Chapter 9
At an extremely special time, something even more special happened in Yunzhou.
People on the street stood on both sides, watching the young woman on the float in the middle of the road. She was very beautiful and dressed elegantly. However, her expression was indifferent, as if she didn't care about anything around her.
"This is terrible! They need a courtesan to parade through the streets right now," said a woman selling groceries by the roadside.
“This is different; this was brought in from outside at a high price.”
After word spread that the female demon was specifically targeting men who frequented brothels, business at the brothels plummeted. And the cultivators hadn't even captured her yet—were the brothels really running into a money trap?
The news that a new courtesan had arrived in Yunzhou City reached Young Master Li's ears.
"What does she look like?" he asked the two servants who were talking about the new courtesan.
Upon seeing his young master, the servant answered frankly, "I haven't seen him. He hasn't left the house these days either." As he said this, his eyes glanced toward the courtyard where the hermit of Tianyu Mountain lived.
"Damn it, a bunch of cultivators are meddling in everything." Even though he said that, he felt a little scared when he thought about how his father had told him about the deaths of those people, and he had even encountered them himself.
"If you ask me, it was those cultivators who lured the demon here. We haven't seen any demons in Yunzhou City for hundreds of years, not even any troublesome ghosts." Seeing his young master's increasingly impatient expression, the servant began to fan the flames. When his young master didn't speak, he nudged his companion with his elbow, signaling him to speak.
"Yes, Yunzhou is very safe. Besides, someone from our Li family holds a high position in the imperial court. Those demons should think twice about their own strength."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Li recalled the humiliation of being grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air by Lin Jichen that day, and couldn't help but curse: "Damn it, one day I will definitely taste what this female cultivator is like."
After saying this, he turned and left, leaving only two servants behind. After Young Master Li's figure disappeared, the two servants who remained turned into two wooden dolls.
Shi Yunzhou appeared out of nowhere and put the two dolls away. Zhou Xuanzhi, who was following closely behind him, expressed his concern: "Your method will be discovered."
If these two servants cannot be found in the future, today's plan will be exposed.
"As long as the method works, that's fine. Besides, I'm a demonic cultivator, so I don't care about my reputation." Shi Yunzhou shrugged and said nonchalantly.
These words are truly… Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head helplessly. His master appears very serious on the surface, but if he were still alive, he would probably do exactly the same things as Shi Yunzhou. It must be said that Shi Yunzhou truly inherited his skills in this regard. Although this is something his master would not want to see.
"And then what? How do we ensure his safety?"
Shi Yunzhou sighed, "Actually, I didn't want him to live." Seeing Zhou Xuanzhi's expression, he quickly changed his tune, "Don't forget there's Gu Qingci inside! What do you think a high and mighty prince would do if he knew his daughter was being harassed by someone like that?"
The powerful and wealthy families in the capital would naturally not allow such a thing to be known by more people. After Gu Qingci returned to the capital, the Li family might no longer exist in Yunzhou City.
"Do you think we can defeat Fang Xiashen with just a few of us? She has the Illusion Demon behind her." Now that they know the consequences, there's nothing left to worry about.
"Including Lin Jichen, the few of us still have a chance against Fang Xiashen. As for Huanmo, if he comes out, we'll hold him off and wait for our senior uncles to arrive."
Such actions leave no way out for themselves; if they fail, everyone present will die.
“We can talk this out. There’s no reason for others to sacrifice their lives.” Zhou Xuanzhi disagreed with this approach.
Shi Yunzhou looked at his senior brother, his expression returning to the mocking one he had when they first met: "Then what do you suggest we do, senior brother?"
Zhou Xuanzhi knew his junior brother's temper well. "Now that things have come to this, let's first set up a protective barrier on Young Master Li, and set traps along the road he must take and in the brothel..."
And then what? It seems there's no other way. I came down the mountain secretly anyway, so there's no other option...
Zhou Xuanzhi remained silent for a long time, and now it seemed that he could only continue to be selfish: "Then... call a few more people."
"We absolutely must not let Senior Sister Ming know about this. According to your plan, after Young Master Li leaves, Senior Sister Ming should send someone to protect him. If the Illusion Demons come, we cannot force them to sacrifice their lives; they have their own masters." He looked at Shi Yunzhou and said in a low voice.
