Chapter 30: Wei Sheng Embracing the Pillar (VI) She actually felt happy, not for anything else...
In the public's mind, foxes are often seen as cunning, treacherous, and prone to lying. When Lian Qiang was still at home, she heard from her eldest brother that fox tears are often false, but because they deceive so many people, the gods became displeased and ordered foxes not to shed tears easily and deceive innocent people.
Therefore, the fox's tears are...extraordinarily precious and sincere.
When she was young, she thought Lian Bai was deceiving her and did not take it seriously. But when she really met him, Lian Qiang felt a little sympathy for him.
"Never mind, never mind. What do you know? It's the law of the jungle. If you want to kill me today, I have no power to resist. Just do it!" The fox demon closed his eyes, but his trembling eyelashes betrayed him. His hand trembled beneath his sleeve. He wasn't as ready to die as he said.
Even with his superb acting skills, it was still difficult for him to escape under their noses. It wouldn't be a bad idea to spend some effort to find out the truth. Thinking of this, Lian Qiang hesitated and said, "Let's...let him go first."
From Chi Xingji's perspective, he couldn't see the fox demon's expression, but he didn't believe the fox demon, but he believed Lian Qiang. After hearing this, he stopped decisively.
Having regained his freedom, the fox demon remained in his original position. He raised his eyes with indifference and mockery: "Are you guys up to something else?"
"At this point, is there any need for us to lie to you?" Lian Qiang wanted to speak frankly with him, so she half-knelt on the ground, her eyes level with his. "We really don't know An Sijia. We came here this time at the request of City Lord An Chen'an. Do you... know him?"
Pursing her lips, Lian Qiang decided to be frank. "There's no such person as An Sijia in what City Lord An told us, but... you don't seem to be lying to us. Perhaps the truth is far from what we imagined. If possible, I hope you can tell us the truth."
"...I've never heard of that name." After a moment, the fox demon answered her, "My name is Xuze, and my surname is An. I only know An Sijia, and she lives in Lin'an City. On the tenth day of April, she had agreed to leave here with me, but she didn't come. It was her, she was the one who broke the contract first!"
Speaking of this name, Xuze's calmed emotions were stirred once again. He had a profound cultivation, yet his nature was truly simple. Lian Qiang calculated that it was already May 15th. If Xuze's words were true, the timing and motivation did match.
"If you're willing, why not come with us into the city and explain clearly that you never actually hurt anyone," Lian Qiang said, looking at the monks lying on the ground, who were showing signs of waking up. "We can act as your guarantor, and I don't think City Lord An will force you. You can also go look for An Sijia."
Xuze hesitated for a moment, and Chi Xingji spoke at the right moment to add fuel to the fire: "If you don't want to, you can stay outside the city. We will go into the city first to find someone for you."
As for whether Xuze would stay outside the city obediently... Lian Qiang felt that he would. First, he was too obsessed with finding An Sijia. Second, even if he was really frightened by them and wanted to escape, he should have left long ago. It would not be worth wasting time to surround this group of monks.
Xuze was still hesitating in silence when a rustling sound came from behind him: "...You don't have to look for An Sijia."
The three of them looked over and saw that An Ziliang, who had fainted first, had woken up. His clothes were soaked in the muddy dew and mud, and he looked extremely disheveled. But his eyes were filled with deep hatred, and he repeated himself, "She is my eldest sister. You don't need to look for her anymore."
"Really..." Xu Ze was overjoyed and was about to ask more questions when An Ziliang raised his index finger and pointed it straight at him. He gritted his teeth and said, "It's a pity that you will never find her again! My eldest sister is dead. She died on the night of the tenth day of the fourth lunar month. She was killed by you!"
As he spoke, An Ziliang's words were almost squeezed out from between his teeth, and his eyes were red with anger and hatred.
"You're talking nonsense! How could she die? How could I possibly hurt her? I just waited for her all night!" Xu Ze was as agitated as An Ziliang. He rushed over and grabbed her by the collar. "You said she was your eldest sister. Did you and her come to deceive me?"
"She is my elder sister, with whom I share a blood relationship. Why do you dare to question me like this? Why should I deceive you? How dare you, a mere demon, deserve to be called a fool?" An Ziliang roared with his face flushed and his expression ferocious. Both sides were equally angry.
The situation spiraled out of control so quickly, with each side sticking to its own story. Lian Qiang and Chi Xingji, as outsiders with limited knowledge, were unable to make a judgment. Just as Lian Qiang was experiencing a headache, Chi Xingji silently appeared behind An Ziliang and struck him in the neck with his sword sheath, causing An Ziliang, who had not yet regained consciousness, to fall unconscious again.
Lian Qiang thought that he was on Xuze's side, but she didn't expect Chi Xingji's next move to be even more unexpected. He pinched the Taoist magic formula, and An Ziliang was fixed in place, unable to move more than three meters away.
"Others cannot see you in this formation. You are not allowed to use your demonic power. Similarly, attacks from others will be blocked." Chi Xingji explained in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, but I will set you free after the matter is clarified."
