344: Undercurrents are surging and dangerous (asking for monthly tickets)

A few minutes later, in the small courtyard next door, under an apricot tree laden with ice, two women sat facing each other.

One was dressed in red, with a white inner shirt, tall and slender, her high ponytail tied with a red rope, a Qingfeng Sword on her back, black boots on her feet, and an heroic aura in her brows.

It was none other than Lian Nishang, currently serving as the Patrolling Mountain Commandant of Qingshan County!

Across from her, Fang Qingzhu wore a white dress, her appearance clear and beautiful, her eyes sparkling like stars, and a three-flower mark between her brows, complementing the surrounding icy, snowy landscape and exuding an elegant aura.

At this moment, beside the stone table under the tree, a woman with a blue-and-white floral kerchief tied on her head, wearing a grey padded skirt and a faded apron around her waist, bent down to serve steaming tea and some dried mountain fruit from a tray, placing them on the table and rubbing her apron somewhat awkwardly.

“My place is simple, and the hospitality is a bit meager. It’s cold outside; I have a stove in my room, if you don’t mind…”

Lian Nishang then said softly,

“Sister Hua, there’s no need to be formal. We Cultivate, so we’re not afraid of this cold. Rather, it is we who are imposing.”

The woman was flattered to hear Lian Nishang call her ‘sister’.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t dare be so presumptuous in front of an adult.”

Lian Nishang shook her head slightly. “My brother was your neighbor when he was in Qingshan. This is nothing.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Hua’s eyes welled up. “Chen Yuan is Qingshan County’s great benefactor. I am the one who is presuming. And I’m not afraid of you all laughing, but sometimes I really miss him. I wonder when Chen Yuan will return home to visit.”

Saying this, the woman wiped her eyes and was about to withdraw. “I’m sorry, I’ve made you two laugh. You two chat; I’ll withdraw first.”

“Sister Hua, wait a moment, Ni Chang has something to ask!” Lian Nishang spoke then, her eyes shifting. “Have you seen that old Mr. Wu come to my brother’s courtyard these past two days?”

Sister Hua’s body stiffened upon hearing this. “Are you referring to the old man who helps Chen Yuan look after his courtyard?”

“Exactly!”

“I haven’t seen him these past few days. It’s strange, actually. He hasn’t come for two days, no, three days. I remember he used to come every other day to clean Chen Yuan’s courtyard, almost every day, always before dawn.”

“He couldn’t have fallen ill, could he? It’s freezing cold, and this snow is strange. People say the world is changing. This can’t be good; everyone just started living a little peacefully.”

Sister Hua lived next to Chen Yuan’s courtyard and knew that the old man often came to Chen Yuan before dawn. When Lian Nishang asked her, she also found it strange, and her words flowed freely.

“Please rest assured, Qingshan is fine. You should go back inside; it’s cold.”

Lian Nishang spoke softly, and in the midst of her words, two streaks of residual shadows swiftly darted onto Fang Qingzhu’s shoulders opposite her. They were the little white fox and the Little Squirrel.

“Oh.”

Sister Hua responded, preparing to go back inside.

And at this moment,

“Squeak, squeak.”

The Little Squirrel jumped from Fang Qingzhu’s shoulder onto the table, then to the plate containing the dried mountain fruit. It hugged one with its two small paws, then stuffed it into its mouth, making its cheeks bulge, and then squeaked towards the inner room.

“Mom, I want to eat too!” A voice came.

Just at the doorway, Tiger Cub, wearing a tiger-head hat and looking chubby and adorable, saw the Little Squirrel smacking its lips while eating the dried fruit, and his eyes grew envious. He quickly scurried over.

Sister Hua, who was walking back, quickly grabbed her son’s ear and twisted the embarrassing little brat back into the house.

“Eat your mother’s farts, you rude child!”

Seeing his “friend” get reprimanded, the Little Squirrel quickly grabbed two handfuls of dried fruit with its two paws, then its belly puffed up, and with a “whoosh,” it darted into the house.

The little fox followed closely behind.

Soon, Tiger Cub’s happy voice came from inside the house.

And at this moment, a voice sounded, “After a few months, I didn’t expect Miss Lian’s martial Dao to advance so quickly. She has already Breakthrough to Heavenly Gate. Congratulations.”

Fang Qingzhu spoke, with a hint of surprise. She had been trapped in the night ferry when she tried to Breakthrough to Heavenly Gate, enduring many dangers, before finally advancing to Heavenly Gate.

“It was just Luck. Before my brother took office, he gave me a lot of Heavenly Gate Devil flesh and blood. Miss Fang was also there at the time. Ni Chang was just lucky; relying on these things, she piled herself into the Heavenly Gate, and her Foundation is still unstable.” Lian Nishang has now Breakthrough to Heavenly Gate, but her aura is somewhat unstable, clearly having just Breakthrough recently.