Looking at his senior brother like this, Shi Yunzhou realized that his brother's personality was a product of his birth and inherited from their master. Although he disliked him, he also missed him.
"good."
Seeing that Shi Yunzhou had agreed, Zhou Xuanzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I'll go find Junior Sister Lin. You find a few people to set a trap together."
Shi Yunzhou thought that he hadn't been cultivating at Tianyu Mountain for very long, and it would be difficult to ask his other senior brothers for help. So he grabbed the senior brother who was about to leave and said, "I'll go find Lin Jichen instead!"
Considering Shi Yunzhou's situation, Zhou Xuanzhi agreed, but with a condition: "When asking for help, you must be humble, especially since you and she have a conflict. Remember not to get angry no matter what Junior Sister Lin says or does."
"I know."
Seeing that Shi Yunzhou was about to leave, Zhou Xuanzhi stopped him.
Given Lin Jichen's personality, she would at most make a few jokes; she wouldn't stand idly by or complain to Mingmo. However, the matter between these two couldn't be explained in just a few words, so she still needed to give them some advice before she could feel at ease.
"Junior Sister Lin is easy to get along with, so don't upset her."
Looking at his senior brother, who was acting like a mother hen, Shi Yunzhou finally nodded: "I know."
Zhou Xuanzhi sized up Shi Yunzhou. Although he was uneasy, there was nothing he could do. Who knew when this young master Li would make his move?
If he had to do everything himself, he was afraid there wouldn't be enough time. Finally, he let go of Shi Yunzhou's hand and said, "Go ahead."
Zhou Xuanzhi's plan went smoothly, and soon he left with his three fellow disciples.
Meanwhile, Shi Yunzhou encountered some trouble. This trouble wasn't caused by Lin Jichen, but rather because he himself kept lingering at the door, genuinely unsure how to go in to see Lin Jichen or how to begin the conversation.
Gu Qingci had noticed the person lingering outside the door early on. She called Lin Jichen over and pointed, "I wonder what Master Shi is doing?"
Lin Jichen said irritably, "It's like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken."
Shi Yunzhou tried to come in several times, but stopped each time. It seemed that he had finally made up his mind after a lot of trouble.
"Could something really have happened to him?" Gu Qingci thought of the scene when she first met Shi Yunzhou. Logically speaking, this situation shouldn't be happening to him.
"He must need my help." Lin Jichen knew a little about Shi Yunzhou, and out of consideration for their shared sect, he went out to check.
"What are you doing?" Lin Jichen asked, standing not far from Shi Yunzhou.
Shi Yunzhou stopped being coy and said directly, "Please help me."
Goodness, they're really brazen even when they're in the wrong.
"Is this how you ask for favors?" But she didn't want to waste words with Shi Yunzhou. "Just say what you want to say."
“I just figured out that Young Master Li might go out to see the courtesan today.”
Why would you need to scheme to go out and find a courtesan?
Seeing Lin Jichen's puzzled look, he continued to explain, "The courtesan thing was something I had someone impersonate."
A new courtesan has appeared in Yunzhou City, and given Young Master Li's personality, he will definitely go out. The Li family is currently well protected, and Fang Xiashen can't get in, so Young Master Li can only go fishing.
However, this young master Li is a lecherous man, but these are extraordinary times; he probably wouldn't dare go out. Thinking this, Lin Jichen unconsciously glanced at Shi Yunzhou, "What do you need me to do?"
"We're lying in ambush on Fang Xiashen." Actually, he wanted to say that the Illusion Demon might also appear, but if he said that, would Lin Jichen still come to help him?
She looked at Gu Qingci inside the room behind her, very worried. "What is she going to do?"
“I will set up a barrier so that if she is in danger, I will sense it immediately and come to her rescue.”
Lin Jichen thought about it and realized that Gu Qingci's life or death was directly related to some of the mysteries surrounding his junior uncle, which was very important to Shi Yunzhou.
"Okay, when do we leave?"
"We'll follow behind Young Master Li after he leaves."
