Lin Zhou returned to his thatched hut and closed the door to take a simple inventory.
This time, he had purchased enough materials to draw four thousand Talismans, two Spells—the Illusionary Form Art and the Breath Concealment Art—and a bottle of qi gathering pills.
First, draw Talismans!
He focused his spirit, calmed his Qi, spread out the Talisman paper, and channeled his spiritual power into the Talisman brush.
The brush tip danced across the paper, completing each stroke in a single, fluid motion, with a faint spiritual light shimmering into being.
One after another, fireball talismans and golden body talismans were born under his brush, their quality consistently stable.
His craftsmanship for both the fireball talisman and golden body talisman advanced to the Major Achievement realm after the 93rd one, and every Talisman drawn thereafter was of High Grade.
After drawing thirty more of each, Lin Zhou felt mentally exhausted.
It was already the third watch of the night, and all was silent.
Lin Zhou prepared to rest, but his mind suddenly went on high alert.
From the distance came an extremely faint sound—deliberately lightened footsteps—slowly approaching his dwelling.
His heart instantly began to race wildly. A chilling yet feverish tremor shot up his spine to the back of his head.
Someone was sneaking up in the dark!
Cold sweat instantly soaked his palms, and his stomach churned slightly.
Countless dangerous scenes flashed uncontrollably through his mind.
It was probably triggered after his trip to the market.
Was it the clerk from Duobao Pavilion? Or perhaps Shopkeeper Chen?
Various guesses flooded his heart.
"Calm down!"
He forced himself to take deep, slow breaths, ruthlessly pressing the fear threatening to overflow back into the depths of his heart.
Strangely, an unfamiliar, scorching emotion was also quietly taking root—a faint excitement.
Anticipation for his own strength being put to the test, and...
...a primal, instinctive tremor of thrill at the prospect of a possible "confrontation" or even "killing."
These two diametrically opposed emotions wrestled and tore at each other, causing his fingertips to tremble slightly.
Strike first to gain the upper hand!
With a flip of his left hand, ten high-grade fireball talismans and ten High Grade golden body talismans were already tightly clenched in his grasp.
His right hand silently drew his magic sword. The cold touch of the metal sent a jolt through him. He had already quietly activated the Object Manipulation Art to control the sword.
He crouched and slowly approached the dilapidated window.
Under the moonlight, the outlines of two dark figures gradually became clear.
"A tall, thin Cultivator at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, and a short, stout one at the Qi Refining Third Layer..."
His mind raced.
"A head-on clash is the worst strategy. An unexpected ambush is the correct battle plan."
First, eliminate the biggest threat—that Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator.
Cover the area with firepower to disrupt their rhythm.
While their attention is drawn by the fireballs, use the Object Manipulation Art at the Perfection realm to stealthily attack the Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator with the magic sword!
The plan formed in his mind like lightning.
The distance was less than three zhang. The two outside the window stopped. The tall, thin one listened intently, made a hand signal, and they began to flank the hut from left and right.
Now!
Combat erupted completely in that instant.
Lin Zhou's left hand swiftly rose, instantly activating ten high-grade fireball talismans.
They left his hand, transforming into ten blazing fireballs that blasted through the window!
Ten fireballs shot out rapidly! Eight flew towards the tall, thin Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator, two towards the short, stout one.
In the next instant, he activated the golden body talismans and then cast the Golden Body Art himself. Two light shields enveloped his entire body!
The magic sword in his right hand transformed into an extremely restrained, pale red streak of light. It skimmed along the ground, swiftly flying towards its predetermined target.
A shout of shock and fury came from outside the window.
The two reacted quickly, instantly summoning Shield-type Magical Artifacts simultaneously. A pale blue Defensive Barrier also appeared around the tall, thin Cultivator.
Immediately followed by the deafening roar of flames exploding against violently colliding spiritual energy shields!
Fireballs instantly engulfed the two!
They lasted less than a single breath. Under the onslaught of the violent fireballs, the shields shattered, and the Protective Spiritual Light melted away.
The two were blasted away by the explosion, slamming hard into the courtyard wall.
The sword light arrived right after!
Before the Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator could even slide to the ground, a red streak of light precisely sliced across his neck, leaving an extremely fine red line at his throat.
The light of life in his eyes instantly extinguished as he slumped to the ground.
As for the short, stout Qi Refining Third Layer Cultivator, his body was charred black, and he vomited dark blood.
Clearly, he was severely injured.
From the first move to one dead and one severely wounded, it had taken only a few short breaths.
