Chapter 627: Zhou Yixian, Xiaohuan, and the Turn of Events

Ding-ling-ling!

A crisp bell sound rang out.

The source of the sound was a small, golden-hued bell that looked as good as new.

The bell's clapper was delicate and intricate, and a thin iron chain was attached to the bell body; with a slight shake, the clapper struck the bell body gently, producing a sound once more.

On the inner wall of the bell, three small characters were engraved.

——Hehuan Bell.

This Hehuan Bell was originally an item belonging to Madam Jinling of the Hehuan Sect eight hundred years ago, renowned for its fame and exceptional battle achievements; later, it was left behind in the Didi Cave of Kongsang Mountain, where it was obtained by Bi Yao.

Bi Yao was very fond of this bell, sometimes playing with it in her slender hands, and sometimes twisting her slender waist, her green skirt fluttering, while the Hehuan Bell would immediately emit a series of crisp sounds, faintly carrying an intent to absorb souls.

Besides the bell, there was also the first volume of the Heavenly Book in this Didi Cave, which served as the general outline for all the Heavenly Books. A large part of the reason why the Blood-Refining Hall was able to dominate the world eight hundred years ago was precisely because of this volume of the Heavenly Book.

Part of the reason Yu Liancheng had come down from the mountain this time was to collect the Heavenly Books, and now it was a good start, with progress going quite smoothly.

"Youming Holy Mother, Heavenly Evil Bright King, protect me. Hee hee, who would have thought that this treasure of the Hehuan Sect would end up in my hands."

Bi Yao's smile was like a flower, and after being happy for a long time, she recalled the situation in the cave and muttered to herself: "To think that Madam Jinling actually had feelings for that damned Black Heart Old Ghost. Hmph, it must be that Black Heart Old Ghost was heartless and unfeeling; he deserved to be struck by lightning, better off dead."

Just at this moment, her head was tapped once.

"What are you doing!?" Bi Yao rubbed her forehead and glared fiercely at Yu Liancheng.

The White-robed Divine Monk beside her said calmly: "It was clearly I who brought you into the Didi Cave, yet you thank some Youming Holy Mother and Heavenly Evil Bright King; shouldn't you be hit?"

Bi Yao pouted and grumbled: "I should be the one asking you, a Buddhist monk, why are you so knowledgeable about the affairs of my Holy Sect?"

As she spoke, her beautiful eyes suddenly brightened.

"Could it be that you are actually a disciple of my Holy Sect, lurking in Tianyin Temple to destroy these three major sects of the righteous path in one fell swoop? Or perhaps you want to abandon the darkness for the light; I could introduce you to my father and give you a position as a helmsman... Ouch..."

Before she could finish speaking, her head was tapped again. Bi Yao immediately gritted her teeth, looking like an enraged little beast, ready to pounce on Yu Liancheng at any moment.

Yu Liancheng tucked his hands into his sleeves, shook his head, and sighed: "Let's go quickly; it is already late, and you surely don't want to spend the night here on Kongsang Mountain."

Having said that, he ignored Bi Yao and steered his "Ten Thousand Paths Infinite," turning into a golden light to flee. The speed of his light-body technique was no slower than steering objects; this could be considered "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Bi Yao stamped her feet and chased after him.

The two were lucky; after about half an hour, they spotted a small town. Although the town did not look very large, there were quite a few pedestrians.

Walking closer, they saw a stone tablet standing by the roadside at the entrance of the town, with the three characters "Moonlight Town" written on it; presumably, this was the name of the small town.

Entering the town, the two were planning to look for an inn when they suddenly heard a cry from the main street ahead. Someone shouted loudly: "Predict the future of fifty years, judge the fortune of three hundred years; Iron-Mouthed Divine Physiognomist, pen judges yin and yang, predict future events, come and have a reading."

The two looked toward the sound and saw an old, dilapidated wooden table set up by the side of the street, with a bamboo pole stuck next to it, from which a canvas was hung, inscribed with the four characters "Immortal Pointing the Way."

Beside the bamboo pole, an old man with an extraordinary air was shouting loudly; his white beard was fluttering, and he truly had the appearance of a transcendent being with a celestial air, making people feel a sense of respect at first glance. Beside the old man was a little girl of seven or eight, her eyes bright and dark, looking lively and cute, holding a string of candied haws in her hand, eating with great relish.

Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to the old man.

The old man's eyes rolled, and he took the initiative to set up his stall, grabbing a young man who looked quite honest. The young man frowned, but the old man was immediately shocked, his tone filled with a bit of anxiety: "Young man, I see dark clouds covering your head, and there is an aura of death on your face; things are looking bad, things are looking very bad."

The young man was startled; he had indeed been having bad luck these past few days, so he hurriedly asked for advice.

A peddler next to the fortune teller muttered: "This old man doesn't even know how to change his method of swindling; he has repeated these words a hundred or two hundred times over the past few days."

Before long, the old man had the young man completely bewildered, and he obediently handed over two taels of silver before leaving with profuse thanks.

