The shade that was stolen at thirty-one.

Around six o’clock in the evening, the two of them, together with a small group of “various cultivators,” left Luofeng Town, planning to reach Wuyi City before ten that night, and to fly home the next day. At that time, there were still some latecomer cultivators in Luofeng Town conducting transactions, not yet ready to depart.

They ran at full speed until around seven or eight, stopping in a mountain valley. Finding a spot to rest, they sat down and gnawed on chicken burgers for dinner before preparing to set off again. Luo Yu patted the grass off his trousers, stretched lazily, when suddenly a voice drifted over, “Why are you two in such a hurry? This old Taoist had to chase for quite a distance to catch up with you.”

Luo Yu was a bit surprised: Huh, who is that? A Taoist priest? I don’t know him at all…

Qin Yue’s brows knitted tightly. Instantly, he moved to stand by Luo Yu’s side, watching a certain direction with vigilance.

Noting Qin Yue’s reaction, Luo Yu suddenly realized that trouble might have come looking for them because of the spiritual herb at the market—they’d been targeted. But they’d already spent all their spirit stones, so there was nothing left to steal… Unless this person was interested in Qin Yue’s bracelet? That was a real treasure! He hadn’t seen any for sale in town, only some dull storage pouches, nowhere near as good as the one he wore around his own neck. Thinking of this, Luo Yu started to feel nervous as well.

As he hesitated, a thin figure appeared: The man wore a Taoist robe, held a horsetail whisk, looked to be thirty or forty, and was quite handsome. However, the aura about him was strange and deeply unsettling.

Seeing the two of them on guard, the Taoist laughed elegantly and spoke in a warm tone, “There’s no need for alarm, young friends. My Taoist name is Master Xi Hua, a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator, not some common robber.”

Master Xi Hua? Luo Yu found the name odd, but Qin Yue asked coldly, “What do you want?”

Master Xi Hua laughed again with easy grace. “From the moment I saw you in Luofeng Town, I was captivated by your bearing. I’d like to invite you both to my abode for a chat about cultivation and the Dao, to drink and make merry. Surely that would be a pleasure in life.”

Qin Yue replied, “Sorry, we have urgent matters and must take our leave.” With that, he pulled Luo Yu to go.

But the Taoist moved in a blur, blocking their path. “Why are you in such a rush to refuse? Though I am not extraordinary, I have some insights into cultivation. Making my acquaintance would surely benefit you both.”

Qin Yue was furious but, knowing the opponent was stronger, could only reply coldly, “Not interested. Move aside.”

The Taoist’s expression darkened at that. “Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. With your cultivation, neither of you can match me. You’d best reconsider, lest I lose control and harm you—I would feel terrible about it.”

At last Luo Yu understood: This was an attempted abduction! They were being targeted for their looks!

While Luo Yu was still in shock, Qin Yue had already acted, summoning his flying sword and slashing fiercely at the Taoist.

The Taoist dodged aside, his face turning sinister. “You refuse the road to heaven and barge into hell—originally I meant to treat you gently, but now I’ll be sure you taste the consequences!”

With that, he flicked his whisk, sending a dense pink mist rolling toward them.

Qin Yue growled, “Hold your breath and run!” Shoving Luo Yu a dozen meters away, he threw up an illusory cloud shield, quickly forming a spell. In a flash, the cloud transformed into a mass of water vapor and crashed into the pink mist. The collision exploded with a bang, scattering grass and earth, and sent Qin Yue staggering back several paces.

The Taoist exclaimed, “A mere Qi Refining cultivator with such a treasure! Still, in your hands this artifact is wasted. Once I subdue this prickly little beauty, it will make a fine dowry—hey! You sneak-attacked me!?”

Luo Yu had circled back unseen, relying on his spiritual sense which rivaled a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s. The old Taoist never sensed him, and Luo Yu stabbed him in the waist with his sword. Unfortunately, the Taoist was protected by magic, so no bones were broken, but the pain was enough to make him howl.

Luo Yu crowed, “You pervert! My beauty Qin has already been claimed by me!”

Seeing him reappear, Qin Yue was furious, “I told you to run—why did you come back? Planning to get intimate with this creep?”

The old Taoist, wounded by a mere fifth-level Qi Refining junior, was livid, blood seeping from his features. “You little brat! Fine, then! I won’t bother with gentleness—time for you both to learn a lesson!” With that, he summoned a flying sword, forming a seal with two fingers. The sword shot toward Luo Yu, swift as a gale.

Luo Yu had been ready since the Taoist began the spell. As the sword approached, he charged forward with his own. The two swords clashed with a clear ring; Luo Yu’s was sent spinning into the grass. The Taoist’s sword, slightly deflected, slashed past Luo Yu’s arm, drawing blood and filling his nose with the scent of iron. He thought, Well, the old Taoist just got his investment back with that strike.

The Taoist didn’t hesitate; his sword wheeled around for another attack, but Qin Yue’s flying sword knocked it aside. The Taoist was growing frantic—after three exchanges, he still hadn’t subdued two mere juniors. If word got out, it would be a disgrace! There must be something unusual about these two—both could sense his flying sword and track it. He needed to investigate them thoroughly.

While the Taoist was thus distracted, Qin Yue’s fighting spirit flared. When his sword was knocked aside, he channeled his power into a fire blade and hacked wildly at the Taoist. The Taoist allowed the attacks to land on his magical shield, utterly unimpressed.

Seeing that his power couldn’t break through, Qin Yue summoned his flying sword for another assault. The Taoist twisted his fingers into a new seal; the sword spun in midair and this time shot toward Qin Yue’s back.

