These words were said too casually. Liu Xu was stunned and immediately fell into deep thought.
After pondering for a while, she heard a weak voice in front of her, reminding her, "Fellow Daoist Liu, your horse is about to fall over!" She suddenly came to her senses and found that there was a skinny little musician between herself and Yun Xian, who looked like a bean sprout.
The wild horse was fiery and would stir up trouble if it saw the opportunity. Willow catkins nipped at the horse's belly, bringing it under control. Fang said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Feng Ye took the opportunity to introduce himself. "I'm Feng Ye from the Qinfang. The swordsman behind me is Qiao Lingshan from the Sword Pavilion. The one next to me is Xue Lingxiu from the Southern Realm... and this is Yun Xian. Absolutely true, there's no mistake."
Before Liu Xu could react, she looked at the man in the bamboo hat in the carriage and asked, "Where is this man?"
Su Chi sat with Xue Lingxiu, who had a stiff expression. Only half of his beautifully contoured chin and slightly protruding Adam's apple were visible under his bamboo hat.
Yun Xian: "Guess."
Willow Catkins: "I just asked because I don't know."
Yun Xian: "Then I won't tell you."
Willow catkins: “…”
No one knows about Su Chi's trip, so he naturally has to keep a low profile.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Liu Xu controlled the wild horse and caught up with the carriage, all the while looking Yun Xian up and down, almost cross-eyed. "Liu Shi may be smart... but the Sword Sect has sent a lot of troops this time. How could they possibly be crushed by you? Are everyone else watching?"
"It counts as watching, then." Yun Xian picked up a piece of wild grass from somewhere and said with a half-smile, "Falling on the ground and watching counts as watching."
Qiao Lingshan: “…” I really can’t stand this stinky guy.
Liu Xu said fiercely, "I don't believe it! What if you're lying to me?!"
Yun Xian couldn't explain it to her, but since he had already finished reading the tabloid, he simply shoved it in her direction and said, "It's Cultivation Weekly, a legitimate newspaper with a security mark. You'll know for yourself when you read it."
Liu Xu actually stopped her horse to read a newspaper. She had no whip, and her method of stopping the horse was unusually rough. She reached out and grabbed the wild horse's throat. The horse neighed a few times and stopped reluctantly.
The tiny black dot on the horse gradually moved further and further away from the crowd. I could vaguely see the newspaper fluttering from her hand to the ground. Her petrification was so genuine and heartfelt that it didn't seem like an act.
Xue Lingxiu frowned and said, "Yun Xian, does this person really not know, or is he pretending not to know?"
Such a big thing was known to all four realms. Unless she had not talked to anyone for such a long time and had not stayed in any crowded places such as teahouses and taverns, how could she not know anything about it?
"It's unclear for the time being." Yun Xian was not a fortune teller, so naturally he didn't know whether it was true or not, but since the other party was from the Sword Sect, he must be more cautious.
After all, judging from what Liu Shi did, the culture of this sect is to harm others and not benefit oneself. Although it is a one-on-five fight and it is obvious that he cannot win, he should not be so stupid. But who knows if this person will consume their spiritual energy at the risk of having no spiritual energy himself?
Qiao Lingshan frowned and thought for a long time, then saw Yun Xian slowly sit up again: "I suddenly thought, and I think she might really not know."
Su Chi raised his eyes: "Why?"
He knew nothing was wrong because he didn't sense any murderous aura from the sword cultivator.
"It's okay if you don't recognize me. After all, I just debuted recently and have lost a lot of weight, so it's hard to recognize me." Yun Xian said confidently, "Big Brother, you can't even recognize me with such a perfectly sculpted chin. I guess this person is either as face-blind as Qi Butu, or he never reads the newspaper."
Su Chi was choked and lost his words: "Yun Xian, you..."
Xue Lingxiu felt a chill in her throat. "You think everyone is like you? You focus on beauty and beauty every day, never focusing on the right path and never practicing properly."
"Maybe I didn't look at it on purpose." Feng Ye said weakly: "I went to Zhongcheng and saw many portraits of Senior Brother. I didn't buy any of them. They were posted everywhere on the street. Many male cultivators also put them up, saying that they can attract peach blossoms. Senior Brother, do you have peach blossoms?"
