Chapter 180: Doubts are resolved and people are known
Long Qi had a look of melancholy on his face. To be honest, he couldn't remember many things clearly, but he felt inexplicably sad in his heart. Perhaps this was what the old people often called homesickness!
But his hometown has now changed beyond recognition.
Just when Long Qi was feeling lost, Lingxiang suddenly grabbed his hand. When he turned around, he saw Lingxiang walking side by side with him, looking straight ahead as if no one was around.
Long Qi felt warm in his heart, raised the corner of his mouth, and held Lingxiang's hand.
Yes, he is no longer alone. Now he has brothers, friends, and Lingxiang by his side.
Zoucheng is more like a village than a city. The people in the city are simple and honest, and the city is surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers and full of vitality.
Zhao Wuyang had never seen such a place before. For a moment, he put aside all the frustrating things and found everything he saw new and interesting.
Seeing him like this, Liu Xia smiled and shook his head. After all, he was still a child at heart and was easily attracted by new things. Although he had never seen it before and was amazed at the appearance of the city, he was extremely calm.
If we were to ask what is so strange about Zoucheng, it would be the layout of the city. There are carved beams and painted buildings, bluestone roads, towering ancient trees with green leaves and vines, and some of the ancient trees have houses built on them. What is even stranger is that there are long corridors connecting the tree houses.
These two styles are originally incompatible, but when put together, they seem inexplicably integrated.
Amidst exclamations of surprise, the group found an inn to stay in. As soon as they settled in, Lingxiang dragged Banxia out to the street.
Long Qi originally wanted to go with them, but Lingxiang said that taking men shopping in the market was a taboo and would only bring trouble, so she refused.
Lingxiang has traveled all over the country since she was a child, but this is the first time she has seen a place like Zoucheng. She is naturally very curious and will definitely take a good look around if she has the chance.
Women are women. It seems like they have a natural instinct. Even in such an unfamiliar place, they can walk around the streets with ease, and they can walk for a long time without showing any sign of fatigue.
If a woman is like this, what about Lingxiang and Banxia?
Although Banxia lived in the countryside when she was a child and seldom went to the city, she was still young and Zoucheng was a place full of people, so she was naturally curious.
The two of them were just wandering around like this, with no intention of going back to the inn, but at this moment, they ran into someone.
Lingxiang hadn't expected to see Lu Ying in Zoucheng. Taishang Sect was supposedly in the west, and Lu Ying's home was in the north, so how could he have ended up in a place like Nanhuai?
Lu Ying was also surprised to see Lingxiang. He hadn't seen her for a long time, and Lingxiang looked a little different from before. She used to look otherworldly, but now she had a hint of worldly air.
After the two of them greeted each other, Lingxiang asked Lu Ying why he came to Nanhuai, but saw Lu Ying sigh.
It turned out that two disciples had secretly practiced the forbidden techniques of the Tai Shang Sect and were caught by Lu Ying. Lu Ying was kind-hearted and agreed to keep it a secret for them after the two disciples pleaded with him repeatedly and promised not to do anything that violated the sect's rules again.
But who knew that the two men were such treacherous people, judging others by their own standards. They always felt that Lu Ying would use this to threaten them in the future, so they knocked him out under the cover of night and then threw him into a place in the mountains where poisonous insects were rampant.
If he hadn't encountered Lingxiang, his soul would have long since wandered into the void.
Earlier in the Taishang Sect, Lingxiang gave Lu Ying some advice before leaving. After thinking about it, Lu Ying felt that her theory of the tiger in the forest made sense. So after Lingxiang left, he told Master Xunfeng why he was killed.
Xunfeng Zhenren was originally planning to practice in seclusion, but upon hearing about this, he was furious and summoned the two men to the meeting hall that night. After a brief interrogation, Xunfeng Zhenren acted decisively and punished the two men.
If there was any punishment, it would simply be expulsion from the sect. According to Xunfeng Zhenren, someone who could do something like harming a fellow disciple had a flawed heart. If they achieved success in their cultivation, they might become a nuisance to the region. Rather than that, it would be better to nip this danger in the bud.
Perhaps considering that one of them came from a prominent family, Master Xunfeng did not abolish his cultivation. Since he did not abolish his cultivation, he naturally could not abolish the other one either, otherwise it would be said to be unfair.
