The Second Trial of Danbong

At the entrance of Linxian Auction House, Qin Ran suddenly transformed into a puddle of water and disappeared. Not long after, a dashing young nobleman in luxurious attire emerged from the auction house and walked straight to the spot where the puddle had been, carefully investigating.

"A water clone?" He pondered for a moment and said, "Seems like it's that Master You. Unique alchemy techniques, insidious water-based cultivation methods..."

"What name is he going by this time?" he inquired.

"The reply, Young Master Yang..." A middle-aged man with a beard under his chin behind him hurriedly responded, "...is Sun Wukong."

"Sun Wukong?" Young Master Yang smiled. "He's mocking us. Appearing out of thin air, then disappearing into thin air... Does he want us to think about the 'void' in his name?"

"Those two individuals from last time also vanished into thin air, as if they never existed in this world," Young Master Yang observed as he looked at the shrinking water stain on the ground. "This person truly possesses some extraordinary means."

"Young Master, his appearance here was a clone, but from the moment he left the auction house until the completion of the item transaction, he could only be the true body. Therefore, he must have replaced the clone at some point after the transaction," analyzed the middle-aged man with a beard.

"Uncle Zhang, where did he go after completing the transaction?" Young Master Yang asked.

"To Old Mo's place..." nodded Uncle Zhang, instantly understanding Young Master Yang's meaning. It appeared that Master You had made some arrangements at Old Mo's place.

Just then, a young man dressed as a servant walked out of the auction house. He hurriedly approached Young Master Yang and whispered in his ear, "Old Mo is dead."

"How did he die?" Young Master Yang's expression remained unchanged; this was within his expectations.

"He died from poisoning."

"Poisoning?" This surprised Young Master Yang a little because poisons were not commonly used among mortals, let alone in the cultivation world.

The efficiency of using poison to kill in the cultivation world is not high...

But upon further thought, it made sense since Old Mo was an alchemist.

"It's a combination of poisons," the servant replied. "Old Mo was initially affected by a killing poison, which caused his spirit to go awry, rendering him unable to use his mana. Then, another type of toxin erupted, instantly corrupting his entire body."

Young Master Yang became interested and led the two men to the pill identification area of the Linxian Auction House. Once there, he cleared out the others and employed a certain eye technique, his eyes shining as he examined Old Mo from head to toe.

He quickly spotted a mark on Old Mo's clothes.

"This is where the poisoning occurred," he said, instructing the servant to cut out the mark.

"It's snake poison..." After examining it, he made his final judgment and smiled. "A snake poison infused with a malevolent aura and capable of rotting flesh. I believe this kind of snake is quite rare."

At the same time, in a certain location outside Linxian City, Qin Ran's figure suddenly materialized from the air. After confirming that no one had followed him, he turned around and bumped into a formation...

And when he emerged from the other side of this formation, he had transformed into a handsome young boy.

Then, with a display of his agility, the wind stirred, and stepping on the wind, he swiftly headed in a direction and disappeared.

How did Qin Ran manage to leave Linxian Auction House?

In fact, it was not much different from what Young Master Yang had guessed. After completing the transaction with the auction house, Qin Ran first poisoned Older Mo, then took the opportunity of opening the door to use the Illusory as Flowers in the Mirror, Moon Reflected in the Water technique to summon a clone. At the same time, his true body transformed into water like a dreamlike illusion and used the Art of Escaping like Flowing Water to conceal himself in the air.

Qin Ran particularly liked the Art of Escaping like Flowing Water because of its ability to merge with water, making it a divine technique for survival... especially after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, his understanding of the Art of Escaping like Flowing Water reached a higher level.

For example, the air contains a low but not negligible amount of water.

He could now sense this water and merge his body with it using his techniques.

In an instant, he employed three different techniques, replacing the clone right under Young Master Yang's nose, and escaped from the Linxian Auction House and Linxian City.

After all the commotion, Qin Ran returned to his disguise as a Buddhist monk and arrived at Dan Peak.

When he arrived at Dan Peak, he suddenly noticed that the lights were still on in the wooden house's living room and the corridor.

On the grassy ground in front of the wooden house, there was a fearsome giant snake coiled up, constantly spitting venom at him; a cute tiger crouched down, revealing a row of milk teeth; and a sword-wielding young girl sitting there, exuding a strong killing intent.

It was almost dawn... Qin Ran walked over and asked in confusion, "Who are you guys?"

"Is he the master?" The sword-wielding young girl turned to the cute tiger and asked.

The cute tiger nodded seriously and said, "Yes..."

As a result, the young girl drew her sword and pointed at Qin Ran, saying, "Master... cough, no, Qin Ran, the three of us have decided to pass judgment on you!"

"What? What is this about?" Qin Ran almost thought he was hallucinating. This is...

Is Louis XVI about to be sent to the guillotine?

"Are you planning to rebel against me?" he asked.

"Cough!" Li Shiyin suddenly became a little flustered. She looked at Chasing the Wind and found that Chasing the Wind no longer dared to show his teeth and his eyes were avoiding her gaze. Then she looked at Long Qiqi. Long Qiqi's body was huge and quite terrifying, and her eyes signaled Long Qiqi to speak.

But Long Qiqi acted as if she couldn't see her signaling, her snake head facing forward, occasionally letting out sharp roars to show that she was still alive.

"Ah...cough!" Since she couldn't rely on anyone, Li Shiyin had to rely on herself. She calmed her mind and said to Qin Ran, "Master...I mean, Qin Ran! Considering that you always stay up at night and go out to do bad things...which is very dangerous, and Dan Peak doesn't encourage it... we have decided to pass judgment on you!"

"Oh... I see!" Qin Ran nodded, knowing what these three troublemakers were up to.

He glanced at Chasing the Wind, who dared not meet his gaze... he was sure this little guy was responsible for the mischief.

Qin Ran took off the monk's headband, held it in his hand, and slowly transformed back to his original appearance. He sat down on a chair facing the three youngsters and said, "Go on, I'm listening."

"Engaging in dangerous activities goes against Dan Peak's humanistic, values, and moral perspectives, which are strictly prohibited by the peak's rules..." Li Shiyin straightened her chest, encouraged herself, and continued, "Therefore, we have decided to impose a punishment on you..."

"What kind of punishment?" Qin Ran asked.

"A punishment..." Li Shiyin instantly deflated, how could she dare to mention punishing her master?

"House arrest!" Fortunately, Long Qiqi was reliable. At a critical moment, he transformed into human form and sharply exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "This time it's a warning. You'll be confined for a month!"

"You want to confine me?" Qin Ran asked with a smile.

With that, Long Qiqi's anger dissipated.

Qin Ran stood up, and the three little ones took a step back together. This group of disorganized people immediately fell into chaos. Li Shiyin's chair fell, and she tumbled to the ground. Chasing the Wind stood up but assumed a posture of escape. As for the little girl Long Qiqi, she was so frightened that she sat down on her bottom.

"You're going to pass judgment on me with your current state?" Qin Ran shook his head and sneered, "Go wash up and go to bed!"

Saying that, he walked towards the wooden house.

At this moment, Chasing the Wind let out a loud roar...

"Roar!"

Qin Ran sensed a gust of evil wind. Before he could turn around, a heavy object pounced on his shoulders. Then, two fangs bit into the back of his neck.

...It was a sneak attack from the Tiger Clan, engraved in their souls!