Linglong Town (Part 3)

Linglongzhen is located at a point of transportation between the north and the south. Three rivers run through the city. It has a population of nearly 100,000, so there are quite a few people on the streets.

Sandy noticed a lot of spiritual power fluctuations along the way.

She quietly tugged at Su Xuan's sleeve and said, "Linglong Town is just a small town, why are there so many monks?"

Su Xuan frowned slightly and glanced around. With just a rough glance, he found that three out of ten people were cultivators.

“It’s really strange.”

Liu Lixue likes to wave his fan wherever he goes. Kong Que is quite romantic and leisurely. He pointed at a person in the distance and said, "For example, that guy is practicing the magic way, but he practices it alone."

He is a medical practitioner, and one can tell the aura of this man at a glance.

The whole body of a cultivator is filled with sorcery.

Sandy said: "It should be a casual cultivator."

Independent cultivators are not bound by sects and can practice whatever Taoist techniques they want, as long as they are not evil techniques that are not tolerated by the world.

Liu Lixue walked forward slowly, laughing cheerfully, "Miss Sang, this is not just a problem of too many cultivators. I have never been wrong with my eyes. Most of the cultivators here are independent cultivators."

For example, a human cultivator practices the art of evil, or a demon cultivator practices the art of immortality.

Sandy carefully observed the monks passing by her. When she got closer, she could naturally sense the incompatible aura around them.

Su Xuan lowered his voice and said, "No one will care if a casual cultivator goes missing. Maybe most of the missing cultivators are casual cultivators."

Liu Lixue, who was walking in front, suddenly looked back. There was a little red pattern at the end of her peacock eyes. She smiled and said, "My Lord, you are smart. You are really a casual cultivator."

After saying that, Liu Lixue turned and went into the inn nearby, waving at the two people behind him: "But it's getting dark, it's time to find a place to rest."

Sandy stopped and looked up for a long time, then nodded and said, "Master Liu really knows how to choose a place."

The store is luxuriously decorated. Even the signboard at the door is inlaid with gold. The waiters who solicit customers are all wearing the finest brocade robes. It is obvious that this is a high-consumption place.

Su Xuan held her hand and walked inside: "He can't live through hard times either."

As soon as I walked in, I saw the peacock standing and leaning against the counter, wearing a red dress that looked particularly eye-catching, and slammed the table.

"You want to charge me 300 high-grade spirit stones for a room in the upper room?"

Sandy's eye twitched.

This robbery was obviously excessive.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Recently, a distinguished guest wants to stay at our Feihua Pavilion. Our business is very busy. This is the price we are offering recently. You are wearing silk, so you can't be unable to pay even 300 spirit stones, right?"

Liu Lixue smiled: "Do you think three hundred spirit stones and three hundred high-grade spirit stones are the same price? Even a room in a regular inn costs only ten high-grade spirit stones per night. The best inn in our demon world costs only thirty high-grade spirit stones per night. Three hundred is enough for me to stay for ten days."

"Can't afford to live here? Then get out."

"You old thing—"

"Hey, hey, hey, stop, stop!" Sang Dai stepped forward, grabbed Liu Lixue's shoulders and held him down, "Let's stop."

Just as she was about to take money out of her Qiankun bag, a low-grade ring was handed to her from behind, and a jade-like hand threw the ring on the table.

Su Xuan said: "Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, two upper rooms, and temporary accommodation for half a month."

The shopkeeper took the ring, counted the spiritual stones inside and smiled happily: "Generous, really generous!"

Liu Lixue was annoyed and went forward to take the ring.

"We have money, not just complaining about it. I can't stop living——"

"Shut up and go."

Su Xuan covered his mouth with his hand and pushed the angry Peacock upstairs.

Sandy smiled politely and nodded at the counter.

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes and watched the three injustices go upstairs.

Su Xuan pushed a peacock into the upper room.

Liu Lixue looked very disappointed and said, "My Lord, he is just a fraud. I have never heard of Feihua Pavilion."

Sandy sat down at the table and did not touch the water in the inn. Instead, she took out the tea she brought from the demon world from her Qiankun bag.

She poured a few cups of tea and waved to the two people standing at the door: "Come and have some tea. Cui Shao made osmanthus tea. She gave me a lot."

