A Visit

Although Lu Qi was flying northeast towards Lou Guan City, his sword speed was no match for Qin Jiu's, and he didn't take him directly back to the city. After flying for about half the night, he landed in the dark mountainous area.

Zheng Zetian remained completely calm. Although Lu Qi had tried to kill him to his face many times, he had never actually done it. He always had the attitude of "If I'm not careful, this kid will just die by his own hand. It's just that he's not lucky enough."

However, it's also clear that his sneaky arrival is likely due to his respect for the rules of the Ink Bamboo Mountain sect. He's worried that bullying or harming fellow disciples would be a taboo for the sect leader and could result in execution.

After all, Lu Qi didn't need to. He was one of the few people in the sect who could read the Great Learning, had inherited the Tai Su Secret Technique, was a Guanmen disciple of Mo Shan, and was about to be promoted to Railway Institute. He had a bright future and certainly didn't want to let a brat like Zheng Zetian affect his image in the eyes of the Grand Master.

Besides, he's only at the Nascent Soul Realm now. Even if he wanted to compete with Qin Jiu for the position of senior brother, his current strength is far too inferior. It's not something he can catch up with overnight. Naturally, there's no need for him to do anything pointless like killing his fellow disciples and arouse suspicion.

Therefore, Zheng Zetian was not worried that his opponent would fly to some uninhabited mountain and kill him, burying his body. After the Sword Light landed, he merely surveyed his surroundings and did not rush to escape.

This is a secluded courtyard hidden in the mountains, resembling the residence of some wealthy family who has secluded themselves from the world, or the mansion of the Cultivation Family. In the desolate mountains and wilderness, with a solitary gate and courtyard, a few lights are faintly lit in the pavilion, and ghostly shadows linger, as if it were some kind of ghost cave or demon's lair.

Lu Qi landed at the door, and two lantern-bearing maids leaped Door Opening of the courtyard. Both had shadows. They wore wooden clogs, silk robes with red ribbons, and long, flowing hair. Although they wore 'Unknown Face masks' to cover their faces, their eyes under the sand canopy seemed to be glowing eerily. They carried lanterns in one hand and bamboo poles in the other, with strips of cloth with talismans tied to the ends of the poles. It seemed to be a kind of staff for warding off evil spirits. Although they were small, they were all at the Golden Core stage, and their ability to easily leap several feet made it clear that they were demons in human form.

"Who goes there!"

"Lu Qi, the garrison commander of the Railway Institute, has come to pay his respects to the owner of the manor."

"Please wait in the living room while we go inform them."

Although Lu Qi didn't explain much, Zheng Zetian could guess the family's background just by looking at the location and layout of the manor and the servants' background. He followed the two maids a few steps inside and saw a green tree in the living room that looked like a pine or cypress with peach branches hanging at the ends. He could roughly tell the family's background from that.

After the two maids left, Zheng Zetian asked Lu Qi, who was sitting opposite him, "..."

"Senior brother, how come there's still a lineage in Qingqiu Mountain?"

Lu Qi gave him a look that was neither a smile nor a frown.

"Junior brother, you can see it and know it yourself. It's not good to always be so sharp-tongued and say it out loud. There are still more fools than wise men in Ink Bamboo Mountain. You're always showing off your cleverness, which makes you stand out from the crowd and will cause gossip and make you ostracized."

Zheng Zetian nodded in agreement, "Senior brother is right."

After waiting for a short while, a maid returned to invite them.

"The master requests your presence; garrison commander, please follow me."

Lu Qi then stood up and smiled at Zheng Zetian.

"I'll be right back, junior brother, don't wander around other people's houses."

So he followed the maid out of the living room and quickly disappeared into the inner quarters of the house.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zetian immediately jumped up and ran around in the Fourth Department.

