Chapter 179: Screams in the Dungeon

Looking at A Jiao flying around her.

Ruan Xing finally realized something belatedly.

It has been a whole day and night!

Cai Wen wouldn't still be waiting for her in Yunyang City, would he?

This is awkward...

Ruan Xing gave a light cough, "Um, let's not go back yet, let's make a trip to Yunyang City."

Cai Jiao remembered, as expected, and immediately responded with some excitement: "Yay, Big Sister, we can go see Grandpa!"

To avoid accidental injury, Ruan Xing had sent a Transmission Talisman to Cai Wen before she took on Li Jin Fu's identity, arranging to meet him in Yunyang City and telling him not to leave until they met.

It was just that so many things happened that day that she had almost forgotten.

And Cai Wen too; he hadn't seen her for a day and a night, yet he didn't even send a Transmission Talisman to ask.

The tip of the Sword shifted, and it headed in the direction of Yunyang City.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and pedestrians in Yunyang City were as usual; in a city composed mostly of low-level Cultivators and mortals, they still followed that cycle of working at sunrise, and many shops began hanging up lanterns to open for business.

Upon reaching the city gate, Ruan Xing discovered two remnants of the Six Suns Study walking in a hurry; she spent a little effort to finish them off and stuff them into a Storage Bag.

After entering the city, Ruan Xing thought it unwise to use her Divine Sense extensively and alert other Cultivators in the city, so she sent a Transmission Talisman to Cai Wen to ask for his location.

After a moment, she received a reply, and only then did Ruan Xing learn that Cai Wen was hiding in a shared courtyard where mortals gathered.

Ruan Xing had lived in this place once before, and she still had some familiarity with the roads in her memory.

After finding Cai Wen, before the group could say anything upon meeting, Cai Jiao rushed forward first and called out, "Grandpa!"

Seeing a Sword flying toward him, Cai Wen was startled, thinking Ruan Xing was finally going to kill him to silence him; only when he heard that long-lost voice did he lose his focus, and he stood there completely stunned.

After a long while, he tremblingly used his withered old hands to stroke the Sword body, his eyes brimming with tears, "Nannan, my Nannan, I finally heard your voice again..."

He was so moved that tears streamed down his face; he rambled a few words to Cai Jiao, reminiscing about the warmth of the past, before steadying himself and asking, "Nannan, how did you become like this?"

Ruan Xing was silent.

Although Cai Jiao was not dead, it was an indisputable fact that she no longer had a body, and Cai Wen inevitably felt resentment in his heart.

"It was me, voluntary, Grandpa," Cai Jiao said sensibly. "Big Sister, couldn't beat, bad guys, so I became a Sword, to help Big Sister! I am, very powerful now!"

Her voice carried a sense of pride, seeking praise.

Cai Wen looked dazed for a while before sighing and saying, "As long as you're alive, that's enough."

The result he wanted most was for Cai Jiao to return to the appearance of a normal person, growing up slowly like other innocent and lively little girls.

But that was just his wishful thinking; he knew in his heart that it was almost impossible.

Being able to recover her consciousness was already enough to be a pleasant surprise.

Cai Jiao, however, did not hear the subtext in Cai Wen's words and just said happily, "Yes, I can live for a long time!"

After becoming a spirit of an artifact, she was no longer limited by lifespan; as long as the Sword was not destroyed, she would exist forever.

Unlike before, that Puppet Body had neither used high-quality Rune materials nor was it of top-tier Puppet essence, and she herself had no Yin Qi cultivation, so it might have naturally rotted away in a few decades.

Once the grandfather and granddaughter, Cai Wen and Cai Jiao, finished catching up, they began to discuss serious matters.

"After I arrived in Yunyang City yesterday, I waited and didn't see you come. Later, besides the originally arranged patrol disciples, a few more disciples appeared in Yunyang City. I was afraid they would recognize me, so I quietly hid here. I didn't dare to contact you in the meantime, fearing I would ruin your plans," Cai Wen said with a serious face as he sat before Ruan Xing.

He was currently hiding in the home of a mortal family that was rarely occupied; the house owner wanted to earn a fortune for his children and grandchildren so they might have a chance to become Cultivators, so he rarely came home. After Cai Wen learned of this place, he occupied it temporarily.

Ruan Xing had called him out but didn't come to see him; something must have happened. But his cultivation was mediocre, and he was afraid he couldn't help, so he could only look after himself.

Fortunately, he finally waited for Ruan Xing to come find him, and the heavy stone in his heart fell to the ground. As long as Ruan Xing was fine, Cai Jiao would not be in danger following her, though he hadn't expected Cai Jiao to become an artifact spirit.

Being an artifact spirit was fine; the original Cai Jiao was of almost no help to Ruan Xing. Cai Wen was very worried that once he died, or after the Six Suns Study matter was resolved and he was no longer useful to Ruan Xing, Cai Jiao would be abandoned.

