Bait

"Senior Xu?"

When the Holy Son saw the orange cat dart into the house, he was first taken aback, then his face lit up with joy, and he whispered, "Why are you here, Senior? Didn't we say we wouldn't see each other for the next few days?"

The orange cat spoke in a human voice, saying, "I told you not to come see me, not that I wouldn't see you."

He paused, then asked, puzzled, "How did you recognize me?"

"Didn't you say before that you used a Heart Gu to control a cat and sneak into the Chai residence, where you encountered Chai Xian?" Li Lingsu said with a smile.

Then, the Holy Child noticed that the orange cat was frozen in place, lost in thought.

Did I say something wrong? Li Lingsu looked bewildered.

Damn it, I've unknowingly picked up Master Jinlian's hobby too?! No, I haven't. It's mainly because cats can scale walls and move like the wind, while dogs can't sneak into the Chai residence at all.

Even if he managed to sneak in, he might still be slaughtered by the monks and turned into dog meat hotpot. Xu Qi'an muttered to himself with mixed feelings.

Li Lingsu had many questions he wanted to ask, but seeing that the unfathomable senior had suddenly begun to contemplate life, he didn't want to disturb him and could only wait patiently.

After a moment, Xu Qi'an recovered and said, "Pour me a cup of tea, I'm a little thirsty."

It wasn't him who was thirsty, it was the cat, but the feeling of thirst was simultaneously fed back to Xu Qi'an, who was possessing it.

Li Lingsu immediately flipped the upside-down teacup and filled it with warm water.

The orange cat came in and jumped onto the table. Instead of immediately licking the tea, it glanced at the messy bed.

A cat's sense of smell is dozens of times stronger than a human's, which is why it easily detected the smell of sugar.

Xu Qi'an, who had been enduring the side effects of the love potion, chuckled and said, "Life's been carefree and happy."

Upon hearing this, Li Lingsu's face fell, and she looked distressed.

"Senior, when will you remove the love potion from me? Every time I see Xing'er, I can't control my impulses. My mind is filled with thoughts of her, and if she beckons with her finger, I can't help but pounce on her."

As he spoke, he put his arm around his waist.

"Old Versailles," Xu Qi'an said expressionlessly and in a cold tone.

"Once this matter is resolved, I will remove the curse from you. Removing it now would alert the enemy and let Chai Xing'er find out."

That's all we can do! Li Lingsu sighed, thinking of refining a batch of pills another day to nourish his kidneys. Then he remembered the cellar incident and said:

"Someone just informed Xing'er that the cellar had been broken into and Chai Jianyuan's body had been dissected."

He lowered his voice and asked, "Senior, did you do this?"

Xu Qi'an nodded.

As expected, Li Lingsu, having obtained the correct answer, quickly followed up with, "Did you find anything?"

"Chai Xian is very likely Chai Jianyuan's illegitimate son," Xu Qi'an said.

He then saw Li Lingsu's expression change drastically; her eyes widened, and she looked shocked and incredulous.

After a pause, Li Lingsu lowered her voice and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Both Chai Xian and Chai Jianyuan have six toes; it's probably hereditary, otherwise it wouldn't be such a coincidence."

Li Lingsu remained silent for a long time before saying, "No wonder Chai Jianyuan insisted on marrying Chai Lan into the Huangfu family. He couldn't possibly agree to the marriage between Chai Xian and Chai Lan."

He suddenly realized, "Chai Xian doesn't know his own identity!"

It's easy to deduce that if he knew he was an illegitimate child, he wouldn't have fallen in love with Chai Lan.

"No, it's also possible that he knew, and therefore killed Chai Jianyuan in a fit of rage, buried the secret that he was an illegitimate child, and then monopolized Chai Lan." Li Lingsu's imagination ran wild.

"Punching requires technique, and reasoning must be logical," Xu Qi'an thought to himself, then scoffed.

"How can you be so sure that Chai Xian knows his own identity, and how can you be so sure that only Chai Jianyuan in the Chai family knows about his status as an illegitimate child? Although six toes may be a secret, the closest people and elders would most likely know."

Li Lingsu's expression froze. "That's true."

The orange cat licked a few sips of tea and continued, "Also, Chai Jianyuan showed signs of poisoning before his death, which is why he was killed in the study. The poisoner was most likely someone close to him."

