Terrifying Misfortune

Was the incident involving a young friend on the 5th, or another younger person whom Master Jinlian knew?

Xu Qi'an feigned a puzzled expression. "Where is your young friend, Daoist, that you require me to mobilize the imperial forces?"

Master Jinlian shook her head and said, "She's in Xiangzhou."

Xiangzhou is south of the capital, about four hundred kilometers away. It's neither close nor far. Xu Qi'an frowned and said, "If the Daoist has something to attend to, I have no choice but to go to the yamen to ask for leave first, since the journey is quite long."

Master Jinlian nodded. "Have the servants in the manor ask for leave on my behalf tomorrow. We'll set off tonight, let's hurry. By the way, where is that fortune teller?"

"To find someone, we need the help of the Qi-Watching Technique."

"She's at the Bureau of Astronomy," Xu Qi'an sighed, then said jokingly, "Alright, I'll go to her parents' house and bring her over."

"This prophet must be a woman," both Hengyuan (number six) and Chu Yuanzhen (number four) guessed simultaneously.

The three of them went inside to wait, while Xu Qi'an led a mare from the backyard and rode it to the Bureau of Astronomy.

The lights in the Bureau of Astronomy stayed on all night. Xu Qi'an entered the lobby on the first floor and asked the Pharmacist who were working themselves to the bone, "Which senior brother could go and announce that I'm looking for Senior Sister Zhong Li?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The Pharmacist exchanged glances, then said, "Senior Sister Zhong Li is on the first basement level. Please wait a moment."

A figure in white entered, and a few seconds later, a loud shout rang out, "Senior Sister Zhong Li, Young Master Xu is here to see you!"

Having said that, the Warlock rushed out, moving so fast it seemed as if a large worm was chasing him.

In the lobby, the other people in white robes dropped what they were doing and rushed to the stairs. In an instant, the lobby was quiet, and there was no one there except Xu Qi'an.

A few minutes later, Zhong Li came out, her hair loose, wearing a coarse cloth robe, and her head slightly bowed.

A very typical look for a woman who is heartbroken.

"I need to leave Beijing for some business. I'll be back soon, and I'll need your help," Xu Qi'an said directly without any politeness.

"Oh."

Zhong Li nodded succinctly, behaving obediently like a tool.

The two left the Bureau of Astronomy side by side; Xu Qi'an rode a horse, while Zhong Li walked, their pace no slower than that of the little mare.

Before long, they returned to the Xu Residence and met up with the three members of the Heaven and Earth Society, led by Daoist Jinlian.

Chu Yuanzhen said, "Flying is not advisable within the inner city. We'll go to the outer city. Brother Xu, please guide us out of the city."

If he were alone, he could fly and burrow underground in the inner city without any problem. The experts in the city would not stop or attack him out of respect for the Human Sect.

However, with a large number of people involved, it becomes impossible to turn a blind eye, which only creates more trouble.

At that moment, Xu Qi'an led the three out of the mansion. With Xu Qi'an, the silver gong bearer, leading the way, neither the Nightwatchers nor the Imperial Saber Guard questioned them in any way, and did not obstruct them further.

On the way, Master Jinlian looked at Xu Qi'an and said in a deep voice, "Number Five has gone missing."

Chu Yuanzhen immediately looked at Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an asked blankly, "What are you talking about, Daoist Master? Hmm, why didn't you possess the cat today?"

Master Jinlian said calmly, "Number five is the serial number of the holder of the Earth Book fragment. You should know that. We owe Hengyuan a lot for saving him that day. Hmm, what happened to the cat?"

Xu Qi'an said "Oh," and added, "It's nothing, I just remembered it wrong."

Master Jinlian nodded in satisfaction.

Xu Qi'an nodded in satisfaction.

Chu Yuanzhen first looked at the two of them, then at Hengyuan, and smiled, "Is this the Master Hengyuan you saved during the Sangbo case?"

Master Hengyuan clasped his hands together and said, "We owe a great debt to Lord Xu back then."

Hengyuan was indeed involved in the Sangbo case. He had mentioned in the fragments of the Earth Book that he was able to escape from the Nightwatchers Watchman's Office entirely thanks to Xu Qi'an. Now it seems there's more to the story. Master Jinlian contacted Xu Qi'an through Number Three, which means Xu Qi'an knew about the existence of the Heaven and Earth Society and the fragments of the Earth Book.

