Chapter 186: How Can One Escape Without Clearing Karma?

These words left Hanyang unable to laugh or cry, but rules were rules after all, and they could not be broken.

Lingxiang was helpless; she alternated between acting like a spoiled child and making threats, saying that since the Chrysanthemum Garden and Bamboo Garden were empty anyway, she would take them first, and all expenses would be covered by Qingwei Peak.

Hanyang had no countermeasure and could only agree for the time being, intending to report it to the Sect Leader later to make other plans.

Seeing Hanyang agree, Lingxiang was naturally overjoyed, skipping and running toward Qingwei Peak. Watching her bouncing, lively figure, he could only sigh and shake his head—when had the expenses of Qingwei Peak not been deducted from the sect's coffers? She spoke as if she were acting with great righteousness, but wasn't it still the sect doing the charity for her?

"After settling this little one, I thought you, this fox, would only wreak havoc in the Chenjian, but I didn't expect you to come to the Mysterious Sect to commit evil."

This single sentence made Xiaobai stand up instantly.

"What do you mean by committing evil? I just didn't see through things back then. Now that I see clearly, isn't this exactly why I came here to cultivate!"

Ajin looked at Xiaobai, his golden eyes dreamlike and illusory, making him unfathomable.

"Are you here to cultivate, or to cultivate the heart?"

Once the words were out, Xiaobai immediately sat down in silence. He had come here because of Lingxiang, and for Lingxiang; he hadn't expected this old friend from a hundred years ago to be able to see through him at a glance.

"That girl Lingxiang is indeed excellent, but she is not someone you can covet. Even if she is safe and sound now, her destiny is one of nine deaths and one life, and you cannot provide that only path to survival."

Hearing this, Xiaobai was greatly shocked.

"How is this to be interpreted?!"

Ajin did not answer, looking at the overlapping mountain peaks before him, his thoughts returning to not long ago.

……

"Ajin." Upright, he seemingly couldn't stand the hypocrisy of those brothers of his.

Speaking of Lianqiao, he originally came from an Exorcist Family and had snuck out alone in the middle of the night just to learn skills. His family was quite prestigious locally, and he even had an elder sister serving the Emperor in the palace, who was now a Noble Consort.

In this world, although Spirit Roots were scarce, monsters often ran rampant, so the status of Exorcist Families was relatively high.

As for Shanhuai, who was also from an Exorcist Family, he had actually been unwilling to come to Yuanqing at first, but his family was not doing well now, and his cousins were all mediocre in talent, so the family head discussed sending one person to Jiuque Mountain to cultivate the Dao and learn some skills, so that they might inherit the family business in the future.

But cultivating the Dao was not as simple as it sounded; not to mention the hardships, if one became obsessed, one might see through the vanity of the world and devote oneself to cultivating the Dao right then and there.

That whole family of useless cousins naturally understood this point, pushing the responsibility onto each other and calculating, until finally, only the naive Shanhuai was left.

Although Shanhuai was extremely unwilling at first and was forced to be sent to Yuanqing, after practicing for a few days with Chengkai and the others, he gradually became interested in it.

It is said that the human heart is the most...

Today was a beautiful, sunny day, and Lingxiang had rarely woken up early. Although spring was almost here, it was still very cold outside, but fortunately, she had the Fire Spirit Bead to keep her company.

Long Qi and the others were practicing martial arts in the courtyard, and Lingxiang sat on the railing of the veranda watching, though her thoughts had drifted elsewhere.

Even from her perspective, she could see the flaws in the "Entwining Dragon Sword Technique" that Long Qi was practicing. It must be missing something; if he kept practicing according to this Sword Manual, something would likely go wrong after a long time. It would be better to find him something else to replace it for now, and then plan for the future.

She didn't need to worry too much about Xin Yi; with his intelligence, he shouldn't encounter any difficult problems in Daoist arts. She figured he had already learned most of the skills of his Lu Family, but since it was Martial Dao cultivation, she still had to find a way to search for a suitable witchcraft for him to practice. As for his Daoist heart, he would have to explore that himself.

Rendong was a bit troublesome. Although Lingxiang intended to find another path for him, after all, cultivation could not be rushed. Furthermore, not everyone could be as lucky as Zhuzhang Laoren, who grasped the Dao opportunity in an instant. Since it was a matter of chance, it was better to let nature take its course. "I'm just saying, your Uncle Qianyuan agreed to let you enter this Second Cave, but I'll say the ugly words first: this Second Cave is suppressed by two Zhenling Talismans, which is why you were able to search for weapons in the First Cave so easily just now. But if I remove those Zhenling Talismans, a large amount of Spirit Qi and resentment will surge out together, so you all must be careful then."

Hearing this, the group bowed in a Daoist salute and said yes.

Seeing the disciples like this, Zhaoming Zhenren was also helpless. He had said everything he could; as for whether these few could withstand it, it would depend on their own good fortune.

