Chapter 125
Chapter 125: Entering the Secret Realm
In the face of Ye He Qi’s confusion, Shi Zi Chu simply said, “I don’t know.”
The Azure Luan Sword, while impressive, was no match for the Life Bound Sword shared between her and Master.
As for Sect Master Meng’s request for Master to seize the Azure Luan Sword, it was likely only to further strengthen the foundation of the Jade Void Sect.
Ye He Qi didn’t speak again, lowering his gaze as he fell into deep thought.
Shi Zi Chu then reached for a cushion and hugged it close.
By the time Ye He Qi was about to speak again, he noticed that Shi Zi Chu had already closed her eyes, looking as though she had fallen asleep.
Noticing the weariness on her face, Ye He Qi kept silent, instead reaching for a bamboo slip to continue reading.
The carriage fell into silence.
After some time, Shi Zi Chu realized that Ye He Qi had left the carriage.
The next day.
Upon waking, Shi Zi Chu slowly sat up.
As Ye He Qi entered, he saw her sitting there, emptying her mind.
His large, elegant hand moved before her, waving twice. When her gaze focused, he spoke, “Clan Chief Jun and the Buddhist disciple are outside waiting to see you.”
Shi Zi Chu nodded slightly, indicating she had heard.
“About the secret realm,” Ye He Qi added, and with that, he stepped back out.
Not long after, Shi Zi Chu exited the carriage with Mu Li.
The area around the carriage was flat ground.
Jun Yue Hua and Guan Zhuang sat on opposite sides, their positions clear.
Shi Zi Chu jumped down from the carriage, then walked over calmly, “Clan Chief Jun, Buddhist disciple.”
The two greeted her in turn.
Ye He Qi glanced at the empty chair and gestured for her to sit and speak.
Shi Zi Chu sat in the chair, but before she could say anything, Wan Yan Qian, Chu Zhi Sheng, Clan Chief Nan Rong, Clan Chief Yu Wen, and Jiang Wan Sheng arrived from all directions.
In an instant, the seven clans had gathered.
Shi Zi Chu leaned back in her chair, gazing at the group, her eyes hidden behind a veil of white, betraying a trace of playful amusement.
So they all covet the Azure Luan Sword?
She couldn’t help but wonder if Chu Zhi Rou would ever manage to take the Azure Luan Sword again.
Soon after, the younger sect masters of the three sects arrived.
“What’s going on here?” Shi Zi Chu lifted a corner of her veil, her voice playful. “A three-part tribunal?”
Pei Qing You spoke first, “Regarding Water Road Village, Pei Luo Xiu hasn’t said a word.”
That woman was as stubborn as a mule; no one could force words from her lips.
To uncover the old secrets of Water Road Village, they could only wait for Shi Zi Chu to wake up.
Shi Zi Chu turned her head and glanced around, but when she didn’t spot Pei Luo Xiu, her brow furrowed.
Jiang Wan Sheng, holding the star gem, rubbed its head with his fingers, his voice cold, “Pei Luo Xiu left on an errand, but she asked me to tell you she’ll be back soon.”
The troublemaker actually found Qing Qing—such an unpleasant turn of events.
Shi Zi Chu shifted her gaze.
“What is it you all wish to ask me?” she asked, her tone gentle, with a smile that made her appear very approachable.
Chu Zhi Sheng spoke first, “How did Water Road Village disappear?”
Shi Zi Chu seemed not to hear his voice. Instead, her gaze flickered to the others, silently asking: What do you want to know?
Chu Zhi Sheng, ignored so blatantly, wore a grim expression.
Just when Shi Zi Chu thought he would get up and leave, Chu Zhi Sheng stayed seated, his expression dark.
Guan Zhuang chanted a soft Buddhist verse, his calm voice resounding, “As Clan Chief Chu has wondered, why did Water Road Village vanish overnight?”
“Fire,” came the gentle reply.
At the look of disbelief on their faces, Shi Zi Chu sighed slightly, “How it caught fire, I do not know.”
Pei Qing You could no longer hold her tongue, asking, “You’re one of the only two survivors—why don’t you know?”
A touch of embarrassment appeared on Shi Zi Chu’s face.
