Chapter 146

The next day, Yunling County.

At noon, atop Yunling Mountain outside the county, Nangong Ye, dressed in a black skirt and wearing a veil hat, stood with her sword case at her side, observing a valley below the mountain.

On her left and right stood Zhang Guan, the Supervisor of Mount Zihui, and Li Jing of the Academy.

Zhang Guan was Nangong Ye's senior brother, usually responsible for the internal affairs of Mount Zihui, with a cultivation level slightly lower than Nangong Ye's.

Li Jing needed no introduction; he was the Vice Principal of the Danyang Academy, who had been forced to sell himself, and a veteran sword cultivator of Danzhou.

At this moment, Li Jing stood under a tree with his hands clasped behind his back, holding his sword 'Jin Jiao', looking slightly puzzled:

"Even if the intruder truly possesses half-step to Super Rank strength, Sect Master Nangong's array of Immortal Artifacts alone could kill them completely. Why summon this old man to play second fiddle?"

As the Vice Sect Master of Mount Zihui, Zhang Guan knew the Sect Master was struggling, and replied:

"It is Zhang's wish to seek an opportunity for trial. But facing them alone might be difficult, so I invited Mr. Li to assist. At that time, the two of us will act, while the Sect Master supervises from the rear."

Li Jing, as the Vice Principal of the Academy who dealt with many affairs for little pay, had little time for traveling and fighting. Hearing Zhang Guan's words, he was indeed somewhat tempted:

"With your skills, Daoist Zhang is adept at dealing with ghost cultivators. If we encounter a body cultivator of half-step to Super Rank, I will take the lead. Hmm... I will do my best. Unless it is a situation of certain death, Sect Master Nangong need not intervene."

Nangong Ye nodded slightly with one hand behind her back; after all, since she was afflicted with Yang Poison, it would be difficult for her to intervene.

For this reason, she had brought two solid First Rank cultivators to lie in wait: one martial, one magical. Normally, they could handle any situation.

As for not bringing more, it was because there were only a few people on Mount Zihui capable of fighting a demon path cultivator of half-step to Super Rank.

Furthermore, the Wang Fu had an insider within the Mingshen Sect. Mu Yunling had to watch over Danzhou, Xu Hunli was too expensive, and Zhang Zihu was even more expensive as a healer. They could only hire the cheap and useful rough martial artist, Old Man Li, to work.

However, if they truly could not win, the three of them were enough to hold out until the Immortal Officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau arrived. A coordinated retreat would be no problem, so it was not exactly tricking Old Man Li into a one-on-one fight with a great demon.

At this moment, the three scanned the valley below. It was surrounded by four mountains, with life energy gathering there, and located near Huai River at the confluence of water and mountains. Even a Feng Shui master was not needed; even an ordinary person looking from a height would know it was a Feng Shui treasure land.

Inside the valley, numerous sheds, bricks, stones, and timber were visible. Nearly three thousand corvée laborers were busy moving up and down on the ground, while several hundred soldiers nearby acted as overseers, patrolling around the valley.

The building currently under construction was not a sect or temple, but the Dry Emperor's Tomb.

Imperial tombs usually began preparation upon ascension; this imperial tomb had been under construction for nearly twenty years.

Yesterday, after torturing the ghost cultivator and seeing the map marked with Yunling County, Nangong Ye immediately thought of this place. After a distant reconnaissance just now, she was even more certain of this.

The laborers inside the imperial tomb were all heavy criminals, many with some martial foundation. Repressed for a long time with intense desires, they were perfect sacrificial offerings for 'Blood Demon Pills'. Located far from the county town, outsiders would not easily discover them in advance.

However, with several hundred soldiers guarding the prisoners around, even if their combat power was weak, they could serve as a deterrent. This was obviously the reason the Mingshen Sect had not listed this place as their primary target.

Lying in wait, Nangong Ye naturally would not reveal herself directly. She stayed on the mountain to spy until the time reached the afternoon, then turned her gaze toward the county town.

She had left intelligence for Xie Jinhuan last night, inviting him to come and share the credit. After all, as long as the mastermind of the demon bandits was discovered and eliminated, Xie Jinhuan could be ennobled.

Moreover, the clues regarding the ghost cultivator and Hongzhang County were indeed dug up by Xie Jinhuan. As an elder, she had picked up Meiqiu's prey and silently snatched the child's milk; that was a bit too inhumane.

However, the demon bandits arriving this time might have a cultivation level too high for Xie Jinhuan to withstand. Therefore, Xie Jinhuan did not need to enter the fray; he just needed to follow her and supervise from the periphery.

If Li Jing and the others could solve it, she would not need to reveal herself, and her disguise would not be exposed.

If Li Jing and the others faced a threat to their lives, she would have to risk her life to fight, regardless of whether her identity would be exposed.

Calculating by time, Xie Jinhuan should be arriving soon. Nangong Ye handed the ancestral sword case of Mount Zihui to Zhang Guan:

"Senior Brother Zhang, you and Mr. Li will guard here. I will hide in the shadows and reveal myself only when necessary, to avoid revealing myself too early and scaring the demon bandits away."

