Chapter 144
Chapter 144: Finally Reunited
As soon as Yun Xi pushed open the door, she sent out her divine sense. When she detected the concealment formation, her heart finally relaxed—at least it meant they were safe.
Inside, Liu Hao Tian sensed his storage pouch approaching and ended his meditation immediately. Seeing who stood outside, he stepped gracefully from the concealment array, performing a dramatic appearance in front of Boss Shen. The poor man was so startled he fell flat on his backside, ready to scream, but Xia You flicked her sleeve, sending him into unconsciousness.
Yun Xi smiled gently and asked, “Fellow Daoist Liu, are you all right?”
Liu Hao Tian cupped his fists politely and replied, “Fortunately, yes. It was all thanks to Fellow Daoist Wei’s red cord. Without it, I’m afraid my junior sister and I would have become separated.”
As he spoke, he returned the red cord to Yun Xi, who handed back his storage pouch in exchange.
“And Elder Sister Yu?” Yun Xi asked.
“She forced herself to open the storage pouch and suffered greater injuries than mine. She’s still recuperating, so we’ve been unable to move and remained hidden here.”
“Fellow Daoist Liu, Xia You and I are staying at Jinshan Inn, just one street over. Once you’ve both recovered, come and find us.”
Liu Hao Tian nodded, “Elder Sister Yu’s injuries are stable now. We should be ready to travel within a day or two. We’ll come to you then.”
They spoke briefly and parted ways. Liu Hao Tian stayed behind in the concealment array at Raising Jade Pavilion, while Yun Xi and Xia You returned to their inn.
When Boss Shen finally awoke, he found the room still empty. But this time, he didn’t feel alone—terror gripped him. Scrambling out of the room in panic, he fell gravely ill that very night. Resting Glow Pavilion remained closed the next day, causing new rumors to spread among the curious townsfolk.
Yun Xi expanded her divine sense, amusedly listening to the mortals gossiping, even overhearing conversations within the County Magistrate’s manor.
At this moment, County Magistrate Zhou wore a deeply worried expression, holding onto his lady wife’s hand and lamenting bitterly, “Madam, it seems my days as magistrate are numbered.”
His graceful wife, Madam Yu, asked calmly, “What trouble is it now? Didn’t you just say things were resolved a few days ago?”
County Magistrate Zhou sighed deeply, “Yes, it was settled then. Resting Glow Pavilion’s boss privately came to me, promising two newly-trained beauties. I thought if they were truly beautiful, I’d gladly pay and offer them to appease that imperial censor, Di Kang Nian. But later, Resting Glow Pavilion informed me that those two beauties had vanished. The owner himself even fell ill. Terrified I’d hold him accountable, he shut the doors entirely!”
Frustrated, he started tugging at his thin mustache.
Madam Yu said coldly, “Enough! Stop pulling at it; you’ve hardly any hairs left to pluck.”
“Madam, Di Kang Nian is no easy figure! He’s obsessed with beauty, caring little whether male or female. If I fail to entertain him properly, he’ll surely slander me once he returns, and my position will be lost.”
Madam Yu scoffed sharply, “It seems your magistrate career was doomed long ago. You’ve attempted to subdue Silk Knot Ridge’s bandits year after year yet somehow always fail. Honestly, I suspect you’ve done it deliberately.”
At that, County Magistrate Zhou jerked so violently, he accidentally pulled out another whisker. He awkwardly justified himself, “It was all to train my soldiers, keep them vigilant.”
“More likely you’ve accepted their bribes, raising tigers that will someday bite you,” she snapped.
County Magistrate Zhou changed the subject stiffly, “Madam, we’re discussing Imperial Censor Di Kang Nian—how have you twisted this into talk of bandits?”
“Think it through yourself. I’m not the magistrate here.” Madam Yu stood, withdrawing her hand.
“Madam! Where are you going?” County Magistrate Zhou cried.
Madam Yu didn’t even glance back, responding crisply, “To arrange for our children’s return to my family home, in case your disgrace ruins their futures.”
