Chapter 122 Zhang Lan Corpse
As the sun set, Yu Sui had already left the Taoist practice hall to meet with Xue Mushi to discuss the matter of the strange fire.
After passing through the secluded water corridor, there were stone tables and chairs for people to rest in the forest path at the end. After Yu Sui sat down, he drew the location of the water boat on the paper prepared by Xue Mushi.
"It's probably around here, but it doesn't seem to be in the same sea area as Taiyi." Yu Sui then drew the location of Taiyi. "Have you ever heard of the power of Taiyi's core before?"
Xue Mushi shook his head, looking at the map and said, "I know that the twenty-four saints of Taiyi will change, but I don't know how they will be selected. I thought it would be a vote among the saints themselves."
Yu Sui twirled his pen and fell into deep thought.
Xue Mushi asked her, "What are your thoughts on the power of the Earth's core?"
Yu Sui pointed to the position of Taiyi on the paper and said thoughtfully, "I'm wondering what would happen if I burned it with a strange fire."
Xue Mushi stared at her in shock. After a moment of silence, he asked uneasily, "Are you going to do it?"
"Not now." Yu Sui rested her head on one hand, as if deep in thought. "The future is uncertain."
Xue Mushi looked up at her: "Do you want to go to the water boat area?"
Yu Sui chuckled silently and asked in return, "Are you going?"
Xue Mushi shook his head: "I can't go."
Yu Sui said in a relaxed tone, "If you don't go, I won't go either."
Xue Mushi: "..."
Yu Sui added, "We two are definitely not going. I wonder what the other three will think."
"Is there any way we can contact them and talk together?" Xue Mushi frowned, thinking for a moment, and said, "From the previous two empathies, it seems they don't want to reveal their identities. There should be more than just the two of us investigating the secret of the strange fire."
"Being in a near-death state can trigger the Fire Spirit Orb, allowing for a death empathy." Yu Sui already had a plan in mind, but didn't say it immediately, only adding, "This special situation seems to have only appeared in the last two hundred years or so."
"What will the Strange Fire eventually evolve into?" Xue Mushi pondered, gazing at the black ship drawn on the white paper. "I think the power of the Strange Fire is gradually increasing. In the past, the Destroyers could use it at will, but now, the Strange Fire has become so powerful that no one can control it. If it goes on for several hundred years, will it become free?"
free?
Yu Sui blinked and said, "Are you thinking about the safety of the Xuan Gu Continent hundreds of years from now?"
“Uh.” Xue Mushi was stunned.
Yu Sui clapped her hands lightly, opened her eyes slightly wider to look at him, and praised, "Amazing!"
Xue Mushi raised his hand to wipe his face, clearing his mind of the thoughts, and took out the Listening Wind Ruler, saying, "Let's get the fragment first and see the secret of the Heavenly Script."
Wei Ren had already gone to Mingjia to stake out the place, and Li Jinshuang also went to Mingjia's Xiaoyao Pool with Xun Zhiya.
Ji Meng and Shu Chujun kept watch outside the Leisure Pool, while the others went underwater to open the secret passage.
Yu Sui had already sent the secret passage's cipher text to Gu Gan, who had also tried it beforehand and was indeed able to decipher it.
Li Jinshuang continued to transmit her voice through the Wind Listening Ruler, and the others could also hear her voice through the Fusang Bead.
Yu Sui and Xue Mushi also rushed towards the Ming family, while Wei Ren was responsible for clearing the area outside, preventing anyone from getting close to Gu Gan. If any disciples of the Ming family were found to be coming, they would try to lure them away.
Everything was fine until Yu Sui saw Gu Gan leading Xun Zhiya through the third secret door, moving through the dark underground passage, and heading deeper and deeper into the darkness.
Suddenly, he received a telepathic message from Blackbeard.
Yu Sui hid in the shadows of the bushes by the Xiaoyao Pond, glancing at the waterway in front of her. As soon as the voice transmission was connected, she heard Blackbeard say in a deep voice, "Princess."
Judging from this sound, it doesn't seem like anything good.
Yu Sui glanced around but remained silent.
On the Taixu Hall side, Blackbeard was staring at Qu Zhenghao, who was standing across the table. He spoke calmly and respectfully to Yu Sui on the Tingfeng Ruler side, explaining the current situation.
"...Now, Shishan, Lihuo, Xingyue, Longwu, and Tianhe are all waiting for our reply at Taixu Hall. Judging from their words at tonight's peace banquet, if they want to stabilize the outer city which has been in chaos for days, they want us to give up the land deeds we received earlier, as well as two months' worth of profits from Mingzhufang."
