I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 294 Caught Red-Handed (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The ancestral lands of the Qin and Zhang families are located in Yuyang City, a small coastal town south of the Xuandu Mountain Secret Realm. The city is not large. When the Qin and Zhang families first settled here, they had been on good terms for generations, and their ancestors had produced renowned Golden Core cultivators.

It's unclear from which generation onwards, but the relationship between the two families deteriorated, leading to open and covert struggles.

Jiang Yi and Zhao Cangyun concealed their auras and disguised themselves as ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivators when they arrived in Yuyang City. The sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy smell, rushed towards them.

Despite it being winter, the dock was still bustling with activity. Fishing boats were unloading their cargo as they docked. The boatmen were dragging a silver-scaled sea beast, which was at least three zhang long, with thick iron chains. The beast had coral-like horns on its head. Although it was dead, its remaining aura still made the onlookers retreat three zhang.

The two walked along the dock into the city, where the stone-paved road was crowded with stalls of low-level cultivators.

Dried fish skins were strung together and hung on wooden frames, while shimmering blue 'electric jellyfish' crackled and popped in glass bottles. The stall also displayed various sea creatures that could only be caught in the near seas of Beixuan.

A Qi Refining cultivator was brandishing a fish-cleansing knife, showing passersby the bone spurs of the 'Swordfin Demon Fish' on his stall.

"Look at how sharp it is! It would be absolutely worth it to refine it into a flying needle magic weapon!"

Suddenly a dark shadow darted down from the eaves, and a spotted cat spirit landed lightly by the fish stall, suddenly reaching out its claws to snatch a sea bream.

Amid the stall owner's wails, the cat spirit snatched the fish, leaped onto the roof beam, shook off the snow, and let out a triumphant purr.

Jiang Yi squinted at the towering Qin family archway in the east of the city. Along the way, he hadn't seen many cultivators wearing Qin family badges, but Zhang family members were everywhere.

Zhao Cangyun sniffed around the whole way, his nose filled with the fishy smell.

"Let's find an inn to stay in first." Jiang Yi looked at an inn nearby.

Zhao Cangyun was worried about Shang Shixu, so he said, "Senior Sister, you go first. I'll take a walk around the city and check the situation."

"Alright, send me a message if anything comes up."

Before leaving, Jiang Yi received a stack of specially made communication talismans from the Internal Affairs Hall. These talismans were discreet, fast, and difficult to intercept.

She didn't have a nose as good as Zhao Cangyun's. Although Yuyang City wasn't big, finding someone there wasn't easy.

Zhao Cangyun walked alone through the crowd, carrying the blood-stained communication talisman from the Qin family.

He spent most of the day wandering around the city, from the Qin family disciples' gathering place in the east to the independent cultivators' market in the west, but he still couldn't find any trace of Shang Shixu.

“Strange…” Zhao Cangyun murmured softly.

The Qin family disciples have always been arrogant and domineering, always putting the Zhang family disciples at a disadvantage in Yuyang City, but today there are hardly any people to be seen on the streets.

He made a point of taking a stroll around the Qin family's territory and found that every household had its doors tightly shut and the place was unusually deserted, but he did not smell any blood or strange odors.

Zhao Cangyun then headed towards the Zhang family's ancestral land in the west of the city, intending to search the entire area before returning to report to his senior sister.

As soon as they turned onto Zhang's territory, Zhao Cangyun suddenly caught a faint smell of blood, and his pupils contracted sharply.

……

Shang Shixu emerged from the medicine shop, looking exhausted and pale. Standing by the roadside, he couldn't help but look in the direction of the Cangling Sect.

Suddenly, a hand pressed down on his shoulder from behind, and a surge of intense true energy instantly sealed off his meridians!
Shang Shixu felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could react, he was violently dragged into a nearby alley, his back slamming heavily against the wall.

The crimson blade was pressed against the side of his neck, the scalding heat almost burning his skin.

"Shang Shi Xu!"

A deep voice sounded in my ear, filled with suppressed anger.

Shang Shixu looked up and met a pair of familiar eyes burning with anger.

