Chapter 31: Si Xiang City (Part 3) That was truly a terrifying thing...
Early in the morning, just as the sun was about to rise, Zhu Ciying combed the two strands of hair that hung down her chest in front of the mirror. The sunlight, striking the mirror, caught the dazzling light from the osmanthus-flowered pearl hairpin in her hair, some of which fell on the silver bell on her wrist.
As she walked down the stairs, the silver bells rang up and down, quietly without making any sound.
The lobby on the first floor of Taoyuanju.
"Yingying, come here!" Zhou Mingran had the habit of getting up early, so he called her over for breakfast. "I ordered your favorite spicy Maoxuewang."
There are not as many rules for spiritual food in the world of cultivation as in the mortal world, so you can eat whatever you want for three meals a day.
Zhu Ciying pulled out a stool and served her a bowl of rice: "Senior Sister, let's eat together."
Yun Bujin, Xu Feihuai, Qu Wanqing and the other two went downstairs one after another to eat.
The greedy ghost bird also got up early for the first time, flew down from the upstairs, and sat down on Zhu Ciying's dining table like a round white ball of fur.
Zhu Ciying picked up some spicy and fragrant duck blood for him.
"Where's my senior brother?"
The spirit bird puffed out its cheeks and said, "He's still asleep. I told him to get up and have breakfast, but he said, 'Don't make any noise. Let him sleep a little longer.'"
Zhu Ciying had no doubts. She thought that her senior brother must have put a lot of effort into repairing the jade flute and needed a few more days of rest.
So, she went to the service desk, left a spirit stone, and told the waiter in the store to ask the kitchen to prepare a calming soup and send it to her senior brother after he woke up.
In front of Taoyuanju, several energetic young men and women stood together. The men were handsome and the women were pretty, attracting passers-by to look up at them constantly. It was hard not to be noticed.
Yun Bujin bowed to everyone and said, "Everyone, please split up. Be careful and meet up here before dark."
The six people went their separate ways.
Zhu Ciying took out the jade slip and took the flying car to the City Lord's Mansion according to the route planned last night.
Her right shoulder sank, and the spirit bird nestled on her shoulder familiarly.
Zhu Ciying raised the corners of his lips slightly, and couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met the spirit bird. A string of sizzling grilled mushrooms won it over.
However, she lowered her eyes. How could the spirit bird be so fat then? This showed that it had been fed a lot of good things with her and Xie Rangchen.
"Why are you staring at me, little fairy?"
"Hmm..." Zhu Ciying thought for a moment, "I'm thinking about how to tailor a weight loss plan for you to help you regain your former glory."
Spirit Bird: “…” No.
"No, there's no need to lose weight. Winter is coming in a few months. Eating a little weight can help keep out the cold." The spirit bird tried to struggle.
Zhu Ciying said as he got off the flying car, "It's just the end of June and the beginning of July. The weather will still be hot for a long time. How can it be winter soon?"
The spirit bird froze for a moment, then listened to her continue:
"Si Xiang City is full of dangers. We can't guarantee your safety. If you don't lose some weight, aren't you afraid that you won't even have the strength to escape?"
That was a really scary thing.
"I'll reduce, I'll reduce, I'll reduce a lot."
With just two sentences, Zhu Ciying successfully made the spirit bird's desire to survive overcome laziness.
The spirit bird was dejected and had no intention of continuing to appreciate the scenery and delicious food along the way.
It didn't raise its head until it felt Zhu Ciying stop.
Upon entering, one is greeted by a magnificent mansion, its gate clad in golden nanmu wood and flanked by two stone lions. The walls are constructed of indestructible obsidian, with white jade tiles and gold bricks paving the way. It exudes luxury in a subtle yet understated way.
Zhu Ciying watched from a distance and tried to sense the young guards guarding the door. Their cultivation was all at the Golden Core Realm.
In the world of cultivation, those at the Golden Core stage were considered exceptional talents, the kind that any sect would strive to capture first. Yet, not only had they given up their promising futures, they had even willingly become gatekeepers... This demonstrated the immense power of the Four Symbols City Lord.
"Wow, what a gorgeous house! The imperial palace in the mortal world is probably no more than this, right?" the spirit bird exclaimed.
