CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: TONIGHT, COLD CITY IS UNEASY

Mrs. Han Yao stood alone on the terrace, overlooking the City Lord’s Mansion in the night, her expression mournful.

She was pretending.

Lights blazed throughout the mansion as box after box of confidential documents were moved out of Mu Qiu’s courtyard.

She had arranged it.

Several divine thoughts occasionally swept over her.

The ones with three parts concern, four parts affection, one part sorrow, and one part secret delight should belong to those elders from the Jade Heart Sect.

As for the cold ones, they were likely from the cultivators of the Sword Hall.

Boring men, thought Mrs. Han Yao, recalling Zhang Ze’s appearance.

That boy was still a bit more interesting.

Stubborn yet not too aloof.

His sly demeanor was also quite amusing.

Moreover, there was a familiar aura about him.

"Xiaolian."

Mrs. Han Yao instinctively called out.

But there was no answer.

After a while.

"Madam, Sister Xiaolian is no longer here," a maid whose name could not be recalled came to the terrace and said softly.

Mrs. Han Yao was silent for a moment.

"Alright, I’m weary, help me back." With that, Mrs. Han Yao covered her chest and coughed lightly a few times.

The new maid moved somewhat stiffly, her pace also somewhat slow. By the time she helped Mrs. Han Yao back to her room, she even forgot to light the stove before hurriedly leaving.

"A bit too hasty; she’ll be trained gradually over time."

Reclining on the cushion, Mrs. Han Yao closed her eyes.

Within a cave mansion, a giant purple-blue snake opened its eyes, flicking its tongue awake from its slumber.

A massive wound still remained unhealed on the giant snake’s body, with an unending cycle of Vast Righteous Qi continuously destroying the newly grown flesh.

Its belly rubbed slowly against the stone steps; as the giant snake descended the stone platform, its form gradually shrank and transformed, slowly taking on human shape.

The wound was still there, spreading from the waist to the chest.

After reaching the Divinity Transformation stage, the Spirit Snake lineage of the Hundred Demons Sect cultivators could perform the Snake Shedding technique.

Leaving behind multiple incarnations, as long as one body remained alive, the spirit snake would not perish.

The Foundation Establishment stage Mrs. Han Yao in the building was her.

The purple-blue giant snake underground was also her.

A Golden Core stage middle-aged guest elder in the mansion was also her.

Both male and female, and even a beast, perversion to the extreme.

Years ago, her physical body was cut down by Zhengyi, and although she resurrected from her hidden lifebound spiritual snake, a trace of Vast Righteous Qi pursued her.

It struck the lifebound spiritual snake.

Her cultivation was suppressed at the Golden Core level.

Her manifestations currently could only split into three at most.

Moreover, this lifebound spiritual snake could not leave the cave mansion, or else Zhengyi would quickly locate it.

To abandon the spiritual snake and start cultivating from the Golden Core again was something Han Yao loathed to give up.

Thus, she chose to hide in Cold City to slowly heal her injuries.

The former Helm Leader of the Spiritual Snake Helm, Mrs. Han Yao, walked deeper into the cave mansion.

Deep within the cave mansion stood several stone sculptures of the demon race.

Locals of Cold City could recognize at a glance that these sculptures resembled those of the demon race that had left or disappeared from Cold City in recent years by eighty or ninety percent.

Traces of demon qi were drawn from the statues and refined by the array within the cave mansion, slowly nurturing the wound on Mrs. Han Yao’s waist.

Caressing a spirit bird statue, Mrs. Han Yao began to talk to herself.

"The blame for enticing and killing the demon race has already pinned on that child Mu Qiu."

"It’s a pity about that child, handsome and obedient, and he helped me with many things."

"But if a son dies, then he’s dead; I can always have another when there’s time."

"But I clearly have gathered all the demon race needed for the Demon Refining Array."

"So why is my wound not healing?"

As she touched the wound on her waist, her fingers were instantly cut by the overflowing Vast Righteous Qi.

"Let’s wait a bit longer, let these demon races live a bit longer."