Thus, I became even more certain of my guess: although Master Jinlian gave the fragments of the Earth Book to Xu Xinnian Cloud Deer Academy, he actually wanted both.

Chu Yuanzhen smiled but remained silent.

Upon arriving at the outer city, Chu Yuanzhen patted his back, and the Human Sect's Law Artifact, sword and scabbard, flew out and hovered in mid-air.

Master Jinlian took out a paper crane from her bosom and tossed it gently. Instantly, the paper crane transformed into a large bird seven feet long, flapping its wings and circling.

"Daoist Master, I'll go with you!" Xu Qi'an said quickly.

Even a fool would choose this: Chu Yuanzhen's ticket is a standing ticket, while Jinlian Daoist's ticket is a seated ticket.

Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen leaped onto their swords and flew away with a whoosh.

After Xu Qi'an and Daoist Jinlian boarded the white crane, they realized there weren't enough seats for Zhong Li.

"Can Warlock fly?" Xu Qi'an asked the "mourning woman" below.

"No, teleportation arrays can only be used by fourth-rank cultivators." Zhong Li shook her head.

Xu Qi'an looked around and then at his own thighs.

"It's alright!" Daoist Jinlian took off the wooden hairpin and tossed it to Zhong Li.

Zhong Li gripped the wooden hairpin, and with it, she shot into the sky with a "whoosh," closely following Chu Yuanzhen's flying sword.

"Master, you've narrowed your path," Xu Qi'an said with a sigh.

White cranes take flight.

The flying swords, paper cranes, and wooden hairpins rose higher and higher, and slowly, the scenery on the ground began to blur.

Whoosh. The clouds parted, and a sword and a crane broke through the clouds.

The night sky was a clear, deep blue, with a crescent moon hanging in the sky, and the sea of clouds below seemed frozen in place, motionless.

The world fell silent instantly.

"We've entered the stratosphere," Xu Qi'an transmitted his voice.

The strong winds made it impossible for him to open his eyes, and any words he uttered would be torn apart by the wind; communication was limited to sound transmission.

Master Jinlian, also with her eyes closed, using her Primordial Spirit as her eyes, received Xu Qi'an's telepathic message and asked in surprise, "Stratosphere?"

"I just made that up, Daoist Master. Tell me about the situation on number five," Xu Qi'an transmitted his voice.

"After the last internal exchange of the Heaven and Earth Society, Number Five stopped responding. At that time, I could still sense the location of the Earth Book fragment in Xiangzhou. The next day, I suddenly lost the connection with the fragment," Master Jinlian said in a deep voice.

"Did Number Five encounter the evil cultivators of the Earth Sect?" Xu Qi'an's expression changed slightly as he offered his guess.

"That's possible," Master Jinlian nodded.

That's why you invited me, Hengyuan, and Chu Yuanzhen to join you. The Daoist's survival instinct is quite strong. Xu Qi'an nodded, assessing his own team's strength.

On the surface, Chu Yuanzhen is a martial artist, but in reality, he cultivates the sword path of the Human Sect. His true combat strength should be at the fourth rank, or at least not quite there.

On the surface, he appears to be Buddhist School monk, but in reality, he is a martial artist. It's hard to say for sure, since we've never fought him. Hengyuan also has very little combat experience.

Then there's Master Jinlian. I remember he was chased by Zilian, a fourth-rank cultivator, and fled all the way to the capital. Master Jinlian's strength should be no weaker than a fourth-rank cultivator.

The reason is that he wasn't injured by the Purple Lotus, but by the demon-possessed leader of the Earth Sect. Even so, he was still able to escape the pursuit of the fourth-rank Purple Lotus.

If we encounter the evil sects of the Earth Sect, then we are as safe as an old dog against those below the third rank. Xu Qi'an thought with peace of mind.

An hour later, Master Jinlian transmitted her voice to everyone. "We've arrived. The area within a hundred miles around us should be where Number Five disappeared. I still haven't sensed any fragments of the Earth Book."

The group descended from the clouds and swooped down towards the ground.

As the landscape cleared, Xu Qi'an saw the outline of a large city to the east, with numerous villages and towns scattered around it.

The four landed in a mountain forest. Master Jinlian and Chu Yuanzhen sat cross-legged to recover their energy.

