He could no longer think about anything else.

"Qingzhi, go next door and ask Uncle Zhang to hire a carriage for me. I need to go to the City Lord’s residence."

Chen Qingzhi was startled. "Brother?"

"Yufei is in trouble. Hurry up. Do not waste any time."

At this moment, Chen Zhiyi remembered that Xiao Shou was only at the Qi Refining stage.

Even with a special technique, he might not be a match for that person.

He did not want to lose a single moment.

"Oh... okay!"

Chen Qingzhi’s eyes widened.

Upon hearing this, he no longer hesitated and rushed out immediately.

Unaware that the Chen brothers had already sensed something wrong, Xiao Shou confirmed that Chen Yufei was not at home and immediately flew out of the residence toward the marketplace.

When he found no trace of her there either, he became certain that she had been captured by that deranged killer.

Anxious and furious, he blamed himself for being careless and naive.

He had thought luring out a psychologically unstable murderer would be as easy as it was in television dramas.

But he had forgotten that this was the cultivation world.

Once cultivators turned into killers, their brutality increased to an unimaginable degree.

That man had likely already seen through his intentions, investigated his temporary stay at the Chen residence and learned about his relationship with Su Rourou and Chen Yufei.

Yet Xiao Shou himself had not realized that he had already drawn the killer’s attention.

And now, an innocent girl had been dragged into this because of him.

It was all his fault.

If not for his naivety and his misjudgment of the killer’s cruelty and strength, Chen Yufei would not have fallen into danger.

Overwhelmed by guilt, anger, and urgency, Xiao Shou hardened his resolve.

Whether it was the butterfly effect or his own carelessness that brought this disaster, he would correct his mistake himself.

When Xiao Shou arrived at the bamboo forest, he stood at its center and called out, "Come out."

He could not sense any presence at all, which made his heart sink.

This meant the other party’s cultivation was definitely higher than his.

He would have to be extremely cautious.

Facing an enemy head on for the first time, sweat formed on his forehead.

"Since you asked me to come, why are you still hiding?"

"I am already here. You just cannot see me, little boy."

The hoarse voice sounded just like the one from the message talisman.

As soon as the voice finished speaking, a bamboo stalk to Xiao Shou’s left twisted slightly, and a figure in green appeared.

Startled, Xiao Shou quickly turned to face him and carefully observed his opponent.

The man was tall and thin with delicate features and a slightly feminine appearance.

He looked like a young cultivator in his twenties.

He stood there leisurely, his dark eyes fixed intently on Xiao Shou’s hands with a strange glint flashing within them from time to time.

"Where is Chen Yufei? Where is she?" Xiao Shou demanded.

"That little girl is naturally somewhere in this bamboo forest."

The man let out a soft laugh.

"Her hands are not as perfect as yours, but they are still quite rare. Once I take your hands, I will take hers as well and add them to my collection."

Hearing this, Xiao Shou’s heart sank.

Was Chen Yufei’s tragic fate truly unavoidable?

Even if he tried to change it, would it still return to the same outcome?

No.

It could be changed.

As long as he could defeat this man here and now.

Realizing this, some of his fear and tension faded, replaced by sharper focus.

His expression turned serious as he steadied his voice, suppressing the tremor within it.

"Say that again after you have taken my hands."

"Do you think I cannot do it?"

The refined-looking cultivator’s expression darkened.

He suddenly released two to three layers of his pressure.

Watching Xiao Shou’s body tremble under the weight of it, he sneered.

"With my late Golden Core cultivation, how dare a mere Qi Refining cultivator speak so boldly?"

"You are right. You cannot do it. After all, you are not a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Although his body trembled uncontrollably under the pressure, Xiao Shou secretly felt relieved.

If the opponent had been at the Nascent Soul stage, he would have had no chance at all and could only flee.

Against a Golden Core cultivator, however, he still had a chance to fight.

His spiritual energy immediately stirred.

The formations on his crane set equipment immediately lit up, activating defensive and speed enhancing effects.

His offensive treasure hovered in front of him.

With a flick of his hand, ten talismans appeared between his fingers.

At the same time, hidden from the other man’s view, he gripped three Five Thunder Beads and two specially fused pills in his palm.

Once crushed and coming into contact with skin, these pills could slow a cultivator by disrupting their spiritual energy and nervous system.

He did not know how effective they would be against a Golden Core cultivator. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

But this was his only chance.

He had to take advantage of the opponent’s contempt for a Qi Refining cultivator and aim to kill or severely injure him in a single strike.

At the same time, he had to control the power carefully to avoid harming Chen Yufei.

He quickly checked again to see if she was nearby.

Although his eye was not a penetrating vision type, its awakening had greatly enhanced his eyesight.

When infused with divine sense, his vision surpassed that of ordinary cultivators by several times.

After carefully scanning the area and confirming there was no trace of Chen Yufei within his range, Xiao Shou made his decision.

With a flick of his wrist, the ten ordinary Tier 2 talismans flew out, mixed with the Five Thunder Beads and the slowing pills.

At the same time, he poured a large amount of spiritual energy into his treasure fan and swung it forward.