Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

"Senior sister, what do you want to do now?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Ruyan was about to reply, but subconsciously, she uttered something that she herself could not believe.

"I want you to hold me down now, and... hard..."

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

Shen Ruyan had only spoken half a sentence when she suddenly realized what she had said and quickly covered her mouth tightly.

Her cool and stunningly beautiful face instantly flushed red, like a ripe peach, and even her crystal earlobes were tinged with pink.

"What's wrong with me??"

Her beautiful eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, and her heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

I am usually dignified, composed, pure and innocent.

How could you so openly express such shameful inner thoughts?

Wang Daqi curled his lip and shook his head, feigning seriousness: "What the hell? In broad daylight, what kind of lewd and indecent thoughts are you having in your head, Senior Sister?"

"No, I didn't..." Shen Ruyan said coquettishly, then asked curiously, "What happened to me just now?"

Wang Daqi smiled and then explained, "Senior Sister, this is actually a long-lost ancient talisman with supernatural powers, called the Great Mantra Talisman!!"

Wang Daqi quickly explained the mystery of the talisman.

Unlike ordinary one-time talismans, this thing is a supernatural power that can be repeatedly comprehended and integrated into one's soul.

Once this talisman is cast, no matter how high the opponent's cultivation level is, they will lose their composure in that instant.

They couldn't help but, even willingly, reveal their innermost thoughts.

After hearing this, the shyness in Shen Ruyan's eyes faded slightly, replaced by deep surprise: "No wonder just now... I couldn't control my tongue at all."

"Yes," Wang Daqi chuckled mischievously, leaning closer with a mocking look in his eyes, "but I never expected that Senior Sister, who appears so aloof and ethereal on the surface, would actually be so..."

"No way! I..."

Shen Ruyan knew she was now in a situation where she couldn't clear her name no matter what she did. The shame and anger of having her secret exposed made her both angry and anxious.

She bit her lower lip, raised her hand and gently patted Wang Daqi, her eyes full of reproach.

At this moment, she no longer possessed the aloof demeanor of a well-bred lady; she was nothing more than a wronged wife, acting coquettishly in front of her husband.

"Hahaha…………"

Wang Daqi was in a great mood. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Shen Ruyan's soft body into his arms.

Savoring the delicate fragrance of her hair, he exclaimed, "This thing is truly remarkable! It only requires an energy input to use! It's practically a godsend for home, travel, and even interrogation."

Shen Ruyan nestled against his chest, calming her racing heart, before asking in confusion, "But since someone else had already obtained this, why didn't the stall owner know? Why did he even mistake it for a tattered tablecloth?"

"This requires special power; ordinary spiritual energy simply cannot activate it."

A glint of light flashed in Wang Daqi's eyes. "And I happen to have cultivated this special power."

Shen Ruyan didn't think much of it, assuming it was just that Wang Daqi had a special constitution!

Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she instantly realized the strategic value of this item: "Recently, demonic cultivators have been frequently spotted around the market, and everyone is on edge. With this item, if we encounter anyone acting suspiciously, we can easily discover who is a demonic cultivator in disguise with just one test!"

"That's right, that's what I was thinking too, and I was just planning to..."

Before Wang Daqi could finish speaking, the communication talisman on Shen Ruyan's waist suddenly vibrated violently, emitting a rapid buzzing sound.

Shen Ruyan's expression changed, and she quickly took out a jade talisman engraved with the Shen family crest from her waist.

As her spiritual energy probed in, an anxious voice immediately exploded in her mind.

"Miss! Something's happened! Two disciples responsible for surveying the array's location at Curved Blade Lake have mysteriously disappeared! We found a large amount of blood and signs of a struggle at the scene; I'm afraid... their chances of survival are slim! Please investigate immediately!!"

"Something's happened to the formation."

Shen Ruyan suddenly looked up, her voice instantly turning cold.

Upon hearing this, Wang Daqi's relaxed expression instantly turned serious, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Curved Blade Lake... Xu Yan and Xia Chunlian are setting up an array there today!"

These past few days, Xia Chunlian and Xu Yan have been going out early and returning late, precisely to improve the water conservancy formation of the Curved Blade Lake.

If something happens there, wouldn't the two of them also be in danger?

"Then let's hurry over there!" Wang Daqi said without hesitation.

"Mm." Shen Ruyan nodded emphatically, and the two of them rushed out of the house immediately in perfect unison.

On the way, the two used their full speed and agility, turning into two afterimages as they sped towards the Curved Blade Lake.

As Shen Ruyan flew through the air, she analyzed with a grim expression: "The deceased were formation disciples carefully trained by our family. Their deaths have dealt a huge blow to our family's subsequent formation deployment progress. Moreover, the area around Curved Blade Lake is a heavily guarded area, with a perimeter guarded by a formation I set up long ago, which ordinary rogue cultivators simply cannot enter."

"That place was heavily guarded, so the people who killed them must not have wandered in by mistake."