Li Jing said heroically, "I will simply pretend Sect Master Nangong is not here. To live facing death is the way of a martial artist; having a reliance actually kills the fighting spirit."

Zhang Guan bowed to see her off, telling the Sect Master to stop posing and go rest quickly; the two of them were enough...

——

Yunling Inn.

Having experienced a clash with the Mingshen Sect, Xie Jinhuan now dressed much more low-key. He wore a rough hemp yellow shirt, with a bamboo hat hanging on his back. His long black hair was made messy, with two strands hanging over his forehead. At a glance, he looked like a lazy, good-for-nothing wanderer of the Jianghu. Hmm...

It could be said he was playing his true self.

At this moment, Xie Jinhuan sat at the inn window drinking wine. Braised beef, peanuts, and other items were placed before him as he scanned the passersby on the street.

After leaving the Lin family, Xie Jinhuan returned to the Wang Fu to disguise himself, then came to Yunling County alone.

The reason he did not bring teammates was that the team had been nearly wiped out; only Linghu Qingmo retained combat power. As for the demon bandits conducting the blood sacrifice, their lower limit was Tai Shu Dan and their upper limit was half-step to Super Rank. He could not protect them, feared leaking information and alerting the Mingshen Sect, and found it difficult to notify the Immortal Officials. He could only bring Ah Piao along to first see the situation.

Now arrived at Yunling County, and unsure where the Great Ice Block was, Xie Jinhuan could only wait at the inn mentioned in the letter, recalling Wan Yi's fierce morning nagging:

"If you dare come back covered in injuries again, I will feed you the broken pills refined from perilla..."

"You said you would teach me the Martial Divine Scripture. Look at you now; invisible during the day, and asleep the moment night falls..."

"Fine, fine, fine. Let you hug me. Why are you acting like a child..."

Perhaps thinking he was savoring it endlessly, smiling like a foolish boy just in love, the red-clad Ah Piao appeared silently, sitting opposite. She propped her cheek with her hand, her soul-stealing eyes gazing out the window. A breeze lifted a strand of her beautiful hair; her profile was as beautiful as that sorrowful cinnabar mole buried deep in the heart, yet impossible to regain...

Of course, she had not forgotten to change her red skirt into a stepmother skirt, with silky fabric wrapping her plump figure...

Uh~ Ah Piao's damn competitive nature...

?

Xie Jinhuan suddenly saw this soul-stealing profile. The wine bowl he had lifted froze in mid-air. He took a careful look:

"Uh... Hong Shang?"

"Hmm-hmph~"

Ye Hongshang looked out the window, indifferent:

"What is it?"

Xie Jinhuan had intended to take a sip of wine to calm his nerves, but gazing at the person opposite, he almost poured it down his nose:

"The sun is really bright. By the way, aren't you afraid of the sun?"

Ordinary female ghosts are indeed afraid of the sun.

But Ye Hongshang was obviously not an ordinary Ah Piao. She replied casually:

"Ghosts are formed from the lingering resentment of humans. The soul has actually long since dissipated, leaving only the Yin Sha behind in the human world. But Sister's soul is complete and possesses consciousness; exposure to the extreme Yang Gao wind has little effect."

Xie Jinhuan nodded thoughtfully; faced with A Piao's "ex-wife aesthetic," he couldn't help but stop daydreaming, and casually chatted a few words when the ghostly bride suddenly raised an eyebrow to signal:

"Then, your Bing Tuozi has arrived."

Xie Jinhuan turned to look, and on the bustling street, a figure approached.

The figure still wore a black dress, a veil hat, and carried a sheathed sword; her tall stature made her stand out like a crane among chickens in the marketplace, her icy, frost-covered aura drawing glances from passersby, yet none dared meet her gaze.

Xie Jinhuan leaned out the window and waved:

"Ah Hong!"

"?"

Nan Nan Gong Ye walked with upright posture, sword on back, indifferent to the stares of passersby—until he heard that familiar voice, whereupon his phoenix-shaped eyes beneath the veil grew three-tenths colder, and his peripheral vision flicked toward the sound's source.

He found a rogue sitting by the inn's window, his demeanor utterly devoid of its former coldness and nobility, radiating instead a lazy air, his hair untied, two strands hanging loose, looking dangerously charming—like, uh…

A roguish rogue who idled all day chasing girls!

?

As the sect leader of Mount Zihui and one of the leading figures of the Great Qian's orthodox path, and holding the status of an elder, Nan Nan Gong Ye couldn't help but frown inwardly at seeing such an unorthodox vagabond!

Yet, truth be told, in this appearance and aura—even if his face were identical—she felt this was not Xie Jinhuan at all, but some idle, ne'er-do-well fraternal twin, his disguise masterfully flawless.

Nan Nan Gong Ye briefly scanned the surroundings, confirmed no suspicious figures were watching, then silently entered the inn…

(End of Chapter)