Chapter 207 Waste

As dusk approached, the streets of the outer city were already bustling with people, night market shops opened their doors, and merchants selling exotic goods disappeared into the dark alleys.

Wei Ren stopped in the midst of the commotion. Zhang Xiangyun was in front of him, and Luo Fu was behind him. Nian Qiuyan, standing at the entrance of the dark alley, seemed to be neither taking sides, yet she was impossible to ignore.

"What's the panic?" Zhang Xiangyun grinned at Wei Ren. "Let's talk."

Wei Ren grinned at him and said, "How strange, what is there for us to talk about?"

“We can talk about so much,” Zhang Xiangyun said, strolling slowly toward him. “For example, whether the food in the dining hall is good, whether the poisonous insects in the farm are fierce, how long it takes to refine a Ghost Armor Sky Spider, and how to make the message in the Wind Listening Ruler disappear.”

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Ren tried to escape using the Wind Riding Technique. A crackling sound of lightning flashed in the void. The slender, curved golden lightning snaked forward, but was blocked by a transparent spider web. The two forces canceled each other out.

Wei Ren also took the opportunity to blend into the crowd and escape.

Zhang Xiangyun opened his hand and caught a piece of spider silk that had been severed by the golden lightning. The spider silk hung in the air above his palm, not touching his skin. The Ghost Armored Sky Spider was a highly venomous creature.

"Looks like it was him. He's pretty good at playing with spider silk." Zhang Xiangyun sneered, and Luo Fu responded and chased after him.

Wei Ren's attitude clearly indicates that he has something to hide.

The two groups chased and dodged each other for a short time. Zhang Xiangyun, who was chasing him, noticed that Wei Ren tried to take the Listening Wind Ruler several times, but was interrupted each time. He then tried to snatch the Listening Wind Ruler away.

Although Wei Ren was a disciple of the Farmer's School, his physical skills had been trained by Ji Shuyan since childhood, so he could still exchange a few blows with Zhang Xiangyun. However, his cultivation had been forcibly abolished, his light core was severely damaged, and he had only recently recovered from a serious injury, so his body was not as good as before.

As time went on, more and more people arrived.

After Gu Gan and Xun Zhiya arrived at the outer city with their men, Wei Ren was even less able to reply to Tingfengchi's message.

While frantically fleeing through the streets and alleys, Wei Ren was fortunate to encounter Li Jinshuang, who secretly swam across the water and let him go, giving him the opportunity to escape from the city to the deserted island.

Zhang Xiangyun and Gu Gan also intentionally stalled for time, giving Wei Ren a chance to contact the mysterious person in the Listening Wind Ruler so they could capture them all at once. However, Wei Ren saw through their plan and didn't touch the Listening Wind Ruler at all.

The deserted island was covered with tall weeds that were taller than a person, obscuring the view. The Ghost Spider was very advantageous in this terrain, with its transparent, invisible spider silk densely covering the weeds.

Gu Gan, who was chasing from behind, was stopped by Qian Ying: "Brother Gu, there are spider webs."

As Qian Ying spoke, she gathered the five elements of energy in her hands, and scales grew on her originally fair fingers, transforming them into the claws of a Qilin beast. This Qilin Hand of the Healer is immune to all poisons and impervious to swords and spears.

The Qilin grabbed the spider silk with its claws, and golden five elements energy spread along the silk, burning it like golden flames, turning the originally transparent and invisible silk into a burning line of fire.

Just as Qian Ying burned the spider silk, she caught a glimpse of two figures flashing past, the shockwaves they created bending the towering weeds. Beyond the edge of the weeds lay an endless expanse of sea.

There were a few dilapidated houses on the edge of the sandy shore, and the smell of rotting wood lingered in the air. In the distance, the waves were crashing, and even before they reached the shore, the dangerous warnings of the waves could be heard.

