Chapter 13
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, a group of people went to find Young Master Li, while Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou, following the directions of the Remnant Sun Sword and the Moon Worship Sword, returned to the Li family. The Li family had just been attacked by evil spirits, but fortunately, some people were still guarding the place, and no one was injured. However…
The person who returned was quite puzzled to see everyone gathered around Gu Qingci.
After settling the injured and unconscious person, the two went into the crowd to check the situation. Unexpectedly, as soon as they approached, the two swords flew out, weaving through the crowd and circling around Gu Qingci in the center.
Surrounded by the immortal swords, Gu Qingci truly dared not move. However, the silver bracelet on her hand had a different idea; it began to glow again and even resonated with the two swords.
"What's going on?" Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the bracelet in Gu Qingci's hand. Why was the "Sunset Worshiping the Moon" bracelet resonating with him?
Gu Qingci held up the bracelet in her hand and said, "I think it should all be related to it."
The room of Gu Qingci was now filled with disciples of Tianyu Mountain, all staring at the silver bracelet placed on the table. It was nothing special, just a bracelet made of four fish joined head to tail.
Logically speaking, Gu Qingci, given her status, wouldn't wear such a bracelet. Shouldn't a lady of such high social standing wear jade bracelets? Shi Yunzhou asked Gu Qingci about the origin of this silver bracelet.
"According to the elders in my family, this silver bracelet was a gift from a wandering cultivator when I was born. He said it could save my life in critical moments and that it was destined for me. My parents and elders have made me wear it all the time and never take it off." Gu Qingci also looked at the bracelet with a strange expression.
The immense energy emitted by the silver bracelet just now repelled the attacks of the evil spirits and zombies, and even shattered the illusionary demon's barrier.
"Did you ever encounter any strange things when you were a child?" Zhou Xuanzhi asked.
Recalling her ordinary childhood, Gu Qingci shook her head and said, "No. The strange things have all happened recently."
In the hunting grounds of the capital, they suddenly entered the demon prison of Guancheng. After leaving Guancheng, they arrived in Yunzhou, a thousand miles away from the capital. This was the truly strange thing.
"You can't possibly be entering and leaving Guancheng because of this bracelet, can you?" Shi Yunzhou still couldn't understand why his master's aura would appear on this bracelet.
"Entering Guancheng is not a simple matter. None of us have been able to open the passage to Guancheng yet." Guancheng is not a place that can be entered at will. Among the disciples of this generation, none of them have been able to open the passage to Guancheng.
But why does this bracelet contain my master's aura, and even retain a considerable amount of spiritual power? It seems that to find out the truth, I really need to go to the capital.
"We can go and take a look at the paddock."
Gu Qingci felt somewhat uncomfortable under the intense gazes of the crowd. "Is this bracelet related to Master Yuzhen?" Judging from the reactions of the crowd and the expressions of the two fellow disciples, it wasn't hard to guess. But when Shi Wanqing passed away, her parents weren't even born yet.
“I don’t remember there being any bracelets like that on the mountain,” Zhou Xuanzhi said.
As a child, I was mischievous, especially after my junior brother arrived. The two of them would often turn the entire back mountain, including my master's room, upside down, for which I was often punished.
I've seen some jewelry in my master's room, but there's definitely no bracelet like this. If all of this is because of this bracelet, it doesn't quite make sense. Where does the power within the bracelet come from?
"Have any strange people appeared around you recently? Like those people at the inn?" Shi Yunzhou asked, sitting on a chair to the side.
Those people in the inn wanted her dead. Back in the capital, she mostly stayed home and rarely went out, only interacting with family. It was the same in the hunting grounds; the women's quarters were guarded by young men from various families, and she hadn't come into contact with anyone else.
Gu Qingci pondered for a moment and then shook his head: "No."
Shi Yunzhou frowned after hearing "no." He analyzed, "Those demons have no grudge against you, so why would they capture you? You're just an ordinary mortal. The only special thing about you is that you're a county princess. But there are plenty of nobles and princes in the capital. Why do they have to target you? Could it be because of your father? Your father also has sons, right? If it's for revenge or threats, wouldn't his sons be a better choice?"
