Laozi is renowned for his speed.

"Yes."

Li Zhuang dared not disobey the order and nodded hastily.

Xu Mu paid no further attention to this Qian Lang and, together with Xu Ningbing, walked deeper into the mountains.

Even with Li Zhuang leading the way ahead, Xu Mu still spread his senses, scanning the surroundings.

Following the mountain path for about a kilometer, Xu Mu discovered a bound woman sitting inside a cave.

Upon seeing this woman, Xu Mu was somewhat surprised. It seemed he and Xu Ningbing had meddled in something unnecessary this time.

Because the woman sitting in the cave was someone Xu Mu had met before.

This woman was two or three years older than Xu Mu, with shoulder-length hair parted four-six.

Her exposed fair neck was like that of a swan.

She wore large silver earrings, and her eyes were sharp, giving off an aura of a mature, domineering sister.

This person was none other than the intermediate-level Cleaner they had encountered at the Jiuli Clan burial grounds, Ren Sangsang.

He remembered how this woman had unhesitatingly called him 'Daddy' back then.

She was someone who could accept defeat gracefully, something Xu Mu rather admired.

An intermediate-level Cleaner being captured was clearly intentional; she was likely on a mission.

If Xu Mu were alone, he might have just left.

But with Xu Ningbing by his side, Xu Mu felt he should see this through properly.

"Big brother, sister-in-law, she's in the cave up ahead."

Li Zhuang pointed into the distance as he spoke.

Hearing this form of address, Xu Ningbing always felt her cheeks grow slightly warm.

"Let's go, we'll check the cave."

Xu Mu glanced at Xu Ningbing and then took the lead towards the cave.

Xu Ningbing immediately nodded and hurriedly followed behind Xu Mu.

The two arrived at the cave entrance and spotted the person inside.

Ren Sangsang, who had been clenching her fist ready to shatter the ropes, saw that the person before her was Xu Mu.

Xu Ningbing looked at this woman; she was indeed very beautiful. She was just about to go and untie the ropes when Xu Mu grabbed her.

"Xu Mu!"

Seeing the man before her, Ren Sangsang's eyes were full of astonishment.

Although she hadn't watched Jiang Huihui's martial arts competition for marriage, she had heard plenty of rumors.

For instance, that Jiang Huihui's fiancé was powerful, could paint, and, crucially, was an alchemist.

As a fellow intermediate-level Cleaner, Ren Sangsang was certainly envious.

Although she wasn't deeply acquainted with Jiang Huihui, her curiosity was piqued to no end about Jiang Huihui marrying such a fine man.

After some investigation, she discovered this person was precisely the Xu Mu she had met in the ruins.

"You know each other?"

Xu Ningbing narrowed her eyes slightly, then shot a glare at Xu Mu. This guy really knew a lot of women.

"Sis, this is an intermediate-level Cleaner. She's probably on a mission."

Xu Mu explained.

"Cleaner?"

Hearing this, Xu Ningbing relaxed a little.

She had heard Xu Shou mention this organization before; essentially, they were like police officers in the ancient martial arts world.

So that meant these two bad guys had been targeted by the Cleaners.

"What are you two doing here?"

Ren Sangsang asked, puzzled.

"We were training in the mountains and happened to run into two people who intended us harm."

Xu Mu gave a rough account of what happened.

Hearing this, black characters floated above Ren Sangsang's head.

[Favorability +10]

She hadn't expected this Xu Mu to be quite chivalrous, specifically asking where they had tied the person up and coming here to rescue her.

Seeing this, she grew even more envious of Jiang Huihui for having such a man.

She was the opposite of Jiang Huihui.

Jiang Huihui didn't want to get married, but she was very anxious to marry herself off. That home of hers was utterly unbearable.

"You two should head back. Our Sanitation Department has had our eyes on them for half a month. The person coming this time should be a big shot."

Ren Sangsang said to Xu Mu, "He definitely knows the current hiding place of the Yin-Yang Sect. Our Cleaners plan to round them all up in one go."

"Do you have backup? According to what that guy said earlier, the one coming is an elder."

