Chapter 176: She Has Helpers Too

Ruan Xing smiled slightly and did not answer him.

Perhaps this posture fit his imagination of an Immortal well, as a look of yearning appeared on his face.

After showing her face in front of Sun Xian to steady him, Ruan Xing gave a few warnings and returned to the underwater bubble, beginning the next step of her assembly-line work.

By the time all the Puppets were finished, about three hours had passed.

With dusk approaching, Ruan Xing looked at the anxious Sun Xian and finally relented, saying, "Let's go back."

Sun Xian felt as if he had been granted an amnesty and said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I will listen to everything you say."

She summoned the Black Eagle, the three of them boarded it, and on the way back, Sun Xian quietly asked Ruan Xing in a low voice.

"True Monarch, what should I say when we return?"

Ruan Xing said indifferently, "Just say whatever you want to say."

Sweat broke out on Sun Xian's forehead; back when he was in the Xumi Realm, people always said that accompanying a ruler was like accompanying a tiger, and it was easy to lose one's life if one accidentally guessed the superior's intentions wrong, but now, looking at Ruan Xing's calm and composed demeanor, he felt it was even more like walking on thin ice than when he was an official.

"This, I don't quite understand what you mean..." he said with a fawning smile.

Ruan Xing changed the subject, "When you were on duty at the National Teacher Palace, didn't you bring a Cultivator with you? Why didn't you bring him back?"

"You even know about this?" Sun Xian was shocked, then replied cautiously, "I had originally intended to cripple his cultivation and leave him behind, but later he suddenly disappeared, so I couldn't be bothered to waste the effort to look for him."

He replied with a mix of truth and lies, but in his heart, he began to wonder if this True Monarch had already been lurking in the Capital during those ten-plus years he was on rotation.

Ruan Xing laughed noncommittally, "That's not all, is it? You were worried that the Study Master would find out about him disturbing the fortune of the Xumi Realm, so you covered it up. He was a Cultivator after all, how could an ordinary person do anything to him? If he died inexplicably within the Xumi Realm, you would be hard-pressed to shirk the blame, right?"

She suddenly looked at Sun Xian, "If the Study Master knew about this, would he think that the shadow of Demon Cultivators had already appeared in the Xumi Realm years ago, and that you, for the sake of your own interests, concealed this matter—does that mean you have already colluded with an external enemy?"

Sun Xian immediately broke into a cold sweat and said with a mournful face, "True Monarch, just tell me what you want me to do, I will do it. My life is in your hands, I wouldn't dare not listen!"

"I don't need you to do anything, just pray for your own good," Ruan Xing smiled.

Sun Xian did not yet understand what Ruan Xing meant and his heart was pounding; he thought to himself that everything was fine when they left, and in just a few hours, he hadn't seen this True Monarch do anything—surely the Study Master couldn't know everything the moment they returned? In the interval while they were talking, the Black Eagle had already flown to the mountain gate plaza of the Six Suns Study.

The huge wings descended with a gale, and before the three of them could jump off the Black Eagle's back, several people had already surrounded them, one of whom shouted loudly, "Traitor Sun Xian, surrender at once!"

Sun Xian was dumbfounded and looked at Ruan Xing in disbelief.

The others, however, thought he was threatening Ruan Xing or trying to hold him hostage, and Chen Donghao immediately said, "Jin Fu, be careful!"

Several people leaped up, and Ruan Xing took the opportunity to kick Sun Xian off the eagle's back.

Sun Xian struggled to resist, but the others treated him like a formidable enemy and threw every technique they had at him.

In a few quick moves, they had him tied up.

"I'm wronged! I'm not a traitor! Li Jinfu is! He isn't Li Jinfu! He's someone else in disguise!"

Sun Xian finally understood why Ruan Xing had said he could say whatever he wanted.

It turned out Ruan Xing had already planned everything!

Sun Xian complained bitterly, unable to defend himself at this moment.

A person on the side sneered, "If you aren't a traitor, why are you resisting? It's come to this, and you still want to drag others down with you, how hateful!"

Ruan Xing said to Chen Donghao with a worried expression, "Senior Brother Chen, Sun Xian is desperate and wants to use me as a scapegoat, what should we do?"

Chen Donghao waved his hand, "Slanderous words, how could anyone believe them? Junior Brother, just set your mind at ease. You had me worried for a long time; I was really afraid that if you went out with this traitor, you wouldn't come back. The Study Master was originally going to send people to save you, and I had even intended to volunteer, but unexpectedly, two Elders were ambushed on the road and both were injured. The Study Master was too busy to attend to you."

Speaking of the latter part, he lowered his voice, "According to the Elders, the people who attacked them were a group of very strange people with Runes drawn on their bodies. However, before they could see clearly, those people self-destructed. Only one kid at the Golden Core Stage escaped. The Elders wanted to pursue, but that kid's movement technique was very unusual, slippery and hard to track, so they had to return first. However, it is said that the kid was also injured and couldn't run far. The Study Master has already sent people to blockade the area within a hundred miles."