This time, Su Chi said simply: "No."
It seems that the rumor is true. Yun Xian once again corrected Feng Ye's flattery: "I told you this is not your senior brother, watch your words."
Qiao Lingshan collapsed and said, "We're almost at the city gate. Are we sure we still want to continue discussing this topic?"
As they spoke, the gates of Tangling Kingdom's main city were already within sight. From a distance, the roofs of the main city shone brightly. A closer look revealed the tallest building within was the Imperial Palace. Faint traces of burnt remains could be seen around it, but a new palace had already risen from the wasteland.
It burned for three days and three nights, and I'm afraid it was almost completely burned out. Now it has been rebuilt so quickly, I wonder how much manpower and material resources were mobilized.
The palace, with its red pillars and carved rafters, tiered terraces and pavilions, was inlaid with gemstones and pearls everywhere. The colors were so rich that staring at them for too long could even tire the eyes. Yet, amidst this golden splendor, a faint, almost black aura pervaded, like a dragon hovering atop the palace, lazily sleeping.
The carriage was forced to stop in front of the city gate. There was a guard standing on the arrow tower, pointing his arrows at everyone without saying a word.
Why are you being so aggressive? Yun Xian was about to jump off the horse when Qiao Lingshan grabbed his clothes by the back of his neck again. At this moment, the familiar sound of wild horses came over again.
The catkins are coming again!
Yun Xian was stuck on the bicycle frame, neither moving up nor down. He made eye contact with her. Liu Xu's expression was very complicated. After a long while, she uttered, "I believe it."
Yun Xian: "You believe it. Then what?"
Liu Xu jumped off the wild horse, and the horse instantly ran away without a trace. "You are amazing. Liu Shi's skills are not as good as others, there is nothing to say."
Only then did Yun Xian realize that this person seemed even less particular about material possessions. Unlike his eldest brother, who didn't care, he at least looked quite happy. Liu Xu's clothes were patched up, roughly patched, leaving a mess of fuzz and tangles. His trousers were so ripped you could stick a finger through them. Only the scimitar was silvery clean, spotless.
"Eh." Yun Xian asked, "You and Liu Shi are not related at all, right?" He was still so calm now, and it seemed as if he was not related at all.
"Everyone with the surname Liu in the Sword Sect is related by blood, it's just a matter of distance." Liu Xu said dryly, "This is the only way to ensure that those in power are always family members." Strictly speaking, Liu Shi is her distant cousin.
Yun Xian: "No wonder..."
Why didn't anyone tell the Dao Sect that close relatives can't marry? The purer the bloodline, the worse it is. Look at Liu Shisheng, what a smart guy.
The two stood side by side, staring at each other, and the situation suddenly became a little awkward. Yun Xian broke the silence and asked, "So what do we do now?"
Temporary peace would be best, of course. After all, she hadn't come all the way to Tangling Country to fight. Of course, if a fight really came, she wasn't afraid. Liu Xu's realm was on par with Liu Shi's, about half a step into the Nascent Soul stage. She also had the unruly Taiping, so she should have a chance of winning if they fought.
Liu Xu scratched the hole on his leg and said, "The mission I have to complete now is the affairs of Tang Lingguo. Until this mission is completed, I will not be responsible for other matters of the Sword Sect."
"..." Yun Xian realized something was wrong. Wasn't the matter of Tang Lingguo reported to Xuanbao Pavilion a few days ago? How could this person not know that the Four-way War had long ended, but was aware of the chaos in Tang Lingguo? So he asked, "Friend Liu, what brought you to Tang Lingguo?"
It wasn't a particularly confidential mission, so Liu Xu didn't need to keep it secret. "A batch of ore that was to be shipped to the Sword Sect was robbed before it even left the realm. The elder asked me to come and take a look."
Qiao Lingshan: "When did this happen?"
"Three months ago?" Liu Xu said confusedly, "Maybe four months? I don't know. Anyway, I came all the way here and thought it didn't matter. I might as well go to the Four Directions Battle first. In the end, I didn't catch up with either of them. How strange."
