Bailishi arrived
Zhou Nan asked in confusion, "Something's not right?"
“That’s right. We only proposed coming to Fangcaozhou today. Before coming to Fangcaozhou, we didn’t even know there was a Xianding Pavilion. How could they have been prepared all along? If Zheng Qi had informed them, they would have dealt with everything long ago. Tonight, the guards and children of Xianding Pavilion seem to be the ones we can’t take with us and can only leave behind,” Yuzhu analyzed carefully.
"Does your master suspect Ning Wu? But he has always been very proactive in investigating cases."
Yu Zhu: "He's very proactive, constantly pointing the finger at Shao Zaihuan. I initially thought it was because of his identity as a demonic cultivator. Didn't you find out that Shao Zaihuan went to the Immortal Peak Pavilion at the inn today?"
Zhou Nan pressed his finger against his temple, paused for a moment, and said, "Today at the inn, I asked one or two people with him, and he told me to keep an eye on Nong Yusheng. I really don't know if he found out anything about this matter."
Jing Xu put away the communication jade token. "Although Young Master Shao seems to act flamboyantly, Xian Ding Pavilion is on the other side of Fang Cao Zhou after all. It's not certain whether anyone in the inn knows about it."
Yu Zhu scratched her head and sighed, "Maybe I'm overthinking it."
Jingxu: "What Senior Sister said makes sense. We should observe more and be cautious."
Hearing Jingxu's words of comfort, Yuzhu calmed down a bit and asked, "What did Senior Sister say?"
"Senior Sister Jing Shu has joined forces with the Yinshan Mountains to activate the city's protective formation in Fangcaozhou. Fangcaozhou is now inaccessible. We can only hope that the search of the city will yield results tomorrow."
"That's all we can do. Since it's already so late, we won't bother you any longer."
Yu Zhu got up and left Jing Xu's room with Zhou Nan.
Back in her room, Yu Zhu took off her outer robe and realized that it was Jing Xu's clothes. And not just any ordinary clothes; they were engraved with a magic array that could change according to the wearer's body shape. No wonder she hadn't noticed anything unusual after wearing them for so long.
As expected of Young Master Jing, even a casual piece of clothing he picks up has a hidden meaning.
The next day, Yu Zhu woke up around noon and went downstairs feeling weak and listless. She didn't know if she hadn't recovered yet or if it was because of the biological clock she had developed at Yingtian Sect, which had made her sleep for so long.
Looking up, Yu Zhu saw Jing Xu smiling at her. Today, he was wearing a lake-blue brocade robe, a silver crown inlaid with sapphires, and his hair was still tied in a high ponytail. He looked radiant.
"It's so good to be young. I was busy until the early hours of last night, and I still have so much energy," Yu Zhu thought, and yawned again.
Since leaving the sect, Jingxu has never worn the same clothes twice. Yuzhu subconsciously looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing the same green dress from Baicao Village again. Should she learn from Jingxu's exquisite style?
Yu Zhu sat down, and Jing Xu poured her a cup of tea and pushed it towards her.
Yu Zhu: "Hasn't Senior Sister returned?"
Jing Xu shook his head, "Senior Sister Jing Shu went to supervise the search of the city, and Zhou Nan went too."
"Oh? Everyone's gone to work? Let's go too."
Yu Zhu stood up abruptly, but Jing Xu grabbed her arm and pressed her down. "Senior sister, there's no rush. Several major families in the city have sent help. You've only just recovered, so it's not good for you to overexert yourself."
"I'm not tired at all. I'll just take a few pills and I'll be fine."
Just then, the waiter brought out the dishes.
Jingxu: "Senior sister, let's eat first. I've already ordered the food, and I also have something to tell you."
Yu Zhu picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of food.
"Go ahead and tell me."
"This morning I asked the manager about Young Master Shao, specifically asking if he had been to Xian Ding Pavilion. The manager said he had been there and that he had recommended it. I was wondering why he asked again today when he had already told some of us about it yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhu paused in her chopsticks, "Does Ning Wu think this information is unimportant and that's why he didn't mention it, or does he simply not want to mention it at all?"
