Chapter 73 The Most Terrifying (Bug Fix) The most terrifying thing is never evil...

"But not only did she not do that, she also wanted to choose someone who might not know anything about Biyun Pavilion to succeed her through the 'Biyun Contest.' Doing so would inevitably alienate her from her beloved disciple, and the new pavilion master might not even be loyal to her. This would not benefit her in the slightest. Why would she do such a thing?"

"Furthermore, Biyun Pavilion is now basically run by their senior sister, and the disciples inside have long regarded their senior sister as the next pavilion master. They should follow her lead without question, but they are completely unaware of the correspondence between their master and Liu Yan. This is quite strange!"

"The most suspicious thing is that since the Pavilion Master of Biyun Pavilion has already expelled Liu Yan from the sect in a roundabout way, the two of them must have a very bad relationship. So why would they suddenly start exchanging letters at this time?"

Li Chen nodded slightly. "So why do you think it is?"

Han Shannan snorted and said with a smug look, "If you ask me, their master was not coerced, but like some disciples in Biyun Pavilion, he became a puppet under Liu Yan's control."

“Think about it. People often come to Biyun Pavilion claiming that the puppet dancers are their missing family members. One or two times could be considered a coincidence, but this happens every few days, which is obviously abnormal. Besides, what those people say makes sense. The puppet dancers' appearances can be imitated to look like living people, but they can't even have the exact same birthmarks, can they?”

"This Liu Yan must have used evil magic to turn a living person into a puppet. You all saw what their senior sister looked like just now. She was so irritable before, she could curse anyone she wanted to, but she didn't get angry just now, she even smiled at me!"

Li Chenjin smiled slightly, "Perhaps he couldn't bear to scold Han Xiushi because of his handsome appearance?"

Han Shannan shook his head repeatedly, "How could that be? She was the one who beat me the hardest before! Look at the slap marks on my face, the bruises around my eyes, the scratches on my neck, and more! Look at the shoe prints on my clothes, they're all her handiwork! She wanted to beat me to death, how could she possibly smile at me?!"

"And with her personality, even if she's in the wrong, she'll never admit it, and I... I got caught red-handed by her... I'm lucky she didn't strangle me..."

Li Chen looked at Han Shannan and nodded with great satisfaction, then asked, "So what do you think we should do now?"

Han Shannan pondered for a moment, "Since we've already alerted her, the longer we delay, the more unpredictable things might become. We might as well take advantage of this now and catch her off guard."

As he spoke, he darted to Li Chenjin's side and continued, "I believe that the magic array of the Fa Cultivation Realm has a suppressive effect on that statue, and the spells of your Zen Cultivation Realm are also very useful. Why don't you join forces first? Once that statue makes any unusual movements, you can immediately take action and you will surely be able to protect the people here."

“I will now disguise myself as your servant. It’s not a big deal if a servant occasionally disappears. You all show yourselves and keep her occupied. I will use this time to secretly investigate and see what kind of evil magic she used to turn people into puppets, and also see if those who have become puppets can still be saved…”

He suddenly stopped, looked at Li Chenjin strangely, and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?"

Li Chen looked at him gently and said, "I just feel that you have made great progress. Even if... even if I have to leave first because of some things, you won't easily suffer on your own. I am very relieved to entrust the sweet fermented rice balls to you."

Han Shannan frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you suddenly saying such strange things? Did something happen to you?"

"It's nothing," Li Chenjin chuckled. "It's just that it's not right for us to always be on the same path. You'll eventually have to go home. You can't exactly come with me to the Zen world to be ordained, can you? Also, since you've learned the Sword God's sword manual, you should also learn from her habit of preferring to work alone. You can't become a Sword God if you always rely on others."

Han Shannan snorted and said defiantly, "Who always relies on others? Haven't I been taking care of you all this way? Come to think of it, it's clearly you who relied on me! Besides, being discovered this time was purely an accident!"

"Who knows what's wrong with those puppets? They walk silently, and they don't have any human scent on them. The Weeping Dew Pavilion is filled with incense, which completely masks the smell of the puppets, so I didn't notice them in time..."

Shen Zhengyuan suddenly interrupted coldly, "Are you done? If you're done, get out and leave the dog behind."

Han Shannan looked at Shen Zhengyuan in disbelief, then looked at Li Chenjin with a wronged expression, as if she wanted her to get an explanation for him.

Li Chenjin said helplessly, "He's always been a bit harsh with his words, so don't take it to heart."

"However, it is indeed time to rest now. Why don't you go back and rest first? We can discuss anything else tomorrow. Leave the sweet fermented rice balls here for now, and I will bring them to you tomorrow."

Han Shannan: "..."

Don't think he can't tell that Li Chenjin seems to be speaking up for him, but in reality he is speaking up for Shen Zhengyuan, just rephrasing Shen Zhengyuan's words.

He snorted heavily, ignored her words, and not only left, but also took the sweet fermented rice balls with him.

Li Chen watched his departing figure, sighed helplessly, and said, "He must have been pampered and spoiled at home. You should at least be more polite to him when you speak to him. Otherwise, what if he seeks revenge on you when his cultivation level is high?"

