Watch Out for Yourself
Sang Ying turned her head and saw the young man sitting upright at the table, naturally holding a cup of spiritual tea and drinking it.
This was a treasured item she had kept for a long time. Jiang Zhuoxue had been very resistant when she took it out before, but now she was quite "self-aware".
"What, can't I drink this tea?" The boy noticed her looking at his cup and immediately spoke sarcastically.
Sang Ying walked back to the table and poured herself a cup. "No, it's just that it's late. I was worried you wouldn't sleep well if you drank tea, and you'd be making a fuss tonight."
These words made the boy blush. He knew that Sang Ying was deliberately bringing up the time when he secretly ran out at night, almost got caught, and had to slink back home.
That night, Sang Ying was indeed disturbed several times.
"Hmph, it's just a cup of spiritual tea, I can afford it!" With that, he downed the tea in one gulp. "What did those Demon Race say?"
This is the reason why the boy has waited so long tonight.
"I've already given them the topographical map you drew. The rest is up to them. But judging from their expressions, they're probably already interested. It won't be long before they come knocking on our door," Sang Ying said.
But the boy was not satisfied with this answer, "How long is 'not long'? I can wait, but I'm afraid Duan Yuan can't."
The city lord naturally took out the Source Origin-Tracing Mirror, but since there was only one Origin-Tracing Mirror, it could only reflect one person's past at a time. Therefore, they could only divide the area and investigate one place at a time.
They simply didn't know where Duan Yuan would start his investigation, or how quickly he would find them.
"Don't worry," Sang Ying put down her teacup, "We'll definitely be faster than him."
The boy remained silent; he had not yet placed his trust in the person before him, even though she had been helping him all this time.
He silently concealed his true intentions and secretly made some preparations behind the scenes. If the Demon Race couldn't be relied upon, he would have to think of other methods.
The idea of cooperating with the Demon Race was proposed by Jiang Zhuoxue herself. Sang Ying had only been here for a short time and was unaware that there were third-party forces in the city.
Although Jiang Zhuoxue was still young, he was not entirely stupid. He knew that the city's underground forces had been operating for many years, and Duan Yuan's outburst would definitely lead to a confrontation with them.
That's why he took the initiative to draw a map of the city lord's mansion and had Sang Ying hand it over to them as a pledge of loyalty.
With this, they could then discuss what came next.
And what Sang Ying said about being able to leave the city lord's mansion safely was not a lie.
However, she hasn't told Jiang Zhuoxue about this yet. After all, this boy is young, but his thoughts are no less complex than hers when she grew up.
She glanced at the young man before her. He still refused to take off his black robe, but after these past few days, he had finally taken off his hood.
Those gray eyes, formed from the Spirit-Stabilizing Pearl, were devoid of any spirit, leaving one somewhat disappointed.
After receiving news about the Demon Race, the young man went back to his room to rest. But as soon as he closed the door, he heard a soft sigh outside, seemingly filled with pity.
The boy paused, a strange emotion welling up inside him.
But he quickly suppressed these emotions. What he wanted was freedom and power, not anyone's pity!
Just as Sang Ying had guessed, the Demon Race responded quickly, even faster than she had imagined. Chen Ci sent her the message almost as soon as the city lord's mansion's investigation began.
That night, Sang Ying dressed up again as before, got up to go out, and Jiang Zhuoxue personally saw her to the door.
"You... you be careful." For reasons unknown, he uttered those words.
Sang Ying was taken aback, but still nodded in agreement.
Because Chen Ci led the way last time, Sang Ying quickly found the gathering place of the Demon Race this time.
As soon as she pushed open the door, the room was packed with people, including some she had never seen before, who were also there tonight.
The old man was still leading the way. He greeted Sang Ying and explained, "Tonight's matter is of great importance, so I called back more people. You don't mind, do you?"
Elder Xuan asked cautiously, his face full of kindness. But under the intense gazes of everyone in the room, if Sang Ying dared to answer "I mind," she would probably have a hard time leaving the room.
After all, they already had the topographical map. At worst, their movements would be more difficult and more Demon Race would be sacrificed, but they could still save the lives of most of their people.
Having thought all this through, Sang Ying replied with exceptional politeness, "Of course not, having more of us makes things easier."
Upon hearing this, the Demon Race inside the house softened their expressions considerably.
"I've heard that you've already investigated the City Lord's Mansion. You should have a good idea of whether this map is real or fake by now, right?" Sang Ying was led to sit down by Elder Xuan. As soon as she sat down, she couldn't wait to ask.
"That is certainly true, but a mere topographical map is not enough to dispel our doubts about you, fellow Daoist," Elder Xuan said, stroking his beard.
This seemed to be a signal. Liu Sanniang, who had been sitting quietly to the side, immediately stood up and looked at Sang Ying: "You are a Human Race, and you seem to have good aptitude. Why do you want to cooperate with us Demon Cultivator?"
Liu Sanniang's vertical pupils exuded immense pressure, and when she faced Sang Ying directly, her aura was not much weaker than that of the Elder Xuan.
"So that's what you're worried about." Sang Ying was prepared for this question. "To be honest, I escaped from the city lord's dungeon."
Sanniang's vertical pupils contracted, seemingly surprised by Sang Ying's frankness.
Sang Ying continued, "I'm not exactly a good person, but I don't consider myself bad enough to deserve being locked up for life. Duan Yuan wants me to die in his dark dungeon—he's dreaming! Now that I've escaped, I will never go back!"
Liu Sanniang was taken aback, not expecting this answer. But after she said that, the Demon Race understood why this person knew the layout of the city lord's mansion; he probably remembered it when he escaped earlier.
Those who had previously scouted the route also mentioned that there were a few discrepancies, likely because the city lord's mansion was later rebuilt, altering some of its layout.
After comparing the several accounts, they reluctantly began to believe Sang Ying's identity.
Now that the issue of identity is resolved, the next step is to figure out how to successfully destroy the city lord's mansion again and then safely leave Corpse Soul City.
"We heard that you have a way for us to leave safely. Now that we're all here and on the same side, why don't you tell us?" Liu Sanniang then asked another question.
Sang Ying knew they were testing her, but fortunately she wasn't guilty. "Do you all know what's most abundant in this Corpse Soul City?"
This strange question made them all frown; some said it was a cultivator, others said it was a corpse puppet.
After they finished arguing, Sang Ying slowly spoke, "It's Yin Qi, the most sinister thing in the Cultivation World. And what can restrain this thing and cause chaos in the entire Corpse Soul City is the supremely Yang and powerful Heavenly Thunder!"