Chapter 41
After arriving at the inn, Lin Jichen was led directly to a private room on the third floor. However, the three people inside were standing by the window, looking down. Out of curiosity, she went to their side and followed their gaze downwards, but saw nothing unusual.
After Lin Jichen came to his side, Xiao Mu turned his gaze to her.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Jichen asked Xiao Mu beside him.
Xiao Mu shook his head and said, "People from Medicine God Valley."
Lin Jichen wasn't particularly surprised to hear that Medicine God Valley had come; he simply nodded. "It is indeed unexpected that they could come." However, the current leader of Medicine God Valley was not one to play by the rules. Medicine God Valley was no longer a place for healing and saving lives; their reputation was no different from that of demons.
Shi Yunzhou was furious to see Lin Jichen walk straight in without even knocking. He was about to confront him when Zhou Xuanzhi stopped him. Unable to break free several times, he looked at Zhou Xuanzhi in confusion.
Lin Jichen was talking to Xiao Mu and didn't have time to pay attention to Shi Yunzhou. He lowered his voice and said, "She has clues about Gu Qingci."
Everything concerning their master was their top priority. At this moment, even if the other party was a demon, they would patiently listen to their nonsense. Moreover, the person standing opposite them was not a demon, but their fellow disciple Lin Jichen.
Lin Jichen couldn't possibly have missed the commotion over there; they had simply enlisted Xiao Mu, their capable assistant, to cover for them. In a good mood lately, she didn't bother to argue.
So the group sat down and listened to the news brought by Lin Jichen.
Lin Jichen and An Zhi, who had received such a warm welcome, were now... well, at a loss? They had been treated with hospitality and thanks before when they came down the mountain, but those people were all commoners, not royalty. Putting everything else aside, the etiquette itself was quite embarrassing. If Gu Qingci hadn't been there to remind them, the two of them would have been utterly humiliated all the way to Tianyu Mountain.
"I had a difficult labor when I gave birth to Qingci. I was in pain for two days and two nights and I had no strength left. The doctor even said we should prepare for the worst. At that time, a cultivator came in and said he had a way to give birth safely. The prince invited him into the mansion. He cast a spell outside the room, and I gave birth to the child not long after. After that, I fell asleep, and I don't know anything about what happened after that." Gu Qingci's mother looked at Gu Qingci with a loving expression, as if she had never suffered.
"It started raining from the moment the lady conceived, and it rained for two days and two nights. When that cultivator came, he had neither an umbrella nor a raincoat, yet his clothes were dry. That's why I believed him. He said that the lady's pregnancy was very difficult, but not without hope. He used magic to bring Qingci into the world and gave the lady a dose of medicine. The medicine was quite effective; after taking it, the lady's health recovered."
"What else could be wrong... The rain stopped immediately after Qingci was born, and the sky cleared up not long after." Prince Gu was very certain. "That bracelet was given to us at that time, saying that the child would face a calamity after her coming-of-age ceremony, and that this bracelet should never leave her side."
After hearing this, Lin Jichen looked at Gu Qingci. There were indeed such people in this world who could see a person's entire life. However, these were secrets of heaven that could not be revealed, otherwise, one would be punished by heaven. "What conditions did that person propose?"
"condition?"
"There are indeed techniques that allow one to calculate the secrets of heaven, but once calculated, they cannot be revealed, otherwise one will suffer divine retribution, which can be severe or minor. So what conditions did you promise?" Surely no one would take such a great risk to "do good" for no reason!
The prince looked at the princess, both of them with puzzled expressions. The prince shook his head and said, "We didn't ask for anything, we just...we just had a meal, and it was vegetarian."
...
Lin Jichen was also completely bewildered. Could there really be such a person in the world? She wondered, "If Guancheng coming out and rescuing everyone in Yunzhou is considered warding off disaster, then it truly is warding off disaster." Could there really be such a person in the world? Was it for no reason, or was there some other reason that everyone was unaware of?
"So we've met some good people, right?"
Lin Jichen nodded, "I guess so! I didn't ask for anything, nor did I ask for any promises."
Do you remember what he looked like?
The prince summoned the steward, and the two of them, master and servant, thought back together and finally came to a conclusion: "That person has a good appearance, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and seems to be not very old..." These capable people usually have the art of preserving their youth, so the age based on appearance is probably not very reliable. "Judging from his appearance, he is probably around thirty years old."
After waiting for a long time without hearing the next sentence, Lin Jichen became a little impatient and asked, "Is there anything else?"
“He…” The prince glanced at the princess at this moment, and saw that the princess nodded. He said, “Why don’t you stay here first? I won’t go out for the next few days. I’ll stay home and think things over, and let the family think about it too.”
It seems this is the only option now. Lin Jichen stood up and thanked the prince for his kindness, "We have other matters to attend to and cannot stay here. I appreciate your kindness, Your Highness..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted. The prince hurriedly said, "It's not good to make you run around again. I'll have Qingci go with you to the Exorcism Bureau. If anything happens, I'll contact Qingci and have her talk to you." As he spoke, he pushed Gu Qingci next to Lin Jichen.
The princess nodded and said, "Yes, yes, you can go with Lin and An to the Exorcism Bureau for a couple of days."
"Isn't this inappropriate, Your Highness..."
“That’s appropriate,” the princess said, holding Lin Jichen’s hand. “This child is seventeen this year, and she’s reached the right age. Let her play with you for a couple of days while we can. After she gets engaged in a few days, she’ll never have another chance to see the world.”
