Su Xiuying's Corpse; the Ghost Mite Matriarch

"Venerable Su Yin, is it possible to complete this in this way?"

The speaker had a square face, a goatee, and wore a white-sleeved Daoist robe. His demeanor was authoritative and dignified, clearly indicating that he had long held a high position.

He turned his gaze away from the stone coffin in front of him and then asked the old man beside him with a slightly respectful tone.

The old man was thin and bony, as if he were nothing but withered skin. He wore a blue and white Daoist robe printed with seven falling stars, which added to his otherworldly and ethereal air.

In the coffin before him lay a female corpse even more shriveled than himself. If You Su were here, he could even see that her empty eyes were filled with blood-red worms.

"If nothing unexpected happens, there will be no problem. Even if you let those Xuanxiao Sect come and see, they won't be able to find any clues." Venerable Su Yin also withdrew his gaze and turned to the square-faced middle-aged man. "City Lord Xiang, I only helped you with this because I have a past relationship with your father. Don't forget what you promised me."

City Lord Xiang's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled ingratiatingly:

"That's natural. This child might already be in Moxie City. Venerable Su Yin intends to do."

Even though City Lord Xiang powerful city lord at the Feather Transformation Realm, he must remain humble in the face of a Void Glimpse Venerable from the Southern Yang Continent.

"Good!" Venerable Su Yin Suyin laughed heartily. "Don't worry, with me here, I will definitely ensure your son's safety."

"Then thank you Venerable Su Yin..."

City Lord Xiang thanked him respectfully, then suddenly stood up, frowned, and said gravely, "It seems there are still flies fixated on this rotting corpse... Venerable Su Yin, please attend to your business first, I'll go and deal with them."

"Go ahead and get busy."

With his hands behind his back, Venerable Su Yin had already transcended worldly concerns.

"Ye Liangchen greets City Lord Xiang."

You Su led the three women and bowed to the imposing city lord.

"Ye Liangchen? Who are you to Ye Qingchen?"

City Lord Xiang sat on the high platform, showing little courtesy to the wealthy young man who had come from afar. This was because the man was the one that rebellious son had put into the City Lord's Mansion, and it was clear that the man's visit was not merely to greet him, the Lord.

"That's not important."

You Su was not intimidated by the other party's imposing manner and remained calm. He knew very well that being cowardly at this moment would only make it easier for others to see that he was bluffing.

City Lord Xiang focused his gaze and continued to scrutinize You Su and the other two.

You Su didn't know was that he didn't know City Lord Xiang, but City Lord Xiang had already investigated him.

You Su's act of concealing his identity played right into City Lord Xiang's hands. Venerable Su Yin asked him to help lure the young man to Moxie City, clearly intending to do something to You Su.

If anything happens to You Su Suzhen, he can use his unknown identity as an excuse to stay out of it.

"Young Master Ye, instead of enjoying your carefree life in Henggao City, what brings you to my humble Moxie City?"

"I was traveling with my maid when we passed through this place and heard about the injustices, so I decided to become a chivalrous knight-errant."

"So, Young Master Ye came to my City Lord's Mansion to settle this injustice?"

City Lord Xiang leaned back, his gaze lingering on Qiao Xiuyun, who was surrounded by three people, causing the little girl to tug fearfully at Ji Lingruo's sleeve.

"Exactly."

You Su remained composed and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her more courage to step forward.

"This is Qiao Xiuyun, the younger sister of Qiao Xiuying, the former courtesan of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion in Moxie City. Qiao Xiuying disappeared without a trace some time ago. She traveled thousands of miles from Black Rock City to find her sister. But she never expected that her sister had already turned into a corpse, and what's more, even the body was stolen. I'm here to find her sister's body."

Instead of being angry, City Lord Xiang laughed upon hearing this, "But what I heard was that Qiao Xiuying was redeemed and went back to live a peaceful life. How can this be called a disappearance without cause?"

"Lord of the City, you are unaware that those were false rumors spread by the Xiaoxiang Pavilion in order to keep the business running normally. In reality, she has been dead and missing for nine days."

"I see. I will increase the number of troops and have them thoroughly investigate the entire Moxie City. Once there is any news, I will send someone to inform Young Master Ye, and then you can come and collect her body."

City Lord Xiang was surprised by the depth of You Su's investigation. He waved his hand, indicating that he wanted to see the guest out.

"This junior dares to ask City Lord Xiang, does your thorough investigation of Moxie City include the City Lord's Mansion?"

You Su appeared calm, but in reality, he had already clutched the Jade Bead given to him by the First Elder in his palm.

If you encounter a situation that you can't resolve, simply crush one of the pills, and you can turn danger into safety.

Even though the person in front of him was a cultivator at the Feather Transformation Realm, he had no doubt about the power of the First Elder.

City Lord Xiang was indeed somewhat angered by You Su's offensive words, and asked in a deep voice:

"Does Young Master Ye mean that the body of this courtesan is hidden in my City Lord's Mansion?"

"Your son and Qiao Xiuying were having an affair, but due to your interference, they were never able to get married. Besides, Qiao Xiuying has no special connections in Moxie City, so no one would covet her body. Apart from hiding it in the City Lord's Mansion, I really can't think of anywhere else her body could be."

