The empty city was destroyed (19)
Snowflakes were falling heavily in the gray sky. While Ye Yingying and Gu Wusi were talking on the roof, Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu were looking at each other below with the puppet.
For the two of them, puppets themselves were not particularly special, but the fact that a soul was inside a puppet was quite unusual.
Especially since they had all seen what Shaoling looked like in the illusion, seeing this faceless wooden figure now inevitably made them feel a little strange.
Wu Yue was filled with regret. Shao Ling was so clueless about how to navigate that she couldn't even find her own way. How could she possibly lead the way for them?
"I should have known better than to come," Wu Yue thought to herself. She turned to look at Yun Yanqiu again; he remained silent and seemed no different from a wooden puppet except for his physical appearance.
Ye Yingying didn't know how long she would talk to Gu Wusi; waiting was too agonizing.
Wu Yue pursed her lips in annoyance, but then heard Yun Yanqiu suddenly speak up: "What else do you know about Zhan Yan?"
Wu Yue raised her eyes and glanced at Yun Yanqiu, not understanding the purpose of his question.
"As the high priestess of your tribe, you should have access to the historical records of the Wu tribe. What is the connection between Yue Li and the Wu tribe?"
"What great witch? I was banished from the valley long ago," Wu Yue said with a smile. "No one with no name or status is worthy of knowing the secrets of the witch clan."
"You don't know either?"
"No, I do know something." Wu Yue put her hands on her hips and said calmly, "I have seen the sinner's wall in the valley. It says that thousands of years ago, there was a person who was exiled for trying to know and change his fate."
"That person's name is Wu Yan."
Yun Yanqiu was slightly taken aback: "You mean, Zhan Yan is that Wu Yan?"
“Perhaps.” Wu Yue said calmly, “He was expelled from the Valley of the Witches, came to Yue Li, and used his divination skills to rise to the position of Imperial Preceptor, regarding himself as a god…”
"However, if he was truly banished because he knew his fate and tried to change it, then the fact that he possesses a magical artifact to escape his calamity is not just a rumor." This is good news for Wu Yue.
“If he truly possessed such power, why would he have transformed this place into a secret realm after his death?” Yun Yanqiu retorted. “Wu Yue, although I came with you for a transaction, to be honest, I don’t have a high opinion of this matter.”
Wu Yue remained silent for a moment, but still stubbornly said, "We'll only know if it's true or false after we find out."
Seeing her resolute determination, Yun Yanqiu naturally had nothing more to say. He closed his eyes and sighed, "There was a reason why the Witch Clan drove you out."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm praising you."
On the rooftop, Ye Yingying and Gu Wusi were still at an impasse. After Ye Yingying asked that question, Gu Wusi clearly did not want to answer her simply.
Her expression grew colder as she scrutinized Ye Yingying once more: "In your eyes, what kind of person is the 'Ghost Calculator'?"
What kind of person is the Ghost Calculator? Ye Yingying felt a sudden heaviness in her heart. Hadn't she asked herself this question before?
She had been by the Ghost Calculator's side since she could remember. She could eat the high-grade pills that he casually made as snacks. When she encountered any difficulties outside after growing up, she could get a solution as long as she went back and asked him.
Ye Yingying had always believed that the Ghost Calculator had done her a favor, so how could she possibly hate him? —At least she had never doubted that in the past.
So when she was killed by the cunning strategist, she felt more confusion than resentment. And after being resurrected, when she thought of the cunning strategist, the first emotion that welled up in her heart was still bewilderment: if he wanted her dead, why did he let her live?
The more confused she became, the more tormented she felt. Eventually, her confusion turned into anger, driving her step by step to where she is now.
If it weren't for Yun Yanqiu, she would definitely have chosen to perish together with the Ghost Calculator.
After a long silence, Ye Yingying gave her answer: "He has treated me well. There are some things I must do in person to get an answer from him before I send him on his way."