“Child, it may not be appropriate for me to call you child because of my age, but we people really can’t be as carefree as you. Let Qingci stay with you, and after your Immortal Alliance Conference, she should be like me.” The sadness on her face when she said this seemed genuine.
Lin Jichen looked at Gu Qingci, who clearly knew she was of marriageable age and lowered her head. She turned to look at Anzhi beside her, and seeing her flustered face, knew this was a decision she had to make. Since that was the case…
Lin Jichen and Anzhi looked at Gu Qingci and the princess, and for a moment they couldn't bring themselves to say anything to refuse.
"The Exorcism Division is still quite safe these days, so let's stay there for a couple of days."
During this time, Gu Qingci remained silent, instead focusing on her mother.
The princess's eyes reddened as she looked at her daughter, especially seeing her holding back tears as she looked at her; it pained her deeply.
Gu Qingci also knew that her parents pushed her into Lin Jichen's arms in the hopes that she could protect them. Her mother also had a selfish motive; she probably hoped that Gu Qingci could live happily for a period of time, free from the constraints of worldly rules.
"Alright, thank you very much, Cultivator Lin." Their daughter had only been back a short time, and they were truly reluctant to part with her. But what could they do now that she was involved with demons? This matter couldn't be known to outsiders, and they also had to ensure their daughter's safety; the Exorcism Bureau was directly under the Emperor. Therefore, they could only let her stay with the disciples of Tianyu Mountain for a while.
After listening to Lin Jichen's account, Shi Yunzhou felt that his expectations had been dashed. There wasn't a single useful piece of information.
"That's it?" As soon as he uttered those sarcastic words, Zhou Xuanzhi nudged him.
Lin Jichen forced a smile, "How could that be? Don't you all know that Miss Gu was intentionally sent to Guancheng?"
Shi Yunzhou was already reluctant to talk to Lin Jichen, but she kept things half-said, "So? Does this have anything to do with your investigation?"
“Although we don’t know why they sent her to Guancheng, she’s still alive and well.” Lin Jichen mimicked Shi Yunzhou’s mocking expression and tone. “If it were you, would you abandon a mission you hadn’t completed?”
After hearing Lin Jichen's words, Zhou Xuanzhi finally understood the Gu family's intention: "No wonder."
“Yes, Gu Qingci is a girl who is about to be engaged. Why did her parents take the initiative to send her to the Exorcism Bureau? Because they also suspect that the other party will strike again.” Lin Jichen said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Shi Yunzhou.
So everything comes back to Gu Qingci again. After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuanzhi asked Lin Jichen, "Can we still see Fang Xiashen now?"
Hearing this name, Lin Jichen was somewhat puzzled. Hadn't they just returned from Jianye Town? Was there some problem with what happened in Jianye Town? She shook her head and said, "Not yet, after all, the Illusion Demon hasn't shown itself yet!"
Looking at it this way, the Exorcism Bureau in the capital is really busy. They have to hold the Immortal Alliance Conference and wait for the fish to bite. Shi Yunzhou shook his head and said, "You guys are quite busy."
Today, Lin Jichen was in such a good mood that she didn't care about Shi Yunzhou's repeated taunts. She sighed, which was unusual for her, "They really want to make a big splash in the capital."
After Lin Jichen finished speaking, Xiao Mu scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Why haven't I heard about this?"
Lin Jichen pursed his lips. "You didn't go to the Exorcism Bureau either, so how could you talk about this kind of thing outside? It's normal that you don't know."
Shi Yunzhou crossed his arms and teased, "So how did you know? Aren't you supposed to keep quiet about this outside? How dare you say it here?"
Zhou Xuanzhi felt quite helpless about his junior brother. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, really not wanting to get involved in the fight between the two.
"I have my own channels. Isn't this your territory? If the news comes from you, it means the problem is with you, not me!" Although I'm in a good mood today, it doesn't mean I can tolerate this much.
Shi Yunzhou was really angry when he saw the calm and relaxed demeanor of the person opposite him.
Xiao Mu felt a headache watching the two of them argue, while Zhou Xuanzhi clearly didn't want to get involved. Thinking about it, it made sense; if he were Zhou Xuanzhi, he definitely wouldn't be standing in the same frame as them right now.
The argument was still going on, and it looked like they were about to bring up the past. This was unacceptable; a fight was bound to break out! Xiao Mu stood up and said ingratiatingly, "Gentlemen, we're allies now, right?"
Both of them glanced at him but didn't say anything more, simply turning their heads away to avoid looking at each other.
“We’ll still be working together in the future, won’t we? Our goals are aligned! So, let’s put aside our past grievances for now, just for now,” he emphasized the word “just for now,” “Let’s put them aside for now, okay?”
He only received a cold snort from the two of them.
Neither of the parties involved responded, and he didn't seem particularly embarrassed. He poured a cup of tea for everyone present and said, "Since that's the case, it means that you both agree with what I just said. So let's celebrate the formation of our alliance with tea instead of wine!"
Zhou Xuanzhi picked up the cup of tea and raised it just like Xiao Mu, but the two parties involved acted as if they hadn't seen it. Xiao Mu immediately shoved his cup of tea into Lin Jichen's hand, and Zhou Xuanzhi did the same, picking up Xiao Mu's cup and handing it to him.
Seeing that all four of them had raised their teacups, Xiao Mu said again, "Wishing us a resounding victory!"
Although the process wasn't pleasant, the fact that Shi Yunzhou and Lin Jichen both drank tea is a very good outcome. Hopefully, they won't fight when they meet in the future; whether they get along peacefully or not isn't so important anymore.
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