Chapter 149

The sun rose and set, and night arrived again.

The night wind howled over the ridge; Zhang Guan, clad in a Daoist robe, hid among the shrubs, watching two martial men quietly patrolling the wilderness half a li below.

Li Jing crouched beside him, her sword resting against her shoulder, turning the pages of a book she had taken from Xie Jinhuan by moonlight.

Li Jing had intended to return the book to Xie Jinhuan, but unfortunately, the moment he woke that day, he fled the Academy and then went straight to Jingcheng—there was never a chance.

To avoid being scolded by the younger generation next time they met for having nothing to give, Li Jing had kept this finely bound book on her person; bored by the stakeout, she now pulled it out to pass the time, occasionally commenting:

"Look at the prose of Qingping Jushi—elegant without being vulgar, alluring without being lascivious; far more interesting than that old bookworm Fan Li's writing…"

Zhang Guan stole a glance at *Yangchun Yan*, then quickly looked away:

"Li Lao, don't disrupt my Dao heart."

"Dao heart is a young person's concern; we old men—we have Dao hearts as hard as iron, yet still cannot withstand time's blade…"

After chatting for a moment, Li Jing tucked the book into her robe and looked up toward the valley:

"Looks like we're about to move?"

"Likely."

The imperial tomb built in the valley remained quiet, but in the surrounding shantytown, clerks could be seen directing laborers, shackled and dragging wine jars from storage to the open ground within the valley; the convicts sniffed the jars repeatedly as they walked, as if they hadn't touched alcohol in ages.

From current observations, Zui Gu Xiang was likely mixed into the wine; a forged edict or mind-influencing magic had deceived the officials into gathering the convicts under the guise of reward, and the soldiers would also receive bonuses.

If they were being thorough, they'd even arrange performances of song, dance, and opera, subtly lulling everyone into a state of bliss—by the time the blood-evil qi appeared and the Qintian Jian noticed, the operation would already be nearly complete.

Li Jing scanned the crowd in the valley:

"The master of the array hasn't shown himself—when do we go down?"

"Wait until everyone is lost in lust and begins gathering blood qi—the master of the array will reveal himself then."

"Then it's still early…"

…

Meanwhile, on the distant mountaintop opposite.

Nangong Ye, clad in a black dress, silently concealed herself among the treetops, using her long-range spyglass to observe conditions within the valley.

Due to her tall, voluptuous figure, seated atop a horizontal tree branch, her skirt hanging down, she appeared from below like two round moons—one black, one white—hanging from the tree.

Xie Jinhuan leaned against the tree below, a black cloth-wrapped dual weapon slung at his waist; bored after waiting so long, he chewed on a blade of grass and looked up:

"You're sure we don't need to act?"

Nangong Ye, no longer under the influence of Yin-Yang Guaiqi Powder, had regained her cold, ethereal noble-lady tone:

"The high-level watcher is on the opposite mountain—we must not reveal ourselves unless absolutely necessary. You merely observe, learn from the high one's methods of slaying demons."

Observing a master's life-or-death duel could indeed rapidly accumulate experience and insight, but from below, trees and foliage blocked the view.

Xie Jinhuan thought for a moment, then quietly climbed up the trunk and sat beside the black-clad female warrior.

Above them, a crescent moon hung in the treetops; a lone man and woman sat shoulder to shoulder on the branch, the mountain breeze stirring their skirts and leaves—the scene was strangely beautiful.

Nangong Ye glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then subtly shifted a little farther away.

Xie Jinhuan didn't move closer; instead, he plucked a leaf, brought it to his lips:

"Shiuu-wuuu~…"

The sound was soft, dissipating within a few zhang into the mountain wind.

Yet the melody was haunting, mournful, like a lonely lover outside a pavilion, longing for the departed to pause, for the beauty to turn back.

"?"

Seeing this brat wasting time flirting with her again, blowing *Li Hen Ge*—Su Baiyu's most seductive tune—Nangong Ye lowered her spyglass:

"Can you behave? We're on stakeout!"

