Xu Yingqi lowered her head, her brows tightly furrowed, holding the Silk Slip in her hand. Beside her, a Sword Cultivator dressed in light cyan robes stood with arms folded, watching as some pretty junior sisters walked by and casting a covert glance. The Sword Cultivator turned her head, flashing a somewhat flirtatious smile at them, lifting eyebrows that were overly heroic for a woman.
"Ah, Senior Sister Murong is so cool!"
The young girls covered their faces and ran off joyfully.
Murong Xing turned her head with a smile: "Why are you still staring at your Silk Slip? Today, the Young Palace Master of Penglai Palace specifically named you to accompany her."
"That is merely a candidate for Young Palace Master, it doesn't count yet—" Before she could finish, Xu Yingqi vanished from where she stood, retreating several yards backward, and looked with an unhappy expression at Murong Xing, who had grabbed at empty air. "What are you doing?"
"Don't let her hear you say things like that, it will affect the relationship between our Sword Sect and Penglai Palace, my dear ancestor." Murong Xing failed to cover Xu Yingqi's mouth. "Anyway, why did you dodge so fast? I've already reached the Golden Core Great Perfection..."
"Senior Sister Xu, I am fine. Just now I was in a hurry to deal with some scoundrels and sent the wrong message." Xu Yingqi's palm moved; it was Chang Le's reply.
Murong Xing chattered on, only to see Xu Yingqi suddenly lower her head. The furrowed brows finally smoothed out, and the chill that had previously gathered between her brows and eyes melted away, revealing a clear, rain-cleared serenity. A smile curved the corners of her lips as her fingers gently stroked the moist, smooth jade surface of the Silk Slip, like someone caressing a lover's cheek.
Murong Xing couldn't help shivering. She had known Xu Yingqi for many years; when had she ever seen this iceberg melt and this ancient tree blossom? She was about to ask further when she suddenly paused, turned around, bowed deeply, and said: "Greetings, Young Palace Master."
"I am not yet the true Young Palace Master, Daoist Murong needn't address me thus. Just call me Hua Lanyin."
A wave of fragrant breeze brushed past. Murong Xing lowered her head, dodging the scent. The female voice beside her ear was gentle and intimate, yet possessed a woman's charming vivacity, very approachable, much like a girl next door. Yet this Hua Lanyin had entered the sect less than a century ago and had already cultivated to the Golden Core Realm, and was now a candidate for the Young Palace Master of Penglai Palace; naturally, she could not be as harmless as a genuine neighbor's little sister.
Murong Xing laughed heartily and said: "Daoist Hua." She stepped half a step aside to reveal Xu Yingqi standing behind her, and said: "We were ordered by the Sword Keeper to escort Daoist Hua."
Upon hearing this, Hua Lanyin bowed slightly and said: "Thank you for your hard work, Daoist Murong and..." She paused slightly, her gaze falling upon Xu Yingqi.
Xu Yingqi was looking down at the Silk Slip when she was suddenly nudged in the elbow by Murong Xing. Only then did she snap out of it, raising her head with a trace of impatience as her gaze fell upon Hua Lanyin.
Hua Lanyin smiled slightly at her and continued: "And Daoist Xu. I wish to head to Wei City to fulfill my fate."
At the mention of Wei City, Xu Yingqi instantly perked up and looked at Hua Lanyin.
Murong Xing was somewhat curious: "Is there really a fate in Wei City worthy of a Golden Core cultivator's attention?"
"My Golden Core Realm has long failed to reach perfection, and my Dao heart is covered in dust. Thanks to my Master's kindness in seeking a divination from Tianji Pavilion for me, it was said that I still have an unfinished mortal fate remaining in Wei City," Hua Lanyin said. "If I resolve this mortal fate, I may perhaps catch a glimpse of the opportunity for Golden Core Great Perfection."
Since Hua Lanyin had indeed cultivated to Golden Core Great Perfection at under a hundred years of bone age, she could truly be considered the rightful Young Palace Master of Penglai Palace.
Understanding dawned on Murong Xing, and she smiled, saying: "We shall naturally assist."
"When do we leave?" Xu Yingqi asked.
