Chapter 149 The Storm is Coming

The Golden Feathered Crow flew with incredible speed. When the three returned to the city, Longlan City was still accepting refugees. The leading gatekeeper was startled to see them return, but Master Ding Jing waved him off and told him to go about his business. He then collected the Golden Feathered Crow and descended into the city.

"You two should stay in the inn first and wait for my news."

Each of the six major alliances has a Tianjie in the main city of each of their jurisdictions. Within Tianjie, there is an inn specifically for receiving expatriate cultivators, called Fuyao Pavilion. Therefore, Master Dingjing did not specify which inn it was.

Yang Zongchun was about to agree when Dong E waved his sleeves, stepped forward and said to Master Ding Jing, "Time is running out. Why don't Junior Brother Yang and I go check on the reward for the portrait first?"

Zhenren Dingjing paused stroking his long beard, looked at her, and nodded in agreement.

Before Yang Zongchun could react, Dong E dragged him away toward the Lugu Yamen. He watched as Ding Jing Zhenren leisurely made her way into the Heavenly Street, a source of deep confusion. He reasoned that, while he had politely addressed Dong E as "Senior Sister," they were still from different sects. Why would Dong E suddenly want to join him?

Could it be that Dong E had found some clues for him to investigate? Yongge Lexian was known for his decisiveness. Although he usually appeared ethereal with his pipa in hand, he was known for his decisiveness and decisiveness. Yang Zongchun pondered silently, but out of respect for Dong E, he followed without a word.

He didn't say anything, which made Dong E feel strange. He turned around and looked at him and asked, "...Why don't you ask me what I want to do?"

"Senior Sister has her reasons for doing things. I'm just here to help track down the murderer. If Senior Sister needs me to do something, I won't refuse."

"Well said." Dong E let go of his hand and glanced at the government office at the end of the street, where a crowd of people surged. "I do have something to say. Lu Gu should have posted the reward for his portrait. Let's find a place to wait and talk."

"There are several teahouses in Tianjie, but I can't see any activity from the government office." Yang Zongchun said regretfully as several store names flashed through his mind.

Dong E, however, had no intention of going to Tianjie: "Senior is in Tianjie, it is better not to go."

Yang Zongchun pondered the meaning of her words. Dong E had already set his sights on a teahouse on the street owned by a mortal. The three large characters "Bu Ye Hou" flying high above even overshadowed the smaller shop next to it. "This one."

As soon as the two entered, a waiter came over to greet them with a smile. Dong E didn't wait for him to say anything and said directly: "There are two seats by the window upstairs. I will only serve one pot of Yunzong tea. No one is needed to serve. If anyone comes, please send them away." After that, he threw a bag of silver ingots into the waiter's arms.

The waiter, a true expert at welcoming guests, wore a smile on his face. He simply lifted his silver purse and, without further question, called out, "A pot of excellent Yunzong tea!" He then respectfully invited them upstairs. The Marquis of Buye had six floors, and the waiter ushered the few guests downstairs from the fifth floor, cleared the area, and invited the two men inside.

After they chose a place where they could sit down with a view of the yamen gate, the servant changed into a tea master, brought a set of utensils and a pot of Yunzong tea, poured a cup for each of them, and then went downstairs with his eyes downcast.

Just as Yang Zongchun was about to pick up the tea, Dong E suddenly asked, "Would you like to go with me to Fujishan?"

The tea in Yang Zongchun's hand shook and almost spilled out. He put down the teacup and immediately lost the desire to taste the tea.

"What do you mean, Senior Sister?" He recalled the scene when Master Ding Jing said those words, and rubbed his fingers together unconsciously. "Aren't you worried about alerting the enemy?"

"If we can really find a way to safely cross the chasm, this is still..."

"Junior Brother Yang, you were born into a family of cultivators, right?" Dong E suddenly asked something that was completely irrelevant. Her expression was serious, and it seemed that she wanted to get a definite answer.

Although Yang Zongchun couldn't figure out her purpose, he answered truthfully, "Yes, I am the great-great-grandson of Elder Fuya. Our family are all Midie monks. My father is a hermit monk Yifeng who married into the family, and it is also a family inheritance. What's wrong?"

"I've thought about this for a long time, and finally I remember why I felt that what the senior said was somewhat contradictory," Dong E said. "I once saw a letter from the Internal Affairs Hall in Master's study. It recorded an incident that I accidentally read while handling affairs for Master."

"Among our six major alliances, there are already cultivators lurking in the Zang Yao Sect."

Yang Zongchun's heart skipped a beat. With such secret information, it was no wonder Dong E wanted to ask about his background. Coming from an aristocratic family, he was considered relatively trustworthy to Dong E.

Just thinking about it, Yang Zongchun immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He finally understood - Dong E actually doubted Master Ding Jing!

Ever since the Zang Yao Sect severed the Demonic Land, the number of righteous cultivators in the Spiritual Transformation Stage has steadily declined. Now, not to mention the Spiritual Transformation Stage, even cultivators in the Void Refinement Stage are few and far between. True Man Ding Jing, a righteous cultivator so close to reaching the Void Refinement Stage, and hailing from a prominent cultivation family, is naturally a highly sought-after figure. How could such a great elder possibly be connected to the Demonic Sect?

"However, we don't have sufficient authority to access the secrets of the Inner Affairs Hall. It's understandable that Senior doesn't tell us the truth," Yang Zongchun tried to analyze. "Even Senior Sister, who is so outstanding, only learned about it through a letter from the Palace Master of Xinghai Palace."

"We've learned how to infiltrate the Demon Sect, but we haven't launched a full-scale attack. Furthermore, no one seems to know what the situation is like there. Perhaps there are still some obstacles. Don't the scriptures record that if we step into the Demonic Land, our meridians will be reversed and our bodies will explode and die? We don't know the difficulties involved."

As Yang Zongchun spoke, he thought of something: "That demon cultivator is indeed a demon from the Zang Yao Sect. I'm sure we can get more information from him. Perhaps that's why Senior is asking us to be careful?"

Dong E's expression gradually softened, but his tone remained firm: "You have a point. But if this demon cultivator is really that important, then we can't just sit here and wait."

"I think that demon cultivator probably doesn't know he's been exposed yet. He might still be staying in Fuji Mountain. At the very least, he'll have left traces in Fuji Town. This time, you and I should at least confirm the whereabouts of Qi Tao and the others before they died, and then see if we can get any clues from Fuji Mountain. If we do find that demon cultivator, you should have a way to mark and track his whereabouts, so that I can rest assured."

"There is a way." Yang Zongchun thought about it and decided that it would be better to follow Dong E's idea, as long as they stopped discussing the matter of Master Ding Jing 'lying'.

Anyway, I was just a tool for them to find people. Why bother thinking so much? It was so tiring. Yang Zongchun exhaled, poured out the tea in front of him, and poured a new cup of hot tea. Just as he took a sip, he heard a commotion coming from downstairs.

"Someone's revealed the name!" Dong E suddenly stood up. "Let's get the portrait and go to Fu Jishan to investigate!"

"Cough cough." Yang Zongchun was scalded by the hot tea, and the tea went into his throat, causing him to cough violently.

A pot of good tea wasted like this.

First update~ I am about to enter the third volume, I am a little excited just thinking about it hh

I'm a little stuck in writing, so I'll post the second update today and two more tomorrow. Sorry~