"Don't blame the Study Master, he really couldn't spare the manpower. After all, blocking news from the outside world is the most important thing. Within the Xumi Realm, even if something happens, it would at most mean a loss of thirty or fifty years of time; it is only human nature for the Study Master to weigh it this way."

He patted Ruan Xing on the shoulder and comforted him in a low voice.

Ruan Xing, of course, did not care; she was not Li Jinfu himself and had no loyalty to the Study Master.

In fact, this situation was entirely of her own making.

She smiled, "What are you saying? It is a great fortune that I could return, how could I blame the Study Master? I wonder if the Study Master has said how to deal with this mortal?"

"Is this the husband of that Ghost Cultivator?" Chen Donghao looked him up and down, "He does have a good appearance. The Study Master ordered him to be taken to see that Ghost Cultivator; if the Ghost Cultivator reacts to him, they will be imprisoned separately to use this mortal to hold her, and if there is no reaction, he will be killed and thrown down the mountain. Although he has some fortune on him, it has been interfered with by a Cultivator and is no longer pure, so he cannot be returned to the Xumi Realm."

Two Cultivators nearby immediately stepped forward and tied the mortal up as well.

The male lead only then realized something was wrong. He had looked calm when watching Sun Xian being tied up, but now he frowned, "Let me go! Didn't you bring me here to seek the Immortal? Why are you acting like this!"

"Seek the Immortal?" Chen Donghao laughed, "Go seek a ghost! Take him away!"

The other few hurriedly escorted Sun Xian and the other man to the dungeon.

Ruan Xing volunteered, "I will go to the dungeon too, Senior Brother Chen. You said just now that there wasn't enough manpower. Firstly, I can help out in the dungeon, and secondly, if the Study Master really believes that traitor Sun Xian's words, my guarding the dungeon will prevent you from being in a difficult position, Senior Brother."

Chen Donghao was somewhat moved, "I've wronged you, Jin Fu."

"What is this," Ruan Xing said righteously.

Chen Donghao went to report to the Study Master, while Ruan Xing followed the others to escort Sun Xian and the other man to the dungeon. After handing over the task, she found a cell for Sun Xian and the male lead respectively, and the others left.

Only Cheng Zijue remained in the dungeon.

Ruan Xing approached him with a smile, and without finding any excuse, she pierced his dantian with a Sword.

She then removed her disguise and returned to her original appearance.

Cui Yurong said excitedly, "Benefactor, I knew it was you!"

Although Ruan Xing's body had grown a few years older, her appearance was still very similar to before, so Cui Yurong did not have to worry about recognizing the wrong person.

"A Jiao," Ruan Xing called out.

A thin, white jade-like Sword flew out. Ruan Xing held it with her other hand and slashed at the chains on Cui Yurong's body. Clack! The Binding God Rope was shattered.

Cui Yurong stood up immediately and looked with hatred toward the cell where the male lead had just been imprisoned. "Calm down, there will be plenty of time later," Ruan Xing said, giving the Triangle Flag to Cui Yurong, "For now, listen to my orders. Use your Nether Ghost Fire to ignite the Evil Ghosts in the Flag and release them. Let them infect everyone they see with the Ghost Fire; you only need to create chaos. If you encounter a Cultivator you cannot beat, avoid them for now and leave them for me to handle."

After Cui Yurong received the order and left, Ruan Xing also hurried toward the back mountain.

Once chaos broke out, the Study Master would gather people in the woods behind the main hall, because that was where their final trump card was.

And Ruan Xing's purpose in going there was to ambush the hundred-plus Puppets from her Storage Bag. The Puppets had no breath and no heartbeat; if they didn't use Yin energy, they were no different from corpses and couldn't be found without a close look.

The Boundary Tree could help her delay the time in those woods for an hour.

She had to make good use of it.

Very quickly, the chaos began.

As the first disciple who died from the Ghost Fire fell, the barrier in the sky rose abruptly, flowing in mid-air like a layer of scorched-yellow syrup.

Some disciples ran in a panic toward the main hall, looking for the Master of the Study.

"It's bad! The Ghost Cultivator has escaped from the dungeon!"

Chen Donghao, who had just come out of the main hall, immediately frowned and grabbed a disciple, "What did you say? Escaped? Where are Cheng Zijue and Li Jinfu?"

"I don't know, Senior Brother, I didn't see them!" the disciple said in a panic.

"What are you panicking for! Come with me to find an Elder and borrow a Binding God Rope. That Ghost Cultivator doesn't have much strength; with a Dharma Artifact to restrain her, it can be resolved."

Chen Donghao turned his head to go find the Elder who was healing his wounds, but the disciple shook his head violently, "It's not like that, Senior Brother. We originally thought we could resolve her too, just three or five of us going up together, but we didn't expect that a flag in her hand would be so powerful! With one wave, she released a fierce ghost stained with Ghost Fire, and she herself didn't get close to us at all. Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Zhang were both burned to death..."

