Chapter 255 You're just naturally not one to smile.
Mei Liangyu frowned and was about to leave the center of the magic array to head towards Yu Sui.
The Wind Listening Ruler sounded again, and Yu Sui's message stopped him.
"Don't come any closer. If you leave the barrier, it will be easy to break through."
Mei Liangyu stood still, the faint green light of the Listening Wind Chime reflected in his eyes, like fireflies in the dark summer night.
Before he could ask anything, he was overwhelmed by a series of messages from Yu Sui.
Yu Sui explained that she and Wan Qi had come to Taixu Hall, and said that she would put the bamboo tube on the ground and have Mei Liangyu call someone to pick it up.
"Senior brother, if you agree, look up at me."
Mei Liangyu gently stroked the glowing ruler with his fingers. He didn't look up at Yu Sui, but instead sent her a telepathic reply.
Yu Sui did not hesitate and accepted the telepathic message.
She heard Mei Liangyu ask calmly, "Are you injured?"
Yu Sui answered softly, "No."
Mei Liangyu then looked up at her, his dark eyes revealing no emotion.
He hung up the phone and turned to call Zhang Pinghui to get the things.
Yu Sui disappeared back into the darkness.
The two didn't have a big fight last night, nor were they sarcastic or mean-spirited. They had a calm conversation, but ended up in a strange situation where neither of them wanted to take the initiative to speak.
After returning to his lodgings, Yu Sui recalled the scene of the two of them parting ways at the Ghost Path Holy Hall, and felt a sense of absurdity.
In that instant, they both instinctively chose to remain calm, avoiding saying or doing anything they would regret.
But now, upon seeing Mei Liangyu again, the slight restlessness that Yu Sui had been suppressing in her heart instantly dissipated when she heard Mei Liangyu's question.
Some people seem to possess a special magic, able to bring her joy with just a few words.
Yu Sui looked up in the direction where Gu Gan was.
Some of the fire that exploded in the night sky transformed into quenched arrows that shot towards Gu Gan. Although Gu Gan easily dodged them, he knew that his position had been exposed and he was forced to leave the rooftop and retreat.
Gu Gan used his wind-riding technique to return to the ground from the heights and walk through the dark alleys.
His brow remained furrowed, his mind racing as he replayed the scene from just moments before.
The Azure Dragon Star Formation of the Yin-Yang School, Fire-Tailed Tiger.
Xiang Feifei also mentioned that the person who stole the bamboo tube was a sorcerer from the Yin-Yang school, presumably the same person from earlier.
But how did this person discover him when he was standing so far away from Taixu Hall?
Gu Gan was wary of the Yin-Yang sorcerer, and also worried about the safety of Xiang Feifei and Ji Meng. In the end, he chose to disappear into the darkness and head towards Taixu Hall.
Yu Sui only went back to find Wan Qi and leave Taixu Hall after confirming that Gu Gan had given up the attack.
Zhang Pinghui retrieved the bamboo tube that someone had left at the crossroads and gave it to Mei Liangyu.
Mei Liangyu reached out and took it, but Zhang Pinghui exclaimed in surprise and circled around him, "Are you in a better mood? You're not wearing that cold face anymore?"
"When did I ever show a cold face?" Mei Liangyu examined the bamboo tube in his hand without even lifting his eyelids.
Zhang Pinghui said "Oh," and shrugged, "You're not just wearing a cold face, you're just naturally not fond of smiling."
Mei Liangyu put away the bamboo tube and glanced at him unhurriedly: "Get lost."
But the way he said "Get out" was so lazy and lacked any threat, which surprised Zhang Pinghui.
Mei Liangyu's mood did indeed improve. The moment he saw Yu Sui's message and realized that it was Yu Sui who had intercepted and destroyed the magic array, an uncontrollable and wonderful feeling spread from the bottom of his heart.
Pleasant, delightful, satisfying, and wishing to last indefinitely.
This feeling was both strange and novel, and it made him addicted.
There were many people who would step in to block Gu Gan's arrow for Mei Liangyu; all the Nine Capital Guards behind him would do so.
