Miss Yu

As Shi Yu's words fell, dead silence blanketed the surroundings.

Under the scorching sun, cold sweat trickled down Manager Yan's back.

Countless pairs of eyes in the crowd stared at him as though eyeing a juicy piece of meat. Sensing impending danger, he instinctively took two steps back as his guards instantly surged forward to shield him.

Safe behind his guards, Manager Yan's mind eased slightly. He barked sharply at the surrounding cultivators, whose expressions were unreadable, “Do not let this woman bewitch you! I'd like to see who dares make an enemy of Duize Tower!”

Yet beneath his harsh words lurked an undeniable thread of panicked bluffing.

Had it been anything else, it might have been manageable. But Shi Yu had produced Spirit Wandering Talismans—and five of them at once! It completely defied reason.

With a Spirit Wandering Talisman in hand, as long as one did not face a Foundation Establishment Realm master, one could escape from any adversary in a dire moment. It was practically an essential treasure for survival—or for murder and plunder.

This was especially true for rogue cultivators, who risked life and limb daily just to scrape together a few cultivation resources. Carrying a few Spirit Wandering Talismans was equivalent to having several extra lives. How could they not be tempted?

Sure enough, while Manager Yan's threat deterred a few, many cultivators still had flickering gazes, secretly weighing their options.

Shi Yu idly toyed with the spirit talismans in her hand, remaining silent as she quietly watched Manager Yan inching backward into the building.

At this point, Manager Yan no longer dared to use Chen Er as leverage.

In his eyes, Chen Er was merely a handyman servant by Shi Yu's side. Who would go to such lengths for a mere servant?

Using Chen Er as a bargaining chip now would likely infuriate Shi Yu completely. What if she pulled out even more Spirit Wandering Talismans? That would truly endanger his life.

Thoughts racing, Manager Yan softened his expression. Setting aside all pride, he forced a smile at Shi Yu. “Miss Shi, business or not, goodwill remains! I was offensive and misspoke earlier—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a lightning-fast figure burst forth from among the crowd.

A cold light flashed as surging spiritual energy erupted from the figure, swirling around him and radiating a terrifyingly powerful aura.

Gasps echoed from all directions.

In the blink of an eye, a frightening spiritual pressure spread rapidly from the cultivator, dispelling even the stifling heat of the midday sun.

With an uncanny movement technique, the stranger bypassed the guards entirely. The longsword in his hand, imbued with immense power, thrust straight toward Manager Yan's throat.

Panicking in sheer horror, Manager Yan hastily channeled his spiritual energy to form a defense. However, the longsword, enveloped in a chilly, gloomy aura, pierced through his protective shield as easily as slicing through vegetables, cleanly impaling his throat.

Before anyone could react, a bloodcurdling scream rang out. Manager Yan clutched his neck as blood gushed forth, and his body collapsed heavily onto the ground, his eyes wide with unfulfilled life.

...

The cold light vanished with a soft whistle as the sword cut through the air.

Terrified, the guards beside Manager Yan raised their swords and backed away, their faces filled with anxiety.

Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at the figure standing before Manager Yan's corpse.

A man clad in a gray Daoist robe stood there, his lower facial features concealed by a cloth mask. He wielded an exceptionally sharp longsword. A single drop of Manager Yan's blood hung from its tip before slowly falling away, leaving the blade spotless.

Clang! He pressed his hand against the hilt, sheathing the sword with a crisp sound.

Blood quickly pooled on the ground, and the surrounding cultivators fell silent as grave. Seeing the man turn back, they scrambled backward to clear a path for him.

The man walked directly up to Shi Yu, stopped, extended his hand, and rasped, “The talismans.”

Seeing that Manager Yan was indeed dead, Shi Yu naturally kept her word and placed the five Spirit Wandering Talismans into the man's palm.

Upon receiving the talismans, he stroked them briefly to confirm that Shi Yu had not lied—they were indeed top-quality Spirit Wandering Talismans. He gave her a slight nod, injected spiritual energy into one of them, and instantly teleported away, vanishing from everyone's sight.

Among the watching cultivators, some beat their chests and stomped their feet in deep regret, cursing themselves for not acting more decisively. If only they had stepped forward to eliminate Manager Yan first, they could have grabbed the talismans and fled immediately!