Luo Yu saw the sword’s trajectory and was alarmed—the Taoist was going for the kill!

He had no time to retrieve his own sword. Quickly, he pulled out a half-used talisman and poured all his power into it. At first, Luo Yu had to channel energy himself, but soon the talisman began to draw power from him directly. In a flash, he was drained dry.

Still unsatisfied, the talisman flared with white light. In an instant, a semi-transparent white serpent burst forth, and Luo Yu suddenly felt a strange connection to it. He shouted, “Go!” The serpent lunged at the flying sword, its tail flicking the weapon aside so hard it nearly fell to the ground.

Emboldened, Luo Yu barked, “Bite him!”

The white serpent opened its maw and turned to sink its fangs into the Taoist. The Taoist, unfazed, sneered, “So the brat has spirit stones to burn—using a soul talisman at the Qi Refining stage, what a waste.” With that, he blasted the serpent aside with a single power-infused palm, dispersing it completely.

That blow broke Luo Yu’s heart. He’d treasured that talisman for so long, and it couldn’t even withstand a single attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. How infuriating!

The Taoist, triumphant, strode over to Luo Yu, seized his chin, and said, “If you were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that little trick might have worked. But as things stand, you are both in the palm of my hand. Submit, and I’ll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Luo Yu, utterly drained, couldn’t break free. Was he really about to be forced into something so disgusting? Should he fight to the death, or swallow his pride and wait for a chance to escape?

Before he could decide, Qin Yue made the choice for him, driving his flying sword toward the Taoist’s back.

This time, the Taoist lost all patience. With a wave of his hand, an immense wave of power crashed into Qin Yue’s chest, sending him flying over ten meters and leaving him sprawled on the ground, unable to get up.

“Qin Yue!” Luo Yu cried, struggling desperately. The Taoist released him, and Luo Yu rushed to Qin Yue’s side, holding him up and forcing a healing herb into his mouth. The herb, found in an ancient formation, helped staunch blood and heal wounds. Normally it would be refined into a pill, but there was no time for that now.

The Taoist clicked his tongue as he walked over, gloating, “Who knew the little beauty was hiding so many treasures. I’ve truly struck gold today.”

But before Luo Yu could despair, a strange and alluring voice called out, “Oh? What’s this? Some bastard is harming the young!”

The voice was husky and seductive, with an odd accent.

Qin Yue and Luo Yu immediately perked up.

The Taoist was startled. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

In response, a figure materialized on the grass ten meters away: tall, perfect, golden-haired and blue-eyed, with flawless features and a noble, elegant smile—a presence that declared, “I am nobility!” It was the vampire they’d met in the weapon shop, the one who had stared at Luo Yu in fascination.

The Taoist snarled, “Foreign savage! How dare you meddle?”

He sent his flying sword hurtling at the vampire’s chest. The sword pierced straight through with a “pfft,” but the vampire didn’t even flinch. He looked down at the sword, smiled elegantly at Luo Yu, and said, “Good evening, sir. My name is Lampes. I believe you’ll remember me—we met briefly in Luofeng Town.”

Luo Yu could only respond, dazed, “Hi. Hello.”

The Taoist was stunned. He tried to control the sword again, but the vampire seized it, calmly pulling it from his own chest, gazing at it as if it were a lover. “It’s beautiful,” he murmured, “even more so than when I saw it in town.”

The Taoist was now completely unnerved. He hurled a cloud of pink mist at the vampire, who sniffed it and said, “Is this… an aphrodisiac? Oh heavens, to use that on me—how embarrassing! I assure you, I have no need of such things.”

Utterly panicked, the Taoist began to gather his power for another attack. The vampire, realizing the time for composure had passed, teleported behind him. Suddenly, wickedly sharp claws extended from his fingers, and with a single swipe, the Taoist was shredded—reduced to a pile of bloody meat.

Seeing this, Luo Yu vomited on the spot.

The vampire wrinkled his nose and stepped away, still perfectly graceful. “I am from England,” he announced, “a lover of art and peace—a Toreador noble. I know I look a mess right now, but I still hope to leave you with a good impression. This sword is exquisite, but now ownerless—perhaps you wouldn’t mind if I kept it?”

Luo Yu steadied himself and replied, “I don’t mind at all.”

By now Qin Yue had recovered somewhat, struggled to his feet, and stood protectively in front of Luo Yu. “Please keep your distance,” he said coldly.

Only then did the vampire look at Qin Yue, examining his stance with interest. Suddenly, he laughed. “There’s no need to be so tense. I mean you no harm. I once swore to my lover never to harm humans—well, except when feeding. But I’m not hungry right now.”

Qin Yue remained wary. “Thank you for your help. We’ll be going now.” With that, he grabbed Luo Yu to leave.

Luo Yu, now fully composed, whispered, “Storage pouch—the old Taoist had a storage pouch.”

Qin Yue nodded. Together, they walked to the pile of flesh, and, unfazed, used a spell to search through the bloody remains. Suddenly, a green light shot out, darting straight to the vampire.

The vampire was intrigued. “Fireflies? This time of year?” He reached out and caught it.

The green light immediately let out a wail, “Please, young friends, save me! I meant you no harm! Immortal sirs, spare me!”

Luo Yu realized in shock: The Taoist wasn’t dead yet!

The vampire, curious, conjured a small flame at his fingertip. With a sizzle, the green light was burned away.

Qin Yue and Luo Yu watched blankly. The vampire, with an innocent shrug, said, “I was just curious to see if fire would hurt it.”

End of Chapter 31 – The Abduction.