Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 516 Third-rate Opera

Of course, there were pills in Xuan Nu's ring to solve this kind of problem... Lu Xingzhou silently found them and fed them to Jiang Yuan, who finally fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Xingzhou turned to look at Yuan Muyu, his expression unreadable.

Seeing his expression, Yuan Muyu's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized what he meant.

There was medicine in Xuan Nu's ring. Logically, Lu Xingzhou should have been able to figure that out... So, did he overlook it in a moment of panic, or was he deliberately ignoring it?

If it's the latter, then Lu Xingzhou was clearly trying to take advantage of the young girl, or at least had that thought subconsciously, but he ruined it himself.

Upon thinking of this, Yuan Muyu's expression also became strange.

Is Lu Xingzhou really that bad now?

That's not right either. Back then, Lu Xingzhou was quite wicked; he would always secretly take advantage of her.

He's now with many people, but he's missing himself.

The two looked at each other with complicated expressions for a while, and Yuan Muyu sighed helplessly: "It seems... I've done something wrong?"

"No." Lu Xingzhou said a little awkwardly, "Maybe subconsciously I was a little... well, but rationally I didn't think that way. Of course, it's good if we can solve the problem."

This conversation is inexplicable, and he's even stuttering... The little white-haired guy's clean blue eyes strangely swept over the two of them. You two are quite in sync, huh?
Lu Xingzhou realized that he and Yuan Muyu were indeed extremely in sync, and he could almost know what Yuan Muyu meant as soon as she opened her mouth. Ten years of habit was an indelible mark.

Yuan Muyu also thought of this, and the atmosphere became even more silent.

Dugu Qingli sensed something was wrong: "Your Majesty, are you here to kidnap Lu Xingzhou again?"

Yuan Muyu didn't answer that question. Instead, she said calmly, "I'm your senior uncle. Is this how you talk to me?"

Dugu Qingli said, "The sect has not informed its disciples, nor have you returned to the sect."

Normally, given the attitude of Tianyao Sect members towards Yan Jun, this is indeed how it should be. Yuan Muyu was silent for a moment, but then directly pointed out the essence: "You don't need to deliberately create the concept of an unfamiliar senior uncle in order to apply it to Ye Zhuoyu. I am me, she is her. How you handle your relationship with her is up to you. Don't drag me into it as a target."

Dugu Qingli's eyes widened. "You lunatic, how did you know what I was thinking? And such a complicated question at that, one that I've been pondering for three days and three nights."

Lu Xingzhou also had a lot to say, but he didn't know how to express it.

When Yuan Muyu isn't acting crazy, she's a remarkably wise and powerful demonic cultivator. It's just that we haven't seen Yuan Muyu like this in a long time. Is it because Dugu Qingli has been killing indiscriminately lately, and Heaven is rematching her with a new opponent? But why was she matched with this fish form...?

Yuan Muyu's words completely stunned Xiaobai Mao. As if he had done something insignificant, he casually said, "As your senior uncle, I have an obligation to remind you—your situation is much more complicated than that of a beggar in this ancient world. Do you think you are immune to the influence of the Mysterious Maiden?"

Dugu Qingli looked inward and didn't feel that she was affected by any charm magic. Could it be that she was immune?

Yuan Muyu said calmly, "It's just that the demonic power she cast on you has been covered by your Ice Demon nature. Once it flares up again, the rebound will be more severe than the beggar's reaction just now."

Lu Xingzhou paused for a moment, then reached out to feel Dugu Qingli's pulse, but couldn't make a diagnosis.

Yuan Muyu said, "You can't diagnose the demonic nature hidden deep within her, so don't bother. In any case, prepare the medicine for her, and give it to her directly next time it flares up."

Dugu Qingli was somewhat confused: "Why...why are you helping me?"

Yuan Muyu said, "No matter what, I am still your senior uncle."

Ji Wenchuan hid behind with his hands tucked in his sleeves, thinking to himself, "Nonsense, of course Yan Jun doesn't want Lao Lu to use this excuse to mess with you."

She simply has no right to say this now, so it has come across as her uncle showing affection for his niece.

Yuan Muyu said, "Also, it's very dangerous that you can't control your Ice Demon Intent... Judging from the situation in the Grand Competition at Sea, it's not necessarily the Xuan Nu level that can arouse your demonic intent. You can't expect a man to kiss you every time you enter the demonic state."

