50: Chapter 50 The Corpses of the Duanmu Family

Beside the Eight Immortals Table in the center of the main room sat a young girl.

She wore her hair in double buns, had a standard oval face, and was dressed in a light blue ruqun that outlined her budding, slender figure.

Seeing Xiang Tian burst in carrying Xiahou Yu, the young girl was stunned for a moment, then stood up, revealing an even more graceful figure.

She looked Xiang Tian up and down with curiosity in her eyes. "Hmm? You wouldn't happen to be my cousin, Xiang Tian, would you?"

"You are Cousin Yuexi?" Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow.

"That is I!" Ouyang Yuexi bowed to Xiang Tian in greeting. "Yuexi greets Cousin Xiang Tian!"

"Why are you looking for me?" Xiang Tian set Xiahou Yu down and walked over to Ouyang Yuexi.

Ouyang Yuexi looked up at him with her large eyes. "Ah? So you're the person my mother told me to marry!"

"What did you say?" Xiang Tian suspected he had misheard. "Aunt told you to marry me?"

"That's right!" Ouyang Yuexi nodded, her tone matter-of-fact. "I just turned eighteen this year, so I came to find you."

"Yuexi, I'm afraid this marriage won't work." Xiang Tian pointed to the blushing Xiahou Yu beside him. "Look, I already have a wife."

"I know that!" Ouyang Yuexi blinked, seemingly unconcerned. "I couldn't find the Xiang Family, so I came to find you first. By the way, Cousin, where has everyone from the Xiang Family gone?"

"I'll tell you about that later." Xiang Tian dodged the topic. "Cousin, since you've seen me, you should just go back! I'm doing very well at the Haotian Sect and have a loving wife; there's no need for me to return to the Ouyang Family with you."

As he spoke, he intentionally pulled Xiahou Yu close and kissed her on the cheek.

Xiahou Yu's face turned bright red instantly, and she lowered her head in shyness.

Ouyang Yuexi's cheeks flushed, but she still stubbornly shook her head. "No! Mother said that if the Xiang Family had gone into seclusion, I must bring any members of the Xiang Family who haven't yet into the Ouyang Family. Cousin, you must come with me!"

"You child, why are you so stubborn?" Xiang Tian said helplessly. "I have a home and a career here, how could I just go back with you? Besides, I have more than one wife. You want me to take them all to the Ouyang Family?"

"More than one? They?" Ouyang Yuexi keenly captured the key information, then quickly returned to a calm demeanor. "Regardless of how many wives you have, Cousin, you are a member of the Xiang Family and must return with me."

She paused, as if remembering something, and added: "Cousin, did you know there is still a main lineage of the Xiang Family in the capital of the Tianyun Kingdom? They hold a Young Lord selection every thirty years, and anyone with the Xiang Family Bloodline can participate."

"The main lineage of the Xiang Family?" Xiang Tian's heart stirred. He had indeed heard of this branch; it was said to be a powerful force, far stronger than the branch in Tuyu Town. "But I am only at the second level of the Supernatural Realm. Going there would be pointless; why ask for humiliation?"

"That's why you need to go to the Ouyang Family!" Ouyang Yuexi said quickly. "My Ouyang Family is also a large Family in the Tianyun Kingdom and has enough resources to cultivate you. As long as you are willing to return, Cousin, I guarantee your cultivation will increase significantly. When the time comes to compete for the position of Young Lord, you will surely succeed!"

Xiang Tian rubbed his chin. He had to admit, Ouyang Yuexi's words were indeed somewhat tempting.

But thinking of his comfortable life at the Haotian Sect and the women by his side, he hesitated again. "Let me think about it!"

"Fine! I will wait for your answer!" Ouyang Yuexi was straightforward and sat back down on the stool.

Seeing this, Xiang Tian stopped struggling with it and found a stool to sit beside her. "Yuexi, let's not talk about my affairs for now. How is Aunt doing lately?"

"Mother is doing well, it's just that she always mentions you in my ear, saying she regrets not being able to see you when you were born."

"Haha, that is indeed a pity. I've grown this big and haven't even met Aunt yet!" Warmth welled up in Xiang Tian's heart. "Is Uncle also doing well?"

The two chatted back and forth about daily life, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Xiahou Yu sat to the side, occasionally interjecting a word or two. The three young people got along quite well.

After chatting for a while, Xiang Tian glanced out the window. The sky was gradually darkening, and he suddenly thought of Duanmu Hongdie. "Xiaoyu, why hasn't Hongdie returned yet?"

"Sister Duanmu is probably resting at home!" Xiahou Yu guessed.

"No, I must go pick her up and give her a surprise." Xiang Tian stood up and pinched Xiahou Yu's cheek. "What kind of gift should I bring for a first visit?"

"Ah? Are we going now?" Xiahou Yu was stunned.

"Of course!" Xiang Tian took her hand and walked out. "You aren't jealous, are you? Rest assured, you are all my wives, and I treat you all equally."

