One of my fairy-like friends

"Why do you trust my judgment so much, sister?" Mingyan was somewhat moved upon hearing this. His fairy sister had always supported him. If she hadn't been willing to support him, it would have been extremely difficult to conduct the investigation now.

"Whether you are right or wrong, I will support you. Our Huang family has always helped our own people, not those in the right." Huang Junyi winked at Ming Yan. Although it was a bit underhanded, seeing Ning Feixuan slap Ming Yan made Huang Junyi feel both heartache and satisfaction.

She knew that Mingyan had feelings for Ning Feixuan, and this slap had wiped out all possibilities.

Upon hearing Huang Junyi's telepathic message, Ming Yan was at a loss for words. His feelings were complex; the Huang family was indeed quite special... and they had been exceptionally good to him...

"Speaking of which, I just saw Feixuan leave, and she seemed very angry..." Ning Yourong, who was leading the way, asked curiously, "What happened to Feixuan?"

"It's nothing." Mingyan shook his head. He didn't want to tell Ning Yourong the details of their conflict, since Ning Yourong was the most suspicious person in his mind.

"Is that so... I'm just a little curious why you suddenly want to investigate that incident from back then. The results are already in front of everyone... Could it be that Fei Xuan is angry because of this?" Ning Yourong walked in front, so her expression couldn't be seen, but her words made Ming Yan and Huang Junyi frown.

"Miss Ning, do you not want us to continue the investigation?" Ming Yan asked calmly.

“I just felt it wasn’t necessary, but if you two want to investigate, I’m naturally willing to help you, Senior and Brother Ming.” Ning Yourong turned around with a smile on her face; her approachable and gentle smile was very friendly.

Ming Yan remained silent for a moment, then transmitted his voice to Huang Junyi, "If we can find other evidence, then it's not too late to perform a soul search..."

Soul searching is too harmful to cultivators, and Mingyan doesn't want to wrong innocent people, but if there is some evidence, things will be different.

Huang Junyi then remained silent.

Soon, Ning Yourong led the two to the elder's tomb. Mingyan inquired about the elder's cultivation level and strength, then told Ning Yourong to go back first. After Ning Yourong left, Huang Junyi broke open the tomb. Inside was a wooden coffin. Mingyan did not hesitate and pushed open the coffin lid.

There was a skeleton inside, but nothing else.

“There’s only a skeleton, and it seems like there’s no evidence to be found…” Huang Junyi looked at Ming Yan, and seeing that Ming Yan’s brows were deeply furrowed, his tone softened. She then turned her head to look at the skeleton in the coffin and suddenly remembered that Ming Yan had asked Elder Ning Yourong about her cultivation level. Ning Yourong had said… “Taiyi Realm.”

At the time, Ming Yan's expression didn't change much, but now that I think about it, how could someone at the Taiyi Realm not be able to detect Ning Feixuan, who was still at the Jiliu Realm at the time?

Moreover, if he was at the Taiyi Realm, how come he's just a skeleton after more than a decade?!

As a cultivator's cultivation level improves, their physical body will not easily decay even many years after death. The body of a great emperor is even more immortal; even after hundreds of thousands of years, the emperor's body will not turn into bones.

A Taiyi Realm physical body can be preserved for at least forty or fifty years, but that incident only happened a little over ten years ago.

“Someone deliberately destroyed this elder’s physical body, probably because some evidence was left on him…” Ming Yan frowned. “If it was Ning Zetian, who has already been convicted, he would have no reason to do this.”

"So, we can now be pretty sure there's something fishy going on here, right? Let's bring her here for a soul search," Huang Junyi said again, her hands behind her back.

This time, Mingyan didn't object... If the other party's suspicion becomes too great, he shouldn't restrict himself or let himself be bound by morality.

After all, being a purely good person is exhausting.

But before that...

Mingyan pulled out the "#" symbol again. At this moment, Huang Junyi raised her head, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Someone has arrived, and their cultivation level is also Taiyi Realm."

Mingyan put away the "#" character, and soon saw an old man slowly walking over. His face was old, he had entered his twilight years, and his eyes were somewhat cloudy.

"You two are investigating that incident from back then, right? Since you're investigating, you must have disagreements with the judgment made back then... I'd like to tell you two something." The old man's tone was somewhat weak, and his voice was heavy with weariness. "Would you two be willing to listen to me for a moment? Perhaps it will be of some help to you."

