Minglong

Chapter 176 There’s Someone Above Me

Inside the council chamber of the Imperial Observatory.

Lu Wuzhen sat in the main seat, frowning as he looked at the intelligence report that had just been delivered to him.

Nangong Ye wore a black and white Taoist robe, his phoenix eyes unsmiling, seemingly a cold, emotionless block of ice, but in his heart he was thinking:

The detoxification method really worked; I feel much better today, and I might not even have a relapse at noon...

If she takes the detoxification a few more times, she should be fine, but the detoxification process will be tough on Ah Huan. She won't be happy unless she gives her something sweet in return...

This guy is determined to seduce her; what kind of sweetness can she offer to make him feel at ease...?

……

Beside Nangong Ye was Li Chimo, the head of the Xuanhu Temple.

As one of the three giants of the Great Qian Dao Sect, Li Chimo is of the same generation as the two fellow Daoists present.

However, his mistress of many years was exposed by the Buddhist community and earned a reputation for disrespecting her elders.

Sitting before two fellow Daoists renowned for their "pure and unblemished Dao hearts," Li Chimo felt somewhat ashamed and cautiously spoke of official business:
“The Sanjiang Estuary is located at the entrance to the Danluo Plain. The Guidao Sect monitors the movements of demons and monsters. Wei Wuyi has gathered tens of thousands of Jianghu practitioners here. If a disturbance occurs, our Danding Sect will inevitably be blamed again. In my opinion, Wei Wuyi is putting pressure on us.”

Lu Wuzhen naturally understood Wei Wuyi's intention in inciting a disturbance, and put down the intelligence:
"He's using the guise of friendly martial arts sparring to report to the imperial court. We can't just stop him from meeting. However, the Huguo Temple has sent people to monitor the martial arts world, and our Taoist sect can't just ignore that. Which of you two would like to go?"

Li Chimo's keeping a mistress is currently the talk of the town, and even if Wei Wuyi sends him an invitation, he wouldn't dare to show his face at this time and allow the heroes of the martial world to make fun of him.

Nangong Ye has an impeccable reputation and immense popularity, making her the top female knight-errant in the Great Qian Dynasty. She used to be able to command respect, but secretly she has a blond male friend.

At such a martial arts gathering, Wei Lu would most likely invite Xie Jinhuan, the rising star in martial arts, to attend. If both of them went, wouldn't her disguise be exposed?
The two remained silent and did not respond.

?

Lu Wuzhen waited a moment and saw that none of his subordinates could be ordered around anymore. He felt a sense of melancholy, as if 'the young people have all grown up.' But he wasn't old either; he was over a hundred years old and in his prime...

Seeing that no one was willing to take on the task, Lu Wuzhen turned her gaze to Nangong Ye:
"It's understandable that Fellow Daoist Li is having trouble traveling these days. Zihui Mountain isn't far from the confluence of the three rivers, Junior Sister Nangong..."

The task assigned by Nangong Ye was even more significant than that of Li Chimo, so he dared not go. However, since the sect leader had directly issued the mission, he could only respond:

"I have important business to attend to on the day of the Beginning of Winter. I'll have Zhang Guan go there then."

Lu Wuzhen felt that sending a deputy sect leader to supervise was a bit disrespectful to Wei Wuyi.

However, Wei Wuyi didn't give the Taoist sect much face and immediately nodded in agreement.

……

Not long after, Fengyi River.

After finishing his official business, Nangong Ye left the Imperial Observatory and quickly returned home to tidy up, lest the blond-haired man come over and bump into the "most beautiful woman in the Daoist sect".

At this moment, Nangong Ye took off his black and white Taoist robe and hid it under the wardrobe. He stood naked next to the wardrobe in the bedroom, choosing clothes. He was still thinking about Wei Wuyi's conference and Fanyun Temple's territorial grabbing. He felt that these were truly troublesome times.