Liu Lixue sat down and drank the tea in one gulp. A certain peacock was still angry. Seeing that his master was rich and powerful but had no awareness of being slaughtered as a resentment, he became even more angry.

"My Lord, don't you feel sorry for the spirit stones at all?"

Su Xuan drank his tea leisurely and said calmly, "I give you more than 10,000 high-grade spirit stones a month. I paid for it just now. Why are you so distressed?"

Liu Lixue clicked her tongue and shook her head: "A resentful species, indeed a resentful species."

Sandy poured him tea in a good-natured manner, "Mr. Liu, have some tea."

Su Xuan glanced at Liu Lixue, and a chill ran down Hua Kongque's spine.

Look into each other's eyes.

Su Xuan: Do you dare to let Daidai pour tea for you?

Liu Lixue: ...

He hurriedly took the tea poured by Sandy: "No, no, no, I can do it myself, Miss Sandy, please don't bother."

Liu Lixue picked up the tea and was surprised. His own master was really too fierce. Usually, it was only their Demon Palace that served Miss Sang. How could Miss Sang pour tea for him? It was simply a rebellion.

Liu Lixue turned her head away slightly, not daring to look Su Xuan in the eye.

Sandy sighed: "Since Master Liu chose to live here, he must have noticed something was wrong, so no matter how much the shopkeeper wants, we still have to come."

Liu Lixue paused in sipping her tea and looked at Sang Dai.

Sandy took a sip of tea in both hands and said as she drank, "This inn is exquisitely decorated. A room in the upper room costs us 300 high-grade spirit stones. Usually, only rich people would enter such a luxurious place. But look, how many of those who just came in are rich people?"

They didn't have any particularly valuable accessories and wore just ordinary clothes. Most of them just rented ordinary rooms, and some even shared a room with two or three people.

Su Xuan said nothing and just poured tea for Sang Dai.

Liu Lixue smiled as she held the teacup in her hand: "Miss Sang is smart, what else?"

Sandy continued, "They clearly can't afford it, but they are all crowded into Feihua Pavilion. Linglong Town is just a small town, not a town with particularly strong financial strength. The current price of Feihua Pavilion is far higher than it should be."

"So." Sang Dai raised her eyes and looked at Su Xuan and Liu Lixue across from her. "Why did you decide to stay at Feihua Pavilion even though you knew the innkeeper was cheating you?"

Liu Lixue opened her fan, and Kong Que smiled and said, "Yes, tell me what is in this inn that is worth them spending all their money to get in."

Sandy lowered her eyes and drank her tea quietly.

Su Xuan looked at her, frowning slightly: "Daidai, there are too many independent cultivators in this inn, it may not be safe at night——"

Before he could finish his words, Su Xuan's expression suddenly turned cold. The person who was sitting just now teleported to the door, opened it and pulled the person outside in.

“No, no, no—”

The people on the ground hurriedly raised their arms to block it.

Liu Lixue huddled behind Sandy and leaned over to take a look.

The shiny head was big and round, and particularly eye-catching.

"Master Tan Huai?"

Tan Huai carefully leaned forward and met a pair of cold, foxy eyes.

He looked behind Su Xuan again. Sang Dai was still sitting there quietly drinking tea. He didn't know what was so good about the tea. She sipped it in small sips, looking at him with a smiling look.

The peacock huddled behind Sandy, and a man who was much taller than Sandy was now huddled in a coma.

Tan Huai sat cross-legged on the ground, put his hands together and performed a Buddhist salute: "Hey guys, long time no see."

Su Xuan mercilessly shattered his pretended indifference: "We just met a few days ago."

Tan Huai: “…”

He stood up quickly.

"Master Tan Huai, long time no see."

Sang Dai stood up and pulled out Liu Lixue who was hiding behind her.

Just now, Su Xuan suddenly moved, and Liu Lixue thought that an assassin had come. Before Sang Dai could react, he had already found a backer for himself.

Liu Lixue smiled awkwardly: "Muscle reaction, I stayed with the Lord for too long in the past."

When Su Xuan and I are outside, Su Xuan is the one who always starts fights.

Sandy smiled politely, walked around the corner of the table and came in front of Tan Huai.

