Minglong

Chapter 258 Brother Xie, you even know this?
Under the bright silver moon, more than ten people walked out of the courtyard one after another.

As the host, Duan Yuechou, though concerned about his granddaughter's condition, couldn't neglect the distinguished guests from all over. He intended to have his disciples bring chairs and tea so everyone could rest, but before he could even stand still, a crisp sound rang out from the courtyard where the door had just closed:
wow-

Caught off guard, everyone shuddered in shock and quickly turned to look. They saw a figure in a white robe smash through the window, soar into the sky, and hover beneath the full moon. Han Quan's eyes swept over the villa below, and then his figure shot out like an arrow, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye, leaving only a white rainbow in the sky!
"This……"

Faced with this sudden turn of events, everyone's eyes were filled with astonishment and shock.

After all, soaring through the air is the signature divine ability of a super-grade ancestor, and super-grade is the watershed between the upper and lower levels of the cultivation path. Only now did they realize that Xie Jinhuan, who had just been ranked as the strongest martial artist among the younger generation, had already taken a seat on the judges' bench.

Duan Yuechou was taken aback when he discovered that Xie Jinhuan's cultivation was soaring at a speed comparable to that of a demon. However, upon seeing this scene, he realized that Xie Jinhuan had found a clue, so he immediately took to the air and followed him.

After regaining their senses, the remaining people each displayed their unique abilities and leaped to follow. A group of over ten people in total, in a mere instant, leaped over the buildings and arrived at the residential area near Hidden Dragon Pool, eliciting gasps of astonishment from the wandering martial artists.

"what happened?"

"What happened?"

"Who is that senior in white robes in the sky?"

……

To avoid alerting the hidden person and allowing them to escape, Xie Jinhuan did not conceal his strength. In a flash, he hovered above an elegant courtyard.

The residences near Hidden Dragon Pool were all prepared by the Fengshan Sect for the leaders of various regions. This room was considered the highest-standard superior room, and the person living inside must have an extraordinary status. However, there were no servants or disciples inside or outside the courtyard at this time.

Xie Jinhuan glanced down and, finding no opponent hiding, landed directly on the terrace. The room was very simple and clean, with only a few pieces of normal furniture and an incense burner and wooden fish placed next to the futon...

Buddhist monks...

Xie Jinhuan frowned, quickly went to the wardrobe, opened the door, and used the Heavenly Gang Mace to pry open the change of monk's robes and some miscellaneous items, where he discovered the copper bell underneath.

The bell was shaped like a ghost's head, about the size of a thumb, with intricate incantations engraved on its surface, exactly the same as the one he had just sensed. It was clear that something was sealed inside.

Huhu——

At the same time, more than ten people who had accompanied them landed on the terrace.

Duan Yuechou followed closely behind Xie Jinhuan, and her gaze sharpened as soon as she saw the bell:
"The Netherworld Bell Lock?"

Linghu Qingmo, being a member of the Daoist sect, was quite knowledgeable about various evil artifacts. He frowned and said:
"This is a demonic artifact used to imprison the souls of living beings. I saw it once at the Imperial Observatory..."

Wei Lu was utterly impressed when he saw Xie Jinhuan find the evil artifact that the elders of various sects had been searching for for days in the blink of an eye. He wanted to boast to his father, but after looking around, he felt something was amiss and asked:
"Is this Master Mingxin's residence?"

Zhang Jian, as the young master of the Six Harmonies Hall, lived next door, while Wei Lu and his son lived on the other side. He nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Master Mingxin was specially invited by Master Duan from Tiantai Temple to exorcise evil spirits, and he is still searching for traces of demons in the back mountain."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Xie Jinhuan also frowned, feeling that this matter was a big problem.

After all, Master Mingxin was the junior brother of Monk Wuxin. After Monk Wuxin went to the capital to take charge, he became the abbot of Tiantai Temple, making him the second-in-command of the Buddhist sect in the Great Qian Dynasty. He was roughly on par with Li Chimo, Lü Yan, Duan Yuechou, and others in terms of status in the martial arts world.

The eldest disciple of Monk Wuxin had just dug up the ancestral tomb, and now his junior brother has caused this mess. If this is confirmed, the Chan Ding Sect is utterly rotten, and Monk Wuxin will definitely be disqualified from being the leader of the righteous path...