The wardrobe actually contains many clothes, including stunning fairy dresses like the Crane and He Zi skirt and the white tulle skirt. These were all gifts from the princess. Wearing them, one would feel ethereal and graceful, just as the storyteller described: "Jade skin and icy bones emerge from the Jade Terrace, a beauty that surpasses all others, a talent that rivals the most beautiful women in the world. It is as if the heavens have painted this, for where in the mortal realm can such a flower bloom..."

Nangong Ye used to dare to dress like this at home, but he wouldn't dare now. Children would definitely not be able to stand dressing like this.

I remember once, she was invited by the imperial court to the capital to participate in the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. When she came to the capital, she changed into a traditional Chinese dress and styled her hair in a bun, and she was also wearing a veil. As a result, the title of "the most beautiful woman in the Taoist sect" just popped up!
A large group of children climbed onto the roof to see her, and they still remember it vividly. They went crazy when they saw her, which made her only dare to wear a veiled hat when she traveled around ever since...

Although Xie Jinhuan knew his limits, even a young man with an iron will couldn't withstand the sharp edge of a beautiful woman...

Nangong Ye didn't want to test Xie Jinhuan's willpower, so he chose a very conservative black dress. Just as he was choosing, he noticed a purse on the tray.

The purse was a gift from Xie Jinhuan yesterday, but Emperor Qian passed away shortly afterward. She was busy going out to find out the situation and left it here untouched.

Nangong Ye was a little curious about what the boy had given him, so he opened the purse to take a look.

What came into view was a black silk bra with only a few pieces of fabric and very stretchy black stockings...

?

That brat...

Nangong Ye took a deep breath, his fingers pinching the small piece of clothing, which was no bigger than his palm. In his icy phoenix eyes, a hint of disgust and embarrassment was revealed.

After all, even a mistress would be embarrassed to wear such clothes, let alone her...

Who would give a girl her undergarments...?

But I promised yesterday I'd keep it, so it has to be treated as an important gift from a friend; I can't just throw it away...

Nangong Ye hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed, lifted his long, snow-white legs, put on his black stockings that went past his knees, and examined his legs together.

It turned out that this person actually had a good eye; wearing it gave him a more elegant, subtly alluring look compared to not wearing it...

Just as he was pondering this, a knock came from outside the house:

dong dong dong-

"Honghong? Is she home?"

?

Nangong Ye immediately sprang to her feet and quickly put on her skirt...

……

Under the bright autumn sun, the scenery along the Fengyi River is delightful.

Xie Jinhuan left the coal briquettes with Wanyi so that they could communicate immediately if anything happened. At this moment, he stood outside the door with two weapons hanging from his waist. After waiting for a while, he heard footsteps coming from the second floor, and then the window opened.

squeak~
The icy beauty in the black dress revealed her face, as cold as jade. For some reason, her phoenix eyes held a hint of disdain, as if she had just done something wrong but couldn't say it outright...

?

Seeing that cheeky little expression, Xie Jinhuan felt an urge to unleash a powerful, monstrous attack, but there was no time to discuss such things at the moment. He simply inquired downstairs:

"How are you feeling? I have some things to take care of, so I might not be able to come over at noon."

Nangong Ye thought Xie Jinhuan was trying to flirt with her again, so she was slightly surprised to hear this:
"The toxicity was reduced yesterday, and I can barely hold on with the Yin-Yang Strange Qi Powder. What brings you today? It seems there haven't been any major cases in the capital."

"On the surface, nothing seems amiss, but something big is happening behind the scenes. Last night, several poison masters went missing near Xiaoyao Cave. They have questionable backgrounds and dare not report it to the authorities. I only found out about this through other people's stories..."

"Poison Master?"

Nangong Ye blinked, retrieved his sword from inside the house, and leaped down in front of him:
"Most of the poison masters in the capital are actually spies for the Southern Frontier Witch Alliance. Why are you meddling in this kind of thing?"

The Gu poison sect was expelled from the country, and the common people were explicitly forbidden from practicing Gu poison techniques. Those who could move around in the capital were all secret spies who could not be seen in the light of day and were not protected by the law.

Xie Jinhuan would certainly not care about the life or death of the Witch Cult if he had nothing to do, but Bu Hanying was his black market merchant. He was currently hoping to use the Seven Star Nail Solution to exchange for the Jiazi Lotus. If the person was not found, how could he continue the transaction?