"Or maybe catch a few more?"

...

The Jade Heart Sect’s young master practiced an evil technique, the matter was exposed.

Conspired with a Golden Core guest elder of the Jade Heart Sect to rebel against his mother.

Mu Qiu was killed on the spot, the Golden Core guest elder escaped.

In Mu Qiu’s room, they found Enchanting Fragrance as well as several letters of superstition.

The Sword Hall searched and discovered Mu Qiu’s connection with a lust cultivator.

In the secret room beneath the brothel, they found female cultivators and maid Xiaolian from the City Lord’s Mansion who disappeared in recent days.

Upon further investigation, all the disappearances of the demon race in Cold City over the past few years were related to him.

...

This matter spread quickly, and many loose cultivators and the demon race heard the rumors that same night.

By morning, the matter was already widely discussed.

The loose cultivators residing in Cold City couldn’t understand why Young Master Mu would do such horrifying things.

Not only abducting female cultivators to refine into a tripod furnace, but also defying human relations, betraying his sect, fortunately, he was finally killed on the spot.

And some with ulterior motives linked this matter to the secret realm that recently appeared near Cold City.

Just like many major sects inherently looked down on loose cultivators, many loose cultivators disliked those from sects.

Especially those loose cultivators who squatted by the brothel wall all night last night.

Various rumors were rampant before noon.

Some said the Sword Hall Chief fancied Mrs. Han and wanted to make her his plaything, so he conspired to frame her.

Some said the Sword Sect and Jade Heart Sect collaborated to play a drama, hiding the secret realm information and didn’t want loose cultivators to get a share.

Some said the Jade Heart Sect monopolized the secret realm, the Sword Sect killed in rage and then passed the blame.

In short, the rumors were as vile and illogical as they came.

Of course, these rumors wouldn’t last long and would dissipate in a few days.

Because the demon race wouldn’t believe such talk, they considered the Sword Sect people to be great and all good people.

And without the demon race’s involvement, rumors were hard to spread.

Of course, there were also those who capitalized on the chaos, making money while they fished in troubled waters.

For example, the two squatting in the corner of the wall.

"I’m telling you, I saw this clearly, my house is right next to that brothel."

"You’re talking nonsense, the Sword Hall’s demon-expelling never allows idle people to watch, what were you even looking at?"

"Hey, what you’re saying is, they didn’t even guard there overnight, I snuck over this morning."

"Look at this..."

"What’s this? Isn’t it just a clay ball?"

"Get lost, there’s no value to you, it’s something I stole from the medicine storehouse behind the brothel, it’s said to be... you know."

"What do I know! I’m cultivating the ’Indomitable Spear Arts’, why would I need this... How much for this thing?"

"Ten spirit stones."

"Scram."

Zhang Ze walked down the street, listening to these idle chats, somewhat irritated in his heart.

Mu Qiu’s death was unclear and yet crystal clear.

But he always felt something wasn’t right, especially that woman named Han Yao, thinking of her made him feel sick.

His intuition told him, that woman definitely had issues.

As for the matter with the Stone Pill.

Aunt Niao’s side actually made some progress.

Mei’Er borrowed a magical artifact from Aunt Mo.

And the task of delivering the artifact was passed by Mei’Er to Lily.

This morning, Lily contacted Zhang Ze to say she was coming with the treasure, soon to arrive at Cold City.

The meeting spot was set at the Fox Butterfly Restaurant, where Chen Qin and Li Yueqi were waiting.

"Forget it, stop thinking. I’ll go back and wait for Lily."

Exhaling a breath, Zhang Ze turned and started to head back.

But he hadn’t taken a few steps when a young monk approached him.

The young monk’s scalp looked bluish, probably just recently tonsured, he nodded and pressed his palms together, stumbling through reciting Buddhist scriptures.

Even at Zhang Ze’s level he could tell this young monk got five out of ten verses wrong.

Yet as he was passing by Zhang Ze, the young monk suddenly spoke softly.

"Donor, you are attached."

"Life is but a fleeting dream."

"If you’re not content, take action, don’t overthink."