Chapter 158

Xu Gongzi and the maid Qing Mei both stared: "What... what are you saying? Who are you talking about?"

Heng Xian pointed at them: "I'm talking about you two, you have a secret affair; I'm actually here to block you, truly morals are declining, social customs worsening!"

Xu Gongzi widened his eyes, pointing at Qing Mei and then himself: "You say I and her? I'm a proud Shangdang Academy student, a Qi Condensation Second Tier cultivator, with refined tastes and lofty ambitions—how could I have an affair with a mere maid? You're talking nonsense; you must have gone mad!"

Heng Xian glared at Qing Mei: "Did you hear that? He said you're just a lowly maid, he looks down on you, he despises you from the bottom of his heart!"

Qing Mei stared, looking at Xu Gongzi, her eye sockets gradually reddening: "Qing Mei knows she's a maid of low status, but her background is pure, she's been courteous to the young master, never offended him—why, why do you despise me?"

Saying this, she burst into tears and ran into the courtyard.

"Ah! No!" Xu Gongzi reached out, feeling something was off.

Heng Xian looked regretful: "Look at you, what have you done to that young lady? Unknowingly, how many people have you hurt?"

Xu Gongzi opened his mouth, angry and embarrassed: "Bold scholar, spouting nonsense, I'll tear you apart!"

He made a move to lunge forward.

Heng Xian exclaimed in surprise: "You have a guilty conscience, you've been messing around in the escort agency's inner quarters—did I call someone?"

"You..." Xu Gongzi forced himself to stop, shouting: "You scoundrel, we're all scholars—right from wrong is clear; watch your mouth."

He flashed his figure and entered the guest courtyard of the rear residence.

"You little brat, what are you playing with your words?"

Heng Xian shook his head and turned to leave.

Returning to the east courtyard, it wasn't late yet; the servants in the whole courtyard were still leisurely doing their various chores.

Several half‑grown maidservants washing clothes by the well furtively glanced at Heng Xian, then boldly chuckled, "Master Murong, we were just talking about you."

Heng Xian exclaimed, "What about me?"

The maids laughed and said, "You're really good‑looking, just like the princess consort in those plays!"

Heng Xian was speechless; praising his looks was understandable, but what the heck is a "princess consort"?

The matron nearby quickly scolded the girls, then smiled at Heng Xian, saying, "Our servants are all rough‑skinned and dirty‑faced; they've never seen someone as handsome as you, sir—please don't take offense!"

"Not at all!" Heng Xian chuckled, then sat down to chat with the half‑grown girls.

The courtyard buzzed with noise until the end of the hai hour, when people gradually dispersed.

Heng Xian also returned to his room, took out a chicken leg and threw it to "Gou Dan", then quietly opened the window and looked across, wondering, "Medicinal herbs?"

He took out a gauze scarf to cover his face, changed into black clothes, and with a flick of his figure flew out the window.

The inner residence was spacious, with building after building, and many maidservants and young masters; Heng Xian employed his movement technique, scaling roofs and walls like a wisp of smoke, without startling a soul.

He thus darted all the way to the inner manor, arriving between two courtyards; the right‑hand courtyard was the residence of the eldest Miss Murong Zhiwei, which was now at rest.

In the left‑hand courtyard, the main hall still had lights on, and two shadowy figures could be seen inside.

That stalk of Second Fire True Grass was inside the room.

Heng Xian tapped his foot, and in a flash he was on the roof, quietly lifting a tile to look down.

Inside the room sat two people: one was the arm‑wounded escort chief Wu Liang.

The other was an old man with white‑streaked hair; from his aura he had already reached Qi Sea Realm First Tier—

Namely, the owner of the escort bureau, the chief escort Murong Fang!

At this moment Murong Fang said, "You say the big and second bosses of Death Mountain were slain by Wu Liang?"

Wu Liang hesitated a moment: "He said he killed them!"

Murong Fang shook his head: "If Wu Liang had fought them head‑on and killed those two, I could barely believe it, but that chopping‑like slaughter… is implausible!"

Wu Liang's cultivation methods and tricks—you and I, as master and disciple, know them all!

Wu Liang said embarrassedly, "Then… perhaps some senior passing by lent a hand!"

"That must be the case!" Murong Fang sighed, then added, "These are troubled times; the escort bureau is in imminent danger!"

Wu Liang startled: "What's happened?"

Murong Fang said, "Wei Rishui of the Western Depot says he wants to buy our escort bureau!"

Wu Liang snapped, "We've always kept to ourselves—have they gone mad?"

Murong Fang shook his head: "Wei Rishui recently broke through to Qi Sea Realm Third Tier; I, as his master, am no longer his match!"

Wu Liang stared: "Nowadays the great sect's disciples are probing for demon traces in Yangzhou City—how could they act recklessly?"

Murong Fang gave a wry smile: "Wei Rishui's brother‑in‑law is an inner disciple of the Da Luo Holy Sect, a senior sect inner disciple! It's said he's also come this time; even the city lord gives him face, so Wei Rishui is throwing his weight around!"

"This..." Wu Liang instantly slumped his head in dejection.

Murong Fang waved his hand: "Forget it, you go back first; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself!"

"Then... disciple takes his leave!" Wu Liang turned and left the door.

Murong Fang waited a while longer, then walked toward the corner of the room, picked up a piece of cloth, looked at the antiquated wooden bagua compass beneath it, idly turned it a few times, and let out a long sigh: "What exactly is the treasure left by our ancestors? If I could open it, I wouldn't fear the Western Depot at all—"

After letting out a long sigh, he covered the cloth, turned, and went to the bedroom deep in the courtyard.

Almost as soon as he had just stepped out the door, Heng Xian strangely slipped in, took a few steps to the corner of the room, quietly picked up the cloth, rolled his eyes, pressed down firmly, turned left three times, right eight times, then left four times, and finally pressed the "Life Gate" Qian trigram on the bagua compass: "Life and death are settled; the Life Gate can be opened!"

Such a complicated procedure naturally requires the Heavenly Hexagram!

Having just finished this, a slight tremor suddenly came from underfoot, and immediately the floor above creaked open a crack; below glowed faintly, and a strange fragrance wafted up.

Heng Xian glanced around, then leapt down.

The space below wasn't large, only about five or six zhang in length and width, with some drifting dust, clearly having been there for some time.

In the center was a pool; in the center of the pool stood a lotus pedestal; in the center of the pedestal was an alchemical furnace, in which grew a fiery red plant, its fragrance extremely rich.

Heng Xian immediately opened the Mysterious Yellow Heavenly Hexagram: "Is this the Yi Fire True Herb?"

The hexagram's answer: 【Yes, but the optimal maturity is still fifteen days away.】

Fifteen days?

Heng Xian thought for a moment, fifteen days then fifteen days; this Murong Fang doesn't have the fortune to enjoy it, so I shall not decline—man does not act for himself, heaven will destroy and earth will annihilate!

His figure flashed, and he returned to the room, operating the Eight Trigrams Compass once more, as the ground slowly sealed shut.

He then covered it with a cloth, left the room, and hurried straight to the eastern courtyard.

By now it was deep night, all was quiet around, yet when he reached the edge of the inner residence, he faintly heard a sound of splashing water.

What kind of water sound is this at this time?

Heng Xian, surprised, followed the sound and arrived outside a room in the servants' courtyard, then peered inside.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but be stunned.

The maid Qingmei whom he had met earlier was taking a bath, meanwhile primping and posing…

(End of chapter)