The lights were as small as beans.

As if being oppressed by an invisible force, they trembled on the edge of wild dancing.

Through the window.

Watching the calm and tall figure leaving the courtyard, closing the door.

With a clang, the long sword fell.

Fear, grievance, helplessness, humiliation, and regret intertwined, draining the strength from her body. Yu Qingyao leaned against the pillar and slid to the ground, tears streaming down her face, forming a line of rain.

"Wu wu..."

Holding her knees, burying her face, she sobbed softly.

She regretted it.

Always cautious and discreet, but still fell into temptation.

In fact, when Yu Qingyao first attended the Lantern Festival gathering, she noticed him. His tall and handsome figure amazed her, he was the type she liked.

But when she saw his cultivation level, she didn't pay much attention.

The second time she secretly observed him was also at the Lantern Festival gathering. She saw Zhong Yan, a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator, confidently conversing with cultivators of all levels, calm and composed. Comparing it to her own cultivation level of the sixth level of Qi Refining, she felt envy and even some admiration.

The third time was during the mid-year trading fair. She learned that Zhong Yan had become a first-grade talisman master. Impulsively, she couldn't help but ask Bai Siyuan for details.

The result was four spiritual roots, and it took him nearly thirty years to reach his current level. He even had multiple wives and concubines at home.

She immediately dismissed the idea.

Who would have thought...

A small mistake would lead to such a disaster.

She shouldn't have been curious and asked others. Otherwise, with her usual low-key nature, how could she have attracted attention?

Among the cultivators in the city, she could easily rank in the top ten in terms of cultivation level. Even if someone coveted her beauty, it would be difficult for ordinary people to have evil thoughts.

But now...

A fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator easily forced her, a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator, into a situation where she dared not resist.

"Zhong Yan, you scoundrel!"

"I don't believe you can kill me!"

Yu Qingyao thought angrily, but her body was honest. She stopped her tears, sniffed, and quickly got up, walking to the table and picking up talismans.

Five invisibility talismans, five sound-gathering talismans, five image-gathering talismans, three sound-transmitting talismans, three lightness talismans, three protective talismans.

All sorts of messy talismans, not a single one that could be used for attack.

Yu Qingyao furrowed her eyebrows, quickly picked up a stack of papers, and flipped through them.

Her expression changed again and again, and finally, she blinked in surprise.

She thought she would have to do something dangerous like assassinating Xue Shanhuzhi, but it turned out she only needed to observe and eavesdrop as a "petty thief," without the need for direct action.

With the invisibility talisman, it was not difficult for her, a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator, to move around without being noticed.

Moreover, there were thirteen different response methods written on the paper, just follow the instructions.

"This person's thoughts are really terrifying..."

Yu Qingyao murmured to herself, then quickly reviewed the information again, memorizing the portrait and map.

Without realizing it herself, she, who had been reluctant and wanted to leave immediately, was unknowingly following the path forced upon her by Zhong Yan.

"He dares to confront Xue Shanhuzhi to the end, he must have something to rely on."

"Two thousand spirit stones can hire a Foundation Building cultivator!"

"Eighty percent of them have already come."

"..."

After pondering for a while, Yu Qingyao clenched her teeth, searched in her storage bag, but couldn't find the night-walking clothes she wanted. She had to change into a half-black outfit and stick an invisibility talisman on her waist. Then she left the house and ran...

"Hmph, after this is done, I'll leave Qingyang!"

"Don't even think about marrying me, you hypocritical scoundrel!"

Late at night.

Yu Qingyao, disguised as a shadow, patted herself with a lightness talisman and jumped over the high wall into the Xue residence.

She hadn't been sneaking for long when her heart suddenly pounded. Nervous, her lips dried up. She sensed over a hundred warriors just outside the outer courtyard, and she didn't know how many more were in the inner courtyard.

"This is preparing for a battle..."

Following the map in her mind, she cautiously made her way to the residence of Xue's main wife, a separate building.

It was easy to see people, they were on the corridor of the roof, a man and a woman were talking.

"You're asking for death!"

"I told you, he left, he's not here."

"If you're discovered, I won't care about you. You're on your own!"

