Chapter 39

Killing Ji Wuye is much easier than imagined, but that's not a problem; those who gain the Dao have many helpers, those who lose the Dao have few helpers, going up against the protagonist team of the righteous faction and also creating a rift with the major villainous force, the Heavenly Net. As a transmigrator with a golden finger, if I still can't kill him, Zhou Shuo feels he can just go die.

After his soul returned from the Sparrow Pavilion, Zhou Shuo did not go to the Purple Orchid Pavilion again but instead summoned the transmigration gate, preparing to return to the Divine Wind Kingdom to keep his appointment. As of now, he has not yet revealed his identity as a transmigrator, so he must return there every day to tell the flower sisters that he is safe, which is pretty much the same as communicating when they were dating.

As usual, Zhou Shuo passed through the gate, but in the space he was momentarily stunned because he discovered that, within the independent transit space he had summoned, aside from the original crimson-red gate representing the Yang God World's gate and the cyan-black gate representing the Qin Dynasty World, another gate actually appeared again—this gate was black and white in color; besides that, the independent space in which the gate existed also expanded considerably.

"Interesting." Zhou Shuo looked at the expanding space gate and the black-and-white gate, finding it somewhat amusing, but he did not go touch it; with a thought, a passage suddenly opened in the void leading to the inside of the modern house, and as the number of summoned space gates increased, his transit gate space had already detached from reality and become independent.

In modern times, Zhou Shuo gives his old mother a phone call, just like his regular appointment to meet the flower sisters; he has never forgotten modern affairs, and no matter how busy he is among the myriad worlds, he will definitely call back on time so as not to let his family worry about him.

After chatting with his old mother for a couple of sentences, Zhou Shuo hung up the phone, jumped back into the space gate, and did not even go look at that black-and-white gate; he directly pushed open the gate leading to the Yang God World, outside of which was a secluded spot of Peach God Harbor, and Zhou Shuo would naturally not be so foolish as to directly transmigrate at Ru Ting Residence, for that would be very easy to be exposed.

"Where have you run off to again!" On the way back, Zhou Shuo happened to run into Yao Yue Ru outside the Ru Ting Residence, and he heard many people's footsteps hurrying back and forth inside the residence, with swirls of yin wind swirling—those were Yao Yue Ting's thoughts searching.

"What, what happened at the manor?" Zhou Shuo looked at the sister with double pupils whose eyes showed a hint of urgency, and at the commotion inside the Ru Ting Residence; he couldn't help but become slightly alert, as this seemed like something had happened.

"Things have gone missing at the manor." Yao Yue Ru looked at Zhou Shuo, who responded to her question with another question, glanced at the chaotic Ru Ting Residence, and couldn't help but look troubled.

"Things are missing, what things?" Zhou Shuo looked at the sister with a troubled expression, his expression subtly changed as he thought of something: the Ru Ting Residence in the Divine Wind Kingdom is the flower sisters' vacation villa, and there isn't anything particularly important; the most important thing is none other than that stalk of golden silk nanmu core brought back from Giant Whale Island.

"That stalk of golden silk nanmu core." Yao Yue Ru confirmed Zhou Shuo's thought.

"Come, let's go inside to talk." Zhou Shuo felt his heart sink; inside that stalk of golden silk nanmu core was installed the portion of the Great Chan Temple's Present Tathagata Sutra, a miraculous encounter that he had struggled greatly to obtain but could not actually possess, which had actually disappeared—who could it be?

While thinking in his heart, Zhou Shuo pulled Yao Yue Ru into the manor, but at the moment he stepped into the Ru Ting Residence his steps involuntarily paused, then he lifted his head and flared his nostrils—a smell, a faint fragrance, not the hormones from the women inside the residence nor the peach blossom specialty of the Divine Wind Kingdom.

"What's wrong?" Yao Yue Ru looked at Zhou Shuo, who was flaring his nostrils, and couldn't help but ask; originally she thought Zhou Shuo had taken the golden silk nanmu core, but now it seems not—but who could, under the nose of a marrow-washing grand master and an embodiment expert, take that stalk of golden silk nanmu core away?

"Nothing much, what incense did the manor burn today?" Zhou Shuo asked, as it's customary for wealthy families to burn incense; could this be the new incense the flower sisters switched to?

"No! Is there a special smell?" Yao Yue Ru listened to Zhou Shuo's words and couldn't help but take a sniff; she is also a martial arts master who has washed her marrow, able to detect the various imperceptible odors inside the manor—among these smells there are powdery fragrance, body fragrance, and floral fragrance, but they are all normal.

