Mortal Bones

"Take your time, take your time, Young Friend Taiping. Please come inside and after a hearty meal, we can discuss this matter," Mr. Yashan said with a smile, gesturing for Xu Taiping to enter.

"No need," Xu Taiping shook his head, his gaze unwavering as he extended his hand. "Hand it over."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yashan's face immediately darkened.

"Xu Taiping, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit," Mr. Yashan said, placing his hand on his abdomen and looking at Xu Taiping with a threatening gaze.

The two charming maidservants, at this moment, also closed the gate, standing on either side of Xu Taiping, forming a circle around him.

"I'm not interested in the Yunlou Society," Xu Taiping replied, shaking his head. He now placed his hand on the long sword at his waist, and his true energy began to surge through his body, flowing through his meridians like a rushing river.

A powerful aura instantly spread throughout the courtyard.

Although Xu Taiping's cultivation progress wasn't rapid, it was steady and firm. Each strand of his true energy had been refined dozens of times, and his meridians were nurtured by his energy every day.

Now, he was like a small yet incredibly hard stone.

"Hahaha..."

At that moment, Mr. Yashan suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

"Since Young Friend Taiping does not wish to enjoy this meal, I won't force you," Mr. Yashan said, turning his attention to the house. "Old Qian, go bring the little monkey out and return it to Young Friend Taiping."

Hearing this, Xu Taiping furrowed his brows, suspiciously watching Mr. Yashan. His instincts told him this situation was far from simple.

However, what surprised Xu Taiping was that the servant, named Old Qian, safely brought out the little monkey and handed it back into his arms. Throughout the process, Mr. Yashan didn't show any unusual behavior.

"Young Friend Taiping, since you don't wish to stay, I won't keep you," Mr. Yashan said, smiling as he cupped his hands in a polite gesture toward Xu Taiping. Then, without a word, he turned and entered the house.

"Chirp chirp..."

The little monkey, now in Xu Taiping's arms, seemed a bit anxious and clung to his arm.

"It's fine. Let's go home," Xu Taiping reassured, patting the little monkey as his expression returned to normal. He began walking toward the courtyard gate.

"Take care, Young Master."

Before Xu Taiping reached the gate, the two maidservants, with bright smiles, bid him farewell.

"Taiping, be careful behind you!"

At that moment, Lingyue Fairy's voice rang out in Xu Taiping's mind.

Without a second thought, Xu Taiping quickly infused his true energy into the Golden Bell Talisman in his hand. A golden bell-shaped light shield immediately enveloped his body.

"Clang!"

Almost simultaneously, a sound like a bell ringing echoed as the sword aimed at Xu Taiping from behind struck the golden shield.

Turning around, Xu Taiping saw that Mr. Yashan had appeared behind him and was stabbing a sword covered in sword light directly at him. Upon closer inspection, the sword, wrapped in a blade of light, had already pierced through the golden shield and was nearly pressing against Xu Taiping's body.

When had Mr. Yashan appeared?

Xu Taiping's face showed confusion. He had clearly just seen Mr. Yashan enter the house.

"Snap!"

However, there was no time for Xu Taiping to think further. He quickly pushed off the ground with his toes, causing the earth to sink beneath him as he used the force to propel himself backward.

"Shush!"

Before his feet even touched the ground, the two maidservants, who had previously been smiling, suddenly pulled short swords from their sleeves. One moved left, the other right, and they both aimed their blades at Xu Taiping.

Clearly, this was a premeditated attack.

"Clang!"

Xu Taiping crushed another Golden Bell Talisman.

"Bang!"

Thanks to his quick reflexes, the Golden Bell Talisman blocked the attack of the two maidservants once again.

However, what made Xu Taiping feel a sense of dread was that the Mr. Yashan, who had just been chasing him, had now mysteriously disappeared from his sight.

"Boom!"

When Xu Taiping looked again, Mr. Yashan had appeared behind him and struck a palm at his back.

"Bang!"

The palm strike was incredibly fierce, and the energy condensed into a blade-like force that slammed into the Golden Bell Shield surrounding Xu Taiping.

"Snap!"

The shield only held for a few moments before it shattered.

This low-grade Golden Bell Talisman was a one-time use item, and it couldn't resist sustained attacks.

"Shush!"

At the same time, Mr. Yashan vanished again, and the two maidservants attacked once more with their short swords aimed at Xu Taiping's back. The timing was perfectly calculated.

"Clang!"

Xu Taiping crushed yet another Golden Bell Talisman.

Once again, he blocked the two maidservants' lethal strikes.

This was his last Golden Bell Talisman, but rather than feeling regret or panic, Xu Taiping's eyes showed a flash of realization.

From the previous two attacks, he had deduced that Mr. Yashan's disappearing act wasn't due to speed but because he was using some kind of invisibility artifact.

Even if you have an invisibility artifact, you must appear when you strike, right?

As Xu Taiping thought this, he formed a circle with his thumb and index finger in his sleeve.

"Boom!"

As expected, just after the Golden Bell Talisman blocked the maidservants' strikes, Mr. Yashan appeared behind Xu Taiping once again, delivering a palm strike that shattered the already cracked Golden Bell Shield.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the shield shattered.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Mr. Yashan let out a cold laugh. From behind, he revealed another hand holding a long sword flashing with sword light, aiming it at Xu Taiping's back.

"Boom!"

But just as he struck, a powerful explosion of energy rang out, and a wind wall barrier spread out from Xu Taiping's body.

This wind wall, of course, came from Xu Taiping's Cangluan Ring.

"Crack!"

The wind wall was incredibly sturdy and caused the sword in Mr. Yashan's hand to snap.

"Shush!"

Terrified, Mr. Yashan attempted to vanish and escape, but Xu Taiping had already drawn his sword, and with a powerful slash of steel, he aimed at Mr. Yashan's neck.

Just as the sword was about to sever Mr. Yashan's head, a jade pendant flew from around his neck and quickly transformed into a shield.

"Bang!"

Although the jade pendant shattered instantly, Mr. Yashan managed to escape.

"What are you still standing there for? Attack together!"

Mr. Yashan, now rolling and scrambling away, shouted in a panic.

"Shush, shush, shush, shush..."

Before he finished speaking, the sounds of unsheathing blades rang out from outside the courtyard. Four or five shadows, radiating strong auras, rushed into the courtyard and charged toward Xu Taiping.

Clearly, there was an ambush hidden in Peach Garden Ridge.