The deserted island was pitch black without any lights. Zhang Xiangyun released Zhou Tian Fire to illuminate the area and spotted Wei Ren's figure. Wei Ren, who was hiding in the house, was about to move when he was grabbed by the golden lightning that appeared in the void.

A flash of lightning appeared behind him. Wei Ren had exhausted himself from his escape and was powerless to fight back. He was struck by the golden lightning and thrown to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Luo Fu's actions this time didn't seem like he wanted to continue playing games with him.

Wei Ren coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing from the residual power of the golden lightning, like a fish that had just come ashore and was struggling frantically.

Zhang Xiangyun strolled over to his side and stepped on Wei Ren's left hand, which was about to move. Just as the Ghost Armored Sky Spider, which was hanging upside down from the void, was about to protect its master, a snake-shaped golden lightning bolt pierced through its body, freezing it in mid-air and pinning it to the sandy ground.

Wei Ren moved his eyes, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the scene of the Ghost Armor Spider being torn apart by the golden lightning. His heart trembled violently, and before he could have any more emotions, the indescribable pain of being entangled by the golden lightning had already taken over his mind.

"You've been running for so long, that's enough." Zhang Xiangyun bent down and snatched Wei Ren's Wind-Listening Ruler. "Come on, tell me, who do you need to send a message or telepathic message to for your accomplices to come and rescue you?"

Wei Ren coughed, his blood rushing to his head, causing him to choke on a mouthful of blood as soon as he opened his mouth, making it difficult to breathe.

Zhang Xiangyun examined Wei Ren's wind-listening ruler, only to find it completely empty.

There wasn't a single friend in it, let alone any text messages.

After examining the Wind Listening Ruler, Zhang Xiangyun smiled, his gaze towards Wei Ren turning dangerous: "Interesting."

Luo Fu took the Wind-Listening Ruler from Zhang Xiangyun and said, "Didn't find it?"

"See for yourself," Zhang Xiangyun said.

Luo Fu frowned as he looked at the empty Listening Wind Ruler and asked Wei Ren, "Did you delete it beforehand?"

“Ever since we started targeting him, he hasn’t had time to control the Wind Listening Ruler.” Zhang Xiangyun stared at Wei Ren’s pained face. “Unless he was precocious and cleared the Wind Listening Ruler before we found him, or someone else cleared it for him.”

"I'm getting more and more curious about the person hiding behind the Wind Listening Ruler. Will you tell me or not?"

Zhang Xiangyun stepped on Wei Ren's hand, increasing the pressure. Wei Ren's face contorted in pain as he gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know... what you're talking about."

Watching Wei Ren struggle in his death throes, Zhang Xiangyun squatted down and leaned closer to him, laughing, "You're a traitor to the peasants, after all, and you've done a lot of dirty things. You should know that if you're going to steal someone's things, you should prepare a way to avoid it beforehand."

"But you didn't perform the avoidance technique, which is why you ended up like this. In other words, the person you cooperated with was negligent. But guess what? Was it negligence on their part, or was it intentional?" Zhang Xiangyun stared at Wei Ren and began to sow discord. "How could someone as powerful as him, who can manipulate mountains and change the rules of the Wind Listening Ruler, not know how to perform the avoidance technique?"

"He did it on purpose, to make you take the blame, then clear the messages on the Wind Listening Ruler and cut off contact with you, so you won't be able to defend yourself."

Zhang Xiangyun spoke leisurely, his words tinged with regret and anger, as if he empathized with Wei Ren and was thinking of him on his behalf. His tone easily stirred the emotions of others.

"He's so capable, he can even monitor the Wind Listening Ruler. He knew we were looking for you all along, but he didn't tip you off. Instead, he destroyed the evidence on the Wind Listening Ruler first. Doesn't that mean he's going to abandon you?"

"I bet the thing you stole from Gu Gan isn't on you either. That guy is really ruthless. He lets you steal things and then lets you get beaten up. He just hides behind him playing with his 'listening-the-wind ruler,' randomly clicking on the crossword puzzles to see if you'll suffer."