It is much more relaxing to meet old friends.

Tan Huai: "Hello, Miss Sang."

"Hello, Master Tan Huai."

Sandy was always polite to him.

She glanced at the little fox next to her. Although Su Xuan didn't show any expression, it was good enough for him not to have a cold face.

Thinking about the fact that Tan Huai helped Liu Ying to strengthen his soul, Su Xuan's attitude towards Tan Huai improved a lot.

He sat down at the table and poured a cup of tea for Tan Huai: "Sit down."

Tan Huai rubbed his arm that was hurt from the fall, and smiled as he handed over the tea: "Thank you, Master Monster King."

Sandy sat down and asked, "Why is Master Tan Huai here?"

Tan Huai had just taken a sip of tea when he heard this and explained, "I came to Linglong Village to do something. Several independent cultivators have gone missing here. Linglong Village is under the jurisdiction of the Chan Sect."

Sandy understood.

Tan Huai explained, "I just heard Master Liu's voice upstairs. I was about to leave when you came upstairs, so I followed you and wanted to say hello."

Facing three pairs of eyes, Tan Huai raised his hands and said, "I really didn't eavesdrop. Monks don't tell lies."

Sandy laughed: "It's okay even if you heard it. Since you chose to stay in this hotel, you should have noticed something was wrong, right?"

Tan Huai reluctantly withdrew his hand: "...That's it."

Su Xuan turned his head to look at him and asked, "When did you come?"

"It's noon today."

"Did you find out why they live here?"

"I asked around, and it seems that the city lord will come here because Feihua Pavilion is going to hold a banquet in a few days. They seem to be here to meet Wu Hanshu."

Liu Lixue asked back: "Wu Hanshu didn't have such a good relationship with people in the past, so he wouldn't have attracted so many people just because he came to Feihua Pavilion. So what did Wu Hanshu bring with him?"

"His technique."

"Guxin Dao."

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

Tan Huai and Liu Lixue looked at the two people sitting side by side opposite them.

Sang Dai and Su Xuan looked at each other, and the little fox laughed.

[Daidai is so smart, she is worthy of being my Daidai, give her a kiss! ]

Hearing the familiar voice again, Sandy shook her head with emotion.

"Daidai, go ahead and say it." The little fox was quite graceful.

Sandy nodded: "Okay."

She explained to the two people who hadn't figured out what was going on: "The Heart-Solidifying Dao that Wu Hanshu practices is mainly about stabilizing the mind and strengthening the heart. When a practitioner of this Dao reaches the stage of transformation, he can help other practitioners stabilize their minds. The state of mind is particularly important in cultivation."

They are all monks, so they naturally know this.

When one's state of mind drops drastically, even if one is trying to overcome a tribulation, one can only use the cultivation of the Mahayana level, which is much lower than one's state of mind.

When Sande's natal sword shattered, her state of mind plummeted. Even after entering the Mahayana realm, she was unable to fully utilize the spiritual power of the Mahayana realm.

"The state of mind of ordinary cultivators is often not very stable. If the state of mind is stable and the heart is as firm as a rock, it will be much easier for the cultivator to practice. However, most of the independent cultivators have not received orthodox teachings. For example, those who practiced the demon way that we saw along the way, or vice versa, the demon cultivators who practiced the immortal way, the skills they practiced violated their own meridians. Although their cultivation was powerful, their state of mind often collapsed easily."

"If one's state of mind drops drastically, at best his cultivation will suffer a serious loss, at worst he will lose his mind and turn into an evil spirit."

Tan Huai understood immediately: "So those casual cultivators are here to ambush Wu Hanshu!"

Sandy nodded: "Well, that should be the case."

At this point, Liu Lixue thought of the person she had just seen outside Linglongyuan: "Shen Ciyu should also be here to look for Wu Hanshu. This time, Wu Hanshu has entered the Spiritual Transformation Realm and can help others stabilize their state of mind."

Tan Huai asked: "What happened to Sect Master Shen?"

Three pairs of eyes looked at him again, and asked in unison: "You don't know?"