"You said yourself that the bracelet on your wrist was a gift from a wandering cultivator when you were born. Why did he only give it to you?"
"I..." Gu Qingci looked around, unsure how to answer, which was also what she wanted to know.
"I also want to know how I got to your so-called Guancheng, and how I ended up in Yunzhou as soon as I left Guancheng. I also want to know why those... demons wanted to kill me." Gu Qingci was overwhelmed by a series of questions.
She looked at Shi Yunzhou, then at Zhou Xuanzhi, and said, "I don't know if my father has any enemies. But in my memory, my father has always been a carefree prince... I don't have any older or younger brothers..."
The bracelet was returned to her.
“We will investigate these issues thoroughly, and we need your cooperation,” Zhou Xuanzhi said.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, those around tried to smooth things over. Some changed the subject to make the situation seem less awkward.
Looking at the expressions of the people around her, Gu Qingci asked, "Is Cultivator Lin alright now?"
"Junior Sister Lin isn't seriously injured; she'll be fine after a good night's sleep." Lin Jichen had exhausted too much spiritual energy and needed to rest.
"Can I go see her?" Gu Qingci asked, noticing Shi Yunzhou's unfriendly expression. "She used to take good care of me."
Seeing his junior brother's expression, Zhou Xuanzhi really didn't know what to say. "Alright, go ahead."
Once Gu Qingci's figure disappeared from sight, everyone in the room dispersed. He looked at Shi Yunzhou and sighed deeply: "Why do you have to act like this?"
"Because this is the only clue. If you hadn't objected, I would have already searched for the spirit."
Searching for the Gods! Searching for the Gods! Zhou Xuanzhi took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Searching for the Gods? She's just a mortal!" He gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and advised, "You...you should think about Master."
Shi Yunzhou looked at Zhou Xuanzhi's restrained expression and remained silent. After a long while, he lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "I know, I won't." He couldn't let his master down. Even though he was in the Illusionary Sea now, he couldn't let his master lose face.
Seeing his junior brother's state, Zhou Xuanzhi calmed down and said, "When Senior Sister Ming returns, we'll go to the capital together." There must be someone in the capital who wants the truth.
In fact, over the past two hundred years, Tianyu Mountain has not been without suspicion or investigation, but it has never found any clues.
"Don't worry, the sect leader hasn't given up either." Shi Wanqing was the sect leader's junior sister, whom he had personally raised, so their relationship was naturally closer.
"Will my master... my senior uncle be attending this Immortal Alliance Conference?" From the very beginning, my senior uncle, the sect leader, disliked me. If it weren't for my master's insistence, I would probably be dead by now.
"Yes, Senior Sister Ming should have informed Master Uncle about what happened here." The appearance of the Illusionary Demon is no small matter; it concerns all living beings and the Ten Directions Barrier.
Back when Huanhai came knocking, it was his senior uncle, the sect leader, who told him to leave. He didn't understand why his senior uncle wanted him to leave. He lowered his head and said, "Okay."
When Young Master Li was brought back at the end of the Ming Dynasty, things weren't going well for anyone. Actually, the main problem was with the Li family.
He was a perfectly healthy person, but now he's gone mad. No one could accept this, especially not Young Master Li's father. But thinking about what his son had done, and having experienced the demon invasion of the Li residence, he was filled with anger and sorrow, yet he could say nothing and do nothing.
"I'm so sorry." Mingmo apologized, clasping her hands in a fist and bowing deeply. Seeing Mingmo's demeanor, the people from Tianyu Mountain followed suit and bowed as well.
Although this young master Li has committed many evils, only the laws of the human world can punish him. Zhou Xuanzhi felt very guilty for being harmed by demons to this state.
Shi Yunzhou and Lin Jichen, who had just woken up and was still recuperating, stood at a distance watching.