"Zhao Cangyun?!" Shang Shixu exclaimed in surprise, his expression immediately changing drastically. "How did you get here?!"

Zhao Cangyun stared intently at him, his voice almost squeezed out through clenched teeth, "That's what I should be asking you. What on earth have you been up to all these years? I thought you'd died out there!"

Shang Shixu lowered his eyes, trying to remove the knife Zhao Cangyun was pressing against his neck, "You first..."

"Don't move!" Zhao Cangyun pressed his blade down even further, his eyes still filled with a sinister and murderous intent. "If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I'll take your life!"

Shang Shixu smiled helplessly, "I... I don't care who you came with, you'd better leave Yuyang City. Give me a few more days, and after all this is over, I'll go back and give you an explanation. It will be very dangerous for you to stay." "Stop beating around the bush and talking nonsense. You won't tell me, huh? I'll take you to see my senior sister!"

Zhao Cangyun grabbed Shang Shixu's collar and tried to pull him away.

At this moment, Shang Shixu suddenly whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Cangyun suddenly froze, his entire body turning to stone and unable to move. Taking advantage of this, Shang Shixu escaped, transforming into a swarm of black flying insects and disappearing in an instant.

……

Inside the inn in Yuyang City.

Jiang Yi sat at the table drinking tea. Little Hongli, who had been fussing about coming out, squatted on the table, slowly licking her paws, her tail tip occasionally swaying slightly, looking exceptionally content.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Zhao Cangyun, covered in dust and dirt, burst in, grabbed the teapot on the table, and gulped down the tea.

Boom!
The teapot was slammed back onto the table, making Hongli tremble.

Why are you so angry?

Jiang Yi looked calmly at Zhao Cangyun, waiting for him to speak.

Zhao Cangyun wiped his mouth, still breathing heavily, and said, "I found Shang Shixu!"

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

Zhao Cangyun said angrily, "That kid was acting all mysterious, telling us not to interfere and to give him a few more days, and that it was very dangerous..."

Hum!
Hong Li suddenly perked up her ears, and her figure vanished in an instant.

Jiang Yi turned her head and saw that Hong Li had already jumped onto the windowsill, looking like she was about to jump out of the window and escape at any moment.

Zhao Cangyun: ………

Jiang Yi chuckled, thinking there was no need to be so paranoid.

Jiang Yi calmly withdrew her gaze, her tone unperturbed, and said, "Continue."

"That's it." Zhao Cangyun sat down dejectedly. "He secretly used a curse on me, immobilizing me before running away. I haven't been able to smell his scent since. Senior Sister, what do we do now?"

"Pity."

"What's a pity?" Zhao Cangyun asked, puzzled.

Jiang Yi put down her teacup. "It's a pity I can't get a refund for this room. Since Shang Shixu has already said so, let's go."

"Huh?" Zhao Cangyun's eyes widened. "How can we do that? That kid is clearly suspicious. What if he's being coerced? Are we just going to watch him get into trouble?"

"I'm not afraid of bad people plotting, I'm afraid of fools having a sudden inspiration. You come with me and leave Yuyang City first, we'll set up camp outside the city."

Jiang Yi went to the window, picked up Hong Li, and left first, while Zhao Cangyun stood behind and pointed at himself.

Is the senior sister saying he's stupid?

"Senior Sister, are we really leaving? Aren't we going to investigate the sect's mission? The atmosphere at the Qin family is definitely not right."

On the way out of the city, Zhao Cangyun kept asking Jiang Yi questions.

Jiang Yi really wanted to gag him and pretend she couldn't hear him until she left Yuyang City.

Standing under a tree by the roadside outside the city, twelve jet-black raven puppets silently flew out from her sleeves and scattered into the city like ink dots.

They landed lightly on rooftops and treetops, their crow feathers blending into the shadows, only their scarlet eyes occasionally darting about, keeping watch over the city.

Seeing this, Zhao Cangyun felt much more at ease.

"Senior Sister, you truly live up to your reputation!"

　Second update later
　　
　
(End of this chapter)