112: A secret rendezvous with Situ, a plot to break the deadlock.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower's appraisal event concluded in a seemingly harmonious atmosphere. Although Yun Qianqian was curious about Lin Xuan and Deputy Commander Situ Yue's secret conversation, she was tactful enough not to ask too many questions, merely inviting Lin Xuan to visit the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower often in the future. Qu Feiyan maintained a polite yet somewhat distant smile throughout the event. It wasn't until they left the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower and returned to the Cloud Abode courtyard that she released Lin Xuan's arm, crossed her arms, and looked at him with a half-smile.

"Junior Brother Lin, it seems you had a very pleasant chat with Commander Situ, didn't you?" The sourness in her tone was almost palpable.

Lin Xuan felt helpless, knowing that this demonic Senior Sister had overturned the vinegar jar again. He patiently explained, "Senior Sister, Deputy Commander Situ Yue is the Deputy Commander of the City Guard. She has noticed the recent strange occurrences and has disagreements with the City Lord's Mansion internally. She is the most likely candidate we can currently contact to become an inside informant. Cooperating with her is to uncover the Guixu Cult's conspiracy faster."

Qu Feiyan snorted. She understood the stakes involved, but she still felt a little uncomfortable. "So how do you plan to 'cooperate' with her? In the dead of night, a lone man and woman?"

Lin Xuan was choked by her words. He said seriously, "Naturally, it will be open and honest, discussing important matters. I've already arranged to meet her at 'Listening Rain Pavilion' in the west of the city at midnight."

Listening Rain Pavilion was a relatively elegant teahouse in the west of the city. It would have long closed by that hour, and the surrounding environment was secluded enough.

Upon hearing this, Qu Feiyan's expression softened slightly, but she still emphasized, "Then I'm going with you!"

"This trip might be risky, Senior Sister, you..."

"What? Are you saying I'll hold you back, big sister?" Qu Feiyan glared with her charming eyes. "Don't forget, in the mine, if it weren't for my Soul Bewitching Demonic Sound, those iron lumps wouldn't have been so easy to deal with! More people mean more support, and besides... I also need to keep an eye on you, lest you be enchanted by that battle attire." Her voice dropped on the last sentence, carrying a hint of awkward concern.

Lin Xuan looked at her, feeling both amused and warm inside. Finally, he nodded, "Alright, then I'll trouble Senior Sister."

At midnight, the moon was hidden, and stars were sparse.

Lin Xuan and Qu Feiyan quietly arrived at the backyard of Listening Rain Pavilion. Deputy Commander Situ Yue was already waiting there. She had changed out of her battle attire into simple blue training clothes, yet it still couldn't conceal her heroic aura. Seeing that Lin Xuan had brought Qu Feiyan, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she didn't ask further, merely nodding to both of them.

"Commander Situ, this is my companion, Qu Feiyan, trustworthy," Lin Xuan introduced simply.

Deputy Commander Situ Yue glanced at Qu Feiyan, her gaze lingering for a moment on her enchanting beauty, then nodded and cut straight to the chase: "Fellow Daoist Lin, where exactly is the place you mentioned today with 'unstable space, pervasive Death Qi, and a blood sacrifice Formation'? And what is its connection to this object?" She took out the black fragment that was displayed at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.

Lin Xuan didn't answer directly but instead counter-questioned, "Commander Situ, in the murder cases you've investigated recently, were the victims all drained of their essence, blood, and souls, with a chilling aura similar to this object remaining at the scene? And was the City Lord's Mansion's attitude towards investigating this matter rather ambiguous, even intentionally obstructing it?"

Deputy Commander Situ Yue's expression changed, and the sharp light in her eyes intensified. "How did you know?!" These details were internal secrets of the City Guard, absolutely impossible for outsiders to know.

"Because I have personally witnessed similar scenes and have fought with the culprits who created these tragedies," Lin Xuan said gravely. "That place is deep within the abandoned mine in the south of the city."

He then selectively informed Deputy Commander Situ Yue of what he had seen in the mine, including the remnants of the blood sacrifice teleportation Formation, the demonic puppet guards, the spatial rift, and the terrifying 'Void' infection source, omitting core secrets like the System and the Thunder Emperor Palace, but it was enough to make her understand the gravity of the situation.

The more Deputy Commander Situ Yue listened, the more solemn her expression became, her fingers gripping the fragment turning slightly white from exertion. "Blood sacrifice... spatial rift... infection source... they actually dare to do such things right under Tianshu City's nose!" Her eyes burned with fury. "I should have thought of it sooner! For the past six months, the City Lord's Mansion has inexplicably reduced patrols in the west and south of the city, and has been perfunctory in handling several heinous incidents... It turns out there really is a problem within their ranks!"

