"Do you need me to come with you?" Chen Ying couldn't help but ask, seeing their serious expressions.
Both Seventh Master Shen and Wei Gongcheng. Chen Ying is currently the nominal vice dean of the academy. If Master Chen Qing was temporarily summoned away and she is not present at tomorrow's opening ceremony, it could easily lead some forces to believe that the academy is not taking it seriously enough.
However, Chen Ying is the person who knows the Azure Dragon Array of Great Azure Mountain best. If she is not there, many investigations will probably be a bit troublesome.
After hesitating for a moment, Seventh Master Shen finally said, "How about this, I'll go alone. You all wait for my news. If I encounter any difficulties, I'll let you know immediately."
"Are you going alone?" Wei Gongcheng frowned. "Or should I come with you?"
"You should probably give up," Seventh Master Shen shook his head. " Xu Hu is in Nanming Prefecture now, General Tian Heng is in Nanyang City, and that capable little brat in Liuzhou's main city has also been taken away by the lord. It might not be good for you to leave as well."
Wei Gongcheng was also somewhat at a loss for words.
As the ruler of the Underworld, he not only manages matters of the yin and yang, but also assists the door gods in preventing demons. According to Seventh Master Shen's suspicion, a demon of the Above First Rank has sneaked into Liuzhou City. It would indeed be inappropriate to leave Chen Ying here alone.
Chen Ying has grown rapidly in the past two years. With the Azure Dragon Inheritance, she has also made great strides in the field of array masters. Her current overall strength is approaching that of Above First Rank master. Master Seventh Master Shen has praised her talent many times. However, as close as she is, she still cannot compare with a true Above First Rank veteran sorcerer. Moreover, Chen Ying focuses on academics and her practical combat ability is probably lacking. If the two of them leave and the hidden demon suddenly attacks, Chen Ying may not even be able to hold out until they come to her rescue.
"Then be careful," Wei Gongcheng earnestly advised.
"Why would you need to worry about me?" Seventh Master Shen chuckled.
At nearly two hundred years old, I've traveled all over the country and seen all sorts of things. I never thought that one day I would be worried about by a junior.
Shaking his head, Seventh Master Shen said, "I'll be counting on you while I'm away in Liuzhou City. Make sure the opening ceremony goes smoothly tomorrow."
Don't worry.
"Should we wake Murong Yunji?" Chen Ying couldn't help but ask, noticing how wary the two of them were.
Murong Yunji began her seclusion about ten days ago. It is said that she has been staying in Great Azure Mountain for many years, where the spiritual energy is abundant, and she has a chance to break through the Windwalking Technique. However, with the current tense situation, that woman has been eating and drinking for free in the faction for so long, it is time for her to do something.
"Don't rush to call her," Seventh Master Shen shook his head.
"Why?" Chen Ying was taken aback.
"My sister-in-law is a short-tempered person," Seventh Master Shen chuckled. "After all, we can't be sure if something really is wrong. If we drag her out of seclusion for a little suspicion, she'll probably throw a tantrum."
"Well," Chen Ying finally said with a wry smile, "It seems so."
"Then that's settled. You all stay here and guard Liuzhou City. Make sure there are no problems during tomorrow's opening ceremony. If there's any emergency, notify me immediately using the Thousand-Eye Technique, and I'll arrive as quickly as possible."
"Alright, then please be careful, Seventh Master."
Shen Qi waved his hand, and a gentle breeze swept by, carrying him away until he quickly became a black dot on the Great Azure Mountain.
Wei Gongcheng watched the spot where the other person had left, his brows furrowed. Seventh Master's allocation was indeed reasonable, yet he felt a strange unease, and this feeling was growing stronger.
Seventh Master Shen did not actually go directly to Great Azure Mountain alone, but instead found a place at the foot of the mountain that had been overlooked for a long time.
That was the old man who had been living in seclusion in this location for a year, relying on Wei Gongzhan to survive.
"What brings you here today, Seventh Master?"
The old man, dressed in black, lived in a thatched hut along the river in Great Azure Mountain. He neither participated in planting nor communicated with others. He spent his days fishing and tending to his flowers. Many people in the nearby Great Azure Mountain knew about this strange old man.
Occasionally, they would trade farm produce from the mountains for the fresh fish the old man caught.
The old man was none other than Hei Yun, who had fled here during the war. After lying low for more than half a year, he finally realized that he was also being monitored. So he simply stopped pretending and openly lived at the foot of Great Azure Mountain, eating and drinking for free.
Occasionally, when Wei Gongcheng and Shen Qi had some free time, they would come over for a chat.
"That kid Wei Gongzhan, he's certainly been generous with his wine offerings." Shen Qi sniffed the room full of the Blood Ginseng Wine and chuckled, "His wine's been really popular lately, it's in high demand everywhere, and you, on the other hand, have managed to fill the entire wine cellar by yourself."
