The Mirror Master

Luo Qing pondered for a moment, then said, "I have to head back today, so I can’t stay here with you.

I’ll leave Xiaodie here for now. After you’ve taken care of things on your end, you two can go to Bluestone County together."

"There’s no need to trouble yourself."

Lu Bai said, "Sister Luo and Miss Xiaodie can just take my mother and Uncle Fu back with you. Once I’ve sold off a few shops, I’ll go to Bluestone County to find you all."

"No."

Luo Qing shook her head. "You’ve never traveled far from home. How can I be at ease with you on the road alone? Don’t get lost again.

Besides, I’ve heard that a band of mountain bandits who murder and rob travelers has appeared near Bluestone County recently. You have no way to protect yourself; traveling alone is too dangerous."

"Miss, I..."

"Xiaodie, do as you’re told!"

Xiaodie seemed a bit reluctant. She had just started to speak when Luo Qing cut her off.

Luo Qing continued, "Don’t be fooled by Xiaodie’s youth. She has a talent for the Martial Dao. After following me for all these years, she has already cultivated to the Third Level of the Root Bone Stage.

With her protecting you, your mother won’t have to worry either."

Seeing that Luo Qing was insistent, Lu Bai no longer refused.

Luo Qing gave a few more instructions to Lu Bai and Xiaodie, and then Uncle Fu returned from outside.

"Miss Luo."

Uncle Fu greeted her.

Luo Qing had just arrived in Liuxi Town, so the two had already met moments ago.

Uncle Fu added, "Young Master, I’ve bought the items. They’re all in the back courtyard of the martial arts hall."

"Alright."

Lu Bai said, "Since Sister Luo has business to attend to, Mother, Uncle Fu, you should pack your bags and leave as soon as possible."

His mother and Uncle Fu had just moved out of the Lu Family estate last night. Their luggage was still packed, so a simple tidying up was all they needed before they could be on their way.

As he saw them to the door, Lu Bai suddenly asked, "By the way, Sister Luo, you mentioned earlier that a Daoist priest from Danding Temple was coming. When will he arrive, roughly?"

"I’m not exactly sure."

Luo Qing said, "Judging by their itinerary, it should be in the next day or two. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just curious. After all, I’ve never met any of these cultivation practitioners and I admire them."

Lu Bai said with a smile.

Luo Qing didn’t suspect a thing.

After all, who wouldn’t yearn for the path of Cultivation, for long life, for Sword Flight, and to travel the vast Qingming?

It was just a pity that not everyone was blessed with such an immortal fate.

In truth, what Lu Bai said was only part of the reason.

More importantly, he had to get rid of Madam Zhou and collect her Ghost Soul before the Daoist priest from Danding Temple arrived.

If he waited for the priest to arrive and slay the evil creature, there would be nothing left for him to do.

He would miss out on a mass of Soul Light for nothing.

As Luo Qing’s group left the martial arts hall, Chen Tieshan once again tried to get Lu Bai to stay.

In reality, he was mainly worried about Lu Bai leaving.

The Zhou Family’s guard, whose arm had been crippled by Luo Qing, was no longer a major concern.

He was primarily worried about that bizarre and terrifying ancient Evil Technique.

It was something intangible and invisible, something he knew nothing about. He could only rely on Lu Bai to deal with it.

When he saw that Lu Bai was willing to stay, Chen Tieshan thanked him profusely.

Lu Bai took the Cinnabar and dog blood and put on a show of setting up arrangements in several corners of the Chen Martial Arts Hall.

He sprinkled some Cinnabar here and smeared a few streaks of dog blood there.

During this process, he also coated the Peach Wood Sword that Uncle Fu had bought in dog blood.

Chen Tieshan and his son watched from the side for a long time but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Lu Bai’s arrangements seemed chaotic and disorderly, but upon closer inspection, they seemed to hide some profound and incomprehensible pattern.

Never mind that they couldn’t understand it; Lu Bai himself had no idea what he was doing.

After all that fuss, Lu Bai and the others had a hearty meal, and the sky gradually darkened.