"I'm not in charge of the poison masters in the Southern Frontier, but rather the kidnapping and robbery in the capital. The missing poison masters are all between the sixth and fourth ranks, and can be considered experts in the Gu poison school. Whoever kidnapped these people must have some purpose."

"Purpose……"

Nangong Ye walked down the pedestrian street with his sword in hand, a serious expression on his face.

Kidnapping a powerful drug lord in the capital city certainly couldn't be done just to extort money.

The cultivators of the Gu Poison Sect all practice poison techniques, and blood sacrifices will cause them to be poisoned; their bodies are too weak, and they are not suitable for making puppets; their only use is to 'cultivate the soul of ghosts and raise little ghosts for witches'.

Witchcraft and evil practices raise ghost children and like to capture martial artists to create puppets from their bodies and raise ghost children from their souls, which is very profitable. Poison masters, on the other hand, have bodies as fragile as paper, so capturing them is not very profitable.

The person capable of taking action is most likely a demonic cultivator.

The Gu Poison Sect is limited by its 'poisonous arts,' and all its techniques are predominantly Yin in the Five Elements. The Crescent Moon Manor is the best among them, capable of cultivating itself into a pure Yin body. This is the perfect vessel for ghost cultivators. Even if it is not used as a vessel, its thin skin and large filling make it a perfect soul-refining sacrifice.

Thinking of this, Nangong Ye frowned:

"It's possible that a ghost cultivator is capturing a poison master to practice his skills. As long as a ghost cultivator doesn't reveal his soul, his limbs are not much different from those of a normal cultivator, and he is elusive and good at hiding, making him difficult to detect."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinhuan pondered it carefully for a moment:

"Now that we know what the person who did this dirty trick wants, we can prepare a lure. Tonight, I'll disguise myself as a poison master and wander around the Free and Easy Cave to see if I can lure them out."

"you?"

Nangong Ye turned to look at Xie Jinhuan, who was imposing and full of vigor:
"Someone like you, most drug dealers would avoid you. How could you possibly disguise yourself as a drug dealer?"

In the martial arts world, due to the different schools of thought, the temperament of cultivators from different schools varies greatly.

For example, Taoist priests and monks are easily recognizable by their uprightness and otherworldly aura cultivated from childhood; martial artists are often vigorous and have a strong sense of chivalry; while sorcerers wish they could be invisible and are most afraid of confronting people head-on.

Take Wanyi for example. She looks fierce but is actually soft and easy to bully. Xie Jinhuan insisted on giving her what she wanted; while Momo is quite tough. Every kiss she gets turns into an electric shock, and every shock turns into a kiss...

Although different schools of martial arts can disguise their clothing, their style, demeanor, and habits are difficult to imitate. A martial artist disguised as a sorcerer can be easily identified just by looking at his back and body language. However, Xie Jinhuan's experience in the martial arts world was extremely shrewd. He hadn't known the reason before, but now, recalling his arduous journey to Phoenix Harbor, he naturally remembered his past travels in the Southern Frontier.

"Don't worry, even Patriarch Sikong might not be able to tell that the rat I'm hiding is poisonous."

"is it?"

Having witnessed the saying "picking up straw hats on the east street and raincoats on the west street," Nangong Ye thought about it and said nothing, then accompanied them towards the outer city...

……

Not long after, outside Xiaoyao Cave, in a small alley.

Nangong Ye stood in the alley, holding two weapons and carrying a long sword, carefully examining the cloaked figure in front of him, his eyes filled with amazement and a hint of strangeness.

Xie Jinhuan was draped in a loose black cloak, with several medicine bottles vaguely visible at his waist. His hood covered his head, and he instinctively lowered his head slightly, so much so that even his chin was not visible. His back was also slightly hunched, and his timid demeanor seemed to emanate from his very bones. When speaking to him, he even subconsciously turned his head slightly to the left and right to scout out the surrounding situation.

"How is it? Does it look like it?"

