Luminous Pearl 1

The month-long disappearance case in Haining finally ended with the death of Qian Lin.

After leaving the desolate mountain, Xu Tan immediately informed the imperial envoy Sun Rang, who had not yet left Xiacheng, about the matter. He had learned his lesson and did not overstep his bounds or conceal the truth. He only kept the extraordinary thing of refining spirits a secret.

Upon learning of this, Sun Rang immediately ordered his men to search the desolate mountains for the bodies of the twenty-five victims. He then announced the truth of the matter to the people of Xiacheng in the name of the government and asked the families of the victims to come and claim the bodies.

As for the gruesome state of the corpses, Sun Rang did not press Xu Tan for details, because Xiao Congzhi had secretly instructed Sun Rang not to investigate further.

With this back and forth, the trend in Xiacheng of the underworld forces surpassing the government was finally brought to a halt.

With the death of the spellcaster Qian Lin, the curse on Xu Shuyan was also dispelled. Without the curse, Xu Tan was no longer in a hurry to urge Xu Shuyan to get engaged, and the relationship between the father and daughter improved.

However, firstly, he failed to detect Qian Lin's actions in advance, and then he was arrested and punished by the government. Xu Tan's status and reputation as the leader of the martial arts alliance have plummeted in the martial arts world, and he is now in a state of utter distress.

Ji Buyu, who recognized Xie Mowen's identity in the cave, returned to the Snow Mountain Sect and secluded himself. He didn't even show up when Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen came to ask for medicine, but simply sent his disciples to entertain them.

Xie Mowen tossed the medicine in his hand, saying playfully, "He told us to come over, but he won't even show his face!"

Xiao Congzhi found it quite amusing and scolded, "It's already good enough that he gave you the medicine."

The Snow Mountain School's medicines for treating internal injuries are renowned throughout the world.

"We've helped the martial arts alliance rid them of a menace, so it's only right that we give them some medicine, isn't it?"

"Eliminating the threat..." Xiao Congzhi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you still have any doubts about this matter?"

"You mean how Qian Lin can both practice the art of curses and know how to refine spirits?"

"That's right, and the person who only partially broke the curse also appeared at a very opportune time."

As Xie Mowen was thinking, he accidentally tossed the medicine bag too high and almost missed catching it.

Xiao Congzhi snatched the medicine Xie Mowen tossed up again, stopping him from playing with it, and said seriously, "Forget it, these aren't important. But Ji Buyu, are you really comfortable letting him know your identity?"

Xie Mowen stopped and looked at the warm afternoon sun in the distance, and replied, "He hasn't figured out how to get along with us yet, but he's definitely decided not to reveal my identity, so that's fine."

"They all unanimously avoided mentioning your presence in the cave."

After Xu Tan and his group came out, they only mentioned that Young Hero Xiao had helped them, without mentioning that the Demonic Sect Leader was the one who ultimately killed Qian Lin.

Xie Mowen sneered: "Of course it's impossible to mention. Xu Tan has already been implicated in Qian Lin's matter, and his reputation has been damaged. If the people of the martial arts world were to find out that Qian Lin's righteousness was in cooperation with the demonic sect, what kind of leader of the martial arts alliance and the righteous path would he be?"

Xiao Congzhi shook his head helplessly: "Fortunately, this way, the dirty water that was splashed on you earlier has been washed away."

"Whether it's real or fake, it doesn't matter."

"I have a rough idea of ​​what you're trying to do. The nine major sects plus the Martial Alliance are the core forces of the martial arts world right now. The Martial Alliance is weak, the Diancang Sect is practically useless, and Emei will probably be in a slump for a while. Shaolin and Wudang have always been conservative. As for the remaining five sects, you'd better be able to control three of them..."

...

Xie Mowen remained silent for a long time, so Xiao Congzhi reached out and touched Xie Mowen's arm, asking, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Xie Mowen stood there quietly, watching Xiao Congzhi for a while, before stepping forward and gently pulling him into a hug. He had never told Xiao Congzhi about his plans, but Xiao Congzhi had guessed them perfectly.

Xie Mowen's hug was light, without any romantic undertones, more like a friend's embrace. Xiao Congzhi also reached out and put his arm around him, patting him gently.

"Ji Buyu is open-minded, acts according to his heart, and hates evil like poison. He has long been dissatisfied with the way the Martial Alliance does things. As long as the Demonic Sect does not do anything that violates his bottom line, he is the most likely among the nine major sects to defect."

"Hmm." Xiao Congzhi nudged Xie Mowen. Although they weren't standing on the main road, it was still an alley where people would pass by, so they couldn't keep hugging.

Xie Mowen released his grip on Xiao Congzhi, instead placing his arm around Xiao Congzhi's waist, leaning slightly forward, and pressing his forehead against Xiao Congzhi's to ask, "Can you come to Anling with me?"

"I'm afraid not." Xiao Congzhi shook his head. "I was going to ask you if you could come to Yidu with me."

Xie Mowen straightened up but did not let go. He said with a hint of apology, "There are some arrangements to be made, but I can go to Yidu before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

In other words, they had only recently opened up to each other when they were about to part ways.

Xiao Congzhi joked, "If you go alone, you probably won't see me."

Xie Mowen grabbed Xiao Congzhi's arm and dragged him toward the Bai residence in the east of the city, saying arrogantly, "Then I'll show you what I've got."

When they returned to the Bai residence in the east of the city, Shen Yan was not there, but Shen Zhuo was. On the surface, Shen Zhuo was part of the Empress Dowager's faction, sent to monitor Xiao Congzhi.

Upon seeing Xiao Congzhi enter the room, Shen Zhuo first glanced coldly at Xie Mowen, then said to Xiao Congzhi with a bitter face, "My lord, urge them again over there."

"As expected, we'll set off tomorrow."

"And your internal injuries?"

"It's alright, let Shen Yan brew this medicine." Saying this, she handed over the Snow Mountain Sect's medicine and urged Shen Zhuo to leave quickly.

After Shen Zhuo left, Xie Mo asked, "So soon?"

"Um."

Xiao Congzhi walked to the table to pour water for himself and Xie Mowen. Suddenly, Xie Mowen hugged Xiao Congzhi from behind.

"Hmm?" Xiao Congzhi turned around, holding his teacup, looking puzzled.

Xie Mowen didn't loosen his grip, and with a downward movement, he pressed his head against Xiao Congzhi's lips and kissed him.

The kiss was urgent and intense, and Xiao Congzhi's hand went limp, causing the full teacup to fall onto the table.

Clear water dripped down...

When it was over, Xiao Congzhi felt like his waist was about to break, he was out of breath, and his face was burning hot. He turned around to say a few words to Xie Mowen, but saw that the person in front of him had a completely red face, red eyes, and was even a little watery.

Xiao Congzhi couldn't resist and reached out to press Xie Mowen's neck down, kissing him again.

Xiao Congzhi's kisses were not fierce, but gentle and light, yet more delicate and lingering.

"Be careful, Xiao Congzhi."

"The same to you."