Only when Yu Sui blocked the arrow could Mei Liangyu's heart flutter.
Mei Liangyu gently stroked the cold surface of the ruler with her fingers, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the intersection where Yu Sui had disappeared.
My junior sister can be quite hypocritical sometimes.
Before long, Elder Zong appeared at the main gate of Taixu Hall. Just as he stepped out of the threshold, the Sage of Agriculture, Ou Rushuang, and the Sage of Names, Elder Zhu, arrived.
Elder Zong's expression darkened, but he still walked forward with a kind smile on his face and said, "I didn't expect that the fire at my Taixu Hall would attract so much concern, and even several deans rushed over."
Ou Rushuang remained calm, her sharp gaze sweeping around as she tried to find Yue Shu's figure.
As always, Elder Zhu was kind and gentle, and walked forward unhurriedly, saying, "It's quite a coincidence that tonight some of the academy's instructors were found to be related to the Lan Poison Organization and were being pursued. They fled in all directions and just happened to escape to Taixu Hall."
"That's true." Elder Zong took the initiative to speak, turning to the side in an inviting gesture. "Why don't you all come with me to see for yourselves? The fire in my Taixu Hall tonight was started by the Taiyi instructors who were chasing us."
"He was just unlucky; he was burned to death in the fire himself. My men just found him out of the fire."
Ou Rushuang and Old Zhu exchanged a silent glance and then stepped inside together.
Manager Xiao approached Elder Zong and said angrily, "Master, these Taiyi students just now..."
Elder Zong turned around and gave him a cold look. Manager Xiao immediately fell silent, lowered his head, and dared not say another word. He trembled inwardly, knowing that he had said the wrong thing.
As Mei Liangyu stepped forward, he bumped into Elder Zong, who smiled and said, "It's been a long time. You've grown quite a bit taller."
The young man looked straight ahead and said with a forced smile, "Don't try to curry favor with me. I'm not acquainted with you, Master Zong."
Elder Zong walked alongside him, still smiling, and said, "When you came to wander the outer city a few years ago after arguing with Elder Chang, I helped you out, didn't I?"
Mei Liangyu knew that he wanted him to help settle things tonight, but he wasn't buying it. Although he smiled, his words were cold and ruthless: "It's because of your master that you insisted on helping. I never asked Master Zong for help. If you want to remember this favor, you can only do so on my master's account. When Master Zong has time, he can go to my master to ask for it."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Elder Zong's face gradually faded.
The power these twenty-four saints possess in Taiyi is unimaginable. It is no exaggeration to say that they can control the life and death of everyone else in Taiyi by relying on the power of the Earth's core.
Whether you are a master of the thirteenth realm or a saint of the six kingdoms, whether you are an individual or tens of thousands of people, as long as you are in Taiyi, killing you is as easy as turning your hand.
The matter of the fragments of the Floating Pagoda can be a big or small issue, depending on whether the sages of Taiyi want to pursue it.
When Elder Zong saw that Mei Liangyu was unwilling to help, his expression turned cold, and he quickly stepped forward, no longer walking with him.
Mei Liangyu sneered inwardly, thinking it childish, and decided to avoid them to find Wan Qi.
When Elder Zong and his group arrived at the pavilion where the fire had already been extinguished, they discovered that there were others who had arrived earlier than them.
Yin Yang School Saint Wu Huaiwei and Military School Saint Leng Rouyin were burning their protective auras, and the atmosphere between them was tense, as if the two would have already started fighting if the Elder Zong and his group had arrived any later.
Elder Zong's expression changed again. He had no idea when these two had arrived, nor had he noticed anything about it.
A college instructor who is addicted to orchid poison is not worth so many saints making this trip to his Taixu Hall.
These people must be after the fragments of the Pagoda.
A red ribbon flew past Wu Huaiwei's eyes, obscuring them. But everyone saw her red lips part slightly as she uttered sarcastic words: "So slow, did you crawl here?"
The Nine Capital Guards at the very back all lowered their heads, looking down at their noses and their hearts, pretending they didn't exist, unable to see or hear anything.
