Wait a minute, where is my master?

Last time, our story said,

"Jin Xu disappeared at the entrance of the alley, and the two women cleverly captured a man of the society."

However, just as Little White had frozen the cultivator surnamed Li, preparing for interrogation,

the "Concealing Skill" activated by the little Taoist worked once again, causing both women to forget why they even appeared in this alley.

As for the interrogation, it was completely cast aside and forgotten.

Left with no choice, Jin Xu had to cease his magic and revealed himself in the alleyway.

"Temple master."

As the effects of the "Concealing Skill" dissipated, Little White immediately smelled Jin Xu's scent behind her and turned around exclaiming.

Yu Yaoer, holding up the Heaven-Deceiving Gauze, also turned her head, blinking in confusion.

At the same time, both women regained their lost memories, and the bafflement in their eyes gradually turned to clarity.

"Young master, didn't you leave a message for us to interrogate this... oh, I remember now, we also forgot the message just now."

Yu Yaoer was halfway through speaking when she answered her own lingering question.

"Hmm, it seems that leaving a message to remind you of me doesn't work. I'll have to think of another way in the future; I can't let the hard-learned skill go to waste."

Jin Xu nodded gently, speaking in a soft voice.

He then stepped toward Brother Li, whose lips had turned black due to the cold.

"Heh... heh, so it's you. Those two failures obviously gave themselves away."

The voice of Jingyu Building's assassin shivered.

Now that the influence of Jin Xu's peculiar magic had vanished, his memory had clearly returned.

"Tell me, who at Jingyu Building placed the order, wanting to track my movements?"

The little Taoist stood before this human-shaped ice lolly and asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

He didn't actually expect such a simple question would lead to the truth, but as the saying goes, what if?

After all, Jin Xu himself knew no interrogation techniques; might as well ask casually. If the other party decided to confess directly, then there would be no need to feed him the meal that Little Yu had prepared.

"Considering your strength, you must be a senior expert of the Nine Provinces Realm. Since you know I am a man of Jingyu Building, you should understand the rules of our line of work. Why ask such a silly question?"

Upon hearing this unsurprising answer, the little Taoist sighed softly.

"Sigh—this is you forcing my hand."

He mumbled to himself as he reached for Yu Yaoer beside him.

The Little Fish Demon saw the master's hand and blinked in bewilderment, then intelligence sparked in her eyes.

Next, she pulled out from the ruby bracelet a Profound Iron Pliers with countless serrated edges, glinting with a cold sheen.

"Master, here!"

Yu Yaoer said cheerfully, happy about her telepathy with Jin Xu.

But when the little Taoist turned and saw the Profound Iron Pliers handed to him, he froze for a second and exclaimed, "Little Yu, what the heck is this?!"

"I normally use these pliers for plucking feathers and crushing shells of the ingredients, master. Didn't you want to use torture to extract a confession?"

Yu Yaoer looked at Jin Xu as if to say, did I misunderstand something?

"I did intend to conduct a torture interrogation, but...

And you call this kitchenware?

What family uses such Profound Iron Pliers to pluck feathers from their ingredients?!"

The little Taoist silently retorted in his mind.

Then, staring into Yu Yaoer's eyes, he coughed and began, "Ahem, I meant to ask if you still have any of the food you prepared earlier, that sweet stuff from the secret realm..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Little White's cry of alarm.

"Temple master, something is wrong—the cultivator is bleeding from the mouth!"

Brother Li was a ruthless man indeed. Upon seeing the ferociously shaped Profound Iron Pliers, he did not hesitate to shatter the poison sac in his throat.

In his mind, speaking meant certain death since the Spiritual Sense had already been bound with a prohibition by Jingyu Building when he accepted the mission; leaking even a little information to outsiders would set it off.

Once triggered, his head would explode, much like a rotten watermelon.

If he chose not to speak, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance he would be tortured and then killed.

Since either choice led to death, he might as well take the initiative and suffer less.

After all, the terrifying appearance of the Profound Iron Pliers was indeed too horrifying to bear. As an assassin, he couldn't even begin to imagine how such a device would be used on his body!

"Hmph, since I've chosen this path, I've been prepared for the possibility of failure. I will never %&$%#@...!?"

Brother Li's eyes bulged. He had intended to say some final words as he lay dying, but suddenly found he couldn't move his tongue!

The blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth quickly froze upon contact with the frost on his body. In the blink of an eye, the chill rushed back upward and froze his tongue.

"Young master, what is he saying?"

Yu Yaoer, holding the viciously-shaped "kitchen tool," asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter."

The Taoist's pupils somehow acquired a faint silver sheen.

He focused on the neck of the Jingyu Building assassin. The Body Purification Skill gathered on his left hand and gently he imprinted the magic on the other's shoulder.

"&*%"

Brother Li let out an indistinct roar from his throat and a great sense of relief engulfed him. His body stiffened and then slumped down.

Moments later, he found the poison in his body was gone.

The prohibition inside his Spiritual Sense had disappeared as well!

"You, to me..."

Brother Li had wanted to question Jin Xu about what he had done, but before he could speak, he was interrupted.

"Little White, knock him out and freeze him.

This man isn't even afraid of dying, so it's likely Little Yu's food won't work on him either.

When we set off for Shangjing City later, we'll take him with us. Once there, we'll hand him over to Miss Yunzhao's watchmen. I believe interrogation is more their specialty."

As the Taoist spoke, he inwardly admired the assassin's professional ethics; to avoid betraying his client's information, he had readily given up his own life.

"Understood, temple master."

Shiqi, upon receiving the order, first delivered a heavy punch to the limp Brother Li on the ground, followed by a breath of icy air.

Before the Jingyu Building assassin could even say, "I had no choice before, but now that the prohibition is gone, I can talk!" he was promptly knocked unconscious and frozen.

The Taoist saw his demon pet complete the task and nodded with satisfaction, then turned and walked out of the alley. Along the way, he didn't forget to flick a little flame towards the fallen duo who were stretched out on the ground.

"Leaving them like this isn't right. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Jin Xu murmured to himself before turning his head to instruct the two women.

"Let's go, we're heading to Shangjing City.

Little White, remember to carry the assassin. And Little Yu, put... that kitchen tool away, stop carrying it around."

"Okay, young master/temple master."

The trio, ready to go, quickened their pace as they headed out of Qingmu City.

...

In less than half a cup of tea's time.

A streak of golden light rose from beyond the city, hovering in the mid-air for a moment.

Then it shot fiercely towards the direction of the Great Xia Dynasty!