"What you suspect is correct, senior."

Xu Qi'an met Li Ling's inquiring gaze and nodded his cat head:

"That's right, I suspect it's Chai Xing'er. That kind of poison isn't something an ordinary person can concoct. Unless it's a poison master personally. Didn't Chai Xing'er go to Southern Frontier and even ask for a love potion?"

Li Lingsu's face turned ugly.

He admits he's quite picky about women; all his female confidantes, with whom he's had romantic relationships, possess unique charm and personality, and must also be outstanding in appearance and figure.

Secondly, in terms of personality, they must not be extremely wicked or evil, otherwise, their values will clash, making it impossible to fall in love.

Even the Dongfang sisters were not bloodthirsty people. Although they had many conflicts with Xu Qian in Leizhou, it was because of their different positions, and fighting was inevitable.

In his opinion, Myolie Chai was cunning, ambitious, and shrewd; her temperament was like a sorrowful lilac, delicate and pitiful, and she was not a simple woman at heart.

But Myolie Chai is by no means a morally depraved person.

However, as the investigation into the case deepened over time, he gradually began to have doubts.

"I didn't come here to chat idly."

The orange cat, An, raised its paw and slapped the table, interrupting Li Lingsu's wandering thoughts.

"Please speak, senior."

Li Lingsu said in a low voice.

Why did Chai Jianyuan conceal Chai Xian's identity? Have you ever thought about it?

Li Lingsu was taken aback, and it took her a few seconds to understand what Xu Qian meant. For the head of a powerful family, having an illegitimate child was not something shameful.

But why was Chai Xian raised in the Chai family as an adopted son for so many years?

Li Lingsu pondered for a moment and said, "If it's not because of Chai Jianyuan, then the problem lies with Chai Xian. Is there a secret about his background?"

Orange Cat An chuckled softly, "Before the answer is revealed, any hypothesis is possible, but remember to verify it. I remember that in ancient times Daoist School Yin Gods acted as City God, specifically tasked with capturing people's souls."

Li Lingsu hummed in agreement.

"In ancient times, there were two sets of rules: one was the law of the living world, and the other was the karmic retribution of the dead world. The Daoist School was in charge of the laws of the dead. However, this set of laws of the dead gradually weakened and was eventually abolished."

"Yes, I've read about this history in the ancient books of the Heavenly Sect, but I've never really understood it. Does the senior know?"

An old monster like Xu Qian must know many secrets that others don't.

Orange Cat An pondered for a moment, then, combining the secrets she had gleaned from the ancient corpse, said:

"In ancient times, there were only two methods of cultivation: Martial Dao and the 'Dao' of the Daoist School school. The Daoist system was more complete and earlier than the martial arts system."

"In other words, in ancient times, it was the world of Daoist arts. This was the environment in which Yin magic existed and flourished."

"But gradually, Martial Dao began to flourish, the people of the Southern Frontier devised the art of Gu poison, the Buddha attained enlightenment, and the Witch God was born. Daoist arts could no longer dominate the world, and Yin magic naturally disappeared."

As for Confucian School and Warlock, they only appeared in modern times. The Confucian sage was a figure from more than two thousand years ago, while Warlock are six hundred years older than the nation itself.

In ancient times, there were only Martial Dao and Daoist techniques. This explains the emergence of Yin techniques. Later, various other systems emerged, and the Daoist sect was no longer in Daoist School. Xu Qian is truly an old monster; he knows so many secrets.

Li Lingsu lamented, "Our Daoist School was once incredibly prosperous, but now it has declined to just three Daoist School sects."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Qian, trying to uncover more secrets.

Xu Qi'an ignored him and said calmly, "Getting back to the main point, could the dream-entering Law Technique of the Daoist School be like dream witchcraft, interrogating people in their dreams?"

Li Lingsu frowned and pondered:

"Unable to absolutely dominate dreams like a dream sorceress, the spirit that enters dreams to steal souls can only steal mortals, or those who are far weaker than oneself in rank. As for interrogation, if the other party is a mortal, it can also be done."

"If you want me to interrogate Xing'er, senior, even if my cultivation were at its peak, let alone the fact that it hasn't been unsealed, I'm afraid I couldn't do it. Xing'er is a fifth-grade Transformation Realm cultivator; only a fourth-grade Dream Witch could intervene."