Of course, he wasn't just running around aimlessly. Instead, he measured the number of steps in the living room using the Yu Bu method. He walked around the living room step by step to confirm that it was indeed a celestial abode built in the mountains, and not some ancient tomb conjured by a fox demon, before sitting down.

Ink Bamboo Mountain is truly a place where all sorts of strange and wonderful things can be found... even the remnants of Qingqiu Mountain have emerged...

This fox spirit is quite valuable.

However, Celestial Devil are quite common now; nothing to be surprised about.

"There's a human scent here."

Suddenly, a graceful figure flew into the courtyard. Zheng Zetian looked out and saw a woman dressed in white, with silver hair and a fox mask on her face. She wore a jade pendant around her neck, and was not tall, only a head taller than Zheng Zetian. Her cultivation had not yet reached the Nascent Soul Realm, but she was probably close. Although she was in human form, her half-demon characteristics were very obvious. Perhaps because she was in the deep mountains and forests, she hadn't made any deliberate attempts to conceal it. Her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and she had two pointed fox ears, as if her fur was draped over her shoulders.

The woman went inside and searched around, but couldn't find anyone. She scratched her ear and went back to the inner room.

Zheng Zetian deactivated his invisibility and revealed himself.

The woman was probably also from the fox demon clan; judging from her scent, she likely hadn't eaten humans before. However, demons can't be trusted, and you never know when a half-demon might go berserk; it's best to be cautious and take precautions beforehand.

Suddenly, several more figures entered the courtyard. Zheng Zetian immediately concealed himself and secretly slipped to the side door to peek out. He saw two men wearing fox masks carrying an injured person. All three were Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, returning to the courtyard and trying to sneak back to their rooms.

At that moment, the woman suddenly darted out.

"Fine! I knew I could smell someone; you two brought someone home secretly!"

The two men were initially on guard, but relaxed upon seeing the girl.

"Xiao Ling, go and get a Changchun Pill."

The girl called Xiaoling sniffed, immediately sensed something was wrong, jumped forward and exclaimed in surprise,

"Blood! You've been injured!"

"It's not our blood, it's someone else's."

"Stop talking nonsense, I'll go get the pills. Be quiet so as not to disturb Mother's cultivation."

A man with a jade pendant hanging from his left ear got up and went into the house, while another man with a jade pendant hanging from his right ear put the injured man on his back into the courtyard, letting him rest against the roots of a large tree in the courtyard, using the spiritual roots and earth veins of the manor to regulate his breathing and alleviate his serious injuries.

The injured person was a young woman, who had been murdered by some villain. Blood was flowing from her mouth and nose, her clothes were disheveled, and she was unconscious. She had probably just survived a fierce battle and barely escaped with her life.

Xiao Ling glanced at the woman's face, nudged the man beside her, and gestured as if to slash his neck with a hand chop.

"Hey, look what you've done! You've gone bad now, knocking girls out and carrying them home! Believe me, the Grand Master will kill you!"

The young man with the jade pendant hanging from his right ear was in a bind, and the girl pushed him away.

"Don't talk nonsense! This has nothing to do with us. We were Moon Worship, and she fell from the sky by herself. We can't just leave her there, can we?"

Xiao Ling didn't believe it at all. "Hmph, sending her to the town keeper wouldn't make a difference. I think you just want her because she's young and pretty, and you're lusting after her body, hoping she'll repay you with her body! You've completely forgotten the principles of living in seclusion and avoiding trouble that your mother taught you!"

"I, I didn't..."

"Alright, alright, stop joking. This fellow Daoist is True Cultivator from the Xuanmen sect, clearly here to study at our Ink Bamboo Mountain. She may have encountered some misfortune, but we can't just ignore it. Let's stabilize her injuries first, then report back to the mountain."

The man who brought the pill was probably the eldest of the three. He also brought a bowl of water. He pinched the Changchun Pill in his hand, took a sip of water, blew on Dao Breath, and then exhaled a misty Daoist aura. The medicinal power of the Changchun Pill enveloped the injured woman's entire body, relieving her injuries.

