Chapter 289 Reunion of Old Friends
Upon hearing the voice, Murong Yunyan smiled and said, "Ye Xuanzhi, you really haven't changed at all."
The woman's indifferent voice carried a slight hint of sarcasm. Before she could finish speaking, hurried footsteps echoed from inside the hall, followed by the appearance of a man. His fair and handsome face was fixed on the person standing before him, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Oh wow!
Mu Jianjian exclaimed inwardly.
"How did you end up here?" Ye Xuanzhi was dressed in a black and white brocade robe, with hexagram patterns sewn on it, exuding the aura of the Heavenly Dao. His black hair was tied up in a bun, and his bright eyes were filled with weariness. His fragile appearance, combined with his pale face, made him stand out even more.
He sneered at Murong Yunyan, completely unaware that there was a strange girl standing next to him. "Sneaked in here? That crazy woman won't let you in."
"Ye Xuanzhi, do you still think you're some high and mighty young master of the Xuanmen Sect?" Murong Yunyan crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow and mocked, "At best, you're just a live-in son-in-law of a Celestial Venerable. Once your magical artifacts are taken away, you're nothing."
The more the woman spoke, the worse Ye Xuanzhi's complexion became.
He was fully aware of his current predicament. Trapped in this Rainbow Feather City, no one would know of his existence unless he showed himself. But with a secret technique placed on him, how could he cross these layers of runes and reunite with the cultivators?
"Speechless now?" Murong Yunyan's eyes held no sympathy, but rather a hidden hatred and glee. "With your nature, what good is it if you've inherited the secret arts of the Xuanmen Sect? You might be quite comfortable being Ni Chang's gigolo now."
The secret arts of the Xuanmen sect should have been hers!
"I don't know if being a gigolo is comfortable, but I do know that being someone's substitute must be very happy." Ye Xuanzhi calmed down and spoke clearly, each word hitting Murong Yunyan's sore spot.
"you!"
A short, angry shout escaped her lips, and Mu Jianjian could clearly sense the woman's emotional fluctuations.
"What? You went to all this trouble to come here today, surely you didn't come here just to say this?" Ye Xuanzhi glanced at the girl with her head down behind Murong Yunyan, then looked away. "If there's nothing else, just inject your divine sense into the jade slip on the curtain, and you'll be able to leave quickly."
They will leave soon, but they might be "invited" out by the cultivators here after they sense their presence.
“I’m here to give you a chance,” Murong Yunyan said seriously after calming down, “On behalf of Tianqixuan, I’m giving you the opportunity to regain your freedom.”
Tianqixuan.
Mu Jianjian immediately recalled the division of power in the Heavenly Palace that Awen had explained to her earlier. Unlike when she transmigrated ten thousand years ago, when the palace was divided into various powerful families, the Heavenly Palace is now divided into various factions, with Niyu City and Tianqixuan being one of them.
"The price?" Ye Xuanzhi stopped in his tracks as he was about to turn around. His light eyebrows and dark hair, against the luxurious background, resembled a clear and elegant ink painting. His black hair was parted and hung down, clearly outlining the boundary between the two.
“To do things for us,” Murong Yunyan said slowly, “don’t worry, it will be without involving the interests of the Xuanmen, and also—we need the secret techniques of the Xuanmen.”
The secret arts of the Xuanmen sect have been passed down for hundreds of years and have always been passed on only to the sect leader's personal disciples. If they are leaked, not only will a hundred years of accumulation be destroyed, but the revelation of heavenly secrets will also be punished by the heavenly way.
"Your appetites are far too big." Ye Xuanzhi gritted his teeth, staring at her intently as if he wanted to remember her face forever. "I used to think you were a hardworking and kind senior sister."
“Your kind-hearted senior sister disappeared the moment she lost her secret technique,” Murong Yunyan said nonchalantly, spreading her hands. She touched her brow and curled her lips. “You have three days to consider. If that time passes, you’ll probably just have to wait to die in the golden cage that Ni Chang made for you.”
"Don't expect me to leak this information to the Xuanmen. You claim your cultivation methods are profound, yet you can't even find the designated young master. What is that if not incompetence?"
“Oh right,” Murong Yunyan paused as she walked back, adding, “I’m afraid Ni Chang will sell your precious demon beast too, right?”
As soon as she finished speaking, disregarding Ye Xuanzhi's attitude and expression, she walked straight towards the circular passageway and reached out to put her hand on the girl's shoulder.
