Chapter 146: Immortal Alliance Visitors
While Luo Xuanyi was busy breaking through, the six major alliances, unknown to her, had already sent people to Longlan City in a menacing manner.
On the top of the Longlan City Gate, the City Lord Lu Gu was seriously wondering if he had committed any taboos recently.
After finally sending off four members of the Six Alliance, the city had already given them notice, preventing any further inquiries. Although no one had come to inform him of the situation, he was still a cultivator, so a bit of arrogance was natural. He had just enjoyed a few days of good sleep when he received a message saying the Six Alliance had sent another group. This time, they hadn't revealed their purpose, which made him anxious.
Could it be that the group we sent out to pretend to be robbers was exposed? Impossible, we haven't received any news from here. However, the message came very quickly, and Lu Gu couldn't go to Tianjie to question them in person. He had to send a servant to find the Chief Secretary Cheng Kehan while he trotted to the city gate tower to wait for someone.
The sun had just risen, and the outskirts of Longlan City were crowded with dusty civilians eager to enter the city early. The gatekeeper asked if the city gates would be open today, and Cheng Kehan glanced down.
One child seemed to notice his gaze and looked up. He was thin, and his clothes were shapeless, as if wrapped in layers of rags. He sighed.
"Have you set up the shack? Don't let the incoming immortal master see it. Put it on the west side of the city first."
The gatekeeper responded with a surprised cry, cupped his fists towards Lu Gu, turned around and shouted at the soldiers to open the city gate. Lu Gu didn't bother to look at the refugees anymore. He raised his eyes to the sky, his back unconsciously bent, and said respectfully, "Welcome, Master Immortal."
What mission had this little brat returned on? Lu Gu raised his hands in greeting, casually eyeing the newcomer with his small eyes, nearly frightened to his knees. This time, three people arrived, but they weren't the inexperienced cultivators from last time, but three masters with reserved auras and piercing eyes.
The leader wore a plain grey robe, yet the long sword case strapped to his back was carved from a single block of pure jade, a far cry from Shang Qian's humble wooden box. His face was serene, his brows sharp, his eyes gleaming with a calm expression. His long beard fluttered in the wind, and his breath was steady. Even a mortal like Lu Gu could tell he was different from the other cultivators.
The two cultivators behind him were slightly inferior in cultivation, but their aura was no less impressive. A female cultivator, dressed in blue, stepped onto clouds, clutching a four-stringed pipa. The pipa faintly appeared to have countless intersecting threads, but upon closer inspection, no traces remained. It was clearly a fine magical instrument. The other cultivator wore the formal robes of the Black Wood Sect, but a strange fragrance lingered from his body.
Lu Gu, a seasoned official, was right. His instincts were correct: each of these three cultivators was considered a master within their sect. Leading the group was the renowned Master Ding Jing, the master of the Eight Meridians Sword Controlling Technique, who had reached the Nascent Soul Great Perfection. Following him were two of his juniors. One was the Xinghai Palace's senior disciple, Dong E, known as the Yongge Lexian. He had recently reached the late Jindan stage and was the most powerful of the Xinghai Palace disciples. The other, though only in the early Jindan stage, was Yang Zongchun, a Midie Sect cultivator known for his exceptional tracking prowess within the Blackwood Sect.
This configuration represents a significant investment. The Nascent Soul-level monster, Master Ding Jing, is rumored to be on the verge of breaking free at any moment, and the only thing that could force him out of hiding is the death of his personal disciple, Shang Qian. Needless to say, Dong E is the eldest disciple of the Star Sea Palace Master, who was furious upon discovering his daughter's death and immediately sought to capture the culprit. If Master Ding Jing hadn't already taken the lead, and the Star Sea Palace Master had important matters preventing him from leaving, Longlan City would have been inundated with two Nascent Soul-level Great Perfection monsters simultaneously.
As for Yang Zongchun of the Blackwood Sect, he was here purely to assist in the pursuit of the murderer. He was well aware of his role, and therefore maintained a low profile, fearing his inadequacy might displease the two men around him. True Immortal Ding Jing was an elder, nothing special, but he still had to face Immortal Yonggeless at the Immortal Sect Competition.
