Chapter 14
Fang Xiashen was imprisoned in the backyard of the Li family. Although the Li family hated her, none of them dared to cause her any trouble. The room where she was imprisoned was covered with talismans by the people of Qingxu Sect, and there was also an array set up by the disciples of Hanfeng Valley and Tianyu Mountain.
The disciples guarding the outside were extremely tight, and even members of the Li family had to be accompanied by disciples from the immortal sect if they wanted to get close.
Ming Mo led Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi through heavy guards to the door: "Ask whatever you want! I'll stay here and call me if you need anything."
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Zhou Xuanzhi thanked her and then pulled Shi Yunzhou into the room.
The cage imprisoning Fang Xiashen was placed in the center of the room, surrounded by dense array runes that made one dizzy. The walls, doors, and windows were covered with Qingxu Sect talismans, making the entire space very rich in spiritual energy. The disciples of the immortal sect who entered the room felt very comfortable, but Fang Xiashen, being a demon, had a very difficult time.
Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw two young disciples enter. Their clothes weren't from any immortal sect's uniform. She couldn't tell which sect they belonged to. "Two young people have arrived. You two seem somewhat familiar."
Before Zhou Xuanzhi could say anything while standing in front of Fang Xiashen, Shi Yunzhou found a chair, pulled it down next to Zhou Xuanzhi, and sat down, replying, "Of course, do you remember when you were pulled into your illusion by a woman from Tianyu Mountain? That was my senior sister!"
Fang Xia thought about it and realized that such a thing had happened; that woman had kidnapped Young Master Li. She also remembered that the woman seemed to have two accomplices behind her that day. Thinking of this, she carefully examined the two men and nodded, "So you were the saviors that day."
Shi Yunzhou nodded and said, "Shi Wanqing is our master."
"Shi Wanqing? Are you disciples of Tianyu Mountain so free?" Fang Xiashen chuckled. In the two days since she was captured, disciples from various sects had come to interrogate her. She thought she would be taken to the immortal sect for interrogation, but Shi Wanqing's disciples came again, which she couldn't understand.
“We’re not exactly free either. We came here today because we have some things we want to ask you,” Zhou Xuanzhi said.
Fang Xiashen looked up at the man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and smiled: "You ask me, so I have to answer?"
Yes, none of the captured demons cooperated, nor did the immortal disciples.
Shi Yunzhou leaned over and lowered his voice: "You'll be interested."
Having lived for nearly a thousand years, she couldn't help but find it amusing to be asked such a question by two two-hundred-year-olds. She asked, "So, what good will it do me?"
Shi Yunzhou looked at Zhou Xuanzhi, who nodded and said, "For example, your enemy will die."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xiashen laughed, "You really don't think I'm stupid, do you? He's gotten involved with that Miss Gu. Once she returns to the capital, the Li family won't even exist anymore."
Zhou Xuanzhi suddenly strode forward. None of the Li family knew Gu Qingci's identity, so how did she know? He hurriedly asked, "How do you know Gu Qingci is from the capital? And from a prominent family?"
Fang Xiashen had never met Gu Qingci.
Fang Xiashen didn't think she had said anything wrong. She looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and said, "Otherwise, why would anyone want to kill her?"
"Is she from your demon race? What is her identity?" Shi Yunzhou was indeed very curious.
"Then you can investigate yourselves." Fang Xiashen looked at the two of them, enunciating each word clearly. "Didn't you have your suspicions about keeping her by your side?"
The two understood Fang Xiashen's meaning to some extent; Gu Qingci was indeed related to their master. But that wasn't what they wanted to ask. Zhou Xuanzhi asked, "Has Huanmo ever mentioned my master to you?"
"How could someone your age know about events that happened two hundred years ago?" Fang Xiashen looked at the two of them.
Shi Yunzhou clenched his fists, his expression also not good. The demons must have some kind of conspiracy, but Fang Xiashen didn't seem to know much about it.
"You will not die; this is the promise Young Master Huanhai made to you."
Fang Xiashen felt it wasn't enough; she looked at the two of them with disdain.
“A completely new identity,” Shi Yunzhou added.
Fang Xia was very satisfied with this answer. She seemed to remember something, "I'll give you a clue. Maybe you can learn something from them."
Fang Xiashen's words made the two of them somewhat uncomfortable. She hadn't been very cooperative just now, and now she was going to tell them clues? How was that possible?
“Pingxi City, Jianye Town.” The two men’s expressions clearly showed their distrust of him. Fang Xiashen was not in a hurry to clarify but said, “If I lied to you, Young Master can break his promise.”
The Immortal Sect needs time to kill them; they could easily go to Jianye Town to investigate.
The two exchanged a glance and nodded. Shi Yunzhou turned to Xia Shen and threatened, "If you dare to lie to me, I won't let you get away with it."
Fang Xia, inside the cage, smiled deeply, "Alright, I'll be waiting for you."
Upon exiting the room, the two saw Mingmo standing guard outside. The room was also equipped with a soundproof array, so they were certain that the conversation inside would not be heard outside.
Mingmo noticed that the two people who came out didn't look too bad; it seemed they had obtained a new clue. She stepped forward and asked, "How is it?"
The two nodded, saying nothing more. She could roughly guess what they wanted to investigate about the late Ming Dynasty, and as long as they didn't cause trouble or implicate others, she naturally wouldn't say anything more.
"It's good to get what you want."
Next, everyone will head to the capital. They also need to take Fang Xiashen with them and prevent the Illusion Demon from kidnapping her. It won't be an easy task.