Lu Ying was also puzzled. The expelled man seemed honest and would never do such a thing as killing someone, yet another man from a prominent family insisted that he had instigated him to do it. Although Master Xunfeng didn't believe him, he didn't say much. He only offered a few words of caution before the two of them left the mountain.
The man from a prominent family was used to being domineering, and relying on his family background, he felt fearless. Even though he was expelled from the sect, he didn't care at all and went straight back home to be his own master.
And that young man was the son of the Shao family, the supervisor of Nanhuai, named Shao Xunxuan.
It is said that when Shao Xunxuan returned home, he had forgotten all the teachings of his master and elders during his previous training. He lived a life of luxury and continued to act arrogantly.
Perhaps it was the cycle of cause and effect. Just a few days ago, Shao Jiansi and his family disappeared mysteriously, without even a trace of a single person, while his home was flooded with blood!
Hearing this, Lingxiang and Banxia were both shocked. Since the house was flooded with blood, no one would be safe. But it was indeed a bit strange. If there was blood flowing like a river, how could there be no one there?
Even if he was murdered, there should be a corpse.
"This is the extremely strange thing. Normally, it should be a big deal if something like this happens in the home of a local inspector. But the government may have thought it was strange and kept it secret and never publicized it. So the streets are still the same as usual and there is no panic." Lu Ying said with a frown.
"Then why are you here?" Banxia was puzzled. She knew about the Tai Shang Sect. Logically speaking, it was very far away from here. Even if they wanted to invite outsiders, they should go to the nearby Kunwu Sect. How could they alarm the Tai Shang Sect far away in Qizhou?
"I think it must be because the government officials knew that Shao Xunxun had practiced in the Taishang Sect, so they went to Qizhou to deliver the letter instead of going there." Lingxiang guessed.
Lu Ying nodded upon hearing this, and inwardly he admired Lingxiang's intelligence. "That's right. The reason the government felt something was amiss was because they found something ominous in Supervisor Shao's house. It's said that thirteen years ago, the original owner of that house and his entire family were murdered, and the same thing was found in the house..."
Thirteen years ago? What a coincidence?
Lingxiang couldn't help but frown and asked hurriedly, "Didn't that house originally belong to the government?"
Lu Ying looked at Lingxiang, his eyes showing hesitation. After a moment, he spoke, "That house originally belonged to the Long family, a family of demon hunters..."
…
Long Qi and his companions were drinking tea in the inn when they saw Lingxiang Banxia leading Lu Ying back. After some pleasantries, Lingxiang told Long Qi what she had just heard in the street.
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this; anyone would find this kind of thing strange. Long Qi's expression was even more stern. If the same item was found in that house, it might be the work of Yinghua, because it was Yinghua who led the demons to massacre the Long family thirteen years ago.
But Lingxiang didn't think it was her. When Shao Jiansi's family was killed, it was the day when Maidong met Yinghuan. It was definitely not her who did it. So there must be another demon nearby.
But that person is also strange. He killed someone but made the body disappear, leaving bloodstains at the scene. Does he want to cover it up, or is he so arrogant that he did it on purpose?
Everyone was very puzzled. Seeing this, Lingxiang suggested that they go to the house and take a look first, who knows, they might find something.
So they packed up and set off for Supervisor Shao's house.
From the outside, Supervisor Shao's residence looked unremarkable, and there were no officials guarding the gate. The main gate was simply locked. This was probably because the residence was located in the woods outside the city, and because they didn't want to cause too much panic among the people. However, this meant they couldn't enter through the main gate.
Everyone climbed over the wall and entered the yard, only to see that the yard was just as Lu Ying had said, with dried bloodstains everywhere, and the whole house was filled with a weird atmosphere.
This courtyard was exactly the same as Long Qi remembered, except for a few more ponds. The corridors and houses were still there, but for some reason, after hearing that someone else was living in this house, he felt a little sad.
Lu Ying said that according to the government, the most urgent task is to find these missing bodies. After all, they are officials appointed by the court, and they must give an explanation to the court first when their family members are murdered.
Everyone stood still, unsure of where to begin their investigation. At that moment, the Bagua plate on Banxia's waist suddenly began to spin. She quickly pulled it out and saw that the grids of the three eastern mountains were constantly flickering.
