More bad than good
With no other options, Xu Yi could only guard the array at the Imperial Observatory every day, hoping to find a trace of its presence someday.
Persistence pays off. On the night of the full moon, the array in the courtyard finally showed a slight reaction, pointing directly to the southwest corner of the capital. Xu Yi and Wu Zi hurriedly headed southwest, but were stopped by Yi Qing just before leaving: "I'll go with you. There are many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, and it's not easy to enter the courtyard."
“Alright,” the three of them ran quickly toward the southwest corner. Once they found the place where the aura was coming from, Yi Qing frowned and looked at Xu Yi and Wu Zi: “This is… the Prime Minister’s residence…”
"Can we get in?" Xu Yi asked anxiously.
Yi Qing shook her head: "It's not easy to get in. I'll go try first."
After saying that, he went to knock on the side door. Xu Yi was anxious, so he said to Wu Zi, "I'll sneak in and take a look."
Wu Zi pulled Xu Yi back: "These high-ranking officials and nobles usually have some kind of defense in their courtyards, so you must be very careful when you go in."
“Okay,” Xu Yi nodded, switched to ghost form, and floated in through the side gap that Yi Qing had knocked open.
As soon as he entered, two flashes of cold light appeared. Xu Yi quickly dodged to the side, but unexpectedly, he was enveloped by a magical shield the next second...
Xu Yi patted the cover in front of her and was surprised to detect Bai Da's presence on it...
She silently called out in her heart, "Bai Da, Bai Da?"
There was no response. Xu Yi used his ghostly energy to ram the magic barrier, but instead of breaking through, he was bounced back by the barrier and sent flying outside the door...
Seeing Xu Yi thrown out, Wu Zi went over to help her and asked, "What happened?"
"There's a magic array inside, set up by Bai Da. This must be the place we're looking for, there's no mistake."
Although Yi Qing appeared to be communicating with the prime minister's servants, he had witnessed everything. Now that he knew the location was correct, he forcefully produced his Imperial Observatory badge and compelled the servants to report to the prime minister...
The Imperial Observatory was staffed by cultivators, and their presence naturally exuded an aura of authority among ordinary people. The servants, left with no other choice, could only bow and report. Xu Yi, seeing the courtyard gate that he could not cross for a long time, was so angry that even his ghostly aura began to overflow...
Wu Zi squeezed Xu Yi's hand and advised, "Don't worry, it's good that we've found the place. If all else fails, we can ask the supervisor to come forward."
"I never imagined that even entering the mortal realm would be so difficult..." Xu Yi was filled with resentment, and even her thoughts became distorted: "I was trapped by power in life, and I will still be hindered by power after death..." Thinking of her own experience, Xu Yi's resentment deepened: "Why does power exist in this world? Is it really reasonable?"
Xu Yi was so focused on expressing her feelings that she didn't even notice her eyes had unknowingly reddened...
“You mustn’t do this,” Wu Zi quickly grasped her hand and advised her, “You mustn’t let your emotions get the better of you.”
Xu Yi closed her eyes, suppressing her thoughts, and anxiously looked at the small door she couldn't cross... Fortunately, it wasn't long before the servants returned to invite them in. As soon as they entered, two more cold lights flashed past, heading straight for Xu Yi at the back... This time, Wu Zi stepped forward to block the cold lights, and Yi Qing moved a piece of jade on the ground nearby, breaking the formation...
Looking at the jade in his hand, Yi Qing sighed, "Using it for defense and protection, possessing a sharp weapon yet not harboring any murderous intent—what a clever idea..."
At this moment, Xu Yi was extremely anxious and furious. She stepped forward, grabbed the servant's clothes, and asked sternly, "Tell me, who set up this formation?"
The servant was suddenly grabbed by the collar, stammering, "It was...it was a demon, a demon's doing..."
"A demon?" Xu Yi was even more anxious: "Which demon? What demon? Where are the people now?"
The servant stammered, unable to speak. Xu Yi, both anxious and angry, raised her voice: "Speak..."
Xu Yi shouted with great force, and a ghostly aura emanated from her body, making the servant tremble even more: "I... I don't know..."
At this moment, Xu Yi just wanted to swallow this servant who couldn't utter a sound even after being beaten three times, but reason reminded her not to do so. Xu Yi was torn between two conflicting thoughts, which, to onlookers, made her eyes turn red and black in turns... Now the servant in front of her knew that this girl was not someone to be trifled with, and in fear, he fainted...
Xu Yi looked at the servant lying on the ground, feeling inexplicably annoyed... Fortunately, the steward led the prime minister over at that moment. He walked over in a few steps, nodded to Xu Yi and the others, and then cupped his hands to Yi Qing: "Master Yi Qing, I wonder what wind blew you here?"
Yi Qing also cupped his hands in greeting to the Prime Minister: "Thank you for coming here as usual, Prime Minister. We were looking for a friend and found this place by following his aura. We apologize for disturbing you..."
Looking at the two people in front of him who were being polite, Xu Yi thought to himself, "What kind of time is this?" He stepped forward and went straight to the point: "Who set up the formation in this courtyard? Where is that person now?"
The prime minister did not answer her question, but instead turned to Yi Qing: "I wonder who this gentleman is..."
"This is my junior sister, registered under the supervisor's name, and her name is Xu Yi."
"Xu Yi?" Unexpectedly, the prime minister narrowed his eyes and turned to ask Xu Yi, "Miss, is your surname Xu?"
