Chapter 48
Xiao Mu quickly found out what had happened, and just then, another competition came up, so everyone sat down together to discuss the matter.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, there's absolutely no news about that woman."
After composing himself, Zhou Xuanzhi asked again, "Was the story about Chonghua exaggerated?"
Xiao Mu's face was full of bitterness. After a long while, he finally answered, "Master didn't answer directly. He just smiled. That smile was quite frightening. He asked me in return," he said seriously, furrowing his brows into a deep frown, mimicking his master's ambiguous smile, "What do you think?"
Xiao Mu's imitation was so good it was terrifying. If the real Xiao Mu were in front of him, Lin Jichen thought he would probably be just as afraid to say anything as Xiao Mu was.
"Master Cheng is still as unpredictable as ever." Shi Yunzhou crossed his arms and looked at the talisman arena in front of him.
"At least we know some information. Let's go back to Tianyu Mountain and ask our grandmaster uncle after the competition." Zhou Xuanzhi felt a little disappointed, or something else entirely, but he was definitely not comfortable.
The disciples of Qingxu Sect shone brightly on the field, but this incident affected their mood, and no one watched the game much.
Shi Yunzhou suddenly led Zhou Xuanzhi away from their seats, and they went to a secluded spot. Looking towards where Gu Qingci was, they saw a silver bracelet on her wrist that carried her master's aura; they didn't know who had given her this bracelet.
"We still have many clues that we haven't used yet."
Upon hearing his junior brother's words, Zhou Xuanzhi also looked across the room, where Gu Qingci was still. Even if it was for protection, he had no reason to keep following a young lady; after all, there was a difference between men and women, and it would be more convenient for a female disciple in this matter.
Zhou Xuanzhi had been troubling Lin Jichen all this time, but she wasn't his master's disciple after all; she had her own master, a master who treated her very, very well. Zhou Xuanzhi was suddenly caught in a dilemma.
"I'll find a woman to follow her." Shi Yunzhou knew what his senior brother was worried about.
“We’ve been troubling Junior Sister Lin all this time.” Zhou Xuanzhi knew that Lin Jichen was helping him out of respect for their master, and they couldn’t keep taking advantage of this relationship forever.
This time, Shi Yunzhou was unusually skeptical, saying, "I know, but we can still use it for a little while."
Ignoring Zhou Xuanzhi's gaze, he continued, "She's still outwardly under Lin Jichen's protection. Even if Murong Jing is by her side, so what? Men and women are different. Murong Jing can't stay with her forever."
"Then why did you hire someone to follow you?"
Shi Yunzhou raised his eyebrows and said with a half-smile, "From a certain perspective, following Gu Qingci is following Murong Jing. We can't give up on this lead."
Murong Jing might know some details of what happened back then.
Zhou Xuanzhi suddenly laughed. He thought of what his master had said years ago. His master said that he was very proper and didn't look like a disciple he had taught. On the contrary, Shi Yunzhou suited his taste very well. But one day when they graduated, he still didn't want Shi Yunzhou to go out and say that he was a disciple of Shi Wanqing. She also had her pride.
In terms of shamelessness, he was indeed completely out of place in his sect.
What do you need me to do?
Shi Yunzhou pointed to Lin Jichen in the seat and said, "If there is anything I need Lin Jichen to do, please relay it to me."
Looking at Lin Jichen's back of the head, I heard Shi Yunzhou say, "I really can't get along with her."
Looking at his junior brother, Zhou Xuanzhi felt as if his master were still alive. What would have happened if his master had handled this matter?
...
He seemed to have thought of something, turning his head to look in Gu Qingci's direction, and then at Murong Jing sitting in the Exorcist Division's seat. The idea was absurd, yet it made sense.
Senior Brother's unusual behavior alerted Shi Yunzhou. "What are you thinking about?"
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the people on the platform and said very seriously, "I think I know why Murong Jing and Gu Qingci are acquainted."
"What?" Didn't you previously speculate that the two of them had met in the palace? How come you have a new speculation now?
"Do you remember when they were trying to lure out the Illusion Demon? I was thinking about how to do it back then." He didn't finish his sentence, but Shi Yunzhou already understood what he meant.
"Gu Qingci?"
"They probably don't know much about the mystery surrounding Miss Gu either."
Therefore, using Gu Qingci as bait this time serves two purposes: firstly, it can lure out the Illusion Demon, and secondly, it can reveal the secret of the bracelet on Gu Qingci's wrist.
"Just Murong Jing alone?" Murong Jing may be a genius, but fighting isn't something that can be accomplished simply by being a genius. No, those people had included everyone around them in their calculations. When they learned that Gu Qingci was accompanied by Murong Jing, and after hearing this long-circulated story in the capital…
Shi Yunzhou suddenly felt a chill. He wasn't even considered a member of Tianyu Mountain anymore, yet he had still been tricked. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
However, are those people overestimating these people? Although this younger generation is quite strong, they will still lose the war against the Phantom Demon.
"Our chances of winning against the Illusion Demon are slim." Zhou Xuanzhi's words made Shi Yunzhou nod in agreement; it was indeed true. They had fought before, and back then, the Illusion Demon hadn't even used its full strength, yet they, including themselves, had nearly died. If they were to actually fight it out now, they probably wouldn't last even a stick of incense.
