The three of them chased the demonic qi all the way out of the city.
Surrounding every city were sizable expanses of fertile farmland and agricultural manors, necessary to sustain a massive population, and Qingyun City was no exception.
Following the stone lamp to an agricultural manor, they were taken aback upon hearing joyous, festive music drifting from within.
Were they holding a wedding celebration?
"Senior Brother, is the source of the demonic qi right here?" Yue Yunqiao asked.
Huo Chongxiao lowered his gaze to look at the stone lamp. "Indeed. Look, the flame is burning even brighter than before."
The amount of demonic qi they had originally tracked was minimal, and as it burned along the way, it should have only diminished. There was only one reason the flame burned brighter now: a much denser concentration of demonic qi had been sensed right here.
"What should we do?" Bai Mengjin asked with a display of naive ignorance.
"Let's go in and investigate," Huo Chongxiao sighed. "There are quite a few people in this manor. If something goes wrong, it will turn into a tragedy."
Yue Yunqiao gave her full support. "Senior Brother is right. We cannot sit by and do nothing."
Bai Mengjin naturally had no objections.
With that, Huo Chongxiao blew out the stone lamp, tidied his belongings, and suppressed his cultivation, disguising himself as a wandering countryside cultivator.
"Junior Sister, do you have your jade talisman?" he asked.
Yue Yunqiao acknowledged with a sound, produced a jade pendant, and shook it. "I have it right here!"
After a brief moment of thought, Huo Chongxiao took out three copper coins strung together and handed them to Bai Mengjin. "Miss Bai, the situation here is still unclear. This is a warding-against-evil artifact made by my master. Do not let it leave your person before we leave the manor, all right?"
Bai Mengjin accepted it, feeling a deep sense of irony. In the past, she had been the very first person Huo Chongxiao would ward against; she never expected to be the recipient of his protection now, which felt rather surreal.
Once the three of them had readied themselves, they walked toward the agricultural manor.
The people inside quickly spotted them, and an elderly man came forward to meet them with several young men. "Three travelers, please stay your steps."
Huo Chongxiao put on a smile, stepped forward, and bowed. "Greetings, Elder."
With his upright features and polished manners, he easily won people over. Yet the old man remained unsmiling, asking rigidly, "Might I ask where you immortals are coming from, and what business brings you here?"
Huo Chongxiao replied, "My junior sister, junior brother, and I are from Yongzhou, traveling the four directions on our master's orders, and fate has brought us to this treasured land. Unfortunately, we missed our lodging for the night, so we hoped to ask for a night's stay."
"That won't do." Before the old man could speak, a young man behind him eagerly refused. "As the immortals can see, our manor is holding a celebration tonight and cannot host guests. Please walk ahead to another manor."
Huo Chongxiao wore a troubled expression. "This..."
Bai Mengjin suddenly stumbled, looking as though she were about to fall.
Yue Yunqiao hurriedly steadied her. "Junior Sister Bai!"
Huo Chongxiao's thoughts raced, and the words slipped out: "My junior sister has fallen ill and likely cannot walk that far. I beg you to show some kindness."
Bai Mengjin was still quite young, and her skin was as white as porcelain. Under the dim, hazy lamplight, she looked exceptionally frail.
The men exchanged glances before finally agreeing with some reluctance. "Fine then. We can clear out a room for you, but please do not wander about outside, lest you clash with the bride."
Huo Chongxiao said with delight, "Many thanks."
The three of them entered the manor, wound their way through several turns, and were finally settled in a secluded courtyard. An elderly couple lived there, and after giving a few instructions, the old man left.
Granny led them into an empty room, saying, "This is my son's room. He is not at home, so you immortals will have to make do for the night."
Shortly after, she brought over hot water and food.
Once the door was closed, Huo Chongxiao immediately checked the room to ensure there were no anomalies, planted boundary flags to isolate any potential surveillance, and let out a breath. "We're safe for the moment."
