465 Chapter 465

Signals were frequently detected in the capital city. Ordinary people kept their doors and windows tightly shut, unwilling to cause trouble, while some peered out of their windows out of curiosity to ask what was happening.

Soon, Yu Sui's portrait was plastered all over the streets and alleys, and the guards announced that he was a vicious wanted criminal and that there would be a reward for reporting his capture.

When Ah Ling escaped from the Criminal Investigation Department, she released a large number of serpents to fight against the treacherous path, and flying swords could be seen falling from the sky everywhere.

Seeing this, the Wen brothers didn't need to lift a finger; they simply followed Ah Ling and avoided the winding, serpentine path.

The two were not surprised to see Yu Sui's portrait, but then Ah Ling suddenly stopped and ran to tear off the wanted poster.

The portrait listed many crimes, with matricide being the first, followed by treason, and so on, with no end in sight.

Ah Ling grew angrier the more she looked. Although she didn't understand much of what they were saying, she felt that they had insulted the Yu Sui in her heart, and she decided to kill the guards.

"stop!"

The guards chasing behind shouted.

Ah Ling used her wind manipulation technique to get behind the guard and kicked him to the ground. As soon as she appeared, she caused screams of alarm from the onlookers, who ran away while shouting.

The two Wen brothers, who had escaped, were also stunned, wondering why the girl had suddenly run over and kicked the guard twice.

"Do they have a grudge?" Wen Yangxiu asked.

Unable to get an answer, just as Ah Ling was feeling triumphant, a tremendous pressure descended. A giant crane spread its wings, blotting out the sky, and descended towards Ah Ling from the clouds along with a serpentine flying sword.

Masters share a common understanding and spiritual connection.

"Oh no!" Wen Yangxiu exclaimed inwardly.

Where did these renowned sages and masters come from?!

Ah Ling sensed danger and turned around, only to find the crane already before her. The crane's ferocious face was reflected in the girl's dark eyes.

A sense of survival ignited Ah Ling's protective aura. Even if her qi control was poor, it was still the protective aura of a thirteenth-realm divine soul core.

The flying sword, which zigzagged and fell, struck Ah Ling first, sending her flying. As she flew away, the pressure from the crane broke through Ah Ling's protective aura.

It seemed like certain death, but as the crane moved forward, two fox claws descended from the sky and pinned down its wings.

The Enchanting Fox, a Mythical Beast from the Farmhouse.

Two alluring foxes, one on the left and one on the right, came fiercely. After pressing their claws down on the crane's wings, they turned their heads and bared their fangs to bite at the crane's slender neck.

A high-pitched cry of a crane rang out amidst the fluttering feathers, stained with blood amidst the pure white feathers. The spirit crane spread its wings and soared high, looking furiously at the two people standing at the ends of the street.

Shen Tianxue raised her head to look at the crane that had flown into the sky, her expression a mixture of a smile and something else.

Yu Sui tilted her head and looked at the Wen brothers hiding in the house. Under their shocked gazes, she returned their smiles with a kind smile.

"elder sister!"

Ah Ling howled and ran towards Yu Sui. Yu Sui opened his umbrella, intercepted the pursuing flying sword that darted around like a snake, and then left with Ah Ling.

"Shen Tianxue!" Xuehe roared in fury, "Why did you interfere in this matter?"

Shen Tianxue laughed and said, "Old man, when did you become worthy of asking me for answers?"

These words thoroughly enraged Xuehe, and the spirit crane flew straight towards Chentianxue.

Yu Sui only took A Ling out of the fighting range before saying, "Let's take a look."

Ah Ling stood under the eaves, looking towards the distant snow-covered sky.

Yu Sui showed A Ling the fight between Shen Tianxue and Xue He. A Ling was dazzled and couldn't keep up with the speed of their moves.

"Sister, I'm sorry, I messed things up," Ah Ling said dejectedly. She had neither controlled the venomous insects nor mastered the Breath Swallowing Technique, and she had also been exposed and tracked.

"Did I ask you to do anything?" Yu Sui asked, puzzled.

Ah Ling: "..."

Shen Tianxue heard that Wei Ren was going to die, so she returned to the city to check on him. But as soon as she returned, she encountered Xuehe attacking A Ling.

