Chapter Forty-Eight: What Are You Trying to Do

“What... what are you trying to do?” The difference in their cultivation levels was too great. Caught completely off guard by Chu Xinyer’s sudden attack, Wu Kun and the man in green, both only at the third level of the heavens, were struck directly in the dantian by her spiritual power and immediately fell unconscious. Only the elder surnamed Xie, whose cultivation was higher, managed to raise a shield of spiritual energy while crushing a defensive talisman at any cost. He barely blocked the forceful assault, his face dark with alarm as he demanded an explanation.

Chu Xinyer paid him no heed. Her slender jade hand brushed against her storage pouch, and a magic longsword appeared. With a flick of her finger, the blade shone with brilliant light, transforming into a three-foot azure edge that came crashing down upon the elder.

“No, senior, have mercy! There is no enmity between us, I beg you to spare—” The elder backed away, casting spells to defend himself, but the tongues of fire and sword energy he conjured were nothing before her sword, shattered with ease. As the two layers of protective shields surrounding him began to twist and deform under the relentless strikes, fear overtook his features and he pleaded desperately for his life.

Chu Xinyer, determined not to reveal her identity, ignored his desperate entreaties. With a surge of her spiritual power, the sword’s might increased, cleaving through both shields. The blade fell unimpeded, swift as thunder.

The elder, unable to flee or resist, shut his eyes and awaited death. To his astonishment, the sword stopped just half an inch above his forehead. In the next instant, two streams of energy shot into his brow and dantian, sending a stabbing pain through his spirit. He collapsed, unconscious.

This path was the only way to Tianyun Valley, and Chu Xinyer had no desire for anyone to witness her knocking out cultivators and feeding them to her bloodthirsty demon mosquito. Quickly and efficiently rendering the three men unconscious, she produced a long rope, bound them together, and carried them off into the depths of a distant forest.

“All right, Xiao Wen, come out and feed.” Dropping the unconscious Wu Kun and his companions at the heart of the thicket, Chu Xinyer brushed her spirit beast pouch and called forth Xiao Wenzi.

“Oh? Three novice cultivators, and one of them is even at the fourth heaven—this girl is truly thoughtful...” Xiao Wenzi had not kept his demonic senses extended, so he was unaware of how Chu Xinyer had captured these men. Now, seeing their cultivation levels, he was overjoyed.

He suddenly felt that having a master was not such a bad thing. At least he no longer had to scavenge for the blood of low-level cultivators, always on the run like a stray dog. Thank you, Master.

Of course, a spirit pet must be mindful of its place. Just because his master was kind didn’t mean he should take advantage. Before flying toward Wu Kun’s neck to feed, Xiao Wenzi conveyed his gratitude to Chu Xinyer through their spiritual connection.

With a soft sound, under the maiden’s watchful gaze, Xiao Wenzi’s long proboscis pierced Wu Kun’s vein, beginning a most satisfying feast. Ever since the incident with Qiu Fu in Nanshan City, whenever he sought a cultivator’s blood, he had to face endless trouble—either being hunted down or having to kill his target first.

Never before had he encountered a scene like this: three cultivators, tightly bound and unconscious, left for his unfettered enjoyment. Xiao Wenzi had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by. After all, the more blood he absorbed, the more resources and treasures he could exchange for.

Thus, after plunging his proboscis into Wu Kun’s vein, he did not withdraw until the man’s skin swelled so much that further feeding became difficult. Only then did Xiao Wenzi move to another vein.

Drop by drop, the blood was converted into system coins, and Xiao Wenzi was thoroughly delighted. Chu Xinyer, the doll-faced maiden watching from the side, couldn’t help but widen her beautiful eyes in astonishment.

“Ah... Xiao Wen truly deserves his reputation as a primordial beast. Who would have thought such a small body could hold so much blood? I’m grateful he refused my offer back then—otherwise, I would never have withstood it...”

As time passed, Wu Kun’s face grew increasingly pale in his unconsciousness, and his wrists, neck, and cheeks swelled with itchy welts larger than a thumb. Witnessing this, Chu Xinyer involuntarily touched her own smooth cheeks.

No wonder Xiao Wen refused to feed on her blood—he was right. This was not just suffering; it was sheer torture. So she mused.

“What is that Chu Xinyer girl up to? What’s her purpose for coming to Tianyun Valley, and why has she lingered on the outskirts for so long?”

While Xiao Wenzi drew thousands of drops of blood from Wu Kun and the man in green, then flew toward the elder surnamed Xie, Huang Yipeng muttered tensely to himself atop a mountain more than ten miles away.

According to his original plan, Chu Xinyer’s sect mission was to gather several rare spirit flowers and herbs for the Alchemy Pavilion. She would surely venture into the remote depths of the mountains. At that point, he would send his junior brothers Zhou Kai and Wang Tao, masked with magical artifacts, to pose as rogue cultivators bent on robbery and assault. At the critical moment, he would appear as the hero to rescue her, capturing Chu Xinyer’s heart in one fell swoop.

To ensure nothing went awry, Huang Yipeng had even ordered them to prepare aphrodisiac incense. Once the “bandits” were dispatched and Chu Xinyer was in need, possessing her would be the natural outcome.

His calculations were flawless, yet after tailing her all this way, he found that Chu Xinyer had no intention of gathering herbs. If she had come to trade in Tianyun Valley, why did she remain motionless on the outskirts?

Wary of being discovered, Huang Yipeng dared not approach and had no knowledge of what transpired within the woods, but suspicion gnawed at him.

“Senior brother Huang, there’s no need to worry. Even if Chu Xinyer doesn’t go searching for spirit herbs, she’ll have to return to the sect from Tianyun Valley. We can ambush her on the way back and still help you achieve your wish,” suggested Zhou Kai, a gaunt man with high cheekbones and a sharp chin, seeing his senior’s frown.

Wang Tao, a short and stout youth with a sycophantic smile, chimed in, “Exactly! That girl is only at the tenth heaven. Junior brother Zhou and I are both eleventh-heaven experts. With the trap array you gave us, ambushing her will be no problem at all.”

“Indeed. I’ll leave it to you, my brothers. Rest assured, once it’s done, I won’t forget your reward,” Huang Yipeng replied with a smile. Yet when the others weren’t looking, a cold, sinister curve crept across his lips.

Dead men tell no tales. Chu Xinyer was, after all, an inner disciple of Greenleaf Sect, protected by her senior sister Liu Hong, who was on the verge of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. If his plot were exposed, even an elder uncle with a modest rank might not be able to protect him. He would not leave any loose ends.

Moreover, eliminating Zhou Kai and Wang Tao would free him from fulfilling any resource promises. Ruthless by nature, Huang Yipeng had already resolved to silence them once the deed was done.