heretical cultivation

The city lord's mansion was bustling with activity at that moment.

Red lanterns hung high at the entrance, and servants carrying food boxes hurried back and forth, making unsuspecting passersby think that the mansion was celebrating some kind of festival.

A grand banquet was held in the courtyard, but the elderly city guard was not in the main seat; the main seat was occupied by a young and handsome man.

The city guard had intended for the two immortals to take the seat of honor, but no matter how he tried to persuade them, Sang Zhao refused to sit in the main seat, saying it was against etiquette.

Unlike him, Liu Xubai sat down in the main seat with an air of nonchalance.

The city guard wiped his brow again, stealing a glance at the master of the house.

The young master of Xuanji Pavilion, who should have been sitting upright, was now so drunk that he looked like a jade mountain collapsing.

During the meal, the only one who could dissuade Liu Xubai was Sang Zhao, who simply ate his food calmly and gracefully.

"Master Sang, are you truly not going to take a seat?"

Sang Zhao put down the jade chopsticks in his hand and replied, "The rules of etiquette cannot be overstepped. I am merely a cultivator."

He glanced at the head of the table out of the corner of his eye, a slight smile playing on his lips—the young master was no different from when they last met, still as carefree as ever.

Looking down at the increasingly cold plate, he wondered in his heart when his junior sister would be able to return.

The vermilion gate in front of the courtyard suddenly swung open.

Lin Yunwang and Fan Qingdu followed the servant's directions to the banquet. The first thing they saw was Liu Xubai, who was so drunk that he was weak and could only prop his head up with one arm on the table.

Lin Yun was about to sit down next to Sang Zhao when she saw Liu Xubai suddenly prop up his neck, stagger over the fallen petals, and take her hand, saying, "The city guard need not... tonight... I will stay with her."

The smell of alcohol wafted towards Lin Yun's ears, it was awful, and she couldn't help but frown slightly.

The city garrison commander and the accompanying official standing nearby showed a hint of fear on their faces. "This...isn't this inappropriate?"

The immortals at the banquet were all people they couldn't afford to offend, and they had no idea what the connection was between them.

“I have no objection.”

Lin Yunwang's answer was like a thunderclap at the banquet, and the candles on the table flickered with her voice.

Seeing the undisguised astonishment of those around her, she immediately realized that she had been misunderstood and explained, "Young Master and I are both women. What's wrong with sharing a room? Besides, she's drunk, so it's reassuring to have someone by her side."

Liu Xubai grabbed a pot of wine from some table and slammed it down in front of the city garrison commander. "Hey, you guys don't think I'm a man, do you?"

"No, no..."

Taking advantage of the argument between the two, Lin Yun pulled her wrist, which was being gripped painfully, and turned to walk towards Sang Zhao, who was coming towards her.

"Senior brother, I'm back." Her tone was cheerful, after all, she had finally put her mind at ease.

Sang Zhao pushed the pastries on the table toward Lin Yunwang, "You've worked hard, have something to eat..."

Before he could finish speaking, a servant promptly removed the plates from the table and replaced them with steaming hot food.

Liu Xubai examined the table made of golden silk wood, inlaid with gemstones. She glanced sideways at the out-of-season flowers in the courtyard and suddenly chuckled.

Lin Yun was enjoying the delicious food when he heard a sneer from the host, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look.

She said, "The city garrison commander has quite the refined taste."

Her drunken eyes swept over every official present, exuding an air of authority even without anger. She had already drunk quite a bit, making it difficult to discern whether her words were sarcastic or merely a drunken jest.

The officials present were eager to curry favor, while Liu Xubai also intended to give them a warning.

"This can be considered a different kind of two-way journey," Yun thought to himself.

"Young Master is too kind."

No sooner had the city garrison commander finished speaking than Liu Xubai suddenly threw his wine cup into the flower bushes, startling the sparrows that were scattered in all directions.

Lin Yun looked down at the exquisite plates and food in front of her, all of which were styles she had never seen before.

