Five missing cultivators were all sharing accommodation. Furthermore, all five left before dawn and never returned, and their communication talismans went unanswered.
The roommate of Missing Cultivator Number One was a close friend. Given the prevalence of evil cultivators, they were wary of each other and had established a secret code. Whichever of them went out, if their communication talisman wasn't answered within half an hour, it meant they were in trouble. As it turned out, this friend sent messages every half hour, but no replies came back, which was when they suspected something had happened.
News of the friend going out to search for the missing person spread. Soon, the companions of the other missing individuals also discovered the anomalies.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yunshi harbored many speculations.
The five missing individuals had all disappeared at the same time, using the same excuse, and all had roommates. This suggested they had been captured by evil cultivators.
For those with companions, four people were discovered missing. What about the solo customers of "Good Luck Lai"? Were there also missing people, but no one had discovered it yet?
But... wasn't this too coincidental? httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Solo cultivators were obviously easier to abduct. Why target those with companions? What was their objective? Why did they act near the shop? Could it be that they were targeting her?
Unbeknownst to her, Luo Yunshi had hit the nail on the head.
Since the incident did not occur within the system's protection zone, Luo Yunshi had no way of knowing the exact situation.
For Luo Yunshi, checking with consciousness was like reading news on her phone, while seeing it with her own eyes was like watching it live.
If she could see it live, why would she read it on her phone?
Therefore, Luo Yunshi went to the small plaza to observe the situation.
Committing a crime right outside her door? Wasn't that asking for trouble? It was like being in a very secure home, only to step on a razor blade the moment you opened the door and cut your foot. And the razor blade couldn't be removed, so you could only be more careful when you went out in the future.
Even though what happened outside the shop had nothing to do with her, the act itself was repulsive.
At this time, the small plaza was crowded with many young cultivators.
Why were they called young cultivators?
Luo Yunshi guessed that the powerful experts usually stood in the background, intervening only at crucial moments. Some were also less meddlesome than youngsters, or they would have their subordinates report matters to them.
Especially in such an excellent place as "Good Luck Lai," the experts would likely use the opportunity to cultivate and delegate all trivial matters to their subordinates.
Although "Good Luck Lai" had only been open for a day in this cultivation world, and she had only visited Tianyi City when she went out, she had also noticed a phenomenon.
That is, those above the Nascent Soul stage remained hidden, while Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators were everywhere, and artifact refining cultivators kept a low profile.
The two old men from the artifact refining stage who were the first to enter the shop had not yet left their rooms.
As the saying goes, exploration is an instinctive reaction of humans to the unknown, and gossip is the same.
Luo Yunshi walked to the periphery, standing in an inconspicuous spot, listening to the cultivators discussing amongst themselves.
Her demeanor, her state, her posture, and her expression were identical to those of the surrounding gossiping cultivators.
Luo Yunshi heard them discuss the missing cultivators, their speculations, who else had gone missing before, who had encountered evil cultivators, and what had happened at the time. The conversation veered further and further off track, yet they showed no impatience, instead listening with keen interest.
The current scene was remarkably similar to the gossip of the aunts and uncles at a modern village banquet, with only tables of peanuts and melon seeds missing.
Zhao Chang felt a surge of frustration. The atmosphere felt wrong! The person he was waiting for had not appeared. He was feeling agitated and disappointed when he suddenly spotted something in the distance. His eyes lit up, and his heart rejoiced. He quickly suppressed his emotions and, with a changed expression, walked into the crowd.
"I know what happened. They were taken away by evil cultivators. I was there at the time."
Zhao Chang, dressed in a light blue robe, displayed a masterful performance of guilt, apprehension, and sighs, conveying a complex mixture of emotions.
The cultivators, who had strayed from the topic, returned to the main point.
"What? Evil cultivators? Tell us quickly what happened?"
"Yes! Fellow Daoist, please tell us."
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze focused on Zhao Chang.
Luo Yunshi also looked at him curiously, remaining silent, sipping her yogurt, perfectly embodying the role of a bystander enjoying the drama.
Seeing this, Zhao Chang began his performance again, alternating between thoughtful and enlightened expressions, his emotions and actions flawless.
"My name is Zhao Chang, and I am a rogue cultivator. Before dawn, I unintentionally saw ten cultivators walk down the small path below. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Upon reflection now, it's highly likely that some of them were evil cultivators.
"Divine sense cannot be used to probe here, and I am also within this area. Those few evil cultivators, perhaps fearing Fairy Luo, did not capture me when they saw I had discovered them, and quickly departed. The movements of some of them were slightly stiff, which might indicate that the evil cultivators had used some means on them..."
"What did they look like? What was their strength? Which direction did they go?..."
Zhao Chang meticulously answered each question, adding supplements whenever he recalled something.
Finally, he sighed again. "Alas! If only I had observed more closely at the time. This is all I know."
While looking down and sighing, his peripheral vision couldn't help but steal glances at Luo Yunshi's expression.
A newly Foundation Establishment female cultivator from Tianyi City, whose strength had not been high previously, she had always cultivated within her family and had not ventured out for experience before. She was unaware of the treachery of human hearts. Moreover, Zhao Chang was handsome, elegant, and polite, and his acting was so convincing that she did not suspect him. She immediately comforted him.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao! This is not your fault. They were foolish enough to trust others and were taken away by evil cultivators. Their strength was insufficient, and they still wandered out. Why didn't they bring companions when they went out? And as long as they didn't leave their homes, nothing would have happened?"
This was a perfect example of blaming the victim.
Another female cultivator agreed, "Exactly, Fellow Daoist, this is not your problem. Furthermore, you have clearly recounted the events, which can be considered as helping them.
"Even if you had realized they were evil cultivators at the time, you were alone, and they were numerous, with Golden Core cultivators among them. Even if you had intervened, it would have been useless. You have done all you could."
"These scoundrels, they wouldn't dare cause trouble in this sacred land out of fear of Fairy Luo," a male cultivator analyzed.
"We should still be cautious in the future. These evil cultivators have many methods. Recently, people have been disappearing in many places. Here, only five people are missing, and they caused trouble just outside the sacred land, which is already considered good."
"Those few people are likely not coming back, alas! The world is difficult."
"Now that there is such a good place for cultivation, why are some people still being evil cultivators?"
"Yes! Now that we can freely absorb spiritual energy here, advancement will be faster. Why don't they cultivate diligently and continue to be evil cultivators?"
"As righteous cultivators, we should kill every evil cultivator we see and not let such people plague the world..."