Tan Huai: "...I spend 300 days a year running around the four realms. I haven't seen Sect Master Shen for many years. How would I know about him? It was only when Shen Ciyu ascended the throne as Sect Master that his name was passed to me through the Immortal Alliance's jade token. Then I knew that he became the Sect Master of the Sword Sect."

Liu Lixue: "...You really don't care about the affairs of the Immortal Realm at all. Shen Ciyu's state of mind has fallen drastically, and the news of Shen Feng's search for a doctor in the four realms has spread to our demon world. At first, I was wondering how he had fallen so badly that Shen Feng was so worried. Until I met Shen Ciyu just now, he was clearly in the full state of the Spiritualization Realm, but his state of mind was not even as good as that of a cultivator in the full state of the Yuan Infant Realm."

Tan Huai was a little surprised: "...Why did it break into pieces like this?"

Sang Dai and Su Xuan were silent, so Liu Lixue took the initiative to speak: "On the one hand, he couldn't accept the Sword Sect's participation in the Guixu sacrifice. On the other hand, it was because... because..."

Liu Lixue looked at Sang Dai with a hesitant look on his face.

Tan Huai didn't understand love, so he asked, "What are you looking at Miss Sang at? Is she hitting you?"

Liu Lixue was annoyed: "Monk, you are really stupid! Because Shen Ciyu likes my Miss Sang!"

Tan Huai: “…Ah?”

He looked at Sandy in disbelief, as if he had just eaten something shocking.

But Sandy on the opposite side just remained silent, and Su Xuan silently warmed the tea for her with a cold face. It seemed that both of them knew about this.

Tan Huai suddenly understood.

Sandy and Shen Ciyu have gone from fighting side by side to being on opposite sides. The Sword Sect betrayed and harmed her. Sandy is afraid that she will never have anything to do with anyone from the Sword Sect again in her life. She does not hesitate at all.

There is no possibility for Shen Ciyu and Sang Dai to be together in this life. They will be strangers as soon as they meet. Shen Ciyu cannot accept this. He regrets and blames himself.

Tan Huaiminrui felt that this topic was not very good. He smiled awkwardly and turned his Buddhist beads: "Well, let's not talk about this for now. Let's talk about business."

The Buddhist cultivator changed the subject and said softly, "Sect Master Shen should live in the City Lord's Mansion. Patriarch Shen and Wu Hanshu are old friends. Wu Hanshu must have to help Shen Ciyu cultivate his state of mind first. It is not easy to cultivate the state of mind of a cultivator at the full stage of the Spiritualization Realm. He has just entered the Spiritualization Realm and may not have the energy to help these casual cultivators cultivate their state of mind in the short term."

Sandy nodded: "Yes."

Tan Huai's expression gradually became serious: "So these independent cultivators have been staying in Linglong Town... maybe something bad will happen again."

Something was bound to happen, and they all knew that Xiao Sanxiu's disappearance was not the end, but the beginning.

With so many independent cultivators pouring in on a large scale, this kind of thing is bound to happen again.

Tan Huai was silent for a while, and seeing that no one spoke, he asked again: "Let's not talk about this matter first. I haven't asked you why you are here yet?"

Sang Dai glanced at Su Xuan, who said calmly, "Just say what you want to say. There's no need to hide it from him. Aren't you two old friends? Tan Huai knows that the man in the snow realm is coming to kill you."

But Tan Huai only knew these. Sandy did not take the initiative to tell him the rest, and Tan Huai did not ask. In the snowy land, Tan Huai and Ji Cang only knew that Sandy came to find Tian Yuxue to ask about Ying Heng's incident, and they thought that she wanted to clear her master's name.

Sandy nodded and told Tan Huai everything directly, including why they came here and that Ying Heng was not dead.

After they finished speaking, the four of them were silent for a long time, and the room was silent.

Tan Huai's voice trembled: "You said, the Spring Shadow Sword appeared here?"

The fact that Ying Heng survived the hunt by the four realms was enough to calm him down for a long time. Now Ying Heng's sword still appeared here. Tan Huai had never seen Ying Heng, but he had heard of Ying Heng's name.

The Guixu Lingmai incident caused a big stir back then, and Tan Huai, who was only thirteen years old at the time, also knew about it.

Sandy: "But this hasn't happened yet—"

"Miss Sang, please stop talking and let me calm down."

