Chapter 520: The Elusive Washwoman

With her rules shattered, the Laundry Maid's aura collapsed dramatically; seizing the opportunity, Lu Yang struck first.

"The Slash Formula!"

Having received enlightenment from Daoist Buyu, Lu Yang's comprehension of the sword path had reached a whole new level, and the power of his original Slash Formula was far greater than before.

The Laundry Maid was cleaved in two, letting out a wretched shriek as she transformed into two streams of ink, retreating back into the scroll.

Within the painting, the Laundry Maid's expression was filled with deep resentment, glaring fixedly at Lu Yang, yet she dared not show her face again, forced to hide inside the scroll.

She harbored murderous intent, but after the recent clash, she knew that let alone fighting three people, even dealing with Lu Yang alone was an uphill battle.

"Cultivator, I admit you are stronger than me; this time, consider it your win!"

As the Laundry Maid finished speaking, the scroll drifted up and attempted to flee at an incredibly rapid speed.

"Trying to run?"

The scroll flew quickly, but Lu Yang’s sword was faster. Executing the Slash Formula once more, he brought down the scroll with a single strike; it tumbled from the air but sustained no damage.

Lu Yang clicked his tongue; the scroll’s quality was higher than he had estimated, beyond his current ability to sever.

"Cultivator, you are indeed powerful, but do not push things to the absolute extreme. Let me go now, and I promise I will never return, nor will I harm Squire Song again. But if you repeatedly bar my departure, you may protect the Song family for a moment, but can you protect them for a lifetime?"

Lu Yang sneered, prodding the scroll with the tip of his sword, utterly unmoved. "Don't think I don't know. A magical treasure like you has its own rules. Since you helped Squire Song achieve his goal, you must claim your reward. If you fail to do so, at best your foundation will be shaken, and at worst, your consciousness will be erased!"

The Laundry Maid fell silent, not expecting her rules to be exposed so quickly by Lu Yang, yet she could not admit it. "Utter nonsense!"

Lu Yang could not be bothered to argue with her; regardless of the circumstances, he had to take the scroll away to ensure Squire Song's safety.

Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting both chose to trust Lu Yang's judgment. Tao Yaoye stepped forward, using her identity jade medallion to collect the scroll.

Yet the scroll quickly flew right back out of the medallion.

"You think a thing like this can trap me?" the Laundry Maid sneered. Although she was an unowned magical treasure that any storage ring could absorb, she could manipulate the scroll at any time to escape from such rings. No one could hope to capture her.

Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting tried twice with their identity medallions, but the scroll escaped every single time.

The two women's expressions grew solemn. If they could not take the scroll with them now, they feared that the moment they left, the scroll would exact revenge on Squire Song's family.

"Let me try."

Lu Yang took the scroll. Initially, the Laundry Maid thought little of it, but a powerful suction radiating from Lu Yang's palm caused her expression to change drastically.

Lu Yang manifested the Village Within the Palm, drawing the scroll into his hand.

"It worked? Senior Brother Lu, what technique is this?" The two women were astonished, having never witnessed this move before.

"A great spatial divine ability—the Universe in the Sleeve," Lu Yang said placidly.

"Don't think you can trap me just because you know a spatial technique!" The Laundry Maid's voice echoed from Lu Yang's palm as she broke free once more.

Lu Yang scratched his chin, executed the Village Within the Palm to suck her back in, and promptly pressed his hands together.

Having fallen into Lu Yang's palms, the Laundry Maid was completely oblivious, thinking this was merely the same old trick. She directed the scroll to fly from his left palm to his right palm, and then from his right palm to his left, but no matter what, she could find no exit.

"Strange, where is the exit?"

Fortunately, this was not her first day possessing consciousness; she had encountered many cultivators and spatial abilities before. The fatal flaw of such spatial techniques was their rapid consumption of spiritual energy, meaning they could not be sustained indefinitely. With Lu Yang's cultivation level, he could likely only maintain it for three to five minutes.

"Senior Brother, is it considered a success this time?" Tao Yaoye watched Lu Yang with curiosity as his palms remained pressed together, finding the gesture increasingly resemble that of a monk.

