seedlings of Jianmu
With a puzzled expression and an uncertain tone, Wen Zheng perfectly portrayed a person suffering from amnesia.
Dan Fengyu paused, holding the apricot blossom hairpin in his hand. He looked up at Wen Zheng, his eyes indifferent: "Playing dumb?"
Wen Zheng turned her head to look at him with a questioning gaze. "I'm sorry, I really don't know you."
After saying that, he hid behind Mu Qing, holding all the talismans he had drawn over this period of time in his hand.
Dan Fengyu stared at her coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion. The apricot blossom hairpin in his hand flew to Wen Zheng's face: "You've even forgotten this? This is something you'd rather break the sect's rules to get."
The apricot blossom hairpin stood there quietly, its silver exterior inconspicuous, as if it were an ordinary woman's everyday headdress.
Mu Qing probed with her spiritual energy and, after confirming that it was just an ordinary apricot blossom hairpin, turned to show it to Wen Zheng.
Wen Zheng stood behind Mu Qing, not daring to step forward. Ever since Shan Fengyu appeared, she had felt inexplicably uncomfortable. This discomfort came from the bottom of her heart and made her feel unwell all over.
Her gaze fell on the apricot blossom hairpin. Wen Zheng looked puzzled for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, I really don't remember anything."
The matter of the apricot hairpin is not important; getting rid of Shan Fengyu is the most important thing.
After gazing intently at Wen Zheng for a long time, Shan Fengyu turned and left. The apricot hairpin, now devoid of spiritual power, fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
As the excitement subsided, the onlookers turned and went to other arenas. After speaking with the elders guarding the arenas for a while, Shu Mo walked over to Wen Zheng.
At this moment, Wen Zheng picked up the apricot blossom hairpin from the ground and held it in front of Mu Qing: "Do you know this?"
The apricot blossom hairpin was so ordinary that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Dan Fengyu is, after all, the head of a sect, and he wouldn't lie about such a trivial matter. Besides, it's easy to verify the truth of such a small matter.
She was executed because of this apricot hairpin?
A voice inside her told her that things weren't that simple.
Shumo walked over and saw the apricot blossom hairpin in Wenzheng's hand, her expression changed.
Wen Zheng noticed the change in her expression and, recalling the other woman's "courtesy" on stage, she revealed the apricot blossom hairpin and asked, "Is there something wrong with this?"
Shumo is Feng Gui's disciple, and Feng Gui is particularly attentive to her, even investigating the cause of her death. She should know about this apricot blossom hairpin.
“This is just an ordinary hairpin,” Shumo said, shaking her head. “However, the owner of this apricot blossom hairpin is the Goddess Xuanhe.”
Mu Qing frowned and asked, "That goddess who cultivated diligently and ascended to immortality?"
Shu Mo nodded: "It is her. The Goddess Xuanhe cultivated in the Bitter Temple Secret Realm for a thousand years and finally attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven under the apricot tree. When later generations followed the traces of her ascension, they only found this apricot hairpin."
Wen Zheng still didn't understand after listening to the two of them, and continued to ask, "If I only stole an ordinary hairpin, I wouldn't be beaten to death, would I?"
According to rumors circulating in Qian Sheng Palace, she was personally executed by Shan Fengyu and was absolutely dead.
Shu Mo's eyes flickered, and she was about to speak when she noticed the people guarding the crowd, and her expression darkened.
"Go back to Hundred Dry Peak, the Peak Master also wants to see you."
Wen Zheng and Mu Qing exchanged a glance and followed Shu Mo to Bai Ku Peak.
The rear chamber of Guanghua Hall.
After ordering Shan Wuxiu to be confined, Shan Fengyu went to the back room to rest with his eyes closed. The black bird, finding it too stuffy, quietly flew back, opened the birdcage, and prepared to go in.
The creaking sound of the birdcage opening interrupted Shan Fengyu's thoughts. He looked at the black bird, and the suppressed anger in his eyes made the bird tremble.
"You're not asleep?"
The hoarse voice was as unpleasant as the demons beneath the roots of the Jianmu tree, and a look of disgust flashed across Dan Wuxiu's face.
"You idiot, you dared to lay a hand on someone in public and get caught red-handed. Did you think you were living too comfortably without being discovered?"
After saying that, he flicked his fingertips and struck the birdcage with spiritual energy.
The birdcage was shaken violently by the blows, and the black bird fluttered inside, its fallen feathers turning into black mist.
"Stop! Stop now!"
