Ready to depart
Hanjiang thought she wouldn't have anything to do the next day, but she was woken up early in the morning by a knock on the door.
Hearing no response from inside, Hanqi knocked again: "Senior Sister, the people from the Vermilion Bird Pavilion have arrived. Elder Chicheng wants us to go with them."
Everyone else in the Hidden Cloud Hall had arrived, but Hanshan and his two disciples arrived late.
Chi Jin's expression became extremely unnatural upon seeing Han Tian.
"This junior greets the Seventh Elder." Chi Jin bowed.
Han Tian didn't even glance at Chi Jin, nor did he say "no need for formalities," leaving Chi Jin standing there in the gesture of bowing.
Chicheng smoothed things over, saying, "Put it down, we're all family. You know about Elder Lei Mo's matter, my disciple. I heard from Han Jiang and Wen Xu that the Tranquility Pearl can cure this symptom. I wonder if we could borrow it?"
Chi Jin said, "Master, you don't know this, but the Tranquility Pearl shattered on the spot."
"Is that all? There's only one left?" Akagi asked.
Chi Jin shook his head: "The Tranquil Heart Pearl is a treasure provided by the imperial court for the Three Gates Treasure Hunt. There is only one, which was presented by Manzhou many years ago."
"Then where can we find another one?" Wen asked regretfully.
“I received a message from my master last night, so I asked someone to go and look for it. The Tranquilizing Pearl comes from the Baiwu Desert in Manzhou. It is said to be a relic of a certain dynasty many years ago. If we go to look for it, we may be able to find others.”
"Let me go!" Wen Xu was determined to get the main storyline done. "Both the Second Prince of the Demon Clan and I have seen the Tranquility Pearl. We're sure we can find it!"
"I'll go too!" Hanqi volunteered.
One sentence left both Hanjiang and Wenxu stunned.
Han Jiang quickly grabbed Han Qi and whispered, "You were injured last time and haven't recovered yet. The desert is dangerous, so you should stay here and rest in Hanshan!"
"Senior Sister, I've rested long enough. I can't stay cooped up in my room all day." Han Qi turned to Chi Cheng. "Second Elder, let me go with you!"
Chi Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose, looking troubled, and said, "The Hundred Waste Desert is extremely dangerous. How can we let you disciples go?"
“But only we have seen what the Tranquility Pearl looks like, haven’t we?” Wen Xu said.
Akagi looked at Akakane: "You should have met everyone from the Vermilion Bird Pavilion before, right?"
"In fact, I am the only one who has seen it. I had just obtained the Tranquility Pearl when I rushed to the city to rescue people, and it shattered on the spot. If anyone else has seen it, it would probably only be the transport officials of the imperial court, but those transport officials would not go to the desert."
"And what about you?" Akagi asked.
"I can't either, I can't leave the Vermilion Bird Pavilion."
"Hmph." Han Tian revealed an expression of "I knew it all along." "Then let Wen Xu and Han Qi go, and count me in too. I will also ask the Second Prince of the Demon Clan to go with us."
These four characters are the same as in the original novel, except that Cang Jingqi has been replaced by Wen Xu.
Wen Xu was so anxious that he kept giving Han Jiang a look: We can't let Han Qi follow!
Han Jiang was also trying to find a solution. Looking left and right, he shamelessly said, "Master and Junior Sister have both left. What am I going to do alone in Cold Mountain?"
This wasn't the first time she had acted shamelessly in front of Han Tian and Chi Cheng, but it was the first time she had acted shamelessly in front of all the elders and Chi Jin.
"Why don't you come along too?" Elder Chaoyu suggested.
"No way!" Countless people shouted in unison during the cold season.
None of those present agreed.
"With Han Jiang's cultivation level, he died as soon as he entered the desert!" Chi Cheng's words were rough but true.
Han Tian also said, "Xiao Man absolutely cannot go. I will have the Crown Prince come to take care of you."