Sandy was interrupted by Tan Huai before she finished speaking.

The Buddhist monk looked bewildered and extremely frightened.

He held his head and talked to himself, "So Immortal Lord Ying Heng is not dead. You went to the Snow Realm to find Tian Yuxue and ask Ying Heng what happened to him. Then the result was that Ying Heng was most likely not the one who killed Cangwu Taoist Temple. He is most likely innocent."

"yes."

Tan Huai's eyes were red, his lips trembled, and he looked up at Sang Dai.

He said, "Sang Dai, do you know what this means? The person who actually destroyed the Guixu Spiritual Vein and massacred the Cangwu Taoist Temple may have been at large for more than a hundred years. Who knows what he has done during these years. Even if your master is innocent, he definitely knows the truth. He took the blame for someone else and shielded the real murderer. Even if the truth is finally revealed, the Four Realms will not forgive him..."

"You might even find yourself in the spotlight again. You are Ying Heng's disciple. Besides, the Four Realms may not necessarily acknowledge the truth you have uncovered."

The fact that the Guixu spiritual vein was destroyed and more than 3,000 people were killed in the Cangwu Taoist Temple is a fact that cannot be changed, but the four realms made a wrong judgment and hunted down the wrong person. Will those who righteously said that Ying Heng was the sinner and therefore wanted to assassinate Sang Dai admit their mistakes?

The relaxed atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

Liu Lixue looked at his own master and Miss Sang hesitantly. Su Xuan was looking at Sang Dai, who lowered her head and said nothing.

Tan Huai asked: "Sang Dai, even so, you still want to check it out?"

If she doesn't investigate this matter and hides in Guixu, she can live a peaceful life.

After checking, it is possible that he will go towards the destiny that Lingyin mentioned, he may be surrounded and killed in Guixu, or he may be stabbed in the back by the four realms.

Sandy held the teacup in both hands, her eyes fixed on the swaying water in the teacup.

Suddenly, a warm and dry palm covered the back of my hand.

"Dade, you have always been very firm."

Sandy raised her eyes to look.

Sandy had also asked Su Xuan the same question as Tan Huai not long ago.

Su Xuan's answer to her was:

——Go your own way.

Sandy smiled, let go of the teacup she had been holding, and held the little fox's hand with her backhand.

"I know. I never wavered."

She turned around and replied to Tan Huai: "I will find out the truth. No matter what the result is, I will have a clear conscience. But if I don't find out, I will never live a stable life."

Tan Huai looked at her. It was rare for a Buddhist practitioner to be so solemn. He always seemed calm and relaxed.

Finally, he said softly, "Sandy, you haven't changed in all these years."

They had fought together in many battles, and Sandy was a fierce fighter, steady with a sword, and a steadfast mind, and had remained so over the years.

Tan Huai shook his head, picked up the tea and drank it in one gulp.

He wiped the tea from the corner of his lips and said, "I am also a person with awakened heavenly spiritual roots. I have received the respect of the world, so I should do something. The destruction of the Guixu spiritual vein is related to the survival of the cultivation world. If you need my help, please ask. I will not tell anyone about Immortal Lord Ying Heng. You can rest assured and just go and investigate."

Sandy nodded. "Thank you."

Tan Huai handed the teacup over and suddenly said with a smile, "Can you pour another cup of tea for this poor monk?"

He started to act so frivolously again. His mood changed extremely quickly, as if he was deliberately livening up the atmosphere. Sang Dai couldn't help laughing and glanced at Su Xuan.

The teapot was placed next to Su Xuan. Before he picked it up, Kong Que picked it up first.

"I'll do it, my Lord doesn't need to do anything about this."

Liu Lixue picked up the teapot and poured another cup of tea for Tan Huai.

The Buddhist monk took it and praised: "This tea is really delicious. Can you give some to the poor monk someday?"

Su Xuan sneered: "If you want it, just come to the demon world and get it. How can you ask someone to deliver it to you when you want it?"

Tan Huai shook his head with regret. It turned out that the Demon King's politeness could only last for a short while. Deep down, he was still a proud and arrogant little fox.

As he sipped his tea, he saw several people drinking tea leisurely. An idea flashed in his mind, and he stepped forward and asked, "Are you going to sleep tonight?"