Just as she said, she was able to quickly Breakthrough to Heavenly Gate in a short period by relying on the Devil flesh and blood Chen Yuan had given her earlier, combined with the extreme tranquility in Qingshan County over the past few months, which allowed her to stay in the mountains and Cultivate in peace, thus achieving such progress in her martial Dao.

“Brother Chen is a free and generous man, a heroic figure. Now his name shakes Shu Land. Who would have thought that a few months ago, the three of us were still in that small courtyard? Returning to this familiar place, I can’t help but feel a bit disoriented. Oh, by the way, Miss Lian, why are you here at this time? Brother Chen’s small courtyard is empty, and there’s a Restriction sealing it.”

“Something happened!” Lian Nishang frowned, revealing a hint of worry.

Upon hearing this, a thoughtful glint flashed in Fang Qingzhu’s eyes. “The old man Miss Lian just asked about, could it be the old man surnamed Wu who was with Brother Chen back then? Is it related to him?”

Lian Nishang hummed in affirmation, then her beautiful eyes sparkled with a piercing coldness.

“The old man is missing!”

“I came to see if there were any traces of him in this small courtyard. Brother’s courtyard is usually guarded by the old man.”

“But I couldn’t get in, so I could only inquire from the side.”

“Even you can’t get in?” Fang Qingzhu was a bit surprised.

She thought Lian Nishang and Chen Yuan were colleagues, and she had taken over as the Patrolling Mountain Commandant of Qingshan County, so their relationship should be quite close.

And she had seen that old man; he was ordinary, with no martial Dao Qi, giving the impression of an old servant by Chen Yuan’s side.

But Lian Nishang couldn’t enter the courtyard Chen Yuan left behind.

Lian Nishang seemed to have seen through her doubts. “The old man has served my brother for a long time. In the past, Qingshan County relied on their mutual support. Their bond is definitely not something Ni Chang can compare to. My brother even instructed me before he left to take good care of the old man.”

“Now that the old man is missing, I am largely to blame. I must find him safely and securely!”

“Even if I have to dig three feet deep in Qingshan County!”

Lian Nishang’s eyes were sharp and resolute as she spoke, then she looked up at Fang Qingzhu opposite her,

“As far as I know, Miss Fang is not from Shu Land. When you left Qingshan County, you went with my brother to Tianxiong Pass, saying you were going back.”

“Why are you suddenly here?”

Fang Qingzhu was silent for a moment upon hearing this.

“It’s a long story.”

“Miss Lian, do you still remember that ship? I was freed from it back then and met Brother Chen, and you all.”

Lian Nishang nodded. She wasn’t present on the night of the night ferry incident, but she witnessed the terrifying scene afterwards where all the common people of Qingshan County fell into a deep sleep. Coupled with the chaos caused by the Devil at the time, she quickly mobilized people from neighboring counties to Qingshan County to resist the Devil.

This incident was still fresh in her memory.

And at this moment, Fang Qingzhu also narrated slowly, “The matter of that ship was known to my Fang Family Old Ancestor, who seemed to have sensed the secret of this ship. Coincidentally, the Luck of Shu Land is recovering now, and there are abnormal celestial phenomena. This Old Ancestor then brought my Fang Family members to Qingshan County, intending to make a move on this ship, and so I appeared here.”

Upon hearing this, Lian Nishang frowned. “I came in a hurry. I only heard from the county yamen runners reporting that some important figure arrived in the county early in the morning, startling the common people. So that’s how it is.”

“Miss Fang, our reminiscing ends here today. Ni Chang still has matters to attend to, and I also hope Miss Fang can lend a hand to help search for traces of the old man. Ni Chang will be eternally grateful.” This woman always acted decisively and efficiently. As she spoke, she stood up and cupped her hands.

Unexpectedly, a hand grabbed hers.

“Wait!”

“There’s probably one more thing for Miss Lian to verify, it concerns the lives of the people of Qingshan County!”

Fang Qingzhu leaned forward, her apricot eyes revealing a solemn expression.

Lian Nishang’s eyebrows raised in surprise!

Soon after, on Qingshan County’s main street,

“Clip-clop.”

“Clip-clop.”

“Clip-clop.”

Urgent hooves galloped down the main street. Thick snow piled up on both sides of the road, and hoof prints in the rustling snow-covered path stirred up puddles of muddy water.

A vibrant red figure darted through the streets and alleys, arriving in front of Qingshan Inn. She then stepped towards the tightly shut main door, which had a “Closed to Guests” sign hanging on it.

With a push of both hands, the red-clad figure stepped directly inside.

“Bang!”

The door closed.

“Lian Nishang, Patrolling Mountain Commandant of Qingshan County, requests an audience with the Fang Family Old Ancestor!”

A clear, cold voice echoed upwards along the winding staircase, reaching the upper floors.

Then, only the sound of wooden room doors opening was heard, followed by whispers.

“Hmph, I thought it was someone important. A mere Patrolling Mountain Commandant from this small place dares to see the Old Ancestor!”

“Heh, I didn’t expect her to be quite attractive.”

“Aren’t you all curious how this person knows about our Fang Family, and even about the Old Ancestor?”

