Volume 3, Chapter 156 – She’s Still That Confident

“That’s fantastic! Let’s move immediately!”

Qi Huang perked up and urged.

“But in your condition…”

Mu Ruoyi’s face showed concern.

“It’s fine. I’m just weak—it won’t kill me. Right now, Father is the one in real danger.”

Qi Huang forced a relaxed expression as she propped herself up on the bed, though her breathing was slightly labored.

“Maybe you should rest. I can go with her.”

For once, Cheng Hongling’s expression softened with reluctance.

“No! I’ll only feel at ease if I go too.”

Qi Huang stubbornly insisted.

After some back-and-forth, Qi Huang got her way—after all, as the “patient”, she had the final say.

Mu Ruoyi first rented the room in question before confidently leading her two “wives” inside.

Once inside, the three women went straight to the windowsill to inspect the decorative potted plants.

Mu Ruoyi quickly selected an ancient-looking vine and began using the Wood Exquisite Art. Just like before, under the nourishment of her dense wood-attributed Qi, the vine briefly developed a soul.

Not daring to delay, Mu Ruoyi immediately established a mental link to extract its memories. Fragmented scenes from the past month flashed through her mind—incomplete, but enough to piece together the sequence of events.

Around the fifth day of the month, two figures entered the room for the first time.

“Master, when are we heading to the Golden Gathering Auction House?”

The chubby disciple, Xiao Zhi, poured his master a cup of tea and asked respectfully.

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“The tenth of September. The Black Gold Lily won’t be auctioned until then.”

The fair-skinned middle-aged man sipped his tea leisurely.

“The tenth? That’s so late! What are we supposed to do until then? Staying cooped up in this inn will be so boring.”

Xiao Zhi sighed dramatically.

“What do you suggest?”

The middle-aged man smirked.

“Master, how about we go out and explore the city? This prefecture is incredibly lively!”

Xiao Zhi’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Explore? Do you even have money?”

The master’s tone was indifferent.

“Heh…”

Xiao Zhi scratched his head awkwardly.

“No money, and you still want to wander around? Don’t tell me you expect your master to foot the bill for his own disciple?”

The middle-aged man’s expression darkened.

“Forgive me, Master! You know my cultivation is weak—how could I possibly have money to offer you? I’ll repay you in the future!”

Xiao Zhi hurriedly apologized.

“Since you’re so filial, I won’t be stingy.”

The master’s face brightened with satisfaction. “Tell you what—after the auction, I’ll take you out for a proper tour. I’ve heard this prefecture has some famous brothels with girls prettier than flowers. You’re still a virgin, aren’t you? Time to get a taste of the real world.”

“Thank you, Master! Thank you!”

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Xiao Zhi bowed excitedly, but then hesitated. “But… didn’t you say the sect leader only gave us enough to bid for the Black Gold Lily? After the auction, we won’t have any money left. If you’d have to spend your own savings, then forget it.”

“Such concern for your master—I haven’t wasted my efforts on you.”

The man patted his disciple’s shoulder. “It’s true the sect leader didn’t give us much. But who said the Black Gold Lily can only be obtained through bidding?”

“If not bidding, then how? Steal it? Rob someone?”

Xiao Zhi’s curiosity was piqued.

“What nonsense are you spouting? The Golden Gathering Auction House is owned by the Feng family, the wealthiest in the Western Radiance Dynasty. Not even the Huxiao Sect would dare steal from them—they’d bring disaster upon themselves!”

The master smacked the back of his disciple’s head.

“If we can’t steal or rob, where’s the money supposed to come from?”

Xiao Zhi rubbed his head mournfully.

“Heh. Just because we can’t steal inside the auction house doesn’t mean we can’t outside.”

A cruel glint flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes. “Anyone can buy something, but not everyone gets to keep it. Truly smart people don’t waste their fortune bidding—they wait on the road and take it for free.”

“I understand now, Master!”

Xiao Zhi’s eyes gleamed with realization.

The next few days were filled with dull, fragmented memories. Then, on September 11th—the day after Cheng Yuan disappeared—the two returned to the inn.

The fair-skinned man raised his left hand, revealing an emerald-green thumb ring. In the next moment, a wooden box materialized in his palm.

“Master, you’re truly brilliant! We got the Black Gold Lily without spending a single coin!”

Xiao Zhi fawned over him.

“The Black Gold Lily is secondary. Our real prize is capturing Cheng Hongling’s father. With him, we can extort as many Black Gold Lilies as we want from that brat Cheng Hongling.”

The man smirked coldly as Cheng Yuan abruptly appeared on the floor—unconscious.

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“Yes! Master thinks far ahead. If it were me, I’d have killed him to silence him immediately.”

Xiao Zhi’s eyes shone with admiration.

“Learn well, youngster. Cultivators defy the heavens—why shackle ourselves with rules? With your talent, how else do you expect to grow?”

The master lectured in a patronizing tone.

“This disciple will remember your teachings.”

Xiao Zhi nodded eagerly.

“Pity, though. The sect leader wants this thing—otherwise, it’d be another windfall.”

The man sighed as he reluctantly stored the Black Gold Lily back into his ring, then did the same with Cheng Yuan.

“Master, does this mean we can visit the brothels now?”

Xiao Zhi asked impatiently.

“Of course! We leave the prefecture in three days. Until then, you can live in the brothel for all I care—food, drinks, women, all on me.”

The master was unusually generous. After all, since they’d “acquired” the Black Gold Lily for free, the sect leader’s funds were now his to spend.

At this point, Mu Ruoyi had reached her limit. She hastily severed the spiritual connection, clutching her head with a pained groan, her beautiful face contorted in agony.

Qi Huang could only watch helplessly—she had no blood left to offer.

“If it’s too painful, you can drink my blood.”

Cheng Hongling couldn’t bear to see her suffering and stepped forward.

“N-No… Unless absolutely necessary… I won’t drink my own wife’s blood…”

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Mu Ruoyi stubbornly refused.

With no other options, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling helped her onto the bed and waited.

The backlash was so severe that Mu Ruoyi soon passed out, only waking the next morning.

The first thing she did was relay everything she’d seen.

“This time, I still didn’t catch their names, but I confirmed they’re from the Yuxiao Sect. If we storm their stronghold, we’ll definitely find them.”

“The Yuxiao Sect? No wonder they were so brazen!”

Cheng Hongling trembled with fury.

“What’s the deal with this sect?”

Qi Huang asked curiously.

“The Yuxiao Sect is a prefecture-level faction in Sanyang County to the north. Their strength ranks in the top five of Yongning Province, and their sect leader is at the Incarnation Realm’s fifth layer.”

Cheng Hongling’s expression was grave.

“Fifth-layer Incarnation Realm? That’s trouble.”

Qi Huang fell into brief contemplation. If their enemies had been weaker, they could’ve barged in and demanded Cheng Yuan’s release. But now, a direct assault was out of the question.

“Don’t worry too much. From their conversation, it’s clear the sect leader doesn’t know about the robbery. He might even side with us—you two are Incarnation Realm experts, after all.”

Mu Ruoyi tried to reassure them.

“What if he favors his own disciples? This concerns my father’s life—I can’t pin my hopes on someone else’s mercy.”

Cheng Hongling shook her head firmly. As for whether she was truly an Incarnation Realm expert… that was too embarrassing to mention.

“If we can wait about half a year, it won’t matter what layer he’s at. I’m confident I could raze the YuxiaoSect and rescue Father unharmed.”

Qi Huang spoke up abruptly, her tone brimming with confidence—a confidence rooted in those sixteen sprouting Ghost Tomatoes.