12 Qingshan Town

Chu Qing's heart sank, and she quickly asked, "What happened?"

"Sigh, let's go inside and talk."

Hua Qi's eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. The two quickly walked into the courtyard and sat on a stone bench. He continued, "You had only been in seclusion for a few days when the government of Qingshan Town asked us for help, saying that several people had recently gone missing, but they had not found any clues during their investigation."

"Until one day, someone suddenly found the body of one of the missing persons, and he—"

Hua Qi paused, his expression troubled: "He was still emanating residual demonic energy, so he must have been discovered shortly after his death."

"Residual demonic energy?"

Chu Qing was surprised and subconsciously leaned forward.

"Yes, the government suspects it might be related to the demons and is afraid they can't handle it, so they asked us for help."

Chu Qing nodded and listened to the other person continue, "But something strange has happened. The disciples we sent out are all quite skilled, but... but recently there has been no news of them."

"What!"

As Ling Xueluo and Yin Li reached the door, they heard Chu Qing's loud shout. Their knocking motion stopped abruptly.

Chu Qing, who was inside the door, seemed to sense something and wanted them to go back first, but then she heard the person outside the door shout, "Master, your disciple is willing to share your burden!"

She frowned, but Hua Qi remained silent, showing no intention of refusing.

"Elder Qingge, I've come here to ask you—"

The door slowly opened, and the two people entered and bowed. Soon after, Mo Yu also arrived, and the three of them stood together behind Chu Qing, creating an inexplicably strange and harmonious scene.

"Qingge, the disciples I sent out are already the preferred candidates of the other elders, but the situation is really dire, so I had no choice but to come and bother you."

"These are all my duties. Elder Hua, you should guard Qingshan Peak. As for the problems in Qingshan Town, I, Chu Qingge, will take responsibility."

Chu Qing appeared straightforward, but this trip actually happened to be to the place she wanted to go.

On the eve of her seclusion, she used her favorability points to find another clue—Qingshan Town was connected to the villains.

But with only this one clue, and no other way to proceed, was it really just a coincidence that something happened so soon after I came out?

Regardless of the danger, she had to bite the bullet and go for it.

"Master, Xue Luo requests permission to go!"

"absurd!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Qing couldn't hold back and angrily rebuked, "The situation is dire this time. You know nothing about it, and going there will only cause more trouble!"

“Master, Xue Luo has been practicing for sixteen years without ever going down the mountain for training. Now she has already made some progress, and this disciple will certainly live up to your expectations!”

"you!"

Chu Qing felt a surge of anger rising within her. Ling Xueluo had been well protected by Yin Li since childhood, and even Chu Qingge had never subjected her to severe punishment. Now, she was so eager to show off in such a big matter; it was simply outrageous.

But just as she was about to refuse, the system's damn notification sound rang out.

[This is something the female protagonist must go through; the host has no right to refuse.]

!

That annoying system! You've never been a mentor, how could you understand that kind of worry!

Reluctant as she was, she had no choice but to suppress the anger in her eyes and nod under the coercion of the system.

However, this struggle never escaped Yin Li's eyes.

Seeing her action, Ling Xueluo's face lit up with joy, and she happily said, "Thank you, Master!"

Master must recognize my strength and be willing to let me prove it!

Hua Qi did not leave in a hurry, but continued to add details to the four masters and disciples: "The strange thing about this matter is that the missing people are men, women, young and old, and there is no pattern to it. Moreover, in the past half month, not counting the disciples sent down, there have only been three or four people."

"What were the characteristics of that corpse?" Chu Qing asked.

"The deceased's face was stiff, and he looked terrified. The spots on his body were darker in color. The authorities determined that he died from excessive fright."

Hearing this, Chu Qing frowned. She asked for more details, but Hua Qi didn't know anything. She wasn't a criminal investigator herself. The only thing she could do was to release demonic energy when she died, and the incident in Qingshan Town was related to the villain Wen Ruyu.

After Hua Qi left, everyone looked solemn. Chu Qing silently took out many self-protection talismans and magic treasures from the brocade pouch and gave them to Ling Xueluo one by one.

"Time is of the essence. You should be setting off tomorrow. You must seize the opportunity to act. If you do anything foolish, don't say you are my disciple, Chu Qingge."

Mo Yu, who usually ignored the other two, also pouted and said reluctantly, "These are pills that I carefully developed. There are pills to protect the heart meridian, enhance power, restore blood, and even a mind-control pill. Ugh, basically everything you know. Use them sparingly, you hear? If you run out, you'd better pay me back, hmph."

After saying that, he looked at Chu Qing with a pleading look in his eyes.

Ling Xueluo pursed her lips and remained silent.

Finally, when it came to Yin Li, he took out a communication stone and solemnly said, "Report your safety every day. Although it is a communication stone, it can also be used to take a picture. Junior sister, you've grown up."

For some reason, Chu Qing felt like crying when he finished speaking.

Yes, without realizing it, they've all grown up.

"Go home and get some rest. Don't get in my way."