Jing Xu did not answer, after all, there was no solid evidence, it was just speculation.
Yu Zhu then thought of something and asked, "Is Shao Zaihuan still in Fangcaozhou?"
"Are you talking about me, young lady?"
A male voice came from behind, its tone seemingly hooked at the end.
Yu Zhu turned her head and saw Shao Zaihuan, still looking as unruly as ever. He slowly sat down opposite Yu Zhu.
"I intended to leave the city last night, but I never expected that the city's protective formation would be activated when I arrived at the city gate."
Yu Zhu poked the spirit rice in the bowl with her chopsticks. "We should have thought of sealing off the city earlier; they might have already escaped."
Jingxu used serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat for Yuzhu. "Senior Sister, don't worry. Senior Sister Jingshu and the others checked the entire Immortal Peak Pavilion. Based on the traces they left behind, they deduced that they must have left not long ago when the city's protective formation was activated. Moreover, in addition to the people from last night, the Yinshan Sect has sent people to every road outside Fangcaozhou, and so far, no one has been found to have left."
Shao Zaihuan clicked his tongue, seemingly not holding out much hope.
Jingxu: "Since Young Master Shao is interested in the Immortal Pavilion, why don't you also search the city?"
Shao Zaihuan shook his head. "I won't do this thankless task." After saying that, he got up and slowly went upstairs again.
Yu Zhu thought for a moment and decided that she should go and check on the progress of the city search.
She and Jingxu found the house in the Yinshan Mountains, and the disciples on duty told them that Jingshu and the others had each led a group of people to search house by house.
The two asked Ning Wu about the area he had investigated and rushed over there. After a series of debriefings, they felt that Ning Wu was suspected of leaking secrets and that they needed to keep an eye on him.
The area Ning Wu was searching happened to include the Jia family, the largest family in Fangcaozhou.
When Yu Zhu and the other arrived, a large group of people had gathered in front of the Jia family mansion, including Jing Shu, Ning Wu, and the people led by Yin Shanshan from the previous night. He seemed to be negotiating with the Jia family.
Yu Zhu listened from the outside and learned that the Baili family's wedding party had arrived outside the city but was unable to enter due to the city's protective formation.
A man in his forties asked, "Lord Hou Ji, the Baili clan's people have all gone outside the city. What should we do?"
Hou Ji was the leader of this group from the Yinshan Mountains.
"Wait until we finish our investigation."
"But... Young Master Baili is also in the wedding procession."
"He's waiting too," Hou Ji said coldly, his face expressionless.
Cultivators are generally immune to heat and cold, but this middle-aged man suddenly broke out in a layer of fine sweat on his forehead. He then said many kind words to Hou Ji, but Hou Ji only looked at him indifferently with his calm and unwavering eyes, as if it had nothing to do with him.
The two sides remained deadlocked.
Yu Zhu tapped Jing Xu's hand and gestured with her chin toward the Jia family mansion, indicating that the two of them should quietly go in and take a look. The two of them slowly backed away and turned to walk toward the Jia family mansion.
I've heard that Young Master Jia often visits Xian Ding Pavilion, and since the Jia family mansion is within Ning Wu's search area, there might be something hidden there.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, when did you arrive?"
Ning Wu's voice rang out from behind.
In an instant, Yu Zhu felt that everyone's eyes were focused on her and Jing Xu's backs.
Jingxu turned around and greeted him casually, "My senior sister and I saw you all discussing matters and guessed that we hadn't had time to search the Jia mansion yet, so we wanted to share your burdens."
Yu Zhu smiled and said, "Yes, that's how they are—always happy to help others."
The middle-aged man snorted coldly, "My Jia family is heavily guarded, and there is absolutely no possibility that the demons could infiltrate."
Uh... didn't Senior Sister and the others say they were looking for people from the Immortal Peak Pavilion? Or have they already confirmed that the Immortal Peak Pavilion is a demon clan? They dare to say something so absolute.
"And who are you?" Jing Xu asked.
"I am the current head of the Jia family," the middle-aged man said arrogantly.
