Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 199 Forbidden Techniques from Ancient Books
Suppressing her anger and shock, Liu Sijun knelt down and gently stroked Li Qing's head, her eyes filled with heartache: "Qing'er, how are you? Is anything bothering you?"

Li Qing shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion: "Sister, Qing'er, my stomach hurts a little."

"Qing'er, take a moment to regulate your breathing and check if there are any other abnormalities in your body."

She tried her best to keep her voice steady, and Qing'er's mood gradually improved. She obediently nodded, sat cross-legged on the ground, closed her eyes, and began to circulate her internal energy.

Liu Sijun then began to carefully examine the Gu worms that Li Qing had spat out.

She refused to believe that Chu Yanjing would do such a thing.

It makes no sense at all.

Gu Changzhou looked at Liu Sijun, his eyes still filled with doubt, but also with concern for her emotions: "Jun'er, the current evidence all points to Chu Yanjing. The jade pendant on his sleeve, this disciple's token, and the Gu worms make it hard not to suspect that he is related to the Blood Spirit Sect."

Liu Sijun stood up and looked at Gu Changzhou with a firm gaze: "I know the current situation is very unfavorable to him, but I believe in Cousin Jing, and I believe even more in my maternal grandparents' family. They will never have any connection with the Blood Spirit Sect."

Liu Sijun continued, "I'm not acting on emotion. As Marquis Molin, you must be able to think of these things too, right?"

"You mean, he was most likely tricked by the Blood Spirit Cult?"

"definitely is."

Liu Sijun clenched his fist: "The Blood Spirit Cult has infiltrated the Nether Valley Palace. I need to return to the Nether Valley Palace to find out the truth."

Perfect timing! Let's also find out who killed the former palace master back then and why they framed our master.

Gu Changzhou frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I hope it's as you say, but we can't let our guard down. The Blood Spirit Sect's methods are unpredictable and ever-changing; they may have already set up a trap."

"Although Elder Cai is monitoring him, who can guarantee that Elder Cai is reliable? After all, even his identity is questionable now."

Liu Sijun said, "That's why I said I need to go back to Yougu Palace to investigate personally."

"You're going alone?" Seeing Liu Sijun's resolute attitude, Gu Changzhou knew he couldn't persuade her, so he could only sigh, "Fine, since you've made up your mind, then let's go together."

"If you go alone, you'll only alert the enemy."

“No, I’m not comfortable with you going alone. Either we stay in Laiyang County to investigate for now, or we go back to Yougu Palace together.”

Liu Sijun: "I will be careful and will never put myself in danger. I believe that when Brother Jing sees me, he will be willing to explain things clearly."

"You're just afraid the Blood Spirit Cult will find out. I can find a perfect excuse."

Liu Sijun blinked at him: "What excuse?"

"The Marquis of Molin is pursuing Master Liu. Anyway, there were such rumors when we were in Zhongzhou City. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of it."

Gu Changzhou looked at Liu Sijun, "Besides, this one is genuine. It definitely won't give itself away!"

Since Gu Changzhou said so, what else could she say?

Gu Changzhou has the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul stage, so it would indeed be easier to get things done with him around.

At this moment, Li Qing finished circulating his energy, opened his eyes, and stood up: "Sister, Qing'er is alright." Liu Sijun walked to Li Qing's side, took his hand, and said: "Qing'er, tomorrow we will return to Yougu Palace. You must stay by my and Brother Gu's side the whole time, and you must not run around, understand?"

Li Qing nodded vigorously: "Qing'er knows, and will listen to her sister!"

She then looked at Gu Changzhou and said, "I will also listen to Brother Gu."

Gu Changzhou looked at Li Qing, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "Good, with Qing'er here, we have an extra bit of strength." The night passed, and the next morning, Liu Sijun, Gu Changzhou, and Li Qing embarked on their journey back to Yougu Palace.

Throughout the journey, Liu Sijun felt extremely heavy-hearted, constantly pondering how to investigate the truth after returning to Yougu Palace, and how to face Chu Yanjing.

As they stepped into the territory of the Valley Palace, Liu Sijun clearly sensed that the atmosphere here was different from before.

The disciples all looked somewhat nervous. Upon seeing Liu Sijun and the others, they all bowed, but their eyes revealed a hint of unease.

Liu Sijun grasped a disciple's hand and asked, "Has something happened at Yougu Palace recently? Why does everyone look so tense?"

The disciple glanced at the disciple token at Liu Sijun's waist and said, "So it's Senior Sister Liu who's back. It's strange, really. Ever since you left Yougu Palace, there have been a lot of strange things happening. Especially recently, first, some disciples fainted inexplicably while practicing, and when they woke up, they didn't remember anything that had happened before. Also, some important books have been rummaged through. Elder Cai is investigating this matter thoroughly, but there are still no results."

"All the ancient books in Yougu Palace are in the library, and anyone can go and read them."

The disciple, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, looked around and said, "Senior Sister Liu, you may not know this, but that ancient book records forbidden techniques of the Yougu Palace. It's on the top floor of the library; how could an ordinary disciple just flip through it? Besides, it's a book about forbidden techniques."

Liu Sijun and Gu Changzhou exchanged a glance and nodded: "Understood. However, with such a big event happening in the palace, all we can do is not spread rumors, do our own thing, and not wander around unnecessarily for the time being."

Liu Sijun is the disciple of the Third Elder, making him far more prestigious than ordinary disciples who haven't yet formally joined the elders' ranks.

When she said that, everyone nodded in agreement.

Instead, they left together in a hurry.

Liu Sijun took a deep breath and said to Gu Changzhou and Li Qing, "It seems that the current situation of Yougu Palace is more complicated than we imagined. Let's go see Elder Cai first and see how much he knows about these things."

They flew towards Red Ridge Peak, but when they arrived at Elder Cai's residence, the man was nowhere to be found.

"Elder Cai went to Jinxia Peak?"

Suyou nodded: "They've been gone for a while, they should be back soon, why don't you wait in the hall first?"

Liu Sijun: "What about my cousin? I haven't seen him in a long time, and I miss him a bit."

"Junior Brother Chu, he went into seclusion after the last competition! We won't be able to see him today."

He's gone into seclusion.
Although Liu Sijun was somewhat anxious to see Chu Yanjing, she could only suppress her desire for the time being upon hearing the news that he was in seclusion.

She frowned slightly, pondering the next direction of the investigation.

“Since Chu Yanjing is in seclusion, let’s start with the forbidden ancient texts that have been turned over.” Liu Sijun looked at Gu Changzhou and Li Qing. “The fact that the forbidden ancient texts have been turned over must mean something is going on. It might even be related to the infiltration of the Blood Spirit Cult.”

Gu Changzhou nodded in agreement: "That's right. The library is heavily guarded, especially the top floor where the forbidden techniques are located. Anyone who can enter and browse the library quietly must be someone of great importance. We can go to the library first and see if we can find any clues."

(End of this chapter)