Chapter 29: Have You Ever Seen Yan Jiao City at the Third Watch? - Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Chapter 29: Have You Ever Seen Yan Jiao City at the Third Watch? Lin Bei had a pleasant dream tonight. In his dream, he found himself back in the Caiyue Tower, comforted by tender, caring girls who gently laid him down on a bed draped with red silk, removing his clothes layer by layer. One, two, three... Then, slowly, she sat atop him and began to... Slap his face. One after the other, heavy-handed slaps came down. Smack, smack, smack... "Hey? Hey? What's going on?" Lin Bei flailed his arms wildly, finally jolting awake. Only then did he realize it wasn't just a dream; something was actually hitting him! It turned out to be a half-page of golden paper. Despite its delicate appearance, it delivered a stingingly powerful slap to Lin Bei's face. "What is this?" Lin Bei shouted, grabbing the half-sheet of gold paper, noticing a flickering light that revealed a messy scrawl of a name. Lin Bei. "Huh?" Chu Liang, startled by the commotion, entered from the next room, seeing Lin Bei holding the half-sheet of gold paper. He said, "Isn't this Song Qing Yi's magical artifact?" Lin Bei remembered seeing Song Qing Yi use this item last night. He quickly sat up, puzzled, and said, "Why would Instructor Song send this to me?" Chu Liang exchanged a glance with him, a sharp glint in both their eyes. They simultaneously exclaimed: "She's in danger!" "She's secretly in love with me!" "..." Silence. After a pause, Lin Bei sheepishly asked, "Why do you think she's in danger?" "Think about it. This is a protective artifact given to her by the Junzi Hall. How could she send it out so casually?" Chu Liang reasoned. "I suppose she's encountered danger she can't escape from. She used this method to seek help, and as we’re the only cultivators she knows near Yan Jiao City, she turned to us." "But... even if there's danger, why write my name and not yours? It shows she thinks of me, right..." Lin Bei insisted slightly. "Could it be because..." Chu Liang pondered, "your name has fewer strokes." The scrawled "Lin Bei" clearly wasn’t penned by Song Qing Yi in normal circumstances; it indicated she was in grave peril then. "What should we do now?" Lin Bei immediately changed the subject, not dwelling on it any longer. Chu Liang quickly assessed the situation and solemnly said, "For Song Qing Yi, a Junzi Hall direct disciple with a defensive artifact, to be in a crisis she can't escape—her opponent might have the strength of the Fourth Realm. For now, let's split up: you return to Shu Mountain for reinforcements, while I head to find Instructor Song and assess the situation." "You?" Lin Bei frowned. "But if, according to you, the enemy has Fourth Realm capabilities, what use is it for you to go alone?" "Just to clarify the situation first. If there’s immediate danger, I'll at least delay it for a moment," Chu Liang replied. "When you return, go straight to Yin Jian Peak to find my master. Among the elders in Shu Mountain, she is by far the most unoccupied. Seeking her assistance won't be a waste of time; others might not be available immediately." His tone was full of certainty and confidence. Lin Bei contemplated. If one were to return to the mountain and the other to find Song Qing Yi, the latter would clearly face more danger. Thus, he suggested, "Since you're finding your master, why don't you seek reinforcements, and I'll go check the situation?" Chu Liang shook his head. "My cultivation is higher; it's better if I go." "Hmm?" Lin Bei was taken aback. "Aren't we both in the early stages of the Divine Intention Realm? You..." Without much explanation, Chu Liang raised his hand, emitting an aura significantly stronger than before. "You've reached the mid-stage of the Divine Intention Realm?" Lin Bei exclaimed in surprise. When Lin Bei had first met Chu Liang, Chu Liang had just broken through to the Divine Intention Realm, and Lin Bei's cultivation was slightly superior to his. How, in just a few days, was Chu Liang already advancing when Lin Bei was still a distance away from the mid-stage Divine Intention Realm? Especially considering Chu Liang wasn't some recluse. Over the past days, he'd been completing tasks, eating, attending classes, and maintaining the same schedule as Lin Bei... When did he find time to cultivate? Of course, Chu Liang couldn't confess that he had a big-headed doll working diligently, allowing him to progress multiple days' worth in a single evening. Instead, he simply asked profoundly, "Have you ever seen Yan Jiao City at the third watch of the night?" "Huh?" "Enough talk, let's set off immediately," Chu Liang urged, waving his hand. ... Inside a shadowy thatched hut outside Yan Jiao City. Song Qing Yi stood in the corner of the room, her beautiful eyes filled with terror and despair, unable to utter a word. In the center of the room, the Black Robed Man drew strange symbols with a blood-infused ink, lighting one black candle after another. The eerie candle flames cast a haunting glow. At the doorway a short distance away lay several freshly dead black chickens, the blood still warm. "Heh heh, don't be anxious..." The Black Robed Man chortled eerily as he painted. "A soul from the Divine Intention Realm is a rare find. If I can capture you within the Underworld Heavenly Book, it will more than compensate for my losses as a skin ghost... No, it’s a major gain." "If I were to crudely kill you and then extract your soul, I could only retain up to eighty percent of your soul power." "But if you're patient and wait for me to prepare the Soul-Capturing Yin-Yang Array, capturing you into the Underworld Heavenly Book will ensure your soul remains intact." Song Qing Yi's breath nearly ceased. She knew the Underworld Heavenly Book was the most sinister artifact of the Underworld Sect, used specifically to capture living souls to enhance the wielder's cultivation. Each soul captured added a page to the book, simultaneously boosting the owner's strength. However, those trapped souls would never enter the cycle of reincarnation, doomed to suffer eternally within the book. "And you being a Confucian cultivator, a rarity..." "It's said Confucian souls are the purest and can even become day-traversing ghosts once refined." "You're so beautiful; I could craft you into an enrapturing Meiluosha... No, with your scholarly aura, a painting ghost would be more elusive and intriguing..." "No... please..." Song Qing Yi struggled to utter a few words, trying to break free. Yet, pierced by the Soul-Pinning Nail, she could only barely move a finger despite all her effort, unable to escape his grasp. Desperate, she cast her gaze outside. Her last attempt had been using the half-page of gold paper to send a message. Whether the two Shu Mountain disciples could understand her intention or had the means to save her, she didn’t know. But now, the terrifying shadow overtook her. "Flesh shackles, immortal in the nether realm..." The Black Robed Man raised his hand, pinching his fingers delicately, lighting the final black candle. With the array completed, he slowly raised a black jade tome in offering. "My precious, welcome your new life." His eyes gleamed with a sinister light, cold and exposed, accompanied by a gleeful, chilling laugh. "Heh heh heh heh heh heh..."