"Oh, she's awake!"

"The Changchun Pill really works!"

"Hmph, he's even willing to take out his Changchun Pill when he sees a pretty young lady, and he still says he has no ulterior motives..."

Pretending not to hear his sister's words, the two young men quickly straightened their clothes, removed their fox masks, and became extremely polite.

"Fellow Daoist, are you alright? Are you feeling better?"

"Don't worry, you're safe now."

The woman's eyebrows twitched, and she sat up, clutching her forehead. "Where... where am I?"

The older youth immediately said,

"This is the territory of Guanxiang Mountain, the old residence of my Yan family. I am Yan Zhong, the eldest son of the Yan family. This is my younger brother Yan Zheng, and my younger sister Yan Ling."

The woman nodded slightly and bowed.

"Thank you all for saving me. I am Zheng Yu, a mere rogue cultivator. I was momentarily overwhelmed by the power of the moon and suffered a slight qi deviation. I am fine, and I apologize for worrying you all."

Yan Ling asked curiously, "Sister Zheng, how did you end up in this deep mountain forest? After all, without a permit or introduction, it's not convenient for outsiders to trespass into some parts of my Ink Bamboo Mountain territory."

The woman frowned, then buried her face in Yan Zhong's chest and began to cry.

"It's truly a misfortune for my family. I was orphaned at a young age and kidnapped to the mountains to cultivate. After finally achieving some success, I returned to the mountains to find my family, only to discover that they had been completely slaughtered by demons. Waaah!"

Yan Zhong tensed up, his ears perked up, while his two younger siblings glanced at him sideways.

Sobbing, she continued, "Waaah... Now that I think about it, I only have one younger brother still alive in my family, and it seems he has been taken in as a disciple by your esteemed mountain. I was momentarily flustered and lost my composure, so I rushed here to find him. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you will not take offense."

Yan Zhong quickly comforted her, "Aunt, young lady, don't worry. Joining Ink Bamboo Mountain will make things simple. We'll go to guard the town at dawn and check your birth dates and times. We'll definitely reunite you and your brother."

"Young Master? Miss? What are you doing?"

A maid brought over tea and snacks.

Yan Zheng immediately jumped over and snatched the treasure to present to the emperor.

"You've come at the right time, Miss Zheng. Don't be sad, come and have some tea and snacks to rest."

The maid, having had her tea and snacks taken away, looked at the empty living room and then at the crowd in the courtyard, completely bewildered, and had no choice but to leave.

Yan Ling glared at her two silly older brothers and laughed.

"It's getting late, Sister Zheng, why don't you come to my room to sleep? We can go to the temple to look for the person tomorrow, okay?"

"Thank you very much..."

"Wow, it's quite lively late at night, with people coming and going."

At this moment, Lu Qi also returned with the maid.

"Lu Qi! What are you doing in my house?!"

"Come at us if you have a problem!"

Yan Zhong and Yan Zheng jumped up as if their hair had been bristled.

Zheng Yu, hiding behind Yan Ling, asked timidly,

"Xiao Ling, who is this...?"

"He seems to be the guardian deity of Ink Bamboo Mountain, I heard he's a loan shark in the city..."

Yan Ling looked at her two brothers with suspicion, "Why are you reacting so strongly? Are you that close to him?"

"No, nothing's wrong!"

"No, we're not familiar with it!"

Yan Ling squinted and glared at them.

Lu Qi chuckled and stepped aside to let him pass.

"I'm just delivering something to the manor on my way. I won't disturb your late-night snack any longer."

So the Yan siblings and the young lady Zheng left with their own thoughts. Lu Qi looked at their backs, frowned, and went to the living room. There, Zheng Zetian was sitting properly, not moving an inch.

"Junior brother, are you alright?"

"No. Senior brother is done with his work, let's go quickly."

