Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhou Shu arrived at Sanyuanzhai as promised.
Hua Ruoan was already waiting in the back hall, a newly crafted jade slip before him.
"Here's what you want."
Zhou Shu saw the slip and bowed with a smile. "Manager Hua is truly omnipotent. I admire you."
Hua Ruoan's face lit up with a hint of satisfaction. "I've been in Qingxia Market for decades, and now I'm just investigating someone. What's there to admire?"
Zhou Shu nodded. "Thank you, Manager Hua."
He raised his hand, and the jade slip soared into the air, flying towards him. But halfway through, it seemed to be blocked by a wall, hanging in the air.
Zhou Shu frowned slightly, "Shopkeeper Hua, this is..."
Hua Ruoan looked at him, a stern flash in his eyes, and said with a bit of coldness, "The previous conditions are invalid, I want 60%."
Zhou Shu's face suddenly sank when he heard the voice, "Shopkeeper Hua is a smart man, you know it's a taboo for businessmen to not keep their word."
"Yes, I had no intention of regretting it, but I didn't expect that for the information in this jade slip, I lost three cultivators... This loss must be counted on you."
Hua Ruoan shook his head slightly, looking at Zhou Shu solemnly, "Spirit stones are not so easy to earn, and businessmen also have to cherish their lives."
Zhou Shu was also slightly stunned, "Is it so difficult?"
"The people of Liuchu Sect are all crazy, they are really working hard," Hua Ruoan sighed lightly, "No wonder Liuchu Sect can rise so quickly, I know the reason. Cultivators are for immortality, how can they not be afraid of death, but the people of Liuchu Sect are really not afraid of death."
In order to investigate Yan Mengchu, the cultivators he sent out clashed with Liuchu Sect.
In the world of immortal cultivation, such incidents are common, but it's unusual for cultivators to risk their lives when there's no real conflict of interest. The cultivators of the Liuchu Sect are fierce fighters, unafraid of death, and often risk their lives, causing significant losses to his people.
Zhou Shu looked at the jade slip and said, "I'm deeply sorry that Shopkeeper Hua's men have suffered losses. But a promise is worth a thousand; fifty percent is fifty. As for Shopkeeper Hua's losses, I'm willing to share them, but I'll make up for it separately, so it won't be included."
Hua Ruoan pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That's kind of you. So be it. I don't want to break my promise and ruin my reputation."
The jade slip flew diagonally through the air and landed squarely in Zhou Shu's hands.
Zhou Shu bowed and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Hua, and goodbye." With that, he turned and began to leave.
"Brother Zhou, let me warn you, Yan Mengchu isn't that easy to deal with. Take a good look at the jade slip and you'll understand. I advise you to give up on this matter."
Hua Ruoan's voice came from behind him. Zhou Shu paused, then said, without turning back, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Hua, for the reminder," and immediately walked out.
He never gave up on a decision, no matter how difficult it was.
Returning to his residence, Zhou Shu opened the jade slip and immediately understood Hua Ruoan's meaning.
Yan Mengchu lived in the pavilion area in the northwest corner of the market, a key area of the market with strict security and constant patrols. Moreover, he lived not alone; cultivators from the Six Outer Sect were with him, ready to assist at any time.
It was obviously impossible for Zhou Shu to attack there.
Yan Mengchu mostly stayed out of the house, the only exception being that he would go to Yuelai Tower every four days to eat spiritual food, a habit he couldn't break.
But this wasn't a good opportunity. Yuelai Tower was only three miles from his residence, and the commute was along the market's main road, bustling with people.
Fighting for the Patriarch's Order in the bustling market town, especially against a cultivator of higher cultivation, was unwise no matter how you looked at it.
"This is indeed difficult,"
Zhou Shu flipped through the jade slip, pondering a solution.
The slip contained detailed information, detailing Yan Mengchu's personality, the spells he knew, and the times he frequented the restaurant. It even included a clear map.
"The longer we delay, the more trouble we'll have. The day after tomorrow at 3 p.m., Yan Mengchu will be at Yuelai Tower for spiritual food. We should take advantage of this opportunity, but we must be well prepared. If we do that, we might have some opportunities..."
Zhou Shu's thoughts were made up, and he quickly left. Pretending
to stroll, he walked back and forth between the west gate of the market town and Yuelai Tower several times, carefully surveying the terrain. He paused for a long moment in front of a dark alley, a faint smile on his face, and then went back to the formation shop, leaving several hours later.
...
In the afternoon, at 3 p.m., Yan Mengchu said goodbye and sauntered out.
After a satisfying meal and a few flirtations with the waitresses, Yan Mengchu, supporting his bloated stomach, slowly made his way back to his residence.
After walking for a while, he suddenly began to grumble.
"What's going on? There are fewer and fewer people on this road. It's not usually like this. Have I drunk too much?"
But no matter how much he thought, he'd walked this route hundreds of times, and he couldn't be mistaken even with his eyes closed. He shook his head and continued in his usual direction.
"It's so weird! It's such a nice day, and there are so few people on the street. Is the market so bad now?" He
grumbled as he walked.
But after walking a little further, he saw no one around him. Even if
Yan Mengchu was a bit clueless, he knew something was wrong. His expression changed drastically, and he turned around in panic.
Whoa.
A masked cultivator in black suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.
"Who... are you?"
Yan Mengchu panicked, taking several steps back.
"I am who I am..."
His voice, deliberately lowered, came out faintly, a bit eerie.
The cultivator wearing the mask was, of course, Zhou Shu. He'd acquired this outfit from a mysterious evil cultivator, and now it was putting it to good use.
"Illusion array! You used an illusion array!"
Yan Mengchu glanced around, then recovered after a moment, still a bit confused. "How is this possible? How could I have fallen for such a simple illusion array?"
Zhou Shu stared at him intently, without answering.
An illusion, of course it was an illusion. Zhou Shu had suffered the consequences of this type of illusion when he'd visited Yujiazhuang, and this time, he replicated it, using it on Yan Mengchu.
However, the technique he employed was far more ingenious.
This illusion, called a maze array, was quite simple. If he had simply led Yan Mengchu into the array and made him take the wrong path, he'd have quickly figured it out. But Zhou Shu didn't do that. He used the same maze array five times in a row!
One within another, each incomplete. He'd deliberately omitted one or two symbols, leaving gaps to prevent Yan Mengchu from detecting them. He could always see people passing by, his suspicions diminished, and he gradually fell in.
Illusions were inexpensive, and the method wasn't complicated. After a day of calculations, he figured it out, and while Yan Mengchu was dining at Yuelai Tower, he set them up one by one. Then, when Yan Mengchu arrived, he placed the spirit stones and activated the array.
Yan Mengchu didn't disappoint him, and he smoothly entered the illusion array, walking from the busy street into a dark alley.
Looking at the eerie mask, Yan Mengchu feigned composure and said, "You lured me here, what do you want to do?"
He couldn't see Zhou Shu behind the mask, but he could sense that Zhou Shu's cultivation was lower than his, and he relaxed a little.
Zhou Shu's voice was cold, "I want to borrow something from you. Bring me the Yan family's Patriarch's Order."
"Bullshit, no way."
Yan Mengchu cursed, and quickly jumped out, running forward.
In this dark place, he didn't know if Zhou Shu had any helpers, and he just wanted to escape.