“This disciple respectfully obeys Honored Master’s teachings.”

Su Wan’er cupped her hands and gave a respectful bow.

“Let’s go.” Lai Li’an folded the crumpled map, tucked it into his robes, and stepped out of the alley. “Let’s go take a look at this group.”

Sunset Slope was located in the Western Suburbs of Yunze Market. Several Spiritual Fields were scattered along the gentle slope. The small irrigation channels between the fields flowed with water that carried a faint spiritual light; at a glance, one could tell they had been carefully tended.

“This should be the place.” Lai Li’an glanced at the map in his hand, then at the wooden cabin not far away, confirming the location.

He couldn’t help but mutter in his heart:

Lai Li’an folded the map up again, his gaze falling toward the direction of the wooden cabin.

The System Panel quietly popped up.

Lai Li’an’s brow twitched slightly. One Peak Foundation Establishment and three Late Foundation Establishment. What Qian Fu had said was indeed correct.

He tilted his head slightly and looked through the half-open window of the wooden cabin, taking in the scene inside.

Four cultivators were sitting around a square table, upon which several plates of spirit fruits were placed. The leader among them looked to be about thirty years old, wearing a green-and-white robe with a fine-quality jade pendant hanging at his waist.

With this outfit, Lai Li’an almost mistook him for a proper disciple of some Sect.

The other three were also dressed well, uniformly wearing dark green Daoist robes. Although the material wasn’t as good as Hong Wu’s green-and-white robe, it still wasn’t something ordinary Rogue Cultivators could afford. They had surely committed many wicked deeds and robbed quite a bit in their daily lives.

Lai Li’an withdrew his gaze and looked down at his own gray robe. He then looked at Su Wan’er; the dress the young girl wore was given to her by the Innkeeper’s Wife back in Bluestone Town. Made of mortal fabric, it had already started to fade after being washed a few times.

He suddenly felt a bit indignant. Cultivators really cared about their image; even bandits dressed like righteous gentlemen.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man. He was a transmigrator, yet he dressed less decently than a few field-occupying bandits.

Once this job was done, the first thing he would do was buy a good outfit for himself and Su Wan’er. He was an Honored Master now, after all; he couldn’t keep wandering around in a tattered robe.

“Wan’er.”

Su Wan’er immediately leaned closer. “This disciple is here.”

“There are four people inside. The leader is at Peak Foundation Establishment, and the other three are at Late Foundation Establishment.” Lai Li’an kept his voice very low. “Can you handle those three at Late Foundation Establishment?”

Su Wan’er nodded without hesitation. After cultivating the Dao Scripture of the Primordial Five Elements, the quality of her Spiritual Power had improved by more than just a single level.

Fighting three opponents while being a realm higher, she had confidence. Not to mention, her Honored Master was right beside her. If, by any chance, she really was no match, her Honored Master would naturally take action.

“This disciple understands.”

“Let’s go.”

The two stood up from behind the field ridge where they had been hiding and walked toward the wooden cabin. Su Wan’er kept her right hand resting on her sword hilt, her footsteps steady.

The door to the wooden cabin was open. The moment Su Wan’er stepped over the threshold, the four cultivators sitting by the square table turned their heads simultaneously. Four pairs of eyes fell upon Su Wan’er in unison, then looked past her shoulder to land on Lai Li’an behind her.

Hong Wu was the first to react. He stood up and cupped his hands. “You two fellow Daoists, this is the medicine field of the Hundred Herbs Hall. May I ask what business brings you two here?”

Hundred Herbs Hall, it sounded exactly like the name of a faction. To use such a pleasant-sounding name was truly a sin. Lai Li’an was just about to speak when Su Wan’er, beside him, could hold back no longer.

“Today, Su Wan’er will deliver justice on behalf of the Heavens and take your lives!”

The young girl’s voice was clear and fierce. As her words fell, her longsword was unsheathed, and the spiritual light on the blade suddenly flared.

Lai Li’an cursed loudly in his heart.

He, the Honored Master, hadn’t even spoken yet! But it was already too late.