Old Master Zhu raised his hand to cover his mouth and coughed lightly. Wu Huaiwei rolled her eyes and smiled, "I was talking about the people from Taixu Hall. Dean Zhu, please don't misunderstand."
The people of Taixu Hall were so frightened by the Five Elements pressure released by Wu Huaiwei and Leng Rouyin when they arrived that they were still kneeling on the ground, unable to get up.
Wu Huaiwei pointed to a charred corpse on the ground and said, "The people from Taixu Hall say this is Yue Shu, the former instructor of the Farmer's School who was being pursued by the academy. Hall Master Zong, tell me, is he him?"
Elder Zong stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "This charred corpse is indeed Yue Shu. I had some acquaintance with Yue Shu, but I truly did not know that he was a member of Xuan Kui and that he was addicted to Lan poison. He was being pursued by the academy and was seriously injured when he came to Taixu Hall to beg for my protection. I couldn't bear to see him suffer, so I took him in."
He sighed at the end, looking helpless, and said with regret as he looked at the charred corpse on the ground, "I had hoped that Yue Shu could turn back from the wrong path, so I tried to persuade him, but Yue Shu was stubborn and wanted to use the information about the Floating Pagoda fragments to ask me to help him find Lan Du."
When Mei Liangyu returned, he happened to see Elder Zong's vivid performance. He stopped Wan Qi and beckoned him to stick a gold talisman on his black robe: "This old thing is really into acting. Your appearance now is actually disadvantageous. You should leave first."
Wan Qi reached out and touched the golden talisman stuck to his shoulder, then looked at the important figures in front of him and nodded hurriedly.
He also didn't really want to face the pressure from the saints.
After Wan Qi left, Mei Liangyu sent a message to Yu Sui before stepping into the courtyard.
Elder Zong sighed and said, "When I was arguing with Yue Shu, his orchid poison flared up and he went into a frenzy. I didn't want to kill him, but he set the pavilion on fire when he was delirious from the poison."
He didn't mention the black robe and the thunder arrow.
Elder Zong still wanted to keep it a secret and didn't want to tell the Taiyi Sages about Yue Shu's discovery of the inscription.
"Could it be that Elder Zong is getting old and has become forgetful, even forgetting how your Taixu Hall burned down?"
Mei Liangyu's indifferent tone sounded smug to Elder Zong, causing his eyes to twitch. When he turned around and saw the bamboo tube in the other man's hand, his pupils instantly contracted.
How did Yue Shu's bamboo tube end up in this kid's hands?!
"You..." Elder Zong stared at Mei Liangyu in disbelief.
"Yue Shu suffered a relapse of poisoning and was brought back by your Taixu Hall people. After treatment, he regained his senses and gave you these two items after you pressed him for details." Mei Liangyu then poured out both items from the bamboo tube: a painting and a calligraphy copybook, which he unfolded and placed before everyone.
The calligraphy copybooks are densely packed, and it's clear that the same words and phrases have been repeatedly written.
At first glance, these characters have smooth and beautiful lines, noble and gorgeous shapes, and unpredictable handwriting. They are stunning, but their meaning is unknown.
The young people of Jiuduwei were all secretly looking at the two sheets of paper with one eye open and one eye closed.
Leng Rouyin frowned when she saw the fragments of the pagoda in the painting.
Wu Huaiwei examined the calligraphy copybook with great interest; it contained runes that even she didn't recognize.
It seems that many famous people have collected a lot of things.
Ou Rushuang raised an eyebrow. Now that's good. The matter of the Floating Pagoda fragments will definitely outweigh Lan Du's influence.
He was already prepared to cause trouble for Taixu Hall.
Only Old Zhu remained unmoved, not even glancing at the drawing paper with the fragments, only casually glancing at the calligraphy copybook.
It seems I've seen it before.
Yu Sui observed the reactions of the people present through the Five Elements Light Core.
It was she who made Mei Liangyu reveal the contents of the bamboo tube in front of everyone.
Instead of letting her and Xue Mushi ponder the meaning of the inscription, it would be better to let everyone work together to find a solution.
