To be honest, it wasn't that she had no choice; Murong Bingyun really didn't want to get involved in Shen Xue's affairs.
Unfortunately, the Central Plains always looked down on the Ancient Desolation Kingdom. They had virtually no chance of using marriage alliances like those of the aristocratic families in the capital. Many people were quite averse to marrying people from the Ancient Guhuang Ancient Desolation Kingdom or marrying women from the Ancient Desolation Kingdom were more unrestrained and completely different from women from the Central Plains. In their eyes, this was licentiousness. In addition, the Ancient Desolation Kingdom had a tradition of serving demons with one's body, which made the people of the Central Plains even more uncomfortable.
Back then, the Shen Family took the initiative to marry the legitimate daughter of the Ancient Desolation Kingdom, which was almost the only time in the Central Plains families to do so in the last hundred years. The last time was probably three hundred years ago in the previous dynasty, which shows how much the Central Plains was averse to marriage alliances with the Guhuang.
However, traditional communication methods are too slow, so the best approach for promising individuals like Shen Xue is to bestow favors and then bind them with shared interests.
Shen Xue's personal value is definitely not as useful as winning over the locals in Jiangnan. After all, she and her group of people took the special exam, and their basic knowledge is not much better than theirs.
Once you have one friend from the Central Plains, you can gradually build a new circle of friends through her. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Only after you get started can the disciples of the Northern Wasteland have a place in the academies in Jiangnan. Murong Bingyun very clear about this. Otherwise, if she is always ostracized, she will definitely have a hard time moving forward.
Following Shen Xue, Murong Bingyun arrived at the other side of the restaurant. Seeing that the number of people around him was decreasing, he quickly sped up and approached.
Seeing her swaying precariously, Murong Bingyun stepped forward and immediately supported her. The other party was already engaged, so her behavior was not appropriate. However, she was not old and was still a minor, so she would not be as sensitive or embarrassed.
"Is Miss Shen alright?"
Shen Xue snapped out of her daze, looked at Murong Bingyun with obvious panic in her eyes, and nodded, saying, "I'm fine, thank you, Young Murong."
"Today's banquet is a victory celebration, Miss Shen, why do you seem somewhat flustered?"
Shen Xue glanced at the other person, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I don't know. I've had a bad feeling since this morning. I've been restless, especially when I sat down to take my seat just now. I had a feeling that something terrible would happen no matter which table I sat at."
"Oh?" Murong Bingyun frowned upon hearing this. "Persecution complex?"
"Delusion?" Shen Xue was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"It's like being influenced by evil spirits, developing a delusion that something bad could happen anywhere. Human Dao destiny governs life, and the more you think like this, the more misfortune will strip away your luck, causing you to flee your original safe place and enter a deadly abyss!"
"Young Master, you..." Shen Xue was taken aback. He knew about the evil thing the other person mentioned?
"I knew it from the first time I met Miss Shen," Murong Bingyun said gently, "Don't be afraid. Your situation is very common in our area. Evil gods are everywhere in the Ancient Desolation Kingdom. Even ordinary people sometimes make offerings to some inexplicable things, such as praying for a good harvest, wealth, or children. Although most of them don't end well, these evil spirits can often fulfill your requests in the early stages."
"What did Murong say? I don't understand." Shen Xue took a step back, creating some distance.
"Miss Shen, there's no need for this," Murong Bingyun shook her head. "I didn't mean to threaten you. Most evil gods are incapable of being enlightened. I believe your mathematical aptitude is inherent to you. Miss Shen used that evil object to compensate for your lack of meditation aptitude, right? There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone's talents are different, and it's normal to have some shortcomings. With the level of spiritual energy in Jiangnan, once you're in, even if your meditation aptitude is a bit lacking, your achievements won't be too far off, will they?"
Shen Xue silently looked at the other person, this boy who looked to be only ten years old, as if he had stripped her naked and told her all his secrets.
In an instant, she knew she couldn't hide anymore.
"What exactly does Young Master Murong want?"
"Miss Shen, please don't misunderstand. I just want to make friends; I have no ill intentions." Seeing that the other party was becoming increasingly wary, Murong Bingyun knew she couldn't beat around the bush anymore and said directly, "I believe you also know that although this evil god worship can fulfill some conditions in the short term, getting entangled with it often comes at a huge price. Moreover, judging from what I see on Miss Shen, it's quite extraordinary. If you don't get away soon, I fear a great disaster may befall you!"
Shen Xue: "."
In truth, she had her own feelings. That straw man was becoming increasingly eerie, especially lately. The frequent displays of malice kept her awake at night. She also sensed that simply throwing that thing away wouldn't work.
Sure enough, after passing the exam yesterday, when she wanted to throw away the straw doll, she discovered that it was gone!!
