Chapter 396: Stealing a Bite (Three-in-One)

The old goat flew into a rage, thrusting the boning knife in its hand hard into the chopping block, and shouted angrily at that evil spirit: "If you're not buying, don't touch!"

"All of mine are top-quality, fresh, living humans!"

"Your whole body reeks of eerie qi; if even a trace seeps in, the price drops!"

It looked ferocious; when it got angry, the whiskers and wool on its face suddenly burst into sinister green evil flames.

"As for what's on the block, buy it if you want, or get lost!"

"Once what's on the block is sold, I'll kill fresh ones."

That evil spirit dared not offend it; scolded as it was, it could only shrink its neck, yet it glanced again at the human meat on the chopping block and said, "These must be cheaper..."

The old goat, rendered speechless, helplessly agreed: "I'll give you a discount."

Xu Yuan, watching from the shadows, had already activated "Gazing at Fate."

Inside that shop, apart from the old goat and that evil spirit customer, everyone else was fake.

The people hanging on the iron hooks, the human meat sold on the block—actually, they were all mutton.

Xu Yuan had already recognized it; this butcher shop was precisely the mutton shop at the eastern end of the dock.

Right next to the mutton shop was a restaurant, where the shop sold mutton soup with flatbread and offal soup with multigrain cakes.

There was also homemade liquor brewed in the countryside.

The former was slightly more expensive; the latter was cheap.

People from the Water Transport Gang and the Fishing Gang were regulars at the shop.

But the true evil spirit was not that old goat.

It was this shop.

Under "Gazing at Fate," the old goat had no fate; it was merely a prop in the shop.

Xu Yuan quietly gripped the "Yin-Yang Guillotine"; in his right eye's vision, this human meat shop glowed a blinding blood-red.

It was just that for some reason, tonight it had suddenly turned eerie.

But one thing could be confirmed: it must have encountered Xu Miaozhi and the others before.

A sixth-rank evil spirit.

Xu Miaozhi was also sixth-rank.

Before, it must have been a fierce battle.

Suddenly, from a street at a three-way intersection, a burst of hurried footsteps came; a group of Shanhe Captain officers charged in.

"That evil spirit fled here!" someone shouted.

The Captains all charged toward that butcher shop.

Leading them was none other than Xu Miaozhi!

The old goat let out a series of cackling, strange laughs, grabbed an axe, and struck the iron chain with the back of the blade.

With a clatter, the "people" hanging on the iron hooks fell to the ground.

They were full of life and energy, charging to attack the real Xu Miaozhi and the others.

In an instant, chaos erupted.

No matter what technique Xu Miaozhi used, the "Xu Miaozhi" opposite her would immediately mimic it!

The other Captains were exactly the same!

Xu Yuan frowned secretly in the shadows: What kind of eerie technique is this?

He needed to observe further; he could not act rashly.

The old goat was extremely pleased, laughing heartily, its hair and whiskers on its head burning with evil flames and swaying wildly.

After fighting for a while, Xu Miaozhi felt increasingly uneasy in her heart.

When she first encountered this evil spirit just now, she led her subordinate Captains in a charge; suddenly, the old goat raised its hand upward, and the entire butcher shop was suddenly wrapped up as a whole, turning into a huge box.

The old goat carried the box, hopping and jumping, and vanished without a trace in an instant.

But last time, the old goat did not have this "Puppet Imitation" technique.

How did it suddenly acquire this ability in this second encounter?

It was precisely this ability that put herself and her subordinates at a disadvantage.

Xu Miaozhi, unable to find a way to break it for the moment, began to feel the urge to retreat.

She and her people had already killed three Dragon evil spirits.

But tonight's target was not an ordinary eerie entity like the old goat.

Xu Miaozhi absolutely did not want to fight it to the death.

Xu Miaozhi made a retreat signal during the battle.

But she discovered that the "her" opposite her had secretly made the same signal!

Moreover, as the chaotic battle dragged on, she and her subordinates found it increasingly difficult to distinguish who was human and who was an evil spirit's puppet.

Originally, everyone could distinguish them by the yin qi on the evil spirit puppets.

But unknowingly, the yin qi on the puppets grew fainter and fainter, while the yin qi on themselves gradually intensified!

"Not good!" Xu Miaozhi thought secretly, then simply shouted: "Retreat! Retreat back! The evil spirit surely cannot stray far from this butcher shop!"

With that single sentence, her subordinate Captains understood.

The result was that everyone, not knowing whether they were puppets or real people, all charged down one street.

