Chapter 32: Si Xiang City (IV) "Junior sister, would you like to build a snowman together? ...
The maid set out the cakes and left in a hurry.
Yan Chengyun and his wife were extremely young, both of them were outstanding in appearance. Standing together, they looked like a fairy couple from a storybook, perfectly matched and pleasing to the eye.
"I apologize for our inadequate hospitality to our distinguished guests." Yao Taotao bowed slightly. "My surname is Yao, and my name is Taotao."
"No," Zhu Ciying replied, "Hello, Madam Yao. My name is Yu Ying."
After a few simple greetings, Zhu Ciying brought the topic back on track.
"City Lord, two of our fellow disciples from the Shaoyang Sect have disappeared after accepting the mission from Sixiang City. I've come here to track them down. If you have any leads, please let me know."
Yan Chengyun's expression was serious, and he said seriously, "Of course. But as I just said, the deep woods west of the city are worth exploring."
"My injuries are almost healed. Let's discuss and choose a suitable time to go."
"Well, I'll discuss the time with Senior Sister later."
Zhu Ciying's gaze fell lightly on the two of them.
Yan Chengyun's body stiffened when he was looked at by her. He quickly took Yao Taotao's hand and said, "Madam, my injuries are not fully healed yet." His words were full of hints.
Yao Taotao suddenly reacted like a bubble popped by a needle. She grabbed his arm and said angrily, "You took the initiative to go out and die, and now you blame me for not stopping you."
She suddenly shook off his hand and tilted her head to the side, as if she was genuinely angry. "Last time I went to the west of the city to rescue you, I told you that from now on, whether you live or die is not my responsibility. Go find someone who can control you."
"Oh, ma'am, I was wrong. Please don't ignore me!"
Yan Chengyun grabbed Yao Taotao, held her in his arms, and looked into her eyes lovingly.
The spirit bird covered its eyes speechlessly. It really couldn't understand the complex and wonderful emotions between humans.
Zhu Ciying looked away and took the initiative to say goodbye.
"I'll let you know after we've discussed the itinerary."
Yan Chengyun quickly agreed: "I'll take you out of the house."
As soon as he stepped out of the mansion, a piece of snow-white fell in front of his eyes. Zhu Ciying caught it with quick eyes and hands, and the cold palm turned into water droplets in an instant.
She looked up and found that the sky, which was sunny when she came, had undergone a drastic change. It was pale, gloomy and foggy.
The cold wind blew towards the spirit bird, and its feathers exploded and it shivered.
"It's snowing." It heard the fairy's voice.
Yan Chengyun was not surprised. "Four Symbols City, as the name suggests, the four symbols refer to spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The city contains four seasons and four scenes, so it is called 'Four Symbols'."
Zhu Ciying used his spiritual power to help the spiritual bird keep warm.
"I've only seen the Four Elephants City in geographical books before, but seeing it today has really broadened my horizons."
"Sixiang City is a place of great feng shui, with outstanding people and open-minded folk customs, making it suitable for long-term residence." Yan Chengyun said.
"City Lord Yan, there's no need to send me off."
"Okay. I'll wait for your news."
Zhu Ciying said goodbye to him at the gate of the mansion.
On the way back, she did not take a taxi, but walked slowly on the busy street.
The people in Sixiang City were already accustomed to the sudden blizzard and just went about their business.
Based on weather changes, shop owners put umbrellas of unique styles for sale in front of their shops.
Large flakes of snow fell on Zhu Ciying's hair, and the spirit bird turned into a snowball.
The noisy hawking sounds around her did not interrupt the girl's thoughts.
She kept recalling every detail of the City Lord's Mansion, from Yan Chengyun's forced temptation, Yao Taotao's pretended concern, and the couple's relationship that was clearly not in harmony but was deliberately put on for her to see.
The big monster in the west of the city... Can Yan Chengyun's words be trusted?
Zhu Ciying crossed two streets and when she came to her senses, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.
"Bamboo Forest Studio."
It seems that this is where my senior brother is going.
He probably hasn't left yet.
The door was open and Zhu Ciying walked in.
Inside the Bamboo Grove, large areas of bamboo are covered with a layer of snow-white.
The talented scholars recited poems and painted pictures facing the snow scene, but Zhu Ciying had no intention of listening and only wanted to find Xie Rangchen as soon as possible.
After searching around for a while and not seeing anyone, she went into the backyard to try her luck, walking slowly along the long corridor.
A blizzard was raging, and the ground was covered with thick snow, all silvery white.
Zhu Ciying saw a snowman standing inside the moon-shaped door at the end of the corridor.