Yet that was merely wishful thinking.

The guards of Duize Tower were all at no less than the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. That man had the strength and confidence to pull off a one-hit kill and depart casually, but they lacked such power. Had they rushed in recklessly, they would likely have met a grim end.

“Who was that just now? With such formidable cultivation, how have I never heard of him?”

“Could he be on the verge of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm?”

“Sigh, what a waste of those Spirit Wandering Talismans...”

Meanwhile, the remaining guards and attendants of Duize Tower stared at Manager Yan's corpse in stunned silence, too terrified to know what to do.

Fearing that Shi Yu might pull out another bounty reward for their lives, the guards and attendants edged backward nervously, staring at her in silent terror.

Shi Yu glanced at Jiang Qihe, who immediately gestured to his shop hands behind him. “Hurry, go carry Little Brother Chen Er over!”

The shop hands acknowledged the order, trotted over nimbly to lift Chen Er steadily, and brought him behind Shi Yu.

The workers of Duize Tower did not dare to intervene in the slightest.

Watching Chen Er being carried out, Shi Yu's fingers twitched slightly as she sighed inwardly. Chen Er had truly suffered this time.

Such was the nature of the Origin Realm: without sufficient backing or personal strength, one was reduced to a soft toy at the mercy of others.

This held true for both Chen Er and herself.

Looking at Chen Er's pathetic state, Shi Yu leaned down and popped several Rejuvenation Pills into his mouth. Then, with swift twists of her hands, she set his mangled and fractured bones back into place one by one.

Standing nearby, Jiang Qihe's eyebrows twitched when he clearly saw the Rejuvenation Pills she had produced.

Every single one of these Rejuvenation Pills radiated a pill halo, making it abundantly clear that they were all high-grade pills.

High-grade pills...

In this market town, high-grade pills were exceedingly rare. The few that existed had all been sold to Tongyi Pavilion by that “Miss Yu.”

Shi Yu... Miss Yu... Realization struck Jiang Qihe like a bolt from the blue. He finally understood why Miss Yu's silhouette had felt so strangely familiar when he saw it before.

“So that's how it is...”

He let out a wry smile. Knowing that Shi Yu was actually a woman, the conclusion was practically beyond doubt, yet he still felt a profound sense of disbelief.

Previously, he had even thought that the only person whose talent could rival Miss Yu's was Shi Yu, who possessed no small mastery over the Talisman Dao.

Who could have guessed that both were the exact same person?

Such an extraordinary prodigy was truly... truly unbelievable.

Shi Yu looked at the unconscious Chen Er. His injuries were severe, but fortunately, they were mostly superficial and had not damaged his dantian or spiritual meridians, meaning his future cultivation would remain unaffected. With proper rest and daily doses of healing pills, he would likely make a full recovery before long.

“Young Master Shi... Fellow Daoist Shi,” Jiang Qihe coughed lightly. Looking at Shi Yu, who was still dressed as a young man, he found it awkward to address her as “Miss,” so he settled on “Fellow Daoist.” “I'll have my men escort you back first.”

Shi Yu nodded. “Thank you for your trouble, Manager Jiang.”

Just as she was about to turn and leave, the group of surrounding rogue cultivators crowded forward.

“Young Master Shi! Do you still have any Spirit Wandering Talismans? I'm willing to buy them at a high price, even if it's just one!”

“What 'Young Master'? Heh heh, Miss Shi, I would also like to purchase one. What do you say...?”

“I want to buy one too!”

...

Meanwhile, those who had not spoken up nor left cast evaluating glances her way, their eyes shimmering with calculating greed.

Shi Yu immediately understood what was going through their minds.

Right now, from any angle, she was a ripe, tantalizing target.

The corners of Shi Yu's lips curved into a soft chuckle. “I only had a few on me, and I gave them all to that man just now.”

Disappointment washed over the crowd upon hearing this.

“However...” Shi Yu paused slightly before continuing, “If you all desire them, I can ask my master for a few more. It's just that Spirit Wandering Talismans are difficult to craft, so even if I ask, there won't be many.”

Hearing this, the crowd instantly erupted into joy.