Mu Jianjian raised her eyes and released several illusory butterflies a second before her hand fell.
The next moment, both of their bodies were covered in black smoke, and they reappeared on the outside of the passageway.
This time I saw through the secret technique...
It's similar to homogenizing the creatures you've encountered with your own body, and then passing through a set barrier.
After looking down, Mu Jianjian saw the black shavings in her palm. She covered them with her hand and quickly turned her head to look around. Seeing that no one was around, she pretended to be scared.
"I promise I won't tell anyone now that I've finished what I did. Can you please let me go?"
Murong Yunyan glanced down at her, and seeing the girl's pitiful, trembling appearance, she casually tossed the metal sphere from her spatial bag to the girl opposite her. "After you've made your vow, go and put this in Ni Chang's room."
This is the magic artifact that the other party just used to unlock the last restriction on Ye Xuanzhi!
Did she steal it from the Fairy of Rainbow Robes and then have the blacksmith make a copy?
Mu Jianjian held the light metal ball in her hands, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds—
Murong Yunyan gave her absolutely no way out!
With her Nascent Soul cultivation level, how could she possibly put the metal ball back without alerting any guards? The only possibility is that she would be made to take the blame.
"If Fairy Silky Dress sees that the metal ball has been stolen, she'll definitely lock that person up even tighter!" Mu Jianjian lowered her eyes, pondering a solution. "Only by throwing away this metal ball will the fairy think that Silky Dress accidentally lost it."
The implication was that she couldn't send it back.
“This ball is called the Flower Cloud Pearl,” Murong Yunyan paused, then chuckled, “It has seven layers of metal encased in the shape of flower petals. If it is separated from its owner by even a single step for a day, it will immediately release poison gas and kill the holder.”
Mu Jianjian's heart sank to the bottom.
"The bad news is that the day is almost up, but the good news is that it will soon be time for Ni Chang to come and visit every day. Good luck."
Murong Yunyan's voice gradually faded into the air, and black mist swirled around her. When the mist dissipated, she had vanished without a trace.
The calculations were just right.
Mu Jianjian weighed the Flower Cloud Pearl in her hand, and the next moment, a phantom butterfly appeared. Her right pupil flashed, and she vanished from the spot—
Unfortunately, she had already prepared a backup plan.
When Mu Jianjian stepped into the room through the circular passage again, she was unsurprisingly blinded by the golden floor tiles. She couldn't help but stand there for a few seconds.
Until the approaching footsteps landed in front of him.
Mu Jianjian looked up blankly and, unsurprisingly, saw Ye Xuanzhi's face, which clearly said "not welcome".
"Is there anything your master forgot to tell you?" he asked coldly. "Go back and tell her that she doesn't need the kindness of your Tianqi Pavilion."
As expected, they will refuse.
The pampered prince, who had been spoiled since childhood, would never lower his head unless absolutely necessary, just as she had expected.
"Ye Xuanzhi." Seeing the man's desolate and lonely figure, Mu Jianjian finally couldn't help but speak softly.
A familiar, gentle voice came from behind him, and Ye Xuanzhi suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was a little scared and turned around.
I'm afraid the sound I just heard was a hallucination, and I'm afraid the figure I haven't seen in so long never actually appeared.
"It's me, Mu Jianjian, I've come."
Seeing his stiff back, Mu Jianjian added.
The familiar words reminded her of when she was trapped in the Red Mansion of Duyunfang, and Ye Xuanzhi was the first to find her and tell her that he would come to rescue her.
Although their circumstances have reversed, their feelings for each other remain unchanged.
"Jianjian?" Ye Xuanzhi's black and white brocade robe swayed slightly as he moved, and his previously pale face finally regained its vitality, showing confusion and a hint of probing.
"It's me." Mu Jianjian took off the human skin mask from her face and gave him an encouraging look. When she saw him stand up and take a step, she thought he was going to come over and hug her. But the man turned a corner and slowly walked to the corner and sat down.
Mu Jianjian: ...
What are you trying to do by hugging your knees with both hands?
She walked to Ye Xuanzhi's side and saw him with his head buried in his arms. She assumed it was the release of pent-up emotions, and her heart ached for him. "It's okay—"
"How embarrassing, Jianjian."
"Huh?" Mu Jianjian's attempt to comfort her abruptly ended.
"How embarrassing and wronged, Jianjian!" Ye Xuanzhi suddenly raised his head, his eyes brimming with tears, looking like two fried eggs. "That crazy woman plotted against me! So many people surrounded me and beat me up! My whole body hurts!"
