"Isn't there a celebration banquet in the clan? Why is she here?"
"You said earlier that this was a celebration party. If you're not here, it's unclear whether the party can be held."
After hearing Song Chengming's words, Tu Nian frowned.
A pair of lanterns hung in a row at the entrance of the tavern, but the light was dim, only illuminating the outlines of people. The man talking to Ding Rong wore a large hood that perfectly obscured his face. Tu Nian could only judge from Ding Rong's expression that the two of them were probably familiar with each other.
It is very strange that the people of Xuejiu would have contact with Yuqing disciples.
"We have to listen to what they say."
Tu Nian decisively reached for the Taifeng Talisman in the mustard seed, but was interrupted by Song Chengming just as he was halfway through. "What are you still listening to? Everyone's gone!"
Tu Nian immediately looked up and saw Ding Rong following the man into the alley next to the tavern.
"What should we do?" Song Chengming asked.
"Chase."
Tu Nian responded, took out two hidden magic talismans from the mustard seed, put one on Song Chengming and one on himself, picked up the Qingfeng Jue and followed.
The God-hiding Talisman is a good thing used to conceal breath and spiritual power, but it has nothing to do with invisibility. If Tu Nian and the others want to follow, they still have to hide from place to place.
The alley was a small path between a tavern and a shop. There were few lights coming in. After passing through it in the dark, there was a sparsely populated woods. There was not even a stone slab to step on, only soft mud.
"The ground is so sticky," Song Chengming couldn't help but complain. He had nearly lost his shoes several times while chasing after them.
"Don't make any noise, tell me via voice if you have anything to say." Tu Nian reminded him.
She was young and light, so she could perform much better than Song Chengming in this kind of place. She chased after the two men's backs and nimbly moved among the bushes.
After chasing for about three to five minutes, the two men finally stopped. When Tu Nian saw them stop, he immediately pushed the big man Song Chengming into the bushes. The latter was unable to react in time and almost lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"Be quiet."
After supporting the man, Tu Nian reminded him again, then quickly took out the wind-saving talisman from the mustard seed, flipped his wrist, and quietly sent the talisman out.
"When the time comes, you put...into..."
"But……"
Hiding in the bushes covered with mud and flying insects, Song Chengming overheard the intermittent conversation over there. He sent a depressed voice message to Tu Nian: "Your talisman is useless. You can't hear clearly when it comes to the crucial part."
Tu Nian also looked worried when he heard this, "It's too far away, the Tailing Talisman can't reach it."
But the forest ended at where they were. If they went any further, they would probably alert the enemy.
After listening for a moment, she suddenly narrowed her eyes and patted Song Chengming beside her, "Look at them, are they exchanging something?"
It’s not that she was making a fuss, but the vision was poor at night, and the distance between the two sides was too far. With her cultivation level of the early Jindan stage, it was difficult to see the other party’s specific movements.
Song Chengming used all his eyesight to look at it, and after a while he came to the conclusion, "It's an embroidered cloth bag."
What's in that bag?
Tu Nian was concentrating on thinking when Song Chengming's hurried voice suddenly rang in his ears, "Oh no, they're going back."
"Retreat first."
When he came to his senses and saw Ding Rong approaching them, Tu Nian didn't dare to think any more and immediately fled the scene with Song Chengming like the wind.
After this terrifying following, their already empty stomachs growled even louder. After leaving Yuqing's territory, the two of them found a random restaurant and had a meal with three dishes, a soup and a pot of wine. I can't say how delicious the food was, but they did feel satisfied with having filled their stomachs.
Of course, Tu Nian didn't touch the wine much. Being greedy was one thing, but he couldn't let it delay his work during the competition.
After eating and drinking, the two started chatting again, from the situation of this year's competition to the response to the subsequent talisman competition, but after a few words, they returned to the matter before the meal.
"Should I tell Master about Ding Rong's matter?" Song Chengming felt that this was a serious matter.
"How do you say that?"
Tu Nian dipped his chopsticks in the spout of the wine jug, brought it to his lips and took a sip, saying in a daze, "You and I have no evidence, just because she went to chat with someone after dinner, what crime can we accuse her of? If we expose the matter now, it will definitely alert the enemy, and the things in the bag will not be found."
Song Chengming tapped the table lightly with his index finger and said, "I understand this, but I'll tell Master. It's better to be prepared than to do nothing."
Tu Nian raised her lips and glanced at him, "As for being on guard, you and I are enough."
Seeing Song Chengming's puzzled expression, she poked her chopsticks on the table and used the wine to scribble on it. "She's looking for trouble at this juncture, obviously targeting the competition. And to interfere with the competition, there are only two reasons: the results or the people."
"If they want to tamper with the results, they have to bribe the referees, but looking at her, she doesn't seem capable of doing that, so the only option left is to tamper with her."
Taking a deep breath, she held up four fingers and pressed them down one by one. "Now there are only four items left to compete: alchemy, weapon, talisman, and sword. Jixue herself is not particularly outstanding in alchemy and weapon techniques. Obviously, the effort and reward are not proportional when competing in these two areas."
"In the end, only talismans and swordsmanship are left. In other words, if we want to take action," Tu Nian raised his hand and pointed at Song Chengming, then pointed at himself, "you, me, and Second Senior Brother are the most suitable candidates."
"Of course, there is another possibility..."
Tu Nian held the bamboo chopsticks, gesturing and analyzing. Song Chengming listened attentively, and became more and more frightened.
It was already late when the two of them returned to their residence after chatting.
Although Tu Nian had been very controlled, that one sip still made her feel a little dizzy, and she had difficulty walking in a straight line. Song Chengming clearly expressed his disapproval of her alcohol tolerance, and in the end he had to walk her back to the door.
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