“Madam…” Magistrate Zhou called helplessly, but Madam Yu had already vanished, ignoring his continued grumbling.
Listening in, Yun Xi became quite interested in this Imperial Censor Di Kang Nian. She wondered just what kind of person this imperial censor could be.
The next day, Yun Xi ordered the bandits she captured earlier to turn themselves in, following closely behind to enjoy the spectacle. She wanted to see how County Magistrate Zhou would handle this unexpected windfall.
When County Magistrate Zhou saw the bandits’ strategist—his own secret contact—among those who surrendered, he was shocked. Learning they’d come willingly, he yanked out another whisker in disbelief.
He privately questioned the strategist and discovered that two immortal cultivators had effortlessly taken down the bandit stronghold. Previously, he’d thought victory would require a lengthy campaign, but it had ended swiftly, almost too easily.
“Are you speaking truthfully?”
“Certainly, Magistrate. Without those immortals, the bandit chief wouldn’t have been subdued so effortlessly. Recently, the chief had grown suspicious of me and had his men constantly watching me. I couldn’t get any messages down the mountain. Just when I was preparing a final gamble, five fools brought two immortals right to our doorstep.”
Yun Xi and Xia You exchanged surprised glances from their hidden vantage, realizing this strategist had been an undercover agent for the magistrate. They were relieved they hadn’t acted too harshly.
It seemed County Magistrate Zhou’s repeated failures in eradicating the bandits had forced him into desperate measures, planting a spy in hopes of destroying them in one fell swoop.
Yet Yun Xi immediately sensed the magistrate’s original plan would have certainly failed. After all, the bandit chief had been a demonic cultivator. Mortals couldn’t possibly confront him without courting death.
Unbeknownst to Yun Xi, in the original timeline, although the strategist risked his life to send out intelligence, Magistrate Zhou’s suppression of the bandits still failed. Imperial Censor Di Kang Nian caught wind of this scandal, using it as leverage. Despite the magistrate sending Di Kang Nian costly beauties, Zhou ultimately lost his position.
Eventually, the bandit chief colluded with Di Kang Nian, who sought immortality through evil arts. Leveraging Di Kang Nian’s influence, the bandit leader expanded his power, becoming a malignant tumor to the region. Demonic cultivation methods gradually spread among mortals, and by the time orthodox cultivators noticed, it was already too late.
Returning her focus to the present, Yun Xi decided to pay a visit to Magistrate Zhou. She found this county magistrate quite intriguing. His residence was refreshingly tidy, harboring only one wife, and aside from ineffective suppression of bandits, he appeared free from other corruption.
County Magistrate Zhou, acting upon his spy’s intelligence, methodically sentenced each bandit according to their crimes. Those guilty of murder were executed immediately, while those without bloodshed were sentenced to heavy, dangerous labor in the mines. This verdict earned thunderous praise from Jinshan County’s people.
After watching the executions, Yun Xi and Xia You finally welcomed Yu Qing Cheng and Liu Hao Tian.
Upon reunion, each briefly described their experiences after separation, eventually focusing the discussion on the demonic-cultivating bandit chief.
“Fellow Daoist Wei, have you found any clues about the demonic cultivator?” Liu Hao Tian asked.
“No, unfortunately. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have killed him outright,” Yun Xi answered calmly.
“Where did his cultivation method come from?”
“He claimed he found it by chance in the mountains, soon after joining the bandits. Desiring strength, he secretly practiced it. Within a year, he rose to become their chief. To maintain his superiority, he never shared the method, destroying the original scroll once he’d memorized it.”
Liu Hao Tian frowned deeply, “Then perhaps the method was accidentally lost here in the mortal realm.”
Yun Xi shook her head slightly, disagreeing. “I doubt it’s mere coincidence. Perhaps demonic cultivators are deliberately scattering their nets. After all, we cultivators aren’t allowed to casually intervene in mortal affairs unless human disaster unfolds. Such rules grant demonic cultivators plenty of room to maneuver.”
Her voice held a solemn edge, anticipating the unseen danger slowly spreading across the mortal lands.