Su Wan’er’s figure was as fast as a streak of blue flowing light. The tip of her sword shot straight toward Zhao Si, who was closest to her. Zhao Si hurriedly raised his arm to deflect the force, but the sword qi’s remaining momentum slashed a shallow, bloody gash across his arm.

Sun Liu and Li Ba reacted simultaneously, rushing forward from the left and right to catch Su Wan’er in a pincer attack.

Fighting one against three, Su Wan’er’s sword light wove like a net. As one thrust went out, before its momentum was even spent, the force for a second strike was already gathered in her wrist. Like a fine, dense spring rain, it completely enveloped all the attacks from the two cultivators.

Zhao Si clutched his injured arm and retreated to a corner, his face full of horror. Despite both being at the Late Foundation Establishment stage, this female cultivator’s sword was simply too fast.

Su Wan’er suppressed three Late Foundation Establishment cultivators all by herself, but achieving a quick victory would not be easy.

Hong Wu stood behind the square table. He had not yet made a move, quietly waiting for an opportunity. Then, he extended his right hand from his sleeve, a fist-sized ball of flames already condensed in his palm.

Lai Li’an noticed Hong Wu’s movement and knew he could wait no longer. If he let Hong Wu strike first, it would be too late.

He reached into his robes, felt the Immortal-Slaying Truth-Revealing Talisman, and silently pulled it out.

Instantly, a wisp of sword qi leaked out. Just this simple trace of aura caused the air in the entire wooden cabin to freeze in a flash.

The gazes of all four people simultaneously fell on the talisman in Lai Li’an’s hand. The sword intent leaking from it made it difficult for them to even breathe.

What realm of power… is this?

“Nobody move.”

Lai Li’an’s voice was not loud, but in the deathly silent wooden cabin, every word was incomparably clear. His left hand rested behind his back, and his face revealed no emotion.

Su Wan’er’s sword was still raised in mid-air, but her entire body had frozen. Being the closest to her Honored Master, she felt the sword intent the most clearly.

Just what grade of treasure is Honored Master’s talisman?

Lai Li’an’s gaze slowly swept over the three opposing cultivators. Those swept by his gaze couldn’t help but lower their heads.

“This Venerable has no enmity with you all. I came here today merely at the request of another. The four of you have walked a bitter path to cultivate to this point. Foundation Establishment is not easy; if you were to perish here, it would surely waste your respective fortunes.”

Hong Wu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The four looked at each other in dismay, all seeing the fear in one another’s eyes.

“This Venerable does not like to kill arbitrarily,” Lai Li’an said in a flat tone. “As long as you cooperate, this Venerable will naturally spare your lives.”

Silence spread through the wooden cabin for a few breaths before a voice broke it.

“Senior Brother Hong, run!”

Zhao Si’s entire face was contorted with fear, but his voice was surprisingly loud. “We’ll hold him off! You run! You must report today’s matter to the Elder!”

Before Lai Li’an could react, Hong Wu had already moved. At some point, he had stepped onto a Flying Sword, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing towards the west.

“Wan’er! Chase him!”

Lai Li’an grew anxious. Report to the Elder? The Hundred Herbs Hall really was a faction, and the kind that had Elders at that.

If Hong Wu really brought the Elder here, they would be doomed. Su Wan’er’s reaction was even faster than his. Before her Honored Master could even finish speaking, her sword had already flown from her hand. She transformed into a streak of sword light, chasing after Hong Wu, and vanished into the twilight in the blink of an eye.

The wooden cabin fell quiet again, leaving the remaining three men standing in place. Zhao Si had exhausted all his courage with that shout just now; at this moment, he stood there blankly as if he had been entirely drained.

The hands of all three men were shaking. Lai Li’an took in all these details one by one.

The combat will of these three had completely collapsed. When Hong Wu was here, they still had a backbone, but now they were like stray dogs.

Lai Li’an didn’t want to kill them. If he killed these three, Hundred Herbs Hall would probably hunt them down to the ends of the earth.

“This Venerable has said that I do not like to kill at will.” His gaze swept over the faces of the three men one by one, his tone even more indifferent than before. “But this Venerable’s patience is also limited.”

