Chapter Seventy-Six: Assassination

Lin Dou Dou bounced back home, lively as ever, but the moment she stepped inside, she was stunned—the entire house was shrouded in misty clouds.

Just a breath made her feel utterly refreshed, as if she were soaking in a hot spring.

"Did I come to the wrong place?"

Dou Dou quickly retreated and checked the house number.

No mistake.

But why had home changed so much?

"I know, it must be Lin Yi."

She rapidly knocked on Lin Yi's door.

Lin Yi opened the door, and Dou Dou blinked, asking, "Lin Yi, what happened to the house?"

"I set up a Spirit Gathering Formation. The white mist is condensed spiritual energy—it can help you cultivate," Lin Yi explained.

With this low-level formation, Dou Dou could reach the Innate Realm in about three days.

A month should be enough for her to advance to the Master level.

This was due to Dou Dou's solid foundation; for others, a week might suffice to reach Master.

Such was the terrifying effect of a Spirit Gathering Formation arranged with three hundred spirit stones—it could produce experts in bulk.

"Oh," Dou Dou relaxed.

Lin Yi took a jade ring from his pocket. "You’ve always wondered where my things come from. Just drip a bit of blood on it and wear it—you’ll see."

Dou Dou did so at once, and soon sensed a space inside the ring, roughly fifty cubic meters.

"A Storage Ring!"

Dou Dou grew excited—she’d read about such treasures, but never imagined they could exist in reality.

"You actually know about storage rings?" Lin Yi smiled.

"Of course," Dou Dou pouted, as if Lin Yi thought of her as a country bumpkin, clueless about everything.

But for the sake of the ring, the Queen Dou Dou would forgive him for now.

After playing with the ring for a while, Dou Dou suddenly announced, "Lin Yi, Su Honglan has moved away."

"Moved?"

Lin Yi thought for a moment and guessed the reason.

It must be because Mu Hanyu had nearly killed Su Honglan before, leaving her traumatized.

Moreover, Mu Hanyu’s powerful background probably meant Su Honglan had tried reporting to the police, but it was useless.

All these factors led to Su Honglan moving.

"Dou Dou, call Li Xiaonan and her sister over," Lin Yi said.

Li Xiaonan and Xiong Jinghui were old acquaintances. Since the Spirit Gathering Formation was set up, he might as well help them improve their strength too.

"Is something up?" Dou Dou blinked.

"Nothing major. The formation works well; I want to help them enhance their strength," Lin Yi replied.

"Okay," Dou Dou nodded and called Li Xiaonan.

Li Xiaonan knew Lin Yi was a master and agreed without hesitation.

Soon, a clear voice sounded outside: "Mr. Lin, Dou Dou."

Dou Dou hurried to open the door. When Li Xiaonan and Xiong Jinghui entered, they were both startled by the intense spiritual energy filling the house.

"My goodness, the spiritual energy has condensed into mist—this is a cultivator’s paradise," Li Xiaonan exclaimed, her expression vivid.

Xiong Jinghui, after a brief shock, regained her composure.

"Hehe, how about that?" Dou Dou raised her delicate eyebrows in pride.

"Amazing," Li Xiaonan said, full of envy. If she could cultivate in such an environment, her strength would surely skyrocket.

Dou Dou’s little vanity was satisfied. After inviting them in, she warmly served tea.

"Mr. Lin, thank you so much for letting us cultivate here," Xiong Jinghui said gratefully.

---

"It's nothing. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can ask me," Lin Yi replied calmly.

"But isn’t that too much?" Xiong Jinghui hesitated.

This kind of cultivation haven was priceless. Now Lin Yi was willing to guide them too, which made Xiong Jinghui embarrassed.

"No need to be embarrassed. Cultivation requires seizing every opportunity," Lin Yi said, his gaze profound.

Xiong Jinghui paused, then nodded. "Understood, Mr. Lin."

---

A luxury villa in Mountain Province.

"Big sister, the Mind Gu I placed on Feng Gaozhu was broken," said a beautiful woman in her thirties, brows tightly knit.

She wore a purple nightgown, accentuating her curves, with wavy hair and watery eyes—her allure was undeniable.

Opposite her sat an ordinary-looking, dark-skinned, plainly dressed middle-aged woman, who gave the impression of a rural villager.

These were Miao Caifeng’s senior disciple Wu Fangling and second disciple Jia Yueru.

"What? The Mind Gu was broken?" Wu Fangling stood.

The Mind Gu was a formidable parasite; once lodged in the brain, even the most advanced equipment couldn’t detect it.

Nowadays, fewer people in Miao territory knew Gu arts, and to find someone who could dispel a Mind Gu was nearly impossible.

"It’s true, big sister. Just a few more days and my Mind Gu would have replicated all of Feng Gaozhu’s memories—we would have found that mineral vein," Jia Yueru said, unwilling to accept defeat.