I hope this search will go smoothly. Yang Zongchun prayed devoutly in his heart.
"Lu Gu?" After a pause that left Lu Gu's teeth and back ache, Ding Jing Zhenren spoke first. His voice was rich, and an air of integrity emanated from him. Lu Gu couldn't help but feel relieved when he spoke again. The good news was that no one had discovered what he had been doing in secret. The bad news was that the more decent people were, the more they would take things seriously.
No matter what Lu Gu said on his face, his attitude was still extremely respectful: "Yes, sir, if you have anything to say, just tell me to wait."
It was already impolite to let an elder speak first to a minor figure like Lu Gu. Yang Zongchun took a breath and was about to step forward when Dong E, standing beside him, waved his sleeve to stop him. He shuddered as Dong E's voice relayed, "Don't worry about worldly etiquette. Master Ding Jing is a Nascent Soul Master and a member of the Sword Sect. He hates such flattery. Just focus on finding the murderer."
Yang Zongchun could hear the gnashing of teeth in his voice by the end. He thought the murderer would be lynched when he was caught.
As expected, Master Ding Jing continued to ask Lu Gu, "The situation is urgent, so there's no need for formalities. Did you meet the three younger cultivators over ten days ago? If so, please tell us everything."
"Three? Isn't it four?" Lu Gu was stunned.
"Four?" Dong E immediately took out the Fu Seal and looked it up. "Only three people are allowed to travel together for this mission, and Qi Tao didn't mention bringing anyone else. Unless we met some independent cultivators on the way here."
"Could that wandering cultivator be the murderer?" Yang Zongchun guessed without thinking, "Now that we're here, the shipping and other things are severely affected. The wandering cultivators have all returned to Baicheng or the sea. How come there are still wandering wandering cultivators?"
"Don't talk nonsense." Ding Jing Zhenren stroked his beard and said to Lu Gu, who was listening in confusion, "Finish your speech first."
Lu Gu responded, his intuition telling him it wasn't his fault, but three cultivators had died, right in his jurisdiction. It was over. The end of the year was going to be tough. Lu Gu, distracted by his thoughts, succinctly recounted the day Luo Xuanyi and the other three had come to Longlan City.
"She walks on bamboo slips, wears red and black, and acts with integrity. She doesn't sound like an evil cultivator," Dong E analyzed. "But what's suspicious is that you don't know she's a casual cultivator, but she pretends to be a cultivator from an immortal sect who's here to privately inspect the value of currency?"
"I exchanged for spirit stones and bought a map. I wonder which one is the real purpose?" Yang Zongchun also murmured.
Among the three, Ding Jing Zhenren was indeed a Yuanying-stage old monster. His expression remained calm. He asked Lu Gu, "Is there anyone who can draw the face of this female cultivator?"
"Yes, yes. Many people saw her that day. I'll immediately return to the yamen and have them post a notice offering a reward for her portrait." Lu Gu nodded in response. He finally found an opportunity to escape and discuss the matter carefully with Cheng Kehan. When he found nothing else to ask, he quickly grabbed his official robe and ran to the gatehouse, disappearing in a flash.
"We don't know the cultivator's exact appearance at the moment, so let's first check the location of the three people's deaths as recorded in the Fu Zhuan." Master Ding Jing made the final decision. He waved his hand and summoned a golden-feathered crow. Dong E and Yang Zongchun followed him aboard the divine bird. With a crisp cry, the golden-feathered crow flapped its wings and took flight. In the blink of an eye, it soared over cities and villages, covering the vast wilderness.
"Strange, has there been a thunderstorm here recently?" Yang Zongchun, who had just survived the thunderstorm cloud, immediately found something wrong.
I've been revising the first chapter for a long time but I'm still not satisfied with it. I'll leave it like this for now. I found it too difficult to write and revise at the same time. The first dungeon modification project has been temporarily suspended. I'll resume updating twice a day starting next week.
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