Sandy: "Master Tan Huai, what's the matter?"

Tan Huai blinked and said, "Do you want to spend a night in the City Lord's Mansion?"

Three people: "..."

Tan Huai stopped laughing, lowered his voice and leaned closer to his head: "You should have guessed the strangeness of this Lord of Wu City's cultivation. It is a miracle for him to cultivate to the Yuan Infant stage with a ground-level spiritual root. He obviously has not practiced much, but he suddenly broke through to the God Transformation stage. You have to know that even if you have a mysterious spiritual root, you need to be extremely talented, practice diligently, and practice seclusion for several decades to reach the God Transformation stage."

"And." Tan Huai glanced at the closed door. "More than a dozen wandering cultivators in Linglong Village disappeared, and he suddenly made progress. Forgive me for being a little mean, but I really suspect that this matter has something to do with him."

"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. I just happen to want to go too. The man behind the scenes led you to Linglong Town. The disappearance of the wandering cultivator this time may have something to do with him. Let's start with Wu Hanshu and follow the clues step by step."

"I see the moon is bright tonight and the sky is auspicious. Why don't we go break into a house together?"

Three people: “…………”

After nightfall.

Sandy stood on the roof, looking up at the sky full of dark clouds and the dim moonlight.

She asked, "Didn't you say Yueming?"

Tan Huai smiled and said, "It's good that it's black, so we won't be easily discovered."

Liu Lixue poked her head out from between the two of them and made a sincere suggestion: "If you don't take me with you, the three of you should not be discovered."

They are three people with awakened spiritual roots at the Heaven Grade, while there are not many high-level cultivators in the City Lord's Mansion.

The three of them looked back at the peacock.

The peacock raised his head and said with his eyes, "Please leave me here. I don't want to run around at all and I have no interest in breaking into people's houses."

Su Xuan suddenly said, "Yes, you stay here."

Liu Lixue took out the cushion skillfully: "Okay."

In the past, when he went out with his master, he would usually find a place to sit and wait for Su Xuan to come back after finishing his work.

Tan Huai's eye twitched.

Sandy was used to it.

Su Xuan suddenly lowered his head and smiled at Liu Lixue who was sitting on the roof: "If that murderous monster patrols Linglong Town in the middle of the night and sees such a big living person on the roof, who is the young master of the Peacock Clan and a cultivator in the Yuanying realm, he will surely be very happy." Liu Lixue: "..."

He numbly raised his eyes and covered his chest: "My Lord, can you hear how anxious I am?"

Joking aside, Su Xuan threw a jade token to Liu Lixue.

"Call me if you need anything."

Liu Lixue hugged the jade token tightly: "Okay."

He said that he didn't want to go on the night patrol of the City Lord's Mansion, but actually he left Liu Lixue waiting outside. Even if there were three awakened Heavenly Grade Spiritual Roots, they must not let their guard down. Liu Lixue was guarding a high place, with the entire City Lord's Mansion in his sight, so any incidents could be reported immediately.

Tan Huai pointed to the distance and said, "The City Lord's Mansion is surrounded by high walls. Wu Hanshu is very alert. He has several rooms in the City Lord's Mansion. He may not stay in any one of them tonight. I know of six rooms. Let's go to two of them and see if there is anything unusual."

Sandy's expression was unclear: "...How do you know the structure of the City Lord's Mansion?"

Su Xuan was suspicious: "Have you been here?"

Tan Huai rubbed his hairless head and muttered softly, "I was a bit naughty when I was little. I came to Linglong Town with my master to do some work. I made him angry and wanted to beat me up, so I ran to the city lord's mansion and stayed there for several days."

"...Wu Hanshu knows?"

"I don't know. I sneaked in. Wu Hanshu drank every day and didn't notice me. I even drank his wine secretly, but it tasted terrible."

Three people: "..."

Tan Huai said cheerfully: "How about we go first?"

Sandy: “…Okay.”

She glanced at Su Xuan and said, "I'll go to the two residences in the east. I'll contact you if anything happens. Don't worry."

The little fox nodded: "Be sure to call me if there is anything."

Sandy shook the silver feather at her waist and said, "Call me if you have any problem. Don't be so stubborn."

