Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 189 Mutual Cooperation
Liu Sijun looked directly into her eyes: "Zhu Yingrong, I've come today to ask you about the truth behind Chu's death, and the collusion between the Blood Spirit Sect and the Zhu family. You'd better tell the truth, or you'll bear the consequences."

Upon hearing about the Blood Spirit Sect and the Zhu family, a flicker of panic crossed Zhu Yingrong's eyes, but she still stubbornly retorted, "Why should I tell you? Can you guarantee what will happen to me if I reveal the truth?"

Gu Changzhou stepped forward, his gaze cold and stern: "Zhu Yingrong, you should know that the Blood Spirit Sect's conspiracy is about to be exposed. If you remain obstinate, once things are exposed, the entire Zhu family will be doomed. If you tell the truth, there may still be a glimmer of hope."

Zhu Yingrong remained silent for a long time, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

Finally, she sighed, "So be it, I've ended up like this anyway. It was indeed Liu Shiyuan who killed Chu Shi. Back then, in order to curry favor with the Blood Spirit Sect and gain their support for the Liu family, Liu Shiyuan, following the Blood Spirit Sect's instructions, plotted to kill Chu Shi."

Liu Sijun felt a sharp pain in her heart. Although she had long suspected something, hearing the truth with her own ears was still hard for her to accept.

She fought back her grief and asked, "What evidence do you have? Why didn't you present it last time?"

Zhu Yingrong sneered: "I naturally have evidence. I didn't bring it out last time because I still had a glimmer of hope and wanted to use it as a bargaining chip to save my life. This evidence is the letter between Liu Shiyuan and the Blood Spirit Sect, which details their plan to kill the Chu family."

Gu Changzhou frowned: "Where is that letter now?"

Zhu Yingrong looked around and said in a low voice, "I hid the letter in a secret room in the Zhu family's old house. Only I know the exact location. But I need you to promise to take me away from here and guarantee the safety of me and the rest of the Zhu family."

Liu Sijun and Gu Changzhou exchanged a glance. Liu Sijun said, "As long as you hand over the evidence and help us find out the truth, I can plead with my uncle to give you a lighter sentence. But if you dare to play any tricks, I will definitely not let you off the hook."

Zhu Yingrong hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, I agree. But we have to hurry. The Blood Spirit Cult's plan is probably already in full swing. If they find out that I have leaked the secret, they will definitely not let me go."

The group hurried toward the Zhu family's old residence, the atmosphere tense and oppressive along the way.

Zhu Yingrong led the way, glancing nervously around every now and then.

Gu Changzhou asked Zhu Yingrong, "Since you know about the collusion between the Blood Spirit Sect and the Zhu family, what exactly are they plotting? And what does this have to do with the ancient artifact?"

Zhu Yingrong took a deep breath and slowly said, "Their conspiracy is to use the power of ancient artifacts to control the minds of everyone in the world. The Blood Spirit Sect believes that as long as they obtain the ancient artifacts, they can start a powerful ritual that will allow the power released by the artifacts to cover the entire world. At that time, everyone will become a puppet of the Blood Spirit Sect and be manipulated by them."

Liu Sijun was startled: "What benefit would this bring to the Zhu family? Are they willing to become vassals of the Blood Spirit Sect?"

Zhu Yingrong gave a bitter smile: "The Zhu family is ambitious. They think that by cooperating with the Blood Spirit Sect and once the plan succeeds, they can use their own power to occupy a high position in the world under the rule of the Blood Spirit Sect, becoming a person second only to the emperor. They are trying to take this opportunity to control the lifeline of the entire dynasty and satisfy their own desire for power."

Gu Changzhou: "Such a massive conspiracy must have required extensive preparation. How did they set it up in Laiyang County?"

Zhu Yingrong's eyes flickered as she said, "Laiyang County is located in a remote area, which makes it easier for them to operate in secret. They built a huge altar in a secluded valley in the north of the county to hold a ceremony to awaken an ancient artifact. Over the years, the Zhu family has been secretly gathering people and collecting various rare materials to prepare for the ceremony. The Blood Spirit Sect is responsible for providing support in terms of evil magic and rune formations."

Thinking of the Blood Spirit Cult members and treasure chests they had found in the cave, Liu Sijun speculated, "Could the treasure chests and tokens we found in the cave be one of the key items they used in their rituals?"

Zhu Yingrong nodded: "Very likely. That token might be the key to opening the secret chamber of the altar, and it might contain important items needed for the ritual. The Blood Spirit Sect attaches great importance to that treasure chest, and it seems that your appearance has disrupted part of their plans."

Gu Changzhou's expression was solemn: "If their conspiracy succeeds, the world will be thrown into chaos. We must find evidence as soon as possible to stop them."

As they spoke, the group arrived near the Zhu family's old residence. The area around the old residence appeared peaceful, yet it exuded an eerie atmosphere.

Gu Changzhou signaled everyone to be careful and led them cautiously into the old house.

After entering the old house, Zhu Yingrong led everyone to a secluded corner with ease.

She pushed aside what appeared to be an ordinary wall, revealing a narrow, dark passage.

The group descended through the secret passage, which led to a tightly closed stone door covered with intricate runes.

Zhu Yingrong stepped forward, channeling her spiritual power in an attempt to break the rune seal. However, the runes flickered but did not open the stone door as she wished.

Her expression changed slightly, and she said, "This is bad. It seems that the Zhu family has noticed something amiss and has strengthened the security of the secret chamber."

Liu Sijun carefully examined the runes and said, "These runes are complex, but not insurmountable. Changzhou, let's try together to disrupt the operation of the runes with spiritual power; perhaps we can find a flaw."

Gu Changzhou nodded and, together with Liu Sijun, channeled their spiritual energy into the stone gate runes.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun channeled their spiritual power to the fullest extent, fiercely resisting the rune restrictions on the stone gate.

The runes flickered, releasing powerful resistance as they tried to deflect their spiritual energy back.

Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Liu Sijun's forehead. She bit her lip tightly, focusing intently on sensing the power channels of the runes, and said loudly to Gu Changzhou, "Changzhou, the operation of these runes seems chaotic, but in fact, they contain hidden mysteries. If we try to use the method of yin and yang harmony to guide the spiritual power along the reverse channels of the runes, we might be able to break this restriction."

Upon hearing this, Gu Changzhou immediately adjusted his spiritual energy output method to coordinate with Liu Sijun's spiritual energy.

The others followed Liu Sijun's instructions and channeled their spiritual energy into the runes. They split into two groups, one strong and one gentle, like two agile dragons, slowly permeating the runes along their veins.

The runes shone even brighter, emitting a buzzing sound.

Just as everyone was feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Liu Sijun's eyes suddenly lit up, and he shouted, "Found it! Follow me and gather your spiritual energy here!"

She guided everyone to concentrate their spiritual power on a key node of the rune.

As spiritual energy was continuously injected, the rune's light flashed suddenly, then gradually dimmed.

"boom!"

The stone door opened slowly with a dull thud.

(End of this chapter)