Just how much money and manpower must have been spent to build this extravagant mansion?

This is beyond the capabilities of a small, outlying town.

It's completely rotten.

The silence dissipated, accompanied by the crackling sound of burning charcoal in the earth dragon's fire tunnel.

These officials were all shrewd and worldly-wise; a simple exchange of a smile was enough for them to know what to do.

The city lord gestured to his servants to bring out a new wine jug, and he stepped forward to pour wine for Liu Xubai. The officials beside him also went to the tables of Lin, Sang, and Fan to offer them wine.

Just as Lin Yun was about to politely decline, he heard Fan Qingdu say coldly, "I won't drink."

The wine glass, illuminated by the warm candlelight, reflected a cold light.

"We are on a mission and should not drink alcohol," she said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "If we mess things up, we'll only be making trouble for ourselves."

Fan Qingdu frowned slightly, his eyes, covered by a strip of cloth, showing confusion and doubt. He had never left Qiling City before, so he naturally did not understand the intricacies of the world.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.

No matter how powerful the four of them were, the city's array was high up, and an invisible hand pressed down on them, leaving most cultivators with spiritual power but nowhere to use it.

She understood this principle better than anyone: two fists can't beat four hands.

Lin Yun looked at Liu Xubai, who was speaking the truth under the influence of alcohol. This person was not as reckless and impulsive as she appeared. Her presumptuous words just now were seven parts drunkenness and twelve parts scheming.

She picked up a piece of pastry with her fingertips, her gaze carefully measuring the direction of the eaves and brackets.

If we really want to take any action, we must do it slowly and discreetly, away from the eyes and ears of others.

However, this was merely a short-sighted solution, and Yun abandoned his thoughts.

Let's deal with the immediate problem first.

She turned her gaze to Fan Qingdu, only to find that the town envoy was also looking at her. Yun Wang met his gaze calmly, but he was the one who turned his head away first, a faint blush rising on his cheeks and ear tips.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Yun finally asked the question that had been on his mind, "What brings you two gentlemen here?"

"Capture the person."

Yun Wang didn't ask any more questions; she already knew who she wanted to capture.

There were no yellow-robed disciples at the banquet, nor were any spiritual energy fluctuations detected from them, so they must have gone back.

Is that too much to ask? That's a battle against a legendary figure!

"The four of us are enough," Fan Qingdu nodded solemnly to her.

Lin Yun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Ah?"

Realizing her lapse in composure, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, moved closer to Fan Qingdu, and whispered, "I fought the Demon Lord, really?"

She resented the Demon Lord for causing the village chief to fall into a coma. She wanted revenge, but she didn't want to be a firefly drawn to a flame, much less a foolish ant trying to shake a tree.

The brute wielded his sword to cut through the flowing water, but Lin Yun didn't want to do that.

When emotions are running high, clarity and patience are even more crucial. Her life in exile during her youth taught her to assess situations, but this does not mean blind compromise and weakness.

Sometimes, even fierce animals will hide their claws and teeth in order to better catch their prey.

Fan Qingdu's reaction was unexpected. As the clouds approached, a gentle breeze stirred a few strands of his hair. He took a half-step back, his movement as light as a withered leaf falling to the ground. However, the crisp sound of the jade pendant at his waist betrayed his thoughts: "Demon Lord? We are ordered to hunt down evil cultivators."

Yun Wang returned to her original spot somewhat dazed. Seeing Sang Zhao looking at her with concern, she shook her head. "I'm fine... Senior brother, do you know the purpose of the two immortals' trip?"

Sang Zhao glanced around and said in a low voice, "Why do you ask that? Isn't it...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Yun nodded heavily.

When the two reported this matter to their sect, they also shared their conjectures. Logically, such a significant matter would not have been handled by only two people. Therefore, this heretical cultivator must truly be one.

Could this really be the work of evil cultivators? The previously unwavering speculation has become uncertain.

