Alleys, more alleys, and yet more alleys.
Veins throbbed across Duan Sanfu's forehead until he finally watched Luo Chen slip into a three-entry courtyard house, letting out a long breath of relief.
"No wonder the gang's brothers couldn't find him no matter how long they searched."
"Turns out he moved to the inner city ages ago, and he even picked such a remote spot."
Beside him, his lackey was itching to make a move.
"Brother Duan, what do we do now? Should we charge in, tie that punk up, and drag him before Second Brother Gao?"
*Smack!*
A palm struck the back of the lackey's head. Facing the subordinate's aggrieved stare, Duan Sanfu snapped in exasperation, "Where do you think we are? This is the inner city! This is the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's territory, overseen by a Golden Core Master! Are you planning to kidnap someone right under the nose of a Golden Core Master?"
The lackey mumbled resentfully, "He's just a third-layer Qi Refinement piece of trash. If the two of us strike together, we can knock him out and whisk him away without anyone being the wiser. At worst, when leaving the city, we pour some wine down his throat and claim he's drunk."
"Are you blind?!" Duan Sanfu barked. Realizing where he was, he glanced left and right, then lowered his voice. "That kid is already at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement! Couldn't you tell?"
The lackey froze in disbelief.
Wasn't he at the third layer?
How had he jumped to the fourth layer after barely a month or two out of sight?
Though it was merely a single layer's difference, the gap between the third and fourth layers of Qi Refinement was substantial.
A cultivator at the third layer could barely cast two spells and possessed little mastery over magical artifacts. If they had never learned mortal martial arts, they were practically helpless.
The two of them could have hauled such a person away with ease.
Reaching the fourth layer, however, meant having ample spiritual energy to cast spells and sustain magical artifacts for extended periods.
If a scuffle broke out and things got out of hand, it could easily cause a huge commotion.
Duan Sanfu patted the lackey's shoulder. "We've scouted where he lives. As for what comes next, we'll wait for Second Brother Gao to finish the eighteen death matches before deciding."
"Right. I'm heading back to report now."
"What about me?"
"You stay here and keep watch. Make sure that kid actually lives here for the long haul so it'll be easier to grab him when the time comes."
"Oh... alright then!"
Sullen and dejected, the lackey squatted down in a patch of shadow.
*Rustle, rustle...*
He glanced down. A black tail slipped into the darkness.
*Hah. Everyone brags about how wonderful the inner city is, but it seems no different from the outer city after all. There are rats here too.*
***
Inside the courtyard, Luo Chen sat cross-legged on the ground, channeling his spiritual energy with all his might.
After a long while, the pangolin puppet beast scurried back into his hand.
"Gao Tingyuan is still investigating his brother's death, and he even plans to make a move against me."
Luo Chen's expression darkened.
He rose to his feet and paced around the courtyard, lost in thought.
Through the puppet beast, he had managed to pick up bits of information.
The enemy had his hands full at the moment, but once the death matches between the two gangs concluded and Gao Tingyuan freed up his attention, he would undoubtedly come for him.
If that happened, things would turn truly perilous.
*Still, daring to lay hands on someone in the inner city—he really has some nerve!*
A faint smirk touched the corner of Luo Chen's mouth as an idea formed in his mind.
"Fellow Daoist, which courtyard are you from?"
A voice suddenly spoke in front of him.
A middle-aged man was looking at Luo Chen with a curious expression.
Luo Chen smiled faintly and pointed toward the rear courtyards. "The back courtyard. I just moved in. Greetings!"
"Ah, a new neighbor! I am Wan Xiaoshan."
"I am Jin Xian. A pleasure to meet you."
"Oh my, what an illustrious name, Fellow Daoist! In the future, you are bound to attain the Great Luo Golden Immortal and live as long as the heavens!"
*Great Luo?*
Indeed. Though folks around here called him Xiao Luo for now, who was to say he couldn't be addressed as Da Luo in the future?
Naturally, upon a first meeting, modesty was prudent.
"Haha, it's hardly worth mentioning. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be heading home first."
Luo Chen waved his hand and bid farewell to his newfound 'neighbor,' turning toward the archway leading to the middle courtyard.
Just before stepping away, he seemed to recall something and offered a sincere word of caution.
