Chapter 322

Before Fan Quan Immortal Venerable left, he handed Song Yan the storage ring containing a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones.

Thank you all, for finding the true culprit and performing a liberation rite for the departed souls.

Song Yan replied respectfully, "This is what we cultivators ought to do."

Fan Quan Immortal Venerable smiled.

He glanced at the youthful faces of Song Yan and the six others, and a sudden feeling of emotion arose in his heart.

I feel like I've grown older.

…

After Fan Quan Immortal and the others left, the various factions present all stared greedily at the storage ring in Song Yan's hand.

"We're leaving."

Xiao Lingwei spoke.

Song Yan gave a slight nod.

Cang Li, Xue Jin, Ying Wuji, and Yuan Yao also followed behind Xiao Lingwei and Song Yan.

At that moment, the hastily arriving Heavenly Cloud Sect party happened to run into the six of Yuan Yao.

"I heard you found the murderer?" the leading Weng Mingshu asked urgently.

Song Yan: "Yes."

"Let's talk as we walk," Yuan Yao said with a raised‑eyebrow smile.

Hearing that, Weng Mingshu nodded, her face full of curiosity as she looked at them: "Exactly how did you solve the case?"

Cang Li laughed: "Of course it's thanks to my junior sister's clever wit!"

Weng Mingshu's gaze shifted to Yuan Yao's face, and she urged hurriedly: "Yao Yao, tell me quickly."

Yuan Yao said: "You know I also practice formation arts, so I understand some spatial layouts. At first, when I saw the spot where Zhang Cheng was standing, I didn't suspect anything, but when we were discussing in the pavilion who the murderer might be, I suddenly thought it could be 'Zhang Cheng'."

Upon hearing that, Weng Mingshu suddenly recalled: "No wonder you suddenly wanted to see where Zhang Cheng was hiding! Is there something strange about his hiding place?"

Yuan Yao said: "Logically, if the real murderer were extremely careful and intended to kill everyone, he wouldn't leave any place untouched. Every building in the Water Mirror Immortal Academy bears at least some marks of silk‑thread scratches, yet the cabinet where Zhang Cheng was hiding shows absolutely no such scratches."

"That's one point of doubt."

"Since the Water Mirror Immortal Academy was wiped out, Zhang Cheng has constantly stood in the corridor holding a wooden puppet, forbidding anyone else from moving it. Although many hidden spots in the academy conceal wooden puppets, his own room contains none."

At this point, Cang Li continued: "We asked the people of the academy town whether they had noticed that the Water Mirror Immortal Academy folk especially liked wooden puppets, and they all answered no."

He extended two fingers.

"So, that's the second point of doubt."

Yuan Yao said: "Early yesterday morning, Third Senior Brother and I went to the major pharmacies on Yunshui Street, asking the shop attendants for details about Wang San's purchase of poison cicada medicine. Undoubtedly, they all felt that Wang San, when buying the poison cicada medicine that day, looked dazed, as if his soul were lost. We then guessed that someone had performed mental manipulation on Wang San."

"Puppet technique?!" Weng Mingshu exclaimed.

Cang Li said: "We suspect Zhang Cheng is behind it, so we set a trap to lure him in. Since he cares so much about the puppets, that proves they are of great significance to him, so we seized his puppet."

Yuan Yao nodded.

Because Zhang Cheng is very young, no one would suspect him.

If they acted rashly, it would certainly draw others' condemnation, and it was uncertain whether it would alert the target, so she had Third Senior Brother pretend to be a mad Wang San, making it easy to strike at Zhang Cheng.

Everything progressed smoothly.

"I see," Weng Mingshu realized, staring at Yuan Yao with a hint of grievance: "Why didn't you call me to act together?"

Yuan Yao said: "It was too dangerous, so I didn't let you join."

"You think I'm weak?" Weng Mingshu glared at her.

Yuan Yao shook her head: "I'm also weak, so I can't guarantee I can protect you."

Upon hearing the key words, Weng Mingshu's lips couldn't hide it: "You want to protect me?"

