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Chapter 302: Crime Scene

Just shut up, bro... Chu Liang felt speechless.

"Alright," Daoist Yan nodded casually, her expression unreadable. It seemed like she didn’t care about Chu Liang's explanation.

Even though Chu Liang felt like crying, he could not shed a single tear.

If he tried explaining further, it would seem like he was trying to hide something. And so, he quickly shifted the topic, asking, "What did you want to ask me, Senior Aunt Yan?"

Daoist Yan cast a glance at Lin Bei.

Lin Bei immediately took the hint and said, "I'm a bit tired, I'll go rest. See you later."

With that, he swiftly departed, eager to leave behind the awkward atmosphere on the peak.

Daoist Yan then said to Chu Liang, "I heard you met the Whale-Riding Immortal?"

"To be precise, I didn't see him," Chu Liang answered truthfully. "He communicated through voice transmissions, explaining his plan to transfer foundational qi using the immortal art, Longevity of Heaven and Earth."

"Do you not know where he visited Mount Shu?" Daoist Yan inquired.

"I..." Chu Liang hesitated briefly, then replied, "I don't know where he was when he communicated with me through the voice transmission, but it's likely that he visited Silver Sword Peak."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the nearby garden.

"Here?" Daoist Yan floated over and arrived beside the garden.

She silently gazed at the garden for a moment, then raised her two fingers, forming hand seals. An ethereal glow emerged from the ground, gradually enveloping the entire garden.

Only then did Chu Liang realize what she was doing.

She was executing the Immortal art Shadow of Radiance.

Jiang Yuebai had once showcased this immortal art on stage. However, back then, she had used it primarily as a potent illusory technique.

When mastered at its highest level, this immortal art could not only conjure illusions but also recreate scenes that had occurred at a location shortly before.

Among the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, few could master the Shadow of Radiance to such a degree. It was surprising that Daoist Yan possessed such capability.

The world knew her as a master of swordsmanship, but few were aware of her exceptional skills in illusory techniques.

This was also due to her typically low profile. Chu Liang had just learned that she was the head disciple of the Mount Shu Sect during its golden generation sixty years ago.

No wonder she was so powerful.

The Whale-Riding Immortal had just left not long ago and Daoist Yan likely wanted to see what he looked like using this method.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, a layer of misty light enveloped the garden, conjuring mirage-like scenes on its surface.

Daoist Yan's eyes flickered, her thoughts unreadable, leaving one to wonder what she was anticipating.

Then she saw...

A middle-aged woman crept to the edge of the garden with a little boy in tow. Without hesitation, she threw the child out to the garden.

She then used a divine ability to swiftly harvest a large area of spirit plants, shouting something as she worked.

She seemed to be instructing the child to eat as much as possible while no one was around.

The scene was quite absurd, almost surreal in its unexpectedness.

"..."

Silence. A long, heavy silence.

Senior Aunt Yan was essentially helping me recreate the crime scene. I must admit, this technique would be quite effective if used by the authorities to solve crimes.

After a moment of silence, Chu Liang quickly figured it out. The Whale-Riding Immortal and the little girl were currently wanted by the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, so it made sense that they disguised themselves to enter Mount Shu.

Especially the way the little girl rushed into the berry field and ate ravenously. Which kid but the little Cataclysmic Ba could do such a thing?

So Chu Liang began to explain, "The esteemed Whale-Riding Immortal might be in disguise..."

"I know," Daoist Yan said firmly, "That is him."

Chu Liang knew that she had not recognized the Whale-Riding Immortal but rather the person she was familiar with—Jiang Tiankuo.

Chu Liang then asked softly, "Senior Aunt Yan, how can you be so sure?"

"No matter how much a person's appearance and body change, their eyes, temperament, and aura will never change," Daoist Yan said, her gaze distant, as if she were reminiscing about something from long ago.

What temperament? Chu Liang stared at the illusion for a while as he pondered.

All I see is a middle-aged auntie stealing fruits.

As Chu Liang watched this scene unfold, he felt a little angry...

However, when he saw the Whale-Riding Immortal petting the Golden-Furred Hou, Chu Liang felt convinced that this Immortal was the reason why the Golden-Furred Hou had shown progress in its cultivation.

The Whale-Riding Immortal still maintained the same way of doing things. If he took something, he would compensate by returning something of higher value. This was equivalent to an exchange.

Moments later, the two figures, one big and one small, had eaten their fill and packed up half the garden before they disappeared from the scene. It was only then that Daoist Yan withdrew her divine ability.

Her expression looked complicated.

As Chu Liang observed her expression, he understood why she felt this way. If someone had been thinking about a man since their youth and then saw him for the first time in twenty years dressed as a woman and stealing fruits, they would undoubtedly have mixed feelings.

"I hope you keep everything about this person confidential. If anyone asks how you managed to use the Violet and Azure Twin Swords today, just tell them that the elders of the Mount Shu Sect supported you," Daoist Yan advised in the end.

Chu Liang nodded in agreement. "Alright."