Behind them, the old goat cackled strangely, suddenly raised both arms, hoisted the entire butcher shop onto its shoulder, then, with its whole body burning with sinister green evil flames, ran heavily with a thump-thump-thump, closely pursuing the group.

Xu Miaozhi looked back, cursed silently, then raised her hand, grabbed a brush, and wrote a character:

Distinguish true from false.

But the other "Xu Miaozhi" also wrote an identical character!

Two calligraphy sheets collided in midair, exploding with a boom into countless streams of flowing fire, some bright yellow, some sinister green, burning as they fell toward the surroundings.

Xu Miao gritted her teeth in silence and threw out her own talismanic object, the Brush Mountain.

But that Xu Miao actually threw out a Brush Mountain as well.

The two talismanic objects collided again in midair with a boom, sounding as if two mountain peaks had crashed together.

A sweet taste filled Xu Miao's throat, and she nearly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

She vaguely understood that this evil spirit, using some unknown method, made it seem as though she were fighting the evil spirit puppet, when in reality, she was very likely fighting herself.

Yet in her urgency, she could not find the flaw in this sinister technique.

She could only flee while thinking of a solution.

The old goat laughed proudly and wildly, yet its pursuit grew even more urgent.

Iron chains and iron hooks in the butcher shop clattered together with a clatter.

The iron hooks dragged the chains forward, seeming ready at any moment to hook someone!

"Not good!" Xu Miao thought silently, wanting to strike out but being fixedly stared at by that "self."

Who would have thought that while the old goat was sprinting wildly, it suddenly tripped over something beneath its feet, stumbled, and nearly fell.

But the old goat's lower-body kung fu was actually extremely stable; it adjusted itself and forcibly maintained its balance.

From the darkness came an "Eh?" sound.

Then, it was seen that beneath the old goat's feet, a rope suddenly rose up.

No longer pretending, it instantly transformed into a massive net, directly locking and trapping the old goat and the butcher shop inside.

Furthermore, this net continued to spread outward constantly.

Thus, before long, it locked and trapped all the Captains who were sprinting wildly, including Xu Miao, inside.

Xu Yuan then slowly walked out from the darkness.

The two Xu Miaos shouted almost simultaneously, "My Lord Xu, lend me a hand!"

Then, within the grid net, the two Xu Miaos glared angrily at each other: "Evil spirit! Do not confuse the vision!"

The real Xu Miao, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief.

Although those evil spirit puppets were lifelike and indistinguishable from the real thing.

As long as My Lord Xu controlled the situation, time would be on her side.

She would surely think of a way to distinguish the real from the fake.

And Xu Yuan, without any courtesy, spat a mouthful of fire straight in.

How that butcher shop evil spirit managed to create a pile of fakes and make the fake pass for the real, Xu Yuan could not figure out at the moment.

So he simply stopped thinking about it.

What did this Lord work so hard to elevate himself to Fifth Rank for? Was it not so that when facing low-level evil spirits, he could use his abilities to crush them directly?

If one can crush, who would still play mind games with you?

Therefore, he burned it all clean with a single fire!

Xu Yuan could distinguish the real from the fake; a glance with "Wang Ming" made it perfectly clear.

But Xu Miao and the others did not know that.

Seeing the Fifth-Rank Fu Zhong Huo fire rushing in, the Captains screamed in despair.

Even Xu Miao, in the instant the flames surged toward her face, could not help but let out a scream.

Then she discovered the flames accurately bypassed her and burned the fake on her left side into ashes!

"How did Xu Yuan distinguish them?" Xu Miao could not help but wonder.

If Xu Yuan could not distinguish them, she would not have been surprised.

Now that the real and the fake stood together, even Xu Miao felt it was like looking at herself in a mirror.

"It must be that My Lord Xu secretly mastered some sinister technique..."

"Although he is young, he hides many backhands in secret," Xu Miao could not help but admire.

She could not help but think of the suitors arranged for her by her family.

They were all the likes of Zhu Zhanlei.

They had no major flaws in character and were considered kind among the children of great surnames, but they possessed no ability, relying entirely on the lingering grace of their ancestors.

They had no foresight to worry about danger while in safety.

Surrounded by bright flames, but My Lord Xu controlled them so well that Xu Miao did not even feel the intense heat.

After a bout of wild thoughts, the flames suddenly retracted.

Following that, the grid net that had trapped everyone also retracted.

The Captains under Xu Miao, their spirits still unsettled, touched their bodies, discovering everything was intact, not a single hair burned off, and finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Xu Miao noticed Xu Yuan picked up a wooden board from the ground; that board was unknown how many years it had been soaked in fresh blood.