Hua Lanyin thought for a moment and said: "We leave immediately."
With that, she tossed out a willow-leaf-shaped Dharma artifact crafted from green jade. The artifact grew larger as it met the wind, hovering steadily in mid-air.
Hua Lanyin smiled faintly: "The two of you, please."
Murong Xing laughed heartily: "I have long heard of Penglai Palace's 'Chasing the East Wind', truly elegant. Since the Young Palace Master does not mind, I will not stand on ceremony."
Hua Lanyin covered her mouth and chuckled, offering no further objection to the title of Young Palace Master.
As for Xu Yingqi, she leaped onto her own sword. Lowering her head to stroke the Silk Slip as she replied, she said: "I'll just sit on my sword. Rest assured, I won't lose you."
Hua Lanyin's expression darkened slightly, but a smile quickly returned as she calmly stepped aboard Chasing the East Wind: "Then Senior Sister Xu must keep up."
With those words, the wind began to rise, whipping Chasing the East Wind toward distant Wei City. And closely trailing behind that green willow leaf was a flash of light.
"For your first mission, you must proceed with caution and care, without coveting merit. Preserving yourself is paramount."
After a brief pause, another message came.
"I left some old trinkets in the City Lord's Mansion in Wei City that I no longer use. They may prove useful to you. If needed, you can go there and show the manager the mark on the storage bag I gave you, and he will take you to fetch them."
"No need, no need, I have my Senior Brother with me, thank you Senior Sister Xu!"
Chang Le on the other end let out a long breath, put away the Silk Slip, and couldn't help thinking that Senior Sister Xu truly was a good person. Even though she had sent the wrong message, Senior Sister Xu not only didn't mind, but even offered advice and assistance...
Could she really be harboring designs on her body?
On second thought, however, she felt she was merely measuring the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain. Senior Sister Xu had never probed into her origins, so naturally she could not possibly know that she was a spiritual entity transformed into human form.
Regardless, her cultivation journey would probably stop right here. Senior Sister Xu was an inner sect prodigy, worlds apart from her; as time passed, she figured, the two of them would naturally drift apart and lose touch.
At this thought, Chang Le raised her head. They had rescued the courtesan, who had since reappeared with a fresh coat of makeup, leading a group of people into a cozy parlor. This place was far more private than the previous room; it was spacious, featuring a large round table large enough to seat everyone, and a semi-circular multi-treasure rack behind it that divided the room into inner and outer chambers.
Chang Le looked over and saw an old Nanny lighting a stick of incense nearby, bowing to a shrine before covering it with a black cloth. The fragrance carried the tranquil scent of sandalwood, unconsciously calming one's mind.
"Thank you, Immortals, for your rescue." The courtesan bowed and said, "My name is Liu Feifei, and you may also call me Mother Liu. Guo'er, serve tea."
Chang Le turned her head to see the young girl earnestly nod in assent. So her name was Guo'er; she was quite cute.
Noticing Chang Le looking at her, Guo'er turned away shyly, touched the scar on her face, and then hurried off to fetch water.
Disliking mortal pleasantries, Zhou Zixuan directly transformed into the appearance of the deceased Wei Huai and asked, "Do you recognize him?"
"Ah!"
It was Guo'er. Carrying a large kettle, she now tipped it over, and with a loud crash, it hit the floor as hot water splattered everywhere. Chang Le swiftly darted forward, grabbing Guo'er by the collar to prevent her from being scalded by the water.
"Are you alright?" Chang Le turned around to see a very elderly woman standing behind them. Guo'er was frightened and alarmed, yet clearly trusted the woman immensely, throwing herself into her arms with tears in her eyes, though she held back her sobs.
"We have disturbed the Immortals."
The old woman lowered her head, preparing to bow with Guo'er.
"Oh, it's no big deal, no need for such grand bows." Hou Jing stepped forward. They all had to do heavy labor within the mountain gates and didn't consider themselves superior to ordinary people; being worshipped like gods made them extremely uncomfortable, so she hurriedly stood up to speak.
Nearby, Mu Youzhi also looked at Chang Le: "Senior Sister Chang, are you alright?"