These words sounded ambiguous to Gu Wusi, and a hint of disappointment was evident in her eyes, but she still pressed on: "His cultivation has now reached the Void Returning stage, just one step away from ascending to immortality. Even the one downstairs is at least two realms below him. What makes you think you can compete with him?"
Seeing that Ye Yingying's expression was normal, Gu Wusi raised an eyebrow and added, "Besides, he never leaves Michen Mountain. Do you want to rush into his base camp and fight head-on with a Void Returning Realm expert on his territory?"
"A head-on confrontation is naturally the worst strategy." Ye Yingying also knew that a Nascent Soul stage expert's attack was like heavenly thunder and earthly fire, and for her to face them head-on would be tantamount to suicide.
So rather than barging directly into the Ghost Calculator's stronghold, she preferred a more covert and roundabout approach: "We both want him dead, so why don't you just tell me directly how to kill him with the Azure Nether True Fire? I'll do it then, and you won't have to take the risk, right?"
“I have no intention of cooperating with you yet,” Gu Wusi retorted mercilessly, her voice filled with resentment as she mentioned Gui Suanzi. “He may have been kind to you, but to me, he is simply my enemy.”
"You just said you wanted to get an answer from him, but who knows if you'll still be willing to kill him after hearing his version of events?"
"Besides, he's been insane for a long time. Do you think you can reason with that old madman?" Gu Wusi sneered disdainfully.
"Has he gone mad?" Ye Yingying frowned. Did that cunning fortune teller kill her because he went mad?
"How did he go crazy? What did you see?"
"No comment." Gu Wusi lost his patience and waved to Ye Yingying, signaling her to leave.
"etc……"
Ye Yingying wanted to say a few more words, but Gu Wusi wouldn't give her the chance. Suddenly, a strong wind arose, stirring up the snowflakes that obscured the view. Gu Wusi was seen braving the swirling snow, trying to escape.
"Gu Wusi!"
Ye Yingying shouted urgently. Seeing that Gu Wusi was about to escape, Ye Yingying gritted her teeth and rushed forward, but she still missed.
Where did she go?! Ye Yingying looked around in panic, but the wind and snow forced her to tighten her arms to protect her face.
The next moment, a tall figure pulled her into his arms, and a calm voice immediately rang out: "Let's avoid the snow first."
Yun Yanqiu embraced her and jumped down. The two entered the light of the Dinghan Lamp, and their vision became clear again.
"Did they run away?" Wu Yue asked Ye Yingying.
Ye Yingying nodded silently.
"I knew it." Wu Yue snorted coldly. "That guy wouldn't cooperate with us so easily. Just now, as soon as the snow got heavier, the puppet disappeared."
Ye Yingying looked at the empty space where the wooden figure had stood, her expression complicated.
"It's good that you're alright," Yun Yanqiu comforted her, brushing the snowflakes off her hair.
Looking at the snow curtain in the sky, Wu Yue asked again, "What do we say now? Should we set off immediately or wait until the snow subsides?"
Wu Yue certainly wanted to leave immediately. Once Gu Wusi disappeared, he might go ahead and find the magical artifact left by Zhan Yan. But they still had Zhao Yuxiao who hadn't woken up yet. It was definitely not appropriate to leave him alone here, but if they took him with them, who would carry him was another problem.
She looked at Yun Yanqiu with a slightly reproachful gaze, as if to say, "You knocked her out, so you have to take responsibility."
Yun Yanqiu felt her gaze, looked down at Zhao Yuxiao who was still unconscious, and pondered, "Let's wait for him to wake up."
I knew he'd say that! Wu Yue glared at him impatiently and said fiercely, "If Gu Wusi gets the magic weapon first, I'll kill her if I have to take it back."
Yun Yanqiu didn't answer, but simply lowered his head, silently watching Zhao Yuxiao. His blow hadn't been severe; logically, he shouldn't have slept for so long. What if Zhao Yuxiao himself didn't want to wake up?
Zhao Yuxiao had a dream in which he returned to the time shortly after he attended the Heroes' Gathering.