"Maybe I just smelled wrong." Zhou Shuo nodded slightly and continued to hold Yao Yue Ru's hand as they walked indoors.

Servants on the manor were bustling about, searching everywhere for things, while in the main hall of the manor several servants were kneeling on the ground, trembling as a group; Yao Yue Ting sat with eyes closed beside the table, using her divine sense to search the manor, while the steward Lao Fu Bo was reprimanding several servants, urging them to quickly explain the situation.

"Ah Shuo." Yao Yue Ting opened her eyes and looked at Zhou Shuo and his sister returning from outside.

"I've already heard what Yue Ru said." Zhou Shuo pulled Yao Yue Ru, looking at the several servants kneeling on the ground and the steward standing to the side, bowing as he rebukes the subordinates, and nodded toward her.

"Today only you lot have entered the study; quickly tell me everything you saw, and if anyone's hands are not clean, speak up at once, otherwise you lot won't be able to leave today." Lao Fu Bo looked at Zhou Shuo holding Yao Yue Ru's hand and couldn't help but quickly rebuke the several kneeling servants again, while also trying to curry favor by bowing to Zhou Shuo.

"But I really haven't! Steward, I truly haven't seen that stalk of whatever golden silk nanmu core; I don't even know what that thing looks like." One servant spoke up, feeling wronged, and the other servants quickly echoed.

"You still dare to talk back?" Lao Fu Bo looked at the servants still talking back and couldn't help but glare, stepping forward and lifting his leg to kick someone, but was stopped by a hand.

"No using private punishment at will." Zhou Shuo looked at the old steward, who was like a lackey, and felt a little uncomfortable.

"Yes, yes." Lao Fu Bo looked at Zhou Shuo, who had stopped him, and couldn't help but nod repeatedly, bowing as he stepped back.

"Yue Ting, where did you put that thing?" Zhou Shuo looked at the retreating steward and asked the seated Yao Yue Ting.

"I had stored it in the study, but today it's gone." Yao Yue Ting furrowed her beautiful brows and shook her head; that stalk of golden silk nanmu core might be related to the secret of the Great Chan Temple, so she hid it in the study's secret chamber, but today she discovered it was missing.

Whether it's people from Hong Xuanji's side or some other faction, Zhou Shuo's mind instantly turned over many thoughts; he had reason to suspect Hong Xuanji, because the flower sisters are his illegitimate daughters, and the Heavenly Emperor Yang Pan's gaze reaches many places—if they noticed, they could indeed take that stalk of golden silk nanmu core silently and without a trace, but besides them, who else could it be, the Peach God Dao of the Divine Wind Kingdom? Does the one who took that thing know or not that inside it is a portion of the Present Tathagata Sutra?

The incident happened too suddenly, and Zhou Shuo couldn't immediately think of a reason; anyone could have taken that stalk of golden silk nanmu core, and who would actually take that stalk of golden silk nanmu core.

"You all go down, steward; don't make things difficult for these few, but also don't let them run away." Zhou Shuo looked at the kneeling servants and couldn't help but wave his hand to send everyone off, then he and the flower sisters had a private talk while also giving the old steward a reminder.

"Well..." Fu Bo listened to Zhou Shuo's words, his gaze turned to Yao Yue Ting and Yao Yue Ru, and after the two remained silent he hurriedly bowed and waved his hand to let the servants leave, leaving the space for Zhou Shuo and the flower sisters.

"Yue Ting, Yue Ru, tell me, this time you came out from the Jade Pool Sect—were there any experts accompanying you?" Zhou Shuo looked at the departing servants and asked Yao Yue Ting and Yao Yue Ru; upon careful thought, ordinary people shouldn't know about that stalk of golden silk nanmu core—could it possibly be an expert from the Jade Pool Sect?

"We came out for training," I don't even know if Mother made any arrangements, but as for the elders of the sect, they all lack the ability to steal things silently and without a trace right under our noses. Yao Yue Ting glanced at her sister, thought it over carefully, and shook her head; the experts of the Jade Pool Sect who protect them don't know, and as for the Jade Pool Sect itself, no one is capable of stealing that stalk of golden silk nanmu core without being detected.

"Who could it be!" Zhou Shuo furrowed his brow and then consciously added another sentence.

"What secret exactly does that stalk of golden silk nanmu core hold, that it could be stolen without anyone's knowledge or awareness!"

"Don't always use the word 'steal'; how could this be called 'stealing'!" A fragrant-scented voice suddenly rang out from the air, causing Zhou Shuo to instantly go on alert, and the flower sisters likewise, the double pupils in their four eyes scanning everywhere, searching for the source of the sound.