Xu Yi was thoroughly fed up with this mutual probing and testing to plan their next move, so she simply nodded: "Yes, my surname is Xu, and I am the emperor's illegitimate son. You'd better tell me the truth quickly, or you won't have a good time in either the living or the dead..."
"Oh?" The prime minister glanced at Yi Qing, a cold snort escaping his lips. "In the mortal realm, I have relieved His Majesty of his worries and troubles, leaving no trace of wrongdoing; in the underworld, my virtue is unparalleled... Young lady, watch your words, lest you bite off more than you can chew..."
Xu Yi was already at her most anxious point, how could she withstand such provocation? So she released her ghostly energy, lifting herself into the air, and roared at the prime minister with bloodshot eyes: "I'm not afraid of you?"
The prime minister's eyes widened, not expecting Xu Yi to be inhuman. Just as he was pondering a countermeasure, a feathered arrow imbued with magical power shot out from under the eaves of the opposite building... That white magical power—it was white... Xu Yi was still marveling when the magical arrow was already upon him. Xu Yi enveloped his palm with ghostly energy and tried to grab it with his bare hands, but he only managed to grasp the tail. The sharp arrowhead was pressed tightly against Xu Yi's chest; if he had been a step slower, it would have pierced through his chest...
Xu Yi held the tail of the feathered arrow in his hand. The wooden arrow was still trembling, trying to break free. Xu Yi also gripped the arrow with his other hand, and his hands emitted ghostly energy to gradually dispel the killing intent on the arrow... Slowly, the feathered arrow calmed down in Xu Yi's hand and returned to its ordinary appearance...
Xu Yi held the wooden arrow quietly, looking at the traces of magic remaining on it. She thought of the Bai brothers possibly waiting for them to rescue them, and how she couldn't even find out where he was… and tears welled up in her eyes: “Bai Da’s fate is unknown, the formation he set up is still protecting you… yet you won’t even tell us his whereabouts…” Xu Yi looked at the Prime Minister through her tears: “Prime Minister, I ask you, how can you… do you deserve Bai Da’s sincerity?”
The prime minister looked at the little girl squatting on the ground, crying heartbrokenly, and sighed. He walked over and helped Xu Yi up. "It's not that I'm unwilling to tell you, it's just that I really don't know where he went..." The prime minister sighed again. "I haven't seen him since we parted last time." After saying that, the prime minister looked at Wu Zi and Yi Qing. "How about this, the three of you, let's sit in the side room for a while, and I'll tell you everything I know, okay?"
Xu Yi looked at the other two people, and they both nodded at her. Only then did she swallow the words "Let's talk here" and follow the prime minister and servants to the side room.
Once everyone was seated, the Prime Minister began to recount Bai Da's story: "The man the young lady spoke of called himself Bai Zhouji. Some time ago, my daughter was unfortunately haunted by a ghost and was losing weight every day. I posted a notice asking someone to exorcise the ghost, and he and his brother answered the call. After the matter was resolved, he and my daughter grew increasingly fond of each other, and I intended to have him as my son-in-law. We both agreed immediately, but just before the engagement banquet, I learned that he was a demon..."
At this point, the prime minister sighed: "I originally thought that as long as his son was happy, it wouldn't have much of an impact, even without any merit or fame... But since ancient times, humans and demons have been different, and I simply couldn't accept his identity, so I asked him to leave the mansion. After that... I never saw him again..."
"You asked him to leave the manor? You didn't imprison him? You didn't kill him?" Xu Yi asked rhetorically.
The prime minister frowned: "What are you saying, Miss Xu? Although I cannot accept his identity as a demon, he has been kind to my daughter and me. How could I possibly harm him? I escorted him out of the manor without a scratch..."
At this moment, the steward stepped forward: "Indeed, I personally escorted Young Master Bai out of the manor and did not harm him. Besides, Young Master Bai's Taoist magic is extraordinary; we ordinary people cannot harm him..."
Yes, yes, the Bai brothers are, after all, thousand-year-old snake demons. Ordinary people have no power to harm them. Xu Yi's mind was a complete mess, unable to make sense of anything...
Qing, however, grasped the key point: "How did the Prime Minister know that Bai Da is a demon?"
Xu Yi's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at the prime minister. The prime minister did not hide anything: "I met many people who know Taoist magic because of my daughter's matter. They told me about it."
"Who is it?" Xu Yi stood up excitedly. "Who exactly is it?"
The prime minister frowned and looked at the steward: "What was that person's name again?"
The steward bowed to the prime minister and said, "He calls himself Jiuyin and says he is a wandering cultivator."
"Yes, that's him."
Upon hearing this, Yi Qing snorted: "He's not a rogue cultivator; he was expelled from his previous sect."
"Expelled?" Xu Yi's heart, which had been clenching with worry, finally calmed down upon hearing this: "Only those who commit serious offenses are expelled from the sect... What about Bai Da and Bai Er..." Xu Yi looked at Wu Zi with teary eyes: "Wu Zi..."
Wu Zi breathed a sigh of relief, walked over and patted Xu Yi's head to comfort him, "We've finally found them, don't worry..."
At this moment, Yi Qing threw out a fatal question: "I heard... he was expelled from the sect after being discovered refining and sacrificing demonic creatures..."
"Refining and sacrificing demons?" Upon hearing this, Xu Yi's mind went blank, and she almost fainted. She looked at Wu Zi, pleading for a definite answer: "Then what about Bai Da and Bai Er?"
Wu Zi sighed, took her hand, but didn't offer Xu Yi any feigned comfort: "It's probably... a bad omen..."
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