Chapter 21 Xie Baoqiong was taken back by Lin Zhechun...

Xie Baoqiong was taken back to the camp by Lin Zhechun.

After stepping out of the screen, Xie Baoqiong put away the blue ox and stopped walking out of the tent.

"Xiao Bao?" Lin Zhechun noticed his hesitant look and asked.

Xie Baoqiong, whose name was called, frowned slightly, as if she had encountered a serious problem: "My father doesn't know that I know magic."

"No need to worry. If you don't want Lord Xie to know, I will cover for you. Lord Xie will not know."

Lin Zhechun's simple words soothed Xie Baoqiong's troubled feelings.

Before leaving, Xie Baoqiong finally remembered that crucial question. After hesitating for a moment, he glanced at Lin Zhechun and finally realized that Lin Zhechun was not the wicked cultivator that Su Xiaochun had described.

"How did the Imperial Preceptor know that I am a cultivator?"

Lin Zhechun paused for a moment: "Although I am blind, I can see things that ordinary people cannot see. I knew that the first time I met you."

Judging from these words, Lin Zhechun seemed unaware that he was a demon, and had no intention of reporting his cultivation to Xie Zhuo.

“Go, the person who came looking for you is outside the tent,” Lin Zhechun said.

Once outside the tent, he turned to look for Xie Zhuo and Xie Rongjing. He couldn't think of anyone else on this grassland who would be looking for him.

It was Sangwei and Sangji, whom I had seen last night.

In the morning, Xie Zhuo mentioned Sang Wei, who was the most seriously injured. However, his purplish skin from last night had returned to normal, and there were no obvious marks on his body.

He couldn't help but take another look.

"You must be Young Master Xie." Sang Wei hurriedly came forward to greet him as he walked out of the tent, his eyes sweeping over him with an intriguing look.

Xie Baoqiong, who was about to leave, stopped and nodded when she heard her name called. She looked at the two people with the same face approaching with a puzzled expression.

A step behind, Wen Feng cautiously stepped in front of him, separating him from the newcomer, and spoke warily:

"What business do you two have with my young master?"

Sang Wei, understanding the situation, stopped approaching and introduced himself, explaining his purpose: "We two have come to apologize for what happened last night."

Before Xie Baoqiong and Wen Feng could speak, Sang stepped out from behind Sang Wei, glanced at Xie Baoqiong, and said with a resentful tone but suppressed frustration:

"That's true, but those silver needles from last night weren't mine. It's just that your Dasheng couldn't find the culprit, so they pinned the blame on me."

"Little sister, you mustn't talk nonsense."

Sangwei gave a light rebuke after Sangji finished speaking; it was more of an act than a rebuke.

Sang snorted coldly and stepped aside without saying another word.

Sang Wei withdrew his gaze from Sang Ji, his eyes sweeping meaningfully over Wen Feng, and spoke to Xie Baoqiong:

"Would Young Master Xie be willing to speak with me in private?"

Seemingly concerned that Xie Baoqiong might not agree, Sang Wei added, "This place is within the territory of Dasheng. If we harm Young Master Xie, we will likely not be able to escape either."

If Young Master Xie is still worried, then you can have your guards keep watch nearby, what do you say?

Sang Wei's words, spoken to this extent, naturally aroused curiosity about his purpose.

He also wanted to know what Sangwei, a complete stranger to him, had to tell him.

Xie Baoqiong agreed to Sangwei's request.

The three of them came to the shadows of the tent, while Wen Feng watched Sang Wei and Sang Ji's actions from a few steps away.

Meeting Xie Baoqiong's gaze, the two siblings from the Sang family were not in a hurry to speak.

Sang, who had been silent since the beginning, suddenly raised his hand.

A white insect with trumpet-shaped patterns crawled out of her sleeve and onto her palm.

"Don't worry, this kind of Gu worm feeds on sound and can swallow a part of the sound. With it around, we can prevent our conversation from being overheard."

I think you probably don't want anyone to hear what you're about to say.

Sang Ji's attitude changed from its previous domineering manner. His gaze softened as he looked down at the Gu worm in his palm and explained its origin.

Xie Baoqiong was even more puzzled by the last sentence: "Why?"

"You are a monk."

Sang Wei's voice rang out from the other side, calm and certain, which startled Xie Baoqiong.

How come everyone knows he is a cultivator?

Sangwei's tone was certain, clearly indicating that he had confirmed this fact.

However, he was still curious. He wasn't surprised that Lin Zhechun, who was stronger than him, could see through his identity, but how did Sang Wei know? Could it be that the jade pendant Su Xiaochun gave him could only conceal the aura of a demon, but not the aura of his cultivation?

How can you be so sure I am a cultivator?

"Although there are not many cultivators in Dasheng, and there has never been any rumor about Young Master Xie cultivating immortality, there are quite a few cultivators who live in seclusion in the mortal world."

Although I don't know what kind of magic you used to conceal it, I saw you make a move last night.

"Do you still remember those scales?" Sang Wei asked.

After a moment of reflection, he remembered that although the spiritual power he had used last night had missed its mark, it had indeed swept over those scales and powder.

Seeing that Xie Baoqiong remembered, Sangwei continued, "I can 'see' where the scale powder is, and at that time I felt the spiritual power that was imbued with your aura."

Seeing that Sang Wei had revealed his hand, Xie Baoqiong no longer concealed anything and said frankly, "So what if it is?"

“Since Young Master Xie has admitted it, he should be aware of the constraints that Heaven imposes on mortal cultivators,” Sang interjected.