Duan Yuechou clearly hadn't expected to find such a thing in her residence at Tiantai Temple. She carefully picked up the bell to examine it and discovered that it contained a human soul. Her eyes initially lit up with relief at finding her granddaughter, but this quickly turned to anger as she turned to look at the back mountain.
"Master Mingxin, what do you mean by this?"

Because the commotion caused by more than a dozen people flying through the air and disappearing into the ground was too great, all the sect leaders and experts who were visiting Fengshan had already flocked there.

A yellow-robed monk holding prayer beads also arrived from the direction of the back mountain. He looked bewildered when he found everyone gathered in the courtyard where he was staying.
"What does Sect Leader Duan mean by this?"

Seeing that Duan Yuechou was so anxious and agitated about her granddaughter, Xie Jinhuan spoke first, her tone a bit sharp:
"Master Duan's granddaughter was harmed by evil spirits, and Master Mingxin came here for this matter. But just now, I found the Netherworld Bell Lock in Master Mingxin's room, which imprisons Miss Duan's missing soul. Master Mingxin will probably have to explain the reason."

In the past, when Taoist and Buddhist disciples traveled to various places, no one would doubt their righteous stance.

However, since Lu Wuzhen seriously neglected his duties and Monk Fachen went to dig up the ancestral tomb, the image of both families has been somewhat damaged, and their disciples have become much more cautious in their words and deeds.

Monk Mingxin was clearly wronged, but he also knew that the reputation of the Chan (Zen) school had been damaged. Faced with questioning, he did not become angry, but responded calmly:

"Miss Duan was harmed by evil spirits four days ago. I came to Fengshan with Sect Leader Duan the day before yesterday. Even if I secretly betrayed my master, such a forbidden item as the Netherworld Bell Lock should be carried with me or placed in a safe place. How could it be left in an unattended room?"

After Duan Yuechou's angry shout, she realized the timing was off and her tone softened somewhat:

"The Netherworld Bell Lock is perfectly sealed. Apart from Young Master Xie, probably no one in the world could have discovered that it was hidden here. If someone is framing me, it means that the evil Taoist had foresight, predicted that Young Master Xie would come, and knew that Young Master Xie could find the Netherworld Bell Lock, so he took the initiative and placed it in Master Mingxin's room?"

Wei Lu thought for a moment and said, "That's impossible. Brother Xie just arrived, and he's so fast that we can't even react. How could the evil Taoist have predicted it in advance?"

The crowd nodded slightly, agreeing that the claim of framing was unlikely to hold water.

After all, Xie Jinhuan found the bell so quickly that most of the sect leaders present only just realized that Xie Jinhuan had arrived at Fengshan.

If it's a case of a wicked Taoist priest shifting the blame eastward, then there must be two prerequisites: First, knowing that Xie Jinhuan has arrived.

Second, knowing that Xie Jinhuan could immediately pinpoint the evil artifact, they had to get rid of it immediately to clear themselves of suspicion.

Knowing that Xie Jinhuan had arrived meant that the murderer had been keeping an eye on Fengshan all along, but it was rather mysterious that Xie Jinhuan would immediately find the evil artifact with his Heavenly Eye.

Not to mention that the other party had also turned the tables on them, transferring the stolen goods and diverting the blame elsewhere. If they had been even a fraction of a second slower, Xie Jinhuan would have caught them red-handed...

Xie Jinhuan was also skeptical that the Hidden Evil Path could react so quickly, but it was indeed a bit too careless for Monk Mingxin to just casually put such an important item in the wardrobe. It seemed like the person who framed him did it hastily without having time to consider the logic.

Xie Jinhuan thought for a moment, then took out a token from his pocket:
"I've been killing too many evil cultivators these past few months, and these bastards are so terrified of me that it's not surprising they stop immediately when they see me."

"However, this matter cannot be left unresolved. Since Master Mingxin is involved, we hope he can cooperate with Sect Leader Duan to examine his physical condition and recent activities in accordance with the rules, so as to eliminate any suspicion."

"Furthermore, if someone has indeed framed us, that person must be in Fengshan. We hope that all the sect leaders can assist in searching Fengshan. If any suspicious persons are found, please report them to Sect Leader Duan immediately."

Examining one's physical strength and cultivation methods would inevitably reveal one's level of spiritual attainment and physical condition, which is quite taboo. For example, only the Director of the Imperial Observatory is usually qualified to conduct such examinations, such as the second-in-command of the Buddhist sect, Mingxin.

