Chapter 367: Under the Courtyard

"... Sorry, Miss Ming, I am still very busy now." Pei Ye said earnestly.

"Alright." The woman pursed her lips slightly, "Then I will continue to wait."

Pei Ye couldn't help but smile, and then lowered his voice and said solemnly: "It is like this, Miss Ming, because my state of mind is unstable, I was invaded by the Immortal Lord's Edict Map before. Little Cat said that one must break in order to stand, so I am trying to 'stand' it up."

"But if I fail to build a complete state of mind, the Edict Map will keep invading through the cracks. By the time it can affect my mind... I will have to commit suicide." Pei Ye said, "So I think, Miss Ming, you possess 【Slicing Heart】 and 【Bright Ming Jing Bing Jian】, is there any way to delay it?"

"..." Ming Qitian was silent.

"If there isn't, it doesn't matter. You said long ago that the matter of the state of mind can only be solved from within." Pei Ye smiled, "I am trying, Miss Ming, just confirming with you again..."

"Let me see, okay?" The woman raised two fingers.

"... It is very serious." Ming Qitian withdrew her fingers, "Last time I saw it, there should have been some time left. In recent days, are you still overdrawing your mind-spirit realm?"

Both the old man and the youth were silent for a while. After a long time, Wu Chou stroked his sword hilt and said hoarsely: "I have noted it down. In any case, the path has now been cleared by us—the Huan Si Lou snatched the sword by soul-snatching, the Soul-Snatching Bead was for the Kongdong demon sword, and those swords at the bottom of the rear cliff creek, the explanation given by the Lianxin Pavilion is: they are part of the composition of 【Sword Belly Mountain】."

"This is exactly what the four people denied at the same time." Wu Chou said, "They said that swords cannot move, let alone come alive to kill people..."

"..." Pei Ye felt the peculiarity of the woman's tone, slightly confused, "Miss Ming, 'Heart of Gu She'... isn't that your mind-spirit realm?"

"Because pulling to the bottom layer is that Kongdong cannot truly stand with the Huan Si Lou." Wu Chou said, "'Being public and bright' is the only way to stand in the Great Tang. This is something Xianrentai has worked hard to spread for thirty years, and now it can be considered to have a little effect."

"..." Pei Ye still remembered the near-deadlock situation just now. The Lianxin Pavilion seemed absolutely unwilling to give up Kongdong's interests to cooperate with the investigation.

"There is another matter, sir." Pei Ye took out paper and ink, and carefully copied the strange sword patterns from the sword dragon, "The main array on those swords is born from the star insect, but there is another different one."

The dark, thick viscosity, as if indescribable ugliness grew from the bottom of the sea without light for ten thousand years, the wriggling under this illumination made Pei Ye feel cold all over.

However, the old man's words stopped abruptly, and his expression gradually became solemn. He stared at this paper, his brows locked and his face heavy, as if water was dripping down.

"..."

"I recognize this array pattern." He said softly, "This is... 【Pulling Silk】."

"Yes, Miss Ming."

"But it won't work now." The woman suddenly made a somewhat meaningless movement. She looked down at her hands, "You cannot enter my mind-spirit realm now, because I practice the 'Gu She Heart Sutra', which will exclude everything... You also cannot 'imprint' with the Heart of Gu She."

Pei Ye remembered their first meeting in Bowang and smiled: "One positive and one strange?"

"Will the swords of 【Sword Belly Mountain】 kill people? Do they need the Soul-Snatching Bead for nourishment?"

"You see, I don't know what this function is, and why he added this array alone. Perhaps if we figure it out, we will be closer to their purpose."

"I think so too, Miss Ming." Pei Ye smiled.

"Yes, Miss Ming. Even the most perfect mind-spirit realm is a mortal. In front of the Immortal Lord, there are always loopholes—but as long as I can control the Edict Map, the Immortal Lord will not be able to descend."

"..." The woman meant that she was also a mortal practicing immortality, but Pei Ye couldn't see how this woman, who looked like she was bathed in the moon, could advance further toward "immortality." Or rather, even if she were truly the legendary Gu She goddess, could she really be more... than her quiet self?