Zhu Ciying agrees with its point of view.
She walked naturally and generously towards the City Lord's Mansion.
When she was still one step away from the door, the guard's sword stopped her in front of her on time and accurately: "Please show me your pass."
Pass order? Zhu Ciying had never heard of it.
"According to the rules of the cultivation world, cultivators can freely visit the city lord's mansions of various states." She took out the token from the Zhixing Division and said, "I am a disciple of the Shaoyang Sect. I have come down the mountain to investigate the disappearances in Sixiang City."
The two guards' faces changed slightly when they heard "investigating the disappearance case in Sixiang City." Although the movement was small, Zhu Ciying still caught it.
"You are a cultivator from Shaoyang Sect. Miss, please wait here for a moment. I will go and report to the city lord." After one person finished speaking, the magic circle under his feet floated and disappeared in an instant.
Teleportation array. Zhu Ciying frowned and calmly memorized the array into his mind.
She waited for a cup of tea until the magic circle emerged and the guard returned. "The city lord said he's very grateful for your efforts and told you not to worry. He's been secretly investigating the disappearances and has made some progress recently. It won't be long before he can resolve the matter."
"So, please go back, girl."
It's hard not to suspect something fishy when they order you to leave before you even meet.
"good."
Zhu Ciying took two steps back, and the jade slip in her hand vibrated slightly. She looked down and saw that it was a message from Yu Yongji.
[Yu Yongji]: Yingying, did you miss me? Hey, I've already looked into the matter you asked me to investigate.
[Yu Yongji]: On the day of the Water God Festival, the Dawn Terrace's photo stone suddenly broke, then inexplicably repaired. I asked people on several streets, and finally a beggar told me that one night he saw a man furtively touching the photo stone, wearing a bone mask.
[Yu Yongji]: It must be Xiao Jiang... I didn't realize that he actually knows a little bit about weapon repair.
Zhu Ciying's days of speculation finally came true. But why did Xie Rangchen want to repair the photo stone? Was it really, as he said, just for fun?
She didn't have much time to think about this, so she had to put it aside. She had more important things to do.
[Zhu Ciying]: Uncle Yu, do you know the mayor of Yuzhou Sixiang City? I came to Yuzhou on a mission and encountered some difficulties.
Yu Yongji: Yuzhou? Why is it this damn place again? What bad luck!
Yu Yongji: Let me think, the lord of Sixiang City was called Yan Chengyun. I remember that he had a personality that matched mine very well; he was warm, hospitable, forthright, and generous.
[Yu Yongji]: Everyone who comes is a guest. When did he learn to refuse guests?
Zhu Ciying lowered her eyes and tightened the jade slip in her hand.
[Yu Yongji]: Yingying, don't worry. Yan Chengyun and I have some friendship. Wait for my good news.
"Miss, is there anything else I can do for you?" The guard asked when he saw that she was still not leaving.
Before Zhu Ciying could answer, the magic circle on the gate of the City Lord's Mansion suddenly activated, and a gap opened from the inside to the outside.
Upon seeing this, the two guards immediately bowed their heads and made a "please" gesture, saying respectfully, "The city lord invites you. Come in, young lady."
Zhu Ciying stepped over the threshold. The golden bricks shone brightly in the sun, making them particularly dazzling.
She couldn't help but look back, only to find the door had closed automatically. The mansion was unusually quiet, with not a single sound besides the rustling of leaves in the wind. It was cold and deserted.
In a trance, she had a strange thought: this mansion seemed like an elaborate and gorgeous cage.
In the scorching summer heat, the spirit bird broke out in a cold sweat: "I have a hunch that something terrible is hidden here. Little fairy, do you believe me?"
"Believe it or not, I'll have to find out."
Zhu Ciying walked straight towards the living room in the mansion.
Halfway through, she stepped on a gold brick, which sank into the ground under the weight. Zhu Ciying's body tilted, and a ball of purple-black gas flew past her ear.
My ear felt a sharp pain for a moment, and when I raised my hand to touch it, I found a little blood on my fingertips.
Zhu Ciying stood firm and looked up.
The black energy changed direction and shot towards her at a rapid speed.
"Little fairy, get out of the way!" The spirit bird thought she was scared silly and quickly reminded her.