After a moment’s hesitation, she offered an apologetic smile. “I don’t wish to speak of it.”
Pei Qing You opened her mouth but ultimately shut it again.
Her lack of follow-up drew several stares.
Wan Yan Qian, stretching her neck to glance at Pei Qing You, looked at her with such an obvious expression of shock, as if scolding Pei Qing You to use her brain.
Unable to resist, Pei Qing You shot Wan Yan Qian a glare.
Wan Yan Qian looked away and then turned her attention back to Shi Zi Chu, “Were those people deserving of death?”
Shi Zi Chu fell silent.
Wan Yan Qian decisively answered her own question, “They deserved to die.”
“Eldest Miss Wan Yan, how so hasty?” Chu Zhi Sheng mocked with a faint smile.
Wan Yan Qian sneered, “Clan Chief Chu has never been to Water Lotus Town. You wouldn’t understand how disgusting some people can be.”
There’s a saying: poor mountains and bad waters give rise to wicked people. How true that is!
Had it not been for big brother holding her back, she would have gouged their eyes out.
Ye He Qi, glancing at the mist-covered Water Road Village in the distance, spoke with warmth, “Everyone, the secret realm seems ready to open.”
They all turned their gazes to the distant sight, their expressions varied.
They hadn’t managed to ask much, yet the secret realm was about to open.
“Questions can wait until we’re inside the secret realm,” Shi Zi Chu said, her tone still friendly.
As soon as she spoke, a fierce wind swept through.
Ye He Qi raised a barrier technique, and the others returned to their respective disciples, preparing to enter the secret realm.
Sitting in her chair, Shi Zi Chu surveyed her surroundings.
The area around the secret realm was filled with disciples from the three sects, five schools, and seven clans, with other sects and families likely gathered farther behind.
The storm began to subside, and a figure from the Water Mirror Sect appeared in the open space.
The first to enter were disciples from the three sects.
Among the Jade Void Sect’s group, Shi Zi Chu spotted Chu Zhi Rou and several of her senior brothers.
Xing Lan arrived just in time.
With a sweep of his spiritual power, he enveloped Shi Zi Chu, and the master and disciple entered the water mirror together.
…
A dizzying spin followed, and Shi Zi Chu landed on a clean, new stone-paved road.
Xing Lan, by her side, had already surveyed the area.
“This isn’t Water Road Village.”
His low, indifferent voice snapped Shi Zi Chu from her thoughts. She looked up at him. “Master, you’re now at the ninth layer of Qi Refining?”
The rules of this secret realm had suppressed their cultivation abilities too harshly.
Xing Lan acknowledged with a nod.
Shi Zi Chu tugged at his sleeve. “Standing still here won’t yield any answers. We should go explore.”
The master and disciple stepped out of the alley and onto what seemed like the main street.
The street wasn’t overly crowded, but the number of cultivators in the secret realm was large!
Cautious cultivators didn’t act rashly; they observed everything around them, their eyes filled with vigilance and wariness.
“Master, look at those people over there.” Shi Zi Chu pointed at a few middle-aged men and women in the distance.
At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but a closer inspection revealed that they appeared like soulless puppets, muttering something under their breath.
“Who killed me?”
“Who killed me?”
“Who killed me?”
…
As she listened closely, both Shi Zi Chu and Xing Lan could hear the chant.
Xing Lan lowered his gaze toward her.
Could the answer really be so simple?
Shi Zi Chu looked up, blinking innocently.
Xing Lan walked up to the group, only to see the middle-aged people hastily running away, as if terrified by something.
Shi Zi Chu blinked.
Seeing her innocent and obedient expression, Xing Lan looked away.
What could he do?
“Zi Chu!”
“Big Sister Shi!”
“Qing Qing.”
Cries from all directions made Shi Zi Chu uncertain of where to look.
Xing Lan’s eyes grew colder.
Were these people dogs?
Yan Zhou Bai, Pei Luo Xiu, and Jiang Wan Sheng emerged from three different street corners.
Upon reaching them, they quickly bowed, saying, “Venerable Xing Lan.”
Xing Lan waved his hand in acknowledgment.
Pei Luo Xiu stepped forward, handing over a yellowed paper slip, “Big Sister Shi, I’ve discovered something.”