Orange cat An shook her head:

"It's not her, it's Chai Jianyuan's son. Interrogate the weakest one. Ask him about Chai Xian. Chai Xian was brought back to the Chai family mansion when he was young and grew up with Chai Jianyuan's children. No one knows Chai Xian better than them."

Li Lingsu nodded, indicating that there was no problem, then seemed to remember something and said:

"By the way, senior, last night I discovered that Xing'er left late at night and didn't return for about 15 minutes. I used my spirit to follow her and found that she went deep into the south courtyard."

"A martial artist's intuition is too sharp; I didn't dare follow her too closely, so I don't know where she went in the South Courtyard."

The orange cat An's face turned serious. "What time is it?"

Li Lingsu said, "Around midnight."

"Ah, you kidney-deficient scumbag, having sex so late again, who else would suffer from kidney deficiency if not you?" Xu Qi'an slowly nodded his cat head.

"I see."

Based on his experience of having late-night conversations about life with the Imperial Academy of Music, he found that after each conversation, the courtesans were drenched in sweat, extremely exhausted, and would immediately fall asleep.

It's definitely not normal for Xing'er to leave her room in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.

"Tonight, gather all the snakes, insects, rats, and ants from the Chai residence and conduct a thorough investigation, "Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

He gradually grew to like the Seven Deadly Gu. It had many methods, strong abilities, and was unpredictable and versatile. It was very useful and also had a high-class feel!

Unlike warriors who rush in recklessly when faced with problems, easily alerting the enemy.

at night.

Sanshui Town is a large town located 26 miles north of Xiangzhou City, with a population of over 8,000. Backed by towering mountains, the town is rich in medicinal herbs, so most of the townspeople make a living by collecting and cultivating medicinal herbs.

The largest medicine dealer in town is an organization called "Medicine Gang," whose leader is a master at the Spirit Refining Realm, barely passable.

During the Demon-Slaying Assembly, the Medicine Gang also participated, actively responding to the call of the government and major powers, sending thirty gang members to join the militia and patrol all night.

In addition to the government-organized militia and members of the medicine gang, there was also a Buddhist School monk in the patrol team.

It was none other than the martial monk Jingyuan, who had shone brightly at the Demon-Slaying Assembly that day.

The patrol team consisted of sixty people, divided into groups of ten, carrying torches, and patrolling the town at night.

Chen Er is a junior steward in the Medicine Gang, in charge of ten people. In the Medicine Gang, stewards are middle-level managers and also the most overworked leaders, specializing in handling trivial matters.

If they encounter problems that they cannot solve or decide, they report them to the gang's higher-ups.

"Master, thanks to your joining us, the brothers feel much more at ease, and we're much bolder on night patrols."

Holding a torch, Chen Er turned his head to look at the warrior monk beside him.

The Western Regions warrior monk, with his striking features and deep-set eyes, said calmly, "It's just that it's easier to evacuate from here."

Chen Er didn't understand, and when he asked again, the young monk remained silent and ignored him.

"Is it easier to evacuate here? What does that mean? The monks from the Western Regions are really strange." Chen Er muttered to himself, then chuckled dryly.

"I see, I see."

Jingyuan clasped his hands together, walked steadily ahead.

A small river runs through the north of the town, cutting through most of it. Houses line the riverbank. A cold wind blows in their faces. After patrolling for half an hour, the group crossed the stone bridge and arrived at the riverside tavern.

This is the property of the medicine gang, where hot pot is stewed and cloudy wine is warmed, specifically for patrol teams to rest.

The group consisted of skilled martial artists, but apart from the steward Chen Er, who was at the Essence Refining Realm, the others were all without any rank. Therefore, they needed a tavern like this to rest, drink, and warm themselves, otherwise they would easily catch a cold.

"This damn weather, it's already this cold in early winter."

Chen Er grumbled as he entered the tavern, gulped down a few mouthfuls of medicinal wine, then turned and called out, "Brothers, come in and have a drink. We'll continue patrolling after half an incense stick's time."

The team members took their seats, heartily devouring pig offal and drinking the medicinal wine unique to Sanshui Town, while complaining about the damn weather.

Chen Er, not forgetting to flatter, said, "Master, this is a medicinal wine brewed using a unique recipe from our Sanshui Town. Please warm your stomach."