"They're still alive." Lin Jichen couldn't help but sigh, "Evil lives on for a thousand years."
Hearing Lin Jichen say this, Shi Yunzhou couldn't help but recall how Ming Mo had scolded her, "You still think like that? Aren't you afraid of Senior Sister Ming?"
Lin Jichen knew immediately that this was a ploy to cause trouble, and she naturally wouldn't fall for it. She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Senior Sister Ming is different from me. She is the sect leader's disciple and has a high chance of becoming the head disciple."
The head disciple of Tianyu Mountain is highly likely to become the future sect leader, much like a prince in the mortal realm. Their every word and action represents Tianyu Mountain, so they cannot be taken lightly.
"The chief?" Shi Yunzhou suddenly remembered that Ming Mo had already reached the Nascent Soul stage and was over four hundred years old. He really needed to be trained.
However, Ming Mo was indeed a good person. Back when they were still on the mountain, Senior Sister Ming was the kindest person to him besides Master and Senior Brother. Although she was equally kind to everyone, her background still made her favor him a little.
I can understand Ming's current behavior; she can't afford to make any mistakes herself. And when carrying out a mission, she can't let her junior brothers and sisters make mistakes either.
"Is Gu Qingci alright now?" Shi Yunzhou didn't want to think about Tianyu Mountain, since he was no longer a member of Tianyu Mountain.
“That’s good. I’ve known her for a long time, and she doesn’t seem to know that I have a secret. She probably doesn’t know about these things. I think we’ll ask her parents when we get to the capital.” Lin Jichen said after the crowd in the distance had dispersed.
"Once we arrive in the capital, things will likely be a bit... difficult. It would be easier if we were just investigating Miss Gu."
"The Exorcism Division?"
Lin Jichen nodded helplessly: "Several senior brothers have dealt with the people from the Exorcism Bureau before. After all, they are directly under the emperor, so there are bound to be more rules."
The Exorcism Bureau differs from ordinary immortal sects; it is subordinate to the royal family and generally protects the capital and surrounding areas. Because it is located in the capital, its rules are more stringent. This Immortal Alliance Conference is also the first time the Exorcism Bureau has participated, making it of great significance and allowing no room for error.
"Why?" Shi Yunzhou was generally not interested in such things. He was a little surprised when he first heard that the Immortal Alliance Conference was being held in the capital, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
Lin Jichen did not directly answer the question, but instead recounted the establishment of the Exorcism Bureau: "About seven hundred years ago, a demon suddenly appeared in the capital, wreaking havoc and causing many deaths. Later, the immortal sects helped quell the disaster. As a result, the emperor valued the immortal sects, but the immortal sects had their own rules and could not be used by him. In order to facilitate his rule, the Exorcism Bureau was established. The emperor also made an agreement with the various sects that disciples of each sect were not allowed to appear in the capital without an invitation from the royal family."
“In these hundreds of years, there has never been any cooperation or collaboration.” Shi Yunzhou finally recalled the founding histories of the various sects he had learned about at Tianyu Mountain.
"Don't you find it strange? For the past few hundred years, let alone cooperating, we've rarely even set foot in the capital, and they've rarely come to our side either. How come we can now participate in the Immortal Alliance Conference? And even hold the meeting on their territory?"
It was indeed strange that the first Immortal Alliance Conference after the establishment of contact was held in the Exorcism Division.
"What does Tianyu Mountain have to say about this?"
Lin Jichen shook his head: "This kind of thing is not something a nobody like me would talk about. You've asked the wrong person."
Lin Jichen is a disciple of Nanyu Peak, and is relatively young among cultivators, so it's normal that he doesn't know. However, someone should know. He asked, "Did Senior Sister Ming mention it?"
Lin Jichen shook his head: "No, Senior Sister Ming is very tight-lipped. I figured these things out myself. Do you want to ask Senior Brother Zhou?"
Lin Jichen still had a master to teach him, let alone Zhou Xuanzhi? Even if the sect leader personally taught him, he wasn't the sect leader's disciple, so he knew even less.
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