"Huh? They don't seem very strong."
Lin Zhou swept his Divine Sense around the area within a three-zhang radius, confirming there were no others, then stepped out of the room, still enveloped by the two golden shields.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the short, stout Cultivator. He did not approach but stood still over a zhang away.
His right hand was hidden behind his back, gripping ten new high-grade fireball talismans, while the magic sword remained controlled by the Object Manipulation Art beside him.
Lin Zhou flipped his left hand, and a pure white, fine porcelain bottle appeared in his palm.
He pushed open the stopper with his thumb. An immediate, refreshingly rich medicinal fragrance spread out, clearly discernible even amidst the scent of blood.
"Do you want to live?"
Lin Zhou spoke.
His gaze was calm as he shook the porcelain bottle in his hand.
"Answer a few questions for me. If I'm satisfied, this bottle of High Grade Blood Coagulation Pills is yours."
It was actually just the qi gathering pills he had bought during the day.
The short, stout Cultivator had lost too much blood, was in excruciating pain, and his eyes were unfocused.
Upon smelling the medicinal fragrance and hearing the words "High Grade Blood Coagulation Pills," a fierce will to survive erupted within him.
He swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva with difficulty, struggling to rasp out:
"Yes! Senior, spare me! This Junior was blind... Whatever Senior wishes to know, this Junior wouldn't dare conceal a thing!"
Lin Zhou then spoke slowly:
"First question, who sent you? Or rather, how did you target me?"
"N-no one sent us!"
The short, stout Cultivator hurriedly said, afraid of answering too slowly.
"It... it was our own idea, us brothers! Senior, please see the truth!"
Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly:
"We've never met before, and my dwelling is quite remote. Why single me out?"
As he asked, he carefully observed the other's expression and subtle movements.
The short, stout Cultivator's eyes dodged a bit as he stammered out an explanation:
"A... about a month ago, we brothers were... near Old Crow Ridge, thirty li southwest of here. We happened to see Senior hurrying along, looking like you came from deep within the mountains, and then... then came straight back to this courtyard. After that, we never saw you go out again. So we guessed... guessed that Senior might have gained something in the mountains and came back in a hurry to seclude yourself and digest it..."
He swallowed another mouthful of bloody foam and continued:
"Then today, we saw Senior leave seclusion and head to the market, making quite a few purchases and spending... spending fairly freely. That made us even more sure... sure our earlier guess was right."
"Seeing that Senior was young, living alone here, and your cultivation... didn't seem too high either, we were blinded by greed and thought to try our luck... Senior, spare me! It was truly just a momentary greed, absolutely no one else sent us!"
After listening, Lin Zhou understood and also felt a sense of absurdity.
He had actually been followed without noticing at all.
His expression remained calm, giving no indication of whether he believed it or not, as he continued asking:
"Second question, besides you two, does anyone else know about your 'guess' or has taken notice of me?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
The short, stout Cultivator struggled to shake his head, aggravating his wounds and causing another spasm of pain.
"We wouldn't dare spread such baseless speculation... We planned to make a quick profit and leave, not draw attention."
Lin Zhou nodded slightly, seemingly accepting this explanation.
He put away the porcelain bottle. There were no Blood Coagulation Pills there at all.
He casually waved his hand.
"You can go on your own. I'm a merciful person who dislikes fighting and killing."
Seeing Lin Zhou put away the Medicinal Pills, the short, stout Cultivator, instead of getting angry, was overjoyed and kowtowed in apology.
He struggled to turn around and move away, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
Just as he finished turning, a magic sword pierced through his heart from behind.
The short, stout Cultivator looked utterly bewildered, clutching at his heart, then collapsed motionless.
Lin Zhou swept his Divine Sense over him, confirming there was no heartbeat.
But then he saw a tiny golden needle in the hand that was clutching the heart area!
Damn! He was still trying to launch a sneak attack!
He had been acting the whole time!
Indeed, one can never let their guard down.
He used his power to draw the two Storage Pouches and that golden needle into his hand.
With a casual wave of his hand, two fireballs appeared. After a few breaths, only a pile of ashes remained on the ground.
He raised his hand again and swept it forward. A gentle breeze blew past, leaving the ground spotlessly clean.
After tidying up simply, no one came by.
Lin Zhou's residence was remote and in a poor environment, with almost no other Cultivators living nearby.
Killing for treasure was far too common in the Loose Cultivator market district. People who saw it would avoid it like the plague.
The night was deep, as if nothing had ever happened.