Chapter 2 The Prayer Pot: He's dead, so I'll go to the underworld and bring him back up...
No one expected Jiang Yu to utter those two words so smoothly. The disciples dared not look up, afraid to peek even once more.
"presumptuous--"
Lian Gu's mustache twitched as he angrily retorted, "Jiang Yu, even if Shen Jiuxu came, he wouldn't be worthy—"
His hand rose and fell swiftly, the crisp and clean palm strike stunning everyone present.
Lian Gu stared at Jiang Yu in disbelief. Jiang Yu was very tall, and his cold, icy eyes looked down at him as if he were an arrogant ant. For Lian Gu and Jiang Yu, it was like throwing an egg against a rock or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
"Elder Lian, has your condition deteriorated to the point where you can no longer walk due to disability in both legs? Or are you simply too old and your eyesight is failing, so you can't even distinguish basic positions? Why don't you invite a doctor to take a look, so that one day your condition worsens and you don't accidentally pass away in the underworld, and I won't have to hold my deceased husband's memorial tablet and burn incense at your grave?"
Jiang Yu turned around and sat down. The jade sect leader's token on his waist clearly and unequivocally proclaimed his identity. The two Lian brothers gritted their teeth and watched him take off the jade and wave it in front of them a few times.
"Pointing stars—"
“Young Master Jiang,” a young man in a blue robe with his hair tied up stepped out from the crowd, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, “what are your orders?”
He was one of the guards that Shen Jiuxu had arranged to guard the palace. He only ever obeyed the orders of Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu. Last night, Jiang Yu sent a message in advance, ordering him to guard this place.
"Take Elder Lian away."
"Yes." Yun Dianxing responded, grabbing the man's collar with an irresistible movement, swiftly sealing his acupoints, and dragging him away. "Elder Lian, please."
The hall was completely silent.
"All members of Shen Wuke should rest well in the sect for now, and are not allowed to enter or leave without the sect leader's order."
Jiang Yu casually uttered a sentence, but it was like a thunderclap that smashed the ground to pieces, instantly causing a wave of dissatisfaction and a quarrel.
"Jiang Yu, what are you doing? Do you really think you can do whatever you want just because you have the sect leader's token? Let me tell you, unless you've beaten me, we won't listen to the words of a cripple who can't even hold a sword."
Jiang Yu walked straight out, and the people inside the room instantly erupted in chaos. After all, the sword strike last night had instilled fear in them, but it was difficult to completely convince someone who had been silent for so long.
"Young Master Jiang, are you going out?"
After finishing his business, Yun Dianxing was about to enter the hall when he saw Jiang Yu sitting in a tree waving at him, "Keep an eye on the sect... and start preparing for Sect Leader Shen's funeral."
"ah!"
Did Young Master Jiang accept becoming a widow so quickly? As expected of a young genius, he can handle even such a major event with ease! He really needs to learn from him, after all, he himself can be upset for three days over losing a cup.
"Your subordinate will do his utmost to ensure that the Sect Master's funeral is carefully chosen and held in a prestigious manner, so as not to embarrass your humble abode." Yun Dianxing pondered. He hadn't read many books; was this how the idiom was used?
"Uh—" Jiang Yu nodded helplessly, "Just do your best."
"Young Master Jiang, are you going to avenge the Sect Master? After all, the Sect Master was a promising young man, but unfortunately died young. It's truly a case of heaven being jealous of talent."
"If he dies, I'll go to the underworld and bring him back up." Jiang Yu's face was pale, and his voice was very soft, but Yun Dianxing inexplicably felt that what he said was true.
.
Yunshui City, Qianzhang Lake.
"Hey, old man, don't you find it strange? This tree never blooms for three or ten years, but what's wrong with it today? Just one night later, it's covered in flowers. It's really bizarre." The woman was picking a small bunch of freshly cut spring chives in her hand.
"Plants and trees have spirits; perhaps something has happened. Strange things have been happening frequently in Yunshui City lately. This flower bloomed once when I was a child, and it was also completely white and green. That year, many heroes emerged, the Xianchen Sword recognized its master, and Jiang Yu made a name for himself, making many enemies. Ten years ago, this flower bloomed again, and Jiang Yu failed to ascend and was seriously injured, remaining secluded in Shen Wuke. This time, perhaps something big has happened again."
They are just ordinary people in this world, and they have very little contact with these immortal sect disciples, so it's best not to get involved.
