Chapter 21: Staying Overnight

Miss Shang's eyes twitched. She closed the book to greet the two, her voice cold: "Thank you for bringing Xiao Lu back. My name is Shang Yuan."

When the parrot saw Shang Yuan, it was like seeing a savior, flapping its wings to escape Lu Yang. Lu Yang let go and let the parrot fly in the room.

"Be careful next time. Fortunately, this parrot has been circling Taiping Township. Otherwise, if it flew elsewhere, it would really be impossible to find." Lu Yang reminded with a smile.

Shang Yuan looked at the two in refined attire. One could tell at a glance that they were young heroes who had been wandering the world for a long time and were upholding justice.

Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye's attire was recommended by the Wendao Sect's Mission Hall. Dressing like this could impersonate those young heroes who wandered the world and upheld justice.

Shang Yuan's attitude was somewhat distant, not knowing whether it was due to her personality or something else: "Xiao Lu is back, you two should go back."

Tao Yaoye frowned slightly, not liking this young lady's attitude.

Lu Yang acted as if he hadn't heard the words to drive them away, and said with a smile: "Let's chat. The Shang family welcomes us quite a bit. Maybe they will keep us overnight."

Shang Yuan sneered repeatedly: "The Shang family welcoming you doesn't mean I welcome you. You should leave quickly. It's best to leave Taiping Township."

"Taiping Township has no demons or ghosts, why leave? You haven't left the Shang family for a long time either, don't you want to hear us talk about the outside world?" Lu Yang said.

Shang Yuan froze, not expecting Lu Yang to say this, and her tone softened: "Where do the two come from? I haven't left home for nearly a month. Can you tell me about your experiences in the world?"

"We come from the Wendao Sect, one of the five great Immortal Sects, and we are both Foundation Establishment cultivators. We came to Taiping Township this time because we heard that there was a demon bird disturbing people..."

Lu Yang began to speak unhurriedly. His voice was gentle, and he was a good storyteller.

When Shang Yuan heard that the two were Foundation Establishment cultivators, a flash of joy passed through her eyes.

The three chatted for a while. Shang Yuan was attracted by the life of cultivators flying through the sky and burrowing into the earth described by Lu Yang, and she also wanted to go out and explore, to see this vast world.

"I want to practice cultivation, but my father disagrees. He says cultivation is too dangerous. If he hadn't been lucky while exploring an ancient tomb, he would have died in the ancient tomb long ago."

"I have asked him about the process several times, but he is unwilling to tell me." Shang Yuan said indignantly. She liked to listen to strange stories, and her own father clearly had personal experience but was unwilling to tell her.

Lu Yang sighed in his heart. It seems that the head of the Shang family is also a person with a story.

"What is the cultivation of the head of the Shang family?"

Shang Yuan seemed to think of her father's smug face and rolled her eyes: "Listening to his own boasting, he was 9th layer of Qi Condensation before, and later encountered a great disaster. He survived by luck, but his cultivation plummeted. He is either 4th layer or 5th layer of Qi Condensation."

Tao Yaoye said: "That's okay. There are not many cultivators in Taiping Township. The strongest Township Head is only 7th layer of Qi Condensation. 4th or 5th layer of Qi Condensation can live very well, not to mention that the head of the Shang family still has some foundation."

Shang Yuan sighed: "But I don't want to be limited to Quhe County. I want to walk the world and see this magnificent and strange world. You and I are about the same age. You are already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while I have not yet practiced Qi."

Tao Yaoye was about to persuade her, when she heard Butler Zhang knocking on the door: "Young lady, it's time for dinner. And two young heroes, the Master specifically instructed that it is late, so let the two have a meal and stay overnight before leaving."

"The Master, the Mistress, and Township Head Huang are already waiting for everyone."

"Alright, we're coming." Lu Yang responded.

Tao Yaoye wanted to refuse, but was blocked by Lu Yang: "Look, I said earlier that the Shang family is enthusiastic and will keep us overnight. They have good intentions, why not accept it?"

