Chapter 229: Mistaken Identity (Requesting Moon Tickets)

Somewhere in Little Yu Shan, the scenery here is uniquely beautiful!

The stream danced through the mountains, gurgling softly, occasionally swirling into a blood-red vortex.

Corpses lined both banks like a forest of bones.

A cool breeze blew down from the northern slope; as it passed this place, its whisper suddenly turned into the giggling of infants, and pale, bloated baby faces surfaced in the stream.

To the southwest stood a stone cave, its entrance barred by a fence of ghastly pale, slender leg bones.

This place had a pleasant name: Yinxi Cave.

Wan Yun and his men sat inside the cave, gazing out through the bone fence, not daring to move a muscle.

Each of them was wrapped in a Yin Python.

These Yin Pythons were only eighth-stream level, yet their yin energy had seeped into every major acupoint of their bodies.

The python heads reared high, watching them with chilling intensity.

They could not resist now; any sudden movement might cause their souls to be devoured by the pythons.

Wan Yun's heart turned icy cold.

He sorrowfully accepted that his life was over.

And it would be a death without dignity—he would surely become a malevolent spirit of this mountain soon enough!

He never imagined that Yu Jing Village harbored such a terrifying malevolence.

His entire team had been captured without resistance.

Even how they'd fallen into the malevolence's grasp remained utterly unclear.

Wan Yun strained to recall—he remembered only that before his capture, he had glimpsed the Shanhe Bureau's people from afar.

That female Lawkeeper had seemed to be smiling at him!

Wan Yun's heart surged with hatred: The Shanhe Bureau must have colluded with that malevolence!

They deliberately set this trap to destroy our Quhui Bureau!

How foolish of me—I once thought I got along so well with that woman!

Wan Yun did not want to die—no one wanted to die, let alone like this!

But now, he was utterly powerless.

All he could do was hope that the Quhui Bureau, noticing his prolonged absence, would send someone to investigate Yu Jing Village and rescue him.

But… would they arrive in time?

As he hoped for rescue, Wan Yun unconsciously thought of Xu Yuan.

When he arrived at Yu Jing Village, he had seen none of Xu Yuan's group.

"He must have been killed by the female Lawkeeper before we even got here!"

"That venomous woman meticulously laid this death trap solely to target our Quhui Bureau."

"She holds a higher rank and is herself a sixth-stream Lawcultivator—how could Xu Yuan possibly outmatch her?"

"Sigh…"

Wan Yun looked again outside: "Perhaps right now, Xu Yuan has already become a malevolence, wandering these mountains… Eh? Xu Yuan!"

Wan Yun suddenly saw a figure emerge beyond the bone fence—who else could it be but Xu Yuan!

"My lord Wan, are you inside?"

Xu Yuan peered through the gaps in the bone fence.

Wan Yun's despairing heart suddenly flared with fierce hope!

Afraid Xu Yuan couldn't see him in the darkness, he opened his mouth to answer—when the Yin Python lunged down, opened its jaws, and swallowed him whole.

Hum…

Wan Yun instantly felt his soul plunge into a gray, hazy void, growing dim and unconscious.

"It's over…" was his final thought.

Yet he never expected—Xu Yuan had truly come to save him.

But that malevolence was too cunning; he still hadn't escaped this fate.

After an unknown length of time, the gray haze around him rapidly receded.

A voice seemed to call from a distant realm: "My lord Wan, My lord Wan, wake up…"

Then Wan Yun felt someone slapping his face.

He jolted awake, his consciousness stirring back to life.

I can feel someone slapping me!

Wan Yun forced his eyes open.

He was still in the cave; before him loomed a large face—Xu Yuan.

He sat up abruptly, his bewildered gaze slowly clearing, nearly bursting into tears: "I—I'm saved?"

"You're saved," Xu Yuan stepped aside. "All the men are saved."

The bone fence had been shattered; Qin Ze and Di Youzhi and others were rousing the rest of the men.

Wan Yun seized Xu Yuan's hands and gripped them tightly, speechless, his heart overflowing with boundless gratitude!

All his previous complaints and grievances against Xu Yuan vanished.

He was one of our own Quhui Bureau men!

In life-or-death moments, only our own people can be relied upon!

Qin Ze and Di Youzhi had already roused everyone else; returning to see Wan Yun like this, they felt deeply uneasy.

We came here to mock him.

We were going to give him a good ribbing.

With you looking like this... how are we supposed to speak?

But, this way seems quite satisfying.

When you first arrived, look at that face of yours!

Are you being honest now?

Do you know who is on your side now?

Hmph!

Wan Yun said to Xu Yuan with deep gravity: "Brother, I, your older brother, was wrong!"

"I let you down..."

"We were tricked by the Shanhe Office!"

Xu Yuan hadn't expected him to figure out this layer, which saved him some effort.

"We were tricked by the Shanhe Office, to be precise, by Lady Fu Shuanghui." Xu Yuan pulled him up: "Let's get out first; I'll explain to you slowly on the way."

Yinxi Cave is terrifying, but actually there are no evil spirits here.

Because the evil spirits originally here were driven away by Tian Jing.

This cave is naturally suitable for raising Yin Soldiers; Tian Jing snatched a Yin Python to raise.

"Good, good, good." Wan Yun agreed repeatedly.

After coming out, everyone returned to Yujing Village together; the Captains brought by Wan Yun followed far behind.

Deliberately keeping their distance from Wan Yun, they chatted and laughed with Xu Yuan's subordinates behind them, acting extremely friendly.

Xu Yuan and Wan Yun walked in front.

The weasel only escorted Xu Yuan and the others nearby; pointing at the direction of Yinxi Cave from the mountaintop, it turned around and dove into the wild grass, disappearing.

That so-called "Da Fu" sounds like trouble!

Xu Yuan told Wan Yun the course of events.

Most of it was the facts, with only some key "adaptations."

For instance, inside the jiao's belly, Xu Yuan said he threatened the jiao with the small cannons: if it didn't let them go, he would detonate all the small cannons; if they died, it wouldn't fare well either.

But actually, if detonated, just like Lady Fu Shuanghui, it would not cause substantial harm to the jiao.

But Xu Yuan didn't know that at the time and used this to threaten the jiao into negotiating peace with him.

It was indeed Xu Yuan who persuaded the jiao.

Also, regarding the battle between Lady Fu Shuanghui and the jiao, Xu Yuan said Lady Fu Shuanghui, relying on theatrical puppets, inflicted serious injuries on the jiao.

Although Lady Fu Shuanghui died, the jiao and Tian Da Wang could only flee, allowing himself to survive.

And then there were things like... them watching from the cliff top as bystanders; naturally, such matters were omitted.

Wan Yun let out a long sigh and said: "So Lady Fu Shuanghui wanted to use the jiao as bait... truly audacious! But it makes sense; the Shanhe Office has always been domineering, and I've heard those who cultivate the 'Dragon Transformation Method' are inherently somewhat extreme."

This version was settled; after returning to Champa, Xu Yuan would report it this way, and Wan Yun would testify.

(End of this chapter)