You Su's words were practically ripping open City Lord Xiang's sore spot.

Surprisingly, City Lord Xiang did not fly into a rage; instead, he tacitly accepted the matter.

"It seems that Young Master Ye has indeed put a lot of thought into this injustice."

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place. No matter how well you hide the evidence, someone will eventually find out."

As soon as he finished speaking, City Lord Xiang burst into laughter, as if he had heard something extremely amusing.

"How foolish... There was a time when I was just as foolish as you, believing that what I believed to be right was justice."

City Lord Xiang shook his head with a smile, "Young Master Ye, there's no need to pretend. You're someone sent by the Evil Warding Department to secretly investigate evil spirits, aren't you?"

You Su frowned slightly, but did not deny it.

"I can confess to you that Qiao Xiuying's body is indeed in my possession. But I'm not doing this to cover up what you call a scandal. Who my son likes has no bearing on the reputation of the Xiang family. I hid her body to protect her. So, do you still want to make her body public, or will you turn a blind eye and keep her disappearance a complete secret?"

City Lord Xiang's smile faded, and his gaze toward You Su flashed with scrutiny.

Protect her?

You Su nervously pondered the meaning behind City Lord Xiang's words: Why was it necessary to protect a dead person?

City Lord Xiang's frankness made him hesitate, and he was somewhat afraid to respond.

It was only Qiao Xiuyun gently tugged at the end of his sleeve that he made up his mind.

Without seeing the body, there is no truth.

It wasn't him who was bluffing, but rather this City Lord Xiang.

"City Lord Xiang is mistaken. In any case, the complete loss of her remains cannot be considered protection."

Qiao Xiuyun nodded firmly upon hearing this. As a relative of the deceased, her only thought was to see her sister's body and bring her home.

City Lord Xiang gave You Su a deep look and sighed:

"I hope you can still be as dignified as you are now later."

Having said that, he stood up, his wide sleeves fluttering:

"Come with me, let's see the truth you want to see."

Ji Lingruo and Zi Yiyi exchanged a glance, then Ji Lingruo pulled Qiao Xiuyun along and followed You Su's steps.

In a dimly lit, secret room, several people gathered around a stone coffin.

"Once this coffin is opened, it can't be closed again."

City Lord Xiang stood behind the crowd and gave a final reminder.

You Su placed his hand on the coffin lid and, without hesitation, used all his strength to pry open the ridiculously heavy lid.

The first thing you smell is a strong, rotten odor.

As the candlelight gradually brightened, everyone was able to see the face of the person inside the coffin.

Ji Lingruo and Zi Yiyi were both astonished, Qiao Xiuyun even cried out in surprise.

The little girl, who had been longing to see her sister, hadn't even cried out in celebration of their reunion when she was already terrified by the worms overflowing from the female corpse's eye sockets, her face turning deathly pale.

You Su looked at the blood-red worms with a solemn expression, because without exception, they were all Ghost Mite.

"Have you seen the truth?"

City Lord Xiang seemed to be lamenting, "You think you're helping this little girl, but you're actually harming her. Before, only I knew this secret, but now there are five of us. Your Evil Warding Department has always been vehemently opposed to evil, so take it. This is the source of the Ghost Mite's troubles."

"Sister... Sister isn't a bad person!"

Qiao Xiuyun suppressed her nausea and vehemently retorted.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either. You think I'm hiding this so-called scandal, but actually I'm protecting the reputation of my son's beloved. Facts speak louder than words; not only is her brainstem teeming with Ghost Mite, but her entire body is also riddled with them. There is no such thing as a 'mother of Ghost Mite'; she herself is the source of all the Ghost Mite. Otherwise, how do you think she could have stepped onto the path of immortality? And how could she have reached the Condensing Water Realm in just a few months?"

City Lord Xiang shook his head helplessly, answering his own question, "That's because she willingly offered her body to the evil spirit, thinking that this would make her a suitable match for my son. But she was too foolish... so foolish that I pitied her, which is why I concealed the truth for her..."

Everyone listened in shock to this unimaginable fact, completely dumbfounded.

Qiao Xiuyun was on the verge of collapse, unable to believe that all of this was her sister's own fault. When they were very young, her sister was the one who often warned her not to go near the coast, because beyond the Divine Radiance Stone on that coast lay countless filth.

"She's not a bad person, she just loves my son too much... I also bear some responsibility; I shouldn't have stopped them like that... What does it really matter if she's a courtesan or not?"

City Lord Xiang cried out in remorse, and anyone could hear the deep regret in his voice.

"Take it. The body you're looking for, the truth the Evil Warding Department wants, and the mother of the Ghost Mite are all here. It was wrong of me to hide her body, and I'm willing to be punished. I only ask that you spare her family. She wasn't a bad person."

With tears welling in her eyes, Qiao Xiuyun looked at the sorrowful middle-aged man with a complex expression, unsure whether to thank him or resent him.

The older sister warned her not to come into contact with evil spirits for an even more important reason: if she colluded with evil spirits and was discovered by the Evil Warding Department, her entire family would be implicated.

This is an irreversible crime, and now it is You Su's turn to face a difficult choice.

If they choose to take the body to deliver the body, then Qiao Xiuyun and her entire family will die.

However, if he chooses to cover up the truth, he will fail the test.