"Just kidding, he's a senior, after all," Hei Yun said nonchalantly, picking his teeth. "What's wrong with drinking a little wine with him? Back when I was in my prime, let alone him, even if the head of the Wei Household wanted to give me a bottle of wine, he wouldn't have the right."
"Ha, you old codger, you sure know how to pat yourself on the back." Shen Qi casually sat down to the side, picked up a bottle of wine, and took a sip.
"Hmm, this is truly fine wine, but it's a bit too nourishing for us sorcerers. You old codger, aren't you afraid of having too much qi and blood from drinking so much every day?"
"I'm doing just fine!" Hei Yun rolled his eyes at the other person. "You don't come here unless you need something. So, what's up? You've been pretty busy lately, haven't you? Why did you suddenly think of coming to see this old man?"
Something from the capital has infiltrated Jiangnan.
Hei Yun's previously carefree expression vanished instantly, and his body, which had been as drunk as a rag doll, stiffened instantly!
He slowly sat up straight, staring intently at the other person. "Are you trying to scare me?"
"I didn't mean to scare you, but it was a warning in advance." Seventh Master Shen's playful expression vanished, and he said seriously, "When I went to the capital to set up the Thousand-Eye Grand Formation, strangely enough, there were almost no obstacles. It went too smoothly. At the time, I wondered what that thing in the capital that controlled the palace was up to, being so indifferent to such a major event as the opening of the Ancient Dragon Palace."
"But just a few days ago, I realized something was wrong."
He then recounted his previous suspicions and the unusual behavior he had noticed on Shen Xue's side.
"So, you set up Thousand Eyes technique on a young, unmarried girl?" Hei Yun looked at the other person. "Your technique is really convenient."
"That's not the point!" Shen Qi rolled her eyes at the other person. "Why do you all care about this?"
"How can I not care?" Hei Yun glared and said, "You see it every day, so you think it's a given?"
Shen Qi: "."
"According to what you say, there are indeed some coincidences," Hei Yun stroked his chin. "But why are you telling me this? I'm not Chen Qing's subordinate. Even if he has some schemes or plots against me in secret, what does it have to do with me?"
"Then why have you been hiding here?"
"What do you mean by hiding?" Hei Yun jumped up immediately. "I'm a hermit, don't you understand?"
Shen Qi was too lazy to play along and said directly, "Alright then, hermit, would you do me the honor of coming with me today? If you refuse, you can't be a hermit anymore."
"What's the meaning?"
It means they're kicking you out.
"You"
"Alright, old man!" Shen Qi's face darkened. "Whether the thing that came is something you're afraid of or not, you can't escape it. You've been eating and drinking for free for so long, you should at least do something, right?"
"Hey!" Hei Yun first let out a cold laugh in anger, but seeing the other party's increasingly serious expression, he finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you serious?"
"So you thought I was just playing around with you?"
Hei Yun remained silent, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. After a long while, he finally stood up and said, "I haven't eaten much from you, yet you're ordering me around. Let me tell you, those few meals and bottles of wine at Chen Qing's place aren't worth my life. If any danger arises, I'll abandon you immediately."
It's a deal!
"Tell me, what do you need this old man for?"
"Come with me first to check on someone's condition."
"Who?"
"The legendary leader of the Ten Great Sorcerers of the Great Jin Dynasty: Ziyue!"
Hei Yun: "."
--
" Xiaoli, what brings you here again?"
As soon as Wei Gongzhan entered the room, he saw the little girl lying on his bed. Her fluffy white tail was wagging, and with her chubby face, she was almost too cute.
Wei Gongzhan didn't really like children in the past, but now he was unusually patient with this girl. Of course, this was also related to her status, after all, she was the girl with the purest royal blood.
"It's so late, you should be going home by now, right?" Wei Gongzhan smiled, put down his fishing rod, and walked over with a grin. "If you don't go home soon, won't your mother worry?"
"She wouldn't worry about Xiaoli!" the little girl said angrily, her cheeks puffed out.
"What's wrong?" Wei Gongzhan asked with amusement. In his memory, the little girl rarely spoke ill of her mother. Although he didn't like the little prince's mother either, after all, she was a demon with blood on her hands who had once murdered the highly respected matriarch of the Yuchi Household.
"Recently, that strange man has been clinging to my mother a lot, making her act all weird. He also makes strange noises all the time, and I don't dare to go near him."
"Uh..." Wei Gongzhan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He wanted to ask what was so strange about it, but in the end, he didn't have the nerve to pry into such matters from a little girl. So, he patiently said, "Your Highness, adults are often like that. You'll understand when you grow up."
"Grow up?" The little girl was taken aback. "Will you eat people when you grow up?"
"It will happen when you grow up."
"."
What did you just say?