Chapter 7

As the courtyard gate opened, a green mist suddenly appeared. Su Fu immediately sensed something amiss, his eyes flashing with a cold light. The Soul Summoning Banner in his hand emitted a faint glow, gently sweeping through the air. A gust of wind surged in, dispersing the green mist that had been creeping out.

Ji Sui's movements were not slow either. He suddenly produced a jade in his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, a light enveloped everyone. The green mist returned but could not penetrate.

As the green mist gradually dissipated, Chen Youwei wiped the sweat from his forehead and said gratefully, "Thank you, Immortal, for your help. This demonic creature is truly cunning and hateful, to come and go like this... What are you doing, Immortal?"

Before Chen Youwei could finish speaking, Su Fu suddenly placed the Soul Summoning Banner against Chen Youwei's neck and said calmly, "Illusions are illusions because they are hard to distinguish from reality, and they are hard to guard against. Your illusion, though impressive, failed to portray a successful businessman well. Your demeanor was too low."

The three people in the room were utterly confused, but Ji Sui also coldly smiled and said, "I could smell your stench from ten miles away. How could I not be on guard? If you surrender quietly today, it will be better for you. Otherwise, I'll make you taste the pain of bone-crushing and soul-destroying."

The two attendants gradually understood, and their gazes towards Chen Youwei were filled with shock and suspicion.

Yun Xi also reacted, her jade hand sweeping over her storage bag, and she grabbed a jade hairpin. With a light flick, the hairpin transformed into a green streak of light and shot out.

Chen Youwei's face was filled with horror as the hairpin pierced through him. Everyone felt the surroundings change, but they were still at the courtyard gate. Chen Youwei had turned into a withered branch on the ground.

Du Song and the others were both shocked and angry, amazed by the power of the hairpin and enraged by the demonic creature's trickery.

The hairpin flew back, and Yun Xi giggled, introducing it, "It's called the Immortal Slaying Spike, personally refined by my master. It has been refined to the third layer of restrictions."

The tools used by cultivators are called magical artifacts, which are refined from materials after analyzing their properties to create tools that align with their cultivation techniques. Restrictions can be refined within them, with each layer divided into twelve sub-layers, and thirty-six sub-layers forming a small cycle. Twelve small cycles form a large cycle, totaling thirty-six layers.

A magical artifact refined to thirty-six layers has the power to move mountains and fill seas. If refined to three large cycles, forming a complete number, it can become a magical treasure with unimaginable power.

However, refining magical artifacts is extremely difficult. For ordinary cultivators, refining a magical artifact to ten layers is already a remarkable achievement. Many fail to achieve this and either blend in with the masses or have their artifacts damaged in battles. Some materials cannot withstand too many restrictions, which is why the value of rare treasures in the True World is immeasurable.

Su Fu did not relax his vigilance. Although the illusion was broken, demonic aura still lingered, and he had to be cautious.

Suddenly, the withered branch on the ground exploded. Without hesitation, Su Fu used the banner as a sword and thrust it forward. Piercing through the dust from the explosion, he frowned slightly, as there was no substantial feeling.

Soon, the dust settled, and a piece of white paper floated in the air, inscribed with: "I will settle this at midnight. Your Nine Lives Master."

Du Song angrily grabbed the white paper and tore it to shreds, feeling a surge of anger that he could not vent.

Ji Sui coldly smiled and said, "At midnight, I'm not afraid you won't come. If Chen Youwei is unharmed, he should be in this pavilion. You two, go find him. I want to see what else that demonic creature can do."

Su Fu put away the banner, frowning slightly, thinking, "The attack from the hairpin was so vague to my spiritual senses. If I had faced it, it would have been difficult to handle. The power of a cultivator's magical artifact is indeed astonishing."

The two attendants cautiously entered to investigate and indeed found Chen Youwei unconscious. After reviving him, he looked bewildered and asked, "Who are you? Why are you in my residence?"

Coincidentally, the two ladies brought Chen's daughter over. This was no longer an illusion. Seeing Chen Youwei's disheveled clothes and messy hair, they rushed over in shock. The first wife exclaimed, "Lord, what happened to you? What happened?"

Li Yunyun also sobbed, crying, "Lord, you mustn't be in any danger. What will I do if something happens to you, wailing!"

Chen's daughter looked dazed and lifeless, like a ghost.

The two attendants recounted what had happened, feeling ashamed. The demonic creature had behaved like a normal person in every way, and they had been fooled.

Su Fu, however, focused on Chen's daughter, placing his fingers on her pulse. Having read medical texts since childhood, he had a good understanding of medicine.

After a moment, he found no physical issues and said, frowning, "Her pulse is steady, and her internal functions are stable. The problem seems to be at the mental level. She may have been affected by an illusion or had her soul disturbed."

Turning to Meng You and the others, he asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say the victims all deny being affected? To deny it, they must be conscious. Why is this girl in this state?"

Du Song was also confused and speculated, "I also find it hard to understand. Perhaps she was subjected to some kind of shock."

Yun Xi grinned and volunteered, "Let me take a look."

At this point, Chen Youwei and the two ladies finally understood what had happened and surrounded their daughter. Chen Youwei frowned and said, "The court allocates no less than five hundred thousand taels to the Secretariat each year, yet you can't even catch a single demonic creature, making my daughter suffer. What good are you? I'll handle this myself."

This remark almost made Du Song and Meng You leave in a huff. The court allocated five hundred thousand taels each year, but they only received twenty thousand, which could be converted into twenty spirit coins, depending on the exchange rate. Twenty spirit coins could only buy ten spirit pills. Therefore, they often had to go on missions to earn extra rewards and support their cultivation.

Ji Sui coldly said, "Court matters are for the court to handle. What does it have to do with you? Besides, I'm not a court official. I came here to give the two attendants face. If you don't need our help, that's best."

With that, he walked away, unwilling to waste time on such mundane matters.

Yun Xi followed closely, finding this situation uninteresting. She preferred shopping. Walking a few steps, she noticed Su Fu still standing there and called out, "Aren't you coming, Junior Brother Su?"

Su Fu frowned slightly, as if he hadn't heard. After a moment, his bright eyes shone, and he extended two fingers, drawing in the air while muttering, "Qian, Yang, Dun, Binding Spell, Great Clarity Dragon Command."

As he spoke the incantation, the surrounding spiritual energy trembled violently. Yun Xi, with a stunned expression, watched as a "net" appeared out of nowhere and enveloped Chen's daughter.

Before it was over, Su Fu drew a sword from the handle of the Soul Summoning Banner and casually slashed it, splitting the net in half. The net then slowly returned to its original form, and the spiritual energy dissipated.

This series of actions was completed in an instant, and even Ji Sui, who had not yet walked far, stopped in surprise.

Chen Youwei and the two ladies were also stunned for a moment. Chen's daughter, whose eyes had been lifeless, suddenly moved slightly, her eyebrows furrowed, and her numb face came to life.

"What... happened?"