Killing to Silence (To Make Up for Yesterday's Chapter)

Lin Qi noticed the fleeting killing intent on Senior Sister Yuan Xi and looked up at her in surprise.

However, she didn't see anything unusual on Senior Sister Yuan Xi's face.

"If it's an Evil Cultivator Gang, why would they commit crimes every ten days? Today doesn't seem to be the tenth day? Why would they suddenly act now?"

Lin Qi remembered that the crime times recorded on the scroll were usually at night, and today was the only one during the day.

The senior brother from the Affairs Hall pondered and then said, "This matter is indeed strange. Logically, the real time for them to act is three days from now, and the Dao Ming Beast never commits crimes during the day..."

"The Heavenly Dog Devours the Sun!"

Everyone thought of this simultaneously!

The City Lord of Ming City stood with one hand behind his back, his face stern, as if he had thought of something terrible.

"Could it be... they are sacrificing something?"

Only large-scale evil arts would choose such a special day, and the continuous wine theft and murder incidents in Ming City for three years might have been preparations for this sacrifice! As soon as they considered this possibility, the City Lord of Ming City and the others couldn't wait any longer. They directly tore open a spatial rift and teleported to Luo City.

As Lin Qi was about to follow Senior Sister Yuan Xi back to rest, she suddenly felt a gaze subtly fall upon her.

She abruptly turned her head, meeting the dark and unfathomable eyes of the rogue cultivator Mu Jin.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi was startled by her movement and also looked over.

She blocked Lin Qi behind her and said unhappily, "What are you looking at?!"

Mu Jin walked out from under the eaves, the dim lamplight casting a shadow on his chiseled face, radiating an aura that was neither wholly good nor evil.

He suddenly curved his lips into a shallow smile and said slowly, "Only children under five years old can smell the fragrance of the Ghost-faced Musk Deer. Since your junior sister is a cultivator, she must be over five, right?"

Senior Sister Yuan Xi's expression remained unchanged. She calmly shifted her gaze away. "There's no shortage of people with extraordinary talents in this world. My junior sister can naturally smell all sorts of exotic fragrances. What's one Ghost-faced Musk Deer? Fellow Daoist Mu should broaden his horizons."

Chen Yun could smell the Ghost-faced Musk Deer's scent as an adult, so Lin Qi could too!

What a fuss over nothing!

"Oh, really?"

Mu Jin glanced at Lin Qi behind Yuan Xi, let out a light chuckle, and turned to enter the small courtyard.

After returning to the room, Lin Qi realized that Senior Sister Yuan Xi was unusually quiet today.

"Senior Sister, are you worried that Mu Jin might guess my real age?"

Having a Spiritual Root and being able to cultivate at the age of four was a rare occurrence in the Cangwu Realm. If it were revealed, Lin Qi could already predict how dangerous it would be for her.

She had impulsively smelled the fragrance today without considering the consequences.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi reached out and gently stroked Lin Qi's head, a gentle smile on her lips. "It's not because of him."

"Little Qi, hurry up and meditate and cultivate. I'll guard you. Don't overthink things."

Lin Qi felt that Senior Sister Yuan Xi was preoccupied today, but since Senior Sister Yuan Xi wouldn't say anything, she didn't want to press the issue.

Yuan Xi got up and lit a stick of Calming Incense for Lin Qi. It was prescribed by the old physician today, who said it would help Lin Qi calm down and settle her mind, making it easier to resist the influence of the sword qi within her.

With the help of the Calming Incense, Lin Qi quickly immersed herself in cultivation.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi sat quietly by the table, her eyes indifferently fixed on the Calming Incense that was slowly burning away.

Time passed unknowingly, and only a little of the incense remained.

She picked up the sword on the table, slowly stood up, and walked outside.

Lin Qi, immersed in cultivation, didn't notice any movement at all.

Yuan Xi raised her hand and placed a barrier in Lin Qi's room. She glanced at Luo Ci in the adjacent room and quietly left the Wine Immortal Pavilion.