Pei Ye couldn't find a suitable description.

Especially now that the woman was a distinguished guest of Yunlang invited by Kongdong, her identity was already awkward. Being the same sword gate in the world, yet standing on the side of the imperial court... Even if she didn't care, Pei Ye couldn't help but care.

"Exactly so." Wu Chou closed his eyes and nodded, "Next, perhaps we have to fight for time with those in the dark."

"..."

"..."

"Hmm, I saw that the Kongdong array boundary was very deep when I came, perhaps it was entangled."

"Xiao Tingshu has been detained." Wu Chou exhaled lightly, "The remaining four agreed to completely investigate Kongdong, but there are traces of the Huan Si Lou, so we will work together to eradicate them."

"..."

"..." The courtyard was silent for a while.

Wu Chou took the paper.

"Because through Slicing Heart, our mind-spirit realms could originally be opened to each other." The woman looked at him with calm eyes, "I have entered your mind-spirit realm, and I can also open my mind-spirit realm to you... If we trust each other and reveal everything, then in 'heart-to-heart imprint', the 【Bright Ming Jing Bing Jian】 can shine into your heart realm."

After all, the Zhanxin Liuli Ming Ming Jianzhu was too high and too far, and he, Pei Ye, was too low and too near. Being able to mobilize this Zhanxin Liuli Ming Ming Jianzhu when using him... really made Pei Ye feel uncomfortable.

Ming Qitian turned her head, her eyes looking at him calmly: "Because Gu She is the Heavenly Heart, 'the heart is like a deep spring, without leaning or loving, immortals and saints are its ministers.' How can you reflect with such a state of mind? Everything that people possess, it doesn't have—so it has no weaknesses."

"I believe they are telling the truth." Wu Chou said, "Kongdong is loose and is a place that is easily eroded. But no matter from what aspect, I don't believe the entire 【Lianxin Pavilion】 would be completely controlled by the Huan Si Lou. In other words, if this were really the case, they would have ten thousand ways to make Zhang Jingbi disappear silently."

The feeling of being illuminated in an instant made him tremble as if with a thrill. Borrowing this glance cast by the woman, Pei Ye was also able to see the parts of his Mind-Spirit Realm that had been submerged by the Edict Map.

Wu Chou nodded extremely hard: "Exactly so. The Lianxin Pavilion side has sensitive intersections, and has gathered a lot of attention, all of which are pushes and pulls between the imperial court and the sect, and you can't help much. It is still better to go and walk the Zhang Meiqing line, so we are..."

This was the first time Pei Ye heard the woman talk about her own mind. He of course didn't doubt the truth of the woman's words, but still couldn't help asking: "Why?"

"This is also our foothold next. Standing with Kongdong and pushing the Huan Si Lou to the opposite side, you saved those three disciples, and what you did was very good—what's wrong?"

"But actually, it was originally possible."

"I would rather he fight to the death, which means we indeed pierced through everything." Wu Chou said coldly, "Now that an 【Yueque】 has chosen to hand over his life to others... it only shows that their plan can still be pushed forward, and deeper things have not been discovered by us."

But this topic passed, and the woman said earnestly: "So first of all, you cannot overdraw your mind-spirit realm anymore. This is a matter of life and death. And the establishment of a state of mind is a process of seeking from the heart and verifying from things—in the gaps of non-stop tracking, you can stop and think more."

Wu Chou looked at Pei Ye and tapped the long sword in his hand lightly.

Especially since this had always been something he tried to avoid. Even though the woman never cared about how much she paid for him, those feelings always weighed heavily on the youth's heart... So he was even more unwilling to bring trouble to the woman through his own relationships.

"... Hmm."

Pei Ye looked at the old man's waist. That strange weapon named 【Jade Tiger】 was hanging there quietly. He still remembered what Zhang Meiqing said, that this was an extremely unique and high-level secret technique of the vessel path, and the most successful application in Shaolong was this long sword.

"Never."

Pei Ye stood up and moved a stone stool. Wu Chou waved his hand: "Don't sit. I will tell you the situation."

