Chapter Twenty-One: The Pilfering Thief

Yu Wanqiao could not help but feel a twinge of guilt. She was the reason the two of them had been worried, even though she had not expected to be delayed for so long. She comforted them, saying, "Aunt Wu, I am a cultivator; ordinary people cannot get close to me. If I do not return by next time, you need not worry too much."

Hearing this, Aunt Wu looked self-reproachful. "Could it be that I have caused you trouble? Blame me; I had forgotten about that for a moment."

Fearing that Aunt Wu would continue to blame herself, Yu Wanqiao quickly added a few more reassuring words, which finally put the woman at ease. Sitting in the room temporarily prepared for her, Yu Wanqiao took out the inner core of the Fire-Scaled Black Tiger. She closed her eyes and began to cautiously attempt to absorb the core’s power for her own use.

She felt an intense, scorching heat throughout her body. The bone-chilling cold brought on by the Snow Lotus within her began to subside. Her heart leaped with joy, but just as she wanted to continue, she discovered that her nose was bleeding. She had over-absorbed it.

Yu Wanqiao wiped away the blood nonchalantly. Looking at the inner core in her hand, she could only sigh silently. Although the Fire-Scaled Black Tiger’s energy could not be fully neutralized immediately, it had made her feel much more comfortable. If she continued like this, she could keep using it until she reached Xi City. She remembered the Glazed Heart Grass in her Qiankun bag and decided to set out early the next day to sell it, fearing that the four people might track her down by its scent. She could not bring disaster upon Wu Ping'an’s household.

She put the inner core away and prepared to get up to investigate the sword left behind by Wu Zhuang outside her room. Coupled with Aunt Wu’s intentional concealment, Yu Wanqiao felt that something was deeply wrong. However, just as she was about to open the door, she saw Aunt Wu walk out. Yu Wanqiao instantly recalled what Wu Ping'an had told her: that every night, Aunt Wu could not sleep, would perform strange actions, and would talk to herself. Yu Wanqiao had not mentioned these things to Aunt Wu. She closed the door again and continued to watch Aunt Wu’s next move.

A second later, she saw Aunt Wu pick up that sword again.

...

"Xu Su, Qingru, what happened here?"

When Xu Shaodeng arrived, he saw the disheveled and injured state of Xu Su and Xu Qingru. He caught sight of the Fire-Scaled Black Tiger's carcass and stood frozen. "The two of you killed the Fire-Scaled Black Tiger?"

After speaking, he realized something and asked excitedly, "Then, the Glazed Heart Grass..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Xu Qingru. She truly had not expected that even though both she and the Third Senior Brother were injured, his first reaction was to ask whether the Glazed Heart Grass was in their possession. She stopped Xu Su from speaking. Her heart felt icy cold, but her face wore an expression of anxiety.

"Senior Brother! Originally, after the Third Senior Brother and I found the Glazed Heart Grass and killed the Fire-Scaled Black Tiger, we were ambushed. The Third Senior Brother and I had exhausted all our energy dealing with the beast. At that moment, someone had been observing everything from the shadows; they seized the opportunity when we were caught off guard to steal the Fire-Scaled Black Tiger’s inner core and the Glazed Heart Grass."

"What?" Upon hearing that the Glazed Heart Grass had been stolen, he could no longer contain himself. "Qingru, do you remember what that person looked like?"

"That person was a sword cultivator, a young woman in a blue dress. She looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old."

After hearing Xu Qingru’s description, Xu Shaodeng was stunned. Wasn't this the same person he had encountered?

"Senior Brother, what is wrong?" Seeing that Xu Shaodeng remained unresponsive for a long time, Xu Qingru called out to him again.

Hearing Xu Qingru’s voice, Xu Shaodeng finally snapped back to reality. "It is nothing. That thief cannot have gone far. It is already late, and you and the Third Junior Brother are injured. We shall rest for the night in Ruzhou at the foot of the mountain and search for the whereabouts of the Glazed Heart Grass tomorrow."

Xu Su looked at Xu Qingru, wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent. Xu Qingru, however, was in high spirits.

"Junior Sister, come, let me support you."

"Thank you, Second Senior Brother."

Xu Fu looked at the incredibly weak Xu Qingru with deep heartache. Their little junior sister had been harmed so severely by that thief; if he found that thief, he would never let her go. He would not only make her wish she were dead, but he would also force her to return everything she had stolen.

...

Unaware of this, Yu Wanqiao was pressing herself against the door, watching the scene outside. She witnessed the sword wreathed in black mist. Suddenly, a figure appeared out of thin air. Aunt Wu stood with the sword, her head bowed.

A rough, masculine voice emanated from the sword. "I heard that another cultivator has come to the house these past two days?"

Aunt Wu nodded, trembling with fear. "Yes..."

Before she could finish, she was struck hard across the face by the black shadow. Soon, Aunt Wu fell to the floor, still clutching the sword.

"What did I tell you last time? Why do you keep bringing cultivators into this house? It took me great effort to get rid of the last one."

Aunt Wu immediately apologized. "Ping'an was simply too worried about me. If not her, there will be another. This time, I want to put an end to it once and for all so he can stop worrying."

Hearing the name Wu Ping'an made Wu Zhuang even more irritable. "Forget it, forget it. For the sake of my grand plan, I will not hold this against you this time. However, do not let her discover too much."

Aunt Wu nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice. "I understand. I think that Miss Yu is like the others; she cannot see anything and surely will not discover the truth."

"Hmph, it had better be that way."

Wu Zhuang quickly transformed into a cloud of black mist and vanished into the sword. Aunt Wu sat with the sword for a while before wiping away her tears, putting the sword back, and lighting a few sticks of incense.

Yu Wanqiao quietly closed the door. Just as she had suspected, Aunt Wu was not right. She remained vigilant and cast a protective barrier around the room. If this ghostly aura appeared again, she would be alerted. If it tried to harm anyone, these barriers would stop it. Thinking of Aunt Wu’s attitude just now, Yu Wanqiao guessed who the man was. It was Wu Zhuang. He was no longer a human, but a vengeful spirit with heavy sins. Thinking of what he had said, it was likely that the previous cultivators had also met their end at his hands. One of them had even been quite powerful and had discovered Wu Zhuang, yet was still killed by him.

Yu Wanqiao returned to her bed and feigned sleep.

...

The next day, when Yu Wanqiao opened her door, Aunt Wu had just finished offering incense. Seeing Yu Wanqiao leave, she quickly greeted her. "Miss Yu, you are awake. Just in time for breakfast."

Yu Wanqiao declined. Nothing here was fit for consumption. "Thank you, but I have already begun practicing inedia."

Aunt Wu was stunned, then smiled. "I had forgotten."

She wiped her hands and, seeing Yu Wanqiao’s appearance, asked, "Is Miss Yu going out?"

Yu Wanqiao did not deny it. "Indeed, though I may be delayed for some time today."

Aunt Wu nodded. "Go ahead."

Yu Wanqiao glanced at Wu Ping'an, who was eating, and then at the sword. Aunt Wu, however, subtly blocked Yu Wanqiao’s line of sight.