The two smiled at each other and went into the house. It was the only house near Qianzhang Lake. Slowly, a wisp of smoke rose from the chimney on the roof.
The moonlight, like a ribbon, shone on the lush trees.
A young man dressed in a blue robe and wearing a silver-white hair crown stood under the tree. His features were exceptionally handsome, as if every inch of them had been carved with a knife and pen. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. Was his first transformation so successful?
Shen Jiuxu skillfully pressed the flower that had sprouted on her head back down, and then meticulously secured the hair crown. "Don't move around, or you'll be discovered."
After walking a few steps, Shen Jiuxu finally got used to this human body. He didn't dare to use his spiritual power casually, lest he be discovered. When he arrived in Yunshui City, it was already dawn, and there were several small stalls selling steamed buns on the street calling out their wares.
"Boss, two steamers of steamed buns and a bowl of porridge."
A strong, burly man with a sword at his waist walked over, found a place to sit down, picked up a large bowl, scooped water from the wooden bucket, and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.
The shopkeeper seemed to recognize him already, skillfully placing the steamed buns and porridge on the table. "Guard Lu, what were you doing last night? Your face is as black as coal. Aren't you on duty today?"
"Don't even mention it. I was busy all night because of that dead body case, and we didn't find anything. Let whoever wants to do this job do it. If it weren't for the need to support my family, I would have run away long ago with that room full of blood."
“Guard Lu, so many people have died in succession, and the streets are filled with fear. Look, the stalls that I usually come out with are all gone now. My wife also said that we should rest for a few days, but if we don't work, we won't get any money. Who dares to rest!”
Lu Hu comforted him for a few words and sighed. He wasn't even sure if he could protect his own life. His death was so suspicious. What could ordinary people like them possibly investigate? The city lord didn't even ask the immortal sects for help.
“Going back to rest might not be as safe as being here. There are so many people, besides the scholar who fell out of the carriage, who died at home, in the wine shop, or while working in the fields. There are so many of them.”
Shen Jiuxu sat opposite the man. No wonder there was such a strong stench of blood in the city; people had died.
The guard ate quickly, stuffing a few mouthfuls into his mouth as if swallowing dates whole, before getting up to leave.
A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, causing delicate pink and white petals to fall from the branches. Shen Jiuxu awkwardly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve; the flowers didn't smell as good as he did.
In the blink of an eye, without even glancing at the guard, he heard a very soft groan, like the sound of a branch breaking. The boss stumbled and fell onto the table, spilling the entire bowl of porridge onto Shen Jiuxu's clothes. His face turned ashen.
Someone's dead—
The guard's sword somehow pierced straight into the center of his chest, leaving a pool of blood on the ground. Several early risers stood nearby, their faces pale and trembling, their legs weak. A strange light flashed in Shen Jiuxu's eyes. In broad daylight, could this monster be so powerful that it could kill someone without making a sound?
"It wasn't me. I didn't do anything, and he just suddenly became like this."
The shopkeeper, having recovered from his initial shock, quickly grabbed Shen Jiuxu's sleeve. "Young master, you were here just now. Did we not do anything? Yet Guard Lu collapsed. If the city lord sends someone to inquire, could you say a few words for me?"
"I thought you would run away first."
Shen Jiuxu shook off his hand, took a step back without making a sound, and looked at the smudged stain on his body with disgust. How could he shield himself from these people's eyes and change his clothes?
"Why run? I didn't kill anyone. I'm still selling steamed buns here. I don't want to be known as a fugitive." The shop owner muttered, trying to explain himself. "I'm a good citizen."
Shen Jiuxu: ...
He crouched down and reached out to check the guard's pulse. His internal energy was normal, and he didn't smell anything strange.
Where exactly is the problem?
He turned the man over, and a jade pot the size of a thumb fell off the guard and rolled to the boss's feet.
What is this?
"The Prayer Pot is something many people here have. It's used to ensure peace and safety. People like them who fight and kill all day long almost all have one. It's really just a wishful thought."
Upon hearing the boss's words, Shen Jiuxu raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Then, a series of orderly footsteps were heard, and several guards dressed in identical clothes with swords at their waists walked over. Without even glancing at them, they dragged the corpse lying on the ground away.
"Hey—" The boss was about to go up and pull at the man's sleeve when he was suddenly shaken off. "Stay put. This case has nothing to do with you."
