Chapter 89

The confrontation between the two sides was not exactly in favor of the Supreme Sect. With only two capable fighters on their side and six or seven bandits, who seemed to be hiding their true levels with some secret techniques, it was uncertain who would come out on top if a fight broke out.

The standoff was broken by the landlady’s intervention. The bandits, feeling the pressure, grabbed their weapons and, under the gaze of four sets of “come and fight me” and one pair of tearful, panicked eyes, quickly left the scene.

Seeing them leave, Lin Du turned to Shao Fei with a broad smile, “So, what signal did you use with them?”

Shao Fei shook her head, gritting her teeth. Lin Du, having closed her folding fan, played with a small silver knife without a handle in her hand. The short blade gleamed coldly as it flicked from one end to the other, finally resting against Shao Fei’s neck.

Shao Fei was frightened and tried to move back, but dared not make any sudden moves. The blade was icy cold and pressed firmly against her neck’s artery.

“Uncle Junior Master!”

“Lin Taoist!”

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll just guess,” Lin Du leaned in slightly, her voice lowered as if shrouded in mist, “If I guess correctly, your pulse will surely show a change, and the blade against your pulse will confirm it. If I’m wrong, nothing will change. What do you think?”

“By the way, I forgot to tell you,” she continued, her gaze fixed on Shao Fei’s eyes, speaking softly, “My master gave me dozens of handleless short knives. I was in a rush, so some are not yet sharpened, and some are.”

“I just grabbed one at random. Do you want to guess if this one is sharpened or not?”

Shao Fei’s eyes widened in fear as she looked at the boy before her. Although he appeared delicate and smiling, his eyes were shrouded in a heavy mist, making his smile seem particularly cruel and ominous.

“Alright, take a deep breath and don’t be nervous.”

“I guess you noticed those bandits in the city on the way here, didn’t you? In western Yunnan, there’s a group of powerful bandits. The bandit leader has a bamboo pipe as his spiritual weapon. It seems harmless but is as effective as smashing watermelons when used on someone’s head.”

“You left them a secret signal? Maybe something like, you could cooperate with them from the inside, and this Tao Xian has money, a lot of money, and is a fat sheep?”

“So, they followed us into the noodle shop and then waited for their chance to cause trouble.”

Lin Du said, glancing at Tao Xian with a smile, observing his expression.

Tao Xian’s face had gone cold. He was a direct disciple of the Feixing Sect, but with so many direct disciples, he was accustomed to paying for the services he received, even if he sympathized, he would still follow the rules.

“No wonder… no wonder you suddenly said lamb noodle soup is better,” Tao Xian realized with a start.

Previously, he thought Shao Fei looked pitiful and reserved, possibly due to coercion. Now, it seemed that the blame might not entirely lie with Qi Zhun.

“You barely escaped from the bandits’ den, and now you willingly return to the tiger’s lair? Underneath this beautiful facade, you are a villainous bone, and you still dare to aspire to divine revelation?”

Lin Du’s hand suddenly flipped, “Precepts and moral scriptures, once read, turn into smoke?”

“Knowledge flows through your brain’s cortex but you take nothing from it, what a waste. I, on the other hand, read the medical books my second uncle asked me to read, so I’m quite proficient in pulse reading.”

The blade stood upright, and Lin Du smiled faintly, her soft tone sounding like ice falling on the floor to others, “Your pulse is quite rapid.”

The person with the blade at her neck had dilated pupils and was breathing heavily, her voice trembling, “Don’t, don’t kill me…”

The sword of Damocles was about to fall.

Shao Fei was genuinely scared. She had a natural sensitivity to danger, and from the moment she saw the Supreme Sect people, she feared the smallest one among them, Lin Du.

Her plans were meticulously laid out, with her fellow disciples always centered around her. Regardless of time or place, her eyes were filled with things Shao Fei couldn’t understand.

Shao Fei had seen many types of people and could usually tell the truth from lies and the emotions at the time. But Lin Du, always smiling, was unreadable. She couldn’t tell whether the weakness was real or feigned.

What she knew for sure was that Lin Du was too smart, and she was afraid.

So, when she found out that Lin Du was just highly skilled, she immediately thought of using Qi Zhun’s help, except for Lin Du.

Shao Fei always felt that under Lin Du’s gaze, she could not hide anything.

Lin Du was an obstacle.

But now, she knew even more that Lin Du was a madman.

“Are you crazy? You’re a righteous sect disciple! You shouldn’t kill recklessly! Aren’t you afraid of the consequences of killing?” Shao Fei’s throat tightened, and her voice trembled like a taut string.

[Current progress for Mo Lin’s mission: 70%, reward: Golden Crow Xuan Yuan Pill x1, can be used to replenish the host’s weakened essence.]

Lin Du was certain that revealing the truth this time would likely push Mo Lin towards disgust with Shao Fei.

“I’ve even conducted soul-searching; what consequences am I afraid of?” Lin Du’s tone was cold and unyielding, her murderous intent palpable. “Evil people, can be killed.”

Unfortunately, the short dagger was not sharpened.

Yin Ye, the person who had given her the dagger, was afraid she might accidentally hurt herself, so it was only sharpened at the tip, with the sides left blunt.

She looked at Shao Fei’s pale, frightened face with a mix of admiration and disdain. The short dagger was withdrawn and, with a swift motion, she knocked Shao Fei unconscious.

Lin Du then turned to Tao Xian, “Second Master Nephew, do you think I’ve learned…”

She paused, glancing at the sword staff that was now very close.

“Wait, Master Nephew, why is your staff behind my head?”

Mo Lin retracted his sword, “I was afraid you might really kill her.”

For a moment, they had genuinely believed Lin Du might go through with it. However, despite the blade pressing against Shao Fei’s vital point, she remained unharmed, only Shao Fei was left in a state of panic and confusion.

Lin Du, when she was mad, could be frightening, and Mo Lin was worried he might not be able to hold her back.

Tao Xian also visibly sighed in relief. Evil people deserved to be punished, but if Shao Fei had died, he would have had to explain it.

“A worker’s soul is to keep the project from failing and to ensure the bonus isn’t deducted.”

“But, Master Nephew, what do we do now that you’ve knocked her out?” Mo Lin suddenly fell silent, watching as Lin Du took out a spirit beast pouch.

The difference between a spirit beast pouch and a storage pouch was that it contained living creatures, which, though unconscious, still had breath.

The spirit beast pouch had never imagined it would contain a living person.

“Since it can hold hundreds of pounds of tiger demons, it should be able to hold a female cultivator as well,” Lin Du said, casting a spell to successfully store her inside.

She couldn’t kill Shao Fei; at least not until the task of saving Mo Lin was complete.

“It can only be kept for seven days,” Mo Lin said, seeing that the situation was under control and no longer trying to dissuade her.

It might be a bit unkind, treating a person as less than human, but as long as the Junior Master nephew didn’t kill anyone, she could do as she wished.

“Got it.” Lin Du lazily hung the spirit beast pouch on her belt. “She won’t die, but keeping her awake is troublesome. I don’t want to go through this kind of trouble again.”

The group left the city and boarded the flying boat again.

Xia Tianwu suddenly asked Lin Du a question, “Uncle Junior Master, can you really feel the pulse through that short dagger?”

Lin Du smiled at Tao Xian, who was sitting at the tail of the boat lost in thought, and transmitted a message to her, “No.”

Of course not.

But Shao Fei’s reaction had confirmed everything.

Lin Du had never been a saintly gentleman. Any obstacle in her path should be kicked aside.