Chen Shi paid them no heed and continued forward.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm, and a woman’s voice came from behind, exclaiming, "Caught you! It was you who pushed Master Qian down. I saw it! Come with me to the Lu Ban Sect, and you’ll pay with your life!"
As the woman seized his arm, Chen Shi swiftly countered by grabbing her wrist and pressing down on her elbow joint.
Simultaneously, in the palm of his other hand, the Five Thunders Skill was already activated, with lightning chaotically darting between his fingers!
This was a spell he had recently diligently practiced, specifically for dealing with the advanced adepts—those with Golden Cores and Nascent Souls.
His fingers corresponded to the five thunders of heaven, earth, water, dragon, and society. His middle and ring fingers touched the base of his thumb, and his little finger and index finger stood erect, forming the Beidi Seal.
The so-called Beidi referred to the Beiji Emperor, Marshal Tian Peng, and it was the orthodox practice within the Thunder Law.
Having mastered the Five Thunders Skill, he had yet to test its might; at this moment, invoking the skill, he inwardly regretted not snatching the little girl’s candied haw stick. Otherwise, the bamboo skewer would now be piercing the intruder’s head.
He was as quick as he could manage, but casting a spell was always slower than direct action, after all.
The woman wore a smile on her face, dressed in a green Scholar’s Daoist robe, with a black silk belt tied around her waist and an Advanced Scholar’s cap on her head. The cap was quite peculiar—entirely black with a rod sticking out at the back that curved upwards at both ends, quivering up and down as she moved, which was quite noticeable.
The woman’s smile had yet to fade as she hurriedly exclaimed, "Brother Chen, stop! It’s me, Hu Feifei. Don’t you recognize me?"
Upon closer inspection of the Scholar’s face, Chen Shi realized it was Hu Feifei in men’s clothing, including a man’s headdress.
He hurriedly dissipated the Five Thunders Skill and let go of Hu Feifei’s hand, relieved that it wasn’t a candied haw in his hand, or the Hu family girl’s head would have been skewered by now.
Hu Feifei rubbed her wrist, completely oblivious that had she called out a moment later, her soul would have departed for paradise. She joked, "Brother Chen, you react too quickly, Your counter was immediate when I was just joking."
Black Pot moved away from the little girl and returned to Chen Shi’s side, looking at Hu Feifei with sympathy.
The entire Hu family had been kowtowing so hard behind the gates of the underworld that their foreheads turned blue, just to save her young life.
Chen Shi asked, puzzled, "Weren’t you in Xinxiang? How did you come to Yudou?"
Still massaging her hand, Hu Feifei complained, "You’re really strong; my wrist is swollen from your grip... Wasn’t I taking the Scholar exams? There was a Demon Transformation in Gongzhou, the officials were eaten by the demon head, so the exams weren’t held, but somehow I still passed. I took a fancy to a scholar in Gongzhou and intended to get close to him; he passed the Scholar exam too. I heard he came to Yudou to eliminate evil spirits and earn money for the Advanced Scholar exam in the Western Capital, so I followed him here."
Walking alongside her, Chen Shi curiously inquired, "Which Scholar caught your eye?"
"Sun Zheng, from your room," Hu Feifei replied.
Chen Shi thought for a moment. At the inn in Gongzhou, there indeed was a scholar surnamed Sun sharing his room, though he hadn’t paid much attention at the time.
Hu Feifei continued, "There are an especially large number of evil spirits around Yudou, especially in recent days, an unreasonable amount. Sun Zheng has been exorcising spirits in the countryside and has made quite a bit of money. I’ve been observing him in secret and find him knowledgeable, skilled, and ambitious. He is sure to top the Advanced Scholar’s list next year! When he came to Yudou City, I followed."
"What about Sun Zheng?" he asked.
With a touch of melancholy, Hu Feifei said, "He’s visiting the brothels."
Chen Shi was astonished.
Kicking pebbles on the street, Hu Feifei said, "Seeing how hard he’s been working, I mustered the courage to meet him in the city. Under the charm of my Fox Clan, that little scholar would fall easily into my hands, right? Then I saw him enter Rouge Lane. Many days have passed and he has not come out."
She grew increasingly forlorn, adding, "He must have gotten lost, I guess."
Chen Shi turned his head and saw that the exit from Rouge Lane was right behind.
"Turn around there," he pointed out.
"It’s a metaphor, a metaphor!"
Hu Feifei argued, "Rouge Lane has several streets! It’s connected all over, with lots of brothels. He must have gotten lost."
She sighed and then suddenly chuckled, "I’m over it. Mr. Sun is not my type; I don’t give a damn! I was planning to leave, then heard the city walls couldn’t be built due to an evil spirit underground, so I came to check it out. That’s when I saw you knocking Master Qian off. You left so quickly, I just followed, only to find out you also frequent the red-light district!"
She looked at Chen Shi with a half smile, adding, "Men can visit, so can I! We’ve strolled through the night market together, slept together at Wencai Academy, taken the Scholar and Scholar exams together, and now we can visit a brothel together—a curious turn of events! Which girl caught your eye? I’ll help you haggle, promise to halve the price. I’ll save you money!"
Chen Shi shook his head, "I’m here to eliminate evil spirits."
Hu Feifei, surprised, asked, "Evil spirits? In the city?"
Chen Shi’s gaze flickered, and he smiled, "There’s a major evil spirit in this city, about to become a real problem."
He walked out of that Rouge Lane and entered another one, flanked by brothels, looking all too familiar with the place, which left Hu Feifei open-mouthed in astonishment.
"Brother Chen, how many days have you played here?"
Hu Feifei caught up to him, inquisitively noting, "You must live here, right? How come you know these streets so well?"
Chen Shi suddenly stopped, looking towards a large, deep residence.
Hu Feifei nearly ran into his back, quickly halting and following his gaze. She saw the serene and profound courtyard.