Meanwhile, Pei Daiqing and Mei Liangyu arrived at Wei Ren's location.

The two stood under the eaves, examining the dying Wei Ren.

"He's not dead again?" Pei Daiqing asked in surprise. "The same thing happened last time. His light core shattered but he didn't die. This time, his light core shattered again, but he still didn't die."

Mei Liangyu knew what had happened as soon as he saw Wei Ren's injuries, and remained silent, pretending to be deep in thought.

Pei Daiqing felt Wei Ren's pulse and said, "Not only is he not dead, but his light core has also been repaired. Could he really be a genius?"

Mei Liangyu: "Maybe."

"A genius who can generate his own light core?" Pei Daiqing asked in confusion.

Mei Liangyu looked into the distance and said, "There are all sorts of wonders in this world."

Pei Daiqing laughed: "A peerless genius who went from the sixth realm to the thirteenth realm of divine soul core?"

"That is indeed a bit of an exaggeration," Mei Liangyu said.

“Just tell me what you know,” Pei Daiqing said.

"Isn't he a student of the two deans?" Mei Liangyu looked away.

Pei Daiqing: "He was also your roommate in Taiyi."

"How many years ago was that?"

"Just three years ago."

“I’ve never heard of such a thing. My knowledge is still far inferior to that of the Dean.” Mei Liangyu turned to the side. “But when we find the people here, I can introduce them to the Dean.”

They all noticed that two figures were approaching the dilapidated hut.

“Yan Manfeng’s nephew and apprentice.” Pei Daiqingye looked up outside.

Mei Liangyu raised an eyebrow slightly: "You know these young people too?"

“You said it yourself, you’re still no match for me in terms of knowledge,” Pei Daiqing laughed. “I have to take her away before they arrive and bring her back for Ah Xue to see.”

Mei Liangyu glanced at the unconscious Wei Ren, fearing that if he were taken back and handed over to Shen Tianxue, he would inevitably suffer the experience of being disemboweled by Shen Tianxue.

Pei Daiqing didn't care about any of that.

He made a hand seal, and a long, black serpent-like shadow appeared on the ground, opening its mouth to swallow Wei Ren into the ground.

When Yi Guyun and Song Junyou arrived at the hut, they only saw bloodstains on the ground and no sign of Wei Ren. The two searched the surrounding area in confusion, wondering why they couldn't find a trace of him, even though they had pinpointed the location.

"He ran away on his own?" Song Junyou asked.

Yi Guyun shook his head: "According to Zou Yexi, he was hit in the core of light and may already be dead."

Song Junyou fell silent.

Even if I die, I must see my body.

If Wei Ren were to die now, it would be a huge problem.

"Go back and tell His Highness the Crown Prince first," Yi Guyun said. "I'll continue the search."

After the two left, the long, black serpent-like creature on the ground spat out Mei Liangyu and Pei Daiqing.

Pei Daiqing stroked his chin and said, "Wei Ren seems to be very important to them. This kid has made a name for himself in Yan, working for the Crown Prince of Yan."

“You two should have something to talk about.” Pei Daiqing smiled at Mei Liangyu.

Mei Liangyu said, "There are traces of blood being drawn from the pulse points on both of his hands."

Upon hearing this, Pei Daiqing turned Wei Ren over and examined him. He found a cross-shaped scar on both of Wei Ren's wrists.

"What a coincidence!" Pei Daiqing said in surprise.

The two looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.

At the end of the long street, Sheng Fei and Gu Gan caught up, only to witness Shen Tianxue fighting Xue He. Gu Gan shouted, "Uncle Xue! Why are you fighting with Dean Shen?!"

"Dean Shen! What are you doing here?"

Xuehe angrily said, "She's in cahoots with that brat!"

Shen Tianxue did not answer, but heard the phoenix's call. So she did not linger and disappeared into the sky.

There were even more fun things waiting for her, so Shen Tianxue couldn't be bothered to get entangled with these boring people.

Gu Gan frowned upon seeing this. If Shen Tianxue was also Yu Sui's accomplice, then things would be troublesome. Everyone knew that the two sages of the Farming Clan were inseparable; wherever Shen Tianxue was, Pei Daiqing was sure to be there too.