He spoke so carefully, it was as if he was about to pull a small bottle out of his sleeve and hand it to the person in front of him.

Nangong Ye stood ramrod straight beside him, now even half a hand's width taller. The contrast was striking, giving the impression of a cold, elegant swordswoman interrogating a poisonous rat. His eyes widened in surprise.

"You're really something. If I hadn't seen you change your clothes with my own eyes, I would have thought you were a completely different person. Poison Masters have a lot of Yin energy, so you can use the Reverse Dragon Parting the Sea technique to release some coldness and make your robe a little damp, thus concealing your youthful vigor. That would make you look more like a Poison Master."

Xie Jinhuan nodded slightly, deliberately feigning unease as if he were exposed to the sunlight, and only after confirming there were no flaws did he say:

"Later I'll be wandering around Xiaoyao Cave, buying medicinal herbs and scouting the area. Don't follow me too closely. I know my limits. Don't show your face unless absolutely necessary."

Nangong Ye glanced at the sky: "Poison Masters usually don't go out at midday; they'll have to wait until later."

Xie Jinhuan was actually a little worried that Bu Hanying had been killed, but taking a stroll at this time would only arouse suspicion, so he came up to her and supported the lower back of the ice block.

?

Upon seeing this scene, Nangong Ye frowned, feeling a sense of humiliation, as if a Daoist fairy had been taken advantage of by a poisonous rat from the Southern Frontier.
"what are you doing?"

“It’s noon, and you’re not feeling well; you’re sweating.”

"..."

Seeing this, Nangong Ye stopped dodging. He noticed the icy coldness coming from his lower back and his eyes showed a hint of surprise.

After all, Xie Jinhuan's cultivation level didn't improve much after taking the Vitality Pill, but his icy aura became much stronger.

Xie Jinhuan's previous "inverted candle" method was initially "one out of five", with a fixed utilization rate of one-fifth of the Qi.

The method of "alternating pouring water on candles" can transform the five elements, but its utilization rate is limited by the speed of energy flow and the energy channels, reaching at most one-quarter.

Now, with the Qi Meridian being strengthened to its limit and the speed of Qi circulation as smooth as Dove chocolate, the conversion rate and speed have been greatly improved, allowing most of the unusable Five Elements Qi to be converted into the required Qi, with a utilization rate approaching one-half.

Nangong Ye's current physical sensation is that he has been cooled down by a third-grade sorcerer who uses the icy method; it's almost chilling to the bone, and his lower back is cold.

Perhaps worried that Xie Jinhuan's hand would slide down and move to his buttocks, Nangong Ye changed to holding Xie Jinhuan's weapon with one arm and pressing down on his right hand behind his waist:

"This pill is truly powerful. Combined with your 'Reverse Dragon Dividing the Sea' technique, you'll be able to master a wide range of skills in the future. When you have time, I'll find you some books on the Five Elements techniques. Once you learn them, you'll become a 'Small Merchant Lianbi'."

Xie Jinhuan's goal was to get rid of Shang Lianbi so he could monopolize Dragon Bone Beach and bully the Octopus Girl. Regarding this, he said:

"It's still early. At least you need to make 100% use of Qi before this skill can be considered a great success."

Nangong Ye felt that this was almost impossible; to have achieved this level was already considered a divine skill by her.

If combined with the doubled effect of the 'Zhenglun Sword', Xie Jinhuan could theoretically unleash a thunder technique of the same power as a second-grade Daoist sect, relying on the divine effects of the immortal weapon.

Thinking of the Zheng Lun Sword, Nangong Ye couldn't help but shift his gaze to the dark blue longsword tucked between his arms:

"This sword seems to be the Purple Emblem Mountain Magic Sword, you..."

"Counterfeit."

"Oh……"

Nangong Ye had never met Master Qixia or Zheng Lun Sword before, so he didn't pay much attention at the moment. He simply held Xie Jinhuan's hand, maintained an icy expression, and pretended to look around at the scenery...

Huhu~
……
-
Outside the city, beneath a building.