As he passed through a corridor, he overheard people talking about him across the wall.
"The young master of the Lingyun Alliance lost to an unknown girl in the final match of the Heroes' Gathering."
"Really? I haven't even gone to see it. Doesn't everyone say he's the best student in this year's class?"
"What is his status? He was born a star, and everyone around him loves to flatter him."
"So in the end, he's just a pretty face with no substance?"
"Well, you can't say that. I heard that girl was quite strong too, and she fought the young master to a standstill."
"How capable can a girl from a fallen noble family be? I think it's just that the young master himself is incompetent and can only rely on his father to pull strings behind the scenes."
"Tsk tsk, his father had it tough too, it must have cost him a lot of money to bribe his way to the end. And yet his son was so disappointing, losing to some nobody."
"Hey, she's not a nobody anymore. I heard that as soon as the Gathering of Heroes ended, the Qi family came to propose marriage. She'll be the young mistress of the Qi family from now on!"
"Wow, she's suddenly risen to prominence and become a phoenix."
"You know what, that woman is quite clever. The Lingyun Alliance must have tried to bribe her, but she refused. Hey! She even knows which brings in more money, winning or losing."
"Do you think she's stupid? Marrying into the Qi family means immense wealth and status. Compared to that, the little money the Lingyun Alliance spends to win people's hearts is nothing."
"That's right, that's right, hahaha!"
Ever since losing to Qin Zhiqing at the Gathering of Heroes, Zhao Yuxiao has been constantly subjected to open and veiled sarcasm.
He knew that his performance at the Gathering of Heroes was indeed due to carelessness and a lack of skill, so he didn't take those words to heart. He also understood that even if he were to go back to that time and compete again, he still wouldn't be able to defeat Qin Zhiqing.
Qin Zhiqing's moves were sharp and decisive, without any hesitation, each move pushing him to the brink of death. On the other hand, he was always hesitant and cautious on the field, even when his opponent revealed a weakness, he would hesitate again and again.
He originally thought that the reason for this was that he had only practiced with others in the Lingyun Alliance in the past and had not experienced complex and ever-changing real combat.
However, even after he went out to train for a long time, he still couldn't make his sword strikes clean and decisive.
"Zhao Yuxiao, you are too trusting of others. You always think that everyone in the world is good, so you are compassionate and indecisive." Senior Yun once said this to him.
"If one day you find yourself being used and aiding and abetting evil, what will you do?"
What should I do? Zhao Yuxiao hadn't thought about this question in detail. The era of rampant demonic cultivators was too far removed from him. He grew up in a peaceful and tranquil environment, so he naturally felt that everyone around him was a good person.
Even those who mocked him, he felt that they were not bad people at heart, but just unaware of the truth, so he never took it to heart.
He couldn't answer Yun Yanqiu's question, so the other party asked again, "Why do you wield a sword?"
He knew this: "To eradicate all evil spirits in the world!"
"But swords are not only for slaying demons and monsters, but also for killing evil spirits." Yun Yanqiu said solemnly.
"Senior, is there a difference between demons and evil spirits?"
"Evil spirits lurk in the mountains and forests, while wicked ghosts hide among humans."
"Zhao Yuxiao, if you ever encounter evil spirits, do not hesitate to kill them all."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuxiao suddenly woke up and saw three pairs of eyes staring at him.
"So you finally realized you were awake?" Wu Yue looked down at Zhao Yuxiao, her tone displeased.
"Um, how long have I been asleep?"
"It was only a short time, that is, Ye Yingying and Gu Wusi talked for half a day, and in the end, she escaped for so long."
"Hiss... that sounds like they're blaming him." Zhao Yuxiao could only stand up with an awkward smile: "Sorry."
"It's fine, there's no rush here anyway." Wu Yue snorted and glanced away.
Zhao Yuxiao didn't understand what this meant, but when he looked around and saw the shopkeeper smiling and greeting him not far away, he suddenly realized—they had entered the illusion again.
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