These two are eccentric and unconventional; nothing can stop them from doing what they want.

If it's an enemy, that would be terrible.

Seeing that Shen Tianxue had left, Yu Sui then took A Ling with her and left as well.

Because of Wei Ren's injuries, Pei Daiqing led his men to a clinic. The owner, an old acquaintance of his, provided a place for them to rest. As soon as Shen Tianxue entered, the elderly owner, who was over eighty years old, burst into tears and knelt down before her, crying out, "My benefactor! I've finally seen you again!"

Yu Sui and A Ling were about to leave, ignoring the scene, when Shen Tianxue called out, "What are you doing? Call them, don't be rude."

Ah Ling asked, bewildered, "My benefactor?"

Yu Suichao, the owner of the inn, bowed his head and said, "Uncle."

Ah Ling imitated Yu Sui's call, and only then did Shen Tianxue allow the two to leave.

Upon entering the back room, Ah Ling looked at Wei Ren on the bed and asked, "Who is this?"

Pei Daiqing said, "His name is Wei Ren, a genius who has generated a thirteenth-level divine soul core on his own, and also my and A Xue's student."

Ah Ling didn't understand and thought it was true. She was shocked and her expression and tone became visibly respectful.

"How did he get injured like this?"

"Perhaps it's an inevitable step for him to upgrade his light core," Pei Daiqing joked.

Mei Liangyu didn't come inside. Yu Sui told him what happened that night. Mei Liangyu laughed and said, "You humiliated Xun Zhiya in front of Li Jinshuang, which made Xun Zhiya turn his attention to you and not have time to pay attention to Li Jinshuang. He Xinsi is also a strange and suspicious person. If you do this, he will definitely send Li Jinshuang to arrest you."

"Are you planning to give Li Jinshuang a free credit in exchange for this opportunity to enter the palace?"

“I have to let her catch me first,” Yu Sui said. “Once the Pagoda incident is exposed, Shui Zhou will be here soon. I wonder if they will forcibly take away the scattered fragments.”

"The best solution is to seize all the fragments and keep them in Shuizhou's possession," Mei Liangyu said. "But the people from the other countries won't agree."

“Shuizhou won’t care whether they agree or not. After this operation, they will definitely take tough measures,” Yu Sui said. “I heard that Shuizhou believes that the Floating Pagoda is related to the Strange Fire. The people there are all obsessed with the Strange Fire. On this matter, Shuizhou is more united than the five scattered countries.”

In the eyes of the people of Shuizhou, eliminating the strange fire is more important than unifying the Xuan Gu Continent.

"Who sent the message?" Mei Liangyu asked.

“It wasn’t me,” Yu Sui shook her head.

“I know it wasn’t you.” Mei Liangyu raised an eyebrow. “There are only a few people who can command the mountain spirits. I can’t think of anyone who would do such a thing.”

"You didn't expect that?" Yu Sui looked at him suspiciously, then reached out and hooked her arm around Mei Liangyu's neck, snuggling into his embrace. "How could my incredibly intelligent and insightful senior brother not guess?"

Mei Liangyu smiled and put his arm around her waist, then took her hand and put it back inside his clothes to warm it.

"If it was Dean Zou, then it must have been you who instructed him."

“The remaining two may not want to break their vows,” Mei Liangyu joked. “Perhaps it was Xue Mushi and Zhong Lique who discussed it together.”

"Didn't I already guess?" Yu Sui lifted her head from his arms.

"Just to avoid breaking the oath?" Mei Liangyu asked, "And to expose the He family and incite discontent among others, thus delaying the process?"

Yu Sui would share news about the He family with Xue Mushi and Zou Qian, but she rarely contacted Zhong Lique because of the special communication methods there.

“It’s good to expose the He family to the light.” Yu Sui didn’t dare to touch Mei Liangyu any further and withdrew his hand. “In the past two years, we have also come to understand that the He family is not as terrifying as Elder Yan said. Like the transformation of a worm into a dragon, that’s more like a legend. Oh, it’s more real than the transformation of a worm into a dragon because the He family’s divine technique is indeed different from our understanding.”