At the dining table, the head of the Shang family sat in the main seat, chatting happily with Township Head Huang, and everyone else was eating to their heart's content. Although it was not as good as the food in the Wendao Sect, it was still delicious.

Butler Zhang and the maid stood respectfully on the side, serving left and right.

After a satisfying meal, Township Head Huang went home, and Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye stayed overnight, living in the east wing, with only a wall between them.

Tao Yaoye didn't really want to sleep here. She was a person who was very picky about beds. Except for the bed in her Wendao Sect cave dwelling, which she would fall asleep on as soon as she lay down, she would have to lie for a long time before falling asleep elsewhere.

Tao Yaoye knew this was not a good habit. It was common for cultivators to sleep in the open, and she tried to change, but she hadn't succeeded yet.

"Senior Brother Lu can sleep anywhere."

Tao Yaoye muttered to herself, not knowing why, she laughed in a low voice, and then yawned.

"I went to bed early today, it seems I can have a good sleep..."

Tao Yaoye suddenly reacted: "No! Someone poisoned the food!"

She turned around and was about to pick up the Thousand Illusion Umbrella to open a barrier, but found that her spiritual power was sluggish and difficult to mobilize.

She was shocked. Someone had poisoned them silently. Who was it?

This was poison aimed at cultivators. The other party knew she was a cultivator and still dared to act, so they must also be a cultivator.

There were only a few people in the Shang family. Except for the head of the Shang family, she didn't notice anyone else who was a cultivator.

Was it the head of the Shang family?

Or was there a cultivator with higher cultivation than her that she couldn't detect?

What about Senior Brother Lu?

A series of questions flashed through Tao Yaoye's mind. Before she could think carefully, light footsteps came from outside the house.

The door was pushed open, and Butler Zhang walked with a square step, with an excited and cruel smile on his face.

"It's you!" Tao Yaoye's eyes widened. She didn't expect it to be Butler Zhang, and her heart sank.

Not being able to see that Butler Zhang was a cultivator meant that Butler Zhang's cultivation was higher than hers.

Butler Zhang held a skinning knife in his hand. Even from a distance of five steps, Tao Yaoye could feel the thick resentment from it. She didn't know how many people had died on this knife, and the resentment was soaring.

The moonlight shone on the blade, bright and shining.

Butler Zhang licked his lips, looking at Tao Yaoye, who was struggling in vain, as if looking at a ferocious prey that had fallen into a trap.

"What good skin. I have never seen such snow-white skin with such beautiful lines in my life."

"I know you are from the Wendao Sect. It will be very troublesome to kill you. The Wendao Sect's power covers the sky and the sun. How dare a small person like me provoke the Wendao Sect?"

Butler Zhang said, saliva flowing from the corners of his mouth. While wiping it, he said: "But your skin is too beautiful, making me unable to help but take risks. You volunteered to stay at the Shang family for dinner. If I don't grasp such a good opportunity to poison you, then I am too ignorant."

The dinner was poisoned!

Seeing Tao Yaoye still struggling, Butler Zhang kindly advised: "Don't struggle. Even if you weren't poisoned, you wouldn't be my opponent. You have only just stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage, and I am late-stage Foundation Establishment."

Although he said so, Butler Zhang did not relax his vigilance. The Foundation Establishment stage of the Wendao Sect must never be treated as an ordinary Foundation Establishment stage!

Butler Zhang said this just because he didn't want Tao Yaoye to resist.

The more she resisted, the tighter the skin and flesh would be, and the harder it would be to peel the skin. This was experience.

"Relax, it's just a moment of pain, you won't be afraid soon."

Butler Zhang licked the skinning knife and approached Tao Yaoye.

Suddenly, Tao Yaoye stood up abruptly, her whole body's spiritual power flowing unimpeded. She held the Thousand Illusion Umbrella and smashed it hard on Butler Zhang's face.

Butler Zhang was in control of the situation and was caught off guard.

"How could you not be poisoned?!" ===== CHAPTER 22 =====