Chapter 71
Back in the courtyard, Zhou Xuanzhi recounted what he had heard at the banquet that day: "The Chen family of Gusu is considered a family of cultivators. Some of the family's unworthy disciples used to go out and about often, but recently they haven't been able to come out at all, and they can't even send out invitations anymore."
"So something must have happened to their family," Xiao Mu said.
But recently, nothing bad has happened in Suzhou; even the government offices are quiet. If they really are demons, would they refrain from harming mortals? The more Zhou Xuanzhi thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
"You said this family's surname is Chen?" Thinking of the expert who suddenly appeared behind him during the day, Lin Jichen thought to himself, "It can't be such a coincidence!"
Lin Jichen is generally reliable, and her suspicions are not unreasonable. Zhou Xuanzhi asked, "What's the problem?"
"The person who went in today is named Chen Xingyan. He suddenly appeared behind me, but I couldn't sense his presence." This person's cultivation level is far higher than mine; even Senior Sister Ming could sense it. This person is even stronger than Senior Sister Ming.
Zhou Xuanzhi pondered the people present today. This person should be very low-key; he could only vaguely recall this person's figure.
"I don't quite remember this person. He's probably a very low-key person," Xiao Mu guessed.
Upon hearing the word "low-key," Lin Jichen immediately stood up to deny it, saying, "Low-key? You call that person's behavior low-key?" Then, realizing that they probably didn't remember the person they saw on the street that day, Lin Jichen added, "When we first arrived in Suzhou, we were walking on the street, the one where I was disguised as a guard."
"Do you remember that guy on the street, with a female bodyguard by his side? That's Chen Xingyan. He's the epitome of being low-key. But in my eyes, he's practically wagging his tail like a ghost."
Sensing the hidden anger in Lin Jichen's voice, a figure indeed came to mind—someone who seemed to be talking to a young woman at the stall.
Lin Jichen probably remembered someone as frivolous as him because of the female bodyguard behind him! If it weren't for this female bodyguard, Lin Jichen would be playing the role of a young lady from a noble family today.
"It's him, he's from the Chen family of Gusu?" Zhou Xuanzhi was still thinking about this person's behavior at the banquet. He seemed perfectly normal, even joking and playing games with people he knew. From his actions, it was really impossible to tell that he was a cultivator.
"What else did he do?" Zhou Xuanzhi asked.
Lin Jichen shook his head. "No, he introduced himself and asked for my name, but nothing else."
So what's this person's purpose? Or is he trying to test Lin Jichen, this unfamiliar face? Both Lin Jichen and Xiao Mu possess magical artifacts that can conceal their aura and cultivation level. Could he be so powerful that he can sense the aura of these artifacts?
After thinking for a long time without being able to figure this person out, Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head and said, "We really made the right choice coming to Suzhou."
"So what's our next step? Should we continue playing like this?" Lin Jichen asked.
"We'll learn while we play." Zhou Xuanzhi pushed open the door to his room and looked at the simple scenery in the courtyard. "Given time, we'll naturally learn everything."
It seems the Chen family isn't in any major problems right now. If they were really in a hurry, they would have already made a big fuss about it, and it wouldn't be their place to speculate.
It must be said that the efficiency of the people in the capital is really high. Not long after, a letter arrived from the capital, containing not only the visiting card they wanted, but also a letter of recommendation for them to enter Hanshan Academy.
Looking at the recommendation letter sent in the name of the Mu family, Lin Jichen couldn't help but admire Zhou Xuanzhi's ability to make friends. He didn't seem to have had much contact with that Murong Jing, so how could he have gotten a recommendation letter for admission?
"With this letter of recommendation, our investigation will be much easier."
Hanshan Academy truly lives up to its reputation as a renowned academy, and it was indeed built with funds from a family of cultivators. Located outside Suzhou, the academy occupies an entire mountain, and the scenery is beautiful.