"This is the eleventh one to die."
"That's right. I heard that the person who fell off the carriage in the street is now so dangerous that nobody dares to walk on that road."
"Alright, alright, this isn't our business. I heard from the city lord that other disciples from immortal sects might be coming over in the next few days, and they'll take care of it then."
Seeing this, the shop owner silently wiped the bloodstains on the ground with a damp cloth and wanted to go find the customer from before, but found that the person had disappeared.
The shops on both sides of the street were all closed, and there was no sound. Even the birds had disappeared. Large pieces of wooden planks, which must have fallen from the carriages, were piled up on this street where people had died. No one picked them up, and they had become old and rotten in just a few days.
Shen Jiuxu smelled the same floral fragrance as before. He looked up and saw pink and white flowers dotting the lush foliage, enveloping the entire Yunshui City.
Could these people's deaths be related to this flower? But the scholar fell off the carriage, and these people's deaths clearly have nothing to do with each other. He walked to the side of the road, and behind him was a window of an inn where people were talking.
The sunlight had just reached its zenith, so bright it was blinding. Shen Jiuxu didn't want to do something so underhanded, but a clear, cold voice pierced his ear, "Qi Anhu, can you really guarantee I'll see that person?"
"Young Master Jiang, rest assured, this shop has been in business for decades. You've come all this way, and I won't do business that harms others without benefiting myself."
Jiang Yu weighed the silver in his hand, tossed it to him, and seeing the man's beaming face, guessed that he wouldn't lie to him. "You can go down now, prepare a superior room for me."
"Alright, Young Master Jiang, please go ahead and prepare the room. Strange things have been happening in the city lately, especially for young masters from wealthy families like yours. It's best to avoid going out and be careful."
"Um."
The prayer pot was placed in the center of the table, with a gilded incense burner in front of it, which was more than half full of incense ash. Jiang Yu stared at it for a long time, his dark eyes unmoving. Finally, he took three incense sticks from the side and prayed devoutly a few times.
His lips twitched a few times. If someone were here, they would definitely recognize the person's name—Shen Jiuxu.
The footsteps slowed down, and gradually there was no more movement inside the house. The deceased husband, who was eavesdropping outside, realized that something was wrong. He could not sense the presence of the person inside, or even their lifelessness.
Humans are born with a spirit. Those who are healthy have a stronger spiritual energy, while those who are critically ill or bedridden have a weak, almost imperceptible spiritual energy. Those with profound spiritual cultivation can often judge a person's safety or danger by observing their spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy was quite strong just now, so why has it disappeared?
Shen Jiuxu knew in his heart that this was bad. If another person died in front of him, then all his cultivation over the years would have been for nothing.
He smashed open the window with his sword, only to see a young man in white robes looking dazed. A wisp of green smoke slowly rose from the Qi'an teapot, seemingly containing something hallucinogenic. Shen Jiuxu didn't look at him much, picked up the tea on the table and splashed it over, then turned and covered the man's mouth and nose.
His movements were surprisingly practiced, as if he had done it many times before. The person in his arms reached just to his chin, making it a perfect fit to hold.
Shen Jiuxu was stunned for a moment. Jiang Yu's face was not good. Just as he was about to see the person, the incense smoke stopped abruptly. A tall figure in front of him held him tightly. He moved his finger, and the incense burner fell off the table with a "bang," breaking the silence in the room.
"Haven't you hugged me enough?"
Shen Jiuxu realized what was happening and took a few steps back somewhat awkwardly. Hearing the person's voice, he frowned slightly and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Yu froze, clenching his fists until his fingertips turned white. He looked up in disbelief, and there was still that face, but with a hint of unfamiliarity in his eyes. Was this an illusion caused by the Qi An Pot or a real person?
Seeing that the other person remained silent for a long time, Shen Jiuxu thought that his behavior was too excessive and his apology was not sincere enough. Just as he was about to continue speaking, the other person swiftly threw the hilt of his sword at his face.
With a "smack," he was grabbed by the arm and thrown out, and then the window was slammed shut.
;
A note from the author:
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The newbie (Shen Jiuxu, who has lost his memory) has just left the village and encountered a max-level expert (Jiang Yu, who is full of resentment and whose husband has died). What kind of sparks will they create? Stay tuned for the next episode [laughs]. Get some rest now.
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