Zhang Xiangyun signaled to Wei Ren: "You know, we're not targeting you. The item isn't on you, so killing you won't help. Just tell me who's hiding behind the Listening Wind Ruler, and you can still get back to participate in the inspection. I'll give you a 50% chance."

A rustling sound came from the grass behind them. Gu Gan and Qian Ying also walked through the weeds to the edge of the sandy ground, followed closely by Xun Zhiya, Li Jinshuang, and Huo Xiao.

Zhang Xiangyun tilted his head towards Qian Ying and smiled, "Look, we've even found a physician and sorcerer for you. Once you speak, she can help you remove the lightning seal, allowing you to return to the academy healthy and safe."

Seeing Wei Ren's miserable state, Li Jinshuang's grip on her sword tightened slightly. At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Wei Ren, and no one paid attention to Li Jinshuang, who was walking at the back of the group.

In the distance, the waves crashed and roared, their sound echoing in everyone's ears.

Gu Gan walked up to Wei Ren with a grim expression, looked down at him, and asked in a dark tone, "Where is the thing?"

“Of course it’s not on him.” Zhang Xiangyun sighed. He reached out to Luo Fu, took back the Listening Wind Ruler, and waved it in front of Wei Ren. “If you’re too embarrassed to say it, that’s fine. You just need to send a message to this person.”

They also have people at the Institute of Communications, just waiting for the people locked up in the institute to use the Wind Listening Ruler.

Wei Ren was spitting out blood uncontrollably, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on the wind-listening ruler that Zhang Xiangyun had handed over. Then, he slowly turned his eyes and cast a contemptuous glance at Zhang Xiangyun.

He could hardly speak at this moment. His body was covered in blood and sweat, and he looked disheveled and filthy. He cast a contemptuous glance at Zhang Xiangyun amidst his pain and ferocity, completely unmoved by Zhang Xiangyun's earlier divisive words.

Zhang Xiangyun narrowed his eyes and stomped hard on Wei Ren's hand. Those around heard a crisp cracking sound. Wei Ren's wrist sank into the ground in a strange position. He groaned in pain, his neck stiffened, and his breath became weak.

"I heard that night, Nangong Sui wanted you to destroy your own light core, but you begged Nangong Sui for mercy, saying that losing your light core was no different from dying." Zhang Xiangyun pressed a finger against Wei Ren's chest. "Aren't you afraid of dying now?"

The words had barely left his lips when the five fingers pointing at Wei Ren's chest transformed into claws. The five elements' energy, having just pierced Wei Ren's clothes, was about to tear through his flesh when Wei Ren struggled and hoarsely uttered, "Wait."

"Waiting for what?" Zhang Xiangyun didn't stop. The golden Five Elements Qi tore through Wei Ren's flesh, blood splattered, and he almost dug out his Five Elements Light Core.

"Brother Gu!" The girl's clear voice came from behind, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Zhang Xiangyun paused, raised an eyebrow, and looked back.

The green and yellow weeds swayed, and the fireflies in the sky appeared as flames floating in the air. The orange-red light fell on the leaves, making them shine.

The girl who ran out of the weeds wore an orange-gold long dress with a pale white sheer gauze over it. The dress was made of smooth silk and was decorated with gold thread embroidery of flowers and birds, which was just right.

The firelight illuminated the thin layer of sweat on the girl's forehead, and a cluster of sparks was reflected in her extremely dark pupils, making her eyes appear even brighter and more spirited.

Yu Sui didn't look at Wei Ren, but at Gu Gan. He seemed to have rushed over, looking anxious and a little scared.

When Li Jinshuang saw Yu Sui arrive, she was worried for her.

"Sui Sui?" Gu Gan was stunned when he saw Yu Sui Sui, then frowned, lowered his voice, and angrily questioned Zhang Xiangyun, "Didn't I tell you not to order Sui Sui around?"