Lu Bai took the Black Dog back to rest, with Xiaodie following behind him.

"Miss Xiaodie, I’m going to rest now. You should get some sleep soon too."

Lu Bai called out before carrying the Peach Wood Sword, which was covered in dog blood, into his room.

’How strange.’

Watching Lu Bai walk into his room, Xiaodie couldn’t help but furrow her delicate brows and mutter to herself.

-----------------

Lu Bai lay on the bed. After a while, he heard Xiaodie’s footsteps move away and enter the adjacent room.

Although it was late, the night was still young, so there was no hurry.

Lu Bai mentally reviewed the plan for tonight.

’Lu Ziyuan’s family were merely accomplices.

Madam Zhou is the main culprit!

And what’s more, Madam Zhou knows that bizarre and sinister Evil Suppression Technique.

Once you’re targeted by someone like that, you have to be on guard day and night, unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Given my limited understanding of the Evil Suppression Technique, it might not be reliable at a critical moment.

Killing Madam Zhou is the only way to get to the root of the problem, resolving it once and for all and preventing any future disasters!

Before heading to Bluestone County, this hidden danger must be eliminated!’

To be precise, from the moment Lu Bai decided to make a move against Lu Ziyuan’s family, he had already been considering how to deal with the Zhou Family and Madam Zhou.

That was also why he had dragged Chen Tieshan into the situation.

However, Luo Qing’s appearance had slightly disrupted his original plan.

Or rather, it didn’t disrupt it.

It accelerated it.

Originally, Lu Bai had planned to wait for Madam Zhou to make a move against Chen Tieshan, then step in at the opportune moment and ask for his help in dealing with the Inner Martial Artist from the Zhou Family.

But that wasn’t necessary anymore.

’The fewer people who knew about tonight’s business, the better.

The Zhou Family guard, Fei Ming, is already half-crippled.

With a severed arm, his qi and blood are depleted, and his strength is greatly diminished.

And tonight is the perfect time to strike!’

Luo Qing and her group had already left Liuxi Town. The Zhou Family would never expect someone to come knocking on their door tonight; their guard would definitely be down.

The Daoist priest from Danding Temple would likely arrive in the next day or two.

Before that priest arrived, Lu Bai would complete the kill and the Soul Collection!

Tomorrow, he would set off for Bluestone County, leaving without a trace once his work was done.

「During the third watch.」

Lu Bai, who had been resting on the bed with his eyes closed, slowly sat up, his eyes bright.

The Black Dog sleeping under his bed sensed the movement and looked up at Lu Bai, its jet-black eyes glinting with a faint light.

Lu Bai made a ’be quiet’ gesture.

From the luggage by his bed, he took out a set of night-traveling clothes he had prepared a few days ago and put them on.

He put on a face mask and then a black cloth, wrapping his head until only his eyes were showing.

’Since I’m making a move, I have to be foolproof.

Can’t let a small detail like my hairstyle expose my identity.’

The night-traveling clothes were close-fitting and designed for movement.

Previously, when Lu Bai wore loose-fitting robes, it wasn’t apparent.

But now, dressed in the night-traveling clothes, the transformation he had undergone in the past month was clear to see.

There was no Lu Bai in the room anymore.

All that remained was a tall figure completely wrapped in black. Beneath the taut fabric, knotted muscles bulged slightly, practically bursting with a sense of power!

Lu Bai wrapped up the Peach Wood Sword covered in Black Dog Blood and slung it across his back.

He tucked a packet of Cinnabar into his clothes.

He then picked up a common, standard-issue sheathed longsword from the martial arts hall and held it in his hand.

’The Cyan Cloud Sword isn’t exactly a Divine Weapon.

But it’s different from a regular longsword. If someone with a discerning eye were to see it, it might expose my identity.’

Once everything was in order, Lu Bai stood at the door and listened for a moment.

It was quiet outside, completely silent.

Lu Bai quietly opened the door, motioned for the Black Dog to wait in the room, slipped out, and closed the door behind him. His figure melted into the night and quickly disappeared from sight.