Dugu Qingli asked, "Does Martial Uncle have any suggestions?"

Yuan Muyu remained silent for a moment, then handed over a jade slip: "We cultivate demonic arts, and the murderous intent and bloodlust can easily erode our minds. Therefore, we have some emergency measures to maintain a sliver of clarity when we fall into demonic possession, in order to resolve the situation. You can refer to these measures, but as for whether they will be useful for your situation, I am not so sure."

Dugu Qingli accepted it and bowed solemnly: "Thank you, Martial Uncle."

Ji Wenchuan: "..."

Believe me, your uncle really just doesn't want you and Lao Lu to get involved.

Yuan Muyu turned the little white hair into a cute hair before turning to Lu Xingzhou and saying, "Take a look in Xuan Nu's ring to see if there is the complete manual of the Charming Maiden Mystic Art... She may not carry the core technique with her, because there is no need for it. Most of the time, she would only carry the kind that is taught to her by her sect. Take a look and see if that's the case."

Lu Xingzhou quickly found a jade slip in the Xuan Nu ring. After glancing at it, he realized it was indeed the kind Pei Chuyun practiced, without involving the method of manifesting a body or anything more profound.

He assumed Yuan Muyu wanted it, so he tossed it over: "Does sister need this?"

Yuan Muyu took it and glanced at it, then pondered for a moment before saying, "I'll accept it."

Ji Wenchuan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

You clearly found it for Lu Xingzhou, so why did it become you want it?
Yuan Muyu glared at him, and Ji Wenchuan shut his mouth.

"Laoji, what are you doing? You always seem to want to say something but then stop." Lu Xingzhou asked, "By the way, why are you two both running around here? Aren't you going to do your work at the Underworld?"

Ji Wenchuan said expressionlessly, "After hearing the report from Elder Yinfeng, King Yama is worried that you might provoke the Ice Demon..." "No." Yuan Muyu interrupted quickly, "The Ice Demon research of the Ice Prison Sect is useful to me. If you capture Ling Qixuan's soul, release him; I have questions to ask."

Ji Wenchuan felt that the atmosphere was terribly strange when these people were having a serious conversation. Nothing he said was right, and standing there was also wrong, so he quietly slipped out. Then he saw Si Han sitting on the steps, pouring himself a drink, so he went over and sat down next to him on the steps, and also took out a bottle of wine.

Si Han glanced at him sideways: "...Can you give me back my bone dragon?"

Ji Wenchuan: "Broaden your horizons a bit. The Ice Prison Sect has mastered a lot of secrets about the Cold River. Right now, Lord Yan and Old Lu are trying to pry Ling Qixuan's mouth open. You'll get a lot out of him."

"Even those might not be on par with that bone dragon; it's something you can only come across once in a lifetime."

"You're not practicing the Yin Corpse Puppet Technique... Hey, can't we talk about something else?"

"Then let's talk. As the ruthless and unparalleled assassin known as the Soul-Slaying Killer, how have you managed to survive all these years watching your superiors and brothers' third-rate farces?"

Ji Wenchuan: "Let's talk about the Bone Dragon instead."

Lu Xingzhou took out the Myriad Souls Banner and probed into it with his mind.

Ling Qixuan's ghost is fighting with Huo Liancheng.

Being imprisoned by the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls is an inescapable torment for intelligent spirits. Those trapped within it naturally become increasingly agitated and ferocious, and the destructive power of any occasional release is even greater. Now that two intelligent spirits are together, they naturally vent their frustrations on each other, engaging in a fierce battle.

Unfortunately, Ling Qixuan was no match for Huo Liancheng and was beaten badly.

Lu Xingzhou restrained Huo Liancheng and freed Ling Qixuan: "Sect Master Ling, I need the whole story. Your interaction with the Ice Demon, how you communicated with it, and your psychological shift from worshipping Qingli as the Ice Lord to ambushing us. If you've been hiding anything, it won't just be Huo Liancheng who beats you up."

Ling Qixuan glanced at Dugu Qingli and sighed, "We are not worshipping a specific object... We are only pursuing the power of the Frost Origin, and Lord Lu should know this."

"Hmm. But logically speaking, the most prudent approach would be for you to support Qingli in gradually replacing the Ice Demon. Qingli has humanity and won't easily abandon you. Colluding with the Ice Demon is like asking a tiger for its skin. Don't you understand this? I even told Qingli before that you should be reliable. I never expected you to be so mentally unstable and make me lose face."

