Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 328 Xu Zhen
It was already night when Tong Xu returned to Qingpu Mountain. But she did not disturb the disciples, and instead, like an outsider, she quietly sneaked back to her residence.

Unlike Dapan Mountain, Qingpu Mountain is not a single large mountain, but rather a range of peaks branching off from a mountain range, each forming its own ridge, much like the former Youjiuyuan of the Sword Sect.

Her small courtyard was located on the back mountain of the main peak, Youlai Peak, connected to a cliff, and linked to the front mountain by a stone path. Instead of taking the main road, she flew back to the courtyard from the foot of the back mountain on her Qingpu Fan.

There were no lights in the courtyard, but she smelled a faint odor of blood as soon as she landed. Looking in the direction the smell came from, she saw a few drops of blood that had been wiped away in the corner of the east wing.

She frowned, pushed open the door, and went back to her main house. Standing in the darkness, she whispered, "I remember we agreed that you would never allow any more harm to my disciples."

A male voice came from the darkness. The tone was gentle and the voice was refined, making one feel comfortable: "I'm so sorry. I didn't keep an eye on Pianpian today, and she didn't control herself either. I've already reprimanded her and punished her by keeping her inside and not letting her out again. Sect Leader Tong, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"You—" Tong Xu paused, sighed, and gently waved his hand, causing a lamp in the room to light up. "Who died?"

"It's the one I saw last month, the one who came to you asking if he wanted to form his core."

The lamplight illuminated the speaker's face. He was a young man with unremarkable features, but he could be compared to a lower-budget version of Li Wuxiang. The reason for this comparison was that he also had white hair, though a few sparse strands of red hair were mixed in, which added a touch of charm to his appearance.

He was wearing a Taoist robe from the Qingpu School, and that was all he was wearing. He hadn't even tied the sash yet, and he was sitting open on the chair in the main hall, so half of his naked body was exposed.

Upon seeing him like this, Tong Xu immediately turned around without making a sound, his back to him: "Xu Zhen, I told you to put on your clothes when you come to my room."

As she said this, she heard the rustling of clothes behind her. After a while, Xu Zhen said, "Why are you being so coy? I know you like watching me. If you like it, why don't you watch?"

Xu Zhen couldn't see Tong Xu's expression, and therefore couldn't see that after hearing his words, Tong Xu's lips, which had been slightly downturned due to his bad mood, curled up slightly. But he waited until Tong Xu had finished fastening his clothes before turning around and sitting down on a chair by the door: "That's called manners. Besides, I never said I liked seeing you like this. Furthermore, I saw someone even more handsome than you the other day. You'll know when you meet him."

Xu Zhen had tied his sash, but seemed unaccustomed to wearing the Taoist robe, leaving his chest still wide open. Hearing Tong Xu's words, he raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Who?"

Tong Xu paused for a moment before saying, "The disciple your sister killed, my disciple, was named Lü Zihuan. Since you arrived at Qingpu Mountain, including him, four people have disappeared without a trace. Xu Zhen, this isn't your side. You must promise me that this kind of thing will never happen again. The consequences could be very serious, and it could reveal your whereabouts."

Xu Zhen sat up straight in the chair and bowed to her: "Okay, I understand. Sigh, Pianpian has already shown some restraint by coming here. If there's a next time—"

Seeing Tong Xu frown slightly, he said, "Alright, when I go back I'll pierce her collarbone and lock her in the room. Will you feel at ease then?"

Tong Xu shook his head and sighed, "If you think it's good, then it's good. The person I met was Li Wuxiang. I've told you about him before, remember?" Xu Zhen nodded, "You don't need to keep asking me if I remember. My memory is very good—he's the one who killed the Descending True Monarch with Mei Qiulu, right? Where did you meet him? Dapan Mountain?"

"Ah."

"So you didn't get your mission accomplished?"

“No.” Tong Xu sighed again. “He has already subdued Li Yin and Zheng Jingxi. But that’s not the most troublesome thing. The troublesome thing is Li Wuxiang himself.”

"How do you say that?"

She slowly recounted what had happened on Dapan Mountain before saying, "That's why I said the trouble was with him. He actually let me go—according to the little girl named Xue Baoping beside him, he wasn't just pretending; he genuinely thought I was a good person and didn't want to subdue me with coercion and bribery like he did with Li Yin and Zheng Jingxi."

Xu Zhen frowned and thought for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding her words: "I don't quite understand your 'so.' Are you saying he genuinely wants to let you come back? Then why all the trouble?"

Tong Xu was extremely impatient with Li Yin and Zheng Jingxi, but now that Xu Zhen had asked this question, which the two of them could understand but he couldn't for the moment, Tong Xu showed great patience: "Because he might be... a good person. Good people don't live long in this world, but with his cultivation level, he can live a long life. Good people are liked, so someone like him helping the Taiyi Sect subdue the thirty-six sects might really succeed."

Xu Zhen nodded: "I understand. Then why don't you send this Corpse Immortal from your mountain back to the Blood God Sect and have them send someone to kill him? Doesn't the Blood God Sect still have several Infant Immortals? You said that Infant Immortals can deal with the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sword Sect."

"They might not be willing. The person on the mountain said that the Blood God Sect still has six Infant Immortals and one who is about to become a Yang Immortal. But they have to be wary of Mei Qiulu. Six Infant Immortals plus one who is about to become a Yang Immortal may not be a match for Mei Qiulu, so they might not be willing to send out another person."

"Furthermore, even if they were to send them out... of the six Nascent Soul Immortals on the mountain, the other five lack a Nascent Soul level swordsman to lead them, and their minds might not be sharp enough to deal with Li Wuxiang. Li Wuxiang should have some other abilities, I don't know exactly what they are, but he used those abilities to frighten Zheng Jingxi into submitting to him on the mountain. The Nascent Soul Immortals of the Blood God Sect might have a 50/50 chance of winning against him, so I said they might not want to take that risk, at least not now."

"Oh..." Xu Zhen nodded again, "Then I'll go and kill him?"

Tong Xu remained silent for a moment, seemingly seriously considering the suggestion. But then he shook his head: "Nascent Soul cultivation... especially the Nascent Soul cultivation of the Sword Sect, is very strong here. If you kill him, everyone will wonder who has the ability to take his life, especially Mei Qiulu. Once she comes looking for the person who killed Li Wuxiang, you probably won't be able to escape. You are no match for Mei Qiulu."

Xu Zhen sighed: "You people in the Central Plains are really troublesome. What if I make sure he can't be a good person?"

(End of this chapter)