After the three of them left the courtyard, Shi Yunzhou glanced at Zhou Xuanzhi, who nodded and quickly walked to Mingmo's side. He said, "Senior Sister, we have obtained a clue. The two of us may have to act separately from now on, but we will definitely go to the capital before the Immortal Alliance Conference."
Mingmo looked at the two of them, then lowered her head and pondered for a long time. She looked up as if she had figured something out and agreed, "Okay, but I'm not comfortable with just the two of you. Let... Lin Jichen go with you!"
“Senior Sister, Junior Sister Lin promised Miss Gu that she would escort her back to the capital. It wouldn’t be convenient for her to travel with us,” Zhou Xuanzhi refused. After all, their trip to Jianye Town was to investigate Master’s affairs, and it wouldn’t be convenient for Lin Jichen to accompany them.
"No, I'm not comfortable with just the two of you. How about letting Xiao Mu go with you?" If there's danger in Jianye Town, having an extra person will always provide more safety.
Junior Brother Xiao Mu is a disciple of Master Cheng Yaojun, the peak master of Daoguo Peak. Daoguo Peak is a lineage of sword cultivators, and Xiao Mu's name resounds throughout Tianyu Mountain not because of his strength. Having him come might truly be of help. Zhou Xuanzhi bowed slightly to Mingmo and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister."
On the way back, Shi Yunzhou asked, "I remember Xiao Mu. He's also very strong." He had been cultivating under his master's tutelage for a while, and Xiao Mu had only just arrived, so he had some impression of him.
"His strength is indeed inferior to Junior Sister Lin's." But he didn't become famous because of his fighting skills.
Shi Yunzhou didn't understand. Everyone was there to investigate, so there couldn't be anyone who would hold them back!
Zhou Xuanzhi smiled and said, "He won't hold us back either. Junior Brother Xiao has one advantage: he can blend into any environment and find out everything he wants to know, accurately and without error."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yunzhou realized that Ming Mo truly wanted to help. At the most crucial moment, he brought in a talent like Xiao Mu, who was far more useful than Lin Jichen.
The next day, the immortal ship took off above Yunzhou City, and Fang Xiashen had already been placed inside the cabin. The cabin was guarded by disciples from various immortal sects, preventing anyone from approaching.
Lin Jichen led Gu Qingci onto the immortal ship. Mingmo, standing below the ship, spoke to the two who remained: "If there is any danger, be sure to contact the nearest immortal sect. Don't be reckless."
"Senior sister, don't worry," Shi Yunzhou said. "We're just investigating clues, and there might not even be any danger there."
Mingmo knew he was being redundant, but he couldn't help but continue, "I know I'm being long-winded, but I'm always worried about you. Xiao Mu is already on his way, so wait for him to arrive and we'll set off together."
Zhou Xuanzhi agreed.
Then she said something else and handed some magical artifacts to the two of them, saying, "Take these. There are many of us, so we may not be able to use them. You must be careful."
"Senior sister, we will take good care of ourselves," Zhou Xuanzhi assured Mingmo after accepting the gifts.
They finally managed to get the person onto the celestial vessel, watched it take off, and then disappear from sight. Only then did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.
"Do you think it's really dangerous there?" Shi Yunzhou felt uneasy, thinking of Fang Xiashen's meaningful look at the end.
"It's always good to prepare in advance."
Since the matter with the Li family was over, the two had already packed their luggage and went to a teahouse to drink tea while waiting for Xiao Mu's arrival.
News of the immortal sect disciples capturing the female demon has spread throughout Yunzhou City, and in the past few days, the city has returned to its usual bustling state, with even more people on the streets than usual.
Shi Yunzhou suddenly noticed something amusing and exclaimed, "There are more men around these days."
"Because Fang Xiashen was arrested."
Shi Yunzhou snorted coldly, "What are they all afraid of? Doesn't Fang Xiashen only target those纨绔 (sons of wealthy families) who forcibly abduct women? What does it have to do with anyone else?"
"I'm afraid, no matter what."
"If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear; these people have something to hide." I especially admire these kinds of people—they act all respectable most of the time, but when trouble comes, they run away faster than anyone else. And once it's over, they come running back.
Zhou Xuanzhi found Shi Yunzhou's sudden outburst of emotion rather strange, as no one had provoked him today. He looked around and suddenly heard some people sitting in a teahouse talking about something. Upon closer listening, he realized they were expressing dissatisfaction with the way the immortal sect had handled the situation.
"Why bother caring what they say?" Zhou Xuanzhi advised, "Shi Yunzhou must have been angry because he heard those words."
"If you're so capable, do it yourself! You're someone who doesn't do any work, yet you're teaching those who do the work how to do it." Although it was a complaint, the voice was still lowered.
Zhou Xuanzhi suddenly remembered that it was when his master was still alive, and they went down the mountain with her for training. It seemed that they would always encounter some people, whether they were ordinary men from the mortal world or cultivators from the immortal sects. When they saw their master, a woman, training alone with two disciples, they always seemed to want to know how their master should slay demons and monsters.
But when they learned their master's name, their eagerness vanished; they wished they had never appeared before him. Some even knelt down, wanting to become his disciples. In the end, all of them were taken away by their master.
Then the master said to himself and his junior brother, "If you become like them, don't blame me for not considering our years of friendship. I will kick you out of the house immediately."
Later, when he went down the mountain to train alone, he never encountered such people again, and he thought they were just isolated cases. It wasn't until he trained with several senior and junior sisters that he discovered these people had always existed and had never disappeared. They only showed this attitude to women.
No wonder Master dislikes it; it really is quite annoying.
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