Jingyuan nodded, silently drinking and eating meat. As a martial monk, how could he eat without meat?

After taking a few sips of wine, he closed his eyes and focused intently on sensing his surroundings, but found nothing unusual.

Jingyuan had been patrolling Sanshui Town for two nights. The reason he chose this place was because it was backed by the Cangmang Mountains and there was a river outside the town.

It is ideal for retreating or escaping.

Of course, it wasn't Jingyuan who ran away, but rather the wicked person who did the wrong thing.

"This person has been refining corpses for many days and has probably reached a bottleneck. He will definitely not let your Vajra physique go. Just stay put, and that person will come on his own."

These are words spoken by Jingxin.

Jingyuan agreed with his fellow disciple Jingxin's decision and believed it was the fastest way to expose the person behind the scenes.

"Walkers don't breathe or have a heartbeat, nor do they possess murderous intent or malice, but whenever 'they' move in a large-scale operation, they will make noise, such as footsteps."

Jingyuan, unaware of anything amiss, opened her eyes.

"This winter is going to be tough; I wonder how many more people will freeze to death."

A man took a swig of wine, shook his head, and sighed.

"Hey, Zhang Niuzi, you're quite the hero who serves your country and its people. Why don't you donate all your wealth to the government for disaster relief?"

"Donate it to the government? That's worse than scattering silver in the streets; at least the villagers could grab a few coins. If you donate it to the government, the villagers won't get any money, and the officials will just gain another concubine."

Everyone started making fun of it.

"Exactly! Zhang Niuzi, why don't you donate it to me? I haven't even found a wife yet."

The speaker was a thin man with a somewhat rat-like appearance.

Zhang Niuzi cursed with a vulgar slang term, saying:

"You, Li Er, can't afford a wife, but you know how to sleep with your own sister-in-law, tsk tsk, saving you the money for a wedding. No wife is as good as your sister-in-law. As the old saying goes, nothing tastes better than dumplings, and what's more fun?"

"Nothing's more fun than your sister-in-law!" someone chimed in.

Everyone burst into laughter, and the tavern instantly became lively.

Like most of the townspeople, Li Er's elder brother made a living by collecting and growing medicinal herbs. One day, while collecting herbs on the mountain, he fell off a cliff. He survived, but his legs were crippled, and he was bedridden all day.

With no men left to do the work, the quality of life plummeted. Li Er's aunt was a rather attractive woman.

In less than six months, she started an affair with Li Er.

As Chen Er listened to his subordinates laughing and joking amongst themselves, he caught a glimpse of Jing Yuan putting down her wine glass and turning her head to look at him.

The voice of the martial monk followed immediately. "Is winter in Xiangzhou always this cold?"

Chen Er quickly straightened up to show respect and replied respectfully:

"How could that be? If every winter were like this, how would the people of Xiangzhou survive? This year is especially cold. It's only been a short time since winter began, and the night wind is already biting. In another half a month, icicles will be forming under the eaves."

With that, Chen Er raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. "I wonder how many people will freeze to death this winter. But what winter doesn't see people die? That's just how the world is. It's good enough to have food to eat."

"Ugh, that damned Chai Xian! He made us all patrol in this freezing weather. I bet he's already run away. He wouldn't dare stay in Xiangzhou."

Chen Er kept rambling on and on, and half an incense stick's time quickly passed. He grabbed his short knife and shouted:

"Stop drinking! Stop drinking! Get up now and go patrol the streets!"

"Ah, it's only been half an incense stick's time? It feels like I've only just sat down."

"Let's drink another half incense stick's worth of wine. It's so cold out there. That bastard Chai Xian is probably having fun in some woman's bed. He certainly won't come out to cause trouble."

The patrol members complained all at once.

At that moment, Jingyuan's ears twitched, and he heard a faint, unusual sound of flowing water.

"Shut up!"

Jingyuan shouted.

The room fell silent; no one dared to speak, and they all stared at him blankly.

Jingyuan ignored them, closed her eyes, and amplified her hearing to the maximum.

The sound of rushing water reached my ears, unlike the sound of normal flowing water; it sounded more like an undercurrent, a current of a dozen or more.

No, it's not an undercurrent; something is swimming this way along the stream outside the tavern.

PS: I went to bed early yesterday.