Chapter Ninety: The Plan Begins
Qing Shen Pavilion lived up to its elegant and refined name. Even its location was perfectly situated atop the mountains, where swirling clouds and soaring cranes could be seen from afar—a scene straight out of a novel or comic book. Now, it was truly unfolding before his eyes, and Ye Chi couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He looked at Ya Feiyu, who was quietly resting his head on Ye Chi's shoulder, breathing steadily. Although he couldn't see Ya Feiyu's eyes, Ye Chi guessed he was probably asleep. Thinking this, he reached out and carefully protected the back of Ya Feiyu's head.
Aying lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the two people inside. She was about to speak when she caught a glimpse of their posture and saw Ye Chi make a "shh" gesture to her. She instantly understood what was going on, lowered her voice, and said, "We've arrived at Qing Shen Pavilion. You two immortal lords, let me tell you about the rules of Qing Shen Pavilion first."
After all, it is a sect, and it has basic rules and regulations to some extent. Ye Chi was not surprised. He simply raised his hand to cover Ya Feiyu's ear and said, "Okay, go ahead and tell me. I'll listen. I'll tell him when he wakes up."
Qing Shen Pavilion is heavily guarded. After nightfall, neither disciples nor elders are allowed to leave the sect. Small teams of disciples frequently patrol the grounds to prevent anyone from breaking the rules. Furthermore, the activities of mortals like them are separated from those of the Qing Shen Pavilion disciples, ostensibly to avoid unnecessary conflict. They are assigned simple chores daily, such as moving goods, washing clothes, and cooking. If they complete these tasks diligently each day, they can earn some silver coins after a month to buy daily necessities when they return down the mountain. However, Qing Shen Pavilion provides food and lodging, so if they don't have any specific requests, they can save the silver coins.
It sounded incredibly appealing—free room and board, plus a paycheck. For a lazy bum like Ye Chi, it was the perfect job. If the pay was good enough, Ye Chi wouldn't doubt he could work there for life. But sometimes, things that seem too good to be true lose their credibility. The more Ye Chi listened, the more he felt that Ah Xiang was just making empty promises. But looking at the girl's earnest expression, she didn't seem like the kind of persuasive leader making empty promises. She was probably told to say it, and this girl probably didn't know the truth.
So, asking her won't help.
Ye Chi didn't think any major sect would be so kind. A Ying had told him that they weren't the only group wanting to submit to Qing Shen Pavilion; at least ten groups had come in recent days, some with hundreds of people and others with twenty or thirty. The fact that Qing Shen Pavilion accepted such a large number of people without hesitation gave Ye Chi an extremely strong sense of unease.
People these days are all selfish; they won't do anything that doesn't benefit themselves. Qing Shen Pavilion isn't large; it's considered one of the smaller sects in terms of area. Ye Chi didn't believe that a sect didn't have dedicated servants, yet Qing Shen Pavilion was taking in nearly a thousand mortals, paying them a salary just for doing odd jobs. It just didn't seem right.
Qing Shen Ge is, after all, a legitimate sect, not some kind of charity.
Ye Chi harbored doubts, but on the surface he pretended to be fine. He casually exchanged a few perfunctory words with A Ying, and only after the girl left did he quietly wake Ya Feiyu.
"Master, Master, it's time to wake up," Ye Chi said softly. "We've arrived at Qing Shen Pavilion, Master."
“…Ugh,” a muffled groan escaped Ya Feiyu’s lips, his long, steady breaths momentarily erratic. He looked up from Ye Chi’s shoulder, instinctively trying to find him. When he realized he couldn’t find Ye Chi, his brows seemed to furrow slightly. He only relaxed his brows when he grabbed Ye Chi’s sleeve. His reaction was a little slow, and his voice was muffled: “…What?”
Ye Chi patiently repeated, "We've arrived at Qing Shen Pavilion, Master."
Ya Feiyu then got up. He seemed a little tired, and even swayed slightly as he stood up. He frowned slightly and rubbed his temples. Seeing this, Ye Chi supported his thin shoulders and asked with concern, "Master, is something wrong?"
Naturally, he felt uncomfortable; something seemed to be throbbing restlessly in his chest and abdomen, making him quite nauseous. But Ya Feiyu clearly understood why—the Blood Jade Demon Pearl was causing trouble again. After his body gradually merged and resonated with the demonic energy, this thing hadn't caused any trouble for a while, so its sudden appearance was a bit unusual, but it wasn't unexpected for Ya Feiyu.
They had been living in a remote place with relatively thin spiritual energy for some time, so that the demonic energy and spiritual energy in their bodies could be balanced. However, Qing Shen Pavilion was, after all, a major sect for cultivating immortality. The spiritual energy here was rich and abundant, so their bodies were naturally not used to it. This is why he felt sleepy and tired as soon as he approached Qing Shen Pavilion.
After he calmed down a bit, he shook his head and said, "It's nothing, I just got up too fast and I feel a little dizzy."