Upon hearing this, Yu Sui gently stroked the cool, smooth edge of the Listening Wind Ruler with her fingertips, sighing inwardly at how outrageous these people were.
Qu Zhenghao then laughed and said, "What Manager Hei said is true. If Mingzhu Fang hadn't cheated and protected the cheaters, breaking the rules in the first place, why would the princess have to worry about how to protect Mingzhu Fang?"
After speaking, the subordinate handed the Wind Listening Ruler, which was transmitting sound, to Qu Zhenghao. After listening, Qu Zhenghao's face darkened and his tone became fierce: "The Mingzhu Fang is currently in a fierce battle, and many of my Tianhe Gang brothers have been injured. This matter cannot be left unresolved."
Blackbeard sneered: "You think I don't know what your Tianhe Gang's intentions are in going to my Mingzhu Fang?"
Qu Zhenghao pointed his long sword at Blackbeard: "Mingzhu Fang is open for business, so why can't the people of my Tianhe Gang go there?"
Wei Liu's Wind-Listening Ruler was also connected to the report from Mingzhu Workshop. He listened to the report and said coldly, "Chief Qu, I think you have a personal grudge against Young Master Mei, so you plotted this. I heard that your left eye was lost at Young Master Mei's hands."
Qu Zhenghao glanced at Wei Liu with one eye, his eyes flashing with a chilling killing intent: "Well said. It's true that I have a personal grudge against Mei Liangyu, but your princess also has a personal relationship with Mei Liangyu, doesn't she? That's why she protected Mei Liangyu who cheated at the gambling den."
Blackbeard couldn't help but curse, "Watch your mouth! My princess and Young Master Mei are from the same school, they are fellow disciples. If Chief Qu doesn't have any education, he'd better shut up."
The atmosphere was tense, as if a fight would break out at the slightest provocation. In the brief silence, everyone heard a girl's gentle voice coming from the Wind-Listening Ruler in Blackbeard's hand: "I can't decide on the profits of Mingzhu Workshop for the next two months right now. Tell them to wait a moment, and I'll come over from the academy right away."
Blackbeard was taken aback: "Princess, you're coming here in person?"
Yu Sui said, "If I were to discuss money, it would be more sincere to do so face to face."
Qu Zhenghao said coldly, "Why did the princess have to come all this way? It's just a matter of a word from you."
"Chief Qu?" Yu Sui asked.
Blackbeard glanced at Qu Zhenghao and whispered, "It's him."
Qu Zhenghao heard a soft laugh from the other end. The girl said in a relaxed tone, "The internal strife in the Tianhe Gang has just subsided, and with the new gang leader taking office, they are indeed short of money."
After these words were spoken, the people present had different expressions, and the others who had been watching the show couldn't help but look at the Wind-Listening Ruler in Blackbeard's hand.
Qu Zhenghao frowned, his emotions rising and before they could fully develop, he heard Yu Sui say, "My father said that if someone wants to take money from you, they must exchange it for something of equal value."
Yu Sui said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. Let me calculate the profits of Mingzhu Fang over the past two months and see what you can offer in exchange."
"Exchange? We're not doing business with you!" Before Qu Zhenghao could finish his sentence, Yu Sui cut off the transmission. He was left speechless and feeling suffocated.
Yu Sui hadn't shut down the Fusang Pearl beforehand, so Xue Mushi and the others had overheard the conversation.
Wei Ren asked first, "Are you going to the outer city to deal with those gangs?"
Yu Sui gave a brief "hmm" and turned to leave, saying only, "You guys keep an eye on this side."
Xue Mushi asked, "Should we go and help too?"
"No need." After Yu Sui finished speaking, Wei Ren swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
Yu Sui pondered the outer city gangs that Blackbeard had mentioned.
She had heard Blackbeard talk about the distribution of power in the outer city before, and had also monitored some information with the Wind Listening Ruler, which she was currently organizing.
She arrived at the academy gate, found the Imperial Carriage Workshop, and boarded an unmanned carriage driven by mechanical arts to head to the outer city.
Yu Sui located the positions of many people from the mountains near the Communication Institute. After pondering for a moment, he had already figured out what to do. When he entered the outer city, he released dozens of Five Elements Light Cores and traveled through the outer city along different intersections.
She sat inside the carriage, which traveled along the route given by Yu Sui. It moved quickly along the mountain road, but slowed down after entering the outer city, maintaining a steady speed.
Yu Sui focused his mind and concentrated on controlling each of the five elemental light cores. They were as small as dust, and they moved swiftly on the night wind to find the people who had been located.
The light core flew past under the eaves, and the scenery in its path flashed by. Yu Sui was a little surprised to see two people walking under the eaves.