Zhang Xiangyun rubbed his head and stood up, squinting at Yu Sui, his gaze following Nian Qiuyan who was walking slowly beside Yu Sui, and asked, "Did you call her here?"

Nian Qiuyan said unhurriedly, "Since Uncle Cao wants the princess to take over the affairs of Taiyi, then we can't keep everything from her. We have to let the princess feel a sense of involvement, right?"

His words sounded malicious, and to Zhang Xiangyun and Gu Gan, they seemed to indicate that he had some kind of problem with Yu Sui.

Wei Ren's raised neck instantly lost its strength and he fell back to the ground. Beads of sweat trembled and fell from his eyelashes. His vision blurred, and all he could see was a dazzling orange-gold light and shadow of Yu Sui walking towards him.

For some reason, the moment Wei Ren saw Nangong Sui, he didn't think he was saved, but rather that Nangong Sui had come to kill him.

The best course of action right now is to kill him to silence him and cut off all leads on Zhang Xiangyun and the others.

Murder shouldn't be difficult for Nangong Sui.

Even with so many people in front of her, she has a way to deal with it.

Wei Ren's thoughts wandered for a moment. Was it worth dying at Nangong Sui's hands?

To be honest, he didn't want to die.

He still has many things he wants to do.

"Brother Gu!" Yu Sui rushed to Gu Gan's side, looking him up and down with great concern. "I heard you came to capture Wei Ren. Are you alright? Are you injured? Wei Ren has a terrifying Ghost Armor Sky Spider; its silk is impossible to defend against, and its poison is very potent."

"Sui Sui, I'm fine." Seeing how worried she was about him, Gu Gan's heart softened, and he comforted her, "Don't worry, just watch what happens next, don't worry about it."

He looked up and glanced at Nian Qiuyan standing behind him, and sneered, "You don't need to listen to what they say. You are the princess of the Nangong family. You are the one who can order them around."

Before Yu Sui could speak, Zhang Xiangyun chuckled and winked at her, saying, "Yes, yes, he's right. Your Highness, it's time for you to give the orders."

Zhang Xiangyun pointed at Wei Ren and said, "The person has been caught, but he refuses to reveal the mastermind behind it and won't say a word about the person hiding behind the Listening Wind Ruler. Princess, what do you suggest we do?"

Yu Sui frowned and glanced at Zhang Xiangyun, clearly dissatisfied with his words. Then she looked down at Wei Ren, who was lying on the ground: "Aren't you afraid of death? You've already been captured, what's the point of struggling to survive? You might as well be sensible and do as they say, so you can at least keep your Five Elements Light Core."

She said with a soft, mocking tone, "Don't you value your light core very much?"

Wei Ren looked up at Yu Sui, who was scrutinizing him from above, her eyes filled with a familiar yet unfamiliar coldness.

“Cough…” Wei Ren coughed up blood, but suddenly grinned. He slowly and laboriously raised his other hand, which was not being stepped on. “I do… care a lot about my light core.”

Seeing this, Zhang Xiangyun placed the Listening Wind Ruler in his palm and exclaimed, "You two are indeed worthy of having fought before. The little princess hit the nail on the head as soon as she opened her mouth. I really admire you."

Before Yu Sui could speak, Gu Gan said, "Stop being sarcastic."

Zhang Xiangyun stared at Wei Ren's actions without turning his head and said, "I am praising him from the bottom of my heart."

Wei Ren held the Wind Listening Ruler tremblingly, enduring the pain as he lit up its surface. The moment his fingertip touched the cold surface, an unsigned dialog box popped up.

Zhang Xiangyun and Gu Gan both raised their eyebrows at the reaction of the Listening Wind Ruler; it was indeed interesting.

Nian Qiuyan glanced at Yu Sui without making a sound. He was now certain that the person hiding behind the Listening Wind Ruler was Nangong Sui.

