Chapter 44 Wealth and honor are always found in danger 4 Questioning
The air in the forest was crisp and refreshing. Mingying stepped off the Purple Cloud Chariot, the wooden joints making a soft clicking sound. She pretended to take a breath of the fresh air of Yunchuan, then regretfully put the Purple Cloud Chariot away. It seemed Xiao Jingze had forgotten to give her a sense of smell.
Because the little wooden figure's movements were restricted, Xiao Jingze made her a new body. Her chest cavity was no longer empty, and Mingying was now a tall, solid wooden figure.
She curiously pinched her cheek, but it was hard and she couldn't pinch it at all. However, the face reflected in the mirror was vivid, with the same features as before.
Mingying stared at the lifelike figure in the mirror, and the voice emanating from the puppet's belly was as calm as still water: "Can such magic really exist in this world?"
Xiao Jingze only did it for one night, so why did that Immortal Venerable go to such lengths to snatch her body? He wanted Xiao Jingze to make ten or eight puppets for the Immortal Venerable, so he could make whatever face he wanted and whatever number of arms he wanted.
Xiao Jingze tapped his forehead with two fingers and smiled: "It's just an illusion, a result of magic. You're still a wooden doll. Be careful not to get burned later. But I've carved a fire-avoidance talisman, so ordinary fire won't reach you."
Mingying touched her face, still very happy, mainly because she could finally speak again. Although it was ventriloquism and her voice was muffled and emotionless, at least she wasn't mute anymore.
The morning mist over Yunchuan had not yet dissipated, and Ming Shu had been waiting there ever since she saw the streak of light across the horizon. The carriage curtain fluttered slightly, and a very familiar figure jumped down. She frowned, her expression hesitant, and dared not approach.
Mingying had no idea what she was thinking. Their eyes met, and Mingying happily ran towards her, her footsteps carrying a light, crisp sound unique to wood: "Aunt Ming, are you here to pick me up?"
Ming Shu slightly raised her fingertip, and a wisp of spiritual energy silently reached out, touching Ming Ying and then returning immediately. She breathed a sigh of relief; with her cultivation level, she could naturally see that the person before her was merely a soul attached to an exquisite puppet, using illusion magic to make her appear so lifelike.
But the puppet was so lifelike that she couldn't tell the difference between real and fake at first glance, and couldn't help but take a second look. Mingying tilted her head: "What's wrong?"
Ming Shu sighed: "Miss Ming, why are you back?"
Mingying said affectionately, "Of course I miss you all! Aunt Ming, are Mother and Father at home?"
The puppets could neither blink nor speak. The voices emanating from their abdomens were flat and monotonous, making the dialogue sound rather strange, like a zither with a mis-played string.
Ming Shu laughed: "Of course it is, but things are about to change. Now that Miss Ming is back, she shouldn't wander around."
Her expression turned serious: "The spiritual vein is abnormal, and Elder Ming has already emerged from seclusion. Right now, nowhere is safe."
——
The atmosphere in the council hall was somber. Almost all the Ming clan members who had been scattered across various regions for training had been recalled, and each of them wore a solemn expression, as if a storm was brewing. Ming Ying entered and sat quietly to one side, listening to the Ming clan members seriously discuss their countermeasures.
Her consciousness circled the field, but she didn't see Mingyan. Mingyan hadn't returned yet; a sudden earthquake had struck Yuzhou yesterday, and the academy had sent people to provide rescue, including Mingyan.
A disciple of the Ming clan stood up, his tone heavy: "The Immortal Venerable is detached from worldly affairs and never interferes in human matters. Now that she has appeared in the world for the first time, although she has not directly committed any murders, it is by no means a good sign."
After he finished speaking, he placed an object in the center of the council hall. With the activation of spiritual power, the image-recording bead projected a clear image, which was the scene in front of the four boundary markers.
In the scene, "Mingying" placed her hand lightly on the boundary marker with an expressionless face. In just a brief moment, the flowing runes on the boundary marker quickly dimmed, the forest rustled, and the ground shook violently. She did nothing more, smiled at the crowd, and disappeared into the collapsing forest.