Ling Qixuan said, “If everyone were absolutely calm, there wouldn’t be so many impulsive or arrogant things happening. We certainly hope that Miss Dugu can steadily replace the Ice Lord, but that’s too slow. I don’t know how many years it would take. The fastest way to bring down the Ice Lord is for Miss Dugu to resonate with the Ice Demon and completely transform into the Ice Demon. Unfortunately, True Person Tinglan is too cautious and won’t allow Miss Dugu to come into contact with us…”

Yuan Muyu coldly interjected, "She doesn't know anything else either. If I were her, I would have wiped you all out long ago and taken control of your communication with the Ice Demon myself. That would have been much safer."

Ling Qixuan: "..."

"So you still allied with us." Ling Qixuan swallowed his anger and didn't reply, but only said, "There are some things we didn't do. The Ice Demon has been trying to break free for many years, and over time, the space beneath the ice has gradually begun to fluctuate because of its struggles. The reason we can communicate with it is through the fluctuation of space. But in the past, we could only get bits and pieces of information very occasionally, and it was only about half a year ago that we received more specific guidance."

Lu Xingzhou said, "It tells you to go to that small town."

“Yes,” Ling Qixuan said, “Actually, we know that going there won’t bring any good things, and there’s a very high chance of being corrupted, but…”

He paused, then gave a wry smile: "We spent our lives pursuing the essence of ice, even knowing it was a tempting poison, we still couldn't resist drinking it. Sure enough, from then on we had the means to borrow the power of the Ice Demon."

Lu Xingzhou said, "I'm afraid you don't think of it as poison. You're happy to use it, thinking that you can touch the essence of the Ice Cold Law through it, and from then on you will be more obedient to orders."

Ling Qixuan remained silent.

Dugu Qingli: "Idiot."

Ling Qixuan shook his head slightly: "Miss Dugu is exceptionally talented, so naturally she doesn't know the hardships that ordinary people face in pursuing power."

"Even if it means giving my life to the Ice Demon?"

“Yes, even if it makes me feel like I once mastered the laws before I died.” Ling Qixuan’s expression was somewhat fanatical: “What do we cultivate for? They say it’s for immortality, but I’m not one of them.”

Lu Xingzhou slapped him on the head: "You're getting cocky now?"

Ling Qixuan shut his mouth.

Lu Xingzhou said, "You said it started half a year ago, so the subsequent rise of the royal city was done by you following the Ice Demon's orders?"

"Yes, it wasn't easy for the Ice Demon to push the royal city up. It would have taken at least several hundred years to slowly build it up. We used various formations and tried to guide it, going through many trials and tribulations over the past six months to get it to where it is today. But we didn't expect that the Marquis would bring it back down as soon as he arrived."

Why should the capital city be started?

"Because the royal city has a large population and a lot of residual Ice Demon's demonic intent, once the Ice People inside come out and wreak havoc, the demonic intent can spread throughout the Frost Sky, which will help the Ice Demon escape."

Dugu Qingli coldly said, "Aren't you afraid that Hanchuan will collapse and the people of Tianshuang Kingdom will suffer?"

Ling Qixuan's lips twitched slightly. We are the demonic path, when have we ever cared about this...

He sighed and said, "We've been very careful, ascending in many batches, just in case the commotion is too big and Si Han goes to the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord... Logically, as long as the earthquake isn't too obvious, Si Han, for the sake of his reputation as the ruler, won't go to the Holy Lord over such a small matter; he'll try to handle it himself. But he definitely won't find the cause, and by the time he reports to the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord, it'll probably be too late... But I never expected that you two would actually come for something like this..."

Si Han, who was drinking outside: "..."

Dugu Qingli said expressionlessly, "You've guessed one thing wrong... It's true that the King of Tianshuang didn't go directly to the Holy Lord of Tianyao for the sake of face, but the Frozen Moon River isn't only adjacent to Tianshuang. There's another country whose queen's territory has also suffered from the disaster. We were never sent by the Holy Land of Tianyao. Instead, someone volunteered to come here to please his pregnant wife."

Ji Wenchuan raised his wine bottle and clinked it against Si Han's: "You didn't expect that, did you? A third-rate opera saved your country."

(End of this chapter)