Chapter 230 Unexpected (Second Update, Please Vote!)
On the way down the mountain.
Ouyang Rong sighed helplessly and turned around to say:
"Don't worry, I won't leave without saying goodbye again. Besides, I still have your knife, I can't just not return it to you."
He gently patted the skirt knife at his waist as a gesture.
"Yes, even if... even if I have to leave, I will definitely tell you, I promise. But let's deal with the immediate issue first."
Xie Lingjiang glanced at him.
Ouyang Rong gently nudged Xie Lingjiang's arm, trying to soften his voice as he coaxed her.
"Hey, cheer up, okay? It's not a big deal. Look up and smile, relax..."
Xie Lingjiang immediately looked up and wrinkled her small, delicate nose:
"That's not what I'm worried about, Senior Brother. Don't treat me like a child. Of course I know you won't leave without saying goodbye again, and of course I know there's more important business to attend to..."
At this point, the young woman in red, who had been searching frantically for him all night, paused, turned her pretty face away, and stuck out a little finger from under her sleeve, unable to resist whispering, "Swear it."
Ouyang Rong: ...
Well, you're not a little kid, but you're not much older either, except for your development.
While someone remained silent, Xie Lingjiang blushed slightly, withdrew her little finger from her sleeve, and quickly explained:
"What I meant to say is that Senior Brother should be careful of Liu Zi'an and the Liu family!"
"What's the meaning?"
Xie Lingjiang nodded, her expression turning serious:
"The Jade Cup Fairy revealed that she had secretly taught Liu Zi'an a set of her own sect's Qi-refining techniques."
"According to her, the sect's lineage comes from overseas immortal mountains and belongs to the lineage of sorcerers. It is one of its branches, and the methods of Qi cultivation and the conditions for advancement are very strange."
Ouyang Rong nodded, remaining expressionless, and echoed:
"Strange, huh? Yeah, that bronze mask is pretty eerie, what's it called again..."
Xie Lingjiang, oblivious to someone's odd behavior, continued:
"Mirage Mask. This item is designed to complement the advancement method of this sorcerer's lineage."
"This method of advancement requires publicly killing a living person with a spirit as a sacrifice. The more special the person's identity and bloodline, the better, and the more spectators, the better. In this way, one can gain a significant increase in cultivation or be promoted in rank."
The two were still together at this moment, rushing down the mountain together.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong frowned and turned around: "Sacrifice a living person? Special? For example?"
“For example, Senior Brother.” Xie Lingjiang narrowed his eyes, his tone unfriendly: “The Jade Cup Fairy said that Senior Brother’s drowning in public was something she did secretly.”
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, then suddenly turned his head and asked:
"Wait, I'm very curious, why is the Jade Cup Fairy helping Liu Zi'an and the Liu family so much? She even handed over her sect's Qi Refining Technique. Is it just to curry favor with the Liu family and gain some wealth and glory?"
Xie Lingjiang clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, saying:
"The Liu family promised that after the sword was completed, they would hand over Uncle Li's family to the Jade Cup Fairy for sacrifice to elevate their status. Uncle Li's family has a special bloodline and a noble status, which perfectly meets the Jade Cup Fairy's requirements for sacrifice."
"Furthermore, the Liu family promised the Jade Cup Fairy that after the matter was completed, there would be more cooperation in the future, and they would help her find sacrificial offerings."
"Wait a minute," Ouyang Rong interrupted, "Something's not right."
"What's wrong?"
Ouyang Rong calmly pointed out:
"Where did the Liu family get the audacity to harm the Li Xian family? Even if they forged a cauldron sword for the Wei family, there was no need to target the Li Xian family."
"This is not a pledge of allegiance, it's asking for trouble. The Liu family are opportunists who only want to make a fortune. There's no need for them to offend the pro-Li faction. They should just enjoy the glory and reward of offering up the Dingjian sword."
"That makes sense." Xie Lingjiang hesitated, then asked, "So, what does Senior Brother mean?"
Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, then quickly turned his head:
"Oh no! Junior Sister, you must hurry back to the Su residence on Luming Street and protect Li Xian's family!"
Xie Lingjiang: "Why is that?"
"The Liu family dared to tamper with the family of the deposed Prince Xunyang, Li Xian, and dared to make promises to others. They must have the Wei family backing them up for the Liu family to do this. This shows that the Wei family has murderous intentions! They want to use the power of the Dingjian sword to eliminate them completely!"
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly:
"There are still one or two hours left before the sword washing is completed at noon."
"If I fail to stop it, and the Ding Sword is finally forged, the Wei and Liu families will definitely target Li Xian's family."
"If it succeeds but the Ding Sword is not forged, it's hard to say whether someone might resort to desperate measures, especially since Liu Zi'an has also cultivated a special Qi refining technique, so the risk of taking such a risk is not small."
"Junior Sister, hurry back and stay by Li Xian's side. It would be best to move them to Donglin Temple on Dagu Mountain in advance. We'll split into two groups."
At this moment, the two arrived at the Zhemu Pavilion halfway up the mountain.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingjiang stopped, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she glanced at Ouyang Rong, then reached into her sleeve and took out a pure white jade ring engraved with a deer pattern.