The hall was silent, and everyone had different expressions. Immortal Venerable was the goal that most cultivators looked up to throughout their lives. To be in opposition to the strongest goal was an invisible but enormous pressure.
Looking at the familiar face in the image, Mingying asked, somewhat confused, "Wasn't my body locked in the Star Gazing Tower?"
Mingqian, sitting above, shook his head, his expression grim: "The situation at the Star Gazing Tower is currently unclear. I'm afraid the Imperial Preceptor has sealed herself inside, and the external formations are completely unable to contact her."
Mingying asked again, "But wasn't this formation set up by the Imperial Advisor himself? How come we can't get out?"
A moment of silence fell over everyone. Ming Qi slowly said, "I'm afraid even the Imperial Advisor has met with misfortune."
Xiao Wang has disappeared without a trace, and it seems he is in grave danger. Of the four Mahayana cultivators, only he remains.
Ming Qi paused, looked around at everyone, and said in a solemn voice, "Now that things have come to this, we can only prepare for the worst. The spiritual energy in Liuzhou has not yet dissipated, and the four elders of the Nine Paths Academy have already replied that they will gather in Liuzhou tomorrow to stabilize the spiritual veins in all directions."
Mingying turned her head to look. It was the first time she had seen Elder Ming. So this was the old-fashioned man who had arranged the marriage between her and Xiao Jingze. He looked younger than her father and had a kind and gentle face.
Mingqi noticed her seemingly casual glance, stroked his non-existent beard, and smiled as his serious face broke into a smile: "You must be Manman, right? I held you when you were just born, and now you're all grown up."
Mingying said, "Yes, I remember you, Elder Ming. You're getting younger and younger these days."
Her ventriloquism was delivered in a flat tone, and Mingqi felt something was off when he heard it. He coughed a few times to bring the topic back on track: "The current situation is not insurmountable. I suggest we activate the Taiyi defensive formation."
Taiyi Guardian Formation? Mingying searched her memory and found that Taiyi Guardian Formation was one of the unique formations created by the Ming Clan. It had one person as the core of the formation and a hundred people as the auxiliary formation. It was extremely energy-consuming and was a defensive barrier that stabilized the heavens and earth and isolated the internal and external forces.
After a moment of quiet discussion, everyone voted "agree," with only one vote against.
Ming Qi raised an eyebrow and looked over. Ming Ying said, "Since this matter concerns me, why don't I go and stall her?"
Since the Celestial Venerable is so interested in her, perhaps he can hold out until the Imperial Preceptor comes out in four days.
Ming Qi held up one finger and waved it at her: "The minority obeys the majority. What are you doing here? It's not your turn to participate in the Ming family's affairs."
Mingying had witnessed the power of the Immortal Venerable before, and nine hundred years later, her strength was likely even more unfathomable. She said seriously, "The protective formation probably won't be able to stop her."
Mingqi let out a soft snort: "Hey, don't underestimate your grandfather. Even the Imperial Preceptor might not be able to break through this Taiyi Guardian Formation by force, let alone the Immortal Venerable who can only descend with a Dharma Body. The Dharma Body has at most seventy percent of the original body's power, so it is not invincible."
Mingying stopped talking and tapped her arm with her fingers. Back then, even the old lady Shen couldn't withstand a single move from the Immortal Venerable Palm. Was the Taiyi Guardian Formation really useful? Could it really hold for four days?
After determining the formation to be activated, everyone began discussing its placement. Mingying sat for a while; she was the only one without spiritual power and naturally couldn't participate. Besides, she wasn't even considered "human" yet; her "humanity" was still in the hands of the Immortal Venerable.
She took her leave from the council hall and returned to her room. The most crucial Grand Preceptor was still silent. Mingying lay on the bed for a while and touched something sharp. She took it out and saw that it was the water mirror that Xiao Jingze had given her.
——
Xiao Jingze, dressed in red, sat on the roof tiles, one leg casually bent, his elbow resting on his knee. The morning breeze ruffled his hair, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the compass in his hand, the compass needle now completely stopped.
The compass couldn't locate Elder Xiao, couldn't calculate anything, and even the communication array showed no response. Xiao Jingze couldn't contact him for a long time. After a moment of contemplation, he put the compass back into his ring, his expression unreadable.