“I don’t want to take care of her, I want to go to the desert with her.” Cang Jingqi appeared at the door. “I brought A Mo here and explained the situation. The two of us brothers will go to the desert together. Actually, I was there when the Tranquil Heart Pearl shattered.”
Han Tian asked, "What are you going to do?"
“If Han Tian goes to the desert, who will guard Lei Mo? I have fought both of the rebels’ shadowy figures, and their strength is no less than that of the elders. What if the shadowy figures come to silence us after Han Tian leaves?” Cang Jingqi replied, “It would be better to let me go to the desert in Han Tian’s place. At least I have seen what the Tranquility Pearl looks like.”
It would be even more difficult to deal with Cang Jingqi if it were him; Wen Xu couldn't figure out Cang Jingqi's methods.
Before Han Jiang could speak, Cang Jingqi continued, "Han Qi is going to the desert, and Han Tian is guarding Lei Mo. If Han Jiang doesn't want to stay alone in Han Shan, why don't you go to the desert together?"
“No need. Xiaoman should stay in the Four States Sect. The desert is too dangerous.” Han Tian rejected Cang Jingqi’s suggestion. “Elder Chicheng, what the Crown Prince said makes sense. In that case, let the two Crown Princes escort the two disciples to Manzhou.”
The sudden appearance of Cang Jingqi completely disrupted Wen Xu's plans.
At this point, it would be inappropriate for Wenxu to offer any suggestions, so he could only pin his hopes on Han Jiang.
"Ya Ya, don't go." Han Jiang leaned closer to Han Qi, trying to appeal to his family ties to stop him.
Hanqi remained silent, only gently shaking his head.
Last night, Cang Jingqi came to Hanshan and said that Hanqi was going to the desert, so what did he know? Hanjiang didn't understand what step he had missed, why Hanqi suddenly wanted to go to the desert, and why Cang Jingqi suddenly wanted to get involved?
In the original book, Cang Jingqi went to the desert at Han Tian's invitation, but this time he went on his own initiative?
During the subsequent discussion, Han Jiang wouldn't listen to anything; he was constantly thinking about countermeasures to change the situation.
Wen Xu wanted to deepen her relationship with Cang Jingmo in the desert, but the plot holes between the male and female leads were still not fixed, and the unpredictable Cang Jingqi was also introduced, which greatly increased the difficulty of completing the mission.
Chicheng hoped they would set off immediately.
Hanjiang accompanied Wenxu to Wenshan to pack their luggage, and they encountered Cangjingqi on the way.
"What does Your Highness mean by this?" Wen Xu asked.
"I need to speak with Han Xiaoman about something," Cang Jing said directly.
Hanjiang originally wanted to use the time while packing her luggage to discuss countermeasures with Wenxu, but Cangjingqi's attitude was very firm and not easy to fool.
After Wen Xu left, Cang Jingqi advised Han Jiang, "Han Xiaoman, let's go to Manzhou together."
“My master said he wouldn’t let me go.”
"So it's Han Tian who won't let you go, not that you don't want to go?" Cang Jing sneered. "You and Wen Xu are in cahoots, aren't you? Otherwise, why didn't you help your junior sister pack her luggage, but instead went with Wen Xu as soon as you left Cangyun Palace?"
Han Jiang stared intently at Cang Jingqi, wanting to know what this person was trying to say.
“You said before that Wenxu would go to the desert with Amo, but now it seems there are more people. I’m curious why Wenxu always appears by Amo’s side, as if she knows where Amo is going.”
Han underestimated Cang Jingqi's observational abilities.
“I’ve never met Wen Xu before, so I can’t tell if she’s the original Wen Xu. But I think Elder Wen Wan can help me.”
"what you up to?"
"Let's go to Manzhou together and see some interesting things."
Cang Jingqi was certainly doing it on purpose. His bet with Han Jiang before the Three Gates Treasure Hunt had greatly surprised him, and Han Jiang's prediction was indeed exactly as predicted, which made him even more curious.
