Chapter 40

Just as Luo Li was looking for the woman, he heard someone shout behind him, "Senior Brother Luo Li!"

Turning around, Luo Li was taken aback. It was Luo Xin and Luo Ming. They had come to see the commotion and spotted Luo Li first, coming over to greet him.

Luo Li looked behind them and saw a few cultivators not far away, seemingly indifferent, but silently following them. This was the consequence of showing off one's wealth. Luo Li was certain that as soon as they left the market and entered the wilderness, these people would appear to rob and kill them.

Luo Li said, "Ah, you two are here to see the commotion too..."

Luo Xin immediately smiled and walked over, saying, "Senior Brother Luo Li, hello!"

Luo Li replied, "Hello, Junior Sister Luo Xin. I didn't expect to meet you here..."

He started chatting with Luo Xin. She was very friendly to Luo Li, completely different from before. After joining the Spirit Butterfly Sect, she realized the humiliation of being looked down upon as a bumpkin. Putting herself in Luo Li's shoes, she understood his feelings at the time and regretted discriminating against him.

Seeing Luo Li, she couldn't help but think of the time he stood up for her in the outer sect. Looking at this handsome young man, she unknowingly developed a vague affection for him.

Luo Ming, who had always silently liked Luo Xin, was the first to sense this affection. The more he looked at Luo Li, the more resentful he became.

After a few words, Luo Li suddenly whispered to Luo Xin, "Luo Xin, the spirit stones on you two have already caught someone's attention. Be careful, don't fly back; it's not safe. There's a teleportation array here that can directly send you back to the Spirit Butterfly Sect's market. You should use it; a few spirit stones are nothing..."

At this point, Luo Ming, who had been silent, suddenly laughed and said, "Haha, I knew it! You have ill intentions. Seeing we have spirit stones, you come to ingratiate yourself, hoping to borrow a few spirit stones to spend?

"Not safe? Nonsense! We're not going back alone; there are other senior brothers with us! What could possibly happen!"

This guy started cursing, completely misinterpreting Luo Li's good intentions. Luo Li looked at him, not knowing what to say.

After saying this, Luo Ming pulled Luo Xin away. Luo Xin shook her head and said, "No, Senior Brother Luo Li is not that kind of person!"

Luo Ming said, "Luo Xin, don't listen to him. He's not a good person. Last time, he framed Luo Feng, causing him to die miserably and still not break through to the Qi Condensation stage.

"He's just trying to scare us and pretend to be a good person to trick us out of our spirit stones. A weasel paying respects to a chicken, with ill intentions. Let's go!"

Under his strong pull, Luo Xin left with him. Luo Li didn't say a word, just shook his head. He had said what he needed to say, done his best, and if they didn't know better, it wasn't his fault.

Suddenly, a voice said in his ear, "Good intentions treated like a dog's liver, what a pity, what a pity!"

The voice was icy cold but had a tremor, making it very pleasant to hear.

Luo Li turned around and was startled. Behind him was the woman who had just walked down the cloud ladder and passed through the Golden Core cultivators, smiling at him!

He was the only one among all the cultivators who had noticed her, and she had noticed him too! When you see someone, they see you too!

In an instant, Luo Li felt an overwhelming sense of terror. It seemed that if she just stretched out her hand, he would be obliterated. This fear was completely real! What good were the Heavenly Spider or the rule against fighting in the market? Life and death were in her hands!

But the more terrified Luo Li was, the calmer he became. He smiled and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Senior. I am Luo Li, a disciple of the Spirit Butterfly Sect. I greet you!

"Senior, if you have any commands, just say so. I will complete the task without the slightest hesitation!"

The woman looked at Luo Li and said, "What are you afraid of?"

Luo Li smiled and said, "I'm not afraid!"

The woman curiously asked, "Then why is your forehead covered in sweat?"

Luo Li touched his head and found it was indeed drenched in sweat. He said, "It's hot today..."

Then he changed the subject, "I am really afraid, I'm scared! Please spare me, Senior!"

The woman smiled and said in a sinister tone, "What are you afraid of? Am I a great demon? Ah, you know my secret as a demon, I have to kill you!"

Luo Li was stunned, not knowing what to say!

Then she said, "But killing you would be useless! Forget it, I'll spare your life. I just wanted to ask for directions. By the way, how do I get to the Tranquil Fish Palace?"

Luo Li didn't know, so he quickly pulled Zhu Minghua aside and asked, "Brother Zhu, how do I get to the Tranquil Fish Palace?"