Things are getting increasingly strange. The former head of the Jin family, Jin Younian, died at the Jin Family Restaurant. According to Jin Zhufeng, Jin Younian received a secret message from the Shen family five days ago, locked himself in his study and wouldn't let anyone near him, but after leaving the mansion, he inexplicably "committed suicide".
Even more bizarrely, Jin Younian sent a message to the Xiao family before his death, and now Old Master Xiao has also lost contact. Xiao Jingze can almost conclude that the person Jin Younian wanted to see at that time was Old Master Xiao, but why did the two meet? Why did Old Master Xiao keep the appointment?
Although everyone knows that the Xiao and Jin families became in-laws more than 20 years ago, apart from that marriage, the two families, one a merchant and the other a martial artist, have kept their relationship very separate and have no other dealings. The Jin family's attitude towards him has always been ambiguous. At first, they showed some superficial concern, but after seeing that he had no intention of attaching himself to them, they became completely indifferent.
His mother, Jin Jianwei, had a rather indifferent attitude towards the Jin family back then. She had lived under their roof for many years, and the Jin family was full of people who were blinded by greed. The Jin family could not be considered her maternal family. Apart from the late Old Madam Jin and the current head of the Jin family, she naturally did not have any extra feelings for the Jin family.
Because the Jin family consisted mostly of ordinary people, and their large population and fierce internal struggles were well-known among other aristocratic families, the two families had only this much of a relationship. They had never accepted each other, and the heads of the families did not actively communicate. In his memory, this was the first time this had happened, and the result was one death and one loss of contact.
Xiao Jingze tossed the golden ring around, his mood extremely sour. As a Mahayana cultivator, only a handful of people in the world could imprison Elder Xiao. The fact that there was no news of him meant either he was intentionally concealing his whereabouts, or he had encountered insurmountable trouble. Xiao Jingze's eyes darkened; he thought to himself, "Could this trouble be that I've encountered a Celestial Venerable?"
He squinted and looked towards the horizon, his gaze falling on the distant, sprawling houses of the Xiao family mansion. Gold rings were scattered around him. Xiao Jingze stood up and pondered for a moment, then lowered his eyes. There was actually another person involved in that incident back then, and that person might know something.
Thinking about meeting that person, he gave an ambiguous twitch of his lips. The golden ring floated in the air and returned to his waist. He was too lazy to deal with it, but now that all the clues had been cut off and Old Master Xiao's whereabouts were unknown, he had no choice but to ask, even if he had to hold his nose.
——
The study was dimly lit, with dust swirling around it. Xiao Hou stood with his hands behind his back, his figure as imposing as a mountain. Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around, his tone icy: "What are you doing here?"
Xiao Jingze leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, tapping his fingers lightly. A slight smile played on his lips, but his eyes were cold. He casually replied, "I have something to ask you."
Xiao Yi's blood pressure spiked instantly. He abruptly turned around, slammed his fist on the table, and roared, "What kind of attitude is this?!"
“This is my attitude.” Xiao Jingze straightened up and walked into the study. He found a chair, sat down in the center with an air of authority, and stared into his eyes. “My grandfather’s whereabouts are a mystery. This matter is strange, but Father doesn’t seem worried at all.”
Xiao Yi's eyes flickered, and his expression changed. Before he could say anything, Xiao Jingze changed the subject, his voice suddenly lowering a few decibels, his gaze sharp as a blade: "Do you know who exactly killed my mother back then?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi's eyes widened in shock, quickly replaced by a deeper surge of anger. He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking beneath his sleeve, and shouted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting! Who would harm her? This is utterly absurd!"
Xiao Jingze's gaze remained calm, intently capturing every subtle expression on his face: "You really don't know?"
"You insolent brat! The matter from back then has long been settled. Your mother died in an accident, and no one survived on the ship. The whole manor knows this!"
"Is that so?" The last trace of a smile on Xiao Jingze's face vanished completely, revealing an almost cold calm.
He raised his hand, revealing the fully open Di Ting Eye in his palm, which was emitting a faint glow. His gaze was icy: "But you are lying, Father."