"How did you handle things with Senior Sister Ming?" Lin Jichen asked, still worried about the matter.
For the people of Tianyu Mountain, Ming Mo was a formidable figure. She was a strong contender for the position of the sect leader's disciple, and even if she didn't become the leader, her future in Tianyu Mountain was still bright.
"I'm with Senior Sister Mingmo; it's none of your business."
Has Shi Yunzhou changed his personality? Or has he been possessed? This is the first time I've seen him like this in two hundred years. Could there be some kind of conspiracy? If it is a conspiracy, then the scheme is huge, and his acting is too good.
In the end, Lin Jichen chose to believe.
That night, Young Master Li finally went out, accompanied by some skilled guards. Upon seeing him leave, Shi Yunzhou immediately contacted Zhou Xuanzhi, who was still setting up an array outside, using a communication incense stick. After receiving confirmation, he called Lin Jichen and they went out together.
Following behind Young Master Li, both of them were very nervous, fearing that Fang Xiashen would suddenly appear, and Lin Jichen even drew his sword. But even when they arrived at the entrance of the brothel, there was still no sign of anything unusual.
Could they really be going to make a scene at the brothel? There are rumors that demons drain the life force of men who frequent brothels, which is why business is so bad. But there are still some who don't believe in such superstitions, and with so many prostitutes around, there are still quite a few men. If a fight breaks out here, wouldn't it cause unnecessary casualties?
She wanted to ask Shi Yunzhou a question, but before she could speak, Shi Yunzhou had already followed Young Master Li inside.
Did Zhou Xuanzhi also agree to this? The sounds coming from inside made Lin Jichen dare not step in. Last time he went to a brothel, people enjoyed the singing and dancing; this time, the sounds felt off. Knowing there were demons present, why were they still acting so recklessly? Did they not want to live anymore, wanting to indulge themselves one last time before they died?
Lin Jichen leaped onto the roof of the brothel, where the view was excellent, allowing him to detect any slightest movement.
Once on the roof, she saw Zhou Xuanzhi and a group of fellow disciples rushing towards her. Soon, the people sent by Senior Sister Ming would also arrive, and all that was left was for the main character to make his appearance.
When the group was not far from the brothel, they saw Lin Jichen on the roof.
"Why isn't Junior Sister Lin going in?" someone asked, puzzled.
Looking at the person standing awkwardly on the rooftop, Zhou Xuanzhi realized that this Junior Sister Lin wasn't as tough as she seemed; after all, she was still a girl. When he reached the door, hearing the sounds inside, Zhou Xuanzhi just wanted to drag Shi Yunzhou out and beat him up.
Those who heard the voice also felt uncomfortable. "There are still people here. If Fang Xiashen comes, won't innocent people get hurt?"
Even if Shi Yunzhou disregarded the lives of the people inside, he still had to consider his master's reputation, even though his master had already passed away.
Even if Shi Yunzhou wanted Young Master Li dead, he wouldn't sacrifice anyone else's lives; that's for sure. Zhou Xuanzhi was quite certain that the situation inside wasn't what everyone thought: "It should all be people from Yunzhou inside. What do you say, Junior Brother?"
He looked at Lin Jichen on the roof and asked.
"He didn't say anything to me."
"What's going on in here?" The voices inside were very unsettling.
Lin Jichen heard everything clearly from the rooftop. She looked down at the people below and said with a smile, "My fellow disciples, you've arrived quite late."
"Junior Sister Lin? What's the situation inside?" Why did this action and these words become so ambiguous?
"Go in and see for yourself! I'll keep watch here while you all go have some fun!" Lin Jichen's sly smile made his fellow disciples feel a pang of heartache. The innocent and devoted junior sister who had just entered the mountain gate was nowhere to be seen.
"Shi Yunzhou said he has everything arranged." Lin Jichen stopped joking and said to Zhou Xuanzhi.
Shi Yunzhou wasn't that kind of person; the sounds inside were probably just for show. No wonder Junior Sister Lin was waiting for everyone on the rooftop. If the situation inside exceeded Lin Jichen's bottom line, she would leave no matter who it was.
After receiving the answer, Zhou Xuanzhi thanked Lin Jichen and then led everyone inside.
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