“What the… Jealous? Just like that? Was such a big reaction really necessary… That hurt.”
Yun Fei rubbed her slightly reddened wrist, pouting as she shot a reproachful look at Mu Lingxi’s retreating back.
At this moment, Yun Fei was starting to regret agreeing to Mu Lingxi’s confession so easily.
If the Saintess was this prone to jealousy, it was going to be a real headache for her!
Just as Yun Fei was grumbling inwardly, Mu Lingxi unexpectedly handed her a small bottle containing a thick liquid, practically stuffing it into her hand.
Yun Fei didn’t understand what Mu Lingxi was up to now and gave her a puzzled look.
“This is spirit ointment, for treating minor injuries… I overreacted a bit earlier, used too much force…”
After placing the ointment in Yun Fei’s hand, Mu Lingxi withdrew her own, her gaze fixed on the clouds in the distance as if her actions were nothing more than ordinary concern between companions.
Seeing Mu Lingxi suddenly soften like this, Yun Fei was momentarily at a loss for words to properly express her exasperation, so she simply let it go.
As for the spirit ointment, Yun Fei didn’t apply it.
She just temporarily stored it in her spatial storage.
This minor issue would fade on its own soon enough; it was no big deal.
From Mu Lingxi’s perspective, she probably just wanted to soothe my possibly wounded feelings, right?
Thinking this, Yun Fei decided not to dwell on it any further.
The flying boat operated very smoothly and was quite fast.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any rogue cultivators trying to rob them on the journey from the Academy to Qingzhou, so there were no significant delays.
In just two or three hours, they had already reached Qingzhou’s territory.
To avoid disturbing the city’s residents, the five of them parked the flying boat in a forest outside the city walls and disembarked.
Although Qingzhou City wasn’t a prominent place, the lives of its common people seemed reasonably comfortable.
There were no wandering refugees at the city gates, the gate guards didn’t collect any entry fees from those entering, and their attitude was quite friendly.
The streets inside the city were relatively clean and tidy.
It seemed the city lord who had sought their help was a rare, decent official.
However, as they were cultivators, a team of five handsome men and beautiful women was quite eye-catching in a city with few practitioners.
The commoners were curious but tactfully kept their distance.
After a brief stir, they returned to their busy daily routines.
Before long, under Dong Qi’s lead, the group successfully arrived at the main gate of the city lord’s manor.
Dong Qi handed a letter to one of the gate guards.
The two guards exchanged a glance, and one of them took the letter and hurried inside the compound to inform the master.
“Esteemed ones, if I may ask, are you the cultivators who have come at the city lord’s invitation to investigate the situation in Stone Village?”
The remaining guard suddenly inquired.
“Yes, brother. Might you know some details about the situation?”
Dong Qi, as the team leader, naturally took up the conversation.
“Oh, it’s like this. I originally came from Stone Village to make my way in the world. A few days ago, I heard from the city lord that something had happened in the village. While I felt relief for myself, I’m also worried. My parents, some of the older folks, and several of my siblings are still in the village… The rogue cultivators the lord recruited earlier have lost contact. Given the current situation, I fear the villagers are likely in grave danger… I know this might sound unreasonable, but I was hoping… could you esteemed immortals take me along when you go to investigate?”
Hearing this, Yun Fei frowned.
She found this guard somewhat odd.
He clearly knew the dangers inside, knew he’d be a burden, yet still insisted on going?
From Yun Fei’s observation, this man was indeed a mortal, with no fluctuations of spiritual power around him.
Even Star-Plucking Realm cultivators had been lost there before.
Him?
Was he that eager to die?
“You? You’re just a mortal, right? Even cultivators were lost there before. Aren’t you afraid? You insist on coming with us? We have a mission. We don’t want to split our focus protecting a burden like you!”
Yun Fei spoke without mincing words, though she felt she’d grown a bit softer after being around Mu Lingxi for so long.
In the past, if a deadweight insisted on tagging along, telling them to scram would have been the politest response she could muster.
But her words sounded rather harsh to others, especially to that guard.
His face stiffened, as if he hadn’t expected to be rejected so bluntly and thoroughly.
“Ah… Apologies. My junior sister here has a bit of a quick temper. Her words might be sharp, but she’s not wrong. You are a mortal. It’s better not to get involved in these matters.”
Dong Qi quickly signaled Yun Fei with his eyes.
Seeing this, Yun Fei immediately fell silent and quietly retreated to stand beside Mu Lingxi.
Yun Fei was utterly baffled.
She thought she had been quite tactful.
Why was she still being called sharp-tongued?