Yue Yunqiao praised, "Junior Sister Bai, you are so alert! If you hadn't reacted quickly, we wouldn't have gotten in."
Bai Mengjin smiled shyly. "Actually, I was just hungry and lost my footing for a moment..."
"No matter what, as long as we're in, that's what counts." Yue Yunqiao turned around. "Senior Brother, what should we do next?"
The festive music drifted over intermittently, suggesting it was coming from some distance away. The elderly couple's window faced directly toward this side, keeping a constant watch on them—this manor harbored deep hostility toward them.
"Let's eat first," Huo Chongxiao said, looking over. "You two haven't reached the Inedia stage yet and cannot go hungry."
Yue Yunqiao had food in her cosmic sack, and it was still piping hot when she took it out; she and Bai Mengjin ate that instead. As for the food brought by Granny, it was fed to the spiritual fowl Huo Chongxiao kept.
After resting briefly, Huo Chongxiao produced a few puppets. "Come, let's go take a look at the wedding."
He blew a breath upon them, and the puppets transformed into the likeness of the three, sitting or leaning about the room. Then, he drew a hole on the wall, creating a passageway.
Huo Chongxiao took the lead, stepping out through the passage before pulling Yue Yunqiao and Bai Mengjin through.
Next, he took out paper dolls dressed in various outfits, handing one to each of them. The three of them triggered the dolls with their spiritual power, transforming into the appearance of paper figurines.
"This is so handy," Bai Mengjin said, putting on an act of being completely inexperienced.
Yue Yunqiao said, "This is puppet arts. You can learn it once you enter the sect."
The external form Huo Chongxiao had conjured was that of an ordinary-looking man, Yue Yunqiao was a delicate young scholar, and Bai Mengjin had turned into a young girl in a red padded jacket, looking very much like a father traveling with his children.
Huo Chongxiao casually snapped off a branch, conjured it into a gift box, and laughed teasingly, "Come, Daddy will take you both to have some wedding wine."
Yue Yunqiao scolded playfully, "Senior Brother is taking advantage of us!"
Huo Chongxiao laughed heartily and took the lead, heading toward the source of the music.
Bai Mengjin followed behind, sighing inwardly. Yue Yunqiao had passed away so long ago that she had almost forgotten this carefree side of Huo Chongxiao; in her memories, he was either out hunting demons or in closed-door seclusion at the martial arts hall, and even their occasional encounters were marked by an expression of deep grievance.
Huo Chongxiao had not been involved in her feud with Ning Yanzhi. The two of them could hardly be called close, and later, when she defected from the sect, she naturally didn't explain anything to him. Thus, meeting in combat simply turned them into adversaries.
Seeing Huo Chongxiao acting like this now, she even felt a bit of sympathy for him. When they stepped out of this illusion, would he feel a profound sense of loss?
Losing someone is already a bone-deep agony; to have them return briefly only to lose them again would only deepen that pain, wouldn't it?
The thought flashed through her mind, and Bai Mengjin scoffed inwardly at herself.
How idle of her. Wasn't she the one most deserving of sympathy?
When the three reached the front, the large farm courtyard was hung with red lanterns and festoons, with drums beating loudly. Some twenty or thirty banquet tables had been set out, making it extremely lively.
Huo Chongxiao led them to the gift-receiving desk and presented the gift box.
The accountant looked at them with suspicion. "The three of you are..."
"Distant relatives," Huo Chongxiao said with an honest smile and a heavy accent. "We live far away and just arrived."
"Is that so?" The accountant turned to ask someone else, while Huo Chongxiao maintained a calm and open expression throughout.
Finding no answers, and with the auspicious hour fast approaching, the accountant had no choice but to hastily accept the gift box. "There are too many people today, so we cannot host you properly. Please go over there to witness the ceremony."
"Thank you!" Huo Chongxiao chuckled heartily and squeezed into the crowd with his "children."