Xuze struggled to break free several times but to no avail. Knowing that Chi Xingji was not joking, he sat down slumpedly, muttering, "He said Sijia was dead. How could Sijia be dead? She was so powerful and so smart..."
Xu Ze might not be able to accept this bad news in a short period of time.
The quarrel between the two gave Lian Qiang a new insight. The An Sijia that Xuze was thinking about was the elder sister that An Ziliang had mentioned before, and also the daughter of An Chen. But why did An Chen never mention her before?
Xu Ze's appointment with her and her death date both happened to be on the tenth day of April... If what Xu Ze said was based on preconceived notions, he would have never seen An Sijia on that day... If that's the case, how did An Sijia die?
The An family is heavily guarded, so it is highly likely that the crime was committed by someone close to them. But if not, who else would have the ability to break into the An family at night?
The An family had to go back no matter what. Lian Qiang and Chi Xingji didn't need to say much. They just crushed the communication talisman that An Chen had prepared for them and returned to the An family first.
They visited the An family three times in three days, each time with a different mood.
This time, only An Chen came to greet them. Seeing that the two were safe and sound but returned empty-handed, An Chen was a little disappointed, but he did not show it on his face. He just said that it was good enough to bring An Ziliang back safely.
He cared so much for his son, but what about his other daughter? Did she die so quietly? But Lian Qiang thought that this might not be because An Chen was overly partial to one of them, but rather there was something else going on.
Without further ado, Chi Xingji went straight to the point: "We encountered that fox demon and fought with him. He was definitely no match for us."
"Oh?" An Chen's spirits lifted slightly. "Why didn't those two fellow Taoists capture him or kill him on the spot?"
"He only arrested people and didn't hurt anyone." Chi Xingji said calmly, "Although he committed a crime, it doesn't deserve the death penalty. And from what he said, the inside story seems to be similar to what Lord An said."
An Chen's hand, stroking his beard, froze, his expression slightly solemn. "What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Chi? He's a demon, and humans and demons have different paths and cannot work together. He hurt the people of the city, so should I let him off the hook? Besides, are you going to believe the one-sided story of a demon, Fellow Daoist Chi?"
Chi Xingji was unfazed by the subtle threat in his words. "Speaking of one-sided accounts, wasn't City Lord An's also one-sided? You haven't even heard his confession, yet you've already convicted him based on his motives and actions?"
An Chen, who had treated both of them politely from the beginning, stood up angrily and said, "You mean to say you trust a demon instead of your compatriots and the girl who was kidnapped from the city?"
"What about monsters? What about humans? Don't monsters treat humans sincerely, and don't humans resort to scheming?" Lian Qiang couldn't bear it any longer and stood up to confront him. "City Lord An, what you said is completely unreasonable. The facts are right in front of us! I'm starting to wonder if City Lord An's announcement is motivated by a sense of justice or a selfish desire to eliminate dissidents!"
"A monster is a monster. No matter how many centuries of cultivation you've undergone, you're nothing more than a beast transformed into a human. How can you compare to a human?" An Chen raised his voice, unwilling to be outdone. "Miss Lin, you're wrong. If you continue to be stubborn, I can only assume that you're trying to make an enemy of your compatriots and are deliberately protecting monsters!"
He was deliberately shifting the blame and distorting the facts. Lian Qiang sneered, raised her palm, and a demonic aura spread behind her, so thick that it had a pitch-black substance. "City Lord An is wrong. Although I can't be called the same kind as that fox demon, when did I ever say we were from the same family?"
Lian Qiang was often distressed by her identity as a demon cultivator, but at this moment, she actually felt happy, not for anything else, but just because of this natural opposition of positions, which allowed her to give these hypocritical people a good slap in the face!
"You, you are a demon cultivator?" An Chen showed surprise and looked at Chi Xingji. Seeing that he didn't say anything, he understood that he had known about this for a long time and wanted to associate with Lian Qiang.
He knew that he was no match for the two of them. If they intended to surround and kill him... An Chen's eyes flashed, and he wanted to mobilize his spiritual power and escape quickly!
"Where are you going?" Chi Xingji, who hadn't spoken for a long time, pressed him down firmly, but he didn't even move his fingertips. Lian Qiang saw this and a thought flashed through her mind, but she didn't catch it.
"I am indeed a demon cultivator, but I have never thought of becoming your enemy. A long time ago, we were of the same race." Lian Qiang tried to continue communicating with An Chen, but when Chi Xingji heard this, he lowered his eyelashes and started thinking about something.
An Chen just turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, obviously not wanting to talk to her.
"I don't want to take sides. I came back just to clarify one thing." Lian Qiang said firmly, "Do you know An Sijia?"
Hearing the name, An Chen's expressionless face shifted. "Of course I recognize her. She's my eldest daughter, but she's already dead. Judging from your attitude, you're unwilling to let her rest in peace?"
Lian Qiang didn't respond: "How did she die?"
Hearing this, An Chen opened his eyes, a smile in his eyes: "Why? Two great men, are you interested in the dog girl? You are right, I am indeed motivated by my own selfish desires! I want to avenge Sijia! How did she die? Of course, she was killed by that monster!"
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