"Uh..." Mu Jianjian started brainstorming, "Wait—"
The Fairy of Rainbow Garments will be here soon. Should Ye Xuanzhi give himself a good venting time, or should he organize the useful intelligence and information?
Wouldn't it be inhumane to interrupt the child's crying?
"They said there were excellent secret techniques here, which is why I came. I can't beat Xuanfa!" Ye Xuanzhi recalled the time he was caught and felt a pang of heartache. "I've used all the magical artifacts I can. That Venerable Yu Hui is really vicious. One day I'll break his jaw!"
"Why specifically the chin?" Mu Jianjian asked from a peculiar angle. "Did he knock your chin out of shape?"
Seeing the man fall silent, the system couldn't help but complain: "Host, your words were really harsh."
"Venerable Yu Hui is a Void Realm expert! A Void Realm expert! Do you even know what a Void Realm expert is?" Ye Xuanzhi gritted his teeth. "Just thinking about it makes me sick. If I have to be personally cared for by that crazy woman after I'm injured, I'd rather be dead!"
Seeing that the other person was about to speak again indignantly, Mu Jianjian immediately interrupted, "Alright, alright, I understand your grievances and helplessness, but if we are to go out together, the first thing we need to do is exchange information, okay?"
Although she spoke calmly, only she knew how furious she was.
At this point, "Fairy of Rainbow Skirts" and "Venerable Yu Hui" had already been added to her list of lovers, and now Murong Yunyan was added as well.
“Okay,” Ye Xuanzhi nodded aggrievedly, “Good brother, wasn’t your cultivation sealed? How come you’re here to save me? You truly are my good brother.”
Mu Jianjian was already used to the other party using various self-references. She briefly recounted what had happened to her and, as expected, saw the man's increasingly distressed gaze. "...I knew you wouldn't be out of contact for long. Something must have happened to make you like this. I didn't expect to be so lucky to find you by following Murong Yunyan."
“Good brother, you truly are my good brother,” Ye Xuanzhi said with sincere excitement. If his eyes could take shape, they would probably shoot out lasers. “My experience is relatively simple. I returned to the Upper Realm to find a way to access your secret technique, but—I didn’t expect to be tricked by that crazy woman halfway through.”
"Before this, I told my parents that I would return to the world below. They saw that my life tablet and soul were not fluctuating, so they probably thought I was alright..." His voice became more and more bitter.
“No,” Mu Jianjian raised her eyes, “the news of your disappearance has spread far and wide, your parents couldn’t possibly not know.”
"ah?"
She continued, "Then Ye Xuanzhi, let me ask you, were you trying to lift the seal on my cultivation, which is why you fell into someone else's trap?"
"I..." Ye Xuanzhi was about to deny it, but seeing the girl's determined gaze, he reluctantly made a promise and sighed softly, "At that time, they all said there was no way... I couldn't imagine how painful it would be for you to lose your cultivation, so naturally I didn't want to give up any hope."
Mu Jianjian clenched her fists in her sleeves. She composed herself, took a deep breath, and said, "My guess is that they released the news of your disappearance either because they are not afraid of the Xuanmen's investigation, or because they want to stir up this mess even more."
The first option is clearly incorrect.
Xuanmen, Niyu City, Tianqi Pavilion.
Now that three forces have emerged, who else is hiding in the shadows?
Ye Xuanzhi followed her line of thought and said, "So what we need to do is join this game and then take the opportunity to escape?"
“No,” Mu Jianjian laughed, “we should take this opportunity to get revenge.”
She is indeed very weak now. If a mere Nascent Soul cultivator were to jump in front of Venerable Yu Hui, she would probably be easily killed like a monster. However, the good news is that one of them is currently in a weak position and the other is hiding in the shadows, making them easy targets.
There was someone ready to be dragged down right in front of him: Murong Yunyan.
As Ye Xuanzhi gazed at the girl's confident and beautiful face, he slowly recalled the time when the two of them fought side by side in Yingzhou, tricking others. She was just as dazzling, vengeful, yet loyal, righteous, strong, and kind with principles.
The dormant, treacherous nature within him reawakened, stirring once more. "So?"
"The fact that Niyu City released the news of your disappearance is probably an attempt to drag another force into the conflict. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Even if we can find that force, wouldn't it be too dangerous for you to get involved?"
"I don't necessarily have to show up," Mu Jianjian said with a sly smile.
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