Zheng Zetian glanced at his salary card, which was dropping rapidly every second. He had only turned it off for a short while when the sword immortal chased after him again. The sword immortal's killing intent was truly immense, so he dared not turn it off for the time being.

Lu Qi looked at him suspiciously.

"They didn't even notice you?"

Zheng Zetian and said, "I will keep my senior brother's teachings in mind. There are still many fools in Ink Bamboo Mountain. It's better to pretend to be a little foolish. A crane standing out from the crowd is hard to feed."

Lu Qi, "Haha, it's good that you understand this principle. In the Central Plains, if you don't show off your abilities and display your skills, the sect leaders won't notice your capabilities. But in Ink Bamboo Mountain, it's the opposite. If you do too well, the Southern Faction will worry that you have ulterior motives and other plans. These fools especially like to stick together. If things really get out of hand, you'll be in trouble everywhere, and everyone will try to trip you up. It's quite a hassle."

So Lu Qi took Zheng Zetian and continued on their journey. They flew for a while longer, but this time they didn't head towards Lou Guan City. Instead, they clearly crossed the Li River and headed north.

Zheng Zetian inquired,

"Senior brother, weren't we going to the Heavenly Clothes to inquire about the Grandmaster's Robe?"

Lu Qi nodded and then shook his head, as if talking to himself, or as if asking Zheng Zetian for his opinion.

"The Grand Master does indeed possess such a Daoist robe, and he did indeed arrange for someone from the Heavenly Clothes to deliver it to the Luo Sect. I have confirmed this matter with him."

Ask about the manor owner? The Yan family's mother? Those three siblings are quite pretty, and they're fox spirits from Qingqiu... What, are they the Grand Master's mistresses?

"Teacher Qian is a disciple of the Seven Star Peak lineage, a typical Southern Faction. The characteristic of those fools in the Southern Faction is that they pretend to know what they don't, and they like to do things according to their own whims, without ever thinking a few steps ahead. They often ruin the Grand Master's arrangements."

It doesn't matter that this fool died on the streets of Lou Guan City, but he also lost the Daoist robes of the Grand Master. If the Discipline Institute investigates, things will become unclear.

You probably know that the Southern Faction doesn't like me and would never let me get the position at the Railway Institute. Haha, but can they do it? They don't have the ability, you know that... Sigh, junior brother, you know how difficult it is for me."

Zheng Zetian nodded.

He roughly understood what Lu Qi was saying.

What's there to be unclear about? If you didn't kill him, you didn't kill him. If he wasn't in your possession, he wasn't in your possession. Just tell the truth. Do you think the cat would wrong you?

Therefore, it's highly likely that Teacher Qian, the instructor of the Outer Sect Disciple, truly died at Lu Qi's hands.

Of course, the specific reason for the killings is hard to say. After all, Lu Qi is so ruthless that killing these fools from his own sect is probably no different than killing a dog. Why would he show any mercy?

But when Lu Qi learned that the person he had casually killed had lost a Grandmaster's Gui Xu Dao Yi, he immediately panicked.

Although he killed the person, the robe was not actually in his possession.

If they find it, it can be considered as killing a traitor, retrieving the sect's treasure, and making a great contribution.

If it can't be found, and it's just been lost inexplicably, the Discipline Institute will definitely report it all the way to the Grand Master, and they'll investigate your crime of harming your fellow disciples.

So now that it's confirmed that the Gui Xu Dao Yi wasn't just something Zheng Zetian was making up, there's no need to waste time taking him to the Heavenly Clothes in Lou Guan City for more nonsense.

If I'm not mistaken, this is to take him directly to the murder scene to find the whereabouts of that Daoist robe.

So Zheng Zetian turned off the medical insurance. He estimated that with the strength of that sword immortal 'Zheng Yu', without the interference of the company system, he should be able to calculate his location and catch up quickly.

We might need her help then, since regardless of whether we find the robe or not, Lu Qi probably won't let him live.