After being away for many days, the real world was approaching the end of the year, but in the game world, the tips of the grass and leaves still gleamed with a hint of fresh green.
The autumn waters were freezing. Nan Zhi leapt out of the great river where she had been hiding. With her cultivation having surged, she rode the wind directly, shaking off her pursuers in moments.
Instead of heading toward Bianjing, she turned around, made a wide loop, and went straight back to Dingyuan.
Having fled for several days, her greatest concern was the Nan family. If not for her fear of bringing disaster upon them, she would have returned home long ago.
Right now, taking advantage of Huiyuan being held down in Xingyuan, the attention of most practitioners within the Great Song was focused on him.
No one would expect a mere Qi Refinement practitioner to have the courage to walk right into the trap by returning to the territory under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery.
Boosted by her dharma treasures, it took only a few breaths for Nan Zhi to land above Dingyuan. Sure enough, near the Nan family's home in Lingbai Alley, she sensed over a dozen different divine senses.
The auras of these people were a mix of good and bad, but they were likely all here for her.
Although there was a consensus in the cultivation world that they “must not strike mortals,” it did not stop them from lying in wait here.
“Go!”
Nan Zhi tapped the air, and eight paper figures transformed into eight points of spiritual light, shooting straight toward the various practitioners hiding in the shadows!
The paper figures were not living things. They drifted down from the clouds without a sound, and surprisingly, not a single person noticed them.
In the blink of any eye, over a dozen scouts with Qi Refinement stage cultivation went limp, collapsing half-paralyzed onto the ground.
Subduing over a dozen fellow practitioners in a single exchange?!
What kind of wicked technique was this?!
Everyone was instantly horrified. They immediately realized that the rogue demon suppressor who had defected from the Demon Suppression Division had likely appeared.
Some tried to call for help, only to find their meridians completely blocked and their spiritual energy draining away bit by bit—
This fellow is definitely not at the Qi Refinement stage!!
Before these practitioners could even speak, over a dozen tree roots and blades of grass sprouted from the ground, firmly binding the scattered crowd.
Nan Zhi swept her gaze over her fellow practitioners and spotted a few wearing the purple robes of the Demon Suppression Division. With a plan forming in her mind, she wasted no words and headed straight into the Nan family courtyard.
The Nan family was not here.
Nan Zhi had already known this when she scanned the area with her divine sense earlier.
The Nan family's small courtyard remained exactly as it had been when she left.
To the east hung the iron hooks Nan Dazhuang used for hanging pigs, and the half-upright bench was covered in dark, dried bloodstains, mostly left behind from when Nan Yi and Nan Dazhuang slaughtered pigs.
The kitchen door stood wide open, a row of pickle jars lined the side of the yard, and two slabs of cured meat and cured fish hung haphazardly, still bearing the marks of knife cuts.
The rooms were also very tidy, with clothes and quilts neatly folded. The sewing basket Nan Ye used for needlework sat beside her pillow, containing a piece of embroidery that had been hastily set aside halfway through.
It did not look like someone had broken in by force to take them away.
Nan Zhi scanned the area with her divine sense, unwilling to miss any clues. To her surprise, in a corner of the kitchen, she discovered eight small characters written in soot:
“Mayflies shaking the heavens, born at dawn and dying at dusk.”
Just as she was utterly baffled, she suddenly sensed someone rapidly approaching. Upon seeing the newcomer's identity, Nan Zhi's brow twitched. She leapt onto the roof, intentionally leading the person out of the city—
“Tofu! Delicious tofu, freshly ground tofu...”
“Selling fruit! Sweet, delicious fruit! Perilla ginger! Pear-meat sweets, dried preserved plums!”
“New arrivals at our shop! ‘Thousand-Day Drunk’ and ‘Pear Flower Brew’! Drink hot wine in autumn with a bite of honey-glazed roasted rabbit or Bo-Xia-Gong hotpot—even immortals wouldn't trade it!”
“Freshly arrived fine satin, shipped by water from the north! Come have a look, ma'am, come check it out! My fabrics are top-tier!”
The street vendors in Lingbai Alley continued to shout and hawk their wares as usual, completely unaware of what had just transpired.