Once the two taels of silver were in hand, the old man suddenly changed his demeanor; the celestial air vanished completely, and he stared at the silver he had just obtained with a mercenary look, looking at it happily, as if he could see a flower blooming from it.

Yu Liancheng pointed at the old man and laughed: "Do you think he looks like you when you just got the Hehuan Bell?"

"Go to hell." Bi Yao's pretty face flushed, and she reached out and hit Yu Liancheng.

"Let's go, we'll go too." Yu Liancheng strode forward.

"You want a reading too? That's just a con artist, though the little girl beside him seems to have some skill."

Bi Yao followed him. She had watched the whole process earlier and naturally could see that the old man was a fraud, while the one who truly had some skill was the little girl eating the candied haws, who seemed to be able to see a person's "half-life physiognomy" and quietly tell the old man, who would then go and swindle people.

"I'm not going to get a reading, but to help him with a reading." Yu Liancheng chuckled.

Everything he had learned was contained within the Gui Cang Nine Paths, and among them was the "Xuanji Path," which focused on the arts of mystery and the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Dao. However, he had not delved too deeply into this aspect, having only learned some from Wuchen Gongzi, relying more on Heavenly Human Induction and that volume of the "Heavenly Cry Scripture" which could read all the mysteries of the world.

The Heavenly Cry Scripture had three major abilities: the Long River Scroll, Leave Form Transform Shadow, and Penetrate Creation.

Among them, the Long River Scroll brought people into the long river of time, crushing the opponent's mind; he had once used this move to make Wuming fight against Dajianshi, Di Shitian, and Guan Yu, their essence, energy, and spirit almost completely crushed.

As for Leave Form Transform Shadow, it was to intercept the energy of experts, condense it in the long river, and nourish it with the energy of heaven and earth. At a critical moment, it could unleash the most brilliant strike.

When dealing with the Great Demon God back then, he had used this ability.

As for Penetrate Creation, because the "Heavenly Cry Scripture" was the first character created by Cangjie and the origin of all writing, it possessed a strange magic that could trace the past and present, all secrets; this was fully revealed in "Wind and Cloud."

In a different world, this "Penetrate Creation" needed time to infiltrate the new world, and its power was not as great as before. Of course, as long as one was willing to wait, one could also obtain many mysteries.

Yu Liancheng's "Xuanji Path" was also closely related to "Penetrate Creation."

As for this old man, Yu Liancheng happened to recognize him; his name was Zhou Yixian. He appeared to be a rogue and a swindler, but in fact, he was a master playing in the mortal world, and he had intricate connections with the Qingyun Sect.

……

"Old sir."

Just as Zhou Yixian returned to his fortune-telling stall and was preparing to pack up, a voice suddenly sounded from behind him. He hurriedly looked up and smiled slightly: "Iron-mouthed direct judgment, one divination one thousand gold, no cheating the young or the..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was already stunned.

Because the people who had come to him for a reading were actually a monk and a beautiful girl.

The monk was dressed in white and was incredibly handsome. The girl in the green skirt was also a peerless beauty, smiling charmingly.

Such a combination was rare to begin with. Moreover, the two people in front of him were not ordinary monks or women.

Zhou Yixian might not be good at other things, but having traveled north and south for half his life, he had seen all kinds of people, and his experience and knowledge could be considered top-tier in the world.

People like the two in front of him, who were like dragons and phoenixes among men, were still very rare; one look and he knew they were not ordinary people.

Zhou Yixian's eyes suddenly became even more fervent.

If they were not ordinary people, then naturally he would charge an extraordinary price.

He immediately coughed twice and said again: "Iron-mouthed direct judgment, one divination one thousand gold, no cheating the young or the old..."

Before he could finish speaking this time, the monk in white chuckled: "Old sir, this poor monk just cast a hex for you; you are about to face a bloody disaster, you had best avoid it."

Zhou Yixian was instantly enraged. As a fortune-teller himself, to be hexed by a bald donkey and told he would face a bloody disaster was simply too insulting; it turned out the man wasn't here to tell fortunes, but to wreck his stall.

Zhou Yixian rolled up his sleeves, intending to have it out with Yu Liancheng.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Just then, a burst of urgent hoofbeats rang out. Two black steeds pulling a carriage came flying toward them, and in an instant, the entire long street was in chaos, with people tumbling and dogs and chickens scattering. Whether the two steeds were panicked and lost their way or something else was amiss, they charged straight toward the tiny fortune-telling stall. At the critical moment of life and death, Yu Liancheng pulled Zhou Yixian aside and scooped up Xiaohuan.

The steeds smashed the fortune-telling stall to pieces, then continued to gallop madly. After crashing into a street wall, they collapsed with blood spilling from their mouths and noses, falling with a boom.

"Little girl, are you hurt?" Yu Liancheng released Xiaohuan from his arms.

The little girl had nearly been hit, yet she showed no signs of panic. Biting on a candied hawthorn, she mumbled unclearly: "I'm fine, Monk Brother, thank you."

"As long as you're fine." Yu Liancheng rubbed her head.