Lin Jichen's comings and goings were somewhat inconvenient, so only Zhou Xuanzhi and Xiao Mu came to the academy.
After being assigned dorm rooms, the two were led on a tour of the academy. Everyone passing by was dressed in dark blue scholar's robes. Most of the teachers wore pale white robes. The two exchanged a glance, asked nothing, and continued following behind the guide.
Among the students passing by, they were acquaintances, and everyone greeted each other discreetly, not daring to disturb the person leading the way.
After the two of them finished touring a small part of the academy, they returned to their dormitory, where several familiar faces were.
“You’ve finally arrived,” a man said, stepping forward and putting his arms around the necks of the two men as they walked back, saying, “I’ve been waiting for you here for so long.”
Xiao Mu sighed and said, "I finally managed to get out of my home, so naturally I want to explore Suzhou properly. How could I possibly go straight into the academy as soon as I arrive?"
The person next to me said, "Without a local like us to show you the way, do you know where the fun places are?"
"Oh my, I really didn't know that. You have to show us around properly." Xiao Mu said, patting Zhou Xuanzhi's chest.
“The weather in Suzhou is very different from that in the capital, and I’ve been getting used to it these past few days, which is why I arrived a little late,” Zhou Xuanzhi said.
Actually, everyone knows what's going on. Is it because they're not used to the weather? They're not used to it at the academy, but they're used to it when they're out having fun with their friends.
Everyone laughed. "Brother Zhou really knows how to talk. When we go to Beijing in a few days, we'll get used to the weather there, hahaha."
“Of course, the weather in the capital is quite unique…” Xiao Mu was about to say something when he saw the person in front of him wink at him, and immediately changed his words: “The weather in the capital is a bit dry. When we go to the capital for the imperial examination, we will definitely take everyone to experience the local customs and culture.”
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man with a beard saw the group of people in the room and looked at them with an unfriendly expression. "No loud noise in the dormitory. What are you doing?"
“I am acquainted with Brother Zhou and Brother Xiao. Since they came from the capital, we were afraid they would not be familiar with this place, so we came to help them.”
There was no need to think too much about how familiar the group of scions of prominent families were with each other. The gentleman snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Xiao Mu looked at the middle-aged man's figure and asked softly, "Are the rules of Hanshan Academy so strict?" The dormitories of Tianyu Mountain don't care how loud you are when you speak. Sometimes you can even hear the cursing of the medicine and medical cultivators from Yangjia Peak.
"Not really," the man explained softly with a pained expression, "There are a few days every year when the requirements are particularly strict, but in theory, there aren't that many days. It's been almost a month now."
Looking at the bitter face on his face, Xiao Mu said, "Brother, I feel sorry for you."
Zhou Xuanzhi also joined the group chat and said to Xiao Mu, "Then you should take care of yourself too!"
It seems that something truly terrible has happened to the Chen family.
As dawn broke, some people were already up studying outside. Xiao Mu rubbed his eyes while lying in bed and said helplessly, "Senior brother, I've never gotten up this early, not even on Tianyu Mountain."
Zhou Xuanzhi got up and looked at the few scattered people outside, saying, "We're going to infiltrate the Chen family."
Hanshan Academy is owned by the Chen family, and it's now the only place outsiders are allowed in. If they want to find out the truth, they can only start with the academy.
Xiao Mu struggled to get out of bed, sat opposite Zhou Xuanzhi, opened the book on the table, and started to bang his head against the wall as he read.
The morning classes were spent practically "kneeling" in fear. I finally made it to lunch break, but the thought of having classes in the afternoon made me feel sad.
However, there were still many interesting things happening in the academy. For example, when everyone got hungry at night, they would team up and sneak into the kitchen to steal food. Then they were discovered, and their hands were almost broken from copying books. Some people even wanted to roast the crowing rooster in the academy and eat it, but seeing their wrists were still swollen, they gave up on the idea.
