Ye Kong stealthily approached Lu Qin as she soaked in the wooden bathtub, his heart racing.

“Who’s there!” The little girl was startled and snapped her eyes open with a sharp challenge.

Ye Kong didn’t dare respond and fled in panic.

He slipped out of Lu Qin’s room and arrived at the main hall, where both Lu Jun and Lu Yi happened to be. Ye Kong peeled off the Invisibility Talisman from his forehead, and his form immediately became visible.

Though the Lu brothers both knew Ye Kong could turn invisible, seeing him appear out of thin air still gave them a fright. They hurried over to pay their respects.

“Eighth Young Master’s abilities are extraordinary! You can ascend to heaven and burrow into earth, nothing is beyond you. We are in awe.”

“Eighth Young Master, may you live ten thousand years! May your immortal fortune last forever!”

Ye Kong waved his hand dismissively. The Invisibility Talisman burst into flame, and he clapped his hands and sat down before saying, “So now you two have learned to spout this useless crap. But if you’re going to do it, at least say things people actually want to hear. You say I can ascend to heaven and burrow into earth with nothing beyond me – are you making fun of the fact that my cultivation isn’t high enough to fly? And you, a thousand-year turtle lives ten thousand years, so ‘may you live ten thousand years’ is calling me a turtle. Do you even know that?”

The Lu brothers were used to being scolded by him. Their faces thick as city walls, they just grinned and sat down, continuing, “Eighth Young Master is truly on another level. Every word makes perfect sense. Even when Eighth Young Master curses at us, it sounds so pleasant to the ear.”

“That’s right, that’s right! We need to be like lotus vegetables and flowers, growing strong and healthy under Eighth Young Master’s scolding. Eighth Young Master’s curses are the soil, the water, the fertilizer…”

“Alright, alright, I really can’t deal with you two. Soil and water – keep going and you’ll be bringing up manure next.” Ye Kong laughed and cursed a few more times before lowering his voice. “Now let me tell you about something serious.”

A moment later, Lu Yi looked up. “Eighth Young Master, this invitation from that fat bastard Fan is definitely not well-intentioned. You absolutely must not fall for the scheme of those two brothers.”

Lu Jun pondered for a moment before also speaking. “I also think Fan Jiushe’s intentions are sinister. But since they dared to think about making a move right there at Treasure Spring Pavilion, it seems that even if Eighth Young Master doesn’t go when the time comes, they won’t just let it go.”

“Then what can we do? How about we strike first and fight them to the death!”

The Lu brothers had completely tied their fortunes to Ye Kong’s boat. All the wealth and status they now enjoyed was given to them by Ye Kong. If Ye Kong fell, they wouldn’t even have the option of going back to being petty street thugs. Aside from death, there would be no other path for them.

“Fight to the death? That won’t work either.” Lu Jun shook his head. “Never mind Fan Jiushe – even Fan Jiulong has formidable martial arts, and his gang members far outnumber ours. Moreover, over these next few days, they’re bound to be well prepared. Fighting them desperately would be like throwing eggs at rocks.”

“This won’t work, that won’t work – are we just supposed to sit at home and wait to die?” Lu Yi anxiously got up and paced back and forth.

“Lu Jun, your analysis is very sound.” Ye Kong gave Lu Jun an approving pat. A fourteen-year-old [visit our site]youth patting a man in his mid-twenties looked quite incongruous, but none of the three present felt it was inappropriate. Ye Kong’s status, intelligence, and abilities far exceeded theirs. Lu Yi, not having been patted, actually felt a bit put out.

“Since Eighth Young Master came today, you must already have a plan in mind.” For once, Lu Yi also had a flash of cleverness.

“Haha, Lu Yi’s not bad either!” Ye Kong laughed and straightened his back slightly before leaning forward again. The three heads drew close together, and as Ye Kong explained his plan in detail, the Lu brothers’ faces immediately transformed from worried to delighted.

“This plan is brilliant! We’ll take out the Fan brothers in one fell swoop, and from then on, Southern Capital City will be ours!” Lu Yi’s eyes danced with fiery light after hearing it.

But Lu Jun, after thinking it over briefly, frowned again. “If we do this, Eighth Young Master will still have to go to meet Fan Jiushe’s invitation. What if that fat bastard Fan gets desperate – won’t Eighth Young Master be in danger?”

“That’s right. Please, Eighth Young Master, think of a way to resolve this. It’s better not to take the risk.” Lu Yi also noticed the problem.

Ye Kong sneered. “What in this world doesn’t involve risk? Even going out the door means guarding against getting hit by a cart. If Fan Jiushe wants to fight to the death, then I’ll just have to fight him!”

Fan Jiushe was at Qi Refinement Layer 3, Ye Kong at Layer 2. Though he was one layer behind, the Five Elements Ascension Scripture said that practicing this foundational technique allowed one to hold out against opponents five layers higher. Ye Kong wanted to test whether it really was that miraculous.

As the three were talking, Lu Qin emerged after her bath. Having just finished washing, her small face was white with a rosy tint, utterly captivating. “Big brother, Brother Ye Kong is here too.” Seeing Ye Kong, the little girl’s face immediately lit up with joy.

