135: Chapter 135 Old Xu's Romantic Tribulation

Shen Qingyuan's brow twitched slightly.

Hadn't seen him for several days?

Although this old man was usually lazy and unreliable, he was quite dedicated to the affairs of the Yicui Pavilion and rarely left for so long.

Moreover, Guangnan City had been exceptionally lively lately, with many Cultivators arriving.

For Xu Jianan to leave at this time was not quite right.

Shen Qingyuan fell silent for a moment. He raised his right hand, his slender fingers lightly tracing in the Void Realm.

Streams of profound and complex golden runes surged from his fingertips, weaving into a fine net of light in the air.

Netherworld Penetration Art.

This secret technique could track not only remnant souls but also living people.

As long as the target had not completely left this world, their tracks could be found.

The light net descended, rotating in the Void Realm for a moment before suddenly extending in one direction.

Shen Qingyuan looked in the direction of the light net, a hint of oddness flashing in his eyes.

"Tianxuan Sect?"

Luo Qingyue was slightly startled.

Tianxuan Sect, one of the Three Great Holy Lands of the Southern Region.

"What is Senior Xu doing at the Tianxuan Sect?" Luo Qingyue was somewhat puzzled.

Shen Qingyuan's mouth twitched as the words Xu Jianan had said last time surfaced in his mind—

"That Old Saintess of the Tianxuan Sect, she's got curves in all the right places, quite the beauty..."

Good grief.

Did this old man really go looking for that Old Saintess?

"Young Master, could Old Xu's trip to the Tianxuan Sect be related to their Old Saintess?" Lian Yue leaned in, her face full of gossip, her peach blossom eyes shining with excitement.

Shen Qingyuan glanced at her: "You're quite sharp."

Lian Yue chuckled and lowered her voice: "I heard about it too. It's said that the Old Saintess of the Tianxuan Sect was the number one beauty of the Southern Region in her youth, with countless pursuers. I wonder how Old Xu managed to hook up with her."

She paused, the fire of gossip burning brightly in her eyes: "I didn't expect Old Xu would actually dare to run off to the Tianxuan Sect..."

"Alright, enough." Shen Qingyuan waved his hand, interrupting her, "Stop guessing blindly."

After learning of Xu Jianan's whereabouts, Shen Qingyuan stopped paying attention.

Adults should be given some private space, especially since Xu Jianan was already an old man.

Lian Yue seemed to remember something and sat down beside Shen Qingyuan, a gossipy look in her peach blossom eyes as she whispered, "Young Master, did you know? Lan Xi, the lead dancer from a few days ago, has suddenly disappeared."

"Oh?" Shen Qingyuan held his wine cup and responded lazily.

"The girl who dances exceptionally well," Lian Yue gestured. "The one in the water-blue dress, with the slender waist and very graceful dance moves. You watched her dance last time and even praised her."

Shen Qingyuan took a sip of wine, a playful arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "I know."

Lian Yue leaned closer and lowered her voice: "She just suddenly disappeared a few days ago. No sign of her alive or dead. The workers in the pavilion searched all over Guangnan City but couldn't find a trace of her. Old Xu even mentioned it before he left, saying her background wasn't simple and telling everyone to be careful."

She paused, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "Young Master, who do you think that Lan Xi really was? Why would she suddenly vanish? Could she have offended some enemy and been taken away?"

Shen Qingyuan put down his wine cup, leaned back on the soft couch, and rested his hands behind his head, looking up at the carved beams. His tone was nonchalant: "She won't be coming back."

Lian Yue was stunned: "How do you know, Young Master?"

"Because she's dead."

Lian Yue's eyes widened, her peach blossom eyes filled with shock: "D-dead? How do you kn—"

Halfway through, she suddenly stopped.

She looked at Shen Qingyuan's lazy face and his calm, indifferent manner, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

"Young Master, could it be you..."

Shen Qingyuan didn't answer; he just picked up his wine cup and took another sip.

That demeanor and reaction were clearly a tacit admission.

Lian Yue gasped, completely stunned.

Lan Xi, that incredibly beautiful dancer, was actually killed by the Young Master?

She opened her mouth to ask why, but the words died in her throat.

If the Young Master acted, there must have been a reason.

"Alright, don't think about useless things." Shen Qingyuan raised his wine cup, his gaze falling on the hall downstairs. "Let the girls dance; I happen to be in the mood today."

Lian Yue hurriedly stood up, went to the window, and made a gesture to the floor below.

The sound of silk and bamboo instruments rose again, and the songstresses reappeared, their flowing sleeves light and their waists swaying, eyes filled with just the right amount of charm.

...

Tianxuan Sect.

One of the Three Great Holy Lands of the Southern Region, located in the far north of the Southern Region, amidst a mountain range covered in year-round snow.

The peaks were like swords piercing the clouds, with mist swirling around the summits and faint spiritual light flowing, resembling a fairyland.

However, at this moment, in a quiet courtyard deep within the Tianxuan Sect, the atmosphere was exceptionally strange.

Several thousand-year-old winter plums were planted in the courtyard, their petals as white as snow, trembling slightly in the biting cold wind and emitting a cool, faint fragrance.

Snow covered the bluestone floor of the courtyard, leaving only a winding path leading to an exquisite pavilion in the center.

The pavilion featured carved beams and painted rafters, with upturned eaves, exuding an air of ancient elegance everywhere.

But right now, the most eye-catching thing wasn't the pavilion, but the old man tied up and thrown onto the snowy ground in the courtyard.

Xu Jianan.

His current appearance was pathetic in the extreme.

His originally washed-out gray Daoist robe was covered in snow and mud, hanging crookedly on his body. His belt was nowhere to be found, and his collar was wide open, revealing his bony chest.

His hair was disheveled, with a few withered leaves stuck in his graying strands. The messy makeup marks on his face hadn't been wiped clean, making him look unspeakably ridiculous in this wretched state.

Most absurdly, he was tied up tightly from head to toe with a glittering golden rope, wrapped seven or eight times from his shoulders to his ankles, looking exactly like a zongzi ready for the pot.

Runes faintly flowed on the rope, emitting heart-palpitating spiritual energy fluctuations; it was clearly no ordinary item.

Xu Jianan lay in the snow, looking up at the gray sky. Instead of fear, his face bore a cynical smile.

"I say, is this how you treat guests in the Tianxuan Sect? I am a guest after all; throwing me in the snow like this isn't appropriate, is it?"

He twisted his body, but the rope didn't budge; instead, it tightened a bit more.

"Hiss—this immortal binding rope is of good quality. Where did you buy it? I'll have to get a couple later."

Not far away, a noblewoman was staring intently at him, her face full of fury.

The woman wore a luxurious purple gown embroidered with complex cloud patterns that shimmered with spiritual light.

She was extremely beautiful, with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and phoenix eyes filled with anger. Her nose was high, her cherry lips tightly pursed, and she was surrounded by an aura of authority from someone long accustomed to a high position.

But the most striking feature was her curvaceous figure.

Even the wide gown could not hide her exquisite curves.

Xu Jianan's gaze swept over her, and a punchable smile curled on his lips: "Yun'er, I didn't expect you to be so into this. But I like this level of play!"

Reminder: The website will be updated soon, which may cause loss of reading progress. Please save your [Bookshelf] and [Reading History] in time (screenshot recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience!