Chapter 170: Chapter 5: Cat, Cuckoo, Tiger (2)

Her figure was curvaceous—voluptuous yet slender. Her charming face exuded a seductive allure. Her high, full bosom, her soft, slender waist, her pert bottom, and her long, well-proportioned legs were all as flawless and impeccable as a masterfully crafted sculpture.

Although the two were playing Go, one of the young woman’s small feet had slipped into the finely dressed man’s robes beneath the stone table.

Her other foot was bare, its pale, delicate toes pressed against the bluestone floor, drawing one’s gaze.

This pair both possessed a Life Talisman Cultivation. A Buddhist aura flowed around the man, a clear sign he practiced a Buddhist Skill, while the woman emanated a pure, clear demonic intent!

After the black-robed Cultivator entered, he waved his hand to seal the courtyard’s restrictive wards, isolating it from the outside world. Only then did he speak, "Brother Jiang, Fellow Daoist Qinxue, business has come knocking."

The finely dressed man placed a game piece on the board and turned with a smile. "What kind of business is it this time?"

The black-robed Cultivator stroked the Spirit Cat on his shoulder, his voice slightly hoarse. "A fat sheep, reeking of wealth, with a Life Talisman Cultivation."

Just as the finely dressed man was about to ask for more details, the beautiful young woman across from him placed a piece, instantly blocking his path on the board and forcing him into deep thought.

The beautiful young woman giggled, turning her gaze to the black-robed Cultivator. "Black Cat Taoist," she asked in a soft, bewitching voice, "just how fat is this sheep you speak of?"

The Black Cat Taoist’s eyes flashed with greedy desire as he stared at the woman’s gorgeous, exquisite face. "Fellow Daoist Qinxue," he said, "my black cat is a rare species of heaven and earth, exceptionally skilled at observing auras. The aura of wealth on that man is astonishing, about ten times that of Brother Jiang."

The beautiful young woman turned back to the finely dressed man and asked softly, "Well then, Fellow Daoist Jiang, how many Spirit Stones do you have on you right now?"

The finely dressed man placed another piece, his expression relaxing slightly. "I currently have two hundred thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Stones in my storage bag," he said in a low voice.

The beautiful young woman was taken aback, pulling her pale right foot out from under the man’s robes.

"In that case, this fat sheep must be the single wealthiest person in the Immortal City! No wonder the Black Cat targeted him!" The woman’s beautiful eyes darted about, her expression of shock only making her more captivating and pitiable.

The finely dressed man seemed a bit more cautious. "My lady, don’t let yourself be blinded by wealth. What do we know of this person’s strength?"

The Black Cat Taoist frowned. "He’s not simple. At the very least, I couldn’t see through whatever method he’s using to hide his cultivation. I only caught a glimpse thanks to my black cat’s aura-gazing technique."

Lady Qinxue smiled sweetly. "Anyone who carries that much wealth around couldn’t possibly be simple. But the three of us are no ordinary individuals, either. If we give it a try, we might just claim this immense fortune for ourselves."

The Black Cat Taoist nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Brother Jiang comes from a distinguished lineage; his Great Sun Glaze Treasure Flame Buddha Light is second to none in Yun Country and can hold its own even against the Sect’s Secret Techniques of the three great sects. As for Fellow Daoist Qinxue, your strength is far greater than either of ours. No matter how I look at it, the advantage in this deal is entirely on our side."

Lady Qinxue lazily tossed her game piece aside and stretched. "I’m not playing anymore. After hearing about this deal, how could I have any mind left for Go? Fellow Daoist Jiang, are you in or not?"

The finely dressed man was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "A deal this good is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Why wouldn’t I be in?"

Lady Qinxue stood up, her beautiful eyes shifting as she exuded a seductive charm. "In that case, why don’t you two join me inside to discuss this properly?"

The finely dressed man and the Black Cat Taoist were instantly captivated, their heated gazes fixed on the young woman’s graceful and enchanting figure.

The three of them then walked into the house.

...

「Yuelai Inn, Room D of the Celestial Room.」

This was where Yun Feiyu was staying.

His junior sister, with her gentle and delicate disposition, invited Fang Cheng into the room. She activated the wards to isolate them from the outside, served fragrant tea, and only then began to discuss the matter at hand.

"Senior Brother, after my secret investigation these past few days, I’ve managed to uncover a few things..."

With that, she recounted the story of the Thousand-Faced Insect in detail.

On the surface, this Evil Cultivator was an Honored Guest Elder for a small Cultivation Family on Divine Pillar Mountain and rarely made a move.

The few rumored times he had acted were when that family faced a major crisis.

One could say he kept an extremely low profile.

Among the many families on Divine Pillar Mountain, the Wen Family ranked near the bottom. The entire family had only two Life Talisman Realm Elders.

Including this Honored Guest Elder, they had only three.