When Xiao Yi saw that he actually used a magical artifact to question him, his hair and beard stood on end, and he shouted angrily, "You unfilial son! How could a member of my Xiao family behave like this! How dare you be so insolent!"
“I once doubted whether I was your biological son.” Xiao Jingze interrupted him, but seeing Xiao Yi tremble violently, he paused and then chuckled, “What, you really aren’t my biological son?”
"You..." Xiao Yi's expression changed rapidly, a mix of colors, it was quite a sight. His chest heaved violently, he pointed at Xiao Jingze, so angry that he couldn't even finish a sentence.
Seeing his expression, Xiao Jingze smiled instead, his smile carrying a hint of indifference: "Whatever. What difference does it make whether you're my father or not? In name, I'm your only son, and you can't have any more children. Since I've called you father for so long, you should be my father too."
He casually flicked his sleeve and said, "We are still father and son. Alright, Father, tell me who that person is."
Xiao Yi slammed his hand on the desk: "I told you, your mother was courting death back then! No one would want to harm her!"
"Why can't you use a cleaner mouth?" Xiao Jingze frowned, straightened his sleeves, and looked at him with disdain. "How can someone from my Xiao family behave like this? My grandfather and the Imperial Advisor never speak like this."
Xiao Yi was speechless again, and said angrily, "You...you...you've gone too far!"
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, '?' Xiao Jingze pressed on relentlessly, mocking without any mercy. If I weren't of the Xiao family bloodline, how could the Imperial Preceptor and my grandfather have allowed me to live to this day? And how could I be so presumptuous?"
These words seemed to have struck a nerve with Xiao Yi. His expression shifted rapidly, and the anger on his face subsided somewhat, replaced by a strange smile, a smile mixed with resentment and malice: "Grand Preceptor? Since you've mentioned the Grand Preceptor, why don't you go to the Star Gazing Tower and question her face to face?"
He slowly repeated those two words, his gaze fixed on a certain direction outside the window, a stark contrast to his previous furious demeanor: "What can the Imperial Advisor possibly do in the Star Gazing Tower? How much do you know about her plans?"
——
The Star Gazing Tower is located in the northwest corner of the palace. There are no lights around it. The entire building is shrouded in a huge array. Blue and gold light intertwines and flows in the air. The runes flicker and fade, drawing the power of the moon and stars from heaven and earth.
Just below the 990th step, a red figure appeared, riding the wind. Xiao Jingze stood holding a golden bell umbrella, gazing upwards quietly for a moment. The wind ruffled his robes, and runes reflected starlight in his eyes. He chuckled softly, and without pausing, stepped into the array's range.
The deep, resonant sound seemed to come from beyond the heavens. The originally tranquil and flowing runes suddenly shone brightly, with golden rays crisscrossing and instantly weaving into a net that completely surrounded the area. A sharp aura descended upon him, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
Xiao Jingze's expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his hand, and with a flick of his palm, the Thousand Machines Induction burst forth with ten thousand golden threads. The formation was triggered layer by layer as he moved forward. He did not attempt to break the formation. Eleven golden rings surrounded his body, and he forcibly opened the gate of the Star Gazing Tower.
The golden net instantly disintegrated, turning into scattered runic light points that drifted into the highest point of the Star Gazing Tower. Xiao Jingze slowly exhaled and pinched his brow: "Still have to climb the stairs."
He put away the golden bell umbrella and went straight up to the pavilion. He stopped at the star-gazing platform and looked through the flashing runes, his gaze landing on a figure sitting in the center.
The Imperial Advisor gazed at the distant sky, her eyes carrying a hint of indifference, like the movement of stars. She did not turn around, but simply spoke, her voice calm and undisturbed: "You have come."
Xiao Jingze stood there, his dark hair fluttering in the wind on the rooftop. He looked at the Imperial Advisor's back and seemed to see the tangled threads of fate behind her and the impending collapse of the world's chessboard.
He remained motionless, as if he had finally confirmed something: "It's you."
The Imperial Preceptor, without sorrow or joy, said: "It is me."
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Author's Note: *It's finished. Rushing deadlines is bad manners. A few readers saw my initial, incomplete version without even paragraph breaks. I'll never do that again! [crying emoji]
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