Any notices? Lu Qian glanced over, and a sense of warning suddenly arose in his heart.
He turned his head, about to speak, when he saw Jiang Qingfeng reluctantly letting go of Zhang Lemei's hand, and Zhang Lemei comforted her a few words before turning to Lu Qian.
The journey had been somewhat awkward, and knowing they were about to part ways, Zhang Lemei felt a bit relieved, nodding slightly: "Junior Brother Lu—"
Suddenly, a cultivator by the bulletin board turned his head: "Your surname is Lu too?"
Lu Qian's sense of warning intensified upon hearing this, as the cultivator continued to scrutinize him: "At mid-stage Qi cultivation level, that's quite some coincidence, and you're wearing a mask? Hey, take off your mask, let me see."
As he spoke, several cultivators around him closed in. Lu Qian knew this wasn't good, his mind raced with possibilities, but he remained calm on the surface and stepped forward, standing before Qingfeng and the others: "What are you talking about? This is a marketplace, you come and go freely, why should anyone take off their mask?"
The cultivator, possessing late-stage Qi cultivation, with four mid-stage companions standing dispersed, subtly encircled Lu Qian's group. The cultivator impatiently said, "There's a high reward for someone named Lu Qian now, and I think you resemble him. Take off your mask, and if I've got the wrong person, I'll naturally apologize to you."
Lu Qian was greatly shaken within, hearing Qingfeng and the others' breath quicken. In a split second, his hand signaled Qingfeng and the others from behind, while the other hand reached for his mask: "Who is this Lu Qian? Ridiculous. I'll take off the mask for you to see clearly."
Seeing Lu Qian willing to take off the mask, those cultivators also relaxed in their hearts.
Lu Qian swiftly lifted his hand, and suddenly, their vision blurred, focusing to see.
In an instant, starlight scattered wildly!
Three Silver Needles shot out from three angles, instantly darting towards the three mid-stage Qi cultivators. They were concentrated on seeing Lu Qian's face, entirely unprepared, screams erupted instantly.
One pierced through the eye into the brain, exiting the Jade Pillow. One pierced the throat, blood spattering. One pierced through the heart, releasing a spray of blood mist.
In a flash, the three mid-stage Qi cultivators collapsed to the ground, losing their lives!
In a rapid blur, the late-stage cultivator hadn't reacted, and another mid-stage cultivator beside him screamed. Jiang Qingfeng swung the Cold Frost Sword, water mist drifted, the sword light restrained, Thunder Strike slashed his arm off.
Tan Hong and his wife reacted a bit slower, suddenly leaped forward. Tan Hong summoned a Flying Sword into a rainbow light, heading straight for the late-stage cultivator's face.
The late-stage cultivator finally reacted, both shocked and angry, pinching a spell, the Defensive Spiritual Artifact emitted a light blocking the Flying Sword, simultaneously pointing a finger, sending a shining Flying Ring targeting Tan Hong's head.
Indeed, as a late-stage cultivator able to command two Magical Artifacts simultaneously, his attack was a major pressure on Tan Hong and his wife.
Yet the couple had deep mutual understanding, Tan Hong wielded the Flying Sword to attack again, Zhang Lemei pinched a spell, using a Jade Plaque to brace the Flying Ring.
After one move, the late-stage cultivator assessed Tan Hong and his wife's strength, ready to exert force, just then, the last mid-stage Qi cultivator screamed, fell to the ground, a Silver Needle pierced out from his back.
"You—" His roar hadn't yet sounded, two Silver Needles instantly struck his Defensive Spiritual Artifact, a misty Flying Sword slashed left and right, causing his Defensive Light Shield to flicker, about to break.
The cultivator gestured, the Flying Ring whistling back, striking away several artifacts before him, the Defensive Shield suddenly glaring brightly.
Lu Qian and his group thought he'd perform some unique move, all poised to respond, unexpectedly, he shouted loudly, turned around, jumped into the marketplace.
Lu Qian immediately gestured, summoned the Flying Ship, pulled everyone to leap aboard: "Quick, go!"
The cultivator shouted: "Lu Qian is here! Lu Qian is here!"
Lu Qian operated the Flying Ship to lift, rapidly slapped several Invisibility Talismans. Looking around, avoiding shooting skyward, opted to dart into the forest beside the marketplace.
The Flying Ship just melded into the woods when the wind roared in the marketplace, escape lights soared skyward, aiming for the clouds, no one glancing at the nearby forest.
Tan Hong and his wife sighed a breath of relief realizing how suddenly it all happened, Lu Qian swiftly and decisively responded, they couldn't help admiring him greatly. They also felt ashamed knowing they exposed Lu Qian's presence, Zhang Lemei was about to speak when Lu Qian gestured to silence them.
This Invisibility Talisman couldn't truly hide, it only produced a misty water vapor to obscure one's figure. This effect, even mortals could discern upon close inspection, let alone cultivators? A sweep with Divine Sense rendered invisibility useless.
Hiding in the woods was merely seizing the enemy's blind spot of thought in an instant, they mustn't linger here.
What next? The group grew tense again, focusing their gaze on Lu Qian.
Lu Qian peered through the trees, seeing those escape lights darting around the sky, surrounding a few passing cultivators. He decided swiftly, whispering: "Follow me, we're entering the marketplace!"
Everyone was astounded, understanding Lu Qian's plan, couldn't help admiring his boldness and attention to detail. Lu Qian put away the Flying Ship, donned the mask again, tapped a few Invisibility Talismans, leaping up, running into the marketplace.
The searching cultivators focused their gaze on the sky, couldn't imagine their target swiftly passed from ground level, re-entering the marketplace.
"Stay calm, don't panic!" Lu Qian whispered.
Entering the marketplace, they removed the talismans. After a few steps, they bumped into several cultivators head-on.
"Dear fellow cultivator." Lu Qian unexpectedly reached out, grabbed one, "It's bustling outside the marketplace, they say capture someone named Lu something, what's going on?"
"Oh, don't delay me." The cultivator hurried, shook off Lu Qian's hand, "Catching people for a reward, if late, it's too late!"
Saying so, hurriedly left with his companions.
Qingfeng and the others just felt their legs grow weak.
"Follow me." Lu Qian walked with pride, pulling Baitao confidently ahead, encountering several waves of cultivators along the way, all heard the news and rushed out of the marketplace, none sparing him a second glance.
After crossing a street, seeing an inn, Lu Qian turned aside: "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, let's book rooms in two batches. Senior Sister Qingfeng, you first." Saying this, he carried Baitao, standing next to her.
Jiang Qingfeng inhaled deeply, led the way into the inn, feigning calm told the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, book an upper room."
The shopkeeper raised his head, seeing Lu Qian holding a child, intimately standing next to her, mistaking them as a couple, didn't look closely, lazily said: "One upper room, five Spirit Stones."
The three had just ascended the stairs when Tan Hong and his wife entered, also booked a room.
Waiting a while on the second floor, after everyone gathered, Lu Qian took the room card, opened the restrictions, entered the room. Qingfeng and the others collapsed on chairs, only feeling their backs drenched in cold sweat.