"Please speak," Mingyan nodded.

“I was Ning Zetian’s former teacher. I watched him grow up… This child has been somewhat morally corrupt since childhood. Perhaps you two are already aware of this. He liked to torture and kill poultry and livestock when he was young.” The old man spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I heard he killed someone when he was young?" Mingyan asked.

“He did kill someone, which is why he was immediately identified as the murderer back then. But there were suspicious circumstances surrounding that incident. Ning Zetian liked to torture and kill poultry and livestock, but under the guidance of me and his parents, he has corrected many of his ways. Later, he was found lying next to a woman outside the city. The woman died tragically, and some evidence proved that he was the murderer. Back then, even I didn't suspect that he had taken the life of an innocent person…” The old man said with a guilty tone. “Later, Ning Zetian insisted that he had never killed anyone and even asked me to search his soul to prove his innocence. But in the end, I was still afraid of damaging his foundation, so I didn’t do it.”

"Afterwards, Ning Feixuan's parents were murdered, and he was accused of murdering his own family. He repeatedly stated that his soul could be searched to prove his innocence, but the evidence was irrefutable, leaving him no room for rebuttal." The old man sighed softly. "I have no evidence to back up what I've said, so please listen carefully. Perhaps you already have someone you suspect as the real murderer. If we can clear Ning Zetian's name..."

The old man knelt down gently and kowtowed to Ming Yan. Ming Yan quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Senior, there's no need for this. I have something to investigate to find out the reason for this matter. There's no need for such a grand gesture."

The elderly man sighed softly, "I urge you two to investigate this matter thoroughly. If it is not him, then I can rest in peace. If it really is him... I will give up on this idea."

Mingyan nodded. "Please go back first, senior. I will get the results soon."

The old man nodded, stood up, and slowly turned to leave.

Mingyan watched his retreating figure, took a deep breath, and became even more determined to search his soul, but before that...

Returning to the coffin, he once again took out the "#" character and touched it directly to the withered bones inside the coffin. He wasn't sure if this would work; if not, he would have no choice but to search Ning Yourong's soul.

When Huang Junyi saw Ming Yan suddenly place his hand on the withered bones, she was a little surprised. She couldn't see the "#" symbol, but she didn't ask any further questions.

After the "#" symbol was pasted on the bones, Ming Yan felt dizzy for a moment, then his vision cleared and countless images appeared in his mind.

These are... the elder's memories from his lifetime... his last memories before death; he was murdered...

Further ahead, what scene came before...?

It actually works? If we can find evidence now, Soul Search won't have to face any psychological pressure.

Huang Junyi waited for a moment, just about to ask Mingyan about his discovery, when she saw Mingyan open his eyes.

Mingyan looked at Huang Junyi, took a deep breath, and withdrew his hand. "Sister, let's bring Ning Yourong here. It's already confirmed that Ning Yourong was the culprit in that incident back then."

"I've been waiting for you to say that~" Huang Junyi chuckled upon hearing this, and disappeared from Ming Yan's sight in an instant. When she reappeared, Ning Yourong had already been brought over by her.

Ning Yourong was still a little dazed. It wasn't until she saw Ming Yan and Huang Junyi clearly that she came to her senses. She acted normally, though somewhat surprised, and looked at Huang Junyi, "Senior? If you wanted me to come over, you could have just called out..."

“Sister.” Mingyan looked at Huang Junyi. To prevent Ning Yourong from resorting to desperate measures, it was best to have Huang Junyi perform the soul search.

Huang Junyi reached out and flicked her finger between Ning Yourong's eyebrows, causing Ning Yourong to instantly faint. Huang Junyi then stopped being polite and placed her palm directly between Ning Yourong's eyebrows to begin searching her soul!

Not long after, Huang Junyi lowered her hand, looked at Ming Yan, and had a strange expression.

Mingyan's heart skipped a beat. That expression? Could it be that Ning Yourong wasn't the murderer?