Su Xuan touched her head and said, "Hmm."

Tan Huai: "...So who should I call if I need help?"

The two of them ran in opposite directions at the same time, looking for something, and their voices fell at the same time.

"what ever."

Tan Huai closed his eyes in silence.

Liu Lixue waved her hand and said, "Master Tan Huai, if you have anything to say, you can call me. I can help you pass a message to them both."

Tan Huai said nothing, jumped off the roof and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Sandy went to the east, where there were two houses.

There were many guards in the City Lord's Mansion, but their skills were not very high, so she could easily avoid them.

They arrived safely at the first house. The surrounding restrictions were of no use to her. Sandy opened the window and jumped in. She searched for nearly half an hour but found nothing.

She didn't stay long and turned to run to the second place.

That place was a little further away than the room she had just been to, at the deepest part in the east. There was no one inside, so she didn't dare to turn on the light and walked in carefully.

Sandy reached out and wiped the table, her fingertips stained with dust.

It's all covered in dust. It must have been a long time since I've lived here.

Sandy frowned and was about to turn around and start searching the room from the door -

The half-open window suddenly moved, and a man jumped in nimbly. She was in the middle and had nowhere to hide, so she drew her sword and put it to the man's neck.

The long sword broke through the void, and the sharp sword tip stopped at the intruder's throat. If it moved forward one centimeter, it would cut his vital veins.

The young man in white was stunned. He first saw the sword at his throat. The pattern on the sword was particularly familiar.

He blinked blankly, and his first reaction was not danger, but a heartbeat that was getting faster and faster.

His eyes slowly raised and he saw the familiar words "Zhi Yu" engraved on the hilt of the sword. His hand holding the sword was steady.

"...Shen Ciyu?"

The light voice echoed in the silent house, and one could even hear some doubt.

The sword at his throat was withdrawn.

Shen Ci Yu finally raised his eyes and looked into Sang Dai's eyes.

She was still the same as he had seen her in the evening. When their eyes met, he did not see the calm, steady, indifferent and aloof swordsman of the past. Now Sandy was brighter, with a lot more warmth in her eyes.

"Sande..."

Sandy frowned and looked over his shoulder.

There was a wound there that was bleeding profusely, staining the white clothes beside it red.

"You are injured, do you need my help?"

Shen Ciyu realized it belatedly and covered his shoulder to block the wound, whispering, "It's okay, no need for help."

Sandy nodded: "...I have something else to do. If you have nothing else to do, I will leave first."

Shen Ciyu lowered his eyes, and when she was about to leave, he said in a deep voice, "Are you here to check on Wu Hanshu?"

Sang Dai didn't say anything, but Shen Ci Yu was so smart that he would have guessed it.

Shen Ci Yu pressed the acupuncture points around the wound, and after making sure that the bleeding had stopped, he looked at Sang Dai.

He tried to control his gaze and said softly, "I'm also checking. I know something and I can tell you."

Sandy did not answer, but suddenly she made a move. Her eyes, which had been gentle just now, suddenly became cold. She grabbed Shen Ciyu's arm and jumped out of the window. Before he could react, she jumped onto the roof with him.

She said in a deep voice: "Don't talk."

Shen Ciyu responded quickly and nodded: "Yes."

On the roof, two people were hidden in the shadows.

A man was staggering towards them from outside the courtyard, carrying a bottle of wine. I couldn't see his features clearly, but I could tell he was quite tall.

He pushed open the gate, picked up the wine and drank it slowly, then came to the corner of the courtyard.

There is an osmanthus tree planted there.

It seems to be quite old, with a thick trunk and lush branches and leaves.

The visitor looked up at the osmanthus flowers that were almost falling from the tree.

He looked at it for a long time without saying anything.

Shen Ciyu's wound on the roof burst open, and he pressed his acupoints again.

Sandy handed him a bottle of pills silently, but her eyes were always on the people in the yard.

Shen Ciyu looked at it for a while, then took it and ate one.

The man stood there for a long time, so long that Sandy's legs were numb from squatting, and finally he made some movements.

He raised his hand and touched the trunk of the osmanthus tree, saying softly:

"We made a 100-year appointment among the six of us, but none of you showed up to keep it."