Banxia frowned. Although she didn't know the origin of the Bagua plate, it had always been very accurate. Whenever she encountered something, it would always remind her. But now it only showed one place and the hexagram was not complete. This was the first time, which made her a little confused.
Lingxiang thought for a moment and said, "Could it be telling you which way to go?"
Upon hearing this, Banxia tried to turn the Bagua plate. Sure enough, the originally lit Mao position actually moved to the Chen position of the three mountains in the southeast as he turned it.
Everyone understood immediately and followed the instructions on the Bagua plate, heading all the way into the house.
If this group of seven people were in an ordinary situation, it would be a bit ostentatious, but now there are five men following two women in an orderly manner. If it were not for the weird atmosphere in the house, it would be a very funny scene.
Just as everyone followed the instructions and arrived at a courtyard, they suddenly heard a voice.
"I knew you would come this morning, but I didn't expect you to bring so many gifts for me."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. They looked up and saw a person standing in the yard. It was none other than Hui Wu.
At this time, Hui Wu had a horn growing on his head, his whole body was full of evil spirit, and his eyes were extremely fierce.
"Elder Fu Cang, how are you?"
But what surprised Lingxiang was not Huiwu in front of her, but Lu Ying's voice, "Junior Brother Huiwu!"
Why did Lu Ying know Hui Wu? And why did he call him "Junior Brother"? Could it be that...
Could it be that the other person expelled from the Tai Shang Sect was Hui Wu!?
Lingxiang thought about it carefully and immediately understood. No wonder she felt that Huiwu looked familiar when she saw him for the first time during the martial arts performance, but she had no impression of him at all. It was because she had heard his voice in Peiyuan Cave of Tai Shang Sect, but had never seen him in person.
But since Hui Wu had practiced in the Taishang Sect, why did he know the Yuanqing School's skills?
Just as I was wondering, I saw Hui Wu wave his hand, and many monsters immediately appeared behind him. However, these monsters looked strange, moved slowly, and...
There were even some broken limbs on their bodies! It was as if these monsters were pieced together! At this moment, Lu Ying exclaimed: "Junior Brother Xunxuan!"
Lingxiang looked over and saw that one of the monsters' faces was not completely demonized, but half of its human face was left, with half-open eyes and saliva dripping from its mouth.
Could it be!?
Hui Wu suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter was somewhat crazy and looked very strange. After he finished laughing, he heard him say, "That's right! These are the Shao Xunxun family you have been looking for for a long time!"
Lingxiang frowned upon hearing this, looked at Huiwu calmly and said, "I never thought you would fall into the devil."
Hearing this, Lu Ying cried out in shock: "You! You did all this!? You actually killed your fellow disciples!"
Hui Wu's laughter stopped abruptly. He glared at Lu Ying and spat, "Fellow disciple! Bah! I'm no longer a member of the Supreme Sect, and he was just kicked out by the Supreme Sect. How can he be considered a fellow disciple? Is he worthy?!"
"I'm just born in a humble family, yet I'm being ordered around by people like them in such a high-handed manner. Even throwing you into Peiyuan Cave was his idea, and in the end, he wanted to frame me for it. Does my humble background mean I deserve to be looked down upon by them?"
"Ha! So what if I've fallen into demonism? Now I've become a demon master, and people like them have become low-level monsters, still at my beck and call. Who is more despicable? It's a joke!"
He spoke so loudly that Lu Ying didn't know how to refute him for a moment. He knew Hui Wu was often bullied in the Supreme Sect, especially by Shao Xunxun, who treated him like a servant. He had never tried to stop it, but...
But he can't become a devil!
Thinking of this, Lu Ying wanted to step forward and say something, but was stopped by Lingxiang.
"You mean to say that you turned them into monsters? Do you have the ability to do that?"
Hui Wu's eyes changed, and he stared at Ling Xiang fiercely and said, "What? You don't believe it? Then... why not let you try it yourself!" With a wave of his hand, those members of Shao Pengcheng's family who had not yet fully transformed into demons rushed towards the crowd, whimpering, and it was unclear whether they were roaring or crying...
That voice sounded really miserable...
Seeing this, Long Qi and his companions took up their positions one after another. Just as they were about to attack, they heard Ling Xiang stop them and say:
"Don't get close. I think those monsters still have demonic energy lingering in their bodies! That's why they haven't completely transformed into demons and have become so strange."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