A look of terror appeared on the disciple's withered, old face.

Watching helplessly as two fellow disciples were burned to death by the Ghost Fire, yet neither water magic nor ice magic could have any effect on the Ghost Fire! Hearing this, Chen Donghao paused his steps, "I understand. In any case, I will go find the Elder first; you go into the main hall and report to the Master of the Study!"

He hurried away like the wind. The disciple patted his chest in lingering fear, but when he turned back, he saw a charming young girl standing there, holding two swords, one long and one short.

The disciple asked in surprise: "You..."

Before the words were finished, Ruan Xing swung a sword at him.

For a full hour, the Ghost Fire began to spread on the bodies of the outer disciples; anyone who was clever and ran fast had already died under Ruan Xing's sword.

Having guarded the entrance of the main hall for half a day like this, the Master of the Study seemed to finally react to why no one had come to report the situation to him after the barrier had been raised for so long.

Chen Donghao also arrived late with two Elders.

Looking at the corpses all over the ground and the bloodstains on the hem of Ruan Xing's long skirt.

Several people were shocked to the point of breaking.

They could never have imagined that someone would actually start a massacre at the Six Suns Study!

The Master of the Study pointed at Ruan Xing, his voice trembling, "You, who exactly are you..."

"Fengling Yueying Sect, Ruan Xing." Ruan Xing tilted her head and smiled at the few people in front of her, "To die by my hands, consider yourselves lucky for three lifetimes."

As soon as the words fell, she charged up with her sword and slashed at the top of the Master of the Study's head!

A golden halo of light collided over, instantly knocking the white thin sword in Ruan Xing's hand away.

The old man with the golden ring said angrily: "Die, thief!"

He charged over instantly, with thousands of silver threads behind him, seemingly blocking Ruan Xing's retreat.

Ruan Xing bowed slightly, and the moment the old man with the golden ring came over, a horsetail whisk appeared in her empty hand.

The thousands of silver threads also landed on the face of the old man with the golden ring.

He let out a miserable shriek, hurriedly retreated, and shouted loudly: "Why the hell is your weapon pointed at your own people!"

The old man with the horsetail whisk had a grave expression, "It wasn't me. This female Cultivator's Magic Art is strange. Just now I didn't feel any Spiritual Power fluctuations acting on me, and she snatched my horsetail whisk away all at once!"

However, the horsetail whisk had followed the old man for many years and was in tune with his heart; naturally, it was impossible for it to be used just because Ruan Xing had taken it. At this moment, Ruan Xing was holding the horsetail whisk and struggling with the old man. Suddenly, the old man realized and controlled the horsetail whisk to extend the silver threads in the opposite direction.

Ruan Xing immediately let go, threw the horsetail whisk to the side, and then shouted: "Sword, come!"

Several people were immediately alerted. The old man with the golden ring had not forgotten just now that he had knocked this female Cultivator's sword away.

How could a Nascent Soul Cultivator let go of her sword so easily? Now it seemed she had let go on purpose, just to cast that bizarre Magic Art to steal the horsetail whisk.

And now, since the Magic Art had no effect, naturally she had to summon the sword back.

What they never expected was that a pure white youth suddenly appeared from behind the Master of the Study.

Heart-Plucking Claw! The fingernails carrying Corpse Poison sank deeply into the back of the Master of the Study. The Master of the Study shook all over, a ripple spread across his body, and Sword Lai withdrew his hand and flew away.

In fact, after Sword Lai led the other Puppets to attack the two Elders, he himself had hidden into the passage and quietly sneaked into the Six Suns Study.

But the two Elders thought he had escaped and only went to look for him in the direction leading outside, not knowing that Sword Lai had already entered their home base.

The old man with the golden ring was still exchanging blows with Ruan Xing, with the old man with the horsetail whisk assisting from the side from time to time. Ruan Xing was struggling to cope alone, when suddenly she opened her mouth and shouted, "A Jiao!"

The old man with the horsetail whisk's expression turned stern, "She still has a helper!"

However, the next second, a jade-white sword light streaked across the air, leaving behind a sharp sound, and pierced into the shoulder of the Master of the Study.

The old man with the golden ring said angrily: "What kind of style is yours? A person is named Sword Lai, and a sword is named after a person?"

The Master of the Study also said indignantly, "You shout at those two, why is it that you hit me every time?"

The Master of the Study himself was not good at fighting, and since two Elders were fighting one person and seemed to have the upper hand, he naturally had no need to make a move.

But he didn't expect that both times Ruan Xing was feinting to the east while attacking in the west!

Too much!

Ruan Xing rolled her eyes. Nonsense, if I don't hit you, who do I hit? If I don't force you into the woods, did I set up my Puppets for nothing? Thanks to One Leaf Covers the Eyes 912 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Gebeiliya for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)