When Fang Xuan and Ning Xian returned to the inn, it was still early.
Both of them tacitly began to put on an act—since they were just going through the motions, they might as well make it look convincing.
They spread out the files copied from the Town Guard Manor in their room and engaged in a mock discussion regarding the potential activity patterns of the demonic cultivators.
While Fang Xuan traced possible retreat routes on the table with his finger, he observed Ning Xian out of the corner of his eye.
She looked down at the documents, her profile serene, occasionally nodding or offering a soft supplement.
About an hour later, Fang Xuan’s spiritual sense flickered slightly.
In the room next door, Shen Qingqing’s aura moved away.
He gave Ning Xian a meaningful look.
Ning Xian immediately set down her brush and looked up at him.
She nodded, stood up, and walked to the window, peering down at the street through the gaps in the window frames.
She saw Shen Qingqing, having changed her clothes, merge into the flow of people and head toward the west side of town.
"We agreed, this is only a probe."
Ning Xian turned around, her voice kept very low.
She walked over to Fang Xuan and looked up at him.
"Do not startle the enemy, and more importantly... do not put yourself in danger."
"Alright," Fang Xuan responded.
He knew perfectly well it was just a probe. Shen Chen was confident enough to send only a single Foundation Establishment disciple like Shen Qingqing to watch over a void core like him, so there was bound to be a backup plan.
Seeing how readily he agreed, Ning Xian’s brow furrowed slightly.
She knew this junior brother too well; the more readily he agreed, the more likely he was cooking up some "audacious" plan in his head.
She suddenly reached out, lightly tugging on Fang Xuan’s sleeve, her voice dropping even lower: "I will wait for you to come back..."
Hearing this, Fang Xuan’s heart fluttered slightly.
These words... why did they sound a bit like... ahem...
A doting wife instructing her husband before he headed out...
He quickly suppressed those strange thoughts and nodded.
"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I know what I'm doing."
Only then did Ning Xian let go of his sleeve and take half a step back, regaining her cold and aloof demeanor, though the tips of her ears turned quietly red.
........
Outside.
A fine drizzle began to fall at some point.
It was dense as needles, casting a layer of autumn chill over Qingshi Town.
Pedestrians on the street hurried along, opening various paper umbrellas.
Fang Xuan followed several dozen yards behind Shen Qingqing at a leisurely pace.
The curtain of rain and the crowds provided the perfect cover.
Shen Qingqing seemed quite familiar with the town, taking several twists and turns before finally stopping in front of a shop that looked quite old.
Three simple, unadorned characters were written on the shop sign: Jishi Hall.
The storefront was not large and carried the faint scent of an old apothecary.
Shen Qingqing looked left and right, and after confirming no one was paying attention, she pushed the door open and went inside.
Fang Xuan did not follow her in immediately.
He walked over to a stall across the street selling paper umbrellas and straw capes, pretending to browse while his spiritual sense quietly spread out to envelope Jishi Hall.
The light inside the hall was somewhat dim.
A withered old man sat behind the counter wearing lenses, slowly and methodically grinding medicinal powder.
Shen Qingqing walked to the counter and did not speak. She simply placed a black wooden token, about half the size of a palm, gently on the counter.
The old man stopped his movements and lifted his eyelids, his cloudy gaze resting on the token for a moment.
He looked at Shen Qingqing, then nodded.
Collecting the token, he stood up and tottered over to the medicine cabinet, pressing a spot in an inconspicuous corner.
There was a light "click."
A wooden panel on the side of the medicine cabinet slid open, revealing a pitch-black passage behind it.
Shen Qingqing did not hesitate and flashed inside.
The panel immediately slid shut, sealing seamlessly as if it had never been opened.
Fang Xuan withdrew his spiritual sense, a cold sneer playing at the corners of his mouth.
Jishi Hall... what kind of world were they "saving"?
More like saving up for Shen Chen’s private desires.
The paper umbrella he had just bought covered most of his face, leaving only his chin exposed.
He turned around, not planning to startle the enemy just yet.
Since he knew the hideout and had figured out the method of entry, his goal had been achieved.
The rain wove down diagonally, and the sky grew even gloomier.
Fang Xuan walked back along the path he had come.
As he turned a corner into a relatively quiet alleyway, his footsteps paused slightly.
Under the eaves at the alley entrance, a plain white figure stood silently.
It was Ning Xian.
She was also holding a plain paper umbrella, the surface tilted slightly to hide most of her face.
The fine rain formed a bead curtain along the edge of her umbrella; she seemed to have been waiting for a while.
Fang Xuan felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart, and much of the calculation and coldness from a moment ago vanished instantly.
He took a few quick steps toward Ning Xian.
He naturally closed his own paper umbrella and reached out to take the handle of the plain umbrella from her hand.
Ning Xian was startled by the movement; her hand felt empty as the umbrella was already in Fang Xuan’s grasp.
He was taller than Ning Xian, and as he held the umbrella, he naturally brought her under its cover.
Their distance closed as they shared the umbrella.
"The rain got a bit heavier," Ning Xian said softly, looking away toward the rainwater flowing deep into the alley.
"I bought an umbrella and just... checked the way back."
Checking the way back?
From the inn to this secluded alley, it wasn't the way back at all.
Fang Xuan chuckled inwardly but didn't expose her.
Senior Sister’s habit of being stubborn was quite cute.
"Let's go back to the inn for a meal," Ning Xian suddenly said softly.
"Okay."
Fang Xuan responded, glancing at her from the side.
Her profile looked exceptionally gentle under the umbrella, her long eyelashes seemingly touched by a lingering mist.
He held the umbrella and naturally adjusted the angle to ensure the drifting rain wouldn't hit her.
The two walked side by side, slowly moving through the pitter-patter of the rain.
Quiet years of peace—this was probably what it felt like.
........
In the afternoon, the rain began to let up, but the sky remained gloomy.
Fang Xuan changed into clothes suitable for movement and said to the Ning Xian beside him, "Senior Sister, I'm going back to Jishi Hall to take a look."
Ning Xian was wiping her green bamboo sword branch. Hearing this, she stopped and looked up at him: "Be careful."
"I know," Fang Xuan said with a smile, then pushed the door and left.
........
The streets after the rain were cold and quiet, with few pedestrians.
The main door of Jishi Hall was left ajar.
Fang Xuan straightened his robes, adjusted his expression to that of a slightly wary young cultivator, and pushed the door open to enter.
Ding-ling—
The copper bell hanging over the door frame rang out.
The withered old man behind the counter lifted his eyelids, his cloudy gaze landing on Fang Xuan with a scrutinizing look.
"Customer... are you here for medicine or a consultation?"
Fang Xuan walked to the counter, his gaze sweeping over the dense rows of medicine cabinets, before pulling something from his robe.
It was a black wooden token almost identical to the one Shen Qingqing had.
He had memorized it earlier and used his cultivation to quickly forge a replica.
He placed the token gently on the counter and, following Shen Qingqing's method, lightly tapped three times on a specific, natural-looking wood grain.
The old man’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
He picked up the token, examined it closely, and then looked deeply at Fang Xuan.
This young man's face was unfamiliar, and his aura... seemed to be only at late-stage Qi Refining?
But the token and the secret signal were correct.
Was it someone else arranged by the peak lord?
Or... had something gone wrong?
The old man was uncertain and suspicious, but he didn't show it on his face at all.
He set the token down, slowly stood up, walked to the medicine cabinet, and pressed the same inconspicuous corner.
Click.
The wooden panel slid open, revealing the deep, dark passage.
The old man stepped aside and made an inviting gesture, his voice raspy.
"Guest, please step inside."
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