She nudged Mu Lingxi beside her with her elbow and complained in a very, very low voice, “Lingxi, you Profane Realm people and your social interactions are so troublesome. I really can’t get the hang of it. Team Leader Dong Qi’s thoughts are pretty much the same as mine, so why not use an efficient, straightforward way of communicating?… I really don’t get it…”
Seeing Yun Fei’s little elbow-nudge, Mu Lingxi’s cold expression unconsciously softened.
“It’s fine, Yun Fei. No need to force yourself to imitate. Just be yourself. I like the most authentic you, after all~”
Eww~ That’s so gross~
Hearing this, Yun Fei couldn’t help but shudder and subtly shifted a small step away.
The most authentic me?
Why didn’t you say you liked me when I was a guy, only saying it after I became a girl?
Yun Fei had her doubts about Mu Lingxi’s words.
Because the most authentic her was a guy!
And Mu Lingxi clearly didn’t like guys.
Wasn’t that a contradiction?
After this little interlude, the main gate of the city lord’s manor opened, and the guard who had gone to deliver the message came out.
“Esteemed immortals, the city lord is waiting in the main hall. Please follow me.”
Led by the guard, the group passed through a cobblestone path and entered the manor’s main hall used for receiving guests and holding discussions.
The city lord, named Zhao Tuqin, sat on the main seat with a deeply worried expression, chin resting on his hand.
Upon seeing them enter, he immediately stood up and came forward to greet them.
“Ah! Esteemed immortals! Thank you for your patience. Please, come in and sit! I’ve prepared a cup of Qingzhou’s famous Green Leaf Tea for each of you…”
“City Lord Zhao, there’s no need for formalities. Our time is limited. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Dong Qi interrupted Zhao Tuqin, cutting directly to the chase.
Seeing this, Zhao Tuqin had no choice but to wipe the smile from his face, immediately reverting to his worried expression.
“Very well. Since you’ve said so, I’ll skip the formalities. Let me brief you on the situation. Some time has passed since the Stone Village incident, so the information in my request for aid needs updating.”
“Currently, although Stone Village remains the only place where this has occurred, shortly after those rogue cultivators entered, our people stationed outside observed that the village was suddenly enveloped in a thick fog, making it impossible to see anything happening inside. Later, that fog began to continuously expand outward. Now, it has enveloped an entire mountain. Fortunately, Stone Village is the only settlement on that mountain; otherwise, the casualties might have been greater. I subsequently sent many people to investigate, but none returned… However, recently, I heard that a hunter who often hunts on that mountain, relying on his familiarity with the mountain paths, ventured into the mountains alone. And, surprisingly, he actually came back out!”
“I later sent people to question him, but they reported back that the man seemed possessed, constantly babbling nonsense. Nothing useful could be gleaned from him. Left with no choice, I brought him back and confined him in the dungeon beneath this manor. I’ve sought help from many folk practitioners, but he still hasn’t returned to normal. I wonder if you esteemed immortals have any means to resolve this?”
“Means? I’m not sure, but some of my junior brothers and sisters might have methods. Among them are those skilled in talismans, formations, and alchemy. We can have them try.”
Dong Qi glanced back at his team, finally settling his gaze on Liu Min.
“Junior Brother Liu, this sounds like something very sinister. Your talismans might be more effective here. Besides, apart from me, you have the highest cultivation among us.”
Liu Min was momentarily taken aback, then patted his chest.
“Understood, Senior Brother Dong. Leave it to me.”
“Good. City Lord Zhao, please lead the way.”
Dong Qi nodded to Zhao Tuqin and led the group as they followed the city lord into the dimly lit dungeon.
The dungeon was quite spacious and mostly empty, more like an extensive basement than a prison.
Some of the unused cells even contained piles of miscellaneous items.
It was debatable whether this counted as misusing public space, though if the dungeon was the city lord’s private property, that was another matter.
Passing by cells filled with stored goods, Zhao Tuqin led them to a cell with a floor covered in straw.
Inside, leaning against the wall, sat a middle-aged man with a stubbly beard.
Presumably, this was the hunter.
“Esteemed immortals, this is the hunter.”
“Understood, City Lord Zhao. Please wait outside for now.”
Dong Qi instructed the city lord to wait outside the cell, then led Yun Fei and the others inside.
“You… who are you? Don’t come near me! I’m telling you! I’m the best hunter in Old Pass Village! Don’t come near, or I’ll fight!”
The man barely lifted his eyes to see who had entered.
The moment he sensed someone approaching, he became agitated.
Although his words were threatening, his body very honestly shrank back further against the wall.
His demeanor made it seem as if they were some kind of terrifying monsters.
Seeing this, Liu Min, entrusted with the task by the team leader, frowned as he observed the man before speaking to the group.
“Based on my initial observation, there don’t seem to be any unclean entities attached to this fellow… Of course, discerning auras isn’t my strong suit, so I could be mistaken. For now, I can only try using an exorcism talisman.”
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