The little girl took the opportunity to look at Yu Liancheng's palm lines, her small brows furrowing as a look of confusion appeared on her face.

This little girl was Zhou Yixian's granddaughter, named Zhou Xiaohuan. Despite her young age, she had already read most of the "Fate Calculation Nine Methods" and "Jade Pillar Physiognomy," books on physiognomy passed down by Qingyunzi, and possessed a superb talent for the art, capable of reading half a lifetime's fortune.

Yet she could not understand Yu Liancheng's fortune at all, as if he were shrouded in a layer of clouds and mist.

Zhou Yixian, having been thrown onto his backside, rubbed his rear while cursing and swearing. Then, seeing his fortune-telling stall smashed to smithereens, he felt a chill run through his entire body. If he had remained beside the stall earlier, even if he hadn't been sent to meet the immortals, his old bones would have been rattled apart, and he would have been bedridden for at least half a year.

A bloody disaster.

It really was a bloody disaster.

"Do you have eyes or not? If you don't compensate this old man fifty taels of silver, don't think about leaving today..."

Zhou Yixian stood up, cursing and scratching his head, a look of confusion appearing on his face, for he discovered that the entire long street had suddenly gone quiet. Not a sound was to be heard.

In particular, the gazes of all the men were dazed and foolish, looking in the same direction, forgetting that the world had been turned upside down.

Zhou Yixian followed the crowd's gaze. The steeds had fallen, and the carriage had overturned. The driver lay motionless on the ground, and as the curtain was lifted, a woman stumbled out from the carriage cabin.

One could only see this woman, her yellow robes stained with dust, her hair like clouds, her skin whiter than snow. She was about the same age as Bi Yao, and while her appearance was beautiful, it might not necessarily surpass Bi Yao's, but that soul-stirring beauty was far beyond what Bi Yao could compare to.

No matter who stepped out of an overturned carriage, they would look disheveled and embarrassed.

This woman was no exception, her temples messy and hairpins askew, her goose-yellow robes stained with dust.

But no one would notice these things, because every movement of this woman seemed to possess ten thousand kinds of charm, making people forget her dishevelment and her wretchedness.

This was a beauty hard to describe, not at all affected or feigned, but rather mixed into her very bones, as if she were born with such captivating charm.

Especially those eyes, brimming with water; one look, and it seemed one would sink into them, never wanting to come out again.

"This woman..." Zhou Yixian frowned.

"Beauty, you can't escape."

Just then, two rays of light streaked in from afar.

Arriving in the town, two figures appeared; they were two men.

One was a young man in white with a slightly pale face and a lewd, evil air, who was sizing up the woman in yellow with greedy eyes; it was he who had just spoken.

The other was a tall, thin young man with a ferocious face, almost skin and bones, his eyes blood-red, his body still exuding a bloody scent. He was truly terrifying, the type that would make children have nightmares at night.

The woman in yellow had misty, beautiful eyes, and pearl-like tears fell as she said pitifully: "You, you killed my family, and still want to force me to submit..."

Just seeing this scene, everyone knew what was going on.

But not a single person stepped forward, and even if there were hot-blooded youths, they were held back tightly by their friends.

Those two youths were clearly high-and-mighty cultivators; with a flick of a finger, they could crush them like ants. Wasn't going up there just asking for death?

The pale-faced young man in white licked his lips and leered: "Beauty, follow me, Lin Feng, and I guarantee you a life without worries. But you and your parents were stubborn. However, rest assured, they didn't die in vain. Brother Jiang is a disciple of the Blood-Sucking Old Ancestor; he guarantees that not a single drop of blood from your whole family will be wasted."

The other tall, thin young man stroked his chin, sizing up the woman in yellow. Although he also had a look of greed, it was a greed for things: "The blood of those two old things tasted quite average, but I'm not picky. Of course, if I could suck the blood of a beauty as spiritually gifted as you, I imagine it would be even more delicious and intoxicating."

The two talked unscrupulously, as if they already viewed the woman as something in their pocket.

And the entire long street, apart from the sound of their discussion, was deathly silent.

"Boring." Bi Yao looked at the woman in yellow, rolled her eyes, and tugged on Yu Liancheng's sleeve: "Let's go."

Yu Liancheng, however, was watching with great interest: "Why leave?"

Bi Yao rolled her eyes and said: "I stopped playing these boring tricks when I was five. Don't tell me you can't see through it."

Yu Liancheng laughed: "Tricks aren't afraid of being old; the fact that they can be passed down from ancient times to today proves their practicality."

Just as the two were whispering to each other, they heard an angry shout.

"The Demon Sect is demanding people, how dare you be so presumptuous in broad daylight!"

"

A roar rang out.

At the same time, the wind whistled, and a massive, solid gold mace tore through the air, glittering with golden light, smashing fiercely toward the man called Lin Feng.

Yu Liancheng felt something in his heart.

He saw the crowd on the street clear a path.

He saw a bald head slowly rising...

It turned out to be a sturdy man of seventeen or eighteen, with thick brows and large eyes, a square face and broad ears, which, combined with his astonishing physique, brought a sense of power rushing toward them.