Chapter 132: Pursuit
That night, Liu Yanzi went to the palace and reported to the emperor that the Qingxu Sect had recruited Qingniang.
"They asked Qingniang to go to Xiangyun Tower. Could it be that Xiangyun Tower is also related to Qingxu Sect?"
Liu Yanzi said, "I think it's impossible. Xiangyun Tower has been open for more than ten years, and I have never heard that they believe in Qingxu Sect."
Song Yuzhu said: "There are only three days left until June 15th. I will send the military to meet you outside at that time."
Liu Yanzi refused: "Your Majesty, the fewer people we alert to this matter, the better. If the news leaks out, it will be difficult to find them."
Song Yuzhu was a little worried: "I'm afraid that the two of you will get stuck in this and can't get out."
Liu Yanzi smiled and said, "If the two of us can't use our Qinggong skills to escape, then sending people to the Military Department will be useless."
Come to think of it, Song Yuzhu had to give up and told him to protect himself and Qingniang and to evacuate immediately if he found anything wrong.
*
On the fifteenth day of June, Qingniang arrived at Xuanyi Tower early. Jinshan gave her a thin close-fitting armor that could protect her from ordinary swords and knives.
Chu Jing gave each of them a pill: "Ahem, this medicine is for refreshing the mind. If you hold it in your mouth, ordinary intoxicants will not work."
Qingniang took it, patted his shoulder with a smile and said, "Thank you, Brother Chu."
Chu Jing staggered after being slapped by her: "You are just a little girl, but your hands are so strong."
Liu Yanzi changed into a nightgown and handed Qingniang a whistle: "Wear this and blow it immediately if you encounter danger. I will take you away in time."
"Hey." Qingniang put away the whistle. It was a life-saving device and she couldn't joke about it.
As agreed, Qingniang took the wooden sign to Xiangyun Tower at Youshi. Seeing that the time was almost up, she walked towards Xiangyun Tower alone.
Liu Yanzi had to wait until it got a little later before going, otherwise she would have no way to hide.
Chu Jing looked at her back, and his eyelids suddenly jumped: "Owner, why do I feel a little uneasy?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
When it was completely dark, Liu Yanzi set out towards Xiangyun Tower. In less than an incense stick of time, he had reached the roof of Xiangyun Tower.
He searched for Qingniang room by room, but in the more than 30 rooms of Xiangyun Tower, there was not even a shadow of Qingniang!
Liu Yanzi's heart skipped a beat. Xiangyun Tower might be a place to pass on messages. The real place where they worshipped the moon must be somewhere else. Qingniang was in danger!
He didn't care about anything else and jumped down from the rooftop. He found the shopkeeper of Xiangyun Building and asked, "Which room did the girl who came with the wooden sign at twilight hour go to?"
"Sir, this is private and cannot be disclosed."
Liu Yanzi pulled out a dagger from her waist and stuck it on the table in front of him: "Speak or not!"
The shopkeeper swallowed his saliva and said, "Even if you kill me, I dare not tell you. The boss has a strict rule that if I reveal the privacy of customers without permission, I will not be able to be the shopkeeper anymore."
"Are you still worried that you can't be the shopkeeper? I will make sure you can't even be a human being!" Liu Yanzi pulled out a knife and put it on his neck.
"East Wing, Gaoshan Liushui Pavilion!"
Liu Yanzi pushed him away and flew out. The shopkeeper thought he had encountered a wild ghost and was so scared that he almost fainted.
He came to the east wing and soon found the Gaoshan Liushui Pavilion. He heard the sound of clinking glasses inside, and it was clear that someone was having a meal. He was about to turn back when he suddenly thought that maybe this room had been reserved by someone else.
Just then, a waiter delivering drinks came over. Liu Yanzi raised her hand and knocked him out, then took the wine jug from his hand, knocked on the door and walked in.
Inside the house, several wealthy merchants from Shangjing were drinking and having fun. Liu Yanzi put the wine pot on the table and began to look for clues around the house. Suddenly, he found half a piece of paper under the feet of a merchant. Liu Yanzi bent down to pick it up, but the merchant moved his foot and the paper stuck to his foot was also moved away.
Liu Yanzi was extremely anxious. She pulled off his shoes and read the note while walking.
"Hey! What are you doing with my shoes?!"
The note read: "Please come to Changxi Palace, five miles east of the city, for a gathering."
"Give my shoes back to me!" The rich businessman whose shoes were stolen was confused and ran after him on tiptoe.
After reading the note, Liu Yanzi threw her shoes away and ran outside.
The rich businessman picked up his shoes and yelled, "What a lousy place! I'm going to file a complaint against you!"
*
Five miles east of the city, hundreds of people gathered outside an inconspicuous small temple. There were not only men but also women, and they all had cloth towels covering their faces.
Qingniang also covered her face with a scarf and blended in with the crowd. As the sky darkened completely, the sound of stringed instruments suddenly rang out in the temple.
"Start, start!" The crowd became restless. Qingniang looked at them in confusion, not understanding what these people meant by "start".
Soon the crowd surged forward, and Qingniang was forced to follow in.
From the outside, Changxi Palace looks like just a shabby little temple, but when you walk in, you'll find that it's full of mysteries.
A rockery in the middle of the yard turned out to be a secret door, and people lined up and walked in one by one.
Qingniang was a little panicked. This place was so secluded. Would she be in danger if she went in?
But leaving suddenly at this time would definitely alarm them and all our efforts would be wasted.
"Hurry up, those behind!"
