"Oh, honored immortal, please don't misunderstand. Master Bai holds fame and fortune in utter disdain..."
Constable Bai hurriedly explained.
"When he came down from the mountain that year, a close friend of his happened to pass the imperial examinations and came to Linxi County as its magistrate. Hearing that Master Bai had returned from seeking immortality, he invited him to serve as an attendant and keep the region peaceful."
"Whenever the people have pressing troubles and the magistrate has too much on his hands, Master Bai lends a hand as well."
The young constable's face filled with pride as he spoke of Master Bai.
"Your master?"
"Indeed. To tell you the truth, honored immortals, Master Bai and I belong to the same branch of the family, but I was born to a concubine."
"When Master Bai was seeking immortality in the mountains, I was the servant boy the Qinggu Bai Family sent to attend him. Later, I came down from the mountain with him, so I've seen something of a sect's grandeur myself."
"I see."
As they spoke, Constable Bai led him to a modest residence. A plaque hung above the entrance, bearing the words "Bai Residence" in gentle, slender calligraphy.
The house was ordinary, even smaller than the homes of typical local gentry. The bases of some walls and some roof tiles were mottled with age, and it looked as though no repairs had been made for years.
"This is Master Bai's residence. He has no taste for grand mansions or fine carriages, so his home isn't very spacious. Please don't take offense, honored immortals."
Song Yan now had quite a favorable impression of this Master Bai, whom he had yet to meet.
Neither greedy for wealth nor eager to curry favor with the powerful, he spent his days handling affairs. He truly was a kindhearted attendant who sought only to keep the region peaceful.
"Please wait here a moment, honored immortals. Before we came, I sent one of my men to the government office to notify Master Bai."
They had seen very few servants on their way through the residence, either.
Constable Bai led them into the reception hall and instructed a servant to brew them a pot of tea.
He knew nothing of the art of tea or how to appreciate it, and merely gulped down a couple of mouthfuls.
Qin Ying did not drink any tea and still said nothing, merely holding a talisman in her hand and studying it over and over.
Song Yan caught a glimpse of it. It seemed to be a Life Talisman.
"What do you know about Peach Blossom Hollow, Constable Bai?"
After pondering for a moment, he decided to ask the constable first.
"Well... Master Bai mentioned it to me. At some unknown point, Peach Blossom Hollow became a dead village. People have gone in, but no one has been seen coming out."
Bai Lei recounted everything he knew about Peach Blossom Hollow.
But he really knew very little, and it was all information Song Yan already possessed. Song Yan's gaze began wandering around the reception room.
To the left of the entrance stood a wooden cabinet. It looked plain, but its decorations and arrangement were exquisitely considered, and various collectibles sat upon it.
Song Yan silently thought that this Senior Brother Bai Zimo, whom he had never met, had quite refined tastes.
Visitors seated here would have a perfect view of Bai Zimo and the entire row of collectibles behind him.
Celadon, clay figurines, wooden carvings, paper figures...
"?"
Paper figures?
Song Yan stared at the paper figure placed neatly on the cabinet, a sense of familiarity rising within him.
This little paper figure...
Why did it look so much like the paper figures that appeared after I killed those three Devil Cultivators outside Shiliang Town...?
He set aside his doubts.
Paper figures of this sort were actually fairly common. They seemed to have originated as a distinctive cultural feature of Changping Prefecture in Chen Prefecture.
Displayed so openly here, it surely couldn't be an object belonging to a Devil Cultivator.
Besides...
Was this some kind of joke?
The person sitting beside him right now was a mighty Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator!
What could even that so-called Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain himself do if he came?
Song Yan knew perfectly well that, on a mission like this, without Outer Sect Disciples like himself and Li Qingfeng holding her back, the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator Qin Ying might already have finished the mission and been on her way back to the sect.
Foundation Establishment Realm Inner Sect disciples from the six great sects could easily defeat other Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the same realm, so long as they did not encounter a favored genius of equal standing.
Since Senior Sister Qin had said nothing, there must be no problem.
"..."
Song Yan remained silent. Thinking he wanted to hear more, Constable Bai continued.
"Oh, actually, it's not that no one has come out alive. There really was one person, but he..."
"Oh? Where is that person now?"
"Well... this humble one doesn't know. Perhaps we should wait for Master Bai to return and have him explain the details to you."
"Very well."
"No need."
Qin Ying suddenly spoke. "Junior Brother Li has arrived. There's no time to lose. Let's leave immediately."
"Uh... very well."
Bai Lei froze, but said nothing more. These were all honored immortals; how was it his place to speak? He would simply explain when Master Bai arrived.
The two left the Bai Residence and happened to see an officer leading their plump junior brother, Li Qingfeng, over.
"Let's go."
"Hehe." Li Qingfeng wiped away a sheen of sweat and gave Song Yan a guileless grin. "That really wore me out."
Cultivators who sweated easily were rather uncommon.
Qin Ying spoke on her own. "A month ago, when we first received word of the unusual happenings in Peach Blossom Hollow, the sect judged it to be an ordinary, minor matter, so I sent Junior Sister Gu Qingqing from our peak here alone."
"When she hadn't returned after half a month, her Life Talisman remained unharmed. I merely thought she was still feeling playful, or had taken the opportunity to visit her family back home."
"But now more than a month has passed, and she still hasn't returned."
"?"
Song Yan and Li Qingfeng exchanged looks.
That was no small matter.
If her Life Talisman was unharmed and her soul lamp had not gone out, yet she failed to return to the sect without reason, it meant she was either trapped somewhere or had defected.
Even disciples who had no hope of attaining the Great Dao and gave up cultivating had to complete numerous formalities within the sect before descending the mountain.
"No wonder..."
No wonder Qin Ying had seemed somewhat hurried earlier. Song Yan had thought she lacked patience because the sect had sent her to lead two Outer Sect Disciples. It turned out she was worried about her junior sister.
Li Qingfeng asked, "But Senior Sister, can't a Life Talisman be used to track someone?"
Qin Ying shook her head. "Junior Sister Qingqing carries a secret spirit-sealing treasure. If her life is in danger, activating it can completely seal her spiritual power, her presence, and even her vitality and life force."
"Although her Life Talisman hasn't shattered, it can no longer be used to locate Junior Sister Qingqing."
"Presumably, she already encountered a deadly threat, and the secret spirit-sealing treasure has been activated."
As they spoke, the three had already left Linxi County's walled town.
Qin Ying summoned her flying sword and leaped onto it alone.
"You two go to Peach Blossom Hollow first. I'll check a few places nearby for traces of Junior Sister. We'll meet outside Peach Blossom Hollow shortly."
"Yes, Senior Sister."
In fact, it was not only Song Yan and Li Qingfeng. Qin Ying also had many unanswered questions about this mission.
Still, presumably, the root of it all lay in this dead village, Peach Blossom Hollow. To avoid overlooking anything, she decided to investigate the surrounding area alone.
Peach Blossom Hollow was a village under Linxi County's jurisdiction, named for the peach blossoms planted all along its waterfront.
Song Yan and Li Qingfeng stood at the entrance to the main road. On a stone marker beside them, the words "Peach Blossom Hollow" were carved in dark red.
"Eh? Senior Brother Song, look over there..."
"..."
Behind the stone marker, there seemed to be a person lying on the ground.
The two exchanged a glance and walked over together.
Only when they drew close did they see that the person wore ragged clothes, with disheveled hair and a filthy face, and was covered in dried, cracked mud.
It was a beggar...
Thank you to reader [Hazy] for the tip!
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