This had kept her in a state of tension all day, and now, after what the other person said, her mental defenses crumbled instantly. "What should I do?"
Seeing that the other party finally showed such a helpless attitude, Murong Bingyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. What she feared most was that the other party would remain vigilant, so that she could not get close to him even if she wanted to.
"Miss Shen, please don't be hasty. Our Northern Wasteland families have a lot of experience in exorcising evil spirits. After all, there are many powerful evil gods in the Northern Desolation Kingdom. Over the years, our families have suppressed countless ones!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Xue felt somewhat relieved and then recounted the recent situation in detail.
"Disappeared?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Bingyun was taken aback; this was the first time he had ever heard of such a situation.
Most evil gods cannot directly manifest their true forms; they rely on mediums. Generally, a medium can only exert influence when it is close to its host. So, if Shen Xue lost the straw doll and found that she couldn't get rid of it no matter what she did, and the doll always came back, that would be normal. But for it to leave Shen Xue on its own initiative, that would be abnormal.
Furthermore, if the evil medium is no longer by Shen Xue's side, where did the malice that Shen Xue sensed come from?
Murong sensed that things were not so simple.
Is it possible that it's in Miss Shen's room?
"I don't know." Shen Xue shook her head, her face pale. "I didn't dare to look. I had a feeling of impending doom when I was in my room, so I ran out early in the morning and wandered the streets until I attended the academy's opening ceremony."
"Is that so?" After thinking for a moment, Murong finally said, "In that case, if it's convenient for Miss Shen, may I go to the room to check?"
"This..." Shen Xue hesitated for a moment, "Is it just the two of us going? Should we call some others?"
Murong chuckled upon hearing this, "Who does Miss Shen want to call? Someone from the Jiangnan government? But how will Miss Shen explain that? Surely you don't want the government to know about your worship of evil spirits, do you?"
Shen Xue: "."
" Murong, don't you have some companions?"
"It's not convenient to bring them along." Murong shook his head. "There are only so many people in my Northern Desolation Kingdom to begin with. If they all come out, it will easily attract attention."
"This"
"Actually, Miss Shen doesn't need to worry too much," Murong said with a smile. "Evil beings are indeed generally powerful in their physical form, but most powerful evil gods cannot appear directly. They need to exert influence through mediums, by worshipping their followers and bestowing power upon them to make them act as henchmen. They rarely take action themselves."
He paused for a moment, then said, "To be honest, the gods in the legends of Jiangnan are quite similar to those evil gods, except that the gods here seem to be more righteous and in harmony with this land, unlike those evil beings rejected by heaven and earth."
He shook his head and continued, "Once I find its medium, I'll have a way to eliminate it. According to Miss Shen, that thing doesn't have any other followers now, so the methods it can use are actually limited."
"Is that so?" Shen Xue's tense expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this. The other person's confident demeanor did indeed give her a great deal of reassurance.
"In that case, I'll leave you in your care, sir!"
Hearing the other person finally ask for help, Murong immediately smiled and said, "We're all classmates, no need to be so formal."
--
" Beiyu, where is Murong?"
A tall man searched the restaurant for a long time before finally finding Beiyu and his group's table. He quickly came over and, seeing that Murong, who was in the main seat, was not there, asked curiously.
"Where did you go?" Beiyu frowned as she looked at the other person.
The tall man was named Wutu Yun, a key disciple of the Wutu Family. He was almost thirty years old this year and had achieved good results in the assessment on behalf of the Wutu Family, thus gaining admission to the Heaven Academy.
"Oh, didn't the opening ceremony just end? I wandered around the academy out of curiosity, looking at some new things. Murong was right, many things in Jiangnan have the potential to change the world. I think we need to get our family members to step up their efforts and send more over, especially to the Xuanhuang and Xuanhuang academies. It would be crucial for our Northern Wolf to get more members in!"
"Let's put that aside for now," Beiyu said somewhat irritably, "Did you see Murong when you came over?"
"Wasn't he with you?" Wutu Yun, taken aback.
"He went to see that woman from the Shen Family. I have a bad feeling about this," Beiyu said, standing up. "You'd better go. No, I'll go with you."
"Is this necessary?" Wutu Yun asked blankly, " Murong is sensible and won't do anything reckless. Besides, she's so young, she won't be swayed by beauty."
"It's not this idiot!" Beiyu interrupted impatiently, "I have a bad feeling, something might happen to Murong!"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, everyone became serious.
Most of the eldest daughters of the Beiyu Family possess prophetic talents, making them one of the long-term heirs of the High Priest of the Northern Wolf Kingdom. Beiyu is exceptionally gifted, and although she is still young, she has already achieved remarkable results in prophecy. She said that something bad was going to happen to Murong.
This is no joke!!
"Walk!!"