Oh no, it’s too late. The bird covered its eyes.
When he was half an arm's length away from his heart, Zhu Ci's hand, which was tucked into his wide sleeves, moved.
Her slightly red lips opened slightly: "Seal."
The black energy was held back by one of her thin fingers, fixed in place, unable to move.
She clasped her five fingers together in her palm, and the black air also felt it. The surrounding space was squeezed and deformed.
"burst."
The black air exploded with her light shout.
In the living room behind her, a dark red figure gradually emerged from the darkness into the light.
Yan Chengyun took a deep look at the girl's back in the open space. The sleeves of her light blue shirt fluttered in the wind, and the wind blew away her hair, revealing a small scar on her forehead left by a burn.
"Good reaction." Yan Chengyun praised sincerely.
Zhu Ciying turned around, her tone tinged with sarcasm: "Does everyone who comes to visit you have to go through your test, City Lord Yan?"
"Sorry, sorry." Yan Chengyun bowed to her, an embarrassed look on his face. "Come in first, I'll explain it to you slowly."
After she sat down, Yan Chengyun personally poured her tea.
The tea is light green and steaming hot.
Zhu Ciying glanced at it indifferently. She had spent half the night drinking tea with Xie Rangchen last night, and now she didn't want to see the tea at all, let alone drink a sip.
Yan Chengyun obviously noticed this as well, and he laughed to himself, looking very much like Yu Yongji. No wonder Yu Yongji said they got along very well.
"It's normal that the young lady doesn't like drinking tea." He waved his hand and a maid walked in from outside the hall.
He ordered, "Tell the lady that a distinguished guest is visiting the mansion today, and ask her to prepare some cakes and send them to the front hall."
The maid nodded and left quickly.
"Brother Yu said that you are his niece."
Zhu Ciying's brow twitched slightly. Uncle Yu had even fabricated a false identity to take advantage of her.
"Yes, my name is Yu Ying, an inner disciple of Shaoyang Sect."
She gestured to Yan Chengyun to look at the token on her waist, which indeed had the three big characters "Shaoyang Sect" engraved on it.
"May the city lord please tell me what you just left unsaid."
The cheerful look on Yan Chengyun's face faded. "Over the past six months, countless cultivators have come to my residence under the pretext of solving cases and saving lives. But without exception, they either had other plans in mind or were killed while trying to solve the case."
"The case hasn't been solved, and more and more people are getting involved. I think this isn't a long-term solution, so I've issued a task list to the three major sects, looking for more powerful and capable monks to solve this matter."
"I didn't meet you because I was afraid that the more you knew, the deeper you'd fall into the trap, and you'd risk your life in vain."
It sounded like Yan Chengyun was doing this for her own good. Zhu Ciying asked, "So according to your ideas and your approach, has the case been resolved?"
Yan Chengyun looked troubled: "No. But I have some vague clues."
Zhu Ciying: "Tell me about it."
"I've discovered a great demon lurking deep in the woods west of the city. I've fought him before, and he practices evil magic, his moves vicious and cunning, making it impossible to defend against him."
Yan Chengyun said, "To be honest, I was seriously injured in that battle. If my wife hadn't brought people to me in time, I would have died there. After that, I rested in the mansion for half a year before I looked my best now."
When mentioning his wife, Yan Chengyun couldn't help but reveal a gentle smile on his face.
Zhu Ciying observed his expression carefully, not missing a single detail.
As she thought, she subconsciously drummed her knuckles rhythmically on the armrest of the chair.
The spirit bird noticed her little action and wondered: The little fairy was tapping the handrail with her fingers...was she imitating her senior brother?
Before it could figure out what was going on, it saw a line of maids entering the hall, carrying food boxes. The woman at the end of the line had a bun on her head, but her face was very pretty, like a lotus flower emerging from water.
"Madam, why do you have to go there in person?" Yan Chengyun walked up to her and grabbed her hand and held it in his palm.
Yao Taotao smiled at him softly and pulled her hand away: "How can you be so rude when you have a distinguished guest here?"
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The author has something to say: Brother Xie seems to be tanking... (The first signs of tanking are emerging)
I will catch typos later, and there will be another update, so don’t wait any longer, go to bed early [heart]
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