Jing Xu spoke in a gentle and polite tone, "I have long admired Patriarch Jia. It is perfect that we can better search for traces of the Demon Clan with Patriarch Jia's assistance."
The head of the Jia family frowned, seemingly somewhat unwilling.
At this moment, Ning Wu stepped forward: "Searching the Jia family was originally my assigned task, so I'll go instead."
Yu Zhu raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Jing Xu.
At this moment, a strong, handsome man walked out with a stern expression. He glanced at Yu Zhu and Jing Xu as he passed by, then quickly went to the head of the Jia family and whispered a few words to him.
The head of the Jia family turned to Hou Ji anxiously and said, "Immortal Lord, the Baili clan has sent word that if they don't come in soon, they will turn back. My son's marriage cannot be called off!"
Hou Ji: "Didn't you tell them we were searching the city?"
The head of the Jia family looked embarrassed. "I did tell him, but the one escorting the bride is the second young master of the Baili family. I've probably dealt with that immortal lord before, and he's not a good person."
Although the Jia family head lowered his voice at the last few words, everyone present with some cultivation could hear them clearly.
Yu Zhu thought to herself with a sneer, "Bai Li Qu has a terrible reputation."
A hint of hesitation flashed in Hou Ji's eyes, but he finally said, "Alright, we can temporarily open the city gate's protective array, but we need to send someone to keep an eye on it."
The head of the Jia family was overjoyed and patted the messenger on the shoulder, "Good, good, Wenji, quickly tell the wedding party to prepare to go to the city gate to pick up the bride."
It turns out he was Jia Wenji.
"Senior sister, let's go too," Jingxu said.
"Um?"
"Immortal Lord Hou Ji must have agreed on purpose, hoping to lure out the people hiding in the city."
"Oh, I see. Let's go take a look then," Yu Zhu said, suddenly realizing.
Yu Zhu and the others followed the Jia family to the city gate.
Jing Shu and Hou Ji joined forces to open the city gates of the defensive formation.
In order to defend against the invasion of the demon race, the cultivation world has set up a city-protecting array in every city. To activate it, two conditions must be met: first, one must have the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak of his cultivation; second, the person who activates it must be a member of the sect to which the city belongs, as only they know the secret method of activating the array.
Jing Shu and Hou Ji can reach the peak of the Nascent Soul stage together. Hou Ji is also the senior disciple of the Yinshan Mountain sect, which belongs to Fangcaozhou. They can just open the formation.
Zhou Nan also arrived, and he and the people from Yinshan Mountain guarded both sides of the city gate.
Yu Zhu stood a bit far away, under the eaves of a teahouse near the city gate. With so many people around, she probably didn't need to lift a finger. Jing Xu followed behind Yu Zhu.
Many people from Fangcaozhou originally wanted to come and watch the excitement, but they were forcibly driven away by the people from Yinshan Mountain, and the buildings near the city gate were also cleared of people.
Jia Wenji led a dozen or so members of the Jia family out of the city in a grand manner.
The leader of the Baili clan was Baili Qu. Jia Wenji smiled and said something to Baili Qu, who looked indifferent.
She doesn't seem very angry. She seems to be in a much better mood than she was at Yingtian Sect last time, Yuzhu thought to herself.
Everyone was watching the men Jia Wenji had taken out, fearing they might riot and escape.
"Waaah—"
A series of golden sounds rang out, followed by the sound of gongs and drums.
Yu Zhu covered her ears. "The Jia family even hired a band?"
The sound made everyone dizzy. At that moment, a group of men and women jumped down from the roof of the building at the city gate, strumming strings and flying swords as they rushed towards the city gate.
As soon as everyone realized what was happening, shouts of fighting erupted everywhere.
Seeing this, Jingxu pushed Yuzhu into the house, saying, "Senior sister, it's not convenient for you to take action, so hide first."
After saying that, he drew his longsword and rushed out.
Yu Zhu acted faster than she thought, and after hiding inside, she realized that it was inconvenient for her to take action. Was Jing Xu really that powerful?
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