Su Wan’er took a deep breath. “Honored Master, this disciple will take you out of the city right now.”

She drew her longsword, and the blade hovered horizontally in mid-air.

Lai Li’an stepped onto the flying sword, and Su Wan’er followed behind him. The blade sank slightly before rising steadily.

Feeling the wind howling past his ears, he silently calculated their next steps in his mind.

That old swindler Qian Fu had better have run far away and not let himself be caught.

Otherwise, he, Lai Li’an, wouldn’t mind using that Immortal-Slaying Truth-Revealing Talisman to let a Late Qi Condensation old man experience what true despair felt like.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Su Wan’er slowed the sword’s speed and looked back at him. “What is it, Honored Master?”

“Let’s go buy a change of clothes first.” Lai Li’an looked down at the gray robe he was wearing. The cuffs were frayed. If he continued wearing this, let alone being a judge at the Alchemy Conference, even a guest house waiter would find him shabby.

“Clothes?” Su Wan’er also looked down at her own cloth skirt, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. She nodded, turned the sword, and flew toward the most bustling street in the center of the market.

The shop wasn’t large, but the storefront was kept clean and elegant. As Lai Li’an pushed open the door and entered, a faint fragrance of incense wafted against his face. The walls were hung with all kinds of ready-to-wear garments, ranging from plain gray-white Daoist robes to brocade long gowns embroidered with hidden patterns, having everything one could expect.

The shopkeeper was a female cultivator in her forties with an Early Foundation Establishment cultivation base. As soon as she saw the two enter, she came forward to greet them. Her gaze quickly swept over the two of them, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

“Two fellow Daoists, please come in, please come in! Are you looking for men’s or women’s clothing? Our shop just received a new batch of Daoist robes made of Cloud Brocade. They are light and soft to wear, and even make the circulation of spiritual power a bit smoother. You won’t find a second shop like this in the entire Yunze Market.”

Lai Li’an glanced at the price tags hanging on the wall and secretly drew in a breath of cold air.

Even the cheapest plain-colored Daoist robe cost eight low-grade spirit stones. If he used the few spirit stones in his pocket to buy two sets of clothes, he was afraid he wouldn’t even have enough left for food.

Keeping a straight face, he casually picked out a moon-white brocade robe and handed it to Su Wan’er, then pointed out a dark blue long gown for himself.

The two went into their respective changing cubicles. Lai Li’an quickly changed his clothes, walked out, and stood in front of the bronze mirror to take a look at himself.

The person in the mirror wore a dark cyan long robe, with a matching cloud-patterned sash tied around his waist, accentuating a figure as straight and tall as a pine.

He tilted his chin up slightly, thinking that this outfit was indeed not bad; at the very least, it made him look like a proper Senior.

Just then, the curtain of the adjacent changing room was pushed aside, and Su Wan’er walked out.

She had changed into a moon-white, waist-cinched long dress. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with pale silver cloud patterns, and a thin silver chain was tied around her waist, with a delicate jade clasp dangling at the end.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, making her already excessively exquisite face appear even more luminous and jade-like.

Lai Li’an’s gaze paused for a moment before he indifferently looked away.

The Proprietress walked out from behind the counter. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, and a knowing smile piled onto her face: “Oh my, standing together, the two of you are truly a perfect match! A talented man and a beautiful woman, a flawless pair. I’ve been doing business here at the Cloud Garment Boutique for 20 years, and I’ve never seen such a well-matched pair of Dao companions!”

Su Wan’er’s ears instantly burned red, the flush spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down to the base of her neck. She hurriedly waved her hands, speaking at a rapid pace: “No, no, no, Shopkeeper, you’ve misunderstood! We are master and disciple! He is my Honored Master, not… not my Dao companion!”

The Proprietress blinked, her smile deepening. “Master and disciple? Good, good, good, master and disciple is good, master and disciple is also good.”

Lai Li’an ignored the shopkeeper’s teasing. Two pieces of clothing were not cheap, adding up to thirty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones, leaving him with not much left in his pocket. If he had known, he would have shamelessly borrowed a bit more from Meng Qiuran back at the Public Hearing Hall. He had already borrowed five thousand anyway, a hundred or two more wouldn’t have made a difference.

Just as his heart was aching over the cost, he suddenly noticed that Su Wan’er had gone quiet.

Lai Li’an looked up and found Su Wan’er staring into the shop. Following her gaze, he saw the curtain of a booth on the other side being lifted, and a handsome man walked out.

The man looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a handsome face. He was wearing a brand new silver-gray brocade robe made of high-quality Ice Silkworm Silk, with a jade belt tied around his waist. He looked just like a direct disciple from some major Sect.

Su Wan’er stared a bit blankly. Lai Li’an also looked over, and as he did, the System Panel popped up almost instantly.

Lai Li’an stared at that line of text for two seconds, his eyelid twitching violently. Qian Fu? That hunched-over, heavily wrinkled, hollow-eyed, and emaciated little old man? The same person as the handsome, jade-faced young master in brocade clothes right in front of him?

This old swindler actually knew the Disguise Technique! No wonder he had scammed people in Yunze Market for three years without being caught. With this appearance standing on the street, who would think he was a swindler? Even those he had scammed would probably walk right past him without recognizing him.

The corners of Lai Li’an’s mouth slowly curled up into a dangerous arc. What a pity, what a pity. No matter how brilliant this old swindler’s Disguise Technique was, it couldn’t escape the System Panel’s line of text that was equivalent to a Truth-Revealing Mirror. And as luck would have it, he happened to bump into him, Lai Li’an.