“Little brother…” Seeing Ming Yan’s expression change slightly, Huang Junyi stopped teasing him and nodded gently. “I saw those scenes from back then. It was indeed her who made the move, using the disguise array to impersonate Ning Zetian. She had a Divine Sealing Realm cultivator behind her to cover up and handle the details. Moreover, she gained other benefits. What that old man mentioned earlier was also Ning Yourong framing Ning Zetian. The Divine Sealing Realm cultivator behind her had been plotting for her for a long time, intending to eliminate Ning Feixuan and Ning Zetian and monopolize the Ning family’s cultivation resources. She didn’t kill Ning Feixuan back then because Ning Feixuan could convict Ning Zetian and kick him out of the Ning family. If it weren’t for my arrival, there would have been the incident of ‘Ning Feixuan and Ning Zetian dying together for revenge’… This person’s cruelty is truly outrageous.”

Mingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief, the pent-up frustration in his heart finally dissipating. "We must find Ning Feixuan first and have her personally perform a soul search. When that time comes, she will know the truth."

Huang Junyi nodded. She was silent for a moment before asking, "And then what happened? Ning Feixuan cleared up the misunderstanding between you and her. You... and her?"

“Then the debt of saving my life is repaid, and I owe her nothing more.” Mingyan smiled slightly. “Repaying her is the reason I cultivate immortality, but after that, perhaps it’s time to find another reason… After all, there are so many people around me who are worth my attention, and I can’t let them down. Among them is my sister.”

"So I'm just one of them?" Huang Junyi was both amused and exasperated. She shook her head, feeling relieved. "Wait a moment, I need to explain to the Ning family. Wait for me, we'll go after Ning Feixuan right away."

Mingyan nodded.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: No Debts Between Us

After Huang Junyi explained the situation to the Ning family, she had the Ning family detain the Divine Seal Elder who was still plotting for Ning Yourong behind the scenes. Then, she took Ning Yourong and Ming Yan and began to search for Ning Feixuan.

Knowing that Ning Zetian was innocent, and that the murder was even a frame-up, there was no need for a life-or-death battle between Ning Feixuan and Ning Zetian. If they really fought to the death, Ning Yourong would be overjoyed.

Ning Yourong, who appears to be gentle and kind, is actually a cold-blooded person...

Killing ordinary people, framing relatives, or even directly murdering relatives...

You really can't judge a book by its cover...

Huang Junyi was a half-step Renying at the full level of the Xuanji Realm, and her divine sense could cover a very long distance. However, Ning Feixuan probably had something to cover her divine sense. She probably didn't want Huang Junyi to find her and stop her, so Huang Junyi searched for a long time but couldn't find Ning Feixuan's whereabouts.

Mingyan was anxious. After much thought, he suddenly remembered that he still had the Mandarin Duck Mirror on him. He and Ning Feixuan had discovered it together; one side was his, and the other was Ning Feixuan's. They said it was a royal artifact...

Mingyan didn't know if it would work; perhaps he could sense the other party's presence? Now, he could only try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

Mingyan introspected his own dantian, took out the Mandarin Duck Mirror, and tried to channel spiritual energy into it. Sure enough, the mirror reacted quickly. Mingyan was overjoyed. Soon, an image appeared in his mind, somewhat blurry, presumably because it was still communicating with the other mirror...

Before long, the images in his mind gradually became clear. Mingyan concentrated intently, intending to observe the situation around Ning Feixuan, or rather, to sense her so-called location.

Yes, there are mountains and water...

Wait, something's not right? Ming Yan was taken aback. Why wasn't Ning Feixuan on the other side of the screen? It was... the Queen Mother of the West, Ning Mengru?!

And right now, she's taking a bath?!

The scene was extremely clear, as if one were actually there. Ning Mengru seemed unaware that there was a spectator. She was soaking in the hot spring, her face slightly flushed, but her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was somewhat troubled and worried.

Do not look! Do not look! Mingyan tried to sever the connection between the two mirrors, but found he couldn't; the image remained in his mind, as if it were right in front of him...

Mingyan was exasperated. What kind of situation was this? Wasn't the mirror with Ning Feixuan? How did it end up in Ning Mengru's hands?!

Meanwhile, within the Jade Pool... Wang Qingchu sensed someone spying on them. She frowned, puzzled. The Jade Pool was beneath an extremely complex protective array; how could someone possibly be spying on them through some means? What was going on? Did they possess such an ability?

Wang Qingchu's divine sense covered the entire Yaochi Holy Land and quickly found the culprit, which turned out to be a mirror in Ning Mengru's Qi Sea World. This mirror... why does it look so familiar?