Seeing Zhaoming Zhenren's hand seals flying and him chanting, a moment later, they heard a "Open!" and the stone wall in front of them transformed into two red nailed doors, with two Cinnabar Talisman Papers pasted on them.

Zhaoming Zhenren tore off the talisman papers, and the nailed doors "Boom!" opened by themselves. As the doors opened, a strong wind rushed in from outside, as if the doorway were a bloody mouth constantly sucking in air.

"Cloud Seal Grand Void, the beginning of the great calamity. Suddenly distant, suddenly near, sometimes sinking, sometimes floating."

Hearing a chant, two Dharma Arrays immediately appeared on the nailed doors, glowing with golden light and spinning continuously, finally blocking this evil wind.

It turned out that Zhaoming Zhenren had set up a Spirit-Attachment Array in front of the nailed doors, so the disciples could catch their breath. The wind just now, carrying gusts of cold air, was truly extremely eerie.

"This is the second cave of Xuancang Cave," he said, flicking a fireball inside with a finger, "I have already lit the lamps inside, you can now enter from this array gate."

But even with the lamps lit, the cave was extremely dim, and the group could only grope their way forward by the faint firelight. However, if she wanted to take Long Qi into Qingwei Peak, she could only compromise with this group of old monsters. Thinking of this, Lingxiang was so angry she drank several cups of cold tea just to suppress her temper.

Or maybe...

Should she not take this disciple?

When this thought first popped up, she felt it was a great idea, but after she left the house and saw the buildings she had blown up and the large medicinal fields outside the courtyard, she dismissed it—spring was coming soon, and she couldn't handle this large field of land all by herself.

When Maidong arrived, she saw Lingxiang sitting on the steps, propping her chin and sighing, looking quite amusing. She hurried over to sit beside her and teased:

"Oh my~ why are you still so melancholy after being promoted to Elder? Could it be that they've saddled you with the job of Palm Furnace again? Oh my, since you are in that position, you should naturally put your heart into the work, why be so gloomy?" After finishing, she pretended to cover her face and laughed.

Lingxiang squinted at Maidong upon hearing this—this dead girl really knew how to poke at a sore spot.

However, this time Shangqing Zhenren really hadn't arranged any tasks for Lingxiang, only telling her to refine Pills well for the sect.

Refine Pills? They had hidden the furnace from her; she was refining ghost pills, didn't she see that she had refined the house until it was broken!

But...

"Cough! How should I put it? After all, I'm taking in disciples, so I should have what I need, otherwise where would I put my face when my two disciples go out?"

Hmm? Two? Wasn't Long Qi the only disciple?

Maidong's eyes were full of questions. Seeing her like this, Lingxiang said triumphantly:

"This Xin Yi, his talent is excellent, and he is steady and capable. I have already reported it to the Senior Brother, and before long he will be a person of my Qingwei Peak. Oh my, having two more people wandering in front of me all day, I feel like I won't be used to it in the future! Isn't that what I'm worrying about right now!"

Lingxiang deliberately emphasized the words "all day" heavily, and after speaking, she sighed deeply.

What!? Xin Yi is coming to Qingwei Peak!?

Maidong was so shocked her eyes widened. "The reason I brought you here is, first, to let you give an account to that Bai Wuchang, and second, to confirm some things."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Xin Yi:

"It's fine to tell you the truth. Although you and the Demon Race are irreconcilable, I don't fully trust you yet. I'm only letting you know some things because of Maidong, and I'm not afraid that you will turn against me; anyway, to me, it makes no difference."

"Moreover, if you feel that your actions are worthy of the reputation of the Fuyao Lu Family, then naturally I don't care." Lingxiang said, turning and walking toward the City Lord Mansion.

Xin Yi smiled: This little girl looked carefree, but he didn't expect her to be quite calculating.

Thinking this, he shook his head and followed.

Although it was not yet night, lanterns had already been hung in front of the City Lord Mansion. The pale red moon on the lanterns was lifelike, as if telling people of the affection between the City Lord and Lady Qiao.

Lingxiang acted as if she were very familiar, and was about to step forward to knock on the door, but unexpectedly, the two guards at the door crossed their Long Halberds, blocking her.

Xin Yi could not help but chuckle aloud upon seeing this; there was no way to pay a visit like this, especially to a royal household, and on a festive day at that.

Lingxiang was rather surprised; it was not her first time coming here, and she was only going up to knock on the door, so could it be that these two guards were new?

Thinking this, she said directly to the two of them: "I am the shopkeeper of Youran Abode, here today specifically to pay a visit to the City Lord's wife."

The two guards exchanged a glance, and one of them shouted: "Youran Abode closed long ago, so where does this shopkeeper talk come from? Little girl, do not go spouting nonsense in front of the royal residence!"

This situation here was somewhat familiar.

Lingxiang narrowed her eyes and stared at the two for a long time, but these two were soldiers by trade, having crawled and fought on the battlefield, so they were not afraid of the small-statured Lingxiang in front of them at all.