Everyone was speechless: "..."
What the hell is this?! This happened three or four months ago. I should have crawled here from the northern border long ago. With all the delays and getting lost, it would be a wonder if I could catch up!!!
Yun Xian asked, "Didn't your elders urge you?"
Willow Catkins: "Maybe he did. But my carrier pigeon accidentally flew away, maybe because I forgot to feed it? The letter was not received, and there are no people from the Sword Sect nearby. I don't know if he urged me. Forget it, I will go back after completing the task. We can talk about it later, anyway, things have come to this."
Xue Lingxiu really hated seeing such a confused person in her life, and said venomously: "I really don't know what you can remember. Why don't you just lose yourself?"
"It's lost, otherwise why would you come here?" Yun Xian smiled and put his hand on the person's shoulder. "Sister Liu, come, come, meeting is fate. Let's not fight with swords anymore."
Before she finished speaking, the guard at the main city gate came up to the crowd in a few steps.
Strangely enough, the people they had just passed by were all wrapped in black cloth. The guard was wearing armor, without a trace of spiritual energy. He was clearly an ordinary person, but he was dressed normally, without any covering. He opened his mouth and asked, "Everyone, do you have a contract?"
What kind of contract? There was no such thing. Before Yun Xian could even speak, the guard's gaze swept across everyone's clothing, fixed on the Taiping Sword, and frowned, "Are you cultivators?"
From the tone, there was actually a hint of displeasure.
"The Emperor has decreed that for the next three months, cultivators are prohibited from entering Tangling Country." The guard said stiffly, "Everyone, please return."
Liu Xuying raised her eyebrows and said, "What if I insist on going in?"
"If you insist on going in, I can't stop you." The guard said woodenly without showing much fear, "But I don't know what the Demon Lord will do to you after you go in."
Including the spirit from the shady shop, everyone addressed him as "Master Demon Lord" with great respect, yet they were unusually sarcastic and harsh towards their fellow humans. Qiao Lingshan frowned, and just as she was about to speak, Yun Xian said, "No, no, how can you tell we're cultivators?"
"How can a cultivator carry such a strange weapon? And wear such strange clothes."
The guard said suspiciously, "You, you, and you, all dressed in white. We all wear mourning clothes with some color now, but only those in the cultivation world are obsessed with wearing white. It looks nice, but isn't it unlucky? And you, who would carry such a big zither with them? Isn't it too heavy? And you, dressed like a savage and carrying a machete, are you hunting? Especially the one at the back, waving a folding fan in the middle of autumn, either you don't feel the cold or you're mentally ill."
He spoke wildly and kept talking nonsense, offending everyone present.
Xue Lingxiu's veins popped: "Who are you calling mentally ill?"
Finally, someone said what Yun Xian had been wanting to say, and Yun Xian hurried to intervene, "Brother, you can't judge people by appearances. Those dressed strangely aren't just cultivators; they could be part of an opera troupe!"
Guard: "Theatre troupe?"
"This is the owner of our troupe." Yun Xian's eyes turned, pointing at Xue Lingxiu. "He came here this time to discuss the minerals with the king, hoping to make a deal. Who knew that new regulations would suddenly be added, and he couldn't find the contract for the time being... Don't look at that expression, it's true. Look, he is so rich, even this carriage is not something that ordinary people can afford."
The guard said ruthlessly: "If you are so rich, why don't you rent another one and make you all squeeze in one?"
Xue Lingxiu: "Blame me? Who knows——"
Yun Xian took advantage of the opportunity and stuffed ten taels of silver into the guard's hand.
The guard's expression suddenly became much kinder.
"It's not easy for everyone in this world these days." Yun Xian winked at him and said, "Let's not make things so difficult for ourselves, okay?"
guard:"……"
Half an incense stick later, Yun Xian and his group finally swaggered into the city gate.
What came into view was a rather ordinary little town. If Tang Ling State had developed better, it wouldn't be so unknown. Its remote location, supported entirely by its mineral resources, meant it had no shortage of money. However, whether the royal family was wealthy or not was none of the people's business; they could only hope that the emperor had enough money.
