"Finished shopping. Let's go."
Yan Shuyi touched her cheek, murmured to herself, and walked somewhat dazedly toward the first floor of Qionghua Pavilion.
When she reached Lu Qingqiu, Du Zhu, and Qian Yunxiao, she suddenly came back to herself. Her gaze swept over them, and sword intent abruptly surged.
Spirit Sword Mountain's sword path chiefly cultivated the sword heart. Even without spiritual energy being released outward, its keen edge was enough to make one shudder.
The three of them abruptly held their breaths, their pupils gradually contracting.
They had seen the woman once yesterday at the Ascending Immortal White Jade Platform. Their impression of her had mainly been that she possessed beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, along with a mysterious and noble background.
When they saw her for the second time today, watching her buy things for Ji You, they had thought she seemed more like a lively girl from a modest household.
But now that they faced her directly, they finally felt an oppressive pressure that left them breathless.
It had nothing to do with cultivation realm. It was a bearing that looked down from on high.
Du Zhu and the others' first thought was: Who exactly was she?
Why did this woman's aura become utterly different the moment she turned around, roaring onward without cease?
What they did not know was that if this Young Master Jian had not suddenly taken an interest in coming out to find someone to play with, then with their status, they would likely never have had the chance to see her even once in their lives.
Still, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief when the cold and sharp woman before them made no move and simply turned to head downstairs.
What they did not know was that Young Master Jian had just wanted to draw her sword and poke them a few times, so Ji You would know that she was actually a very imposing woman.
"Ji You, I want some candied fruit."
"..."
Ji You followed her downstairs and watched Young Master Jian walk ahead with her hands behind her back, her steps steady and composed. Her bearing was utterly different from when they had arrived.
But she could not keep up that imposing air for long before she began strolling about again without realizing it.
What a strange woman...
Ji You muttered to himself, then suddenly saw a scholar pass in front of him. The scholar was staring at him as well, with an odd look on his face.
Ji the Fierce Bandit paused slightly. This man looks awfully familiar. But then he decided, Whatever. He has nothing to do with me.
"Brother Ji, why are you here? I was just about to go to Nishan to deliver you a letter."
"?"
At the corner behind Apricot Blossom Alley in the western district, near Chunhua Alley, stood a tiled house. This was Kuang Cheng's residence after joining the Immortal Affairs Supervision Bureau.
The small room had only enough space for a bed three feet wide. Apart from that, there was merely a writing desk and scrolls scattered across the floor.
Behind the tiled house was a small courtyard, where fallen leaves lay piled up, seemingly not yet cleaned away.
Ji You followed Kuang Cheng inside and sat before the writing desk. Knowing they had business to discuss, Yan Shuyi obediently sat in the courtyard and drank tea.
"I'll be leaving Shengjing for a while to investigate the matter of the evil seeds. I don't know when I'll return, so I came to let you know."
Kuang Cheng glanced at him. "Is that so? Yet it seemed like you didn't recognize me at all on the street."
Ji You instantly became far more solemn. "That was merely a bit of disguise on my part."
"So Brother Ji is actually this cautious. That makes sense..."
"Right, why did you have someone deliver me a letter?"
Kuang Cheng lowered his voice. "As I mentioned last time, the Immortal Affairs Supervision Bureau has been investigating Wei Li's embezzlement of tax offerings. We have some leads now, and I took the opportunity to uncover clues concerning the disappearance of children from the orphanage."
Ji You looked at him. "You found the mastermind?"
"I led some colleagues to investigate Yanxing Post Station outside the city and discovered that one batch of infants had been sent to Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion."
Kuang Cheng could not help clenching his fists. "Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion has done more than anyone else when it comes to refining medicine with people. We saw it ourselves in Yuyang County. Once you become sect leader, Brother Ji, don't let them off."
Thinking of Qiu Ru, Ji You gripped his teacup and spoke. "Of course I won't..."