Chang Le shook her head, then smiled at Guo'er: "Don't be afraid, it's fine. I remember you saying you recognize him, is that right?"
Guo'er shrank back into the old woman's arms. The old woman gently patted Guo'er's back, raised her head, and looked at Chang Le: "The Immortals possess divine arts, why must you insist on questioning an innocent child?"
Chang Le replied, "We are not true Immortals, and questioning an innocent child is simply to let the innocent find peace and to secure justice for those who died unjustly."
"Peace for the innocent, justice for those who died unjustly..." The old woman raised her head, looking at Chang Le. Her eyes were almost swallowed by the folds of skin around them, making it impossible to discern what kind of emotions lay buried within that gaze.
Chang Le nodded: "Indeed. Elder, if you know this person, please speak."
The old woman said no more, but Guo'er in her arms gradually put away her panic, the light in her eyes flickering as she looked at Chang Le. She said, "Immortal Chang, I do recognize this man."
The old woman loosened her grip, and Guo'er stood up from her embrace, coming before Chang Le. The savage scar on her young face could not conceal the light in the depths of her eyes: "If I speak, will the bad people get what they deserve?"
Chang Le lowered her head, wanting to hold Guo'er's hand. Guo'er shrank back a little shyly, but Chang Le firmly took her hand anyway, leading her over to a nearby table to sit down. Hou Jing grabbed a handful of melon seeds from a nearby plate and stuffed them into Guo'er's hand.
Guo'er glanced at Mother Liu, who nodded in return. Lowering her head, Guo'er reached out to touch her scar once more before accepting the seeds with both hands, whispering a word of thanks.
"These are just things from your own establishment, why thank me?" Hou Jing laughed.
"You Immortals don't understand. These items are only served when Immortals visit; ordinarily, let alone a menial servant girl like Guo'er, even I don't get to eat them," Mother Liu said.
Hearing this, Hou Jing instantly felt the melon seeds in her hand lost their appeal. She scratched her head and looked at Mu Youzhi, who in turn looked at Chang Le.
Since Guo'er knew Wei Huai and harbored no guard against Chang Le, it was most appropriate for Chang Le to do the questioning.
Chang Le remained silent, simply waiting for Guo'er. Guo'er carefully tucked the melon seeds into her pocket before speaking: "I know that man. He often comes here as a merchant delivering vegetables and fruits. Occasionally he drinks in the house, and he has come looking to drink with the maidens many times."
Hearing this, Mother Liu seemed to recall as well, saying: "That's right, now that the Immortals mention it, does he have the surname Wei?"
Pondering carefully, Mother Liu said: "This man is upright in character and never looks at the maidens in the house with lustful eyes. He is amiable, and I remember—"
"No, he is not! Mistress, he is not a good person!" Guo'er abruptly raised her head and shouted loudly.
The young girl's emotions were stirred, and her voice suddenly turned sharp and piercing, giving everyone a great start.
The old woman behind her slowly approached, supporting Guo'er's shoulder with one hand while gently patting her back with the other, soothing her softly: "Don't be upset, don't be upset."
Guo'er took a hard breath, turning her nose bright red. She opened her mouth slightly, clearly struggling to breathe properly due to her agitation.
Seeing this, Chang Le hurriedly pressed a hand onto Guo'er's shoulder, circulating spiritual energy through the girl's body. After all, she was a rookie who had transmigrated not long ago; though she was careful, some spiritual energy still leaked out, causing Mu Youzhi nearby to shake her head repeatedly.
Still, the spiritual energy managed to calm Guo'er down. She lowered her head and reached up to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. But Chang Le stopped her: "Your sleeve is dirty, use this instead." With that, Chang Le handed the young girl a handkerchief she had fished out of the storage bag given by Xu Yingqi.
There was no spiritual energy fluctuation; it was just an ordinary handkerchief.
The young girl had been rolling and kneeling earlier, leaving her sleeves covered in dust. To wipe her tears with them—given the fragility of a mortal body—made Chang Le worry she might injure her eyes.
The young girl's face flushed red as she carefully accepted it. Raising it to her face, she caught a whiff of a cool scent that didn't quite match Immortal Chang's temperament, yet smelled very pleasant—a wonderful fragrance Guo'er had never smelled before.