Bu Hanying vaguely awoke from her coma and could see that her body was bound by ropes. All around her were blurry spots of light, and there were figures moving back and forth, but she couldn't see clearly without her glasses. She could only smell a slight stench of decay.

As a poison rat of the Gu Poison Sect, Bu Hanying felt that apart from being used to raise Gu worms, refine souls, and raise ghost children, he was of no other use. He was so shocked that his face turned pale, and he said:
"Master, spare my life! I..."

The words had barely left his mouth when a familiar voice came from beside him:
"Alright, stop making a fool of yourself by howling. Those two from the Three Corpse Cave just got slapped."

"?"

Bu Hanying immediately shut up. Hearing the familiar voice, she looked around and saw a blurry figure that looked somewhat like the contact person from the Chilong Cave.
"You were arrested too?!"

"You seem quite surprised?"

Bu Hanying realized that he wasn't the only one who was unlucky, which made him feel much better, but he certainly couldn't show it at the moment. He just frowned and said:
"What's going on? I can't see clearly, what are they planning to do?"

As they were talking, a blurry figure in yellow clothes came up and squatted down in front of them. It appeared to be bald.
"Having been captured by a demon, what use are they besides making the most of their resources?"

Bu Hanying's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly begged for mercy:
"Master, we are all heretics, why fight amongst ourselves? I'm old and useless, and I can't even see your faces clearly..."

"Alright, I was captured too, and my fate is the same as yours, except I won't be tied up. My ancestral home is Linglu Valley, and further ahead is Chilong Cave. This Master Zhang is, by all accounts, my senior uncle."

?

Bu Hanying was baffled, but since she had no choice, she dared not ask any questions, and simply said:
“Since he’s from the same clan, Daoist Master can just arrest him. My disciples from Queyue Manor have connections, so arresting Daoist Master would be difficult to handle.”

The young monk in yellow robes looked slightly puzzled:

"Who? Bu Yuehua? They dared to arrest even the lackeys of Patriarch Sikong. You expect Fairy Bu to protect you?"

"Oh, no. Have you heard of Xie Jinhuan?"

"?"

The young monk in yellow robes paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"It's a household name! What exactly is the relationship between Crescent Moon Manor and Xie Jinhuan?"

Bu Hanying didn't dare to call her savior, but said earnestly:
"One of my disciples was captured by Master Xie and taken in as an informant, providing some intelligence on the Southern Frontier Witch Alliance..."

The head of the Chilong Cave was furious upon hearing this:
"Your Crescent Moon Manor has some nerve, betraying your own people and colluding with the righteous..."

"you shut up!"

Bu Hanying looked at the young monk in yellow robes before him and said with a gentle smile:
“I’m Xie Jinhuan’s mole. If you arrest me, he’ll definitely be worried. You know how incredibly skilled he is at catching criminals, right? He can arrest someone in the morning and they’ll be back by night. That could easily ruin things. Why don’t you release me? I’m practically blind anyway, I can’t see anything…”

The young monk in yellow was clearly persuaded and turned to say:

"Zhang Chu, what do you think?"

A figure in black squatted down in front of him, clearly hesitant.

"If this person is indeed Xie Jinhuan's informant, he is indeed troublesome, but we can't let him go; he knows too much..."

Bu Hanying was startled, completely bewildered:

"What do I know? I can't even see what you two look like. Don't try to silence me, silencing me is a deadly feud, Xie Jinhuan will definitely hunt me down to the death..."

Two blurry figures stared at each other, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, a voice came from afar:
"You've already caught it, just give it some water, stop talking nonsense."

The young monk in yellow sighed and patted Bu Hanying on the shoulder:

"See? It's not that I'm being disrespectful, but some people just don't believe in superstitions. They'd better lie there and relax."

Bu Hanying quickly said, "Eh? I'm not joking. I'm absolutely loyal to Xie Jinhuan. Without him, I'd definitely be worried. You guys..."

"Alright, everyone's gone."

"is it?"

"You, a mere informant of the witchcraft cult, expect righteous heroes to come to your rescue? Do you think you're the head of your manor, all beautiful and charming..."

"You know nothing..."

……
-
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(End of this chapter)