There were a few small stones stuck crookedly on the snowman's belly.
She paused slightly and pursed her lips.
The trail of footprints she left on the snow was soon covered by the wind and snow.
Zhu Ciying half-knelt in front of the snowman, with snow falling on her long eyelashes.
She heard the sound of footsteps on the snow, but she paid no attention to it.
It was not until a bamboo stick was inserted into the snowman's body that Zhu Ciying's dark eyes showed a hint of emotion.
Just like she did three hundred years ago, she turned her head to look at the person coming, and her eyes met the two small red moles squarely.
"Junior sister, would you like to build a snowman together?"
Zhu Ciying stood up straight, crossed her arms over her chest, and laughed out loud: "I'm not a child."
"Who says building snowmen is just for kids?" Xie Rangchen asked, "Ten years from now, a hundred years, a thousand years from now, I can do it if I want to."
He glanced at Zhu Ciying and said, "Junior sister, you can do it too."
Zhu Ciying tilted her head and looked at him with a frown.
It turns out that people who lose their memory really do become stupid.
Restoring memory has to be done in advance.
Zhu Ciying suppressed the thought deep in her heart and when she looked up, her pupils suddenly shrank.
The reason was simple. She found that Xie Rangchen's clothes were dry, not wet at all from head to toe.
The heavy snow and wind blew down on her, but it avoided Xie Rangchen. This was not in line with common sense.
Zhu Ciying regained her voice after a while: "You...used spiritual power to separate the snow, right?"
Xie Rangchen nodded, and he casually separated a part of his spiritual power, which lingered around Zhu Ciying, protecting her from the erosion of wind and snow.
Zhu Ciying was so shocked that she was speechless.
Senior brother, has he entered the tribulation period?
No way...
Zhu Ciying was sure that the combination of the Golden Mysterious Flower and the Seven-Leaf Magical Branch would not have such an incredible effect.
When she returns to Shaoyang Sect, she will have to ask her master what is going on with Xie Rangchen.
"Brother, let's go back."
"Aren't you going to make a snowman?"
Why are you still building a snowman? Zhu Ciying was speechless, not understanding his train of thought, and said perfunctorily: "Next time, next time I will help you build a snowman."
"All right then."
Zhu Ciying passed by him exhausted, but he grabbed her wrist with one hand, and then she felt a warm sensation in her ear.
Xie Rangchen pressed his fingers on her ears, applying very light force. He sighed softly, "Why did you hurt yourself again?"
Zhu Ciying's body was like an ice sculpture that had been frozen in the ice for thousands of years, so stiff that it couldn't be any stiffer.
"We can build a snowman next time, but I can't let you get hurt again." Xie Rangchen lowered his eyes to look at her, his gaze incredibly gentle. "Junior sister, I don't want to see you get hurt more than anyone else."
What does this mean?
It sounds strange and may lead to misunderstanding.
Zhu Ciying looked into his eyes.
Xie Rangchen's eyes are extremely beautiful. The tails of his eyes are slightly upturned but not evil or seductive. Paired with his dark pupils, they give people a sense of gentleness and innocence.
The wind and snow fell beside the two of them. Zhu Ciying looked at him for a long time and was sure that Xie Rangchen was just concerned about her and not in love with her.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and the heat in her ears subsided.
"I'll be more careful next time and try not to bother you."
Xie Rangchen frowned: "That's not what I meant."
"Brother, you've got it wrong." Zhu Ciying said, "If I encounter something I can't solve, I'll still bother you."
"I can handle minor injuries like this myself."
Zhu Ciying walked behind him, following his footprints: "What news did you find out today?"
Xie Rangchen touched the back of his head.
Zhu Ciying poked her head out from behind him: "You haven't been playing in the snow here all day, have you?"
Xie Rangchen: "..." How did Junior Sister guess that? Was he doing it so obviously?
*
Zhu Ciying's room in Taoyuanju.
Xie Rangchen poured tea for everyone.
Yun Bujin said, "Everyone, please tell us what clues you have learned today, and then we can discuss the next steps."
"Let me speak first."
Yun Bujin took a sip of tea and said, "The chaos in Sixiang City started half a year ago. Just as the landlady said, the demons only capture young and beautiful women with high cultivation. Besides that, they all have one thing in common: they were born on a Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour."
"To put it another way, they are the perfect furnace and cauldron holy bodies in the world of cultivation."
Xu Feihuai continued, "As for the objects of sacrifice, some speculate that they were used to enhance the power of the great demons and monsters, while others believe that they were simply used as cauldrons for people to cultivate and ascend. Alternatively, some believe that the sacrifices were used to activate some kind of evil magic that helps people resurrect..."