"Not yet. Maintaining the Universe in the Sleeve drains a vast amount of spiritual energy. I can only sustain it for fifteen minutes."

"Then what should we do?" Squire Song grew anxious; judging by the Laundry Maid's attitude, she would undoubtedly retaliate against his family once she broke free.

To think he had once harbored a secret crush on her.

"It is fine. Consuming Great Return Pills can extend the duration of the divine ability. Two hours will not be an issue."

"But two hours is not enough time to return to the sect." Lan Ting was also growing anxious and began pondering a solution.

Lu Yang shook his head. "I already have a plan."

"Honored customer, are you certain you wish to sell a scroll-type magical treasure that possesses an artifact spirit?" the deacon of the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce asked politely, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Every single magical treasure endowed with an artifact spirit commanded an astronomical price.

It was just that this customer's appearance was rather peculiar—his hands were pressed together like a devout monk, while the two female cultivators flanking him acted like guardian protectors, occasionally feeding him a medicinal pill.

Was this a practitioner of Joyful Chan Buddhism from somewhere?

This was an unavoidable predicament; Lu Yang could not free his hands to take the pills himself, so he had to trouble his two junior sisters to feed them to him.

Squire Song had originally volunteered for the task, but unfortunately, he was frightened off by the sharp glares from Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting.

"Daoist Master Lu, are you certain this will work?" Squire Song inquired softly, still feeling somewhat uneasy.

Yuanhe County was quite remote, and the local customs were unrefined, with wonton stalls frequently overcharging customers; consequently, the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce had not opened a branch there.

Lu Yang and his companions traveled to Qingshui Prefecture.

"Of course it will."

"But what if the scroll runs back to my house again?"

"Then you profit; you can just sell it a second time."

"That makes sense."

Squire Song felt that something was amiss somewhere.

Lu Yang himself could not trap the Laundry Maid for long, but he refused to believe that a chamber of commerce could not do so either.

If they could not even contain a magical treasure, what would become of the chamber's reputation?

Upon hearing that an intelligent magical treasure was up for sale, the chamber immediately summoned their most senior appraiser to verify its authenticity.

"This treasure of mine happens to run quite fast," Lu Yang cautioned.

The chamber's branch president laughed heartily, pointing around the room. "Twelve distinct arrays have been laid within and around this room. I would truly love to see what kind of magical treasure can manage to escape!"

Lu Yang separated his hands, and with a swift whoosh, the Laundry Maid steered the scroll right out of his palms.

She crashed headfirst into the wall and tumbled to the ground.

The elderly appraiser picked up the scroll and activated a secret technique. Rings of miniature arrays materialized before his eyes, allowing him to analyze the structure of the scroll through their effects.

Stroking his white beard, the appraiser flashed an intrigued smile. "Interesting. It was forged from Soul Transformation-grade materials, though the craftsman's skill was deficient, failing to bring out the full potential of the components. Even so, it is exceptionally rare for this magical treasure to have birthed an artifact spirit, not to mention that it is a treasure imbued with rules."

"Three million spiritual stones. What do you think?" the appraiser offered a price with a genial chuckle.

Lu Yang pondered for a moment, detached the identity jade medallion from his waist, and handed it to the appraiser. "I am from the Wendao Sect."

"Five million spiritual stones."

The appraiser instantly revised his words.

Lu Yang continued, "I am Lu Yang. My brother is Meng Jingzhou, the eldest young master of the Meng Clan. These two junior sisters behind me—one is from the Wendao Sect like myself, and the other is from the Laurel Celestial Palace."

"Hex million spiritual stones."

The branch president marked up the price on the spot.

Fearing that Lu Yang would keep speaking, he hurriedly supplemented, "Truly, we cannot offer any more. You must allow us to make a bit of profit at least."

As the largest chamber of commerce across the entire continent, the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce was not above driving a hard bargain.

Although Lu Yang did not understand the market rates, he could leverage his status so they would not dare to underpay him.

The second update will be at eleven o'clock