"Fellow Daoist Wan Xiaoshan, too many foreign cultivators have arrived lately, making Dahe Market a mixed bag. I worry some scoundrels might seek to pull a heist and flee, putting honest folk like us in harm's way. You must take extra care whenever you come and go!"
Wan Xiaoshan blinked, then waved a hand dismissively. "No need to worry. The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion foresaw this long ago and specifically appointed a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator to lead a patrol squad. If anyone like that shows up, they'll be dragged off and beaten half to death."
"Is that so? That's wonderful!"
Luo Chen's eyes lit up, his steps growing even brisker. In moments, he passed through the archway of the middle courtyard and entered the rear yard.
Rounding a spirit screen wall, he vanished from sight.
Wan Xiaoshan chuckled and shook his head. *That fellow Daoist is quite the timid sort.*
In broad daylight, who would dare hatch foul schemes in the inner city?
Setting aside the inner city, even the outer city was exceptionally safe right now.
Who would dare pluck the whiskers of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?
Still chuckling, he stepped out through the main gate, intending to browse a nearby trade fair.
Yet despite his outward disdain, he found himself keeping a sharper eye out as he walked out the door.
Many people came and went from this compound on a typical day; it truly wasn't impossible for some ill-intentioned bandit cultivators to slip in.
With that thought in mind, his gaze carried a measure of scrutiny toward everyone he passed.
*Wait, why is that fellow acting so suspicious?*
*He dares glare at me?*
*I have no old grudges or recent grievances with him. Why stare at me like that?*
*Hiss... could Fellow Daoist Jin Xian have been right?!*
*No, I have to alert the patrol squad immediately!*
Glaring back fiercely at the Great River Gang lackey crouched in the corner doodling on the ground, Wan Xiaoshan quickened his pace and rushed away.
The lackey watched Wan Xiaoshan's departure in utter confusion.
*Is this guy out of his mind? If you're walking, just walk. Why keep staring at me?*
*Forget it. I can't be bothered dealing with lunatics like him. Better to keep watch on Luo Chen so he doesn't slip away.*
*Once this job is done, Brother Duan will definitely hold me in higher regard. Second Brother Gao might even take notice of me and bring me aboard the ships to rake in heaps of spirit stones!*
At the thought, he could not help feeling that his future days were looking brighter and brighter.
Barely half an incense stick of time later, however, several streaks of light descended simultaneously from above, hemming him in tightly from all sides.
"Yes, that's him! He kept glaring right at me! He definitely wants to murder me and steal the mid-grade flying sword I worked so hard to buy—he probably even wants to strip me of my brand-new Daoist robe!"
The lackey was dumbfounded!
One of the leading cultivators from the patrol squad stepped forward with a furrowed brow.
"Halt!"
"Where are you from? What do you do? Why are you lurking here? Are you planning a robbery?"
The words came rapid and sharp, carrying faint, reverberating echoes that shook the senses.
Dazed by the vocal pressure, the lackey replied in a stupor, "From the outer city... a cargo-hauling cultivator for the Great River Gang... keeping watch on someone here. Not robbing... just planning to kidnap someone."
The moment the words left his mouth, he snapped back to his senses.
His face instantly drained of all color.
*How did I just spill everything?!*
*Smack!*
The patrol squad leader slapped him hard across the cheek. "I detest you bandit cultivators most of all—not a shred of technique to speak of! Move!"
"W-where to?"
"Your crimes have caught up with you! You're off to Chizhu Prison to rot for a hundred years! When you can win ten matches on the Dao Discussion Platform, then you can crawl your way back out!"
The lackey's mouth fell open, stunned whether by the stinging slap or by the sudden, hundred-year sentence that now loomed over his promising future.
Once the patrol cultivators had escorted him away, Wan Xiaoshan patted his chest in lingering terror.
*Good thing I'm clever!*
*No, I can't keep this to myself. I have to warn the neighbors across all three courtyards!*
Better to act than hesitate. He sank his breath into his dantian and shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran through the compound.
"There are bandit cultivators lurking nearby! Watch yourselves when coming and going, everyone!"
Nearby cultivators emerged from their homes.
"Yes, it was I, Wan Xiaoshan, who reported him! Scum like that deserve to rot in Chizhu Prison!"
"Haha, it's hardly worth mentioning! No need to thank me!"
Chapter 54