Ye Chi had no doubts and nodded slightly. When the carriage stopped, he helped Ya Feiyu out of the carriage.
In some respects, the environment of Qing Shen Pavilion is actually quite similar to that of Qing Lian Immortal Sect.
The immortal cranes and birds were exactly the same, and even the plants planted were almost identical. The most obvious difference was that he could feel relaxed in Qinglian Immortal Sect, but he could only feel oppressed and heavy in Qingshen Pavilion.
I don't know if it's just psychological.
After entering Qing Shen Pavilion, A Ying parted ways with the group, and the junior disciples of Qing Shen Pavilion, dressed in the simplest attire, led them to their lodgings. Ye Chi compared their appearance with that of Tantai Wushuang and couldn't help but sigh that the difference in status truly began in ancient times.
Speaking of which, as the biological son of the Qing Shen Pavilion Master, I wonder if Tantai Wushuang will ever come to investigate the area inhabited by mortals...
I don't think so.
Ye Chi suppressed his thoughts, took Ya Feiyu's hand, and intentionally or unintentionally lagged behind the crowd.
Ya Feiyu's plan was indeed risky. After all, among the major sects that wanted them, Qing Shen Pavilion was the most active. They were afraid that if they were not careful, they would run into someone who knew or had seen them before. Even though they had disguised themselves completely, it was best to keep a low profile and be careful.
Without saying a word, the leading disciple led them around the most crowded part of Qing Shen Pavilion and turned into a secluded, deserted path.
It's clear that this is a newly opened road, as the ground is muddy and the stone bricks haven't been laid yet.
Surrounded by a dense jungle, gradually moving away from the hustle and bustle, the muddy path was quite rugged and the destination was far away. After walking for quite some time, Ye Chi finally noticed that the group's pace had slowed down. He looked ahead and a somewhat dilapidated long wooden house came into view. The mortals who had previously sought refuge here were all gathered here, dressed uniformly in the attire of Lord Qing Shen, covered in dust and mud, looking particularly disheveled.
This seemed to be different from what everyone had expected, and discontent gradually arose from the crowd. With his height, Ye Chi could easily see the end of the crowd at a glance. The disciple leading the way had a gloomy expression, and something seemed to be gathering in his palm. In that instant, a strong sense of foreboding welled up from the bottom of his heart, making Ye Chi's heart clench tightly.
The next second, a heart-wrenching wail came from the crowd.
Ye Chi glanced over in astonishment and saw that the burly man who had been shouting the loudest earlier had been lifted up by a disciple out of thin air. What was gripping his neck was flowing spiritual energy. Qing Shen Pavilion disciples usually emphasized the purity and cleanliness of spiritual energy and the absence of distractions, but this disciple's spiritual energy was turbid and seemed to contain a faint demonic aura.
The burly man's color drained instantly, leaving him looking like a dried-up corpse. His expression was frozen in horror and despair. The disciple snorted coldly, gave a cool smirk, and threw the lifeless man into the pigsty.
"No matter what your previous identity or status was, once you're here, you're all part of the Qing Shen Pavilion." His gaze swept over everyone like a hawk. After what had happened before, no one dared to question him directly anymore. Now, they had all become cowards, shut-up chickens. A hint of satisfaction flashed in the disciple's eyes as he said, "The Qing Shen Pavilion will severely punish every disobedient individual. What happened just now was merely to make an example of them. I hope you all understand the consequences of not following the rules."
The air fell silent for a moment. Seeing this, the disciple let them pass, allowing them to find their own lodgings inside the house. However, the house was already packed, and some people had no choice but to sleep under the eaves or under the trees. As for how to find their own lodgings, whether to politely share with others or resort to violence, there seemed to be no restrictions here.
Ye Chi and Ya Feiyu had no intention of fighting over the room. Ignoring the mortals who were fighting over it, they came to a tree not far away. Fortunately, they always carried tents, which solved their accommodation problem. Ye Chi leaned back in the corner of the bed, let out a breath, and said, "Master, this Qing Shen Pavilion seems to be worse and more strange than we thought."
Ya Feiyu nodded in agreement. Although he hadn't seen it, he was fully aware of what had just happened. His perception of demonic energy was even more acute than Ye Chi's, so he naturally noticed the anomaly.
"The disciples of Qing Shen Pavilion can actually come into contact with demonic energy..." Ya Feiyu murmured thoughtfully, "I wonder if it was intentional or unintentional. Perhaps we need to observe the situation further."
Ye Chi held Ya Feiyu in his arms and pressed his head against Ya Feiyu's neck: "Master, tell me, where do you think those who were captured to be used as furnaces will be kept?"
That was one of the reasons they came here. Ya Feiyu casually rubbed the back of his head, half-closed his eyes and exhaled, saying, "At least they are still alive and won't be in any trouble."
Ye Chi lowered his eyelashes. A lot had happened these past few days, and even he looked a little tired. He stopped talking and, under Ya Feiyu's gentle caress, slowly drifted into a short, deep sleep.
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