Having money does not necessarily mean that people will live a good life, but without money, people will definitely live a bad life.
Sure enough, as I walked in, I saw similar yellow wanted posters still posted on the streets. After being exposed to the wind and sun for a long time, the paper peeled off and turned red. New ones were pasted on top of them, and the same faces were imprinted on them, with dignified smiles, which looked a little creepy for no reason.
The street was a typical cityscape. The cobblestone paths were bustling with activity. It was noon, and the market was bustling with activity. Yun Xian casually picked up a juicy little bok choy. As soon as she reached out, she felt everyone's gaze fixed on her.
Yun Xian finally realized something was wrong.
As far as I could see, all those wearing similar clothing and covering their faces and hands with black cloth were women, or rather, mostly young women. The older ones had looser coverings, and some were not covering themselves. The men, on the other hand, were all dressed normally, just like the guards before them.
Looking around, except for the men, all the young women were covered in black, some even had their eyes uncovered, making it impossible to tell them apart.
Liu Xu thought she was here to investigate the ore robbery, but even her crude brain noticed something was amiss: "Why don't they show their faces?"
"I wanted to ask that, too," Qiao Lingshan said, "Why did you so naturally join us? Aren't you going to look at the ore?"
Liu Xu was stunned: "Yes."
Yun Xian put Xiao Baicai down, clapped his hands and said, "Did you forget to ask why we came here?"
Liu Xu said seriously, "Indeed. So why are you here?"
Yun Xian: "I won't tell you."
Willow catkins: “…”
Everyone: “…”
Does this really make you happy, Yunxian?
"If that's the case, if the princess is among this group of people, we won't be able to find her at all." Qiao Lingshan looked at the group of people in black cloth, puzzled. "Is this some kind of custom? But there are no rules. If we don't hide, no one will bother us."
Su Chifang was about to speak, but before he could open his mouth, he saw Yun Xian looking thoughtful, and swallowed his words with a cold face.
The master said that the junior sister should practice more and accumulate experience.
When they were halfway through their journey, they suddenly heard the beating of gongs and drums in the distance. Someone shouted in a trembling voice, "The Emperor has decreed that the young friends from earlier come into the palace for a chat!"
What was going on? They wouldn't let the cultivators in, but then they invited them in. It didn't sound like a business deal at all. The "invite" was quite impolite. It sounded like, "How dare you!" Yun Xian and Su Chi exchanged a glance, and the group quickly found a small hut to hide in.
The six of them squatted in a row, and Qiao Lingshan said again: "Fellow Daoist Liu, why did you follow us again?"
"I don't know either." Liu Xu said, "I don't know why, but I always feel a certain closeness to Miss Yun Xian."
Yun Xian: "Is it because I destroyed Liu Shi's golden elixir?"
Willow catkins: “…”
It was a case of bringing up a whole mess. But before he could hide for a moment, something even more irritating happened. This little hut actually had a resident. A guard puppy, probably newly weaned, whimpered for a long time, but no one paid any attention. Then, it bit Feng Ye's butt, and while it didn't bite off the flesh, it did bite off its own baby teeth. The pain made it pee, and it landed right next to Xue Lingxiu's feet.
Xue Lingxiu took a deep breath... no, the urine smell became even stronger after taking a deep breath. He gritted his teeth and said, "I want to get out."
"No, Brother Xue!" Yun Xianqing stopped him with deep emotion, "What should I do if you leave?"
Xue Lingxiu's eyes flickered slightly, and just as she was about to say something, she heard Yun Xian counting on his fingers and saying, "I've spent thirty taels of the one hundred taels I borrowed, leaving only seventy taels."
Xue Lingxiu said angrily: "...Yun Xian!"
Su Chi said calmly, "I'll pay it back for her once we're out of the city."
"Who asked you to pay it back for her?" Xue Lingxiu became increasingly annoyed as she listened. She said in a sly tone, "Big Brother, you're so arrogant! You're returning thousands of high-grade spirit stones just like that! That's incredible! They say sword cultivators are always poor, but you seem quite wealthy. You make a lot of money selling portraits."
Do you have money? In short, you have it. Su Chi just said, "Yeah."