This was the material that emerged after the butcher shop was burned.

Xu Yuan placed it into the Xing Guo Zi.

Xu Miao's heart stirred, so she stepped forward and said, "If My Lord Xu trusts me, hand this material over to me, and I will ask someone to forge a superior craft object for you."

Xu Miao wanted to repay the kindness.

After all, Xu Yuan had just saved her from the hands of the evil spirit.

To insist on calling it a debt of saving one's life would be an exaggeration.

Xu Miao still possessed some means to preserve her life; although she could not save all the Captains, escaping on her own was absolutely no problem.

But these means were extremely precious; using one meant having one less.

Therefore, she acknowledged Xu Yuan's kindness.

Craftsmen who cultivate are hard to find; I've heard he has a tense relationship with Gao Wanli, and she certainly won't help him.

Xu Miao has an elder who is a Dan Xiu and dotes on her greatly; as long as she asks, the other party will never refuse.

But after she spoke these words, she noticed Lord Xu pause for a moment with a strange expression, then refuse, saying, "No need."

Xu Miao, being somewhat sensitive, did not urge him further.

If I show myself too eager, it would only look like I am scheming to take that sixth-grade fine material from him.

Yet Xu Miao felt somewhat aggrieved in her heart: He underestimates me too much; it's just a piece of sixth-grade material. This Miss is not so shallow.

So her two cheeks puffed out with anger, and her small face looked a bit like a pufferfish.

Xu Yuan asked, "How did Lord Xu come to clash with this evil spirit?"

Xu Miao explained briefly; Xu Yuan had only asked casually, "Since there is no issue now, I shall take my leave first."

Xu Miao wanted to detain him a bit, for with Lord Xu stationed here, it would be much safer.

But Xu Yuan was already gone in a flash.

Xu Miao felt somewhat stifled; why run so fast? As if I truly wanted to cheat you out of that piece of material.

Xu Yuan did not want to be with anyone, as he still needed to secretly control the Skin Dragon.

However, Xu Miao still felt that Lord Xu had not been scheduled for duty tonight, yet he had come out without hesitation to slay the evil spirits; she was indeed right about him, he is an official who puts the public good first.

"If the officials of Huangming possessed even thirty percent of Lord Xu's sincerity, the lives of the common people would be much better."

Gazing in the direction where Xu Yuan had vanished, she could not help but overthink a bit.

A Captain under her command approached cautiously, "My lord?"

Xu Miao came to her senses, waved her hand, and said, "Continue patrolling the streets."

In the backyard of the Canal Office, the Fu family had not lit any lamps, yet no one had slept.

"It's getting chaotic."

"What is there to fear? They can't trace it back to us anyway."

"Even if they do, what then? We will simply deny it to the death; what can Luo Gongqiao do to us?"

Thus, in the dark room, silence fell once more.

Not a single person felt they should go out to hunt down those abominations and do their part.

In the middle of the night, even for a Fourth Grade, there is a certain degree of danger.

Xu Yuan observed secretly for a while.

Discovering that the Skin Dragon had swallowed those Dragon Evil Spirits earlier without drawing out the Fu family, he felt relieved.

He then controlled the Skin Dragon to swallow several more.

In between, he encountered Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei once each, but Xu Yuan did not reveal himself.

The two of them were also patrolling the streets with their subordinates.

Only Lu Renxing dared not come out.

With the three patrol squads continuously exterminating the evil spirits, the wharf gradually calmed down.

Just before dawn, the Skin Dragon had swallowed a total of twelve Dragon Evil Spirits.

Xu Yuan quietly withdrew, and the Skin Dragon burrowed back into the Canal.

Twelve Dragon Evil Spirits were barely enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

The Skin Dragon's "Dragon Transformation Method" advanced by a small step.

It was much faster than feeding on those Dragon Kin in the past; an estimate suggests it was roughly equivalent to three months of steady cultivation!

"No wonder Lady Fu Shuanghui and the others went to such lengths to hunt down high-level Dragon Kin."

The Fu family even had a specialized set of methods for hunting them down.

Such as that fishing net.

After returning, Xu Yuan took a short nap.

Xu Miao and the other three did not rest but gathered at the Canal Office to report.

Luo Gongqiao was overjoyed and praised Xu Miao repeatedly.

If those four patrol squads had not been deployed last night, more than half the people on the wharf would have perished!

This is all thanks to my good judgment.