"I didn't mean it, who knew your stupid son would actually swear it in public!"
The man surnamed Mu caught him using evil magic in public. According to past examples, Shan Wuxiu should have denied it to the death and used his status to suppress others. Who knew that he would be so stupid as to make a heavenly oath in public.
Although it was the black bird that possessed Shan Wuxiu and attacked Wen Zheng, Heaven wouldn't care about that; it would only hold Shan Wuxiu accountable.
Mentioning Shan Wuxiu only intensified Shan Fengyu's anger, his expression turning sour as if he wanted to devour someone.
"If it weren't for him forcing Wen Zheng to take the treasure, I would have possessed him long ago."
The original plan was to use this fool to keep Wen Zheng occupied, then send someone to keep an eye on her, and rob and kill her after she obtained the treasure.
It seems that even before Wen Zheng has made a move, Shan Wuxiu is already digging his own grave.
The black bird, perched in its cage, couldn't help but ask, "I really don't understand why you didn't just kill Wen Zheng?"
Using the name of the Palace Master of Thousand Saints Palace, it would be much simpler to kill someone on a minor charge, just like before.
Dan Fengyu snorted coldly, looking at the black bird with the gaze of someone looking at a dead man: "Do you know what treasure Wen Zheng took away?"
The black bird poked its head out of the cage: "What?"
"Newly sprouted Jianmu seedlings."
After the words were spoken, the blackbird was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's alright, can't you sense this thing?"
Dan Fengyu slowly got up and walked to the black bird's side. "Wen Zheng used a secret technique, so I can't sense the location of the Jianmu seedling now."
Facing the approaching figure, the black bird pressed its back tightly against the cage and whispered, "Even if she has a Jianmu sapling, it's useless. Didn't the tribe put a curse on it, requiring a human sacrifice? Besides, the Jianmu takes a very long time to grow."
The clansmen will be able to come out in six months, so even if Wen Zheng plants the Jianmu saplings now, it will be too late.
Dan Fengyu gently pushed the birdcage, his drooping eyelids casting a shadow over his eyes: "You'd better pray every day that things will turn out the way you want, otherwise... we'll all go back to the underground."
He had already experienced Wen Zheng's cleverness before. After she stole the Jianmu seedlings, she hesitated to make a move, forcing him to take the initiative and force Wen Zheng to hand over the Jianmu seedlings.
Unfortunately, she got away.
Her current restraint is seen by Shan Fengyu as her waiting for an opportunity, a chance to strike decisively.
On Baiku Peak.
After Shumo brought the two of them to see Feng Gui, she did not leave. Instead, she told Feng Gui what had happened during the competition.
"This is outrageous! That idiot Shan Wuxiu has gone so far as to do this, and Shan Fengyu is even protecting him."
Feng Gui was so angry that she smashed the teacup in her hand and slammed her hand on the table with a loud bang.
Wen Zheng looked down at the cracks on the table and reassured him, "I'm fine. The reason I had Mu Qing keep watch among the crowd today was just to confirm one thing."
Feng Gui turned to look at her: "Why take such a risk?"
Wen Zheng glanced at Shu Mo, and seeing that Feng Gui didn't move, she understood what she meant and said directly, "Mu Qing and I suspect that Shan Wuxiu and Shan Fengyu are no longer human, but evil spirits suppressed under the Jianmu tree."
Today, when Shan Wuxiu controlled the whip, the black mist in her eyes made her 80% certain.
Feng Gui's anger instantly subsided, and she lowered her eyes to think. Shu Mo, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, couldn't help but say, "Impossible."
If so, wouldn't that mean the Thousand Saints Palace has long been rotten, and when will the justice she longs for finally arrive?
Wen Zheng noticed that her mood was off. After a moment of silence, she looked at Mu Qing, her meaning clear: she wanted him to speak.
Mu Qing nodded to indicate that she understood, and continued, picking up where Wen Zheng left off: "Actually, we suspect that the person who created the Thousand Saints Palace was a demon that escaped."
The story of an ordinary, secluded cultivator who emerges with the extraordinary ability to turn the tide is just like something out of a traditional storybook.
Shu Mo fell even more silent, her eyes even filled with a deathly stillness.
After everyone quieted down, Feng Gui asked, "What proof do you have?"
Catching a thief with stolen goods is impossible without evidence; otherwise, you can't convince others.