How could Lu Jun and Lu Yi not know their sister’s feelings? They Read on Jormuntlquickly said with a laugh, “The moon is so full tonight – perfect weather for cooling off and moon-gazing. You two chat. We brothers are going to admire the moon and compose poetry.”

Ye Kong laughed without any goodwill. “Screw his immortal ancestors, just you two roughnecks composing poetry? You’d scare the moon into pissing itself.”

Lu Yi was stunned. “Eighth Young Master, even though you tell us every day to be cultured, I’ve discovered that actually, the most uncultured person is you!”

Lu Qin watched them bicker, her face blooming with a smile. After her two brothers escaped with knowing winks, her small face turned even redder, and she could only lower her head.

Though Ye Kong could have peeked at her bathing, in his heart he was afraid of provoking her. After all, the path of immortal cultivation was fraught with danger and loneliness. His mental state couldn’t tolerate distracting thoughts. Moreover, immortals had far longer lifespans than mortals, so romances between immortals and mortals basically never ended well.

Unless you were someone whose immortal path had reached its end, someone who knew breakthrough was hopeless – like Wanxuan True Man, for whom it didn’t matter. Taking some mortal wives, having some children – none of that would be a problem since he wouldn’t need to cultivate anymore anyway.

But Ye Kong’s immortal path had only just begun. How could he set up obstacles on his own path?

With this thought, Ye Kong’s expression turned serious. “Little Qin, since you’re here, today I’ll teach you the incantations for the Invisibility Talisman and Wall-Penetrating Talisman. Learn them well. Three days from now you’ll be able to use them. This time, both your brothers’ lives and mine are in your hands.”

The most difficult part of paper talismans was creating them. Using them wasn’t that hard. As long as you had the talisman and the incantation, anyone could use them. Before long, Lu Qin had learned it.

“So this makes me invisible? You can’t see me anymore? But I can still see myself.” Using immortal techniques for noodles the first time, Lu Qin was incredibly excited and had tons of questions.

Ye Kong nodded with satisfaction. “You’re already invisible. I can’t see you either. Unless it’s a cultivator using the Heaven Eye Technique, ordinary people can’t see you. If you don’t believe me, use a mirror to look at yourself.”

But the little girl didn’t speak for quite a while. Ye Kong didn’t know if she’d gone outside, and was just about to ask when he suddenly heard her voice behind him. “Then Brother Ye Kong, you came to our house invisible earlier, didn’t you?”

Ye Kong nodded. “Yeah…”

The moment he finished speaking, he knew something was wrong. He felt Lu Qin’s small fist pounding on him in embarrassment and anger. “Scoundrel!”

Ye Kong didn’t move and took the powder-puff punch with a chuckle. “Scoundrel is your brother. I’m a hooligan. I’m way more advanced than him.”

“Either way, you’re shameless! Perverted! May your eyes grow sores!” Lu Qin was mortified to death. This guy was too awful. He’d seen her completely naked. How could she face anyone now?

Yet in her heart, there was also a secret joy. If Brother Ye Kong really didn’t want to look at her, didn’t want to pay attention to her, that would make her truly sad.

After fooling around for a bit, Ye Kong grabbed her small hand. “I’d better hold onto you, otherwise I won’t know where you are.” He paused, then took out another talisman. “This is the Wall-Penetrating Talisman. Come, I’ll teach you how to use it.”

Lu Qin was a clever girl. Before long, she’d become proficient with several types of talismans. Ye Kong had drawn quite a few over the past six months Read on Jormuntl– his success rate was much higher now – so he let her waste them freely.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.” Ye Kong brought Lu Qin to the back courtyard, then stuck an Invisibility Talisman on himself and left. Half an incense stick’s time later, Ye Kong led a dog through the wall and came back in.

“Turn invisible.” Ye Kong tied the dog to a large poplar tree and commanded Lu Qin.

“Okay.”

“Use the Spirit-Calming Talisman.” Ye Kong continued.

“Yes.” Lu Qin silently recited the incantation, then stuck a talisman on the dog’s head.

The dog didn’t even whimper. Its four legs went soft and it toppled over onto the grass, a gentle breeze ruffling its brown-yellow fur.

Ye Kong’s figure became visible. In his hand he gripped a gleaming, cold dagger. “Take the knife and kill it!”

Lu Qin hadn’t expected Ye Kong to give such an order. She froze there, not moving. Then she heard Ye Kong shout, “Do you understand? In the plan three days from now, you’re the most crucial link! Killing people is very likely to happen – what’s one dog compared to that!”

Lu Qin reached out and took the dagger but still hesitated to act. Ye Kong roared furiously, “Kill it! If you don’t kill it, it will kill you!”

“If you don’t kill it, Lu Jun and Lu Yi will be killed!”

“If you don’t kill it, your Brother Ye Kong will die!!”

When that final shout rang out, Lu Qin finally lunged forward and viciously stabbed the knife into the dog’s neck. Bright red blood gushed out along the blade.

Shortly after, Lu Qin stood up, pressing her hand against her constantly heaving chest. Looking at the dog lying in a pool of blood, her small hand couldn’t help but tremble. But in her heart, a voice was saying, “Brother Ye Kong, for you, Little Qin dares to do anything!”