Chapter 77: Seduction?

Night descended, yet Dream Street remained bustling and lively. In pursuit of the truth, Jiang Yan and his companions affixed invisibility talismans to themselves, blending seamlessly into the shadows at the corner of an alley, observing in secret.

“Excuse me, excuse me.” Several squirrel spirits hurried through the night, transporting goods to the Osmanthus Pavilion. Suddenly, a group of cultivators clad in violet sect robes appeared on the street—five men and three women. Jiang Yan’s gaze sharpened; he recognized an old acquaintance among them. Was that not Fan Jingwen? That boy had fallen into this trap as well! Tsk tsk…

“You gentlemen, are you cultivators?” Mistress Hu, the fox spirit, called out from her stall, looking at Fan Jingwen and his companions. The exact same question again! And she seemed to be ignoring the female cultivators entirely.

Before Fan Jingwen and the others could speak, the little Pot Ox perched on his shoulder interjected, “Isn’t it obvious? They’re all wearing sect robes!” Well, it had to be Pot Ox—his quick tongue was unmatched!

The familiar conversation played out, followed by the tiger spirit granny’s claim that she was selling immortal herbs used to craft water-avoiding pearls.

“But didn’t the tiger granny say she only had a few of those herbs? How come she still has so many?” Bai Tao asked, puzzled.

“This is so boring. I’m so sleepy,” the little dwarf dragon yawned several times.

Jiang Yan noticed the dragon’s odd behavior. “Uh, little dragon, what’s wrong? You seem unusually drowsy here on Dream Street.”

The little dragon was equally perplexed. “There’s something strange about the scent in this street. Whenever I smell it, I get sleepy.” Saying this, he yawned again, louder than before.

Bai Tao, intrigued, sniffed the air around them. “Strange scent? I don’t feel anything at all.”

“Shh, let’s keep watching,” Jiang Yan whispered, his gaze returning to Fan Jingwen’s group.

The cultivators were sword masters; none among them practiced alchemy.

“Boss, give us ten bottles of water-avoiding pearls!” one male disciple said boldly, producing a pouch of high-grade spirit stones.

Jiang Yan noticed how decisively he handled the payment. This fellow was clearly a diamond bachelor.

“Wang Xingzhi, you truly are generous!” Another male disciple beside him laughed, evidently counting himself among the recipients of the pearls.

“Brother Wang, thank you so much!”

“Thanks, senior brother!”

The others expressed their gratitude as well.

Fan Jingwen, looking indifferent, took out spirit stones from his sleeve and instructed Mistress Hu, “Just one bottle for me.”

Wang Xingzhi frowned. “Junior brother, why are you being so formal? Of course you’re included among the ten bottles.”

Fan Jingwen replied with a gentle smile, “I appreciate your kindness, senior brother. But it’s always wise to have an extra bottle as a precaution. If I need more, I’ll buy them from you.”

Clearly, Fan Jingwen had no intent to take advantage of Wang Xingzhi.

Wang Xingzhi laughed it off. “No problem. If you need more, just ask.”

Mistress Hu accepted the spirit stones and handed them their pearls, her lips curled in a flirtatious smile. “Here are your water-avoiding pearls. Keep them safe.”

Wang Xingzhi and Fan Jingwen pocketed their pearls.

Suddenly, the bell tolled again.

Dong, dong, dong…

“Oh dear, hurry home!” The spirits on the street quickened their pace, rushing toward their homes. Shops lowered their shutters, stalls scrambled to pack up their goods…

Fan Jingwen and his companions exchanged bewildered glances.

Mistress Hu urged, “Quick, go hide in the Osmanthus Pavilion.”

The three female cultivators, startled by her words, seemed to recall something dreadful. They screamed in panic, “Ah, hurry! Let’s go to the Osmanthus Pavilion!”

Faced with such sudden chaos, Fan Jingwen’s group wasted no time, hurrying toward the pavilion.

“Jiang Yan, should we stay here?” Bai Tao whispered.

“If we want the snake to emerge, there’s only one thing to do—wait.” Jiang Yan’s gaze swept the street.

About fifteen minutes passed.

Jiang Yan and his group saw three spirits appear on the street, fully revealing their true forms: a bear, a rabbit, and a cat. Their eyes were vacant, as if controlled, all moving in the same direction.

“Let’s follow and see,” Jiang Yan said, taking the lead behind them. Bai Tao and the others followed closely.

They tracked the spirits all the way to the end of Dream Street, only to find themselves blocked by a seemingly transparent but impenetrable barrier.

“Ouch!” One disciple bumped into the back of another, letting out a soft cry.

“You stepped on me.” Qi Yu’s foot had been trodden on.

“What’s going on?” Bai Tao tried to step forward, but no matter what, he could not pass through the barrier. He looked around, confused.

“There’s a barrier here. We can’t get through.” Jiang Yan reached out to touch the invisible wall and was instantly repelled by a force.

“Jiang Yan, look over there! They’re heading toward the sea. There’s a figure by the shore—looks familiar…”

Bai Tao squinted, straining to see into the distance.

Jiang Yan, hearing this, focused his gaze toward the sea, and instantly recognized the figure by the shore.

Damn! It was Mistress Hu!

Jiang Yan spoke with certainty, “It’s Mistress Hu.”

Bai Tao was baffled. “Shouldn’t Mistress Hu be at the Osmanthus Pavilion right now?”

The three spirits halted before Mistress Hu.

Then, everyone witnessed a shocking scene.

Mistress Hu deftly extracted their demon cores, placing them one by one in a wooden box. The three spirits, their demon cores removed, collapsed toward the sea like kites with cut strings, their fates uncertain.

Mistress Hu raised her head to the moonlight, a cold smile curling on her lips. “Refuse to submit? Then vanish forever beneath this moonlight.”

A young male disciple, perhaps unused to such bloodshed, fell to the ground in terror, a dull thud echoing.

Mistress Hu slowly turned, her gaze sharp as a blade, locking onto Jiang Yan’s group with a dangerous glint.

In a blink, she appeared before the barrier at the end of the street.

“Stop hiding. I’ve already seen you. If you come out willingly, perhaps I’ll spare your lives.”

Jiang Yan and his companions remained silent and unmoving, watching and waiting.

Jiang Yan thought to himself that Mistress Hu was merely bluffing. The invisibility talismans they used were his own improved design, hiding not only their bodies but their presence as well.

Mistress Hu walked slowly, sniffing for any hint of movement in the air. When she was nearly pressed against Bai Tao’s face, he silently retreated a few steps, his heart racing.

“Heh, won’t come out? Don’t blame me, then.”

A slyness flashed in Mistress Hu’s eyes. She slowly raised a hand and caressed her cheek, her skin silky and alluring under the moonlight. She gently bit her lower lip, a seductive smile curling at the corner of her mouth, as if hinting at something.

Was this—seduction?

Truly an affront to the eyes!

Her fingers slid over her neck, deftly undoing a button. The loose gauze robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing a stretch of snowy skin. Her gaze grew deeper, as if able to pierce through hearts, brimming with allure.

“Slurp…”

Suddenly, one of the male disciples made a faint sound, two thin streams of blood trickling from his nose, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden temptation.

“Hehehe, little mouse, I’ve found you.”