Xie Baoqiong nodded. The Heavenly Dao imposes many restrictions on cultivators who walk the mortal realm, but she didn't know which one Sang was referring to.

The next moment, Sang explained to him: "Cultivators must not kill or defile mortals at will, otherwise they will not be able to pass the tribulation of lightning and their path to immortality will be cut off."

Xie Baoqiong nodded. Every seeker of the Dao knew this rule: "But what does this have to do with you coming to find me?"

Sang explained, “My brother and I have already joined the sect. This time, we returned to our hometown to come to Dasheng with our mother to sever our worldly ties.”

We only learned last night that you are a monk, so we must not lay a hand on you.

However, Da Sheng is using last night's events to demand the sacred object from our clan.

"What do you want me to do by telling me all this?" Xie Baoqiong's eyes were dark and deep, making it impossible to see her emotions, or perhaps there were no emotions at all.

Sang looked into those eyes and paused for a moment: "We hope you can clarify this matter."

Xie Baoqiong lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes welcoming the sunlight, the halo of light splashing onto the red mole between his brows:

"Will admitting my identity as a cultivator clear my name?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a look of confusion appeared in his eyes, which were untouched by worldly desires.

But Sang Wei and Sang Ji had no time to pay attention to Xie Baoqiong's expression and both fell silent.

Compared to Xie Baoqiong, the two of them had witnessed far more exchanges of interests, so they knew that both sides would only choose the way that was most advantageous to themselves in resolving this matter. Who cared about the truth of the matter?

Seeing that they did not answer, Xie Baoqiong asked again:

“Those who seek the Tao should be most wary of cause and effect. Since you came down the mountain to sever your worldly ties, why did you get involved in this matter?”

“You are also a son, how could you not know?” Lian Sang himself was stunned when he said this.

To sever worldly ties, one must "cut off" everything related to the mundane world.

Upon hearing Sang Ji's question, Xie Baoqiong blinked and hesitated for a moment before retorting, "I'm different from you."

Sang Ji dismissed Xie Baoqiong's rebuttal, saying only, "Thank you for your advice, Fellow Daoist. My brother and I will handle this matter."

Before leaving, Sang took out a dark lacquer bottle: "This is a potion made according to my clan's recipe. Although it is not as good as the magic treasures of the cultivation world, it is enough for you to use when you travel in the mortal world."

Confused, Xie Baoqiong accepted the bottle from Sang Ji, still puzzled, after Sang Ji thanked her. She then called out to the two who were leaving:

“My dad said that what happened last night is still under investigation, and there should still be a chance.”

Sang Ji and Sang Wei did not answer, but waved to him from afar and disappeared around the corner.

Before the scent could reach them, Xie Baoqiong quickly hid the ink bottle in her sleeve before turning around:

"We've heard the news, let's go back."

...

Inside a tent, two people were talking: "Has everything been taken care of?"

"Reporting to my lord, everything has been arranged."

Just then, another man slipped into the tent and knelt on one knee below: "My lord, the two from the Western Regions have gone to see the child."

The person seated at the head of the table, sitting in a round-backed chair, toyed with a porcelain cup in his hand and casually asked, "Really? Did you hear their conversation?"

The hall fell silent for a moment. The person kneeling below seemed to have his neck choked, unable to make a sound. After a long while, he trembled and said, "The two from the Western Regions used magic. I... didn't hear clearly."

"Oh? I didn't hear you clearly." The person at the head of the table had half of their face hidden in the shadows, but the lower half of their face was curved into a half-smile.

With a sudden clench of his fingers, a crack appeared in the porcelain cup, and spiderweb-like patterns instantly spread across it before it shattered with a crash.

All that remained at my fingertips was a sharp shard of white porcelain.

The man below lowered his head, cold sweat trickling down his forehead, then down his chin to the ground, splashing up a tiny drop of water that was absorbed by the carpet, leaving an inconspicuous mark.

The next instant, that inconspicuous mark was covered by another, much larger splash of water.

The soft patter of water echoed in the quiet space, and droplets of water bloomed one after another on the carpet.

The person kneeling on the ground watched as a pair of boots appeared on the darkening carpet.

He clutched his neck and looked up at the person descending from the high position, but his vision became blurred due to blood loss.

However, the red stains on the white porcelain were so vivid that they almost filled his entire field of vision.

Just before his body hit the ground, he finally heard a voice that seemed to come from the horizon: "I'll spare your life this time."

"Guards, take him away."

...

As soon as Xie Baoqiong entered the tent, she followed the sound and went to find Xie Zhuo.

"Father, I'm back."

Upon entering the inner room, they saw Xie Zhuo with his hands on his clothes, as if he was about to change.

Seeing him come in, she took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack: "You're back so early, didn't you see Jing'er?"

"Did my brother come looking for me?" Xie Baoqiong asked as she walked into the house, but the further she went, the clearer the faint scent in the air became.

"Before leaving, Jing'er only said that she was bored in the tent, but since she didn't come to look for you, she must have gone hunting in the forest."

The scent became increasingly strong as they got closer to Xie Zhuo.

Xie Baoqiong sniffed Xie Zhuo hard.

Seeing his puppy-like clumsiness, Xie Zhuo couldn't help but smile, but still kept a straight tone: "What are you sniffing? Daddy doesn't have any food hidden on him."

Xie Baoqiong straightened her expression and said, "Father smells of blood."

As he spoke, he raised his head with a stern face and asked, "Is Dad injured?"

A note from the author:

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