Zhou Mingran: "Stop, stop, stop, my mind is so confused."
There is the furnace and the restoration technique, and the purpose is too complicated.
"I need to digest the information first."
Qu Wanqing supported his head with both hands, looked left and right, and no one spoke.
She said, "So far, Sixiang City has lost sixteen young girls. Also, hiding in the house at night is actually useless. The reason the landlady asked us not to leave the house is because she had someone set up a formation to prevent demons from breaking in easily."
In fact, they knew this as soon as they entered the house last night.
"The City Lord was injured while fighting a great demon half a year ago and only woke up after being in a coma for half a year. However, his temperament has changed a bit since waking up," Xie Rangchen said. "In previous years, he liked to hold poetry gatherings in the Bamboo Forest Studio at this time. This year, he hasn't even set foot inside."
Zhu Ciying said, "I went to the City Lord's Mansion today and met with the City Lord and his wife. Just as Senior Brother said, the City Lord's personality is indeed different from before. The most obvious thing is that there seems to be a crack in their relationship."
Zhou Mingran's gossipy spirit ignited, and she told him everything she had heard in the brothel: "I know, I know this!"
"When the city lord was young, he always had Bai Yueguang in his heart. Unfortunately, when their marriage was about to be completed, the current city lord's wife intervened and they were unable to be together."
"It is said that the city lord's wife and the city lord's white moonlight are sisters. It's so rare that a close relative can steal someone's love. Tsk tsk, even the storybook wouldn't dare to write that." Zhou Mingran smacked his lips repeatedly.
"Since his injury healed, the city lord realized who he truly loved, so he proposed a divorce from his wife."
Yan Chengyun wants to divorce Yao Taotao?
Zhu Ciying's heart trembled. Was that why they pretended to be affectionate in front of him?
"Everyone, I have a bold plan."
Zhou Mingran briefly explained his plan and summarized it in one sentence: undercover plan.
Yun Bujin thought about it and didn't quite agree.
"How can you let a girl take risks?"
The demon only preyed on young women. Any one of him, Xie Rangchen, or Xu Feihuai would be safer than the three of them.
He looked around and found that both Xie Rangchen and he were too tall, so even if they tried to disguise themselves, they couldn't.
Xu Feihuai, on the other hand, is young and still growing, so he has room to develop...
"Why not let Junior Brother go? He can disguise himself as a woman and with the help of elixirs, deceiving them shouldn't be a problem."
"Besides, Junior Brother is quiet and won't reveal his true intentions easily."
Xu Feihuai: "..." I didn't offend any of you.
"Hahahaha..." Zhou Mingran slammed the table and laughed. It was a good plan. I won't plan it next time.
Qu Wanqing was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Brother, please don't embarrass him."
"For a technical job like undercover work, I'd better leave it to this female hero." Zhou Mingran volunteered, "I have a high level of cultivation and rich experience. Moreover, I was born on a yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour. I am the most suitable person to infiltrate and serve as an undercover agent."
She took out a crystal ball, placed it in the center of the table, and introduced it, "This crystal ball is a treasure I found a few years ago. It has a live broadcast effect."
"I'll take the other one with me. Once I'm inside, I'll broadcast the footage to you in real time."
Everyone unanimously agreed on this plan.
At midnight, Sixiang City fell into silence.
After a burst of footsteps.
"Knock knock knock." The devil knocked on the door.
Qu Wanqing sat upright on the edge of the bed, holding his sword tightly in his hand.
Zhou Mingran, who was in the next room, heard the knock on the door and quickly determined that Mo had knocked on the wrong door.
That won't work.
Her plan failed because she caught the wrong person.
Zhou Mingran deliberately kicked over a chair, making a loud noise and exposing his position.
As expected, Mo was attracted and turned to knock on her door.
Zhou Mingran walked to the door with light steps and opened it.
I was fooled!
The demon's face lit up with joy, he pressed her sleeping point, and without saying anything, he carried the person away.
After he walked away, everyone gathered again in Zhu Ciying's room.
They sat together and looked into the crystal ball.
After about two quarters of an hour, a clear picture gradually emerged from the surface of the crystal ball. Everyone was shocked.
The devil's cave was littered with broken limbs, both human and animal.
And something even more terrifying is yet to come...
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Author's words: Xie Tiantian: I hope my junior sister won't notice if I act badly [three-colored cat head]
Zhu Ciying: Open the door! Please accept inspection [roll eyes]
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