The person in charge of the inspection urged her impatiently. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Qingniang had to bite the bullet and queue up, hoping that the owner of the post would arrive as soon as possible.
"Token."
Qingniang quickly took out the sign that the man had given her from her waist and handed it over.
The person in charge of the inspection took the token, looked at Qingniang, waved his hand and said, "Go in."
"Aren't you going to give the sign back to me?"
"No, we will return it to you, sir."
Qingniang nodded hesitantly and walked down the stairs.
The further down we went, the wider the place became. We could faintly hear the sound of stringed instruments. When we finally reached the bottom, Qingniang was completely shocked...
I saw a huge natural cave below, in the center of which was a naked statue of a goddess as tall as a staff. The statue was painted red, and these people were kneeling in worship before it.
Soon Qingniang discovered the man who gave her the wooden sign. This man should have a very high status in the Qingxu Sect, and he was standing at the front of the crowd.
On the high platform right in front, there was a strangely dressed man with his hands raised high, mumbling something incomprehensible.
After he finished speaking, he grabbed a handful of black stuff from the box next to him and sprinkled it into the brazier next to him. The cave was filled with smoke and an unpleasant smell came.
Qingniang felt a little dizzy, probably because of the cigarette, so she quickly took out the pill Chu Jing gave her from her waist and put it in her mouth. There was probably mint leaves added to the medicine, and the cool taste made her more awake.
Soon she realized something was wrong. After smelling the smoke, these people gradually lost their minds. Men and women gathered together and began to take off their clothes and have fun. The obscene scene was simply disgusting!
A few men noticed Qingniang who was alone in the corner, and they walked towards her with lewd smiles.
Qingniang stepped back nervously. She didn't know what was added to the smoke. Although her head was still clear, her body was out of control and her legs were so sore that she couldn't use any strength.
"Get away...stay away from me!" She pushed a man away angrily, and only moved him half a meter away. In the blink of an eye, those people surrounded her again and could not be driven away.
Qingniang was extremely anxious. If she had known this place was so weird, she would not have dared to come down. But knowing earlier is priceless. Now she can only wait for rescue. At worst, she can just think of it as being bitten by a dog. It's no big deal!
Qingniang bit her lips and closed her eyes, saying that she was bitten by a dog, but when someone tore off her clothes, she couldn't help but shed tears.
Suddenly a voice stopped those people: "Who allowed you to touch the saint?"
When the people around heard this, they quickly retreated to the side in fear. Qingniang opened her eyes and saw that the man in front of her was the man who gave her the token.
"Is it you?"
The man pulled her up and said, "Don't be afraid. After tonight you will be able to live forever with the Moon Goddess."
"ah?"
Qingniang was brought to the high platform in front by him, and she had a panoramic view of the disgusting scene below. Although she had been in the martial arts world for many years, she was still an inexperienced girl. She blushed and turned her head away, unwilling to look any more.
After half an hour, the effect of the smoke seemed to have dissipated, and these people seemed to have suddenly woken up. They put on their clothes, knelt on the ground and began to kneel again.
The masked man walked up to Qingniang and took her hand.
The people below shouted in unison: "Greetings to the Moon Goddess."
Qingniang got goosebumps from being frightened. These people were kneeling down to worship her? Why were they kneeling down to worship her?
Before she could figure out the result, several people tied ropes around her hands and feet. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and found that she had fallen on the head of the statue of the goddess!
She lowered her head in horror. The group of people had fanatical expressions on their faces and actually started dancing around the statue of the goddess.
Qingniang suddenly remembered that Liu Yanzi had mentioned that the Qingxu Church hung women on trees to let their blood flow... Only then did she understand that the red paint on the goddess statue was not there, but the blood of countless women that had flowed on it and dried up to become like this!
"I can't be so unlucky..." Qingniang was already in tears. If the host didn't come soon, she would be bled!
*
At this time, Liu Yanzi followed the clues and finally found Changxi Palace outside the city. He was not the only one who came. The people from Xuanyi Tower in Shangjing received his call signal almost at the same time and hurried over here.
He originally thought that those people had asked Qingniang to meet in the city, so there should be no danger. Unexpectedly, the meeting place was outside the city. He didn't dare to ask for help and hurriedly gathered people.
Liu Yanzi climbed into the temple to take a look. She had no idea when the temple was built. Because there were no incense offerings, it looked a bit deserted.
The dilapidated Changxi Palace looked a little weird in the night. There was no one in sight, but the note clearly stated that this was the case.
He lit a tinder and searched for traces in the yard. When he walked near the rockery, he suddenly stepped on something. He looked down and found it was the bone whistle he gave to Qingniang!
She wouldn't just throw away something so important. She must have been in danger or was leaving a mark for him!
Liu Yanzi walked around the rockery but still found no other clues. Soon other people from Xuanyi Tower arrived one after another.
"OP, what happened?" Jinshan was the first to arrive.
"Qingniang is missing here!"
"Were we attacked by surprise?"
"I don't know. She left the bone whistle I used to give her the message here."
Soon Heidao and Baixiu also arrived. Song Yuzhu saw the signal from Xuanyi Tower in the Imperial City and hurriedly ordered the two to come and help.
When Liu Yanzi saw them, her heart instantly returned to her stomach. Bai Xiu was a master at finding people, and her five senses were superior to those of ordinary people. It was not easy to hide in front of her.
She picked up the bone whistle and sniffed it, then listened around. Suddenly, she pointed to the ground and said, "Underground! They are underground!"
(End of this chapter)
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