“But we still came out.” Zhou Xuanzhi said to Shi Yunzhou, “I suppose the person behind this doesn’t want us to die at the hands of the Illusion Demon.”
Shi Yunzhou pressed his knuckles, momentarily at a loss for words.
"They want to capture the Illusion Demon, and also take a look at the bracelet. If they can find out the cause of Master's death at this time, that would be even better?"
The sarcastic tone angered Zhou Xuanzhi. If something went wrong and Gu Qingci died, everything would be back to square one, since this matter had nothing to do with Gu Qingci in the first place.
"It shouldn't have been the sect leader's idea."
Shi Yunzhou agreed with this view. "If our sect leader were that kind of person, then Master would have been picking on him every day long ago." He paused for a moment and said, "Let's cooperate."
“They are also legitimate cultivators, and even if they are used as bait, they will ensure the safety of the bait.”
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the platform in the distance, thinking about his junior brother's words. Although he had often gone down the mountain over the years, his junior brother's knowledge and experience were now much greater than his own. Perhaps by gathering everyone's strength, they could succeed.
"Let's just pretend we don't know anything about this!" Zhou Xuanzhi said to his junior brother. "We didn't start this."
"Hahaha." Shi Yunzhou laughed. In his memory, Zhou Xuanzhi always felt disgusted when his master said this. He never thought that Zhou Xuanzhi would become the kind of person he hated the most. He wondered what his master's reaction would be if he found out.
The competition on stage was as exciting as ever. Although Tianyu Mountain also studied talismans, it couldn't compare to Qingxu Sect, the number one sect in talismans. Watching the talismans being thrown out on stage as if they were free was heartbreaking to watch. Everyone sighed inwardly, wishing they had even a tenth of those talismans; their talisman lessons back then wouldn't have been so painful, and their pockets wouldn't be emptier than their faces now.
Even Zhou Xuanzhi showed a hint of heartache on his face.
The thousands upon thousands of talismans were arranged in mid-air, forming a net that virtually prevented anyone or any demon caught in it from escaping.
But those caught in the net weren't about to give up. Hundreds of fire and lightning talismans were thrown out, targeting a single point.
Those sitting on the stage could feel the immense power of the lightning talisman; even those in the front row had a few strands of hair standing on end. This was only because of the protective array; without it, the entire arena would have been struck by lightning and burned to the ground.
"As expected of a great sect of talismans," Zhou Xuanzhi couldn't help but exclaim. Back in the day, it would take a whole day to draw just one talisman. Although it had some power, it was far inferior to what we have today.
The person who set up the net even bit his finger to draw a talisman on the spot. The talisman he drew in mid-air rose up onto the net, reinforcing the entire net. The net, which was on the verge of being destroyed, was now more powerful than before, and neither lightning nor fire could have any effect on it.
"As expected of the Qingxu Sect." Shi Yunzhou was also dumbfounded.
He still had a few talismans he had drawn in his spare time, just in case. This was indeed the first time he had ever seen the Qingxu Sect's technique and methods of drawing talismans on the spot.
Facing the net doesn't necessarily mean death. If you can't go in the sky, can't you go on the ground? A simple earth-遁符 (earth-遁符) makes someone disappear from the net, and when they reappear before everyone's eyes, they are behind the net's creator.
The person who set up the network sensed something was wrong behind them and immediately threw a talisman backward, while the person who had burrowed underground threw out a talisman. The moment the two talismans touched, they generated tremendous power, and both of them were pushed backward a great distance by the force.
"Do you know anyone in the Qingxu Sect?" Shi Yunzhou asked.
At this point, it's crucial to rally all available forces. From this day forward, the Qingxu Sect will be viewed differently. Who says this is a Buddhist temple? Isn't this more violent than monks?
"I don't know any, but Senior Sister Ming should know a few," Zhou Xuanzhi replied earnestly. It wasn't impossible. Their Qingxu Sect wouldn't bother with their master's affairs, but they could handle matters concerning the Illusionary Demons.
However, everyone was thinking about whether they had offended the Qingxu Sect before. Right, it was wrong to always say that the Qingxu Sect was a Buddhist temple. They should find an opportunity to apologize.
"Actually, we met Shen Junning from their sect before, in Yunzhou City." Lin Jichen almost forgot about that person. To be honest, Shen Junning had a very scholarly appearance, and his gentle and refined demeanor was rare in Tianyu Mountain.
Zhou Xuanzhi also remembered that he had contributed a lot to the family in Yunzhou City.
"So low-key?" Xiao Mu was also dumbfounded. They had met and fought side by side, how could they have forgotten about them? He didn't know whether to say they were being low-key or that there was something wrong with their own minds. But the strength of the Qingxu Sect in the stands was really strong.
As expected of the exemplary figures the elders spoke of. Having cultivated for two hundred years, this is the first time I've witnessed the true strength of the Qingxu Sect. No wonder their rules are so strict and their requirements so numerous. If I possessed this level of power, I would have already shown it off, eager to tell the whole world how formidable we are.
"Do you think the Qingxu Sect really talks about 'emptiness of the four elements' like those monks?" Lin Jichen asked Xiao Mu beside him.
Xiao Mu looked at Lin Jichen with a bad expression and said, "I have the least information about the Qingxu Sect."
Hearing this, Lin Jichen nodded and said, "That's certainly very low-key." The information Xiao Mu had was either obtained through exchange or purchased with money.
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