"Their main method is also divine manipulation."

“They can more easily grasp and absorb the five elements and the more special divine techniques than ordinary ninth-rate sorcerers,” Mei Liangyu repeated. “This is the advantage of the He clan.”

“The disadvantage is that we have fewer people,” Yu Sui said with a muffled laugh. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t need to sneak around and hide to do things; we could just crush and rule the entire Xuan Gu Continent with force.”

"Thinking about it this way, the situation in the Six States is quite similar to that of the He family's three clans." She suddenly realized, "Isn't a place without any practitioners of the Five Elements roughly equivalent to them having an easier time mastering the Five Elements than ordinary sorcerers?"

Mei Liangyu paused for a moment.

“Anyway, I bet the He family will also try to get the fragments,” Yu Sui said. “I met Jiang Fengyu at the Criminal Investigation Department, and he didn’t just come to me for the antidote.”

"You gave it to me?"

"I gave it to him. Wei Ren was dying downstairs at the time, so I didn't spend much time with Jiang Fengyu."

Speaking of Wei Ren, Mei Liangyu leaned closer to Yu Sui and whispered, "How do you plan to explain this to the two deans?"

"I won't explain. Let them think what they want." Seeing him lean closer, Yu Sui tilted her head and kissed him.

As soon as Shen Tianxue came out, she saw this scene. Without any hesitation, she asked in a casual tone, "Are you done kissing?"

"What's wrong, Dean?" Yu Sui asked with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

The slender knife Shen Tianxue was holding was still dripping with blood. She casually flicked it and asked Yu Sui, "What happened to Wei Ren's light core?"

"Didn't you find anything wrong with the tests?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Shen Tianxue pointed her knife at her. "Did you give Wei Ren the thirteenth-realm divine soul core?"

"Give?" Yu Sui asked, puzzled. "How do you define giving? That's something that's growing inside Wei Ren's body."

“Wei Ren’s original light core shattered, but now a new one has grown. This is what he has achieved.” Shen Tianxue said indifferently, “Do you want me to believe that Wei Ren broke through seven realms and directly advanced to the thirteenth realm master level at the critical moment when his light core shattered?”

"The world is vast and full of wonders," Yu Sui said modestly.

If it were anyone else, Shen Tianxue would have already taken action; there wouldn't be so much nonsense.

However, Yu Sui's strength far exceeded her expectations, so she dared not make a move to test her. Their conversation last time had inadvertently brought them closer, and Shen Tianxue did not want to use extreme measures against Yu Sui, tearing her apart.

"If you don't give me an explanation, don't blame me for stabbing you in the back at any time," Shen Tianxue said. "There are a lot of people who want to arrest you right now."

"When the Dean needs it." Yu Sui wasn't afraid of her threat.

"Ah Xue, if you don't sew him up soon, Wei Ren will really die," Pei Daiqing shouted to Shen Tianxue from inside the house.

Shen Tianxue then went back and, under A Ling's shocked gaze, sewed Wei Ren's cut body back up.

"It was terrifying!" Ah Ling came out, her face pale. "Sister, Dean Shen peeled Wei Ren's skin off!"

"You'll get used to it after watching it a few more times," Yu Sui said.

Ah Ling shook her head repeatedly, gesturing to Yu Sui to describe the scene of Chen Tianxue stripping people bare.

Yu Sui turned around and noticed that Mei Liangyu looked tired, so she told A Ling to go play by herself and took Mei Liangyu back to rest. After Mei Liangyu returned to her room, she noticed that Yu Sui was far away from her, and said, "Come here."

"I'm afraid it might suddenly catch fire," Yu Sui said.

"Let it burn." Mei Liangyu's tiredness made him look somewhat gloomy.

Yu Sui couldn't help but feel soft-hearted towards her senior brother, as if something had stepped right on her heart, making a loud thud, yet it was incredibly tender.

She walked over and was pulled into Mei Liangyu's arms.

"Just for a little while." Yu Sui huddled against him for warmth, "until you fall asleep..."

Before she could finish speaking, she sensed Mei Liangyu's even breathing.

They must be extremely tired.

He pretended to be fine before, but once they were in a safe place, he would stay by her side and fall asleep.