Xie Lingjiang lowered her head, walked into the pavilion with its obscured view, and silently channeled spiritual energy into a place with a wide field of vision.
Without turning her head, she explained to Ouyang Rong, who looked on with curiosity:
“When I left Longcheng County to seek elixirs at Longhu Mountain, I passed through Jiangzhou City. My father learned that I had left Longcheng for some reason, and coincidentally, a senior uncle from Bailudong Academy was passing by Xunyang Ferry.”
"So my father asked this Uncle Chen to come to Longcheng County. While I was away, he secretly looked after Uncle Li's family... I returned in a hurry yesterday and forgot to catch up with him. Now I'm contacting Uncle Chen."
“I know this Uncle Chen. He is conscientious and vigilant. He should still be at the Su residence.”
Inside the pavilion, Xie Lingjiang held a deer-shaped jade ring in her hand. After a moment of rest, a faint blue light appeared on her warm, smooth jade body.
The surrounding mountain winds suddenly stopped, and a gentle breeze swept by, its destination unknown.
The person in the pavilion was also a reader.
"Uncle Chen?"
Ouyang Rong glanced down at it.
The jade ring in his junior sister's hand was carved with a white deer pattern, which he found quite familiar.
I remember seeing some of the buildings at Bailudong Academy when I was studying there.
At the time, however, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary.
It seems that the majority of students in Confucian academies across the land are actually unable to practice Qi cultivation, and the spread of Qi cultivation techniques is not widespread, with extremely high barriers to entry.
Just like Ouyang Rong, who previously had a body that leaked qi and was unable to cultivate qi, and had no such contact with qi, even though he was a promising student who would bring glory to the academy.
The Confucian school is considered by Qi practitioners to be a prominent sect in the world, and can be described as a great hermit living in seclusion in the city.
Ouyang Rong guessed that this deer-shaped jade ring was something that every Qi cultivator from the White Deer Cave Academy would wear.
Judging from the junior sister's squinting and furrowed brows, it seems she can use this to sense and contact her fellow disciples? I wonder if there are any distance limitations...
Ouyang Rong collected his thoughts and asked:
"How's the situation over there?"
The junior sister stood quietly for a while, then turned her head, her brow furrowed in confusion:
"No response, no sound... What's going on? Could it be that Uncle Chen left Longcheng County silently after seeing me return and isn't at the Su residence now?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, and no one answered.
The two siblings exchanged a knowing glance.
Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath.
Ouyang Rong's expression was unusually serious:
"Junior sister, hurry up and go. Don't forget your original duty when you first came to Longcheng County."
"Senior Brother."
"I also have my duties. When you return to Luming Street, remember to inform my colleagues at the county government office on your way that I will be there soon."
Xie Lingjiang nodded emphatically, turned around, and left quickly.
"Take care, Senior Brother! Be sure to stay safe. If there is any danger, Skirt Knife, contact me."
"If Uncle and the others are alright, I'll move them to a safe location and then come find you immediately!"
Ouyang Rong nodded and said, "Go ahead, I'll wait for you."
A gentle breeze swept by, and Xie Lingjiang's figure vanished from the spot, disappearing into the distance like a startled swan, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
Sure enough, we were just accommodating his speed.
Ouyang Rong sighed and shook his head, watching her figure disappear completely into the distance.
He continued running wildly downhill, occasionally bracing himself on his knees to catch his breath. He rubbed his face and muttered to himself:
"First, we'll rush to the opening ceremony of the Zheyi Canal, gather Magistrate Diao and the others, then take a boat back to Longcheng to organize the people to take refuge..."
Ouyang Rong only hated that his fleshy legs were too slow to run and that there wasn't enough time. Why do all the monks in the world like to build their temples on high mountains in the wild?
Finally, Ouyang Rong was about to reach the archway at the foot of the mountain and was about to look for a carriage to requisition when a large group of people surged towards him on the official road ahead. The person leading them looked very familiar.
He was taken aback: "Liu Lang, what brings you all here? What's going on here...?"
Yan Liulang and a group of constables were leading a large number of Longcheng citizens to the scene.
The crowds of people arrived at Dagushan in an orderly fashion, as if they were going to a market, and they seemed to know the way well.
"My lord!" Yan Liulang blurted out upon seeing Ouyang Rong standing in the middle of the road.
"You...you're all ready?"
Ouyang Rong peeked behind Yan Liulang at the villagers carrying large and small bags of supplies and other gifts as they walked up the mountain.
He suddenly realized that he seemed to be worrying about nothing.
Yan Liulang's expression turned to surprise, but then his face became complicated, and he hesitated to speak.
The constables and officials in the crowd behind him mostly showed surprised expressions when they saw Ouyang Rong, as if they were a little confused.
Many people even turned around in surprise, looking in the direction of the Longcheng County Government Office.
"Why is the magistrate in front of us? We were clearly in the first batch..." someone muttered.
Ouyang Rong paused.
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PS: There will be two updates tomorrow as well. It's a new July, so I'm asking for some monthly votes!
If the number one post reaches 1,000 monthly votes, Xiao Rong will add another chapter!
or2 (Xiao Rong kowtows)
(End of this chapter)
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