Shen Ruyan's eyes were icy cold. "The murderer should still be nearby, or even... possibly an inside agent of the Hao family! Only an inside agent could bypass the outer perimeter and kill silently!"

Wang Daqi frowned and snorted coldly, "The Hao family really hasn't given up their evil intentions. It seems the lesson from last time wasn't profound enough."

"They have completely broken ties with us. They will absolutely not give up in order to seize the spiritual veins of Scimitar Lake."

Shen Ruyan gritted her teeth, "This time, they're probably after the foundation of the formation!"

…………

…………

…………

The once shimmering surface of the lake was now shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

The pale yellow warning array light curtain, like a giant inverted bowl, completely sealed off this area under construction.

Outside the formation, the Shen family's enforcement team stood ready!

Inside the formation, hundreds of cultivators and mortal laborers responsible for moving, digging, and assisting in setting up the formation were gathered in small groups, their expressions filled with fear.

Xia Chunlian stood beside a newly dug pit, her brows furrowed as she looked at the several shocking pools of dark red blood. Her delicate hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes.

"Just half an hour ago, those two junior disciples were smiling and handing me water, saying that once the Curved Blade Lake was completed, it would surely bring blessings to the region..."

She felt a lump in her throat.

"Sister Chunlian, stop looking."

Xu Yan reached out and blocked Xia Chunlian's view.

Although she usually has a fiery personality, her pretty face was a little pale at this moment.

She warily scanned the indistinct faces of the crowd around her, secretly calculating in her mind: "Although these two weren't highly skilled, they were still at the fifth level of Qi Refining. To be able to kill them instantly and silently, without even letting them send out a distress signal, means the other party is at least a ninth-level Qi Refining expert! Such a vicious person is actually hiding right among us?"

Thinking of this, Xu Yan felt a chill run down her spine.

There are more than 500 people in this cordon, and apart from the core members of the Shen family, everyone else is a suspect.

Who is the ghost?

The old man squatting in the corner smoking a pipe?

Was it that burly man with the honest-looking face? Or perhaps... those female cultivators?

Just then, two streaks of light plummeted from the horizon.

"It's Daqi and Senior Sister Shen!!"

Xu Yan's eyes lit up, and the huge weight in her heart instantly lifted.

As long as these two arrive, even the biggest problem seems insignificant.

Xia Chunlian was also overjoyed. The feeling of having someone to rely on finally relaxed her tense nerves a bit.

As soon as Shen Ruyan and Wang Daqi landed, before they could even exchange pleasantries, an elderly man with white hair and beard quickly came to greet them.

This man was none other than Shen Song, the elder of the Shen family stationed here.

Shen Song looked haggard, clearly under immense pressure from this unexpected situation.

"Greetings, Miss!" Shen Song bowed and spoke hurriedly.

"Elder Song, how is the situation?" Shen Ruyan asked swiftly and decisively.

Xia Chunlian and Xu Yan also came over and briefly added a few words about their discovery.

Shen Song sighed, pointed to a group of people being held under guard in the distance, and said in a low voice, "I sealed this place off with an array immediately. The murderer is definitely still here and can't escape! But..."

He paused, a hint of helplessness and anxiety on his face: "I've already led my men to thoroughly investigate all fifty-odd suspects. We not only interrogated them about their movements, but we even forcibly opened and inspected each of their storage bags!"

"And the result?" Shen Ruyan raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing at all!" Shen Song gritted his teeth. "Their storage bags only contained some spirit stones, magical artifacts, and miscellaneous items. There was no bloodstained murder weapon, nor any belongings of the two missing disciples. This murderer is hiding too well! I even suspect that he might possess some kind of demonic or evil cultivation technique that can devour flesh and blood..."

At this point, the air around them seemed to freeze.

If we can't find out the cause, people will be in a state of panic, so how can we set up the formation?

"I understand. I will interrogate those fifty-odd people."

Now that Wang Daqi has the Great Mantra Talisman, Shen Ruyan is very confident.

"Miss, we've already interrogated them all."

"I have my own interrogation methods!"

Shen Ruyan did not offer any further explanation.

Seeing Shen Ruyan's confidence and determination, the Shen family members had no choice but to obey her orders, despite their doubts.

Soon, Shen Ruyan and Wang Daqi settled down in a makeshift wooden hut by the lake.

Outside, the Shen family's law enforcement team lined up the more than fifty suspects and summoned them into the house one by one.

The room was simply furnished with only a table and two chairs.

Wang Daqi sat lazily behind the table, toying with the seemingly tattered leather talisman that actually contained hidden secrets.

The first one to enter was a rather timid female cultivator, at the sixth level of Qi Refining. She was currently twisting her fingers nervously, too afraid to look up.

Without wasting words, Wang Daqi gently stroked the mantra talisman with his finger, and a barely perceptible wisp of purple energy was injected into it.

"Did you kill Shen Qing and Shen Xiaosi?" He went straight to the point, his voice not loud, but with a strange rhythm.