"Then kill him." Shen Zhengyuan said calmly, without any emotion.

Li Chenjin: "..."

Li Chen sighed again, his expression of helplessness deepening.

She wanted to persuade Shen Zhengyuan, but considering that he had been like this for hundreds of years, and that they still had an unresolved issue of their souls being bound together, she felt extremely tired and could only wave her hand and say, "That's enough, let's rest. If things are like this today, tomorrow's problems will probably be even more numerous."

"Old Master Shen, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to share a room with me tonight. This is your territory, so you can choose which room to sleep in. Would you prefer the inner room or the outer room?"

Shen Zhengyuan's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he said calmly, "You can have the bed; I'll sleep on the couch in the outer room."

Li Chen said with delight, "Elder Shen's righteousness is deeply appreciated."

At first, Li Chenjin thought that Shen Zhengyuan brought so many people to help him.

Unexpectedly, he brought so many people with him just to continue his extravagant and dissolute lifestyle.

The next morning, as soon as she lifted the beaded curtain, she saw several disciples from the Dharma cultivation world standing outside, carrying their robes and ornaments.

These powerful figures, rarely seen by others, were now serving Shen Zhengyuan with utmost respect as he tied his hair and changed his clothes.

Shen Zhengyuan accepted the service from those people without changing his expression, as if he had long been used to it. His whole body exuded the aura of a superior who looked down on all living beings, just like an emperor being served in the palace.

But then I thought, isn't he the "emperor" of the Dharma cultivation world?

Therefore, it seems that the sword cultivation world and the Zen cultivation world are more to her liking. People in these two worlds advocate doing things themselves and do not like to be served.

Li Chen walked slowly to the table and sat down. As soon as she sat down, a disciple brought her toiletries.

After thanking her repeatedly, she quickly washed herself up and was still wearing the same clothes she had worn the day before.

Just as she was about to leave, someone suddenly blocked her way.

She looked closely and saw that the other person was holding a set of clothes and jewelry that had been prepared in advance. Without even thinking, she knew who had arranged for it.

Just as Li Chen was about to politely decline, he suddenly heard Shen Zhengyuan say, "Now that your identity has been revealed, it is not appropriate for you to go on stage. Today, you will watch from the sidelines with me."

Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but look at Shen Zhengyuan.

Seeing Shen Zhengyuan dressed so extravagantly, if she were to wear coarse linen clothes and stand next to him, it would inevitably make him look somewhat inferior.

Thinking this, she took the dress and went back into the inner room.

Shen Zhengyuan knew that she didn't like wearing bright colors, so this dress was also a light color.

She disliked being served, but Shen Zhengyuan pretended not to know and always had some female disciples serve her, even if she refused.

After being forcibly served and having their clothes changed, the two of them left the room one after the other.

Whether it was her imagination or not, the moment she pushed open the door and went out, the expression on the statue that had been facing Shen Zhengyuan's door seemed to change.

The false appearance of kindness and benevolence vanished suddenly, leaving only endless hostility.

However, this only lasted for a moment. In the blink of an eye, the statue returned to its original appearance, as if everything just now was merely her illusion.

To get to the main hall, they naturally had to pass through the second floor.

Therefore, as soon as she stepped down the last step from the third floor to the second floor, she met Han Shannan's gaze, who was already waiting outside the door.

When Han Shannan saw Li Chenjin, his eyes widened immediately.

Today she was dressed in a light blue wide-sleeved dress made of the finest soft gauze, with a jade belt around her waist, adorned with silver ornaments and jade pendants, which accentuated her slender figure and made her appear dignified and elegant.

In addition, she no longer used a simple wooden hairpin to tie her hair, but instead used exquisite silver ornaments. She also applied some makeup to her face to cover up her illness and add some color to her complexion. When she walked slowly, her clothes fluttered lightly, like a fairy in a painting.

It wasn't until the person was right in front of him that Han Shannan finally came to his senses and stammered, "Why are you wearing nice clothes today? Before, when I wanted to buy you new clothes and ask you to throw away those patched old ones, you wouldn't even agree..."

Li Chen said awkwardly, "If I just throw away those clothes after patching them, wouldn't all my efforts be wasted?"

After saying that, she said seriously before Han Shannan could reply, "Yesterday's events caused quite a stir. If we don't show ourselves today, it might arouse suspicion and vigilance from Pavilion Master Liu. You'd better not act rashly. Come down with us first, and we can investigate when we find a suitable opportunity."

Han Shannan nodded and said in a low voice, "That's what I was thinking too, which is why I'm waiting for you here. Besides, I'm also very curious to see what their senior sister is like today..."

Li Chenjin's eyes flickered slightly, and he said softly, "If even you care so much about this, others will probably be even more restless. I guess it won't be long before someone comes looking for us."

As she spoke, her voice deepened, and her gaze swept over the railing to the throng of people below. "After all, the most terrifying thing in this world is never evil spirits; it is when familiar people around you suddenly become strangers."