Shortly after Yuan Xi left, Chen Yun received a message. He fiddled with the abacus on the table and asked casually, "Where is Young Master Wu?"

The subordinate replied, "Still sleeping!"

"Alright, you can go. Whatever the guests want to do, what does it have to do with us?"

Chen Yun glanced leisurely out the window. "You just need to guarantee Young Master Wu's safety with your lives."

"Yes!"

Yuan Xi quietly arrived at a small courtyard. The courtyard was desolate with only tree shadows, and no one was around. Only the light in one room was on.

She landed by the window, her eyes slightly lowered, her fingertips caressing the hilt of her sword.

Just then, the light in the room suddenly went out.

After a few breaths, a figure emerged from the room's door. This person was none other than the rogue cultivator Mu Jin, whom she had seen during the day.

Yuan Xi concealed her aura and silently followed him.

Mu Jin hurried along, heading straight for the outskirts of the city.

Yuan Xi remembered that there was Luo Jiao Lake on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't small, surrounded by mountains, and inhabited by many demonic beasts.

What was Mu Jin doing heading there in the middle of the night?

For half an hour, they walked, one following the other, without realizing how much time had passed.

From a distance, Yuan Xi could vaguely make out the shimmering surface of the lake.

Mu Jin stood by the lake with his back to her, holding a sword, and made no further move.

"You've been following me for so long, aren't you coming out?"

His deep voice, amplified by spiritual energy, reached Yuan Xi's ears precisely.

She no longer hid, flashing out from behind Mu Jin.

Mu Jin turned, sword in hand, a faint smile still on his face. "Is it because of what I said earlier today? Do you want to silence me?"

Yuan Xi looked at him with deep, dark eyes, offering no reply.

Mu Jin let out a low chuckle, his tone laced with disdain. "Sect disciples are nothing more than this. What's the difference between their methods and ours, the rogue cultivators?"

Yuan Xi gazed at him calmly. "What do you think a sect disciple should be like? Whether rogue cultivators or sect cultivators, everyone should know one thing."

"What thing?" Mu Jin asked, his smile filled with contemptuous casualness.

The next second, a cold glint shot straight into the sky, a dazzling and sharp light that stung the eyes.

Mu Jin instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, and in that instant, danger was at his throat.

Only then did he slowly hear a reply.

"Those who know too much don't live long!"

Mu Jin blocked the sword tip with his sword guard, the powerful impact forcing him to retreat rapidly. Simultaneously, a chilling aura spread through his hand, encroaching into his bones.

Soon, the hand holding his sword was covered in a thin layer of frost.

Mu Jin no longer held back. His long sword hissed as it was drawn, and a dense killing intent instantly swept through the surroundings.

Seeing the sword radiating such potent killing intent, a flash of anger crossed Yuan Xi's eyes.

It was this sword that had nearly caused Xiao Qi to suffer a qi deviation!

Fueled by her anger, Yuan Xi, the Senior Sister, unleashed her full Golden Core cultivation.

She turned and slashed out with her sword. The surging waves in the lake swept across half the sky, transforming into water dragons that roared and charged towards Mu Jin.

Mu Jin, who was just a step away from falling into the lake, spun around abruptly, merging with the sword in his hand.

His body, filled with dense killing intent, transformed into sword energy, cleaving through the oncoming waves.

The long sword parted the water, its cold light reflecting the moon!

The night sky seemed to echo with two sword cries.

After the crisp collision, a magnificent surge of spiritual energy erupted.

Splash!

Mu Jin was drenched by the lake water, the impact sending him plummeting into Luo Jiao Lake.

Yuan Xi's sword spun in the air, returning to her hand. She unconsciously took two steps back.

In the first exchange, Yuan Xi had the upper hand.

Working hard on writing today! Thank you to Ao Ye Yi Qi, Ke Yao, Bu Ding-Cb, and Su Yu Qing AS for the rewards. Thank you, my lovely supporters! Sending virtual hugs!