Anyway, she had already prepared a batch in advance using dust-free clay.
Moreover, judging from Zhu Lao's attitude, he didn't seem surprised to see this inscription.
He was a renowned scholar and sage, and his unrestricted access to the ancient stele forest must have made him notice those strange inscriptions long ago.
"You..." Elder Zong was furious, his eyes widening as he glared at Mei Liangyu. "Who is that man in the black robe outside the door...?"
“They are from the Ninth Capital Guard.” Mei Liangyu interrupted him. “We heard the conversation inside the room clearly. In front of all the deans, it would be best if Hall Master Zong told the truth.”
Elder Zong was so angry that he wanted to kill Mei Liangyu.
I was hoping he could help me out, but now this guy has kicked me to the ground!
“It seems that Master Zong has some unspeakable secret.” Ou Rushuang was the first to question. “Could it be that he is Yue Shu’s accomplice, who stole the inscriptions of famous calligraphers with him? And wants to seize the fragments of the Floating Pagoda from Taiyi Academy?”
Elder Zong angrily retorted, "How could this be! I merely..."
Wu Huaiwei was here today to stir up trouble, and with a half-smile, she added, "I think that not only is Master Zong interested in the fragments of the Floating Pagoda, but his relationship with Yue Shu is probably also that of Lan Du. In the current situation in the outer city, only the Xuan Kui members would help each other."
Elder Zong was truly enraged: "How could I possibly touch something as filthy as orchid poison!"
“Solutions are useless. Since Master Zong is not convinced, let’s produce evidence.” Ou Rushuang said to the Nine Capital Guards behind her, “Go and thoroughly search Taixu Hall.”
Elder Zong: "Dean Ou!"
Ou Rushuang looked over coldly: "Or does the sect leader want us to take action ourselves?"
Elder Zong was momentarily speechless.
There are four Taiyi Saints in front of us.
Zhang Pinghui, completely unconcerned about the tense situation, raised his hand and asked with a grin, "Dean, how long would it take us to search such a large place as Taixu Hall?"
Ou Rushuang turned her head to look, and Zhang Pinghui said, "Why don't you call a few more people?"
Ou Rushuang said, "The others will arrive shortly."
The next to arrive were Taiyi's instructors and the top-ranking disciples who were patrolling the streets.
In a short time, Ou Rushuang summoned a large number of people and did not deliberately conceal the news. The news about the fragments of the Floating Pagoda spread everywhere.
Old Zhu did not try to seize command from Ou Rushuang. He received a message from Gu Gan and asked him to help cover for Xiang Feifei and Ji Meng so that they could leave Taixu Hall safely.
Gu Gan watched the discussion on the Listening Wind Ruler speechlessly.
Now everyone knows that the fragments of the Floating Pagoda are at Taiyi Academy.
In the past, not many people knew about it, but not few either. As long as there were reliable intelligence channels and people were interested in these things, they would naturally pay attention to them.
Now even those who aren't interested in a no-war pledge know about it.
Gu Gan never expected that it would be someone from the Nine Capital Guards. He would have to investigate all the disciples of the Yin Yang School from the Nine Capital Guards.
Yu Sui and Wan Qi are still on their way back to the team.
Wan Qi, holding the Wind Listening Ruler, watched the discussion and couldn't help but gasp in astonishment; the news had spread far too quickly.
"Don't they do any secrecy work at all?" Wan Qi exclaimed.
Yu Sui nodded and said, "Yes! Someone must have been unable to resist telling others, and that's how it spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred."
Wan Qi shook his head: "That person is not me."
Yu Sui smiled.
Of course it's not you.
She glanced down at the wind-listening ruler and calculated the time; it should be about the same time over the foggy sea.
The fog is thick in Taiyi tonight, and the fog sea is also affected, making it impossible to distinguish where the sea is and where the sand is.
Following Yu Sui's instructions, Zou Yexi placed the seriously injured and unconscious Zhang Xiangyun on a small boat by the sea and left.
While complaining to Yu Sui that the foggy sea was a dark, damp, and cold place, he hid in the shadows, wanting to see who was coming.