Upon seeing Nangong Suishi rushing over, Nian Qiuyan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

It really was her.

Despite having some doubts, Nian Qiuyan still found it hard to accept when it was actually confirmed.

What kind of person is Nangong Sui?

Nian Qiuyan didn't even dare to think about it too deeply.

Yu Sui merely glanced at him coldly. Nian Qiuyan was a clever person; the two worked together seamlessly without needing to communicate.

"I only contacted him using the Wind Listening Ruler...you guys..." Wei Ren coughed halfway through his sentence, suppressing his breath, "want me to send something?"

Zhang Xiangyun asked suspiciously, "You don't know who he is?"

Wei Ren sneered, "Just like you said, he's so cautious, and he can even change the rules of the Listening Wind Ruler, why would he tell me his true identity?"

"Besides... he can monitor the Wind Listening Ruler, so he probably already knew that I had been discovered by you. He wanted to cut his losses and survive, so sending him a message was useless."

"Whether it's useful or not isn't up to you to decide." Zhang Xiangyun smiled and patted Wei Ren's face. "Ask him if he's in the dormitory."

Wei Ren tapped the crossword grid with difficulty.

Zhang Xiangyun believes that the fact that the other party did not close the interface for communicating with Wei Ren shows that he has not given up on Wei Ren.

As long as Wei Ren successfully sends the message, the people at the Communications Institute will be able to immediately analyze the information from the mountain and locate the other party.

Gu Gan and the others were all staring intently at Wei Ren's movements, watching him select the correct characters from the crossword puzzle and send out the message.

After Wei Ren sent out the message, Zhang Xiangyun took his Wind Listening Ruler, entered the inscription, and sent a telepathic message to Song Yubai, who was far away at the Communications Institute.

The telepathic message was quickly answered by Song Yubai. At first, neither of them spoke. Zhang Xiangyun stared at Wei Ren, waiting patiently.

The boy standing at one corner of the mountain in the Communication Academy slightly raised his head, his calm and unwavering eyes reflecting the runes on the mountain that were increasing in speed, as he used the Divine Reversal Divination.

However, the moment he was observing the mountains, the buzzing of the Wind Listening Ruler sounded in succession, and all the Wind Listening Rulers of the sorcerers in the Communication Academy emitted a buzzing sound at the same time to receive the transmitted messages.

The communication engineers, who were recording information about the mountains at their workstations, felt extremely strange upon hearing the incessant sounds and picked up their wind-listening rulers to investigate.

The instructors and others from Taiyi Academy were already checking the dormitories. There were also guards waiting downstairs for the late instructors from the Thirteen Realms and the academy's saints. The corridors were full of students, and everyone consciously kept quiet. In the silence, the buzzing of the Listening Wind Ruler sounded particularly jarring.

"Whose is it?" the instructor asked irritably as he was about to enter the room to check.

As soon as he finished speaking, more and more voices from the Wind Listening Ruler rang out, including his own.

The teachers, disciples, and saints who were not in the dormitory, as well as the busy people in the kitchen of the dining hall, all looked at their constantly ringing wind-listening rulers.

The students, bewildered, pulled out their incessantly ringing wind-listening rulers, tapped them, and saw the same message: "Are you in the dormitory?"

Who is it?

You received this too?

"Zhang Xiangyun?"

"Is there something wrong with him?!"

Why did Zhang Xiangyun send me this?

"I don't have Zhang Xiangyun's Listening Wind Ruler as a friend, so why did he send me this message?"

The dormitory was brightly lit, and the overlapping shadows in the corridors all held their listening sticks, discussing the strange message they had received. The instructors checking the dormitories also held their listening sticks and looked at each other, puzzled as to what the message meant.

Standing below the dormitory, Ou Rushuang looked at the information on the Wind Listening Ruler, her expression hidden in the dim light.

