"On that day, a flying boat flew over Luan City. Countless residents looked up and saw a human head hanging in front of their door!"
The gavel was slammed down hard, the storyteller's face flushed, his tongue twitched like an electric motor, he suddenly spit some saliva into his throat, and continued in high spirits:
"Everyone just thought that the Xuanxu Sword Sect was killing its disciples, but little did they know that there was a hidden secret behind it - from this point on, the Xuanxu Sect's grand and long-term plan took its first step!"
"ha?"
Someone in the audience was confused: "Didn't you say before that Elder Tianxian abused the disciples of the sect and twisted off He Zhizhou's head to use as a kickball?"
"That's all superficial! We are all ignorant mortals, how can we understand the thoughts of the immortals!"
The storyteller's beard and hair danced in extreme excitement, and he spoke in an impassioned tone: "You will never guess that the reason why He Zhizhou's head was hung on the boat is because the Xuanxu Sect had long been aware of the city lord, no, Luo Yuanming's trick, and wanted to lure the snake out of its hole through this method."
There was a noisy discussion among the crowd.
Ningning sat in the corner of the teahouse and took a sip of water with a complicated expression.
It’s true, this explanation was not only unexpected by the general public, but even she, the person involved, was confused when she heard it.
What does it mean that art comes from life but is higher than life? The storyteller is truly amazing.
Last night, the girls who were trapped in the secret room at the bottom of the well activated the Soul Locking Formation together. Luo Yuanming had no way to survive. The threads made of blood pierced deeply into his bones. In unbearable pain, he closed his eyes forever in an extremely twisted posture.
As for the door that He Zhizhou and Lin Xun entered, it turned out to be the storage place for the girl's remains after her soul was refined.
After entering the door and walking forward for half a cup of tea, you can gradually see the eerie white bones and clothing scraps all over the ground, and finally the piles of skeletons, which is very horrifying.
The reason why Luo Yuanming said "They will definitely not be able to get out" was because the air in the secret room was blocked and resentment was accumulated. Every corner was filled with poisonous blood mist and resentment. Soon after inhaling it, one would faint in a state of unconsciousness.
These two were dragged out by the elders afterwards, dragged by the neck.
Ning Ning and Pei Ji were both covered in blood after the fight. They both slept like motionless vegetable men. When Lin Xun woke up, he was so ashamed that his dragon horns turned red. He kept stammering apologies. Not only did he not help, he also caused trouble for the elders.
"It's okay, it's okay. Anyone who enters a place like this will be affected."
Ji Yunkai consoled him with a smile: "If you don't use the Turtle Breath Pill to hold your breath, I'm afraid even Luo Yuanming himself wouldn't dare to go in."
The Turtle Breath Pill is a kind of pill that can cause respiratory arrest. After repeated searches, a full box of it was found in the city lord's bedroom as expected.
Later, the Criminal Court intervened in the matter. More than 30 victims were exposed to the public, and the precious images recorded by Ning Ning with her spiritual vision were played publicly.
Now there is both witnesses and evidence, which proves that the city lord who works hard to govern the city is the culprit who murdered the girl. The whole city was in an uproar for a while, and it can be said to be the best news of the year in Luancheng. If you don’t forward it, you are not a Luancheng person.
The Soul Locking Formation would cause serious harm to the person who set it up. Fortunately, the girls shared the pain equally, and no one's injuries were serious. After being treated at Su Wen Hall, they all returned home safely.
The mother of the farm girl came to the inn specially and expressed her gratitude over and over again with tears in her eyes. Xu Ye from the Wanjian Sect next door happened to pass by. He was moved by what he saw and gave her a magic pill that could cure her illness.
As for the group of disciples under Tianxianzi.
Even Ningning couldn't understand why they suddenly became famous throughout the city.
No matter whether it was the common people, the criminal justice envoys or the monks from other sects, they all wanted to visit the inn. They were so annoyed that they jumped out of the window and, after using a trick, took refuge in a teahouse.
By the way, cultivators have supernatural powers, but not money power.
Pei Ji, the richest among the group, was injured and had to stay in the room to recuperate. The other few down-and-out prodigals were so poor that they wanted to sit on the ground and eat tree bark. The money for this tea was considered a blessing, and it was paid by Jiang Si, the young city lord of Galan, the only victim designated by the authorities.
Jiang Si also heard about their exposure of Luo Yuanming's crimes. The arc of the right corner of his mouth was cold and arrogant, like a Nike shoe logo sewn on his face: "Woman, how many surprises do you have that I don't know about?"
These words were directed to Zheng Weiqi.