Lingxiang was also helpless, but she suddenly remembered an arrogant face, and she immediately laughed, then said to the two: "Then I must trouble you young guards to announce me; just say someone wants to see Zhao, and while you're at it, ask if there is still anyone in the residence who has seen Huang Daxian?"

The two guards were startled upon hearing this; how could this little girl...

... eyes, she had only gone to the Pingchuan Escort Agency at the foot of the mountain on her master's orders, and it had only been a few days, yet Lingxiang had actually done such a thing? And she hadn't even consulted her beforehand?

Lingxiang saw the look of astonishment on her face and felt incredibly satisfied in her heart—Hmph! You little brat, you still dare to fight with your Ninth Aunt-Master? You don't know your own strength.

"Oh, that's right! In the future, come to Qingwei Peak less often. You, a disciple of Qiuyun Peak, always wandering around my Qingwei Peak for no reason—what kind of decorum is that?!"

These words were like adding oil to fire, and Maidong was so angry that she jumped up immediately, pointing at Lingxiang and shouting loudly:

"Good for you, Lingxiang, you actually did this behind my back! You won't let me come, right? Hmph! I'll come every day! I'll eat your food! I'll drink your drink! I'll make sure to eat your broken Qingwei Peak bald!"

I really didn't expect that this cave within the Xuancang Cave would be so large; not long after the group went in, they got separated, and along the way, they didn't see any weapons or magical artifacts, and even the light illuminating the path grew weaker and weaker.

Xin Yi had originally been walking with Zhao Wuyang, but when he turned his head, only he was left; he called out for Zhao Wuyang, but there was not a single response.

Just as he was thinking of turning back, he suddenly heard what sounded like someone screaming not far ahead; he carefully groped his way forward, and suddenly he touched a door, and it seemed as if firelight was flickering through the cracks in the door.

Xin Yi pulled on the door knocker, and in front of him was...

For now, I should first find a fan technique for him; the way he wields that fan, even the dancing girls in the Qinlou brothels dance more pleasingly than he does...

Just as he was thinking about this, he suddenly smelled a scent of vinegar; turning his head to look, he saw Xiaobai standing to the side with a smile, holding a plate of cold-dressed bamboo shoots in his hand.

Lingxiang immediately lost the heart to think about anything else, her eyes filled only with the plate of bamboo shoots in his hand.

Long Qi had originally seen Lingxiang watching him practice swordplay and thought about showing off, but he didn't expect her to chase after that old fox; suddenly, sourness surged in his stomach, and he didn't even want to practice swordplay anymore.

After a bout of chasing, Xiaobai led Lingxiang to the stone table in the courtyard and gave her the plate of cold-dressed bamboo shoots.

Lingxiang loved bamboo shoots dearly...

It is strange; from the initial reluctance to the current unwillingness to part, I suppose if he returns home this time, he will certainly need to use some means to get out again.

As for Shuzhu, he was originally a scholar who had participated in the national examinations several times, but he had failed every time. He was disheartened after the last time the results were posted, but he happened to meet Chengkai, who was rushing to Jiuque Mountain. Seeing his face ashen and his lack of interest in life, Chengkai persuaded him to come along to seek immortality and ask about the Dao.

There are many coincidences in life; despite all the setbacks in his studies, who would have thought his aptitude for cultivating the Dao would be extraordinary.

In this world, those with the aptitude of a True Spiritual Root can be counted on one's fingers; if it weren't for the fact that the spiritual root aptitudes of the current batch of disciples were truly superior, he would likely have been taken in by some Elder as a personal disciple.

However, although he is currently an Outer Disciple, Shangqing Zhenren thinks very highly of him. This person has a pure mind, is thorough in his considerations, and has an extremely steady temperament; he is indeed a...

On the bed, Lady Qiao was extremely weak, and even the Pill gifted by Lingxiang could no longer help her regain her strength.

Ajin looked at the gentle woman before him and stroked her forehead, as if just yesterday she were still that little girl in the Qiao Family with her hair tied in small buns.

"Ajin, you have worked hard all these years taking care of this sickly person. But I am not your destined person, and I cannot let you ascend; yet I am grateful from the bottom of my heart, grateful that you are still able to be so kind to others."

Lady Qiao coughed twice as she spoke, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, Ajin hurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe it for her, but Lady Qiao gently turned her head away.

"It is too late; listen to me finish what I have to say. From the time I saw you when I was young, I saw today, and I knew what you would be like in the future, but the heavenly secrets are truly impossible to fathom. What you seek will come very soon, but before that, I hope you can go to Jiuque Mountain to find him; he is a kind child, and besides my husband, he is the one I cannot let go of most."

... beggar, and after having someone prepare a set of clothes for him, Hanyang went to Wuji Hall to report.

The little beggar was not shy; while the sect disciples were bathing him, he asked about this and that, and whatever he was asked, he would answer fluently without hesitation.

After being dressed up, he could be considered a delicate-looking child, but he was overly thin; one look and it was clear he had suffered.