Xie Jinhuan had A Piao as his radar—he knew his limits—and paused the tune:

"Just bored. Will Miss Mu know this tune?"

Even if I did, would I play it for you?

Nangong Ye felt this brat was disrupting her Dao heart; her face remained as icy as Bingshan as she kept watching, pretending he wasn't there.

"Duuu-wuuu~~…"

Xie Jinhuan had only practiced playing these past few years, but his skill in charming girls had been honed since age three—this tune carried genuine emotion.

Nangong Ye truly loved Su Baiyu's qin melodies—otherwise she wouldn't have taken the alias "Mu Yun Hong"; hearing it now, she would inevitably enter a phase of appreciation, admiration, then mutual understanding, deep conversation…

But if she didn't listen, she wasn't deaf—he was blowing it right at her ear!

After enduring this stalemate for a long while, Nangong Ye could bear it no longer; she handed the spyglass to Xie Jinhuan:

"The blood sacrifice is about to begin. Stay right here. I'm going down to stake out, ready to reinforce if needed."

Xie Jinhuan hesitated:

"Can you handle it?"

"With Yin-Yang Guaiqi Powder, I can barely manage one strike. Your cultivation is too shallow—you can't help. Stay here and wait. When the demons are dealt with, come join me. If you recklessly rush in, I may not be able to protect you."

After speaking, Nangong Ye swallowed the Ruǎn Mèi Powder and silently slipped down the mountain.

Xie Jinhuan, unsure of her true strength, didn't follow; he picked up the spyglass, locking it onto the black-clad warrior—and discovered the device was exquisitely crafted, capable of magnification with slight adjustment.

Then, the swaying, voluptuous black robe of a Da Pi Gu instantly filled his entire field of view!

?!

Worried Bing Tuozi might notice, Xie Jinhuan quickly shifted his gaze and resumed observing the valley's movements…

—

Meanwhile, Huaijiang.

A black-canopied boat drifted downstream; an old man with a dragon-headed cane stood at the bow, holding a "Shigu"—a timepiece used by the Qintian Jian, marked with precise rotating needles.

He Hai rowed from behind, gazing far across the riverbank's mountains and rivers.

"According to the spies in the capital, Xie Jinhuan has not gone to the county government office these past two days, claiming he has been recovering his injuries at the Wang Fu."

"This youth suffered grave injuries at Huaijiang Bay, yet still managed to crawl up and sneak away to seek clues on demons; after attending the banquet in the palace, he did not forget to slay a demon that very night; now, having only slightly damaged his primordial energy, he rests for two or three days. In my view, this is abnormal."

The old man watched the rotating needle of the time dial move slowly and sighed softly:

"Kui Yunya was defeated at Tieji Gang; his soul has not been extinguished, yet he has not returned. That can only mean an accident has occurred."

"Kui Yunya is a Ghost Envoy; he knows all our schemes. Even if he is loyal to the Netherworld God Temple and would rather die than reveal a shred of information, he cannot withstand the esoteric methods of the various sects and hundred schools."

"If Xie Jinhuan does not show his face, the worst-case scenario is that he has already reached Yunling."

"We have already risked exposure, using any means necessary to seize time, compressing a four or five-day process into two. If we fail again, we will have no choice but to resort to the lower strategy."

He Hai, rowing the oar, looked slightly puzzled:

"The upper strategy is to replace Lu Wu Zhen and have our people supervise the Jingzhao Prefecture; the middle strategy is to find a way to evade surveillance and secretly refine the Blood Demon Core; what is this lower strategy?"

"The lower strategy is: children will have their own fortune."

Crack~

The rotating needle arrived at the Hour of Hai.

The old man tucked the time dial into his sleeve, raised his eyes to gaze at the faint lights lingering behind the mountain ridge, and sighed softly:

"Go. Success or failure rests on this single move; remember to fight quickly and decisively."

He Hai stood up, looked at Yunling Mountain, and bowed with clasped hands:

"Take care, Grandfather."

With those words spoken, he stepped upon the water, glided over the waves, and vanished into the distance...