Sang Zhao did not believe that the Jingyin Sect and Qiling City would allow the Demon Lord to run rampant and wreak havoc on the human world.

In the latter half of the banquet, both Lin Yunwang and Sang Zhao were rather absent-minded. They were each lost in their own thoughts, yet their lines of reasoning miraculously overlapped.

This matter is not simple.

Liu Xubai, standing to the side, was still chatting and laughing with the city guard, as if the previous unpleasantness had never happened. She also revealed the purpose of her trip, since with the city guard's help, the mission would be much easier, at least avoiding unnecessary casualties.

"Young Master, you can rest assured that you can entrust the task of evacuating the people to me." The city guard patted his chest and assured him.

Unexpectedly, he was so enthusiastic. Liu Xubai chuckled and said, "Then thank you very much, sir."

The moonlight is beautiful tonight, but I'm getting tired of looking at it after so long.

Lin Yun couldn't help but yawn.

Those officials hadn't finished their flattery.

They also knew who was in charge of this matter; it wasn't the wooden-like Fan Qingdu, nor the seemingly oblivious Yun Wang and Sang Zhao.

Although they occasionally offered flattery, most of their attention was focused on Liu Xubai.

Too boring.

Liu Xubai also yawned.

The city guard tactfully said, "It's getting late, so I've prepared lodgings for you immortal masters."

Fan Qingdu refused, and the city garrison commander stopped trying to persuade him.

As soon as they stepped out of the mansion, Liu Xubai leaned against Lin Yunwang as if he had no bones, draping an arm over her shoulder and fiddling with a strand of Yunwang's hair.

The smell of alcohol was unpleasant, the close proximity made people uncomfortable, and the body of a drunk person felt heavy.

Thinking that she had drunk so much today, much of it to cover for him and Sang Zhao, Lin Yunwang held back and did not push her away.

"Smack!"

After walking a few more steps, Yun Wang still couldn't hold back and slapped Liu Xubai hard, saying, "Don't touch me."

"Let's use the Shrinking Earth Talisman to go back," Sang Zhao suggested.

“No, no.” Liu Xubai swayed as he got up and staggered forward. “Walking is also a form of cultivation. Don’t rely on external things for everything.”

This is a serious statement, but it's hard to associate it with someone who can't even walk steadily.

Seeing that she was about to fall to the ground, Lin Yun quickly grabbed her wrist and used a clever trick to pick her up.

I never expected that someone who was half a head taller than her could be so agile.

"The inn isn't far from here. Considering the time it takes for the talisman to burn, we might as well walk back."

Liu Xubai wrapped his arms around Waiyun's neck and rubbed his cheek against her shoulder and neck.

"It smells so good...it's so soft..."

"If you say one more word, I'll throw you down." He said, bouncing her around threateningly.

Lin Yunwang didn't consider herself a short-tempered person; on the contrary, she was quite peaceful and not easily angered. But when she faced Liu Xubai, she completely collapsed. She attributed this to a clash of personalities.

She had never encountered such a shameless person before.

But she also admitted that this young master was capable and resourceful.

Sang Zhao and Fan Qingdu walked behind the two.

Perhaps feeling awkward, Sang Zhao changed the subject, "When do you plan to capture the evil cultivators?"

"Tomorrow morning." Fan Qingdu's answer was without the slightest hesitation, without considering whether Liu Xubai would be sober by tomorrow morning.

Sang Zhao nodded, "My junior sister and I will lend a hand."

He had his own reasons. Yunwang lacked practical experience, so this was a good opportunity for him to hone it.

He then discreetly observed Fan Qingdu and Liu Xubai. Besides, with these two around, there was no need to worry about Junior Sister Yunwang getting hurt.

The moonlight cast the shadows of the four people. They walked with their shadows past the doorways of house after house. Because of the lanterns hanging in front of the doors, their shadows were sometimes long and sometimes short, creating a sense of harmony.

The usually aloof cultivator's lips curled into a slight smile that he himself was unaware of.

However, upon returning to the inn, another problem arose.