I put Xu Miao in a position of trust; Xu Miao proposed this idea, and I immediately adopted it.

In the future documents, I must write a few extra lines about tonight's achievements.

Of the four squads, Lu Renxing's achievements were the least; they dared not sortie to patrol the streets and only hunted down four Dragon Evil Spirits.

Miao Yu had nine, and Zhu Zhanmei had twelve.

Xu Miao had the most, thirteen.

Upon hearing Xu Miao report this number, Zhu Zhanmei's smile vanished from his face.

Afterwards came the verification of results.

After killing a Dragon Evil Spirit, a Dan Xiu burns it with the fire in their belly, always leaving behind some bones.

Therefore, it is impossible to falsely claim credit.

When verifying Xu Miao's results, Zhu Zhanmei stood not far away, quietly stretching his neck and counting secretly several times, then felt somewhat disappointed.

Xu Miao was somewhat baffled; why are you staring at me?

"Dragon Evil Spirit" is a name Xu Yuan secretly gave them.

Xu Miao and the others naturally still referred to them as "Evil Spirits of the Second Transformation."

But almost everyone could see that this thing looked too much like a "dragon."

Where is its background?

Everyone actually had guesses, but there was no evidence, and no one spoke up.

The Fu family is not to be trifled with.

Luo Gongqiao ordered everyone's merits to be recorded first, and once they emerged from Ghost Wushan, they would report them all to the court together.

Afterward, he had the four prepare immediately and set out for Ghost Wushan.

Only then did the people of the Fu family appear.

The two Fourth-Rankers stretched lazily: "We slept very deeply last night; it seemed we heard some commotion..."

Luo Gongqiao snorted lightly and said indifferently, "You two should prepare as well; we are setting out."

Zhu Zhanlei also arrived, listless, about to serve as bait, feeling somewhat like life held no joy for him.

Xu Yuan had slept only one double-hour before being called up to set out.

Luo Gongqiao, caring for last night's heroes, prepared several carriages so they could catch up on sleep inside.

But there were only two carriages.

There couldn't be too many; after all, they were going fishing, and the group should not be overly large.

Thus, Xu Miao and Zhu Zhanmei shared one, while Miao Yu and Lu Renxing shared the other.

Xu Yuan, Zhu Zhanlei, and Gao Wanli formed the first group and departed first.

Behind them came the Fu family's two Fourth-Rankers.

Last came Luo Gongqiao's main force.

Miao Yu suffered greatly.

Lu Renxing, this soldier, snored with a sound that shook the heavens.

The noise kept Miao Yu from sleeping at all.

In contrast, the carriage of Zhu Zhanmei and Xu Miao was very quiet, filled with the faint fragrance of women.

By noon, both women had awakened; with nothing much to talk about, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Xu Miao suddenly spoke up voluntarily, saying, "Is Lord Zhu familiar with Master Xu?"

Zhu Zhanmei glanced at her, nodded lightly: "Not bad." Then, without showing her thoughts, she asked, "What does Miss Xu wish to know?"

Xu Miao, unaware of any hidden meaning, said, "Lord Xu is exceptionally capable, but he is somewhat unbending; I fear he may encounter some obstacles on the road ahead."

Zhu Zhanmei smiled slightly: "Does Miss Xu wish to help him?"

"The strategy I came up with was perfected by Lord Xu unintentionally. Yesterday, it was Lord Xu who reminded me to remind Lord Luo, and thus we achieved this great merit.

Not to mention last night, when Lord Xu saved me once; I owe Lord Xu many favors."

Zhu Zhanmei: "He saved you last night as well?"

Xu Miao, with no guard in her heart, recounted the events, then smiled bitterly: "But I was too forward; I fear Lord Xu might misunderstand and think I covet that piece of material of his..."

For a moment, Zhu Zhanmei did not want to explain and let her misunderstand.

But ultimately, she was kind and disdained such petty tricks, so she shook her head and sighed lightly: "No, his family's old lady is a skilled artisan cultivator; he indeed does not need your help."

"Oh?" Xu Miao was surprised: "High-level artisan cultivators are very rare."

Zhu Zhanmei then explained Lin Wanmo's situation.

What Zhu Zhanmei knew was only what could be easily inquired about.

But it was enough to prove that Lin Wanmo had the ability to handle Sixth-Rank materials.

After listening, Xu Miao's smile bloomed on her pretty face: "Then I was overthinking it."

The small grievance that had lingered in her heart since last night vanished completely; instead, she felt ashamed for having wrongly accused Xu Yuan.