As soon as he hid in the Shadow Devourer, he received a message from Yu Sui: "You can leave."
Zou Ye was stunned: "Miss, you wouldn't happen to be nearby, would you?"
How did you know I hadn't left yet?
"Are you there? Where are you? I promise I won't reveal your identity, really! Come out and let's get to know each other!"
Zou Yexi pleaded with her while leaving.
Xue Mushi hid in the darkness, maintaining a safe distance from the foggy shore, before sending the insect shadows forward.
To avoid being discovered by Zou Qian and the others, Xue Mushi dressed Chongying in a black robe to cover her up completely.
The insect shadow came onto the small boat and drove the boat carrying it and Zhang Xiangyun away from the shore.
The seawater gently rippled, escorting the small boat into the depths of the mist.
Chongying sat beside Zhang Xiangyun, reached out and touched his forehead, from which a wisp of golden, faintly visible Five Elements Qi emerged.
Xue Mushi closed his eyes to sense it.
When he consciously listens, he feels the calling even more than usual.
Even in their deep slumber, the sea fish that lie dormant beneath the ocean floor send out signals, driven by an irresistible instinct.
Xue Mushi needs to find the sea fish that has the same mark as Zhang Xiangyun's body.
In his closed-eye world, he saw countless golden elements rising from the seabed.
The second small boat entered through the foggy sea.
Ignoring the fog, it steadily followed behind the first small boat, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
There were four people on board.
Zou Qian and Wei Xizhen stood at the very front, while at the very back stood Kuang Chu, the strategist saint with a sword at his waist, who was looking around with a half-smile.
Standing in the middle was Liang Zhen, a Taoist sage. He maintained a certain distance from both the two people at the bow and Kuang Chu at the stern, a distance that made him feel very comfortable.
Liang Zhen held his hands in his sleeves in front of him, smiling calmly.
Standing at the stern, Kuang Chu, who was about to fall overboard if he moved any further, couldn't help but complain: "There are four of us, can't we split into one boat each, so that I don't have to squeeze into one boat with this germaphobe?"
Kuang Chu glared at Liang Zhen.
Without turning his head, Zou Qian said, "He's already willing to squeeze the three of us into one boat, what more could you possibly want?"
Kuang Chu: "What I mean is, there's no need for four people to squeeze into one boat, understand?"
Zou Qian didn't mince words either: "Four boats entering four mirages? There are countless mirages in the foggy sea. Don't blame us for not coming to rescue you then."
Kuang Chu looked ahead, raised his eyebrows and said, "Then can you guarantee that the ship ahead will be able to enter Ou Rushuang's mirage?"
Zou Qian: "You said it first. I never said it was Dean Ou's mirage. I have no evidence."
Kuang Chu turned to look at Zou Qian with disdain: "You clearly know, but you still pretend not to know. I really look down on you, Zou Qian."
Zou Qian tilted her head back and took a sip of wine: "How much better are you? Looking down on me is looking down on yourself."
Kuang Chu sneered and provocatively said, "I'm not like you. I think you're just scared by the Heart-Piercing Curse, so even if you know everything, you dare not say anything."
Zou Qian paused in his drinking, and Wei Xizhen, who was standing to the side, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing for now," Liang Zhen said with a gentle smile. "If you feel unsteady at the stern, then go down to the bottom of the boat, hmm?"
He looked at Kuang Chu with a smile in his eyes.
Kuang Chu's eye twitched slightly from the stare, and he glanced at the half-dead Zou Qian before snorting and remaining silent.
But he couldn't stay quiet for long before he started complaining again: "Can you even find it? Don't let Ou Rushuang's side react before we're still drifting around on the foggy sea, not knowing where we're going."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two ships collided with a loud thud. Instantly, Kuang Chu drew his sword and stood in front of him, stabilizing the ship.
All four of them looked ahead at the same time.
As the fog dissipated, distant islands were revealed, their bare red rocks and dark, gleaming sand standing out starkly in the eyes of the group who had grown tired of the endless white fog.
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