The man lowered his voice and left with a cold snort, followed by the sound of coughing.

The woman turned and entered the room.

Yuying Yao recognized them. One was Guo Qinglin, the steward of the Xue Mansion, and the other was Guo Qingxue, the wife of the Xue Mansion's master. They were siblings.

She waited for a while and saw two maidservants come out and close the door. Then she bowed and approached the building, circling around it, and carefully climbed in through an unlocked window.

This was the difference between a warrior and a cultivator.

Even though this row of buildings was large with many houses, if there were cultivators inside, even the slightest movement could be detected by their divine sense.

Warriors, on the other hand, could only rely on their five senses, which was far inferior to divine sense.

There were also invisibility charms, which had a better effect on ordinary people but were very ineffective against cultivators. After casting the charm, there would be a continuous fluctuation of spiritual energy on the body, and as long as it was within the range of divine sense perception, even someone at the Qi Refining stage could sense it.

Another example was the use of talismans. There were specially made talismans that could be used by ordinary people, but they required various incantations and a time-consuming activation process.

Cultivators, on the other hand, could activate the spiritual energy directly with the talisman, completing it in an instant.

Therefore, when people talk about the combat power of a certain level of warrior being on par with a certain realm of cultivator, they are usually referring to close-range combat.

Cultivators have endless means at their disposal, even if their physical strength is weak and they are unable to match a warrior in a direct fight, it is not easy to kill them.

But let's get back to the point.

Yuying Yao followed her divine sense and quietly approached the study without being noticed. She leaped onto the roof beam and slowly moved forward.

After a while, she heard some strange noises.

She slowed down and peeked her head out. Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise, and she covered her mouth, her pretty face turning red.

In the spacious room below, a man and a woman were engaged in intimate activities.

The woman was Guo Qingxue, but the man was not Xue Shanhua. It was his adopted son, Xue Hongyi!

In an instant, Yuying Yao understood the purpose of the "Image Gathering Talisman" and the "Sound Gathering Talisman" left by Zhong Yan.

She quickly took out a talisman and carefully activated it, imprinting both the sound and the image.

"Will your father come?"

"That idiot is thinking about avenging his son. How could he come here? Hurry!"

"..."

Yuying Yao's face turned redder and redder.

It was the first time she had seen such a scene. She pursed her lips and couldn't bear to look directly at it, but she was also attracted to keep watching. Her heart beat faster than when she faced Zhong Yan earlier.

However...

After a while, it was over.

She actually felt like she hadn't seen enough, which made Yuying Yao feel embarrassed. She secretly scolded herself.

Below, Guo Qingxue turned her head and gave Xue Hongyi a white look. "Are you not in the mood today?"

Xue Hongyi looked embarrassed. "I'm a bit nervous. How about I come to your place another day?"

Guo Qingxue adjusted her dress. "It's easy to attract attention if we go to your place. Wait until these few days are over. On the sixth day, when he's not here for the Martial Alliance meeting, you can find an excuse to come here."

"Okay, Master, you're so beautiful!"

"Stop it. In two years, you'll start finding me annoying."

"I swear, I'll love you forever!"

"You're just good with words!"

Guo Qingxue smiled and tapped Xue Hongyi's forehead with her hand, then her expression turned serious. "If the City Lord's Mansion gets involved in Zhong Yan's matter, it won't be good."

Xue Hongyi also looked serious. "The key is that my father won't listen to advice."

Guo Qingxue's eyes flashed and she said coldly, "If it really doesn't work, you can become the Martial Alliance leader!"

Xue Hongyi was shocked. "Me?"

"With me here, what are you afraid of?"

...

After waiting for half an hour and confirming that there would be no more new developments, Yuying Yao carefully retreated and successfully left the Xue Mansion.

There were few people on the street.

Only occasionally could she see patrolling soldiers and night watchmen.

She ran all the way to a secluded alley.

Yuying Yao let out a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and a smile appeared on her lips.

She didn't expect it to go so smoothly.

It was her first time doing something like this, and now that she was safe, she felt a sense of excitement and accomplishment.

Seeing that the effect of the invisibility charm on her body was about to disappear, she thought for a moment and patted her waist, changing direction towards Zhengyang Street.

...

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