Zhu Zhanmei held back, but still could not restrain her impulse and asked, "Does Miss Xu have feelings for Lord Xu?"

Xu Miao shook her head with a smile: "I do not wish to marry so early; later I would only be able to support my husband and raise children."

For some reason, Zhu Zhanmei felt a sigh of relief in her heart.

In the foremost group, Gao Wanli wore a gloomy expression.

Forced to become one of the lures.

And having to act together with Xu Yuan.

What was even more vexing was that Xu Yuan was actually bringing along that annoying big goose.

Gao Wanli felt that Xu Yuan was simply the evil star of her fate; ever since meeting this fellow, she had been unlucky.

"Does this fellow have some special sinister art that has cut away my fortune?" Gao Wanli even had such a guess in her heart.

Zhu Zhanlei was also depressed.

He wore a human-skin mask on his face.

Luo Gongqiao had Gao Wanli make it, and naturally, the appearance was that of Fu Yuhuan.

Moreover, his clothing, attire, and every movement were all required to imitate Fu Yuhuan.

Before departure, Luo Gongqiao had sternly warned him: "This operation carries great responsibility for you! I know you are unhappy in your heart, but this is not your Zhu family! You are an Inspector of the Shanhe Office; put away your willfulness as a scion of a great surname!

If the operation fails because of you, I guarantee even the Zhu family will suffer repercussions!"

Zhu Zhanlei could only endure the disgust along the way and raise his fingers in an orchid gesture.

As he walked, his waist swayed.

Xu Yuan wanted to laugh but managed to hold it back.

Upon arriving at Qihetai Town, Xu Yuan said, "Let us first go to the office and inquire about the recent situation in the mountains."

Gao Wanli, her face grim, said, "What is there to inquire about? I still remember the road to Gao Family Village. Let us kill over there immediately, capture that Gao Guanzi, interrogate his soul directly, and find out where that villain is staying!"

Gao Wanli was truly afraid; what if that villain was still at Bronze Coffin Cliff? She did not know if the four Fourth-Flow cultivators could break through Bronze Coffin Cliff.

But Zhu Zhanlei, of course, would listen to Xu Yuan.

"Go to the government office first."

The group passed through the town, going by an inn in the town; in a merchant caravan, a tall and sturdy Wu Xiu suddenly whistled at them.

Then a burst of raucous laughter erupted from his companions beside him.

Gao Wanli flew into a rage, grabbing her horse whip and about to rush over to whip them.

Xu Yuan suddenly spoke: "They are not targeting you."

Do you want to look in a mirror?

Gao Wanli was already of ordinary looks and short and stout build.

Last time she came out of Ghost Wushan, many scars were left on her face; she used Rank Dan Xiu's medicine, but those scars had not yet completely faded.

Which blind person would whistle at you?

Gao Wanli was stunned; Xu Yuan continued, "That fellow's interest is in Fu Yuhuan."

Male homosexuality was prevalent in the Huangming Dynasty.

Although Xu Yuan deliberately said "Fu Yuhuan," Zhu Zhanlei still held his breath until his face turned red!

The human-skin mask crafted by Gao Wanli was extremely exquisite; Zhu Zhanlei's complexion and expression could be clearly displayed.

Gao Wanli had already raised her horse whip, yet she silently lowered it again.

Then she chuckled, and for the first time on this journey, she laughed happily.

Zhu Zhanlei glared fiercely at that Wu Xiu.

"Oh my, this young man has a fiery temper, hahaha," the Wu Xiu laughed loudly.

Xu Yuan said to Zhu Zhanlei, "Beat them up."

Zhu Zhanlei was stunned; Xu Yuan said, "You are currently playing the role of Fu Yuhuan. Since we have arrived here, naturally we must cause some trouble to let that villain in the mountains know you have come."

Zhu Zhanlei was overjoyed, turned his horse, and charged toward that Wu Xiu.

The Wu Xiu laughed heartily: "He is throwing himself into my arms..."

But unexpectedly, in the next moment, the whole person flew into the air.

His companions beside him each grabbed their weapons and angrily shouted, "Seeking death!"

Xu Yuan leaped into the air from his horse back; the Sword Orb flew out with him. He did not transform it into a sword, but relied solely on the weight of the Sword Orb to thump-thump-thump and knock those people away one by one.

"Your dog eyes are blind! Dare to offend my young master!"

Xu Yuan landed, stepped on that Wu Xiu's chest with one foot, and an arrogant and fierce aura of a vicious servant from a great noble family permeated his entire body.

(End of this chapter)