Wen Zheng took out the paper Mu Qing had written on and pointed out the age problem of the previous Palace Masters of Qian Sheng Palace: "The cultivation level of each of them is at the Mahayana stage. I suspect that the power of the demon is at the Mahayana stage. The reason for their short lifespan is mostly because the demon has consumed all the essence and soul, and their body has no support and has deteriorated."
The turnover rate in Qian Sheng Palace is indeed fast, with almost every hundred years or so changing hands, and sometimes even faster. Dan Fengyu only sat on the position of Palace Master for a little over seventy years.
Feng Gui listened intently, and when she heard Wen Zheng say that the demon had devoured the spirit, most of the doubt in her eyes faded, and she believed Wen Zheng's statement.
"Do you have a way to deal with evil spirits?"
Wen Zheng shook her head. She hadn't even recovered her memories yet, and the information about the demons was given to her by Mu Qing.
Seeing that her master believed Wen Zheng's words without hesitation, Shu Mo said in a low voice, "Why don't you let me verify it?"
She still couldn't accept this outcome.
Feng Gui waved her hand: "No need to verify, I believe what she said about demons."
Shumo was unwilling to accept it: "Why?"
Why did my master so easily believe what others said, without even giving himself a chance to verify it?
Feng Gui poured herself a cup of tea and turned to look at Wen Zheng: "Actually, you are very similar to your mother. She once saved my life. After she died, I found out that there is a way to summon souls and turn dead cultivators into ghost cultivators."
Wen Zheng paused, her hand holding the teacup faltered, Mu Qing's cold eyes widened in surprise, and Shu Mo was even more confused and puzzled.
Feng Gui continued, "I tried to summon your mother's soul, but I failed. I thought it would be good to summon your father's soul, but unfortunately, I failed again."
Wen Zheng lowered her head, took a sip of tea, and said, "Summoning souls seems to be a forbidden technique, right?"
His tone was uncertain, as if he were questioning himself.
Feng Gui spoke with such confidence that Wen Zheng first doubted whether she had misheard, and then questioned whether summoning souls was indeed a forbidden technique.
“It’s definitely a forbidden technique,” Feng Gui said.
All three present remained silent. Shu Mo's mind was filled with resentment, and only one thought remained:
The things my master did must never be discovered.
Ignoring their silence, Feng Gui continued, "You said that demons devour human souls, which reminds me of when I tried to summon the souls of my fellow disciples and apprentices, I couldn't find their souls."
After she finished speaking, she recalled the frustration she felt when the attempt to summon the spirit failed.
At this moment, Wen Zheng had no intention of stopping. After gesturing to Mu Qing with her eyes, she glanced in the direction of the gate.
Should we run?
Mu Qing shook her head, implying that Wen Zheng could wait a little longer.
After Feng Gui finished her sigh, she looked at Wen Zheng and said, "Originally, I didn't want to go too far because of the camaraderie between me and Shan Fengyu."
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Wen Zheng glanced at the other two, then turned her gaze to Feng Gui, who was gesturing for her to speak.
She paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Feng Gui drew his long sword and slammed it on the table. His eyes were fierce as he said, "Since he is a demon, of course we must eliminate him and uphold justice. Tonight at 7 PM, follow me to fight against the wind and rain."
Wen Zheng's gaze swept around the crowd, and she asked hesitantly, "Us?"
Feng Gui nodded: "Whoever doesn't go, I'll deal with them first."
Wen Zheng stared blankly at the long sword, swallowing hard.
Mu Qing nodded, agreeing with Feng Gui's words.
Shu Mo thought for a moment, then drew her long whip: "Let's do it!"
To avenge the loss of his spiritual roots.
After the matter was settled, everyone prepared to leave, but Feng Gui kept Wen Zheng behind.
“You don’t need to go tonight,” Feng Gui said, taking out a map.
Wen Zheng took it and looked at it. It was a map of the dry wells in the mass grave, with many small black dots on it: "What is this?"
She pointed to the small black dot, her face full of confusion.
Feng Gui wiped the knife with the hem of her clothes, not raising her head much: "When I went to the mass grave, I accidentally discovered a dark shadow that seemed to have intelligence."
Wen Zheng glanced down at it and asked, "You want me to go get something?"
Feng Gui stopped wiping his knife and smiled, "Smart. We'll hold off Shan Fengyu. You go and come back quickly."
Wen Zheng frowned and agreed as she looked at the numerous small black dots on the map.
Just as Wen Zheng was taking the map out, she heard voices behind her.
"Wen Zheng, I've staked my life on you, don't let me down."
"Um."
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