Chapter 504: The Strategy of Luring the Tiger from the Mountain

"Damn it, that old scoundrel Silent Daoist ran so fast!"

"You guys acted too early. I told you before, we should wait until he's outside Dao Seeking Sect before making a move! But no, you attacked the moment he showed his face. I would have run too!"

"Couldn't help it. Too excited seeing an enemy, couldn't hold back."

"So, what should we do now?"

"There is a way, but I'm not sure if it will work."

"What is it?"

"Don't forget, we are part of the marriage proposal team..."

Recalling the barrage of attacks just now, Silent Daoist felt a lingering fear. If he had taken a full round of those, he wasn't sure if he'd just lose a layer of skin or his life.

"And those guys from the merchant guild, is this how they treat customers? I tried to buy insurance, and they wouldn't even sell it to me!" Silent Daoist was quite indignant, thinking those merchant guild members weren't qualified merchants. They wouldn't even earn money, and he wanted to buy the most expensive insurance.

"So this is the correct way to comprehend the Way of the Sword." Lu Yang emerged from his state of enlightenment, feeling his understanding of the Way of the Sword had reached a new level. Young Master Lu, who had fought him to a standstill three months ago, was no longer his match! He opened his eyes and saw his Senior Disciple Sister approaching with a stack of festive red envelopes, which she handed to him.

"What are these?"

"These are invitation letters from marriage proposal teams, hoping to enter Dao Seeking Sect and discuss marriage arrangements with you in person."

Lu Yang casually picked up an invitation. The sender was none other than Baima Temple, a first-rank sect. "...Am I really that popular? If Meng Jingzhou saw this, he'd be so envious he'd grind his back teeth to dust."

"Your popularity is one reason, but the main reason is that they want to enter the sect to find Master."

"Master hasn't left yet?" Lu Yang was surprised. He had thought, given Master's restless nature, he would have left after teaching him. No, 'restless' might not be the right word. When the old man was in prison, he stayed obediently until his sentence was served.

"He was originally going to leave, but he's been blocked at the gate." Frankly, Lu Yang wasn't surprised by this at all; in fact, he felt it was only natural. As far as he knew, information about Master's whereabouts was selling for astronomical prices on the black market, practically priceless. Any slight lead on his movements would be bought up in the shortest time, showing how popular Master was. Similarly, the news of Master's return to the sect would naturally spread in the shortest time. One must remember that Master's enemies were all Integration Stage cultivators, each frighteningly fast in flight. If someone mastered spatial magic, they would arrive even quicker. He now felt that comprehending the Way of the Sword could very well be for the purpose of "guarding." Not guarding others, but primarily guarding himself.

"So, what should we do now?" Seeing the huge stack of invitation letters, Lu Yang felt a headache coming on. These people were here to propose marriage; if they were turned away, Dao Seeking Sect would be in the wrong.

"There are two options," his Senior Disciple Sister said, putting down the invitations and analyzing. "One is to reply to them as soon as possible, agree to let them enter the sect, and find Master. Their goal would then be achieved." Lu Yang shook his head. This option was definitely not acceptable. "What about the second option?"

"Hand Master over."

Lu Yang: "..."

The second option was even worse than the first.

"Isn't Master skilled in transformation techniques? Can't he just transform into someone else and slip away?" His Senior Disciple Sister shook her head, rejecting the idea: "Baima Temple has brought out their sect-guarding treasure, the Demon-Slaying Mirror, which can see through all disguises. Moreover, even if his disguise isn't seen through and Master successfully slips away, they won't know it, and will still be waiting at the gate to propose marriage to you."

"Maybe we should just hand Master over."

Considering that handing Silent Daoist over was an extremely risky endeavor, the two first went to Pill Cauldron Peak to find the Seventh Elder.

"Disciple Niece Yun, Disciple Nephew Lu?" The Seventh Elder was quite surprised to see them, as it was rare for both of them to seek him out at the same time. "Is there something you need?"

Since it concerned Master, Lu Yang couldn't be too direct. He carefully phrased his words: "Suppose, and I mean suppose, there's a very powerful Integration Stage cultivator, but he has many enemies, also all Integration Stage cultivators. This Integration Stage cultivator is unlucky enough to be surrounded by his enemies—perhaps fifty or sixty Integration Stage cultivators. Are there any elixirs that could allow him to survive an attack from all these people?"

Lu Yang hadn't held out much hope, yet to his surprise, the Seventh Elder nodded: "Legend says there was an ancient elixir called the 'Child-Giving Pill.' Disciple Nephew Lu, you've even seen its recipe. As long as this unfortunate Integration Stage cultivator takes the Child-Giving Pill and becomes pregnant, out of humanitarian considerations, the attackers likely wouldn't strike to kill."

"...This Integration Stage cultivator is male. Are there any other methods?"

"You could also pray that he at least retains a complete corpse. After tens or hundreds of thousands of years, the corpse might develop sentience, essentially resurrecting him. But that's just a legend; who knows if it would truly be *him* who revives."

"Is there a more reliable solution?"

"There is. The Integration Stage cultivator you mentioned must be utterly wicked, brimming with evil. Report him to the authorities and have him arrested. While he'd lose his freedom, at least his life would be spared."

Lu Yang and his Senior Disciple Sister thought this was a good idea.

"Oh, you're here," Silent Daoist said, finding Lu Yang and his Senior Disciple Sister in the alchemy room. He also asked the Seventh Elder for several bottles of top-grade healing elixirs. "Just wanted to let you know, I'm leaving."

Lu Yang was greatly startled. He hadn't even resolved himself to righteous indignation and betraying his master, and Master was leaving on his own? "Aren't you afraid of the people at the gate?"

"I definitely can't fight them off, but your Master has another way."

"What way?"

"Your Master will have Eldest Senior Brother leave Dao Seeking Sect and create a commotion in the neighboring state. This will make those people think I've already left Dao Seeking Sect and rush to the neighboring state in a swarm, allowing your Master to seize the opportunity to leave the sect." Silent Daoist chuckled triumphantly. He had roamed the world for two millennia; catching him was nothing but a pipe dream.

Things unfolded exactly as Silent Daoist had planned. The Grand Elder, as the eldest of Dao Seeking Sect's Nine Sons, didn't usually do many things that drew hatred, and at least none of the current marriage proposal teams were his enemies. The Grand Elder went to the neighboring state and, impersonating Silent Daoist, began narrating the latest installment of 'Legends of Dao Seeking Sect — The Meng Jingzhou Chapter.' He recounted how Young Master Meng, despite his immense wealth, maintained his integrity, focused on cultivation, eschewed female company, and even went so far as to place a curse upon himself, making it impossible for him to even see women for a long period, which was deeply admirable. Upon learning that old scoundrel Silent Daoist was in the neighboring state, and considering Silent Daoist's mastery of concealment techniques, the marriage proposal teams didn't doubt the news and immediately set off for the neighboring state. Silent Daoist seized this opportunity and successfully escaped Dao Seeking Sect.

After his Master left, Lu Yang sighed softly. He had considered this method himself, and it was arguably the safest, but he hadn't wanted to use it for his Master. He always felt that letting his Master leave Dao Seeking Sect peacefully would weigh on his conscience.

A few days later, an unexpected person found Lu Yang.

"Senior Brother Lu, would you mind accompanying me on a mission?" Tao Yaoye invited, grinning.