Such moments inevitably bring to mind the troubles they caused in Tianyu Mountain when they were young. The sword cultivators would secretly steal herbs from the medicine and healing cultivators, and when they were discovered, they would be chased all over the mountain. Sometimes, they would break the strings of the music cultivators' instruments because they thought it was noisy when they practiced every day, and then they would be surrounded and attacked by a group of music cultivators.
Zhou Xuanzhi, who now appears respectable, and even Lin Jichen, the well-behaved girl in the eyes of the elders, have done the aforementioned things.
Lost in thought during class, Xiao Mu's lips curled into a smile. The teacher, seeing Xiao Mu's absent-mindedness, was so angry he almost lost his beard. So he kicked him out.
Xiao Mu, standing outside, was naturally not well-behaved either. He would tease the birds on the branches one moment, and chat with his classmate by the window the next. In short, he was quite carefree outside the classroom.
Until he turned around and saw a familiar figure.
The young and handsome man was somewhat surprised to see Xiao Mu standing outside the classroom, but he quickly concealed his emotions and continued talking to the old man beside him.
It's Deng Lan. What's he doing at Hanshan Academy?
Seeing the old man beside him being so respectful to him, Xiao Mu thought of the fact that there was indeed some kind of relationship between Hanfeng Valley and some aristocratic families in Gusu.
That night, Deng Lan knocked on the door of Zhou Xuanzhi and Xiao Mu's dormitory.
Xiao Mu opened the door and looked at Deng Lan, teasingly saying, "Not long ago we were fellow disciples, but now we're students, and you're a distinguished guest of Hanshan Academy. Well done!"
Deng Lan's expression was serious, and he ignored Xiao Mu's teasing. Seeing Deng Lan like this, Xiao Mu dropped his nonchalant demeanor and asked, "What's wrong?"
Of course something happened, and it's not a simple matter.
"Did you hear some rumors that led you here?" Deng Lan asked.
"So something really happened?" Xiao Mu looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and saw him nod before saying, "We were sent out by our elders, who said that there seem to be demons coveting this place."
Deng Lan stared at the two of them for a long time before finally speaking, "You know of some aristocratic families who guard divine artifacts, right?"
Divine artifacts are magical implements left behind in the mortal realm by ancient gods who fell from grace. Besides aristocratic families, some sects also possess divine artifacts. However, this is a closely guarded secret, and outsiders are generally unaware of it.
So, the appearance of Gusu in the consciousness of those demons means this? Zhou Xuanzhi hurriedly asked, "You mean... something happened to the divine artifact guarded by the Chen family of Gusu?"
Seeing the astonished expressions on the faces of the two people opposite him, it seemed they truly didn't know what had happened in Gusu City. After a sigh, Deng Lan said, "It was stolen. The Chen family guarded the Breath of Earth, which disappeared not long ago." After saying this, Deng Lan's face showed despair.
This starts with something as serious as the theft of a divine artifact. Was it a demon or a traitor?
"What are the Chen family planning to do now?" Zhou Xuanzhi asked hurriedly. A hundred years ago, months of incessant rain caused hundreds of rivers to overflow and dams to burst. Then, someone placed the Breath of Earth on the breached dam, blocking the raging flood. The various immortal sects never knew who did it, but now they know it's because the Breath of Earth was lost.
"The Chen family immediately closed their residence after discovering the theft of the Breath of Earth, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. They then split into two groups: one to investigate the Breath of Earth, and the other to come looking for us." They searched inside and out for a long time but found no trace of it; it was as if the Breath of Earth had vanished into thin air.
Deng Lan looked at the two people in front of him helplessly and asked, "Where did you two get this information from?"
“We truly knew nothing about the theft of the Breath of Earth. The demons in the capital have Suzhou in their consciousness, but they only know the city name. The Exorcism Bureau and our sect were worried about something going wrong here, so they sent us,” Zhou Xuanzhi explained.
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