Chapter 123

Two li away, inside an old dye house.

The cloth and wooden racks once hung out to dry had been shattered by qi blasts; a two-meter-wide hole pierced the wall, 贯通 through several buildings.

At the center of the dye house, a depression had formed, the ground still bearing charred lightning patterns, fragments of cloth, and dark bloodstains.

Nangong Xianzi held a three-foot-long green blade, standing on the other side of the breach, her entire body steaming with qi, radiating a chilling aura—but beneath her veil, her eyes were solemn.

Just now, while Xie Jinhuan was interrogating Ye's household by ancient methods, she had been observing from afar, when suddenly, the mysterious flute melody drifted from afar.

Realizing the Mingshen Sect was using the "Body-Consuming Worm" to silence witnesses, she rushed here at once, smashed through the building cluster with her palm technique, and unleashed a supreme yang thunderbolt toward the sound's origin.

But though the attack struck true, the target did not perish on the spot; instead, a cloud of black mist exploded outward, vanishing instantly, leaving only traces of blood behind.

To catch a major fish of the Mingshen Sect, Nangong Xianzi had unleashed her full power without regard for cost; only a peak first-rank demonic cultivator could have survived her strike—that is, the Mingshen Sect's secret agent who was refining the Hua Yao Dan!

The true culprit was now within arm's reach; Nangong Xianzi naturally wished to press forward and seize the trail, to capture him on the spot—even if she could only glimpse his appearance or physique, it would be enough to crush the Mingshen Sect's decades-long plot in Jingcheng.

But that dead demoness from Queyue Manor was truly a curse-bringer!

"Huh…"

Nangong Xianzi maintained her aura for only a moment before her lungs and organs erupted in searing heat, as if molten lava had been poured into her belly, spreading to every limb and bone, even her sword-holding right hand beginning to tremble slightly.

Zzzzz~

Sensing the yang poison could no longer be suppressed, Nangong Xianzi fell silent for an instant, then leapt to the center of the traces to examine the blood and fabric scraps.

The blood was black-red, indicating long-term consumption of Hua Yao Dan to fortify the body—the agent was a peak first-rank demonic cultivator specializing in body cultivation.

He must have rushed here hastily to silence witnesses, with no time to change clothes; the torn fabric was Tian Shui Brocade from Jiangzhou, too expensive for anyone but nobility or high officials—seemed to be male attire…

"Cough… cough…"

After carefully scanning the surroundings and memorizing all key details, Nangong Xianzi noticed several figures racing toward her from within the inner city; fearing exposure of her combat losses, she immediately leapt away from the old dye house, heading back to her lodgings to heal.

But after staggering forward barely half a li, her blood surged upward, triggering several muffled coughs; her form landed atop a rooftop, her mind growing hazy.

Nangong Xianzi glanced around, spotted an empty courtyard, slipped in silently, entered a room with tightly shut doors and windows, sat cross-legged on the floor, laid her long sword across her knees, and attempted to suppress the yang poison within her organs.

Huhhh~

Soon after, sounds of rushing wind and voices came from the distant building cluster:

"Master Jingkong?"

"Young Master Xie? What is this…?"

"Ye Shirong is a demonic cultivator; his corpse is in the courtyard, and there's a secret tunnel beneath. Hurry over—just now, who was fighting here?"

"Unclear. Perhaps a passing high cultivator… Is Young Master Xie unharmed?"

"I'm fine…"

…

Hearing Xie Jinhuan reunite with the celestial officials, Nangong Xianzi exhaled in relief, ceased paying attention to demonic traces, and devoted herself entirely to treating the yang poison.

But moments later, a sudden rush of wind erupted near the residence!

Huh~

Nangong Xianzi instantly went alert, her eyes like blades fixed on the window, her hand gripping the hilt of the sword on her knees.

But the next moment, a voice called from outside:

"Mujianxia?"

"?"

How did he find me here?

Did I leave behind any traces?

Nangong Xianzi was puzzled, but the yang poison was too fierce—she simply lacked the energy to care about anything else. Recognizing the visitor as an ally, she lowered her guard and fully turned her spiritual awareness inward…

…

Meanwhile, outside the room.

Xie Jinhuan, clad in a sleeveless fitted outfit, stood atop the rooftop, studying the old residential house below, his heart filled with confusion.

Just now, as he chased after her, he encountered celestial officials rushing from all directions; he had planned to return together to handle the aftermath of Ye Shirong's residence.

But Ah Piao had said the flow of "qi" here was wrong—as if someone were drawing in celestial energy.

He couldn't reveal his Heavenly Eye ability to the celestial officials, so he used the search as an excuse to come over and investigate.

But once he drew near, Ah Piao roughly deduced the person's identity—Mu Mu Yun Hong!

This female hero truly hounds relentlessly, like a haunting spirit…

Could she have fallen for me at first sight?

Xie Jinhuan had no idea what Mu Mu Yun Hong was doing; after calling out and receiving no reply, he gripped his weapon and cautiously descended into the courtyard, pushing open the old door to peer inside.

Creakkkk~~

The pale moonlight spilled into the empty room, revealing a woman in a black dress, seated cross-legged on the floor; apart from the veil's thin gauze stirred by her surrounding qi, there was no other movement.

"Miss Mu?"

Xie Jinhuan called again, still receiving no response; he stepped closer to examine her.