They had planned this for years, only to be thwarted at the final moment.

"Should I send another Mind Gu?" Jia Yueru suggested.

Wu Fangling thought it over. "Don’t rush. Whoever broke the Mind Gu must be strong. Besides, we’ve alerted them—by now, they’re on guard."

Even though the Feng family was no longer Mountain Province’s top clan, their foundation remained.

A family with a master wasn’t easy to provoke.

Otherwise, they’d have forced the location of the mineral vein directly.

"Alright," Jia Yueru conceded, knowing the gravity of the situation.

She then asked, "Big sister, have you found Li Xiaonan and Xiong Jinghui, those little wretches?"

"No, but I’ve sent people searching the cities around River Province. No matter how clever Li Xiaonan is, she can’t fly away," Wu Fangling shook her head.

Jia Yueru’s eyes flickered. "Big sister, do you think the Scent Seeking Gu and the Mind Gu were handled by the same person?"

Wu Fangling considered this. "It’s possible."

Just then, a black-clad figure rushed in. "Sirs, we’ve found Li Xiaonan’s trail."

"Where?" Jia Yueru stepped forward, her movements carrying a fragrant breeze.

The black-clad man kept his head down, not daring to glance at the beautiful woman before him.

Jia Yueru was not only beautiful but powerful, a half-step master and an expert in Gu arts.

Once, a frivolous youth had teased her, only to be consumed by a thousand insects; now, grass grew tall on his grave.

"Lancheng," the man replied simply.

"Still in Lancheng?" Jia Yueru raised her brows, surprised that Li Xiaonan dared linger.

They had sent many people there before, and after the Scent Seeking Gu vanished, she thought Li Xiaonan would escape far away, but she hadn’t left.

Was it courage or cunning?

Luckily, they still had people searching River Province—otherwise, Li Xiaonan might have slipped away.

"Yes," the man nodded.

Wu Fangling asked, "Has anyone unusual appeared near her recently?"

---

"There’s one. Li Xiaonan’s friend in Lancheng, Lin Dou Dou, fifteen years old, strength at the Dark Energy level," the man answered.

"Dark Energy? So weak! At her age, I was already at the Transforming Energy stage," Jia Yueru scoffed. Such strength was decent in a small city, but couldn’t compare in a big province.

Wu Fangling chuckled, "Second sister, not everyone can match you. Among us disciples, your talent is the highest. If not for that old fool hoarding resources, you’d have broken through to Master by now."

A hint of darkness flashed in Jia Yueru’s eyes. "Did you check Lin Dou Dou’s background?"

"We did. She’s always had only a brother, Lin Yi, an ordinary man."

Jia Yueru frowned, puzzled. "How could an ordinary family produce someone at the Dark Energy level?"

Martial cultivation required resources and money.

"Could Lin Dou Dou have had some lucky encounter?"

Jia Yueru pondered, then dismissed it.

Dou Dou’s strength was negligible—she barely registered.

Jia Yueru looked at Wu Fangling. "Big sister, shall we act now and capture Li Xiaonan?"

Wu Fangling’s expression grew serious. "Yes. Let’s act swiftly this time. Last time, none of our people returned from Lancheng. Li Xiaonan must have expert protection."

---

Xiong Jinghui and Li Xiaonan cultivated at Lin Yi’s place all afternoon, and their strength surged.

Xiong Jinghui advanced from Innate Seventh Layer to Innate Eighth.

Li Xiaonan reached Transforming Energy; to break into Innate, she’d need another day here.

"Mr. Lin, thank you so much," Xiong Jinghui said, bowing deeply. This improvement gave them more ability to protect themselves.

Li Xiaonan imitated her, bowing as well.

Lin Yi accepted graciously, reminding them, "Tonight, consolidate today’s cultivation carefully."

"Yes."

Just as Xiong Jinghui finished speaking, a blazing red inner force shot toward them.

"Hm?"

Xiong Jinghui, an Innate-level expert, sensed danger instantly.

Her gaze sharpened, and she raised her hand, unleashing a fierce inner force.

Boom.

The two energies collided with a muffled sound.

At that moment, a flash of cold light streaked toward Li Xiaonan’s shoulder—so fast it was barely visible.

Xiong Jinghui tried to stop it, but it was too late.

Clearly, the first attack was meant to draw out Xiong Jinghui, and the second was the real aim.

"No!"

Li Xiaonan’s mind went blank—death felt so close.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before her.

Lin Yi pinched his fingers and intercepted the cold light.

It was an iron arrow.

The arrow was coated in potent anesthetic; even a single touch would knock out an elephant instantly.

Snap.

Lin Yi squeezed, breaking the arrow in two.

"What!"

On a distant rooftop, a shadowy figure’s eyes widened—he hadn’t expected his arrow to be caught.

He drew his bow again, the string humming, and fired three arrows in a triangular pattern at Lin Yi and Li Xiaonan.