Wang Qingchu quickly remembered. Ming Yan had given her a mirror before, and she recognized it then—it was a royal artifact. Yes, this was the same mirror from back then… no, it wasn't the same. The inscription on the back was different. Last time, Ming Yan had given her the "Mandarin Duck Mirror," but this time she was observing the "Duck Mirror." It was a pair of mirrors…

But wasn't the other mirror in Ning Feixuan's hands? How did it end up with Ning Mengru? And how could Ning Mengru actually control this mirror... Wang Qingchu's smile became playful.

Hmm, looks like I'll have to make another bracelet...

Over here, Mingyan was extremely anxious. He couldn't cut off the scene no matter what he tried, and he just kept watching... What time was it now? Mingyan was in no mood to appreciate this kind of thing... He wouldn't normally do something like this, which was like spying, but the scene was right in front of him in his mind... He couldn't help but look... No, it was even worse than being right in front of him, because you could close your eyes when you were in front of him, but now you couldn't close them at all, you could only look.

This isn't as convenient as the Love Heart Pendant... The Love Heart Pendant is very convenient; you can use it whenever you want and turn it off whenever you don't want to. But the Mandarin Duck Mirror... once it's on, you can only keep looking... I don't know how to turn it off.

Huang Junyi noticed Mingyan's unusual behavior and asked curiously, "What's wrong with you?"

"Cough cough...it's nothing..." Ming Yan quickly coughed to ease his embarrassment, but Ning Mengru, who was far away in Yaochi, was startled. She looked around with a strange expression. How could she have heard Ming Yan's voice? And so close? It was as if he was speaking right next to her ear?

Seeing Ning Mengru's reaction, Mingyan knew in his heart that something was wrong... Ning Mengru seemed to be able to sense him?! Could this be like the Heart-to-Heart Pendant, capable of transmitting sound?

Ning Mengru quickly noticed something: the Mandarin Duck Ancient Mirror in her Qi Sea World was glowing. Ning Mengru hesitated for a moment, then took out the Mandarin Duck Ancient Mirror. In an instant, the scene on Ming Yan's side also appeared in front of her.

Mingyan felt a chill in his heart and immediately decided to play dumb. "I didn't see anything, I don't know..."

But his slightly disheveled appearance and flushed face had already alerted Ning Mengru. Even though Ning Mengru was not young, she was still somewhat embarrassed and asked in embarrassment and annoyance, "Mingyan...? What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Mingyan looked surprised and suspicious. "Why did I hear Aunt Ning's voice?"

"Huh?" This question startled Huang Junyi, who was carrying him along. "Why didn't I hear that?"

"Stop pretending, I can tell." Ning Mengru left the hot spring in an instant, wearing her usual clothes. Ming Yan breathed a sigh of relief, otherwise, her completely unguarded appearance was really... too much.

Mingyan coughed, ultimately unable to lie, "It was just... a misunderstanding."

Mingyan recounted what had happened after he arrived at the Ning family's residence, "I originally intended to use the Mandarin Duck Mirror to see if I could find Ning Feixuan, but unexpectedly... the mirror was with Aunt Ning..."

Hearing Ming Yan's words, Ning Mengru lost interest in pursuing the matter of peeping. Besides, she knew Ming Yan's character; he wasn't the type to do such a thing. After a moment's thought, she said, "I sent Elder Yaochi to accompany her. Her cultivation is at the half-step Human Welcome realm, so there's no need to worry about her safety."

"Is there any way to contact that elder?" Mingyan asked.

“It’s too far…” Ning Mengru shook her head, but after a moment of thought, she said, “Wait a minute, our ancestors might have a solution.”

As she spoke, Ning Mengru moved in the scene and soon arrived at Wang Qingchu's tomb. She explained the matter to Wang Qingchu and asked him if he had any way to find Mingyan.

Wang Qingchu did not answer, but soon Mingyan felt a massive imperial aura sweeping over him. Shortly after, Mingyan received a place name that he was not familiar with, but fortunately Huang Junyi knew it.

"Aunt Ning, please thank my sister for me," Mingyan said to Ning Mengru through the mirror.

"Your sister wants you to return to the Holy Land; she has something to discuss with you," Ning Mengru replied to Ming Yan after a moment of silence.