Senior Sister Zheng was always irritated with him. She quietly turned her head and made a "bulge on the head" gesture to Ning Ning, then glanced at him calmly: "My penis is bigger than yours."
This wasn't a surprise, it was a shock.
Jiang Si's domineering boss quotes had never encountered such an opponent, so he immediately stopped talking and drank his tea quietly, planning to fight again the next day and make sure to defeat her.
After listening to the storyteller's seemingly fantastic words, someone in the audience asked, "Tell me, sir, what is the connection between the head on the boat and the trap set by the Xuanxu Sect?"
"That's the point!"
The gentleman stroked his beard and smiled, narrowing his eyes: "I wonder if you still remember that later He Zhizhou pushed Tian Xianzi down the stairs in public for revenge? In fact, this back and forth was just to create the illusion of discord between master and disciple, so that Luo Yuanming would let down his guard!"
The discussion in the audience became louder.
"Think about it, everyone. Luo Yuanming is in charge of Luan City. He might have arranged secret guards to monitor it. Now is the Ten Dharma Conference. He has done something so improper. He will definitely be on guard against all major sects."
The master said: "If we want to reduce his vigilance and investigate the truth without any hindrance, what else can we do? Of course, we should make Luo Yuanming feel that Tianxianzi's disciples are too busy to take care of themselves and have no time to intervene in the case!"
What he said actually sounded like it made sense, and his tone was so up and down and passionate that he gave the illusion that there was absolutely no additive in his words.
Not only the audience, but even Ning Ning almost believed it.
"As for Elder Tianxian's nonsense in front of everyone later, this matter has a deeper meaning."
The gentleman suddenly became serious and slammed the gavel: "Think about it, everyone, what is the homonym of 'shoe repair'? Repairing shoes means practicing evil! Elder Tianxian seems to be unconscious, but he is actually hinting that Luo Yuanming, the thief, practices evil magic and is not tolerated by the cultivation world!"
He Zhizhou couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tea.
But everyone in the audience showed an expression of "So that's it", and they all shouted that it was great and stood up and applauded.
"This is nothing, there are even more amazing things! Do you remember that when Luo Yuanming wanted Ning Ning to come forward, Elder Tianxian ran to the stable and carried the horse out?"
The audience's heads were like the lucky cat's hands, nodding back and forth.
"There was a sign before. Ningning was clearly there. But why did he suddenly say, 'Ningning is gone'?"
The gentleman almost broke his voice in excitement when he spoke: "That was Elder Tianxian who noticed that Luo Yuanming had ill intentions towards Ningning and hinted that she should run away!"
Jiang Si’s mouth was open enough to fit a whole egg.
The gavel on the stage was still clapping like a disco: "Let's think about it together. What does it mean to hold the horse above the head? The horse is on top, 'right away'! Then he rushed out of the door and ran to the street. What does this mean?"
Someone suddenly realized the true meaning of life and the power of thinking at that moment, and responded in a loud voice: "Ningning, run now!"
Absolutely, so absolute.
As expected of Elder Tianxian, he was willing to destroy his own image in order to solve the major case in Luancheng and protect his disciples! What a great spirit of sacrifice! What an incomparable level of intelligence!
The broad masses of people praised with love and applauded with their hearts. Under the leadership of the storyteller, they used all their imagination to try their best to whitewash Tian Xianzi.
To say that he was whitewashed is an understatement; it was like painting his head with white paint, turning his reputation from the number one beheading maniac in the Immortal Sect into a man who endured humiliation and was one of the ten most touching figures in Luancheng.
"Having said this, we have to mention our greatest contributor—Ningning."
The gentleman seemed to be cursed that "every time he tells gossip, the gossiper himself will hear it", and continued to talk nonsense in front of Ningning's complicated eyes:
"This girl is incredible! Not only did she solve the mystery in the secret realm, she also figured out that Luo Yuanming was the mastermind behind the disappearance. I heard that she was born very smart. She could write at the age of one, paint at the age of two, and compose poems at the age of three. She is a well-known child prodigy, and her brain is one and a half times bigger than others!"
Zheng Weiqi choked on a mouthful of tea and almost couldn't breathe.
Jiang Si was stunned when he heard this. He looked at everyone present carefully, and even at this moment he did not forget to control his expression. He frowned and asked, "Is this true?"
"Fake."
Ning Ning was so angry that she saw stars. She ate a piece of cake with a blank expression: "The story he told is probably called "Xuanxu Sect: Parallel Universe". It's not the same as ours. Just treat it as a name."
