"We should visit that villa tonight. I believe the two might be connected," Tianmiao thought, convinced that He Ling was involved in the demon cultivator incident.
"Alright." Master Wuxin raised the fruit wine in front of him and downed it in one gulp, nodding in agreement.
...
Nightfall.
Tianmiao instructed Kong Hou and Dong Xiao to search the city for the fake Bai Yue, while she and Master Wuxin headed to the villa fifty miles outside the city.
From the outside, the villa looked no different from any other villa. Two guards at the entrance were yawning and chatting.
After infiltrating the villa, however, everything changed.
Servants bustled about the yard, and a brightly lit hall occasionally echoed with the sound of bargaining.
Tianmiao extended her Divine Sense inward to investigate; Master Wuxin did the same, quietly releasing his Divine Sense to probe the area.
A moment later, the two withdrew their Divine Sense and exchanged a glance.
"It’s a black market," Master Wuxin transmitted to Tianmiao, "but I’ve yet to discover anything suspicious."
"No." Tianmiao gently shook her head. "Follow me."
Master Wuxin was slightly taken aback; had the Young City Lord discovered something unusual? He had just carefully inspected the area and found nothing out of the ordinary. Though some transactions between cultivators seemed odd, there was no presence of Demonic Qi.
Master Wuxin thought Tianmiao might knock someone out, snatch a token, and infiltrate the black market to uncover the truth.
He assumed this would be the plan...
But what happened was completely unexpected.
Tianmiao leaped down from the roof, landing before the hall’s door, and with a powerful kick, violently thrust it open.
The solid, heavy door was kicked off its hinges, flying into the hall and eliciting startled cries. All eyes in the hall fixed on Tianmiao standing at the entrance.
Master Wuxin’s typically unperturbed expression now bore a hint of astonishment and disbelief.
So straightforwardly and brutishly?
"Who are you?!"
"Who dares to act so recklessly here?"
"Seize them!"
The villa’s guards surrounded Tianmiao in layers, and the elite experts stationed at the villa—several formidable elders—swiftly arrived. Among these elders, Master Wuxin recognized three. These three had gained fame in the Cultivation World in their youth, hailed as geniuses. They had since faded from view, residing here in roles akin to Tributor. Presumably, their compensation here was substantial, enough to retain such powerful individuals.
Master Wuxin frowned and gracefully descended, standing beside Tianmiao.
"Who are you?" The Manor Master was evidently experiencing such a situation for the first time, frowning at the young woman before him as he spoke.
"Manor Master, no need for words; seize them before questioning. To dare act so boldly at Nameless Mountain Villa, they’ll face consequences. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he would have to submit!" one of the Tributor shouted angrily. His strength was formidable, and the Manor Master usually spoke to him politely and with utmost courtesy, so his manner was often vastly more domineering than the Manor Master’s. Moreover, considering his aggressive actions, he could endure the consequences, so naturally, the Manor Master wouldn’t say much more.
Seeing the Manor Master’s silence, this Tributor sneered in disdain and reached out toward Tianmiao’s shoulder.
However, today, everything was starkly different from before.
Master Wuxin, witnessing this, intended to shield Tianmiao.
But the next instant, Tianmiao gently brushed him aside, extended her foot, and with a single kick, sent the aggressive Tributor flying.
Decisive, swift, ruthless...
The Tributor only felt a whoosh in his ears, and then darkness before his eyes, as he passed out.
Everyone stared in horror at the Tributor embedded in the wall, unconscious, the silence was deafening.
What just happened?