Yu Sui carefully got up from Mei Liangyu's arms and stared at that face for a long time.

"Senior brother, go to sleep," Yu Sui leaned down and kissed his face, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable.

Mei Liangyu fell into a deep sleep, but his body was still consuming a large amount of the Five Elements Qi. The light cores that Yu Sui used to replenish his Qi were being used up more and more each day.

The Floating Pagoda, the Strange Fire, the Power of the Earth's Core, the He Clan, and the Oath of No War.

When Yu Sui was with Mei Liangyu, he would try to use his sacred wooden divination sticks to make predictions.

She had previously suggested secretly returning to Taiyi to find the Divine Tree Seed in the Dragon-Slaying Cave for divination. Her senior brother, however, said it was pointless; if the Divine Tree Seed could reveal how to destroy the Strange Fire, someone would have already done so.

That's what they say, but Mei Liangyu actually believes that if Yu Sui were to use the divine tree seed for divination, the seed might be completely burned.

The water boat gathered many sorcerers and magicians, all striving to divine the one who would destroy the world.

If they could persuade all the diviners in the world to join forces in divination, the outcome would be truly unpredictable.

A single spark can start a prairie fire. Shui Zhou seems capable of doing just that.

Currently, the most promising and powerful masters of the Fangji School and the Thirteenth Realm Masters can almost all be considered members of the Shuizhou faction.

The situation in the Yan Kingdom is unpredictable, and Qingyang is no longer willing to wait, so he wants to immediately terminate the oath of non-aggression.

Why Nanjing?

Currently, among the five kingdoms vying for power, only Nanjing and Qingyang are competitive. Dan Kingdom is controlled by the Mechanical Clan, Yan Kingdom is the main battlefield, and Taiyuan is somewhat lax in its efforts to unify the Xuan Gu Continent, favoring the Shui Zhou faction and more concerned with the destruction of the world by the Strange Fire than with the struggle between the five kingdoms.

He Xinsi was still recovering from her injuries and dared not even leave the palace, so how could she agree to break the oath and allow those powerful sorcerers from Qingyang to become a threat?

Unless he openly agrees, but secretly sabotages things by deliberately leaking information to get Shui Zhou to come and stop it.

After a brief encounter with He Xinsi outside the palace walls, Yu Sui's impression of her was: suspicious.

The second is: bloodthirstiness.

He Xinsi prefers simple and direct methods: those who obey her prosper, and those who oppose her perish.

Anything useless, annoying, or boring can be killed.

Whether it was royalty or court officials, anyone who uttered a single word from him would be executed.

Unfortunately, most of the power in Nanjing is concentrated in the hands of He Xinsi.

He has a group of fanatical followers, from royalty to commoners, who will obey his orders and serve him.

The sacred wooden divination stick in her hand emitted a low hum, and Yu Sui looked down at the characters and incantations displayed on the stick.

He Xinsi indeed did not want to break the oath.

Yu Sui intended to continue the divination, but suddenly an ominous premonition surged into her heart. She immediately threw away the divine wooden divination stick, and a cluster of flames overflowed from her fingertips, burning her wrist before she managed to suppress it.

The burning sensation on her skin brought her back to her senses.

Yu Sui went to check on the sleeping Mei Liangyu first, and only relaxed slightly when he saw that he was alright.

I had originally planned to visit the Zhou Kingdom, but now, because my senior brother's life force was depleted by the Divine Mechanism Technique, I have to put it on hold.

If my senior brother dies

Yu Sui couldn't stop thinking about this lately, but she would always cut off her thoughts as soon as she thought of it.

As dawn approached, a light drizzle began to fall outside.

Last night was chaotic, and the search in the city never stopped. Today, there are far fewer pedestrians on the streets.

Sheng Fei searched all night without success; the person had vanished right under his nose, which Sheng Fei found unacceptable.

He returned to the Criminal Investigation Department with a grim expression and went to the archives building where Yu Sui had appeared. Sheng Fei re-examined the damaged building and deduced the positions of Yu Sui and Jiang Fengyu based on the traces of the Nine Schools of Arts.

What is she doing at the Nanjing Criminal and Waterway Bureau's archives building?

Sheng Fei began to think about Yu Sui's idea.