Among these voices, there was mockery, frivolity, and also curiosity.

But surprisingly,

Someone from above relayed a message,

“Patrolling Mountain Commandant, is that right? Come up, my Old Ancestor wants to see you!”

This message immediately caused confusion and strangeness among the Fang Family members upstairs.

“With the Old Ancestor’s status, why would he see such an unknown nobody?”

Downstairs, the murmurs reached Lian Nishang’s ears, but she seemed to ignore them, stepping up the stairs.

When she reached the second floor, she saw a thirty-year-old man in a black tight-fitting suit standing at the staircase entrance on the second floor, waiting there.

The man continued to ascend the stairs, and Lian Nishang followed.

During the ascent, Lian Nishang felt scrutinizing, playful gazes upon her.

Each of them had a powerful Qi, all with Heavenly Gate pressure, showing the extraordinary nature of the Fang Family.

Lian Nishang’s expression remained unchanged. She followed the man in the tight black suit all the way to the top floor, then was led to a room door.

The man in the tight suit arrived at the door and respectfully said, “Old Ancestor, the person has been brought!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the room door opened by itself without any wind.

The man stepped aside, revealing Lian Nishang’s figure behind him.

At this moment, Lian Nishang looked at the cold, empty room and felt a heart-palpitating pressure.

It was as if a terrifying entity was lurking inside the room.

She suppressed the palpitation surging in her heart, furrowed her brows tightly, lifted her foot, and stepped inside.

“Bang!”

The door closed, as if separating two worlds.

Inside, it was hollow and silent, as if she were in a vast abyss in a trance.

“Junior Lian Nishang, Patrolling Mountain Commandant of Qingshan County, greets Senior Old Ancestor!”

Lian Nishang bowed, cupped her hands, and the scabbard on her back vibrated slightly.

In front of the cold, gleaming floor, a landscape screen stood, reflecting a thin, cross-legged figure.

A cough sounded.

“Patrolling Mountain Commandant, why have you come to see this old man?”

A light voice sounded from behind the screen, like stepping on cotton, feeling weak and powerless.

Lian Nishang’s beautiful eyes flickered rapidly, and her voice rang out clearly,

“Junior has come to verify, as Senior said, that the water source in Qingshan County has been poisoned with Devil Gu!”

The voice echoed loudly in the small room.

The Fang Family Old Ancestor behind the screen was silent for a moment, his tone still light and airy,

“Qingzhu told you?”

The Fang Family Old Ancestor seemed to know something.

“Exactly!” Lian Nishang readily agreed.

“Heh heh.” A laugh like a broken bellows sounded from behind the screen. “You’re just a Junior, why should this old man prove it to you? Don’t try to persuade me with the common people of Qingshan County.”

“Junior is serving in Qingshan County and can help Senior find clues about that ship. Tens of thousands of common people in Qingshan City had their Divine Souls absorbed by that ship in the past. After they were freed, I often heard common people dreaming about that ship, which might help in finding it.”

“Did Qingzhu teach you to say that too?” The laughter behind the screen gradually stopped, and the voice seemed to become a bit more serious.

“No, Miss Fang and I are old acquaintances. She only told Junior about the Devil Gu. As for the rest, Junior is not making things up. Senior can send people to inquire in Qingshan County.”

“And although Junior is just a small Patrolling Mountain Commandant, I have been operating here and might be able to help.” Lian Nishang lowered her head slightly, her tone calm.

In that instant, she felt a piercing gaze fall upon her, as if to see through her.

Yet, her expression remained normal, because what she said was not fabricated.

There were indeed such rumors circulating among the populace.

However, these were all unsubstantiated rumors. Moreover, the entire county town’s population was absorbed into that ship and fell into a deep sleep, like a nightmare, so it was not unusual for some to have dreams about it afterwards.

Therefore, even though Lian Nishang had heard of this matter at the time, she didn’t pay it much attention.

But today, after hearing Fang Qingzhu’s words, she decided to use this rumor to test the waters. Anyway, the rumor existed, she wasn’t lying, and as for whether it would work, she didn’t know.

She just wanted to use this opportunity to verify the matter of the Devil Gu.

After a long while, a chuckle sounded from behind the screen,

“If you want to know if the entire Qingshan County has been poisoned with Gu, you can go find any water source in the city, then come back to me, and you’ll know then.”

“I brought it!”

Lian Nishang’s sleeve fluttered, and a stream of water flew out, condensing into a basketball-sized ball of water in the Void Realm.

This was taken from a well in Jiazi Alley.

In that courtyard, after Fang Qingzhu explained it to her, she specifically took it.

After a cup of tea,

The main door of Qingshan Inn opened.

Lian Nishang walked out quickly, her pretty face frosty but with a hint of urgency.

“Gallop!”

She mounted her horse, turned its head, and galloped away from Qingshan Inn like a shooting star.

What she didn’t know was that at this moment, above her, a gaze coldly watched everything. (End of Chapter)