Later, the gentleman said a lot of things very logically, for example, "In order to gather intelligence, He Zhizhou did not hesitate to dress up as a woman and sneak into a brothel. His dedication is touching", "Zheng Weiqi transformed into a shadowless spy and disappeared in the city for a whole day, just to secretly monitor Luo Yuanming's every move."
It is not exactly the same as what actually happened, but at least it has nothing to do with it.
A group of drunkards who used to cause trouble under Tianxianzi's tutelage were inexplicably speechless and had to endure humiliation. The young Taoist priests were not wrong, but the ones who were wrong were these short-sighted fools.
Zheng Weiqi was amazed, Lin Xun was so embarrassed that he buried his face in his arms, and He Zhizhou was extremely satisfied with his role and kept grinning.
Ningning was thinking about when to visit Pei Ji. She looked up at the sky and it was already noon.
She had an appointment and couldn't be late.
=====
At noon in summer, the thick heat settles down with the sunlight, and the slow chirping of summer cicadas is infinitely prolonged, connecting the clear blue sky and sparkling water.
The Longyin River was filled with the faint fragrance of lotus. The swaying shadows of the trees cast dancing spots of light. The mist was surrounded by hot air. The smoke and water were both vague and vague, silently surrounding a small boat.
A young woman in white was sitting quietly on the edge of the boat, gazing at the rippling water. When she noticed someone approaching, she looked up with her teacup in hand.
It’s Luan Niang.
Or Meng Tingzhou.
She used to wear complicated and gorgeous red clothes, but this white dress had almost no decoration. Under the sunlight, her skin looked whiter than snow and her face looked as clear as autumn water. Although she still had a charming look, she exuded a kind of heroic spirit like a sword unsheathed from her bones.
Although Meng Tingzhou had been guiding them to discover the truth, he had never been alone with any of Tianxianzi's disciples. Even the fact that he would leave by boat at noon today was only quietly told to Ningning when they were at the bottom of the well.
Now that the two finally met, Meng Tingzhou raised his eyebrows lazily and smiled like a fox.
"Miss Meng."
Ning Ning simply greeted her: "What are you looking at?"
"shadow."
She lowered her eyes and looked at the green water waves under her feet.
Ningning looked and saw the blue sky and white clouds vaguely reflected on the river surface. The shadow of the boat also fell into it and blended with a few snow-white clouds.
Meng Tingzhou didn't know what he was thinking of, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes: "Look, the reflection of the clouds falls into the water and merges with the shadow of the boat - it turns out that the boat in the water can also touch the distant clouds in the sky."
Ningning understood what she meant and was stunned.
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"I have a question for you."
Two voices sounded at the same time. She raised her chin and signaled the little girl on the shore to speak first.
There is a doubt that has troubled Ningning for a long time.
Although it was not that important, it was like a nail piercing her heart all the time, and she always felt that there was something that had not been thoroughly investigated.
"I went to that store, and the owner told me that Song Xianning had consulted him about soul-changing techniques."
Ning Ning took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "Luo Yuanming is using the girls to refine their souls. If you're asking about the soul-refining technique, it makes sense... But if you're talking about 'soul exchange', what does that have to do with this?"
The method of soul-swapping has been lost for many years, and only fragments of information exist in books of sorcery. As the name suggests, it is a method of swapping the souls of two people, or of using a corpse to revive the dead.
At that time, Song Xianning discovered Luo Yuanming's secret and moved into a separate courtyard in anger. According to the shop owner, she fell seriously ill shortly after inquiring about soul swapping.
This time is exactly between the two turning points in Song Xianning's life trajectory, and the only reason she wants to change her soul is -
"Instead of asking this, don't you want to know something else?"
Meng Tingzhou leaned against the boat awning, letting the sun shine through the gaps between the branches, like butterflies landing on her flawless face and nose.
She was born beautiful, and now washed by the sunlight, she looked even brighter and more moisturized, like a person in a painting that was a mixture of reality and fantasy. After staring at Ningning quietly for a long time, she finally burst out laughing.
"For example, who was the one who drugged Jiuzhou Chungui? Who was the one who sent your Brother Meng Jue to the door of the painting-selling lady? Who was the old woman that Master He met by the river?"
She shook the wooden cup in her hand as she spoke, her tone was like a slow temptation: "And... who was the person who filled this cup of tea for me?"
Ningning was stunned.
Meng Tingzhou has no relatives or friends in Luan City, and her identity as the city lord's wife is extremely sensitive. If a stranger is hired to carry out the entire plan, there is a high possibility that he will be betrayed or the news will leak out, thus arousing Luo Yuanming's suspicion early.
