Chapter 123: The Light and Dark Side (2)

After two more days of activity in the town, the three of them made little progress, aside from some groundless rumors. Naturally, Wang Taiyuan was cautious, not even keeping his own magical tool ready for contact with Hao Fei, so why would he risk being discovered while operating in the town?

The fact that everyone could notice some inconsistencies was considered very perceptive.

Shang Qian doubted himself, "Perhaps the strangeness in the river is just like the one in the Yanheyang River. It's really not the work of the cultivators? Those textile workers don't have any doubts either."

"No one lied out of fear. I deliberately took advantage of your questioning to secretly listen to their thoughts," Qu Qitao sighed in frustration. "They truly respect Wang Taiyuan from the bottom of their hearts."

The reason for their frustration is that they are monks who slay demons and eliminate evil spirits after all, and they can never muster up interest in ordinary tasks.

Xi Xingji consoled him, "That's good. We're not here to subdue evil spirits. We're only here to prevent them from growing."

"But there are still many doubts that don't make sense. Is there no way?" Shang Qian stretched out his hand and pressed his eyebrows. He decided that if there really were no evil here, he would go back to the sect and find someone to fight a few times. It was too frustrating now.

"Why don't we go and explain the situation to Mr. Wang now and set up a formation to ward off evil spirits?" Luo Xuanyi suggested.

Because Luo Xuanyi always had a face that looked like she was thinking quietly, and rarely spoke when the other two were speaking, Xi Xingji was somewhat surprised. "Fellow Daoist Xuanyi, what do you mean by that?"

Luo Xuanyi had been prepared. She actually wanted to quickly eliminate the three people to avoid any further complications. She wanted them to leave Fuji Town quickly so she could take action. She had also asked Hao Fei if he could guarantee that they would not be exposed under the evil-repelling formation.

"That's easy. The so-called evil-repelling formation is just a basic formation. It can only target those newly born demons and monsters. It's used to prevent trouble before it happens. They must not know that I'm in Fu Ji Town yet, otherwise I'd be sending them here to die. Covering it up is a piece of cake."

Therefore, Luo Xuanyi did not have to worry about the three people discovering any clues due to the formation, so naturally, the sooner the better.

"After all, we can't find any flaws ourselves, so we might as well be clear about our stance. If there really are evil cultivators here, they'll definitely stop us once they get the news."

"This is indeed a good idea." Xi Xingji thought about it carefully and nodded in approval, but Shang Qian raised an objection.

"But if there really is an evil demon, wouldn't alerting it and forcing it into a corner harm the townspeople?"

"Indeed, I didn't think it through." Luo Xuanyi nodded decisively. Shang Qian felt a little embarrassed by Luo Xuanyi's attitude. He opened his mouth to explain something, but Luo Xuanyi shook her hand to stop him.

"I'm a casual cultivator, and I grew up away from the world, so I really didn't consider the townspeople."

It's just that the death date has been postponed, Luo Xuanyi thought silently.

Xi Xingji thought about Shang Qian's words and regretfully rejected this option.

At the end of the discussion, Qu Qitao made the final decision: "The town has already started preparing for the Spring Bell Festival. We should stay for ten days as planned. Once the bell festival is over and we are sure there are no abnormalities, we can then announce our intentions."

The crowd dispersed, no longer staying together due to the past few days' activities. Shang Qian, for example, disliked staying in the palace all the time and would often go out to the streets to help the people prepare for the festival. Qu Qitao, however, refused to give up and began chatting with the servants and maids in the palace all day to gather information.

Xi Xingji and Luo Xuanyi, on the other hand, stayed in their respective rooms, rarely going out. Luo Xuanyi observed Xi Xingji and realized that it wasn't that he didn't want to go out, but rather that the two brothers in the palace seemed to have a fixation on him, perhaps considering him the most talkative of the four. Wang Zhanke noticed that Xi Xingji would always use long-winded lectures on cultivating immortals, forcing him to find an excuse to escape.

Wang Xianqing, the loudmouth, was always hanging around the mansion, and if caught, he'd be punished. Whenever he went out, he'd run into these two, sometimes at the same time. This forced him to refuse to leave the house even during the day, declaring to others that he was meditating and not to be disturbed. Only at night did he dare venture out to the mansion or the streets, observing and exploring. Of course, thanks to Luo Xuanyi's surveillance and Wang Taiyuan's caution, he found nothing.

In this way, the festival was getting closer and closer. Nine days passed in a blink of an eye. On the morning of the tenth day, the people in the town got up early and happily. They didn’t have to go to school that day. The ringing of children’s bells was also jumping in the streets and alleys, and it was a happy scene.

"Doesn't the Spring Bell Festival start in the evening?" Xi Xingji was a little confused. Shang Qian, who had become familiar with the townspeople over the past few days, quickly replied, "This is the pre-festival fever. Every household will start hanging firecrackers to ward off evil spirits, and for lunch, they'll have a kind of yellow croaker freshly caught from the Liuzhong River. When the sun goes down, the people in the palace will choose the right time to hang lanterns. When the lanterns are lit, everyone will know the bell festival has begun."

As the crowd took to the streets, they saw people hanging bright red firecrackers from the eaves of their houses. Children sat on their parents' shoulders, one hand covering their ears, the other holding a firestick, trying to reach for the fuse. After several attempts to ignite, the children gradually lost their fear. They spotted the end of the fuse and shouted, "Run!" The adults then rushed to the side, narrowly avoiding being blown up by the firecrackers from the neighboring house.

The whole street was filled with the sound of crackling, mixed with children's laughter and the cheerful ringing of bells. Qu Qitao sighed, "Is this a festival on earth? I've never seen such a lively scene."

"If you've never seen the lively hustle and bustle of crowds, go to the wild market and I guarantee you'll see enough," Shang Qian said, his smile growing wider as he gazed at the scene.

"The shouting in those places is completely different from the sounds here," Qu Qitao retorted softly. She hated it when other cultivators always brought up her status as the Palace Master's only daughter, but she also didn't want to get angry with Shang Qian during such a joyous occasion, so she stopped talking.

Xi Xingji sighed: "So, have you forgotten what we are going to do?"

"We're not here to celebrate, we're here to find clues."

"Since that's the case, why not split up and see the bigger picture?" Luo Xuanyi said. This time, no one objected. Everyone agreed to meet in Xi Xingji's room in the afternoon if nothing unusual happened. Then they dispersed.

Tenth update! I will definitely save up my drafts in the future, at least before going out! No, if I don't have any saved up, I'll just not go out! () Anyway, good night~