As he neared, he felt intense heat—as if standing beside a furnace—fine wisps of white mist drifting from the black-clad woman, as if her dress had been soaked through with sweat.

Xie Jinhuan knew this was the yang poison flaring up; he squatted before her, lifted the veil's curtain, intending to inspect Mu Mu Yun Hong's current condition—and was met with a hint of surprise.

The woman was clad entirely in black, yet her oval face was as pale as cold jade, her eyes slightly upturned into sharp, aggressive phoenix eyes; even with them closed, she radiated an icy, thousand-mile freeze.

Her skin was like congealed fat, her lips like vermilion, yet not the slightest hint of seduction—she looked altogether like a flawless, perfect sword: exquisitely crafted, unforgettable to behold, yet so sharp that no one dared meet her gaze directly.

Xie Jinhuan had assumed Mu Mu Yun Hong was about his age, but now, up close, he realized she radiated an otherworldly, detached immortality; her aura felt slightly more mature, yet her exact age remained elusive—especially now, with fine beads of sweat glistening on her face, lending her a dewy, lotus-like softness, giving the impression…

The cold mother of some girl?

Though her face was like Bingshan, repelling all, strictly adhering to rules, never crossing Lei Chi by even a step, the mature woman's allure and endurance had settled deep within her—should a true immortal descend to earth and partake in mortal smoke and fire, even young men would tremble in their legs…

A very cold car that's hard to start, but burns fuel like crazy…

Ye Hongshang also squatted beside him, examining her with him, and exclaimed in surprise:

"Yo~ Your peach blossom luck is truly flourishing. This Miss has the look of a great wife; she looks like she brings prosperity to her husband."

Xie Jinhuan could not read faces, but anyone with eyes, seeing Mu Mu Yun Hong's features, would know who held the power in the household from now on.

After all, her aura was indeed too overwhelming; only a ghost in its sixteen-foot state could steady and suppress it.

However, Xie Jinhuan had not come to admire flowers. He waved his hand before her eyes, saw that the Mu Heroine showed no reaction, then pressed on her Bai Xi wrist to check her pulse.

The result was that Mu Mu Yun Hong's pulse was confusing; he could feel her skin burning hot, but inside it seemed as if separated by a layer of leather. There was a pulse, but it was completely indistinct, and he could detect no useful information.

"Hmm?"

This was the first time Xie Jinhuan had encountered such a situation. He turned his gaze to the Ghost Bride, his eyes filled with confusion.

Ye Hongshang had been examining this Miss's condition and now explained:

"She carries a high-grade artifact that conceals her qi mechanism. I can only see the exterior. You must find the artifact; only then can I ascertain the specific situation and find a way to suppress the poison."

"Artifact..."

Xie Jinhuan examined Mu Mu Yun Hong up and down, first moving the sword from his lap. The result was obviously not this.

He then felt around his waist, but there was only a small pouch on his belt, containing some fragmented silver and nothing else.

Where was the artifact?

Xie Jinhuan looked left and right, found no other personal items, and could only try calling out:

"Miss Mu? Miss Mu?"

Mu Mu Yun Hong's eyes remained tightly shut. Not only did she not respond, but as time passed, her limbs began to tremble slightly, looking as if a pressure gauge had reached its limit and was about to explode.

Xie Jinhuan also could not ascertain the specific situation. Seeing this, he naturally became solemn. He first ran his hand along her sleeves, found no artifact, then thrust his hand into her bosom, feeling around in the puffy夹层 of her garment.

The result was that besides being large, there was nothing at all.

"Hey?"

Xie Jinhuan felt somewhat bewildered. He even took off his veil hat to check her hair ornaments, still finding no artifact, and thought to himself:

Could it be, like the Landlady, tucked between her breasts...

Or pinned to her thigh garter...

Or perhaps an immortal artifact dudou!

These places were not very easy to reach...

Xie Jinhuan hesitated for a moment, slightly opened her collar, and turned his head to check her neck.

Fortunately, this time he found something. A small golden cord suspending a pendant hung on her Bai Xi neck; as expected, it was tucked in the cleavage.

He tried to pull the pendant out, but unexpectedly, this thing was indeed a supreme treasure. The moment his hand touched the golden cord, before he could even pull it out, lightning suddenly surged along the cord:

Zzzzt—

Caught off guard, Xie Jinhuan was struck by the electric shock. His entire body almost straightened out on the spot, and he fell stiffly to the ground.

Thump~

Ye Hongshang raised an eyebrow, squatted beside him, and looked down at the electrocuted Xie Jinhuan:

"This is a body-protecting treasure. If you forcibly remove it, you will definitely suffer a backlash."

"Is that so?"

Xie Jinhuan's mind went blank for a moment. Only after a while did he recover, rolled over, sat up, and shook his head:

"Then what should be done?"

Ye Hongshang could not probe the interior, so she could not be sure how to save her. She hesitated slightly:

"She must wake and remove it herself before you can probe. You should first try using an icy qi mechanism to lower her temperature; perhaps that will be effective."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan said no more. He activated the 'Rotating Candle-Wax Pouring' Divine Art, urged forth the icy qi mechanism, fanned with his hand, and attempted to lower Mu Mu Yun Hong's temperature.

Unexpectedly, this move directly stirred up a hornet's nest!

(End of this chapter)