Feng Ye looked at Xue Lingxiu worriedly, feeling that he was about to faint from anger.
While one side was fighting the stone spirit in a weird way, Yun Xian on the other side waited for a long time but the patrolmen didn't leave, so he started to have a friendly exchange with Liu Xu and Qiao Lingshan.
"I finished reading the tabloid. It said the witch Jimo Shu released a poisonous fog that killed many wandering cultivators." Why was the tabloid sticky and uncomfortable to the touch? Liu Xu wiped her fingertips on her pants and wondered, "How did this person do it?"
Yun Xian then remembered that Jimo Shu and Zhong Changyao were nowhere to be found. Could they be in the imperial palace?
"Yun Xian, did you see her in the secret realm?" Liu Xu seemed very interested in Jimo Shu. "Is she a green-faced, fang-toothed girl with four arms and eight legs, two heads, and speaks through her belly button?"
"It's better to watch less of the Classic of Mountains and Seas in normal times, as it's easy to get confused with the plot."
“…”
When it comes to Jimo Shu, Yun Xian always has complicated feelings.
She had initially come down the mountain after reading a storybook featuring Jimo Shu. In other words, she had already known her beforehand, giving her a head start. Furthermore, although their initial encounters often resulted in fights and arguments, during the brief time they spent together in the Great Desolate Castle, Yun Xian had always felt that Jimo Shu wasn't as heartless and ungrateful as she appeared. She could even be quite charming and adorable at times.
Perhaps it was with this thought in mind that when they saw her lying under the city wall covered in blood and no longer resisting in the secret realm, Yun Xian and Ji Rongxue did not attack her again.
Objectively speaking, she did harm people, and that was undeniable. As a vessel, she had no choice. In short, being the once-in-a-century Saint of the Demonic Cult wasn't as easy as one might imagine.
Seeing her unusually melancholy expression, Qiao Lingshan asked nervously, "What's wrong, Yun Xian?"
"I just think Jimo Shu might not want this either." Yun Xian looked ahead and said with a complicated expression, "Although I haven't been with her for long, at least at certain moments, she is just a simple-minded girl. Perhaps she just has something she wants to hold on to."
It was really innocent. She actually believed everything Niu Baiye said. Yun Xian didn't expect this.
"Ah?" Liu Xu was stunned: "You are so simple-minded..."
Before she finished her words, there was a sudden loud noise from the wall in this remote corner, and a human-shaped body came up from the distance, embedded in the stone, and looked difficult to pick out.
Everyone looked up instantly. Swords. Is this a sword cultivator?
The man struggled to pull himself free, then spat out a mouthful of blood. It seemed he'd gotten used to the constant vomiting these days. He wiped his mouth clean, leaving not even a drop on his clothes. He then raised his head and angrily shouted, "Jimo Shu! We have no grudges against each other, and we're not even in the secret realm right now. Why did you do this to me?!"
It’s Zhong Changyao!
It seemed that he was really angry and his voice was trembling. Of course, it was also possible that he thought there was no one here.
Jimo Shu slowly tiptoed onto the ground and stood in front of Zhong Changyao.
Then Wah also vomited blood. Judging from the amount of blood, the two of them were equally spitting out blood.
Everyone: "?" What's going on? A couple vomiting at each other?!
Zhong Changyao said angrily, "...you're already like this, and you still want to kill me?!"
"It wasn't intentional this time." Jimo Shu also looked a little annoyed. She wasn't that stupid, it was just that people's habits were too scary. "When I saw you, I wanted to kill you. I didn't think too much about it for a while."
Zhong Changyao staggered and almost fell down.
Jimo Shu looked at him and suddenly said something that sounded strange to Yun Xian: "Sure enough, you are here again. I knew it."
There are footsteps! Jimo Shu glanced back and dodged. The patrolman on the other side came over and carried Zhong Changyao away: "Found it! This is it! Bring him into the palace!"
After a period of chaos, calm returned, leaving only the human-shaped hole in the wall.
There was another long silence.
Liu Xu trembled and said, "Just a simple-minded girl?"
Yun Xian laughed dryly, "A woman remains young until she dies. That's normal, normal. Haha."
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