Seeing this, Ouyang Yuexi also quickly followed. "Cousin, I'll go with you too!"

The three sped along the way. Several hours later, with the moon hanging high in the sky, they finally arrived at the town where the Duanmu Family was located.

Just as they approached the Duanmu Family mansion, a vigilant voice suddenly rang out: "Who goes there?"

It was Ouyang Yuexi who spoke. Her cultivation was not weak, and she was the first to notice that something was wrong.

"Cousin, don't be afraid, it's one of our own." Xiang Tian called out to the shadows. "Qingyu, come out!"

As soon as the words fell, a purple figure flashed out; it was Yan Qingyu.

She wore a purple dress, appearing even more cold and beautiful under the moonlight.

"Sister-in-law!" Ouyang Yuexi quickly bowed to Yan Qingyu.

She could feel that this sister-in-law's cultivation was on par with her own, perhaps even slightly stronger.

"Hmm? It's Cousin!" Yan Qingyu's lips curled into a faint smile, her gaze lingering on Ouyang Yuexi for a moment. "You are truly beautiful."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sister-in-law. You are the one who is truly beautiful." Ouyang Yuexi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said modestly.

"I didn't expect you to have cultivation comparable to mine at such a young age." A flash of admiration crossed Yan Qingyu's eyes.

"It's all piled up by Family resources; it's nothing worth mentioning." Ouyang Yuexi waved her hand quickly.

"Without talent, no amount of resources is useful." Yan Qingyu felt this deeply; she had only reached this Realm after many years in the Yan Family.

"Alright, alright, stop complimenting each other." Xiang Tian interrupted the two and pointed to the ancient and imposing gate of the Duanmu Family ahead. "Let's go in!"

He stepped into the mansion first, but as soon as he walked in, he frowned.

The vast courtyard was surprisingly quiet, without even a trace of human sound.

"Hongdie?" Xiang Tian called out, but received no response.

"Something is wrong." Yan Qingyu became instantly vigilant, Spiritual Qi surging around her. "There isn't a single living thing in this mansion."

"What do you mean?" Xiang Tian's heart sank.

"My Spiritual Sense covers the entire mansion, and there is no trace of any living person inside." Yan Qingyu's tone was heavy. "They are all dead."

"What?!" Xiang Tian's expression changed drastically. "What about Hongdie? Where is Hongdie?"

"Take me to see quickly!"

Yan Qingyu said no more and led the others toward the main house deep within the mansion.

The moment the door was pushed open, Xiahou Yu and Ouyang Yuexi both let out an exclamation of shock.

Inside the main room, it was piled with corpses, men and women, old and young alike; they were the clansmen of the Duanmu Family.

Strangely, these corpses did not emit the usual stench of decay; instead, they were surrounded by dense black Qi that made one want to retch upon smelling it.

"Cover your nose and mouth quickly!" Yan Qingyu immediately warned. "This is Corpse Qi, used by evil cultivators to refine Corpse Puppets!"

Disregarding the intrusion of the Corpse Qi, Xiang Tian rummaged through the pile of corpses, his heart filled with extreme anxiety.

Fortunately, after searching through all the corpses, he did not see any sign of Duanmu Hongdie.

"Hongdie is not here." Xiang Tian let out a long sigh of relief, his suspended heart relaxing slightly, but then he frowned again. "Where could she have gone? The entire mansion is within the range of Qingyu's Spiritual Sense; it's impossible for her to have escaped detection."

"Cousin, could there be other places that haven't been checked?" Ouyang Yuexi reminded him in a low voice.

Yan Qingyu pondered for a moment, then realization dawned in her eyes. "I did miss one place: the Duanmu Family's treasury. That place has a special Formation shielding it; my Spiritual Sense cannot penetrate it."

"Then let's hurry to the treasury!" Xiang Tian said immediately; Hongdie might very well be there!

The group quickly arrived in front of a stone house in the back courtyard of the mansion. The gate of the stone house was made of an unknown black Ore.

"This door is not right." Yan Qingyu reached out and touched the gate, her expression changing slightly. "It can absorb Mental Energy; ordinary attacks are completely useless."

"Then how can we smash it open?" Xiang Tian tried to blast it with Spiritual Qi, but the gate remained unmoved and instead absorbed all his Spiritual Qi.

"All of you step aside!" Ouyang Yuexi suddenly stepped forward and pulled a yellow Talisman from her Storage Pouch. The Talisman was inscribed with flame runes and radiated violent Spiritual Qi fluctuations. "I have a blasting Talisman!"

"Hmm? A Talisman?" Yan Qingyu looked at the blasting Talisman and raised an eyebrow.

Talismans were extremely precious in the cultivation world, especially high-level blasting Talismans like this one, which were only awarded to Core Disciples of large families.

She had stayed in the Yan Family for so many years and had only seen them a few times; she hadn't expected Ouyang Yuexi to actually carry one with her.