——

Jingcheng.

At the first quarter of the Hour of Hai, the interior of Buyun Tai remained brightly lit, with several palace attendants accompanying along the corridor.

The Qian Emperor, clad in a dragon robe, walked slowly along the long corridor, occasionally glancing at the faint lights beyond the palace city, a trace of loss in his eyes.

Cao Fo'er, holding a fly-whisk in his arms, walked ahead and asked in a soft voice:

"Does Your Majesty regret it?"

The Qian Emperor clasped his hands behind his back, pondered for a moment, shook his head, and smiled:

"Even a dog raised for twenty years breeds some affection, let alone a human. I knew I would regret it, which is why I let Li Gongpu end his own life that very night, to avoid complications arising from a long night."

Cao Fo'er praised, "This is where Your Majesty excels; you possess the seven emotions and six desires, yet also have self-awareness, and are not controlled by emotion or desire."

"Heh~"

The Qian Emperor quite liked these words, but without the lapdog by his side, he indeed felt a bit bored; after finishing official business late at night, he did not know how to pass the time.

The Qian Emperor was secretly pondering whether to visit incognito and stroll through the city when he saw the benevolent-looking Cao Fo'er suddenly straighten his posture, step forward to stand by his side, and raise his eyes to gaze at the palace pavilions outside.

The Qian Emperor looked slightly puzzled and followed his gaze outward, only to see a black cat, appearing from who knows where, leap onto the roof ridge of a palace pavilion and run towards Buyun Tai with tiny, quick steps.

Tap tap tap...

The speed increased, evoking the sensation of a tiger pouncing and a leopard leaping.

The attendants following behind were initially puzzled, but upon discovering that the black cat seemed to possess a pair of red pupils, their faces changed abruptly, and they cried out urgently:

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor—!"

"Meow—!"

Emitting a strange cry during its run, the black cat, while still two buildings away, launched itself from below, rushing straight for the railing, and then its entire body exploded in mid-air:

Boom—

In an instant, a black cloud spanning dozens of zhang erupted before Buyun Tai.

Accompanied by a hundred ghostly shadows and a surge of ghostly qi reaching the sky, carrying wailing cries of despair, they surged from the mist, rushing straight for the figure clad in a dragon robe behind the railing!

"Zha—!"

At that same moment, a thunderous shout erupted from the railing, the booming voice resembling that of a Buddha in a holy temple!

Cao Fo'er's red robe billowed; holding prayer beads, he clasped his hands together, and a transparent golden bell composed of golden runes appeared around him, enveloping the Qian Emperor and all the attendants within.

"Ah~—"

The hundred ghostly shadows, carrying wailing cries of despair, struck the golden bell and instantly vanished into thin air.

Meanwhile, a brilliant white light flashed across the Imperial Observatory outside the palace city!

Boom—

A pillar of lightning tore across the sky, instantly covering the entire cluster of buildings.

The many attendants felt only a flash of lightning; the ghostly mist where a hundred ghosts had been wailing vanished on the spot, replaced by a Daoist in a black-and-white Daoist robe, hovering outside Buyun Tai, his robes fluttering in the wind.

"Clang clang clang—!"

Warning gongs sounded from all corners of the imperial palace, yet not a single sound remained on Buyun Tai.

The Qian Emperor clasped his hands behind his back, his expression quite calm, but a thunderous rage surged in his heart; after a moment of silence, he calmly ordered:

"Daoist Lu, proceed to the Four Directions Pavilion to safeguard the Crown Prince. The Crimson Qilin Guard and the Immortal Officials shall patrol the inner and outer palace city to trace the source of the black cat. Fo'er, escort me to Lizheng Hall to visit the Empress."

"Yes."

Cao Fo'er nodded slightly, walked ahead to lead the way, carefully inspecting every tile and brick in the surroundings, while the remaining attendants formed a circle to protect the Qian Emperor.

Lu Wu Zhen carefully inspected the surroundings, found no other demons or evil spirits, and then flashed away, disappearing into the night sky...

(End of this chapter)