Chapter 90 The Duan siblings, Fenggu Desert
lover?
Zhang Xuan opened his mouth slightly, "This..."
Although homosexuality isn't uncommon these days, Wei Xun's identity is special, and he's married, so it just feels...unusual...
Qingyu shook her head slightly and sighed, her tone leisurely, "It's not certain, it's all just speculation."
Wen Chuan glanced at her, and the young man said indifferently, "No matter what, it has nothing to do with us. What we need to be sure of is what Madam Wei will give us in five days."
"Oh, right, didn't Mrs. Wei say that the murderer would be found within five days?"
Zhang Xuan clicked his tongue a few times, "Really, the murderer is in their own home, the ceremony can't continue, and the end of the year is approaching. This Liujin Clan is really something..."
Everything was going well: Wei Xun was to succeed as city lord in December, and there would be a grand celebration for the New Year in January. But now, whether the ceremony can continue depends on what Wei Xun thinks. Wei Nian is dead, and the old city lord hasn't shown up yet. It's all very strange.
Qingyu smiled, "In the next five days, the Wei family will figure out a way to solve this."
The leading clan of Xiliang could make a huge joke, as long as there was a "reasonable" explanation, it was all acceptable.
...
The next day.
Yesterday's events gradually spread throughout the city, but the stories all focused on how a thief had caused a death during the city lord's succession ceremony, leading to the postponement of the ceremony and preventing even those attending the banquet from leaving the city.
Last night, the boys had a final discussion and decided to leave the city in five days to prepare for their journey to the Fenggu Desert.
The Fenggu Desert is still far to the west of Jinsha City, and due to its unique location, they can no longer use horse-drawn carriages and can only ride camels in. Ideally, they should try to find someone in Jinsha City who knows about the Fenggu Desert.
As for the reasons why you absolutely must go—
curious.
Of course, another way: For those who cultivate, the path is vast, and Fenggu is the resting place of the ancient desert god; we should go there.
...
Qin Tianshu went to visit the Huangshi caravan, while Zhang Xuan and Fan Xiang strolled around the city, especially in places with desert guides and nomads.
Qingyu and Wenchuan went to the City Lord's Mansion.
In Xiliang, when it comes to the Fenggu Desert, it's better to consult the Liujin tribe than anyone else. Of course, the initial purpose of our visit was to check on the situation of yesterday's murder case; after all, they might be able to offer some assistance.
Qingyu and Wenchuan walked side by side. The girl smiled and said, "I used to think that Liangzhou was too windy and sandy, and Youzhou was too cold, so I never wanted to come here."
Wen Chuan turned his head to look at her, his clear, gentle voice tinged with amusement, "You were still young then, so naturally you didn't like it."
The winds and sandstorms in Xiliang are rough, and Beiyou is covered in snow all year round. Children who grow up in the mountains are used to the scenery of spring, summer, autumn and winter, so they naturally don't like to go there.
“Don’t always speak up for me,” Qingyu said with a smile. “Although that’s true… now that I’m older, I actually think this kind of place is better.”
"Um?"
"Hmm... You can look up and see the whole sky. Even with your eyes closed, the scent carried by the wind can make you immediately imagine the scenery in front of you. The spiritual energy is also very strong. And most importantly, when you open your eyes, you are right next to me... Yes, these places are just wonderful!"
Wen Chuan smiled at her words and walked with her. The young man had a gentle face and a tall and straight figure. From a distance, he looked as white as snow and as beautiful as jade. In particular, the occasional tenderness in his eyes was captivating. However, his eyes were shallow, so one could only feel that he was affectionate no matter what.
Duan Zixi watched this scene, and at that moment, she felt a deep jealousy for the enchantress beside him.
She couldn't understand how a demon could have such good relationships with so many cultivators, and even have such a great reputation in the Nine Provinces, yet the Demon Suppression Pavilion never cared about it!
What are you doing here?!
She finally spoke, her tone unpleasant, yet concealing a hint of unspeakable resentment, forcing Qingyu and Wenchuan, who were speaking, to look over.
Qingyu: "This is the City Lord's Mansion. Now that we're here, we naturally have business with the master. As for what it is... I don't think we need to tell you, Miss, right?"
"Witch...yes, you are a monster. Perhaps, you are the one who killed Wei Nian."
Duan Zixi seemed to have suddenly thought of something. She raised an eyebrow, haughtily lifted her chin, and felt that what she said made perfect sense.
"That's right, how could the Xiliang people dare to harm the Liujin tribe? It must be you outsiders... you witch!"
Wow, in just a few words, such a huge accusation has been handed to her. Qingyu's first reaction was amusement. "Miss, you should always have evidence before you act. Besides,"
The girl in red smiled, and she gently stepped forward, approaching Duan Zixi.
Despite the girl's smiling expression, Duan Zixi felt inexplicably afraid. Looking into the girl's smiling eyes, she unconsciously swallowed a few times, wanting to back away, but for some reason, her body stiffened for a moment, feeling strangely out of control—
"If I wanted to kill someone, I wouldn't use such complicated methods."
"I am a demon, and I eat people."
"Girl, be careful!"
The girl's voice was like a dream, light and airy yet carrying a murderous intent. It was like a pain that chilled to the bone, or a bitter force that was forced into the meridians. Just like that, her words exploded in Duan Zixi's heart little by little!
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"
"You...you..."
Suddenly, as if losing control of her body, Duan Zixi stumbled backward, muttering incoherently in fear. Just as she was about to fall, her brother caught her—
Duan Zizhu frowned and looked at Qingyu and Wenchuan in front of him. "Gentlemen, my sister meant no harm. You've gone too far."