Hengyuan protected them, while Xu Qi'an wandered alone in the mountains and forests, hunting two pheasants and a roe deer.

Returning to their meditation spot, Xu Qi'an asked, "Who brought a pot?"

"I brought it."

Chu Yuanzhen opened his eyes, and was about to get up and walk to the nearby woods to take out the iron pot, but then he thought that since Xu Qi'an knew about the existence of the Earth Book fragments, there was no need to hide it.

So they took out the fragments of the Earth Book, took out an iron pot, and the four of them lit two campfires, one for stewing meat soup and the other for grilling.

Regardless of the system, energy must be replenished after depletion; the body cannot generate power out of thin air.

I still have some wine here.

Chu Yuanzhen then took out two more jars of wine, which he ate with roasted meat and broth, explaining, "When traveling around, there are two things you must carry with you. First, pots and pans. Second, toilet paper."

Xu Qi'an raised the porcelain bottle, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Now there's a third item: chicken essence."

Chu Yuanzhen immediately nodded in agreement.

Xu Ningyan is a fascinating and interesting person!

Chu Yuanzhen has no flaws, but I can't give up. I must find a way to kill him.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

After a hearty meal, Master Jinlian casually picked up a withered branch and used it to tie up his gray hair. Then, his expression suddenly froze.

"Where is that prophet?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an's face immediately froze. Holy crap, where's Zhong Li?

"I remember she was beside me when we landed, but later, I don't know how I forgot about her." Xu Qi'an's face turned pale.

"It should be nearby. Let's all search together, be sure to look carefully. Also, hurry!" Master Jinlian said in a deep voice.

"This is even more urgent than saving Number Five. Number Five might be fine, but if we're late with the seer, things could get very bad."

Hengyuan, unfamiliar with the Warlock System, asked, "How so?"

Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "It'll be cold by then."

Master Jinlian nodded silently.

The four quickly dispersed, and a quarter of an hour later, Xu Qi'an found Zhong Li. When she landed, she had crashed into a deep pit. Then the woman just squatted in the pit and didn't move.

Zhong Li didn't crawl out until Xu Qi'an came looking for her and she heard his voice.

By the campfire, Zhong Li sat on the ground with her back to everyone, hugging her knees. Her shoulders were thin, and her figure was lonely.

"I really didn't mean to forget you, please don't be angry."

Xu Qi'an apologized and explained, "I just... I just forgot by accident."

Zhong Li sat there hugging her knees, ignoring him.

Chu Yuanzhen clicked his tongue and watched the show with a smile.

Master Hengyuan clasped his hands together, puzzled, and asked, "There is no danger around, why doesn't Benefactor Zhong come out on his own?"

"It's not dangerous for you," Zhong Li said in a low voice. "Based on my past experience, the safest thing to do in this situation is to stay where you are and wait for rescue."

"If I go out, I will encounter all sorts of crises, such as meteorites falling from the sky, or encountering powerful demons or Evil Cultivator passing by."

Misfortune cannot be foreseen or predicted; it can happen at any time, just like...

Before she could finish speaking, the campfire suddenly crackled, sending up a string of sparks that ignited Zhong Li's hair.

"Careful!"

Hengyuan's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously picked up the scalding hot meat soup and splashed it at Zhong Li.

At that moment, Xu Qi'an stood in front of Zhong Li, waving his qi to sweep away all the scalding hot broth.

Zhong Li clung to Xu Qi'an's leg, trembling.

Chu Yuanzhen was dumbfounded.

The scene fell silent immediately.

In the silence, Hengyuan clasped his hands together and said with compassion, "Benefactor Zhong, even if there were ten thousand lamps in the world, they could not illuminate the darkness around you. Amitabha."

Master Jinlian and Chu Yuanzhen then clasped their hands together and said with compassion, "Amitabha."

"Master, you're a big shot in the Daoist School, why are you chanting Buddhist mantras?" Xu Qi'an thought to himself. "Even though Zhong Li is pitiful, I just can't help but laugh."

He reached out and patted Zhong Li's head to comfort her.

"Just now, when we landed, I noticed something wrong with the feng shui nearby. There's a large tomb at the foot of the mountains to the south," Zhong Li whispered.

PS: Updated 10,400 words today, feeling great! Requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month.