Chapter 337 147: Tender Master, Fierce Disciple

'But I can't let the knowledge of explosives and gunsmithing spread to the other natives.'

'I'll have to give some serious thought to the specifics of how to go about this.'

「Three more days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Xu Lei and Qing Lian had rented a house in this city and settled down.

On the surface, they presented themselves to the public as a sister and brother who had come from another town to settle here.

Every day, aside from refining the Demon Core from his past life and performing his daily Cultivation, Xu Lei also went around gathering information about the current state of affairs, particularly in the realm of craftsmanship and manufacturing, such as where he could find skilled artisans.

Because Xu Lei still had the appearance of a ten-year-old child, it was inconvenient for him to go about by himself, so Qing Lian usually accompanied him.

However, on this day, Qing Lian had her period and was feeling unwell.

Xu Lei asked the woman in the neighboring home to look after her, as he wanted to go out for a walk.

They had been living there for such a short time that Xu Lei hadn't had a chance to hire any servants yet.

"Ma'am, please take this money. Have some tea on me."

Xu Lei said, "I'll have to ask you to look after my sister today."

"Oh, look at you, you silly child. What are you giving me money for?"

The neighbor lady said, "It's just looking after her for a bit. It's no trouble at all, really. I don't need any money for that."

But Xu Lei insisted, of course.

"You children from prominent families are always so particular."

Finally, the woman said, "Alright, if you insist, then I won't be shy about it.

Don't you worry. I will definitely take good care of your sister."

"Xiao Jing, don't go too far."

Qing Lian also called out, "Be careful out there by yourself."

"Don't worry, Sister."

Xu Lei nodded. "I'll just walk around the neighborhood. I won't go too far."

Then, Xu Lei left the house alone.

A few minutes later.

Xu Lei was walking down the street.

'Being by myself is a bit inconvenient, especially since my body is still so small.'

'Should I hire a couple of mortals as bodyguards? Or maybe buy two servant girls for the menial tasks, to accompany me and take care of things?'

'After all, I can't keep bothering the neighbor lady every time something like this happens.'

But just then, something unexpected happened.

A horse-drawn carriage suddenly charged toward him.

After it screeched to a halt,

four tall, thuggish-looking mortal men jumped down from the carriage.

They swarmed forward, clamping a hand over Xu Lei's mouth and pinning his arms before bundling him onto the carriage.

The only reason their kidnapping was successful, of course, was because Xu Lei didn't resist.

Xu Lei suspected that these men had likely been sent by the middle-aged male Cultivator he'd encountered before.

'Perhaps the man doesn't want a direct confrontation with Qing Lian, a fight that would deplete both their Magical Power.'

'After all, Qing Lian's escape speed was incredible.'

'Who knows if she has other, similarly surprising techniques for a head-on fight?'

'That's why he's grown wary and hasn't come to kill us himself.'

'So instead, he targeted me—I'm still young and shouldn't have much of a Cultivation base yet.'

'He wants to kidnap me to threaten Qing Lian.'

'Even if he can't kill her and get all the Treasure, he could at least use me as leverage to get a portion of it.'

Because of these suspicions,

Xu Lei simply decided not to resist.

Xu Lei hadn't originally planned on looking for trouble with the middle-aged Cultivator.

'But now it seems that man has somehow managed to find me and Qing Lian again!'

'If that's the case, then he can't be allowed to live!'

Previously, Xu Lei had thought that he and Qing Lian could shake off the middle-aged Cultivator by using the Human Skin Mask and the Necklace Magical Artifact to disguise themselves.

That was why he had planned to take his time developing a Shotgun before going to deal with the man.

'But now, he's found us!'

'This feeling of being preyed upon is awful!'

'In that case, the only solution is to kill him!'

'But how did he find us?'

Xu Lei surmised that the image of an older sister and a young brother was still too conspicuous.

The Human Skin Mask and Necklace Magical Artifact could alter their appearances, but only to a certain degree; they couldn't change their voices, height, or build.

Half an hour later.

The four mortal men took the bound Xu Lei out of the city.

Xu Lei pretended to have been knocked out by a drug on the gag they had used on him.

In reality, however, he was listening to their conversation the entire time.

Soon enough, Xu Lei confirmed his suspicions were correct.

It was indeed the middle-aged Cultivator who had tracked them down.

So, once they were outside the city, Xu Lei dropped the act.

He wasn't about to let them deliver him to the middle-aged Cultivator.

In a wooded area,

Xu Lei circulated a sliver of Magical Power and snapped the ropes binding his hands.

He then retrieved the Homemade Shotgun he had previously crafted from his Storage Bracelet.

BANG.

Xu Lei pulled the trigger, blowing the head off one of the mortal men inside the carriage with a single shot.

Blood sprayed out, staining one side of the carriage red.

And while the other three men were still reeling in shock and disbelief,

Xu Lei had already pulled another Homemade Shotgun from his Storage Bracelet and fired again, blowing another man's head off.