...

"You're not looking well, are you?"

In an elegant room filled with the enchanting melody of a guqin, a young nobleman lounged lazily on a couch. He looked at the figure in front of him, and spoke with a flippant inquiry and a tone dripping with mockery.

The young man, around twenty years old, had red lips, white teeth, thick eyebrows, and a broad face, giving him a handsome appearance. Dressed in a loose-fitting green robe with a loosely tied belt, he rested his head on his hand, looking both leisurely and comfortable.

Behind a folding screen, a musician played the guqin while two maids attended to him. One massaged his calf, while the other fed him green grapes.

"Hmph

!" A cold snort sounded in front of him.

Yet, there was no one in front of him. Upon closer look, one would notice a wooden puppet of four-cun height sitting on the table.

The small puppet had flexible joints and lively features. Upon closer inspection, the face was unmistakably that of Lu Chengchou who was on Mount Shu!

"Heh," the young nobleman laughed and asked, "How did you end up like this?"

"The plan was leaked, and the Mount Shu Sect was ready," Lu Chengchou replied in a low voice. "The Buddhist Cloud Monastery and the Valley of the Three Absolutes came to their aid, and the True Form of Ksitigarbha was blocked by the Dharma Lotus Platform. Initially, I activated the grand formation of Mount Shu to temporarily hold off Wen Yuan and give Taowu the opportunity to charge into Baize.

"But then an annoying kid appeared, wielding the Violet and Azure Twin Swords. He killed Taowu and ruined everything."

"I told you before, your plan wasn't thorough. With so many people in the Dark King Sect, it's no surprise the plan leaked. How can you expect to achieve anything significant by partnering with those diabolical cultivators?" The young nobleman shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"If they hadn't helped me, were you going to?" Lu Chengchou snorted irritably. "Do you expect me to gather an army of a hundred thousand with your broken puppets?"

"Look who's talking," the young nobleman sneered. "You're nothing more than a broken puppet yourself right now."

Lu Chengchou was instantly choked with anger, unable to find a retort, so he simply grunted.

“It is very heartless of you to lash out at me like this. Among the members of the Celestial Charm Sect, only I would treat you so well, even going through the trouble of carving a body for you. If those short-tempered ones encountered you in this crippled state, wouldn’t they just destroy you outright?” The young nobleman chuckled once more.

After a long silence, Lu Chengchou finally spoke, "While this defeat has been devastating, it does have its silver lining. The revelation that Mount Shu has been hiding Baize will prompt others to attempt its destruction. Although I cannot personally extinguish Mount Shu's hope, I will at least live to see that day."

"Why don't you focus on staying alive until that day arrives?" the young nobleman continued to mock relentlessly.

"You..." Lu Chengchou gritted his teeth in anger, then said, "Despite my body being destroyed and my soul incomplete, I still retained my understanding of Dao. If the higher-ups are willing to assist me, I might return to my peak condition in due time."

"Keep dreaming," the young noble scoffed, shattering his delusion. "The higher-ups warned you about the demon god's potential return and advised against attacking the Mount Shu Sect now. Yet, you ignored their counsel and went ahead, colluding with the diabolical sect on your own."

Lu Chengchou was left speechless by the harsh words, his eyes bulging wide with anger.

His expression seemed to convey, "Will you only be satisfied if I start crying?"

"I'm just stating the truth. My advice to you is to not contact the higher-ups at this moment," the young noble said with a shrug. "Your cultivation isn't what it used to be, and most of the secrets you hold about Mount Shu have been exposed. They might decide to silence you for good... I'm serious."

His expression grew slightly more serious.

"No, I still know secrets about the Divine Ruins," Lu Chengchou's eyes gleamed, conveying his unwillingness to admit defeat. "There's still a chance for me to turn things around!"

The young noble glanced at him, sighed, and abruptly rose from his seat, making his way to the door. "Someone's looking for me. I'll step out for a bit. You can leave once you're recovered. If you linger here too long, I might end up in trouble with the higher-ups."

As he stood up, the two beautiful maids beside him froze abruptly. A sudden flash of light passed over them, changing them into human-shaped puppets!

He pushed open the door, crossed a courtyard adorned with rockeries and flowing water, proceeded through a long corridor, and finally reached the main hall.

Someone was waiting in the hall. A servant boy stood nearby, offering tea. The person clutched their shoulder where an arm was missing, the wound on the stump completely blackened. With a very pale face, they were clearly not in the mood for tea.

Upon seeing the young noble arriving gracefully, the injured person's spirits lifted. They immediately got up and knelt, pleading, "I have long heard of Young Noble Xunyang's great name! Today, I came seeking your help!"

"You lost your arm, didn’t you? Come on, get up," the young noble said with a casual smile. "No problem. I'll craft you a new arm, guaranteed to be better than the real one."

"Thank you, Young Noble Xunyang!" the injured person exclaimed, rising excitedly to their feet.

"However, according to the rules..." Young Noble Xunyang said, "You owe me a favor."