However, Xie Jinhuan possessed the "Demon Suppression Order" bestowed by the late emperor, which was officially endorsed and gave him the right to investigate anyone associated with demons and evil spirits, which was legally justifiable.

Monk Mingxin could have refused and chosen to have the abbot, Monk Wuxin, examine him, but having a clear conscience, he still offered a Buddhist salute upon hearing the request.
"The evil Taoist has always been cunning. It is a good thing to act strictly in accordance with the law. This humble monk will cooperate with Sect Leader Duan to investigate and prove my innocence. However, the priority at present is to save people."

Duan Yuechou was indeed concerned about his granddaughter's life. Upon hearing this, he glanced at the bell in his hand and then looked around at the sect leaders present:
"Which of you is skilled in the art of soul manipulation and can fill in the missing pieces of a soul?"

"..."

Ninety percent of those present were martial arts masters, belonging to the profession least skilled in soul techniques, and they all looked bewildered upon hearing this.

And even if they really knew it, no one would dare to step forward at this point.

After all, splitting a soul and then putting it back together is no less than breaking a person into several pieces and then piecing them back together.

Disassembling is easy, and putting it back together isn't difficult either, but to disassemble it without dying, and then put it back together to restore it to its original state, is an incredibly difficult task.

Even if it doesn't restore the body to its original state, being able to reassemble it without becoming an idiot requires a profound understanding of the spiritual path, something usually only ghost cultivators and wizards specializing in this area can accomplish.

And whoever at the scene knows this is most likely the murderer; there's no need to look for them.

Zhao Ling pondered for a moment:

"I'm afraid we can only approach the three sect leaders about this matter."

Standing in the crowd, Wei Jili shook his head in response:

"None of the three sect leaders of Taoism, Buddhism, and Martial Arts are experts in this field. If she suffers any lasting damage, Miss Duan's life will be ruined. The only person in the world who is confident of restoring her to her original state is probably Patriarch Sikong of the Southern Frontier. Why doesn't Sect Leader Duan go and give it a try?"

Duan Yuechou naturally wanted to find a foolproof plan, but it wasn't so easy to get into the door of the Old Ancestor Sikong.

The Gu Poison Sect has been expelled from the Great Qian Dynasty, and Duan Yuechou is one of the leaders of the righteous path. He owes such a favor, so he will have to help the Ancestor Sikong with whatever he wants to do in the future.
It's good that Master Sikong adheres to the righteous path, but if he does something outrageous again, he'll be caught in a dilemma between loyalty and righteousness.

However, there is only one sect leader in the world who has the ability to perfectly restore a person's soul. If he doesn't seek out this elder, he can only seek out the immortals above him.

Thinking of this, Duan Yuechou looked at Xie Jinhuan:

"I've heard that Young Master Xie has some connection with Master Qixia. May I ask how Master Qixia is now...?"

Xie Jinhuan knew that the White-Haired Fairy had escaped from prison a few days ago, but he really didn't know where she was now, because the little girl was only relying on pills to stay alive and wouldn't live much longer. He thought for a moment and then replied:

"Senior Qixia has important matters to attend to and is not easy to contact at the moment, but I can help with this matter..."

"Ok?"

Duan Yuechou, who had just been greatly disappointed, was overjoyed upon hearing the voice.

Wei Lu, already amazed by Jin Huan's speed, exclaimed incredulously upon hearing this:
"Brother Xie, you even know this?!"

The remaining people had different expressions upon hearing this. If it weren't for Xie Jinhuan's past reputation, they would have suspected that Xie Jinhuan was staging the whole thing to boost his reputation.

A one-stop service from finding to rescuing, handling everything single-handedly—this isn't the behavior of a righteous young hero; it's a ruthless altruism machine…

Xie Jinhuan knew everyone would have questions, so he responded:
"I am a disciple of the Hidden Immortal Sect. I know a few supernatural and secret techniques that ordinary people have never heard of. I cannot go into details, but I am confident that I will be fully recovered after a month of rest."

Duan Yuechou felt that Xie Jinhuan was not a guest, but a godfather sent by Heaven to sincerely move him, and immediately raised her hand:

"As expected of a disciple of the Hidden Immortal Sect, he is truly worlds apart from us mere mortals. Please come in, Young Master Xie!"

……

(End of this chapter)