The pavilion had been cleaned, and Drunken Moon Pavilion had returned to its usual tranquility.
Su Muyue stood there, her expression calm, lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about, Miss?" an old man stepped forward and asked.
"I'm thinking about Lu Changsheng."
"Is there something wrong with him?" the old man inquired.
Su Muyue replied,
"Uncle Qi, what do you think of that man?"
The old man pondered for a while, then finally said,
"He's a playboy."
"You think so too?"
"Setting aside today's incident, everyone in the Cangyun Sect knows it. I once suspected he was hiding something, so I secretly followed him for a while. But all I saw was him drinking tea, napping, and wandering around aimlessly. He basically never did anything serious."
What the old man described came from years of secret observation.
And just outside, the corridor was lined with a special formation—it could reveal a person's cultivation level when passed through.
Lu Changsheng had been there countless times, and he'd never made any effort to hide.
Over the years, he had progressed from Qi Refining Level 9, to Spirit Gathering Level 1, then Level 2… now finally Level 3.
But even that made him weaker than most inner disciples.
Su Muyue, however, said softly:
"I still feel there's something different about him… he's interesting."
The old man didn't argue but gently reminded:
"Curiosity is fine, as long as you don't forget our mission. We must get the Cangyun Map."
"I know."
She nodded.
At that moment, Lu Changsheng was silently watching the three Core Formation realm cultivators from the shadows.
No one had spoken yet. After a while, they saw Shi Feng being carried into the courtyard.
Seeing his pitiful condition, the three frowned.
"Take him down to rest and heal."
"Yes, sir."
As Shi Feng was taken away, one man said:
"This Lu Changsheng… he's really something else."
He didn't know how to describe what had just happened.
Two youths competing for a girl's attention—normally, it would lead to a duel.
But instead of a duel, Shi Feng had been gang-beaten.
"Originally, we wanted to provoke Lu Changsheng, get Zhou Qingyu to show up, and gauge his strength. Who knew he'd just call in backup for a beating."
"Not too surprising. We underestimated him."
"Why?"
"Lu Changsheng's only at Spirit Gathering Level 3. Not taking the bait shows he's not stupid. A guy like that? Don't expect any sense of honor. Of course he won't fight you himself."
"True."
Hearing this, Lu Changsheng slightly raised a brow.
"What kind of person am I supposed to be again?" he muttered.
Then the three exchanged glances. One said,
"Forget Zhou Qingyu. We'll probe him another time. For now, let's focus on our main objective."
"Agreed."
"Today the Cangyun City patrol is rotating. It'll take time before they return from the sect. We have half an hour to act."
"That's enough. The Ning family only brought one Core Formation cultivator. I'll lure him away—you two take the opportunity to kill the Ning siblings."
Lu Changsheng's eyes sharpened.
So the real target is the Ning siblings? I was just a convenient excuse?
"We only get one chance. Tomorrow they'll go to Qingyun Peak. If we miss them, there won't be another opportunity. Once they're dead in Cangyun City, the Ning family won't let it slide."
"That'll spark chaos in Cangyun. With Ning family support, we'll finally have a chance to destroy the sect."
Hiss—
Lu Changsheng sucked in a breath. That was vicious.
He hadn't expected their goal to be so destructive.
Killing the Ning siblings would drag the Cangyun Sect into a political mess. And without the sect's protection, Lu Changsheng's own livelihood was on the line.
"This is messing with my rice bowl."
Soon, one of the trio left for Drunken Immortal Restaurant to lure away the Ning family's guardian.
They had clearly researched everything—from patrol rotations to departure schedules.
Soon after, two figures quietly left the restaurant, heading toward the city outskirts.
Not wanting to alert the Cangyun elders, they moved discreetly.
Seeing the plan succeed, the remaining two Core Formation experts prepared to move in.
But just as they rose—
A shadow descended from the sky, floating down slowly.
A white-robed youth, spotless and calm, landed right in front of them with hands behind his back.
"Lu Changsheng?!"
The two were stunned.
Lu Changsheng smiled.
"What has our sect done to deserve such hatred? Planning to destroy us like this?"
"You heard us?"
He nodded.
Their expressions shifted to caution. They spread their divine sense—but found no ambush.
"It's only Lu Changsheng. No need to worry."
One said confidently.
Another added:
"If you'd stayed out of this, you might've lived. But now you're courting death."
"No need to waste words—kill him!"
As the man raised his hand, spiritual power surged and a sword technique formed. He aimed to kill, not even considering Lu Changsheng a threat.
Lu Changsheng sighed.
"Two against one… a bit tough. But I'll give it a try."
"Hah! You want to fight us?"
The two laughed mockingly.
But just as the sword art approached him—a strange force surged, and the killing technique shattered mid-air.
"What the—?"
Before he could react, Lu Changsheng raised his hand.
A stream of sword energy cut through the void—and severed the attacker's throat.
Thud!
A body collapsed.
The remaining man froze, stunned.
"Core… Formation? That's impossible…"
He could feel it—the terrifying presence before him. Lu Changsheng was clearly at Core Formation realm, and far above their own level.
Forget Zhou Qingyu or any so-called geniuses. Compared to this youth, they were nothing.
The old cultivator turned to flee.
There was no way he could fight this.
But Lu Changsheng's figure blurred and reappeared midair, blocking his escape.
No words needed—he raised a hand. Power surged and snuffed out the man's life.
The old man died in disbelief.
Only in death did he realize—
The greatest threat in the Cangyun Sect wasn't Zhou Qingyu… but the boy standing before him.
Lu Changsheng looked down at the corpses.
After a moment of silence, he cast a fire spell, reducing them to ash.
Then he waved his sleeve, scattering the dust to the wind, erasing all traces.
He turned to leave.
But after a few steps, he looked toward the city gates, thoughtful.
After a moment's hesitation, he raised a finger—
and shot a beam of spiritual light into the sky.
It was Cangyun Sect's emergency signal.