When Han Jiang said that Wen Xu and Cang Jingmo would go to the desert, he decided to become a variable.
He wanted to know what the future predicted by Hanjiang would look like, and whether it could be changed.
However, it would be strange for him to be the only variable joining the two-person team, and his influence would not be significant enough, so he wanted to invite Han Jiang to join the game.
As for Han Qi's involvement, it was actually a guess on his part. He didn't meet with Han Qi alone; he was just gambling.
Hanqi was once entangled with Cang Jingmo because of the "hatred of the massacre of the village". Now that he has found the truth, Hanqi has lost a major goal in life and may randomly participate in some major event to get out of his confusion.
Ideally, someone she'd be interested in would be involved in this big event, such as Cang Jingmo.
Fortunately, Cang Jingqi was lucky; Han Qi, as he wished, voluntarily joined the team searching for the Tranquil Heart Pearl.
If Han Jiang agrees, then there will be three people who become destabilizing factors, making this situation much more interesting than before.
As for Cang Jingmo's part, Han Tian happened to ask him to persuade Cang Jingmo to help.
When Cang Jingqi found Cang Jingmo, the latter was studying ancient books in his study.
"I brought you something again." Cang Jingqi found a lot of good things in Lei Mo's cave, so he just stole them. He'll just pretend they were destroyed during the battle with Lei Mo when the Four States Sect investigates.
“I’ve helped you again, now you owe me two favors,” Cang Jing said.
The previous favor was done at the medicine shop, where Cang Jingqi unearthed ancient books from the underground library.
"Aren't we on the same side?" Cang Jingmo took the book. It was tattered, with the cover torn off and obvious signs of burning. The contents inside were also incomplete.
Cang Jingqi leaned lazily against the cabinet beside him: "It's really not certain. Maybe I'll betray them one day."
Cang Jingmo was used to his half-serious jokes. Although this man seemed a bit unserious, he could still distinguish right from wrong when it came to important matters. He flipped through the book, opened a page, and said, "This can improve one's power by absorbing a person's spiritual energy."
The forbidden books, originally stored in the Demon Palace, disappeared after Cang Jingxing's death. There must be spies in the palace, and they're probably connected to the Anzhou rebellion, but an open investigation would easily alert them.
There are many evil techniques that absorb people's spiritual energy to enhance their power. Many of them have been destroyed, and a small number have been collected in the Demon Palace and the two major immortal sects.
The Feng Huo Ying Shuang Lou (枫火映霜楼) is a special case and is not considered as a location.
Remer only had books related to absorbing spiritual energy, not the one about human-demon transformation.
The incantation was written on a piece of paper, handwritten, and Cang Jingqi brought it back with him.
They still haven't found the forbidden book that specifically records the transformation between humans and demons.
There must be someone else behind Ramo.
“A thorough investigation would implicate too many people,” Cang Jingmo said.
"That's your business. You're the future Demon Lord, I'm not." Cang Jingqi didn't care at all and yawned.
The two harbored their own ulterior motives and distrusted each other.
After confirming that both shadowy figures were princes of the demon race, the two brothers inevitably began to suspect each other. There were only three princes in total; who else could they possibly suspect?
Interestingly, they almost all assumed that Cang Jingye must be one of the shadows.
"It might not be me after all. What if it's my little sister?"
Neither of them laughed when the joke was told, and neither of them believed it.
Cang Jing sneered, "Anyway, you're all in cahoots, so the Demon Lord's position can go to anyone, right?"
"Oh? Aren't you two planning to fight for the throne? You think you have a better chance than A-Ye?"
You retort, he retorts. The atmosphere is strangely relaxed and pleasant?
"The Four States Sect has something they need your help with. They hope you can go to Manzhou to find the Tranquil Heart Pearl." Cang Jingqi got down to business. "I have a better idea. Let's go together."
The implication is that you and I, brothers, should go together to see how many shadowy figures are left here, and to see who among us truly harbors ulterior motives.
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