talismans brought far more than wealth and resources—they were leverage to command raw power.

Just like now, as her lips parted slightly, the words she uttered caused the previously arrogant Manager Yan's face to pale drastically: “Whoever kills him for me gets these five Spirit Wandering Talismans.”