Of Course I Had to Look for You
The Gong Household kept their word; Sang Ying didn't stay in the new courtyard for long before Jiang Zhuoxue was sent back.
This guy is such a drama queen. The moment he walked in, he couldn't wait to say to Sang Ying, "I thought you were going to let someone else take me away. You actually came looking for me?"
For a moment, Sang Ying paused, feeling the ambiguous gazes coming from all directions. She felt that this was even more painful than sending her to slay Devil Beast on the snowy plains!
Suppressing a strange sense of shame, Sang Ying grasped his outstretched hand. "Of course I came to find you."
Her words were stiff, but the onlookers had a completely different feeling about them.
The tall, slender man walked step by step to the female cultivator's side, and the two nestled together, creating a beautiful scene.
Looking at the female cultivator who seemed even more imposing than a few years ago, Gong Chengsi couldn't help but compare her to Sang Ying and Jimo Qing.
These two are truly worthy of being siblings; they are both so outstanding. Even though Jimo Zanxing was not well-known from a young age, she was still able to defend Rizhao City at a crucial moment.
Comparing himself to his two brothers, Gong Chengsi felt an indescribable jealousy. If only he had a sister like that, the Gong Household wouldn't have to rely solely on that Wisdom Eyes to barely survive.
Sang Ying had no idea what these people were thinking, but she quietly withdrew her hand from Jiang Zhuoxue's grasp. "Do you gentlemen have anything else to say? If not, then please forgive me for not being able to keep you company any longer."
She didn't act like an outsider at all, treating the courtyard as her own territory.
Fortunately, the Gong Household father and son were already familiar with the temperament of the young lady from the clan, and they showed no sign of anger, so they obediently withdrew from the courtyard.
Once only Sang Ying and a few others remained in the courtyard, Jiang Zhuoxue bent down and said, "I've solved such a huge problem for you, how are you going to thank me? Compared to those who only know how to hold you back, aren't I much more useful?"
Fang Chi, whose smile hadn't yet faded:??!
Hai Tingzhou was just about to come and celebrate:??!
"So, are you going to abandon them and only support me?" Jiang Zhuoxue's cool fingertips landed on Sang Ying's wrist. The person who had always hated her own appearance was now using this beautiful face to bewitch her beloved.
However, the female swordsman pushed him away again, speaking expressionlessly, "You're probably mistaken. You're the only one here who's being taken care of by me. Besides, there's no question of abandoning one of us among the three of us."
These words instantly extinguished the anger in Fang Chi's heart. Even though Jiang Zhuoxue couldn't see it, she still threw a provocative look at him.
Hai Tingzhou smiled knowingly and said to the others, "Alright, we've finally reunited, let's go inside and talk."
Sang Ying nodded in agreement, and Fang Chi took the opportunity to push Jiang Zhuoxue aside and occupy the spot next to Sang Ying. The two walked hand in hand into the house, leaving Jiang Zhuoxue alone in the courtyard.
Hai Tingzhou spoke up, "They went in together, why don't we go in together too?"
However, the long-haired beauty in front of him tilted her head, shook him off, and headed straight for Sang Ying. Her upright gait showed no sign of poor eyesight.
Hai Tingzhou sighed helplessly and followed him inside.
The small round table in the main hall suited everyone's taste perfectly. Fang Chi and Jiang Zhuoxue occupied the left and right sides of Sang Ying, while Hai Tingzhou sat down opposite Sang Ying with a wronged expression.
"Judging from today's observation, Gong Chengjue seems to have only a lukewarm view of his fiancée. Liang Ranyue is probably not satisfied with this marriage either. If we want to take action against the Gong Household, perhaps we can start here and incite internal strife within the Gong Household first."
Sang Ying didn't give them a chance to argue; as soon as they sat down, she took the initiative to steer the conversation to serious matters.
Sure enough, Fang Chi immediately forgot about Jiang Zhuoxue and said, "Today I also discovered that the eldest and second young masters of the Gong Household are only superficially friendly, and the head of the Gong Household has no real power. As the head of the family and an elder, being overshadowed by one's own son would make anyone resentful. This Gong Household is in a mess!"
A pair of Wisdom Eyes brought glory to the Gong Household, but also caused endless internal strife within the Gong Household.
The three discussed it for a while, while Jiang Zhuoxue simply sat quietly to the side and listened without making any comment.
After Fang Chi and the other man had finished explaining their findings, Sang Ying suddenly spoke again, "There's a very large formation set up in the inner city. To be honest, I think there seems to be something wrong with this formation."
Only at this moment did Jiang Zhuoxue raise her head as if she were interested.
"Is there something wrong with this formation?" Fang Chi asked.
They were also aware that the environment of the inner city was quite different from that of the outer city, and they knew that the Gong Household probably used some method to make the inner city so prosperous.
But judging from Sang Ying's words, this method is probably not a good approach.
Sang Ying swallowed a mouthful of hot tea and recalled the scene she had seen when she entered the inner city.
Those were countless strands of Spiritual Qi, constantly pouring into the city from Delusion-Breaking City. Although she didn't know the source of these strands of Spiritual Qi, she understood that this was the reason for the prosperity of the inner city.
"I'm afraid I need to investigate this matter further. I plan to visit the Gong Household tonight. I'll need your help to cover for me then." Sang Ying said this to Fang Chi and Hai Tingzhou, seemingly having completely given up hope on Jiang Zhuoxue.
Jiang Zhuoxue showed no dissatisfaction, but the smile on his lips always made Sang Ying feel somewhat afraid.
There is no sun in Delusion-Breaking City. After night falls over the entire snowfield, there is not even half a star in the sky above the inner city.
The night patrol guards moved back and forth between the most important courtyards, afraid that they might miss something important and displease their masters, thus being sent away from the mansion to guard the inner city gate.
That's not a good job. If you get sent out, you might never come back.
Suddenly, a soft rustling sound reached his ears. The guard whirled around and shouted, "Who?!"
But there was no one behind him, as if only a gust of wind had blown by.
His companion was startled by his sudden outburst and advised him, "You don't need to be so careful. Our inner city is heavily guarded; outsiders definitely can't get in."
The guard was new and hadn't gotten used to the rules yet. Hearing this, he smiled sheepishly and said, "I was being too sensitive."
After saying that, the group continued their patrol along the route, except for the guard who glanced behind him.
He really did feel something pass by behind him earlier. Could it be that he was mistaken?
Urged on by his companions, the guard quickened his pace, putting the earlier incident behind him.
Only after the night patrol team left did Sang Ying secretly breathe a sigh of relief. She looked in the direction the patrol team had come from, pondering where she should go next.
At this moment, she was among the artificial rocks in the palace garden, not far from the residences of the Gong Household's masters.
Just as Sang Ying was pondering, her hand accidentally touched a protruding rock on the mountain.
The stone suddenly shrank back in, and the accompanying "crack" sound startled Sang Ying.
Her first instinct was to leave, lest the commotion attract attention.
But soon, Sang Ying stopped in her tracks.
Because he noticed that beneath the artificial rockery, a dark opening had appeared, seemingly a secret passage...