"Mm." Yuan Yao nodded.

In a good mood, Weng Mingshu said: "Alright, then if you become stronger in the future, take me with you and protect me."

As they walked, Weng Mingshu suddenly thought of something: "Wait, who was the person who came back with you yesterday evening if not Cang Li?"

Song Yan's body stiffened.

"It's Eldest Senior Brother," Cang Li raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Eldest Senior Brother doesn't have my Cangaotian's aura? I told you, I, Cangaotian, am a unique existence in this world; others can't imitate my elegant aura."

Everyone: "……"

"So it's you, hmph." Weng Mingshu stared at Song Yan and let out a cold snort.

Song Yan: "……"

At this moment, Xiao Lingwei spoke: "Daoist friend Weng, when do you plan to leave the Yunshui Realm?"

Weng Mingshu, hearing that, retorted: "And you?"

Xiao Lingwei said: "We'll depart the Yunshui Realm today, then take a spirit boat back to the Carefree Sect."

"Huh?" Weng Mingshu hadn't expected them to be so eager to leave, and said with a hint of disappointment: "Can't you stay a few more days?"

Xiao Lingwei said: "We have lingered in the Yunshui Realm for almost half a month; it's time to leave. If you're reluctant to part with us, Yuan Yao, you're welcome, Daoist friend Weng, to visit our Carefree Sect anytime."

"Really?" Weng Mingshu looked at Xiao Lingwei, then at Yuan Yao.

Both nodded.

Weng Mingshu beamed, replying at once: "Fine, then when I'm free I'll come to your Carefree Sect as a guest."

Yuan Yao also smiled.

After leaving the Yunshui Realm.

The six of them boarded the spirit boat, and just as they were about to depart—

In Yuan Yao's sea of awareness, the voice of the 250 System sounded: "Dear Host, you have not completed the conquest mission within the Yunshui Realm. There are over one hundred thousand target characters inside; are you sure you want to abandon the Yunshui Realm mission?"

Yuan Yao heard this and suddenly remembered she still had a conquest mission.

She hadn't even managed to successfully capture a single person.

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Can I give up?"

"【Yes.】"

Just as Yuan Yao let out a sigh of relief, the voice of the 250 system sounded again.

"【Host voluntarily abandons the Yunshui Realm capture mission; must proceed to the new mission location within three days. If the host fails to go to the new mission location within the allotted time to undertake the capture mission, 365 days of the host's reward lifespan will be deducted.】"

One year of lifespan!!

"250, why didn't you say so earlier?"

250 system: "【Because the host has not successfully captured any target individual within the Yunshui Realm, the punishment mechanism has been triggered. Now the host needs to proceed to the new mission location; as for what mission location that is, it will be triggered by dialogue.】"

Yuan Yao more or less understood.

"How many days of lifespan do I have left?"

"【Host, your current lifespan stands at one thousand and seventy-one days.】"

Yuan Yao furrowed her brows slightly.

The spirit boat had already slowly ascended and began to move.

As she was hesitating in her heart, suddenly the voice of her third senior brother came.

"Look, this is the half of the Treasure Map I snatched from the auctioneer at the Xue Nu Chang. The treasure location is in the Eighth Continent; shall we go there?"

"Now we only have half of the Treasure Map..." Song Yan said.

Cang Li, however, laughed and said: "The other half is in the Ao Su clan tomb!"

Ying Wuji said in a low voice: "Many people now know that the other half of the Treasure Map is hidden in the Ao clan tomb; I'm afraid someone has already been itching to act."

Xiao Lingwei frowned tightly and said: "Then wouldn't the Ao Su family tomb be doomed to suffer a terrible fate?"

Xue Jin said: "If that is indeed the case, there will surely be someone eyeing our Treasure Map covetously."

Cang Li was stunned for a moment, then said: "What should we do? How about we just sell it at auction?"

Just as the words left his mouth—

The six people's faces slightly changed, they abruptly looked up, and saw that a void crack had suddenly appeared ahead, continuously expanding.