Given that old man's personality, once there was evidence and witnesses, before Ningning and others could find out the truth, she might have already died again and become another city lord's wife who died of a sudden illness.
Apart from this, the most intriguing question is why Song Xianning asked about the soul-changing technique.
She discovered Luo Yuanming's secret of sacrificing young girls, and showed strong resistance, unwilling to associate with him at all costs. Miss Song is such a smart person, how could she not guess that Luo Yuanming was harboring murderous intentions.
And the purpose of soul-changing technique...isn't it to escape from the shell and revive the dead?
Ning Ning stared into the charming eyes of the woman in front of her and said hesitantly, "But the shop owner clearly said that soul-swapping is an old secret technique, and even he doesn't know the secret."
"Soul-swapping is just a way."
Meng Tingzhou smiled gently, as if he was patiently persuading her: "If one method doesn't work, isn't there another one?"
Another way.
yes.
Asking about the soul-swapping technique shows that Song Xianning had long been on guard against Luo Yuanming, trying to find a suitable way to escape. Apart from soul-swapping, the most likely way to conceal the truth is -
Ning Ning blurted out: "Turtle Breath Pill!"
The Turtle Breath Pill can conceal your breath and restrain your breathing. If you take an excessive amount, it may even damage your sea of consciousness and cause you to fall into a state of suspended animation for a long time.
And right inside the City Lord's Mansion, Luo Yuanming had prepared many such pills.
If Song Xianning had really taken this medicine back then and fell into a state of suspended animation... wouldn't it be consistent with her "sudden death"?
Meng Tingzhou curled his lips when he heard that. He still kept leaning on the boat, leaned back slightly, lifted the thin curtain made of black gauze outside the awning, and put his head inside.
From Ningning's perspective, she could see her delicate neck and pointed, white chin. The corners of her mouth were curved in a beautiful arc, and her lips were opening and closing.
The beautiful woman in a white dress spoke in a clear voice with a cheerful smile: "I told you, she will definitely think of it."
……ah. She was speaking to the person behind the black veil.
It was as if an electric current passed through her spine, and Ningning heard the sound of her heart beating.
After a brief moment of freeze, a thin, white hand reached out from the boat and gently lifted the black veil.
Then, Ningning was caught off guard and met a pair of dark eyes.
Song Xianning.
This name, buried deep in everyone's memory, finally has a concrete appearance at this moment.
She had a gentle and beautiful appearance, like a distant mountain. Although her face was extremely pale, she made people feel at ease for some reason, especially when she smiled at Ningning, it was like a breeze passing over the water, causing a faint ripple.
"Nice to meet you."
She stared at the girl on the shore and said softly, "I am Song Xianning. Thank you Miss Ningning for this time."
"She took a large amount of Turtle Breathing Pills, causing Luo Yuanming to mistakenly believe that she had died suddenly. Although she escaped from the City Lord's Mansion, she was unconscious in the coffin for a full six months due to the effect of the Turtle Breathing Pills."
Meng Tingzhou smiled and said, "Fortunately, she woke up later. I was shocked when I saw her. I couldn't leave the City Lord's Mansion. It was she who guided you step by step."
It turns out that from the beginning to the end, this has always been a story about two people.
Ning Ning had guessed so many tricks before, but she had never been as emotional as she was now. She sorted out her thoughts in silence before asking in a deep voice, "Now that the matter in Luan City is over, what are your plans for the future?"
"Naturally, I travel all over the world, practice as I go, see all the scenery, and settle all the injustices in the world."
Meng Tingzhou smiled and looked at Song Xianning, with a youthful spirit in his eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time: "Where did we decide to go last night? The imperial capital, Nanping, or Youzhou?"
Song Xianning smiled helplessly: "It's Youzhou. You couldn't wait to go take a look last night, why did you forget it today?"
Ningning listened in silence, knowing very clearly in her heart that it was time for her to say goodbye to them.
The boat slowly drifted forward, and Meng Tingzhou, dressed in white, curved his lips and said to her: "Thank you, Miss Ningning!"
She paused and raised her voice even louder: "Pei Ji is very good to you - you guys should keep working hard!"
Ningning's smile and movements froze.
The two voices of laughter on the boat became even more unbridled.
At noon in midsummer, a small boat broke through the steaming mist by the river.
Ripples spread out, and amid the endless chirping of cicadas and the sound of flowing water, a woman's clear and jade-like voice rang out.
"What? The boatman doesn't know how to get to Youzhou either? Oops, I forgot to buy a map - should we go south or north? Oh, which way is south and which way is north?"
Then there was another person's crisp laughter, like bell flowers colliding together: "Forget it, where the water goes, we go there."
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