Zhu Minghua pointed north and said, "Go straight north for 3,200 miles, and you'll reach the Tranquil Fish Palace!"

He completely ignored the woman beside Luo Li, as if she didn't exist, even though she was right in front of him!

Luo Li turned to the woman and said, "Senior, go straight north for 3,200 miles, and you'll reach the Tranquil Fish Palace!"

The woman nodded and said, "Good. By the way, your two companions don't believe you. They are in danger. Do you want to do anything about it?"

Luo Li shook his head and said, "Nothing! I'm only at the Second Level of Qi Condensation. I'm not their parent or relative. I've warned them, and I've done my part. I've done all I can!

"The path of cultivation is fraught with dangers and endless crises. It relies on oneself! If they ignore the warning, it's their own fault. Even if I save them this time, if they don't learn their lesson, they will die eventually!"

Luo Li spoke his true thoughts, and the woman nodded, saying, "In the cultivation world, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. One wrong step, and you're doomed. Remember this, remember this!"

Then she turned and walked away, not looking back at Luo Li, heading north toward the Tranquil Fish Palace.

In Luo Li's ear, a voice said, "Remember my name, I am Fairy Ruo Tong. We will meet again someday! When we do, I will give you a chance, a chance to change your fate!"

As she walked, four attendants suddenly appeared in front of and behind her. Luo Li didn't see how they appeared.

These four attendants were each ten feet tall, all Kunlun slaves, with black skin, muscular builds, and bulging chests, as if they had boundless strength. They lifted a phoenix carriage, and the woman turned and sat in it, continuing north.

With each step, it was as if people appeared out of nowhere. There were beautiful maids supporting the carriage, tall guards on alert, old nannies following behind, and finally, twelve drummers and dancers leading the way...

In the blink of an eye, one person had turned into a hundred-person entourage. No one, except Luo Li, noticed how they appeared, even though they were making a lot of noise. It seemed normal, yet also very strange. After leaving the market, they took to the air, flying north in a grand procession.

Luo Li let out a long breath. The cultivation world was full of powerful beings, and anything could happen. It was safer to cultivate within the sect.

He bid farewell to Zhu Minghua and quickly walked to the gathering place for returning to the sect, boarding a beautiful butterfly to return to the Spirit Butterfly Sect.

Back at the Tuo She Courtyard, Luo Li let out another long breath. It was good to be back, safe and sound!

After returning, Luo Li had only one spirit stone left, but he had gathered all the materials needed for drawing talismans: talisman brushes, talisman paper, a weight, and talisman ink. The talisman ink was simple; he just needed to steal some spirit blood from the Tuo She Courtyard's materials, infuse it with true qi, and refine it. Everything was ready except for the final step, the technique for drawing talismans!

This was both difficult and not difficult. It wasn't difficult because talisman-drawing techniques were available in many secret manuals, and you could buy one and follow the instructions to draw talismans.

But it was also difficult because even the simplest and most common talisman-drawing manuals cost at least 300 spirit stones, with the most expensive reaching 1,000 spirit stones.

There were people who knew the technique, but they wouldn't easily teach it, and no one in the Tuo She Courtyard knew it. Learning it from an individual was impossible.

However, Luo Li had a plan. In the outer sect's scripture hall, there were over ten manuals on talisman-drawing. Although they were expensive, there was a note below each one stating that the heads of the outer courts could borrow them for free. This was Luo Li's plan.

The next morning, just as Luo Li was about to act, someone came looking for him. It was Luo Xin, her eyes red. Seeing Luo Li, she couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Luo Li, have you seen Luo Ming?"

Luo Li hesitated and said, "Yesterday, didn't you two leave together?"

Luo Xin said, "No, I finally believed you and teleported back. He didn't believe you and insisted on riding his senior brother's flying beast back.

"But everyone else has returned, and he's the only one missing. Someone said he rode a flying beast with an unfamiliar senior brother. I asked the other disciples who went yesterday, and no one knew the senior brother who brought him back.

"Luo Ming, he, he's missing!"

At this point, Luo Xin burst into tears! Luo Ming was dead!

Those people had changed into the Spirit Butterfly Sect's disciple robes, pretending to be sect disciples, and tricked Luo Ming onto their flying beast. After that, no one ever saw Luo Ming again!

Time passed, and except for Luo Xin, no one remembered him. A living person had completely disappeared. This was the cultivation world, where one wrong step led to eternal doom!

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