Chapter 420 - 291: Sect Treasure, Seize!

"Come in," a woman’s voice called from inside.

The two young men looked at the figure emerging from the bath, swallowing hard, then unconsciously pushed the door open and entered.

A warm, fragrant aroma filled the air, steam like a hazy mist. Before the two youths stood a woman dressed in a sheer veil, full of charm.

"Gulp... gulp..."

The two youths, at an age of innocence, witnessed this scene and felt their Qi Blood surging. One of them even had red liquid trickling from his nostrils.

"What are you looking at?" Hua Zaizhu adjusted her sheer veil, frowning slightly. "The water’s cold. Help Aunt Hua change it."

"Okay... okay..." The two youths moved mechanically, changing and adding water with skillful hands.

"Aunt Hua, it’s done."

"Hmm," Hua Zaizhu sat on the couch, beckoning to the youths, "Come closer."

The voice seemed to have a magnetic pull, and the youths moved their feet, bending forward.

The fragrance grew stronger, like ants crawling on their skin.

Gazing upward slightly, they saw legs as white as snow, extending further upward...

"You’ve grown up," Hua Zaizhu lightly flicked the sheer veil, two medicine pills appearing in her hand. "Take this, it’s good for you."

They were two pitch-black pills, yet in the eyes of the youths, they were pink-white Immortal Pills.

Without hesitation, they took the elixirs and swallowed them.

Hua Zaizhu nodded satisfyingly, then said, "I heard from Sister Ayi that you want to learn medical skills?"

"Aunt Hua, we want to learn."

With a thud, they knelt to the ground, half a finger’s breadth away from the frothy jade. The hot steam almost palpable, their hearts pounded wildly.

Simultaneously, at the location of their hearts, black threads formed and intertwined.

"My medical skills aren’t for saving people, still want to learn?"

"Learn..." The youths seemed entranced.

Hua Zaizhu watched them, covering a smile.

The next instant.

"It hurts! So painful!" The two youths suddenly clutched their chests, collapsing to the ground in agony, and within moments they fell unconscious.

At the same time, two people entered from outside, one was the earlier-mentioned ’Sister Ayi’, the other wore the Evil Ghost Mask of the Shadow Tower.

"Steward Hua’s methods remain so enchanting," the person in the Evil Ghost Mask entered, eyeing Hua Zaizhu as if appreciating a masterpiece.

Hua Zaizhu made no effort to conceal herself, standing up draped in the sheer veil, walking barefoot over the unconscious youths to the door, saying, "After nourishing them with medicine for three years, their potential isn’t bad."

"In Steward Hua’s hands, the Tower is reassured."

The person with the Evil Ghost Mask lifted the veil to his nose, inhaled deeply several times before stepping inside to tie the youths with rope, then turned to the door.

"Ying Ren hasn’t returned?" the person with the Evil Ghost Mask asked, suddenly clutching the two youths.

"No," replied Ayi, the woman beside.

"How long?"

"It’s been three hours."

"Three hours..." the Evil Ghost Masked individual pondered, "The mission has likely failed."

Hua Zaizhu’s brows furrowed at these words: "Chief Yie, why do you say that?"

"Ying Ren’s strength is not much less than mine, and with no news in three hours, the mission likely failed."

"Who was the assassination target? I’ll check to avoid tarnishing our Shadow Tower’s reputation."

"Qin Capital, Inner City, Chu Mansion, Palace Attendant, Chu Ming."

"Do you have detailed information?"

"Yes," Ayi presented the information.

The Evil Ghost took a glance, with a hint of surprise: "A youth not yet seventeen, suspected to be protected by a Lower Meridian Unlocking Realm expert?"

Hua Zaizhu nodded, "Possibly in the Late Stage of the Lower Meridian Unlocking Realm."

"Alright, got it."

The person with the Evil Ghost Mask leapt lightly, landing on the eaves.

Hua Zaizhu glanced with cold eyes and turned back inside the room, Ayi followed, casually closing the door.

"Have you found suitable newcomers?" Hua Zaizhu asked.

"Yes, there are two boys and a girl in the outer hall who look promising."

"Parents? Relatives?"

"The two boys have no relatives, the girl has a gambling father."

"Hmm, good. Handle it and bring them in."

"Yes."

"..."

Just then.

Thud!

A muffled sound came from outside as if a heavy object had fallen from a height.

Hua Zaizhu, about to take a bath, changed her expression slightly.

"Go check it out."

Ayi took a few steps toward the door.

Bang!

Before reaching out, a heavy object shattered the door from outside.

Whoosh—whoosh—

Blustering wind and snow swept into the room, with a corpse lying on the broken doorframe.

Hua Zaizhu and Ayi’s expressions changed instantly at the sight of the corpse.

"Chief Yie..."

The corpse was that of the person with the Evil Ghost Mask just moments ago.

Ayi intended to step forward to inspect, but saw a young man in black stepping through the snow.

The young man wore all black, his handsome face cold and indifferent, those eyes so deep that just a glance filled Hua Zaizhu and Ayi with endless dread.

Yet, Hua Zaizhu, being the Shadow Tower’s steward and a liaison, wasn’t just an ordinary person and soon remained composed.

"Knight... Knight..." She feigned fragility, an air of being alarmed, "Are you hurt? I can treat you."

Chu Ming remained unmoved, stepping into the room, placing down the unconscious youths, and sitting on the couch inside.

He had actually arrived at the Yongping Medical Clinic when the youths were changing water for Hua Zaizhu. The Sword Gourd Spirit searched the entire clinic but found no useful evidence.

After a fruitless search around the clinic, the assassin known as ’Yie’ was about to leave, so he revealed himself.

"Indeed, there is something that requires Steward Hua’s ’treatment,’" he said, looking at the two women and fiddling with the token in his hand, which was the identity token of the shadow tower with the word ’Yie’ engraved on its back.

Hua Zaizhu’s heart raced, knowing the black-clad youth was intimidating her.

Yet she braced herself, pretending not to recognize the token, speaking gently, "I’m not some steward, merely an attendant at this Yongping Medical Clinic..."