Now that she was an artifact spirit, Ruan Xing certainly wouldn't be willing to cast Cai Jiao aside.

Ruan Xing nodded and said, "No need to worry. Now the Six Suns Study is already my territory. Those remaining on the mountain are all my people. It hasn't been made public yet only because the disciples sent out by the Six Suns Study yesterday haven't returned."

"If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they will grow again in the spring breeze; indeed, it should be so." Cai Wen stroked his beard but then raised another question, "What are your plans for the territory originally left behind by the Six Suns Study?"

Ruan Xing had already thought it through, "Within the jurisdiction of the Six Suns Study, there are two cities and seven villages and towns. Once things are settled on the mountain in these few days, I will take back these cities and towns. Management will remain as usual; I will provide a nominal City Lord, but actual management will be handed over to local small families to share. Various taxes, road tolls, etc., will still follow the original distribution. If some small families think my Sect's reputation is obscure and I am easy to bully, then I will kill."

She spoke very decisively, a flash of murderous intent crossing her eyes.

When one has the strength to hold the power of speech, why should one still suffer grievances?

The total number of people in the Fengling Yueying Sect is just over a hundred, not much different from the number of people in the previous Six Suns Study.

Because there are no servants or the like, the number is even smaller.

The revenue from the cities is sufficient for the disciples of the Sect to cultivate.

Cai Wen had helped his teacher handle secular affairs; he knew that the Six Suns Study had no diplomatic relations with other Sects, at most with the Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect, which gave them some face due to its reputation. But now the Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect couldn't even look after itself, and it wouldn't stand up for the Six Suns Study.

In any case, the Six Suns Study was already mysterious; it claimed to the outside world that its members were all people who cultivated the Dao with a calm heart, a small workshop with one Nascent Soul and a few Golden Core Cultivators.

The Cultivators all stayed at home, improving their cultivation; from the Xumi Realm to the Six Suns Study, then to the water bubbles under the Boundary Tree, their lives passed like an assembly line, and they probably didn't even know other Cultivators in the world of Cultivation.

As long as this newly established Sect was not a Demon Cultivator, other Sects would not meddle in such trivial matters.

Therefore, Ruan Xing's method of handling it had no problems.

"It's just that there are some industries in the Six Suns Study that I don't understand," Cai Wen mentioned those account books.

Upon learning that all the high-level members of the Six Suns Study had been killed, he showed a look of regret, "I don't know what kind of industries they are; I'm afraid this part will be lost."

When Ruan Xing heard him mention these, what came to her mind were the words Xu Shengping said before he died.

She lowered her eyes and said, "Perhaps they aren't industries. Are those account books for a fixed amount at a fixed time every year?"

Cai Wen was surprised, "Indeed, how did you know?"

Ruan Xing recounted Xu Shengping's words, cutting out the beginning and the end.

Cai Wen's expression turned grave, "If that's really the case... then it's hard to say. As time passes, those families that have made transactions will surely come once they hear the news, either wanting people or wanting money. These legacy problems are not easy to solve; one cannot just kill them all."

That was indeed a problem.

Ruan Xing nodded in thought.

Furthermore, there was another matter that was not too urgent, yet she could not think of a good way to resolve it. That was... the Demon Cultivators.

The memories of the Boundary Tree clearly told her that the founding of the Six Suns Study was a collaboration between the founder and a Demon Cultivator.

Although the founder had already died, there were still some Cultivators within the Six Suns Study who knew about this Demon Cultivator matter, and there was an agreed-upon arrangement that every thirty years, that female Cultivator would send someone over.

If this agreement had been continued all along, I fear the day for the next Demon Cultivator to arrive was not far off.

At the very least, it was before the Demon Cultivator invasion in the year she turned twenty-three.

After thinking for a while, Ruan Xing said, "Didn't you say those account books were divided into three grades: A, B, and C? Go back and organize all the content regarding this part in the library. As you said, those that suddenly stopped sending Spirit Stones should mean there is no one left in the family or this transaction has been abandoned; pick these out and ignore them. For the remaining ones, it is best to know their specific identities, see who the person referred to is, and see if there have been cases of families coming to ask for people in the past, and check how they were resolved before."

"Yes," Cai Wen replied, "There is no time to lose. There are many case files in the library, and it will take me some time to sort them out."

"It's not that urgent... Currently, there are no complete buildings on the mountain, and I fear the library was also affected by the fighting; rebuilding will also take time." Ruan Xing scratched her head.

Cai Wen was silent for a long while.

The entire mountaintop did not have a single intact spot; how intense must the fighting have been to make it like this? He sighed, "I only hope the records in the library's secret chamber were not destroyed."

The four of them left Yunyang City as if nothing had happened and returned to the Six Suns Study.

The mountain gate, as one of the important conditions for tricking disciples into returning, had already been urgently constructed.

Cui Yurong was guarding in the shadows, and seeing Ruan Xing bring people back, she came up to meet them.

"How was the harvest?"