...
In the outskirts of the city, two figures—one in black, one in purple—arrived one after the other, heading into a dense forest of bamboo. Green waves rippled in a sea of vibrant green; though it was already late autumn, the bamboo forest remained lush and verdant.
However, no matter how one looked at it, the person in the black clothing seemed to have intentionally lured the pursuer here.
“Fellow Daoist Nan! Please wait!”
The practitioner dressed in purple finally spoke, his face filled with helplessness:
“You clearly recognized me just now. Since you know I wouldn't raise a hand against a friend, why did you go through the trouble of leading me all the way out here?”
“Though Dingyuan is remote, it is still under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery. I have no desire to fight my fellow Daoists from the Demon Suppression Division, but I also feared that any clash might catch the common folk in the crossfire.”
Nan Zhi landed gracefully on the tip of a bamboo stalk. Folding her arms over her chest, she looked down at the newcomer:
“We haven't met in many days, and you look as dashing as ever, Fellow Daoist Shen. But where has Fellow Daoist Hua gone? Are you here to capture me this time, or to persuade me to surrender?”
The newcomer was indeed Shen Luohe, whom Nan Zhi had met only once but had come to regard as a friend.
“If I didn't already know you had a mischievous streak, I would have certainly taken offense at that question.
It's also a good thing my junior sister isn't here. Otherwise, if she heard you say that, she would have poked a few holes in you with her sword.”
Shen Luohe rolled his eyes in annoyance:
“You went to Bianjing and didn't return for months. Before you left, you even entrusted Xijian and me to look after your family. I thought your righteous deeds on this trip would surely make your name known across the land.
Who would have thought that while you did make a name for yourself, and every practitioner in the Great Song now knows of Nan Zhi, it is an infamous one.
Rest assured, both Xijian and I know that with your character of hating evil with a passion—especially since you were willing to go to such lengths for Wanniang, a complete stranger—there is no way you could have committed such heinous acts.
As for your family, they were taken to the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery to be hidden long ago. You don't need to worry.”
“Thank you. It seems there are still one or two clear-sighted people in this world.”
Tapping her toes lightly, Nan Zhi drifted down with supreme grace:
“I knew that entrusting my family to you two back then was the wisest choice. Thank you.”
“I didn't get a close look earlier, but now that I'm paying attention, your attire is far more luxurious than before. Tsk, tsk, a Black Heavenly Silk Garment—worth a hundred taels of gold per inch.”
Shen Luohe pulled out his fan and teased:
“It seems your temporary transfer to Bianjing wasn't entirely without reward.”
—Nan Zhi was a fourth-class demon suppressor under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery. Her previous journey to Bianjing had been a temporary transfer to assist with an investigation.
Strictly speaking, she belonged to the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery, and Shen Luohe, as a Supervisory Officer of the monastery, was technically her half-superior.
“To investigate the human trafficker case in the Ghost Market, I tracked down the evil cultivator Duan Chunming alongside... other members of the Demon Suppression Division, which is why I wore this disguise.
I've been hunted these past days, sleeping in the wild, and haven't even had the chance to change.”
Nan Zhi subconsciously touched Xu Zi's true form bound to her waist. She did not mention her, only saying with an effort:
“I wonder if my family is doing well? Did my troubles implicate them?”
Shen Luohe waved his fan, his expression faltering for a moment before he offered a somewhat strained smile:
“Of course they are fine. You should know that although word came from Bianjing, the Temple Master has not cleared you from the registry of the Demon Suppression Division.
In principle, as long as you haven't been officially cleared from the registry, you remain a fourth-class demon suppressor under the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery, and others cannot touch you.
When you first took office, you were so consumed by Wanniang's grievances and determined to plead her case in Bianjing that you didn't light a Heart-Fire Longevity Lamp or leave an Essence-Blood Life Tablet in the monastery. Now that you've returned, you really ought to pay your respects to the old master.
Such being the case, perhaps your name can be cleared, and your innocence restored soon.”
The Temple Master of the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery?
Wasn't that the master of Shen Luohe and Hua Xijian—Daoist Qinglong?
Rate on N.U.