Although I don't want to admit it, this is something that Sheng Fei has been doing frequently for the past three years.

Even though he couldn't be sure whether Yu Sui was alive or dead, he couldn't help but think about what Yu Sui had done in the past.

No matter how many times he thought about it, Sheng Fei could not understand Yu Sui.

Sheng Fei could neither understand nor accept her behavior and thoughts.

The Criminal Investigation Department's file building is a multi-story structure. It appears to be only one story from the outside, but inside it combines various martial arts techniques and mechanical systems, spiraling upwards.

The collision between the Reverse Star and the Azure Leaf Sword caused all the cabinets in the area to collapse, scattering files all over the ground.

Sheng Fei saw Zhong Lique standing in the ruins.

"What are you doing here?" he asked warily.

Zhong Lique looked down at the scattered pages of the case files at her feet, and said without raising her head, "I came to the Criminal Investigation Department to find you, but Director Xia said you haven't returned yet."

"I'm asking you why you were in the files building?" Sheng Fei pressed, taking two steps forward and seeing Xia Feichen emerge from behind Zhong Lique.

Xia Feichen looked somewhat embarrassed: "I asked her to come up. I thought you would go back here first."

As it turned out, he was right.

Sheng Fei's eyes were filled with the words "Why are you meddling?" as he looked at Xia Feichen, his slightly furrowed brows revealing his impatience.

"What do you want with me?" he asked Zhong Lique.

"Are we going to the palace again today? I heard that the eldest princess of Dan Kingdom has died." Zhong Lique still didn't look at Sheng Fei.

"You don't need to report to me if you want to enter the palace," Sheng Fei sneered.

"So, we don't need to prepare any ceremonies today?" Zhong Lique asked.

Xia Feichen raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

Sheng Fei said expressionlessly, "Zhong Lique, you really dare to say anything out loud."

Zhong Lique: "Master Xia should have received that message as well. Since it's common knowledge, why can't it be said?"

Sheng Fei then noticed that she had been looking at the scattered files on the ground since earlier, so he stepped forward and forcefully blocked Zhong Lique's view, forcing her to look up and show respect.

Zhong Lique's eyes were clear and bright, gentle and serene.

She still had a hint of confusion and bewilderment in her eyes regarding Sheng Fei's sudden rude behavior.

"You only came to the Criminal Investigation Department under the pretext of Nangong Sui's presence here," Sheng Fei said sarcastically. "It seems that you were the one who leaked the contents of the message to Nangong Sui."

“The Third Young Master speaks of things without any evidence as if they were true.” Zhong Lique thought he was being unreasonable.

Sheng Fei, however, said to Xia Feichen, "Arrest her."

"Under what pretext?" Xia Feichen also thought Sheng Fei had gone mad and asked with a hint of amusement.

"Use this as bait to lure out Nangong Sui," Sheng Fei said. "Nangong Sui was willing to go to such lengths for Li Jinshuang. You've known Nangong Sui for even longer. If I'm not mistaken, Nangong Sui would definitely show up when he hears that you're in trouble."

"If Nangong Sui comes to save you, then it proves that I was right."

Xia Feichen looked at this and then at that, without saying a word.

Sheng Fei said, "You must clear your name now, otherwise more and more people will doubt you."

Zhong Lique couldn't help but laugh: "It sounds like the Third Young Master is thinking of me."

"You have to agree whether you like it or not." Sheng Fei didn't give her any choice at all.

Sheng Fei called Xia Feichen away and told him to do as he was told. Xia Feichen couldn't help but ask, "Do you really think this will work?"

“I heard that Li Jinshuang is also looking for someone. If she finds Nangong Sui first, what do you think His Majesty will think of the Thirteen Divisions?” Sheng Fei sneered. “At least you shouldn’t hesitate at all when it comes to arresting people.”

Xia Feichen was persuaded by Sheng Fei.

He was truly afraid that the capricious He Xinsi would settle scores with them all because of this.

When Sheng Fei returned to the house, before he could even speak, Zhong Lique had already nodded in agreement to his plan.

"If the Third Young Master's guess is wrong, I hope you will apologize to me."

Sheng Fei didn't listen to a word he said.