To her horror, Yun Feiyu discovered through her secret investigation that the true Patriarch of the Wen Family had long since become the Thousand-Faced Insect!

Using some bizarre method, this person had taken control of the hundred or so Cultivators in the Wen Family, from top to bottom. He had also claimed all the wives, concubines, and female relatives of everyone from the Patriarch and Elders down to the ordinary disciples!

The entire Wen Family had practically become his personal harem.

The men were his slaves, the women his servants.

He had usurped their home, holding the power of life and death over them, indulging in everything the family had to offer.

All this was revealed by a Wen Family disciple who, unable to bear the humiliation any longer, risked his life to flee the family and spread the truth.

Yun Feiyu had happened to encounter that Wen Family disciple and helped him escape his pursuers, but the disciple still perished shortly after.

Yun Feiyu’s family shared a Sea of Blood feud with this Thousand-Faced Insect; her own father was personally killed by him. Thus, she had studied her father’s killer extensively since childhood.

After entering the Inner Sect, influenced by her enemy’s thousand-faced, ever-changing nature, she had spent a significant number of contribution points at the Scripture Pavilion to exchange for a Pupil Technique that could see through illusions.

This time, the Wen Family Cultivator’s words aroused her suspicions. After observing in secret, she discovered that the man’s characteristics were remarkably similar to the descriptions of the Thousand-Faced Insect recorded in the Yinluo Sect’s archives!

After several rounds of verification, she finally confirmed his identity.

Not content with owning the many Female Cultivators of the Wen Family, the Thousand-Faced Insect also frequently visited the red-light districts of the Immortal City to seek pleasure. His reputation for being lecherous and debauched was quite well-known on Divine Pillar Mountain.

It was just that he concealed it extremely well, and the truth of the Wen Family had never been exposed.

Yun Feiyu then proposed two perfect opportunities to strike.

The first was to wait outside the Wen Family estate and kill the Thousand-Faced Insect when he left for the Immortal City to seek pleasure.

The second was in three days. A talented young man from the Wen Family was to marry a Female Cultivator from another family on Divine Pillar Mountain. For such a major event as a marriage alliance, many Cultivators would naturally be invited to the banquet. They could take the opportunity to blend in with the guests and choose their moment to act.

Fang Cheng, naturally, was unwilling to wait any longer and decisively chose the second option.

A proactive strike!

After finishing their discussion, Yun Feiyu stood up to take her leave. "Senior Brother, you can rest here. I’ll go book another room."

Fang Cheng shook his head and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, "There’s no need. You will stay here and meditate for the next three days."

Yun Feiyu’s expression didn’t change. Realization dawned on her, and she gave a slight nod in agreement.

She knew this was because Fang Cheng didn’t fully trust her and wanted to keep her within his line of sight for the next three days.

One could never be too careful. What if this was all an elaborate trap targeting a True Disciple of the Yinluo Sect?

’He really is a Law Enforcement Hall Cultivator, suspicious of everyone... But this is good too. I just wonder how his strength compares to the Thousand-Faced Insect’s?’

Yun Feiyu sat down cross-legged on a jade mat in the room, pretending to enter a meditative state while her mind was secretly racing.

「Three days passed in a flash.」

On this day, the two left the room, exited the Immortal City, and flew toward the foot of Divine Pillar Mountain.

The Ancestral Lands of the major Cultivation Families of Divine Pillar Mountain were all built upon this towering, majestic peak. Only those Loose Cultivators with shallow foundations would search for a Spirit Vein to build their estates on the smaller surrounding mountains.

Of course, the more powerful the family, the higher their position on Divine Pillar Mountain!

A small family like the Wen Family was located not far from the foot of the mountain.

Not long after the two left the Immortal City, three Cultivators followed them out.

It was none other than the Black Cat Taoist, Lady Qinxue, and the Cultivator from the Jiang Family.

The trio tailed Fang Cheng from a great distance, more than ten li away. At that range, their Divine Senses were completely unable to detect one another.

Only the black cat could observe the aura from afar and lock onto Fang Cheng’s position.

However, what the three didn’t know was that after they left, a pale golden Gu Insect had also begun to quietly follow them.

’Looks like business has come knocking...’

By the time Fang Cheng and Yun Feiyu arrived outside the Wen Family’s estate, he had a complete grasp of the situation with the three people behind him through his Vajra Gu’s senses.

Ever since he started his career as a Tribulation Cultivator in Netherworld Valley, this was the first time he would be preying on his own kind.

For now, however, dealing with the Thousand-Faced Insect was the priority.

Those three Tribulation Cultivators were probably planning to lie in ambush outside the Wen Family’s estate and launch a surprise attack after he left the banquet.

Therefore, all he needed to do was have the Vajra Gu keep a quiet watch on their movements.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. But today, this mantis might just turn out to be a ferocious tiger!

...