Zhao Si’s lips trembled.

“There is rope over there.” Lai Li’an gestured toward the corner with his chin.

The three men followed his gaze to the bundles of hemp rope, then looked at each other. None of them moved.

Lai Li’an did not urge them; he merely raised the talisman in his hand slightly higher.

Sun Liu was the first to move. He put down his weapon, walked to the corner, and bent down to pick up a bundle of hemp rope. His movements were very slow, making every step clear, for fear that Lai Li’an would misunderstand and think he was trying something funny.

He took the rope and looked at Zhao Si. Zhao Si gritted his teeth and held out his hands. Sun Liu squatted down, wrapped the hemp rope tightly around them loop by loop, and finally tied a dead knot…

A moment later, the three men were sitting in the corner of the wooden cabin, tied up securely.

Lai Li’an glanced at the tightly bound pile of people and nodded in satisfaction. This Sun Liu was an honest man; he had tied himself the tightest, so much so that his wrists were turning pale from the constriction.

“Very good.”

He left these words behind, turned, and walked out of the cabin.

The setting sun had completely sunk behind the mountain ridge, leaving only a stretch of dark purple twilight on Sunset Slope.

The herbs in the Spiritual Field shimmered with a faint light in the twilight. Lai Li’an stood on the field ridge, looking in the direction Su Wan’er had disappeared, his brows furrowing slightly.

Almost an incense stick of time had passed, and Su Wan’er had still not returned.

He began to feel a bit uneasy. Logically speaking, Su Wan’er had the higher chance of winning. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a streak of sword light swept in from the west and landed on the ridge of the field.

Su Wan’er leaped down from the sword. She looked slightly disheveled, and her face was filled with guilt.

Upon seeing Lai Li’an, she walked over and lowered her head. “Honored Master, your disciple is incompetent. That person… got away.”

“What happened?”

“I chased him for about ten li1 and closed in to within ten paces of him. Just as I was about to strike with my sword to force him to stop, that man suddenly threw a handful of talismans from his robes and activated them simultaneously. I had no choice but to use my sword to defend myself. By the time I broke through the talismans’ obstruction, he had already fled far away.”

After she finished speaking, her entire demeanor deflated. This was the first time her Honored Master had allowed her to pursue an enemy independently, yet she had let him escape. She had caused trouble for her Honored Master once again.

Lai Li’an fell silent. Since Hong Wu had escaped, he would definitely go fetch reinforcements. The “Elder” he mentioned would have a Cultivation Base starting at the Golden Core stage at the very least.

If more than one Elder came, the talismans in his own robes might not be enough to fend them off. They had to leave this place before the reinforcements arrived.

Lai Li’an’s gaze swept over those few acres of Spiritual Fields. The quality of the medicinal herbs within was quite good; if they were all harvested and sold, they would be worth at least a hundred or so Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Occupying the Spiritual Fields was unrealistic. The reinforcements from the Hundred Herbs Hall could arrive at any moment, and he and Su Wan’er could not defend these few acres of land with just the two of them.

“Wan’er.”

Su Wan’er immediately looked up. “This disciple is here!”

“Harvest all the spiritual herbs in these fields.”

“This disciple understands!”

Su Wan’er drew her longsword and jumped into the Spiritual Field. Although she didn’t know the proper harvesting techniques, as long as she chopped them all down, there would definitely be no problem.

Wherever the blade passed, clusters of herbs were severed cleanly at the roots. Sword light shuttled back and forth across the Spiritual Field, neatly harvesting patch after patch of herbs, which she conveniently swept into her Storage Bag.

Lai Li’an stood on the field ridge, watching her busy figure, the corners of his mouth curling up subconsciously.

By the time the last bundle of herbs was harvested, the sky had turned completely dark.

“Honored Master, they have all been gathered.” Su Wan’er leapt out of the Spiritual Field, sheathed her sword, and handed the Storage Bag to Lai Li’an.

Lai Li’an weighed the bag in his hand, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips. “Let’s go.”