"I, I'm sorry. Th-that Wei Huai is actually, actually..." Guo'er whispered a word of thanks, twisting the corner of her clothes until her fingers turned white, before finally adding in a tiny voice, "That Wei Huai likes young ones."
Her voice was so soft that had most of those present not been cultivators, they wouldn't have heard a single word.
Hou Jing couldn't help rubbing her arm, saying: "I thought he was a good guy, bah! Turns out he's a pervert!!"
Meanwhile, Chang Le looked at Guo'er, patted her head, and said, "The bad man is already dead, don't worry."
Guo'er was stunned. She sniffled, about to speak, when Mother Liu rushed over, embraced Guo'er, and cried, "Guo'er, are you alright? Did that beast lay a hand on you?"
"I'm fine, I have this scar, so he didn't care for me. But little Cui next door..."
Mother Liu was startled: "Isn't little Cui already..."
Guo'er nodded: "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. That scoundrel stripped little Cui's clothes off... and afterwards little Cui stopped breathing..." As she spoke, Guo'er grabbed Mother Liu's hand and wept, "I knelt before the shrine every day, hoping little Cui could find vengeance and the evildoer would get his just deserts."
A trace of unbearable sorrow rose in everyone's hearts.
Hou Jing whispered softly: "Why didn't you report it to the sect? The Sword Sect would have upheld justice for you."
Mother Liu embraced Guo'er and said: "You Immortals don't know. Although the immortal sects do indeed handle matters impartially, we are all indentured servants whose contracts are in the Madam's hands. As long as she doesn't report it, we... And if we report it privately, we might just end up getting a severe beating."
As she spoke, Guo'er reached out to touch her scar again. She had originally possessed good looks, but in a place like this, good looks were a crime. She raised her head and looked at the others: "Is that bad man really dead?"
Hou Jing nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, dead as a doornail!"
At this moment, Zhou Zixuan frowned and said: "Lest you forget, we came here to find the person who killed Wei Huai."
Chang Le and the others: "Uh..."
Guo'er's eyes widened: "You're going to help the bad guy?"
Hou Jing: "Ah, no, this isn't helping the bad guy. We hate this bad guy too, but, but..." She looked around, glancing at the others.
Wei Huai's actions were despicable, and nobody wanted to speak up for him.
Only Zhou Zixuan sighed and said: "But the country has its laws, and the family has its rules. A life for a life is only right. If everyone were to resort to vigilante justice, then wouldn't it mean that whenever someone is killed, as long as they claim a personal grudge, they can escape punishment? This case is understandable, but if it goes on for long, people will exploit the loopholes."
That reasoning made sense, but hearing it spoken aloud still left a heavy, uncomfortable feeling in their chests.
"But, but..." Guo'er wanted to retort, but she was young and couldn't think of the words.
Instead, the old woman behind her raised her head and said coldly: "Those are all just excuses. Who is going to seek justice for the good people harmed by Wei Huai? If he didn't deserve to die, then are the people he hurt supposed to suffer in vain, tormented day and night?"
Hou Jing muttered quietly: "That makes sense too."
Zhou Zixuan darkened his expression: "Any wrongdoing must be punished. Whether it is what Wei Huai did, or whoever killed Wei Huai, both must be treated equally."
"Treated equally... Heh."
The old woman said, while Mother Liu hurriedly pulled at her, saying to the others: "Nanny An is an unrefined person, I hope the Immortals won't mind."
Zhou Zixuan shook his head. Standing up, tall and upright with an aura of righteous firmness, he bowed to Mother Liu and said: "Thank you all. Since Wei Huai frequently visited this place, I wish to use the backyard here to summon Wei Huai's soul and question it."
Mother Liu naturally raised no objections.
Zhou Zixuan nodded, then looked at the sky: "It is currently noon, and the Yang energy is too strong. We shall return at the Hour of the Rat."
As the group walked out of Xifanghua, Chang Le looked at the elegant plaque, thinking of Guo'er, then of Mother Liu, and finally of Nanny An. Her gaze flickered slightly, but she ultimately turned her head and hurried to catch up with the others.