The two men were covered in black robes, and as they looked up in the same direction, the passing light cores inadvertently allowed Yu Sui to catch a glimpse of their faces.
Zhang Xiangyun was a disciple of the Fangji school, and Luo Fu was a disciple of the Dao school.
Yu Sui stopped the light core and moved closer to the two people.
Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu were looking at the street opposite, where Mingzhufang was located. At that moment, the street was brightly lit and bustling with people.
The two entered the high-rise shop one after the other. The shop was filled with miscellaneous goods, but no one was inside. In the darkness, they went up to the second floor, which was all empty.
Zhang Xiangyun came to the window, gently pushed it open a crack, and looked at Mingzhu Fang across the street with a smile.
From the outside, all one could see was the flickering light and shadows inside Mingzhu Lane, with chaotic shadows overlapping, crowding, and then receding. With a loud bang, the windows and doors on the street side shattered and exploded, and several figures were thrown out.
The green poisonous mist rushed out, eagerly spreading to both ends of the street. The people on the street had already been cleared out. As the poison dispersed, Yu Sui saw Mei Liangyu fighting with the scarred man through the Five Elements Light Core.
The scarred man seemed to want to stop him from leaving, and with a slash he knocked the dagger out of Mei Liangyu's hand. As he was about to strike a second time, Mei Liangyu uttered, "Control the sword."
With a famous saying, three longswords crackling with lightning appeared out of thin air. The three blades twisted and jammed the longsword in the scarred man's hand, preventing him from moving. As he looked up in surprise, the blades shattered into three pieces and fell to the ground.
The scarred man instantly released his grip and retreated, using the Wind Control Technique to levitate in the air. At the same time, he used the Military Art of Weapon Control to make the three falling blades spin and levitate, reflecting countless blade energies that rushed towards Mingzhu Workshop.
The sharp blade energy whistled through the air, piercing through the previously surviving doors and windows, leaving them in ruins.
Mei Liangyu dodged the wind and scooped up Nian Qiuyan, who was trapped behind him. Nian Qiuyan coughed twice, covered her mouth, and together with Mei Liangyu, they dodged the sword energy and rushed out of Mingzhu Fang through the poisonous fog.
Zhang Xiangyun, who was standing by the window, tapped lightly on the window frame with his fingers. A divination image flashed across his knuckles, and Mei Liangyu and Nian Qiuyan, who had just landed, felt the earth shake.
Suddenly, stone walls rose from the ground, separating the two. The walls then moved and connected, turning the street into a maze.
Mei Liangyu was about to go find Nian Qiuyan when he stopped because of the scarred man's sword aura. Wei Lingshu stood on the stone wall and looked down. When she raised her hand, her fair wrist was covered with dense black insects. She stared at Mei Liangyu below and laughed, "Do you have time to look for others?"
Wei Lingshu flicked her wrist, and the black insect attached to her wrist spread its wings and flew away. Its almost transparent wings and tail trailed two slender poisonous needles, with crystal-clear poisonous beads hanging from them.
Nian Qiuyan was being relentlessly pursued by the sword energy. He had already exhausted all three divination methods for the day, and could no longer even use the Bagua Shengshu, which was not divided into different schools, although it could also be considered a type of divination technique.
As he dodged somewhat awkwardly, the stone wall cleared a path for him, leading him out of the street maze, while the blade's energy forced him toward the opposite street.
Upon seeing this, Yu Sui already had a guess in her mind.
Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu strolled downstairs. Just as they reached the top of the stairs, they heard a loud bang from below. Nian Qiuyan had been forced in by the sword energy.
After he entered the room, the attack of the sword energy stopped.
The room was dark. Nian Qiuyan raised his hand to lightly wipe his scratched cheek. Hearing the two people coming downstairs, he looked up without showing any surprise when he saw Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu.
Yu Sui glanced at the commotion outside the building and looked down at the distribution of houses on the ground. He then realized that the place where Nian Qiuyan had entered was similar to the place where he had disappeared in the outer city last time.
The day Sheng Fei accompanied her to buy clothes, the person Yu Sui saw through the window while changing clothes was none other than Nian Qiuyan.
Zhang Xiangyun took off his clothes and hat, stopped at the entrance of the building, and looked at Nian Qiuyan, who was in a somewhat disheveled state, with a smile, saying, "You dare to come to the outer city even after all the divinations have been done? Your courage is getting bigger and bigger."
Luo Fu stood against the wall, coldly watching Nian Qiuyan without saying a word.
Nian Qiuyan glanced behind her and whispered, "Did you bring that child here too?"
Zhang Xiangyun tapped the stair railing lightly with one hand: "My patience has its limits. Nian Qiuyan, hand over the Milky Way first, then we can talk about other things."
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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