Cui Yurong said, "I have been guarding here since the early morning and encountered a total of three returning disciples. The Dharma Artifact you gave me is truly easy to use; Yurong still needs to use it for a few more days before returning it to you."

Hearing this, Ruan Xing then said, "Then just keep it and use it."

In any case, this Dharma Artifact was also Cui Yurong's in the original book's plot.

The Triangle Flag was basically kept at the bottom of the box in her hands, and its presence was very low.

After Cui Yurong thanked Ruan Xing, she continued to return to the shadows to keep watch.

Cai Wen and Ruan Tao went to the location of the library together to help, so that it could be rebuilt as soon as possible and the case files could be sorted out early.

Ruan Tao had nothing to do, and the others did not know Cai Wen, so it was just right for her to take him around to get to know people and also learn from Cai Wen how to manage Sect affairs.

Ruan Xing called Hu San over and asked in a low voice, "What did Cui Yurong do last night?"

Hu San said, "She stayed in the dungeon for the whole night, constantly torturing that mortal. First, she sliced open his stomach, letting him bleed to death, and when he was about to die, she used the Flag to extract his soul, lit a Ghost Fire, and watched with her own eyes as the Ghost Fire burned the soul to nothing before she went to the mountain gate."

Hu San's face carried a trace of lingering fear.

He had been ordered by Ruan Xing to keep an eye on Cui Yurong, but he had seen the entire process of Cui Yurong's revenge; it was truly ruthless... this woman could not be provoked.

Ruan Xing felt satisfied upon hearing this.

The male lead was dead.

She could now be completely at ease regarding Cui Yurong.

"How should the other person in the dungeon be dealt with?" Hu San asked.

There was another person? Ruan Xing thought for a moment and then knew.

It was Sun Xian.

She hadn't expected that in order to prevent him from finding the Study Master to complain and affect her plan, she had framed him and locked him in the dungeon.

It had actually saved his life by a twist of fate.

"I will go to the dungeon to take a look."

Ruan Xing said.

The experience of this day and night had almost scared Sun Xian crazy.

From the moment he received the order to go to the Xumi Realm to capture that mortal, all the developments had exceeded his expectations.

He had even listened to the mortal's screams for an entire night.

In his heart, he feared that he would follow in his footsteps.

When Ruan Xing saw him, the other party's expression was terrified, and his eyes were full of bloodshot veins.

She said with composure, "The attack on the Six Suns Study was a great success, and the inside man contributed greatly. You were locked up here; it seems you are that inside man?"

Sun Xian shrank into the corner, dispirited, "It wasn't me... the traitor is Li Jin Fu! It wasn't me..."

Ruan Xing said in disappointment, "So it wasn't you, huh. Well, then there's no helping it, I can only send you on your way."

Ruan Xing turned to leave, when suddenly Sun Xian crawled a few steps to Ruan Xing's feet, the sound of chains clanking.

"It's me! I am that inside man!" Sun Xian said through gritted teeth. His expression was very conflicted; he looked miserable, yet there was a glimmer of expectation in his eyes as he looked at Ruan Xing.

As expected... her judgment of people was still very accurate. Sun Xian had no loyalty to the Six Suns Study; from beginning to end, he only thought of himself.

If he wanted to live, he could only be servile in front of Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing actually wanted to kill him, but she still needed to use Sun Xian to do some things regarding the matters in the Xumi Realm.

Let's spare his life for now. Besides, looking at Sun Xian's performance in the last Simulation... once he knew the truth about the Boundary Tree, he would almost never have the heart to resist Ruan Xing.

"Since you are so sensible, I will give you this opportunity," she said. "I will leave a restriction on you. From now on, you will stay within the Xumi Realm. The rest of your life, for several hundred years, will depend on your performance."

"Yes. May I ask which sect or faction I belong to from now on, and how should I address you?" Sun Xian asked respectfully.

"Ours is called the Fengling Yueying Sect, and I am the Sect Master, named Ruan Xing," Ruan Xing said with a smile. "Although you haven't heard of it, it doesn't matter. From today on, the Fengling Yueying Sect will take root in Nanzhou."

After bringing Sun Xian out of the dungeon, Ruan Xing went to the back mountain.

The tree roots buried under the soil in the back mountain were surprisingly still quite intact after nearly a hundred Puppets self-destructed.

Thinking about it, they should be materials of good quality; they must not be wasted.

She collected all these tree roots into her Storage Bag, and the back mountain became a patch of pits and bumps, looking extremely ugly.

She casually grabbed a passing Qi Refining disciple, a young boy who looked very immature, and instructed, "You tidy up this place and plan it out. I want to dig a small Underground Palace here. Once you finish cleaning up, go tell Hu San."

The young boy lowered his head and said respectfully, "Yes, Sect Master! Disciple Xu Can accepts the order!"

Thanks to Gebeiliya for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to book friend 20220918175316618 for the monthly ticket~(End of this chapter)