“Wan’er,” Lai Li’an’s voice was deep.

Su Wan’er snapped back to reality and turned to look at her Honored Master, only to find a smile on his lips that she had never seen before. That smile inexplicably sent a chill down her spine.

“Beat him up.”

Su Wan’er froze. Her Honored Master was telling her… to beat someone up?

She subconsciously glanced at the handsome man again, then quickly withdrew her gaze and fixed it on her Honored Master’s face.

Honored Master’s expression didn’t look like he was joking, but Honored Master normally never hurt people without reason. Why would he suddenly ask her to beat up a stranger?

Could it be… Honored Master was jealous? Su Wan’er’s gaze paused on Honored Master’s face for a moment. Honored Master’s features were handsome and refined, carrying a gentle, scholarly air around his brows and eyes. Based on looks alone, he was not the least bit inferior to that richly dressed young master; their temperaments were just completely different.

Honored Master had a quiet, reserved handsomeness, while that richly dressed young master had a flamboyant, extroverted handsomeness.

She hadn’t expected Honored Master to get jealous. Su Wan’er’s small face flushed slightly, and a wave of sweetness welled up in her heart.

“Wan’er, beat him up,” Lai Li’an urged again when he saw she hadn’t reacted.

Su Wan’er hastily reigned in her thoughts, took a deep breath, and in a flash, dashed right in front of Qian Fu.

Qian Fu was adjusting his newly bought belt. Sensing someone approaching, he looked up. Before he could even react, a fair white palm was already planted on his chest.

Su Wan’er had held back most of the force behind this palm strike, using less than thirty percent of her strength. However, for a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator striking a Late Qi Condensation cultivator, thirty percent was more than enough to send Qian Fu flying backward. He smashed heavily into the wall behind him and slid down into a seated position, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The shop instantly erupted into an uproar.

“What’s going on? Why hit someone all of a sudden?” A middle-aged female cultivator who was picking out fabric put down the satin in her hands and looked over with a deep frown.

“In broad daylight, is there no law anymore!” an old man leaning on a cane said angrily.

Qian Fu slumped in the corner, clutching his chest with his right hand. His handsome face now looked exceptionally pitiful.

He struggled to raise his head, looked at the customers around him, and spoke with a hoarse voice, “Fellow Daoist… I have never met you before, and I don’t know how I offended you. Why did you strike so viciously?”

As he spoke, he coughed twice, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth again. He looked as miserable as could be.

Several female cultivators immediately stepped forward, shielding Qian Fu.

The leader was a female cultivator in red at the Mid Foundation Establishment realm. With her hands on her hips, she glared at Su Wan’er. “You, girl, are so unreasonable! Did this young master provoke you? Hitting him without a word, which Sect are you from? How did your Master teach you?”

“Such a pretty face, yet such a ruthless heart!” another female cultivator in blue chimed in. Her gaze scraped over Su Wan’er’s face, her tone sour. “Is the Cultivation World really this unreasonable? You attack him just because he’s handsome?”

Scolded so harshly to her face, Su Wan’er opened her mouth to explain, only to realize she had no idea how to even begin.

She couldn’t exactly say “My Honored Master told me to beat him up,” could she? She could only bite her lip, grip her sword hilt tightly, and stand there awkwardly.

Right at that moment, Lai Li’an stepped out from behind Su Wan’er.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferently sweeping over the female cultivators blocking Qian Fu. Catching his gaze, Qian Fu felt an inexplicable shiver run through his heart, yet he still maintained that weak and pitiful expression.

“What is the meaning of this, sir?” The female cultivator in red turned to Lai Li’an, looked him up and down, and sneered, “You are her Master, a Senior at the Golden Core Stage, and this is the kind of disciple you teach? Assaulting someone in the street for no reason, are you bullying people just by relying on a high Cultivation Base?”

The old man leaning on a cane also shook his head. “According to the rules of the Law Enforcement Hall, injuring someone without cause in Yunze Market results in a fine of Spirit Stones at best, and the crippling of one’s Cultivation Base at worst. You two had better think this through.”

“Fine, let the Law Enforcement Hall judge this matter today!” someone in the crowd shouted.

As soon as the words fell, the Law Enforcement Hall disciples patrolling nearby heard the commotion and hurried over.

The leading disciple swept his gaze around. Just as he was about to speak and interrogate them, he suddenly saw Lai Li’an’s face.

His footsteps came to a sudden halt, and the stern, imposing aura on his face instantly dissipated, replaced by a trace of unconcealable nervousness.

He recognized this face. During the previous encirclement, he had been right behind Li Xiuyuan. He had witnessed that world-destroying sword intent with his own eyes, and had personally watched Meng Qiuran casually fork out 5000 Spirit Stones for this person.

Manager Li had privately warned them that this person was not to be provoked.

“S-Senior Lai.” The disciple cupped his fists and bowed, his tone deeply respectful. “I didn’t realize Senior was here. Please forgive this junior’s lack of manners.”

The noisy hall fell silent in an instant. The female cultivators who were still accusing Su Wan’er looked at each other in dismay, seeing the sheer disbelief in one another’s eyes.

The Law Enforcement Hall had always been haughty in Yunze Market. Since when had they ever been this polite to a Rogue Cultivator?

Lai Li’an nodded slightly, his tone as flat as usual, “Go tell Li Xiuyuan that Qian Fu has been caught. Tell him to bring his people to collect him.”