Wu Chou frowned and looked closely: "I don't understand array techniques either. I am afraid this matter still needs to be written to Pu Huaimeng—"

"In addition, if our guess is correct, the Huan Si Lou Mystic Gate now only has three people left. If they want to act in the dark, it is impossible for them all to have identities on the bright side." Wu Chou said, "So I believe that Sword Belly Mountain has always been handled by the Sect Master's lineage, and others know limited things."

"..."

Pei Ye smiled embarrassedly: "... I even thought you were going to arrest them all."

"... I can die, it doesn't mean I always want to seek death." Wu Chou said hoarsely, "A strong strike that finds the weakness is a sharp sword, and a sword is always more fatal than a hammer that messes around."

"Then you haven't received the message from 【Flowing Clouds】 yet?"

Pei Ye said softly: "Fortunately, Xiao Tingshu is bound."

"Besides this, I have an unfinished line in my hand." Pei Ye said, "How did Zhang Meiqing react after seeing the 'Sword Dragon' that year, and how did he die? His trajectory can also indicate the location of the enemy."

"..." Pei Ye felt somewhat uncomfortable. The words asking the woman to leave for a while were still in his ears, and now he wanted to say he would use her again.

Ming Qitian was silent for a while: "I can clear the 'consciousness' that invaded your mind, because this is the ability of Slicing Heart; or, if the poison of the Edict Map happens in my own mind-spirit realm, I can also resist it, because 'Bright Ming Jing Bing Jian' is flawless. But only these things that happen in your mind-spirit realm, both are powerless."

"You also did very well, Pei Ye." Wu Chou looked at him with calm eyes, "My original intention was to let you grasp some clues of the Huan Si Lou's strike, and you not only killed the real culprit but also dug out Xiao Tingshu—tell me about it."

Pei Ye told this Crane Inspector everything he had seen and heard these days, and Wu Chou also told him in detail about his experience in the Golden Jade Studio.

"However, now you follow me over." Wu Chou said, "I gave them time to organize the origin of 【Sword Belly Mountain】. After listening to this matter, you and I will part ways."

"My 'Gu She' 【Ice and Snow】, 【Nothingness】, 【Heavenly Heart】, are now only at the first level."

The old man walked in, but first picked up the teapot on the table and drank it in one gulp.

A terrifying smile rarely appeared on the old man's face, and he said hoarsely: "One positive and one strange."

"Good." Pei Ye held his sword and nodded, bowing deeply to the woman sitting quietly.

But Wu Chou didn't move, and also looked at the woman, bowing formally: "Ming Ming Jianzhu Ming, Xianrentai is temporarily powerless here. A frontal investigation may require a hard push or sudden assassination. If there is any need, I hope you can temporarily rely on your sword."

So he pursed his lips and had to bite the bullet and bow again to emphasize: "Crane Inspector Wu, Miss Ming and I are just a chance encounter. Being able to help with Zhanxin Liuli is already grateful. I shouldn't make Yunlang's situation difficult..."

"Hmm," Pei Ye nodded, "But their veils don't have one or two layers left—figure out the origin of the entire 【Sword Belly Mountain】, find the person responsible and the designer... they will have nowhere to hide."

At this time, the door of the small courtyard was pushed open gently. Wu Chou was standing at the door pressing his sword.

"... So they don't know what kind of array patterns were carved on these swords?"

"If you have a complete mind-spirit realm, it is enough to rely on 【Quail Head】 to resist the Edict Map, but if the Immortal Lord really descends, it still can't be resisted, right?"

At this, the woman revealed a smile that was close to laughing: "If I were already 'Heart of Gu She', I wouldn't even need to go down the mountain."

Ming Qitian lowered her eyebrows: "It is your own mind-spirit realm that is unstable, leading to 【Quail Head】 being powerless, right?"

Pei Ye was stunned and gently pressed his forehead against it.

"Should not have disturbed the two?"

"... What?"

Until Wu Chou frowned slowly and looked at him in disbelief: "We Xianrentai and Yunlang Mountain have established the Dao-Opening Society together, helping each other for thirty years... What does it have to do with you?"

"... Ah?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 368 =====