She looked at Lin Xuan, her gaze complex. "Fellow Daoist Lin, thank you for telling me this. This matter concerns the safety of Tianshu City and even the entire Eastern Domain, and I, Deputy Commander Situ Yue, will absolutely not stand idly by! However... the internal situation of the City Lord's Mansion is unclear, and although I am a Deputy Commander, the forces I can mobilize are limited, and it's highly likely I'm already being monitored."

"No matter," Lin Xuan said. "What we need is not a massive army, but precise strikes and crucial intelligence. Commander Situ is familiar with Tianshu City's layout and should have trustworthy people in the City Guard. We need you to provide the possible locations of the City Lord's Mansion's underground Formations, their guard situation, and assist us in secretly infiltrating the mine to destroy that infection source."

Deputy Commander Situ Yue pondered for a moment, then decisively said, "Understood! There is indeed a hidden area beneath the City Lord's Mansion, guarded personally by the City Lord's confidants. I will need time to further confirm its specific location and Formation details. As for the mine, I can arrange for reliable confidants to divert the outer guards under the guise of routine patrol at midnight tomorrow, creating an opportunity for you to infiltrate. But the dangers of the core area will be up to you."

"That's enough," Lin Xuan nodded. "Tomorrow night at midnight, we'll rendezvous outside the mine."

"Good!" Deputy Commander Situ Yue nodded solemnly. She looked at Lin Xuan and Qu Feiyan, her gaze filled with a hint of admiration and determination. "Fellow Daoists, be careful! If things become impossible, prioritize your own safety. I will provide support from the outside and try to contain any potential reinforcements."

With the plan decided, the three said no more and quietly departed.

On the way back to the Cloud Abode, Qu Feiyan was unusually quiet. After a long while, she spoke softly, "That Deputy Commander Situ Yue... she's quite an upright person."

Lin Xuan grunted in affirmation.

Qu Feiyan glanced at him, then suddenly said, "But you're not allowed to have any improper thoughts about her!"

Lin Xuan: "..."

The next day, Lin Xuan and Qu Feiyan sat quietly in the courtyard, meditating and recuperating, conserving their energy for the night's operation.

During this time, Lin Xuan received a message from Su Wanqing via a communication jade talisman. She had initially contacted several trustworthy Sect Elders and Disciples, confirming Zhao Ming's words that the internal strife within the Qinglan Sect indeed had external forces intervening, acting with cunning and ruthlessness, consistent with the characteristics of the Guixu Cult. The Sect Master's injuries were more severe than imagined, and the Sect was currently temporarily managed by the Grand Elder. Some of the Grand Elder's decisions had caused dissatisfaction among many Elders loyal to the Sect Master, leading to undercurrents of dissent within. She reminded Lin Xuan to be careful and informed him that she would continue to lie low, awaiting an opportunity.

Lin Xuan replied, urging her to be extremely cautious, and briefly explained his discoveries in Tianshu City and the upcoming operation.

Night soon fell.

As midnight approached, Lin Xuan and Qu Feiyan, like two ghostly shadows, silently returned to the abandoned mine in the south of the city. Unlike last night, the sporadic guards that should have been present on the outer perimeter of the mine were indeed nowhere to be seen.

Deputy Commander Situ Yue, clad in night-cloaked attire, was already waiting behind a hidden boulder. Beside her were two equally black-clad City Guard members with sharp auras, both her personally trained confidants.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, Fellow Daoist Qu," Deputy Commander Situ Yue greeted them, speaking in a low voice, "The outer perimeter has been cleared. This is a rough structural map of the City Lord's Mansion's underground area, which I pieced together from years of observation and fragmented information. It may not be entirely accurate, but the general directions should be correct." She handed a Jade Slip to Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan swept his Divine Sense over it, memorizing the structural map. "Thank you. Once we're inside, the outside will be in Commander Situ's hands."

"Rest assured," Deputy Commander Situ Yue nodded heavily, her heroic face filled with determination.

Without further hesitation, Lin Xuan and Qu Feiyan exchanged glances, their figures moving, and once again stealthily entered the deep mine pit, like the maw of a giant beast. This time, their objective was clear: to directly target the infection source that bred the terrifying 'Void' power!

Meanwhile, Deputy Commander Situ Yue, with her two confidants, concealed herself in the shadows of the mine's periphery, like a lurking leopard, vigilantly observing her surroundings, her hand tightly clutching an emergency communication jade talisman that, if crushed, could instantly summon all trustworthy City Guards nearby.

Deep within the mine, the distorted spatial rift and the pulsating black tumor seemed to sense the approaching crisis, emitting Death Qi and Devilish Qi even more densely than yesterday...