"yes"

Ling Xueluo bowed deeply as a disciple, then glanced at her master's retreating figure one last time, her voice choked with emotion: "Disciple will certainly not fail in her mission."

Ling Xueluo left quietly in the morning without telling anyone. Little did she know that the three people were standing in different places, silently watching her departing figure.

The Cloud Mist Sect has been unusually quiet these past few days. Apart from receiving letters of reassurance, everyone has stayed in their rooms.

Even though Chu Qing had anticipated that Ling Xueluo must have gotten into trouble, her heart still tightened the moment Yin Li came looking for her.

"Master, my junior sister—"

This morning, Yin Li opened the communication stone as she had done the previous two days, but instead of receiving a message of peace, she received a foggy image.

"Pack up, take Mo Yu with you, let's go."

For the first time, Chu Qing felt a different kind of worry than usual. This time, it was probably not so simple; it was as if someone had set a trap, waiting for her to jump into a fire pit.

The three quickly packed their bags, found an inn, and settled in.

"Mo Yu, you are skilled in medicine, so you should stay at the inn and keep watch over us. If we get injured, we can be treated in time."

"Don't worry, Master!"

"Yin Li, come to my place in a bit, and we'll discuss our strategy."

"good"

The two sat at a somewhat old wooden table. He habitually poured Chu Qing a cup of hot water and waited for the person opposite him to speak.

"There are no clues about the missing person right now, but it's a busy daytime and the perpetrator is unlikely to make a move. We need to investigate at night."

Yin Li nodded and added, "The video that my junior sister gave me was most likely recorded in a panic when there was danger. If we have any clues, we can also investigate the origin of that video."

That's right.

Chu Qing nodded approvingly, suddenly realizing that he had already shed some of his youthful immaturity and naivety, and was becoming more and more like the male protagonist in the book.

Night fell quickly, and the pedestrians in Qingshan Town went home early and locked their doors due to the recent disappearances. The government also increased the number of people patrolling the streets.

The stars in the sky were obscured by thick clouds, leaving only the pale moonlight reflected on the ground.

The two quickly changed into night clothes and, to avoid being noticed, quietly slipped out of the inn through the back door.

Because of their cultivation, Chu Qing and Yin Li concealed their presence and aura, observing from the air while riding their swords.

They walked for a long time, the streets were deserted and empty. Just as Chu Qing was getting drowsy, she suddenly heard rustling footsteps.

"Hurry up, hurry up, or the authorities will find us!"

"Okay, the temple is just ahead, we're almost there."

temple?

Chu Qing gave Yin Li a look, and he immediately understood, quickening his pace to approach the path.

In the pitch-black night, the two figures were clearly visible. They looked around in panic, their bodies trembling with fear, yet their feet kept moving.

Chu Qing used her spiritual power to explore the terrain ahead and found that, just as the two people had said, there was a small temple in front of them. The temple was located on the edge of the town, in the mountains and forests. Why were they going there in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?

I have no choice but to follow along for now.

Soon, the two furtive people arrived at the temple entrance. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Chu Qing and Yin Li slipped inside first.

"Hiss, why do I keep feeling like there's someone around?"

Another person, dressed in coarse linen clothing, couldn't help but retort, "Stop talking nonsense! Have you been scared out of your wits by that man in red? Let me tell you, there are no ghosts or gods in this world. If we had known, we wouldn't have come here together. Now look what's happened—"

"Okay, stop talking. What can I do now that it's already happened?"

The person who responded couldn't help but glare at the other person before quickly entering the temple. He even made a point of checking that the gate was properly closed to prevent anyone else from barging in.

The man in red?

Hearing this, Yin Li couldn't help but frown. What a coincidence that they found clues related to the missing persons case on the very first night.

Chu Qing was also confused, but she gave the other person a look, telling him not to act rashly.

Through the tattered window paper, one could see the two people kneeling down, their hands clasped together in front of their chests, praying incessantly, their mouths uttering incantations: "Please bless him, please bless him, please let him leave our dreams. I swear, if I can find peace, I will do anything for you!"

What a vicious oath! The statues in this temple don't even belong to anyone, yet they dare to pray like this.

By the dim moonlight, Chu Qing began to examine the statue of the fruit offerings—it was neither a Bodhisattva nor any Buddha or deity. It had a fierce appearance, with its lips strangely split open to its ears, revealing a row of fine, sharp teeth. There seemed to be bright red marks on its face.

Having never watched a horror movie before, she was startled by the sudden scene and couldn't help but back away, only to have her eyes covered by a pair of slender, fair hands.

"Master, don't look, it will offend your eyes."

The boy appeared beside her without her noticing, surrounding her in a protective manner, yet maintaining a respectful distance.

A faint fragrance wafted into her nose, stirring her heart, and Yin Li unconsciously moved forward another half step.

[Author's Note]

I've finally gotten to this part! Actually, I have to thank my roommate for providing some inspiration, haha. I hope everyone will comment; I really want to interact with you all! Also, happy National Day in advance! I'll probably update tomorrow~ Love you all!