Xu Mu asked with concern, because within his sensory range, aside from Ren Sangsang, there was no one else.

"I have a positioning system on me. Pressing it will summon help. But my original intention was to capture this person alone."

Ren Sangsang said calmly.

"Alright."

Xu Mu nodded, then turned and left with Xu Ningbing.

Originally, he had considered taking Li Zhuang and Qian Lang back to the Sanitation Department.

But since the Cleaners had been watching them for so long, they surely couldn't escape, so he didn't bother with them anymore.

Xu Mu and Xu Ningbing retraced their steps. After about ten minutes of walking, Xu Mu suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing Xu Mu's unusual behavior, Xu Ningbing immediately asked.

Within Xu Mu's sensory range just now, a person had flashed by rapidly.

Moreover, the other's face and arms were almost covered in blue light spots.

From that fleeting glimpse, Xu Mu could conclude that the opponent was at least at the mid-stage of the Divine Ability realm, most likely late-stage.

Facing such a master, Ren Sangsang might be finished before the other Cleaners could arrive.

"The opponent is elder-level. I'm afraid Ren Sangsang is no match for him."

Xu Mu said gravely, "I want to go back and help."

Xu Ningbing patted Xu Mu's shoulder. "Let's go together."

Xu Mu hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently.

There was still some distance to the main road, and he wasn't comfortable letting Xu Ningbing return alone.

...

Meanwhile, Ren Sangsang sat with her head lowered in the cave. Looking at Xu Mu's departing back, she began thinking about her own affairs again.

She deeply despised the atmosphere in her family and had long wanted to leave home.

But no matter what, she was an intermediate-level Cleaner, someone who had reached the peak of the Gang Qi realm in her twenties.

She couldn't just marry anyone offhandedly.

Just as she was lost in thought, a gaunt-faced old man appeared at the cave entrance.

His sunken eye sockets were deeply unsettling.

"Excellent! It seems Qian Lang deserves a heavy reward this time, finding such a beauty for me."

Cao Jiutian's eyes were full of admiration.

He walked into the cave, approaching Ren Sangsang.

As soon as he reached out his hand, Ren Sangsang released her Gang Qi, instantly shattering the ropes.

Swish!

The dagger behind Ren Sangsang shot out like lightning, piercing through Cao Jiutian's palm.

"Tsk!"

Cao Jiutian sucked in a sharp breath, his figure instantly retreating outside the cave entrance. "Seeking death!"

He slapped his palm towards the cave entrance.

Boom!

With a loud roar, the entire cave shattered, earth and stones flying everywhere.

Ren Sangsang's figure was sent flying backward, crashing onto a hillside in the distance.

However, at this moment, Ren Sangsang had two transparent, water-like talismans, each the size of a shield, one in front and one behind her.

The talisman in front blocked Cao Jiutian's attack, the one behind mitigated the impact damage from the crash.

"You actually know talismans! Are you from the Talisman Dao Sect? I heard the Talisman Dao Sect has become the lapdog of the state?"

Cao Jiutian's expression was somewhat disdainful.

"Cut the crap! I am an intermediate-level Cleaner from the Sanitation Department. You scum from the Yin-Yang Sect, surrender now and I'll spare your life!"

Ren Sangsang snorted coldly.

"Hahaha! An ant! Just you?"

Cao Jiutian, holding a dagger, suddenly vanished.

Ren Sangsang quickly looked around, but the next moment, Cao Jiutian attacked from the side.

After merely three consecutive exchanges, Cao Jiutian's dagger stabbed into Ren Sangsang's shoulder.

Swish!

Cao Jiutian once again darted away to a distance of ten meters, chuckling darkly, "My dagger is coated with Spring Night Grass."

"What?"

Ren Sangsang's face turned pale. She swiftly pulled the dagger out and threw it to the ground.

She said coldly, "I've already alerted the other Cleaners. There's absolutely no way you'll escape."

"Escape? You're the one who won't escape. Old me is known for my speed. I could have my way with you three times in a minute. By the time they get here, I'll already be in my post-clarity mode, ready to go home and sleep."

Cao Jiutian grinned, "Come to think of it, I've never tasted a Cleaner before."