While waiting for someone at the Moon Mountain Astrology Platform, Wu Huaiwei picked up the Wind Listening Ruler, but seeing that it wasn't the person she was waiting for, she threw it away out of boredom. A moment later, she picked it up again, looking thoughtful.

The sea surface rippled due to the night wind. Mei Liangyu stood behind the boardwalk, staring at the wind-listening ruler. With a splash, Yan Xiaochuan popped his head out and frantically splashed water.

Mei Liangyu glanced at the message sent by Zhang Xiangyun, smiled, and closed the chat box, asking Ren Gui, "Did you do this?"

Ren Gui replied quickly: "No."

At this moment, the sorcerers of the Communication Academy were the most bewildered and shocked, looking incredulously at the Wind Listening Ruler in their hands and then at the huge Mountain Counting Formation.

What exactly went wrong?

Who sent the message?

How did you do that?

When the sorcerers of the Communication Academy saw that the Yin-Yang School sage Zou Qian and the Taoist sage Li Qiuwen had rushed over, they followed them. The sorcerers who had been waiting in front of the mountain were sweating profusely as they explained the current situation to them.

Song Yubai stared at the increasing number of runes on the mountain strips, all emanating from the same Wind Listening Ruler, yet covering almost the entire Wind Listening Ruler of Taiyi Academy. He couldn't help but look away; the limit of the Reversal Hexagram had been reached, and he could no longer analyze so much information about the mountain strips at the same time.

“Can’t find it.” Song Yubai walked to a corner, avoiding the communication academy sorcerers on the move, and said in a low voice to Zhang Xiangyun on the other end of the Wind Listening Ruler, “Everyone in the academy has received this message now.”

"Everyone?" Zhang Xiangyun was stunned.

Others couldn't understand it either.

Gu Gan even thought he was hallucinating.

Even Li Jinshuang and Nian Qiuyan, who already knew that Nangong Sui was the mastermind, couldn't hide their surprise at this moment.

Qian Ying asked in disbelief, "How is that possible..."

Song Yubai glanced at his Wind Listening Ruler, took a deep breath, and said, "The signature information for sending this message is yours."

"I sent it?"

Zhang Xiangyun laughed, but his face visibly turned ugly.

Gu Gan's expression instantly turned serious; he realized that his opponent's strength seemed to exceed his expectations.

Wei Ren also overheard their conversation. He was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter without any politeness, which drew a gloomy look from Zhang Xiangyun.

Yu Sui looked at Wei Ren, the distant sound of the waves couldn't drown out Wei Ren's unrestrained laughter, and the fire in her eyes flickered.

When she received the message, her first thought was not to save people, but to kill Gu Gan before he could find Wei Ren.

Once Wei Ren is dead, the problem will be easily solved.

But Yu Sui still couldn't help feeling a bit angry.

Zhang Xiangyun turned around and stepped on Wei Ren's chest, causing Wei Ren, who had been mocking him, to groan in pain again, his breath becoming weak.

"You'd better give me an explanation." Zhang Xiangyun's smile vanished, and his gaze turned icy as he stared at Wei Ren.

“I have… done as you said.” Wei Ren looked up at him fearlessly, his gaze defiant as they met. “If you want to find the person hiding behind the Listening Wind Ruler, let’s see if you have the ability.”

Zhang Xiangyun increased the pressure on his feet. Seeing Wei Ren's bulging eyes, bloodshot eyes, and the ugly sight of him struggling to breathe, he was about to continue his actions when the Wind Listening Ruler in his hand began to buzz.

Everyone else's eyes were on Zhang Xiangyun's hand. He looked down and turned the Listening Wind Ruler over. The ruler was bright, and the two words that appeared on the ruler were reflected in Zhang Xiangyun's dark eyes: "Useless".

Yu Sui raised her hand to press down the hair that was blown by the wind, and slowly looked at Zhang Xiangyun.

[Author's Note]

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!