"Also, there is another doubtful point in these clues that I cannot understand no matter how much I think about it."
"?"
Kuang Cheng lowered his voice. "The infant disappearance cases did not begin with the orphanage. Children had been vanishing continuously since three years ago. Some were even newborns, stolen right from beneath their parents' noses."
"So far, I have found one hundred and thirty-eight cases. Several government offices in Shengjing have case files, and the reports to the authorities are relatively concentrated."
"The strangest part is that three princes from the palace also disappeared one after another."
"But I checked Yanxing Post Station's outbound transport records and found that the number of shipments does not match. Half of those children were not sent to Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion."
Ji You frowned slightly. "Besides Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, was there someone else?"
Kuang Cheng took a slip of paper from his robes. "I found several places in Yanxing Post Station's records. I think there's something wrong with them."
Ji You unfolded the slip and looked it over, the furrow between his brows gradually deepening.
After joining the Immortal Affairs Supervision Bureau, Kuang Cheng had taken on clerical work. He did not handle investigations, and his days were fairly leisurely.
But like Ji You, he did not want to be an idle man. He always felt he should do something, so he began looking into this infant disappearance case.
The reason, in truth, stemmed from the first time Kuang Cheng had gone to the orphanage to deliver quilts, when he encountered that child who was little more than skin and bones.
That child was named Hu Wa. He wanted nothing. He simply knelt and kowtowed, begging Kuang Cheng to help him find his younger sister, who had depended on him for life.
Before he began investigating, Kuang Cheng had known that the theft of infants was likely connected to an immortal sect.
After all, in this world, common people could barely feed themselves. Who would steal several hundred children?
Yet even so, Kuang Cheng still felt that he ought to give Hu Wa an answer.
And now, after investigating back and forth, he truly had found traces of an immortal sect. But Kuang Cheng was powerless to go any further, which was why he hoped Ji You might have a way.
What he had not expected was that when Ji You saw the contents of the slip, a chill crawled up his spine.
There was not much written on it, only the names of three small towns.
Qiling Town, Yuhe Town, Beisha Town.
Ji You was silent for a long while. He subconsciously clenched the slip. "Why did you pick out these places from Yanxing Post Station's transport records?"
"One of Yanxing Post Station's caravans traveled to these places far too frequently. They are remote little towns. Even if they were purchasing supplies from the capital, there should not have been a trip every month. Moreover, their trips closely coincide with the timing of the disappearance cases."
After Kuang Cheng finished speaking, he looked at Ji You in confusion. "Do you know these three places?"
Ji You crumpled the paper into his palm. "No. I've never seen them. But I'll go take a look for you. I'll let you know if I find anything."
"Thank you, Brother Ji."
"With your abilities, investigating this far is already the limit. Focus on advancing your career. Don't forget that the Kuang Family's burden now rests entirely on your shoulders."
Kuang Cheng nodded after hearing this. "The investigation into Wei Li's embezzlement is nearly complete. The Ministry of Revenue has replaced a large number of officials. His Majesty is determined to carry out these new policies this time. He even changed the reign title from Taiwu to Taiyuan. I have more things I can do for the people now."
Ji You looked up. "The court is no safer than the martial world. Don't force yourself to take the lead in everything, and don't let others use you as a weapon. Remember what I told you last time—go court Wei Li's granddaughter, or go court a princess!"
Kuang Cheng turned to look at Yan Shuyi, who was seated in the courtyard. "Is that your sect leader's granddaughter?"
Yan Shuyi was sitting on a stone bench, her eyes fixed on the only withered leaf still hanging from the tree, her expression docile.
Ji You looked over as well. After a long while, he chuckled softly. "No. She's just a cute little girl."
"..."
As soon as the words fell, both their shoulders trembled.
Something seemed to have shot out just then as a burst of force. In that instant, the tree's only withered leaf, along with the branch supporting it, snapped apart.
Young Master Jian sat drinking tea on the stone bench without changing expression. Only her beautiful eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Before you continue