Before Qingyu could figure out who this person was, she was amused by his "gentleman's" words. The girl crossed her arms, smiled, and raised an eyebrow, saying...
"I don't care about the nonsense your sister says,"
"We've only met a few times, but your sister's gaze is really bold; my husband feels very uncomfortable being looked at like that,"
"I simply looked back in a different way, how is that going too far?"
"The Duan family of Xiliang, so that's how it is."
Qingyu smiled, ignoring the unpleasant expressions on the Duan siblings' faces. The girl exchanged a glance with Wen Chuan, and the two strolled past them, one after the other.
Wen Chuan glanced at Duan Zizhu. The young man's lips curled into a ruthless smile, and his gentle voice carried a chilling, eerie killing intent.
"My wife is kind-hearted and dislikes killing."
"Unfortunately, I am not."
Ultimately, he was the one who caused this trouble, and it's his responsibility to resolve it. If Duan Zixi continues to spout nonsense, he doesn't mind taking responsibility for the consequences.
...
Indeed, things have gotten chaotic, and everyone wants to come and see for themselves. Well, they've come all this way, after all—
The Duan and Yuwen families came today to pay their respects to the old City Lord Wei. Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, Duan Jue and Yuwen Lan hurriedly paid their respects. After exchanging only a few words, the old City Lord Wei closed his eyes in exhaustion. He indeed appeared to be very old and seriously ill in bed.
Qingyu only realized this later. Perhaps, at that time, the old city lord Wei was not too tired to speak because of physical exhaustion, but because he had guessed what would happen in the past and future and felt mentally exhausted.
Back to the present moment—
"Does Madam mean that Young Master Wei is now...?"
Qingyu looked at Madam Wei, the young girl somewhat helpless. What did she mean? What did she mean that Wei Xun was too heartbroken at the moment and was guarding Wei Nian's body in the study, refusing to come out...?
Madam Wei frowned, feeling both sad and apologetic. "Things happened so suddenly. Wei Nian was like an elder brother to us. His death... sigh. Anyway, I have done my best to investigate the murderer's whereabouts. I will give you all an explanation within five days."
Qingyu: "Madam, there's no need to worry too much... I wonder if the physician has made a diagnosis of Wei Nian yet?"
Madam Wei pursed her lips, "Just as Miss Lin said, it is poison, but we still can't determine what kind of poison it is..."
In fact, although the physician could not explain the origin of the poison, he did diagnose that it was a strange, slow-acting poison that required a considerable amount of time to infect the victim.
But so what? Who can know where this poison came from or where it was hidden? Wei Xun was with Wei Nian every day, eating, sleeping, and traveling. Wei Nian died, but Wei Xun was fine. Who can explain the reason behind this?
Upon hearing this, Qingyu sighed silently, then rose and bid farewell to Madam Wei.
"In that case, we won't bother you any longer."
Lord Wei was seriously ill in bed, Wei Xun refused to see anyone, and Madam Wei was not from Xiliang. They couldn't very well ask thirteen or fourteen-year-old Wei Feng about the Fenggu Desert, could they?
Seemingly sensing that they had come with a purpose, Madam Wei took the initiative to ask Qingyu, "Have you two come today... is there anything that the Wei family can help with?"
She smiled faintly, "You two might as well speak frankly. Although I am not a member of the Flowing Gold Clan, I have been here for quite some time, and I might be able to help you."
Seeing this, Qingyu and Wenchuan exchanged a glance. Wenchuan then spoke about the Fenggu Desert. Basically, they, as cultivators, had heard the legends of the Fenggu Desert and wanted to go there. They wondered what precautions to take, or if there were any guides or things to help them.
Madam Wei listened quietly, and finally she smiled.
"Fenggu Desert is the original ancient desert. The people of Xiliang often say that millions of years ago, after the ancient desert god blessed the Liujin tribe, he took away a white deer and led the deer into this desert."
"After that, the people of Xiliang spread the word that if they wanted to enter the Fenggu Desert again, they would need the guidance of the Liujin tribe, and if they wanted to leave the Fenggu Desert, they would need the permission of the white divine deer, and only under the guidance of the divine deer could they leave the desert."
"To go in, one needs human help; to go out, one needs divine permission."
"Gentlemen, putting everything else aside, have you really thought it through before entering this Fenggu Desert?"
Her words were calm yet solemn, and the upward rise in her tone at the end seemed to contain a strange surprise and doubt.
Qingyu smiled, raised her eyes to meet Madam Wei's gaze.
“Cultivation emphasizes naturalness. If it is truly as you say, that without the help of the Flowing Gold Clan, even entering will be difficult, then we will not force it.”
"But if it's possible, we should try to go in no matter what."
Gods are a rarely mentioned word in Kyushu. Many legends are gathered together, saying that gods from various places smiled and took away some things from the human world, then peacefully went to some place to sleep, and never appeared in the human world again.
Fenggu Desert is the place where the ancient desert god last appeared, and it is also the last legend about a god in Kyushu.
He was the last god to disappear—
The god of this barren land was most reluctant to part with the Nine Provinces. Whether it was wind and sand or mortals, in the end, he would bless the weak Flowing Gold Clan and leave behind guardians for this land.
For thousands of years, we, the cultivators, have kept the Great Dao in our hearts. Once we embark on it, we will continue on our path.
God does not see me, so I see myself.
God also had this thought.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Interpretation of the last sentence:
If God doesn't help people, then people will help people.
Thus, the Liujin clan came into being in Western Liang.
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