"More than half healed. Just need to recuperate for another half day, but there's no time now," Yun Zong said. "We need to go to the city gate first to see where the barrier is weakest."

After the city of Luzhou was sealed off, many cultivators were forced to stay here, causing them great dissatisfaction. However, for the Nanju country, Sima Liang's position was of utmost importance, so they were willing to offend the cultivators and erect a barrier to prevent the murderer from escaping.

Among the cultivators attending the treasure appraisal conference, quite a few had arrogant temperaments and had tried to break through the barrier.

However, firstly, this barrier was formed by gathering the strength of all the cultivators in the Yongning Marquis Mansion, so it was very difficult for a single person to leave. Secondly, the Yongning Marquis Mansion treated these visiting cultivators with the utmost hospitality, wining and dining them, claiming it was only to find the murderer and had no intention of targeting the other cultivators. Thirdly, the Luzhou magistrate made it clear that the city would only be sealed for three days. After three days, when the cultivators sent by the imperial court arrived to investigate the truth, the lockdown could be lifted.

During these three days, people were only allowed to enter but not leave. Even if the food supplies from outside the city were not continuously flowing in, the city's existing food reserves were already sufficient. The lives of the common people would not be too inconvenienced, but it was inevitable that rumors would spread like wildfire.

Some said that the Yongning Marquis was killed by his own concubine. Some said that the killer of the Yongning Marquis was a Nascent Soul cultivator who wanted to seize his cultivation. Others said that the Yongning Marquis Mansion had too many treasures and monopolized the entire city of Luzhou, offending the Nanju country's emperor. The emperor sent someone to secretly kill him, while on the surface, he put on the appearance of wanting to find the murderer to deceive others.

The rumors were rampant, making the truth even more confusing. Little did they know that the murderer was walking openly on the main street, wearing a white gauze dress, tall and slender, ethereal like an immortal. A white gauze hat covered the face entirely.

This appearance attracted the attention of many male cultivators. If not for the presence of Zhou Yin beside this person, they would have immediately approached to strike up a conversation.

From the moment he walked out of the inn, Yun Zong had felt that his disguise was a terrible idea that couldn't get any worse. Those curious or admiring gazes falling on him were like thorns in his back, making him want to kill someone.

But since he had already spoken, his pride would not allow him to go back on his word. He could only walk on with a cold face, ignoring all the gazes around him.

Seemingly sensing his tension, although Zhou Yin still had an expressionless face, his eyes undoubtedly revealed a hint of amusement. He rarely spoke more.

He asked Yun Zong, "With the spirit stones on your body, it would be more than enough to buy the White Jade Smoke Gauze Grass. Why did you steal it?"

Yun Zong said, "I didn't know before that such a thing would appear at the treasure appraisal conference. Later, when it was in Sima Liang's hands, he was even less likely to sell it to me."

Zhou Yin: "Why?"

Yun Zong: "I once killed the son of an elder from Qinggu Sect. He had a deep relationship with Qinggu Sect and also recognized me."

Zhou Yin: "So you were discovered by him when taking the White Jade Smoke Gauze Grass?"

Yun Zong: "No. The magic treasures and spiritual medicines he collected for this treasure appraisal conference were all prepared for Qinggu Sect. Two elders from Mirror Sea Sect took their sect's treasure and defected to Qinggu Sect but disappeared halfway with unknown whereabouts. So Sima Liang was secretly ordered to also have the intention of luring out those two people through the treasure appraisal."

That sect treasure was now in Zhou Yin's Sumeru Ring, and the two elders had long turned into bone fragments.

In other words, Qinggu Sect must have kept this kind of information strictly confidential. This person was actually able to know it so clearly, so his identity was definitely not some rogue cultivator, let alone a disciple of a small sect.

Yun Zong said indifferently, "Sima Liang set up an inner chamber specifically to keep those women captured from good families, train them, and then send them into Qinggu Sect to be furnaces for that Elder Lexian. He was having fun in the inner chamber, overexerting himself, and didn't notice at all that I took the White Jade Smoke Gauze Grass, so I killed him. It was convenient anyway."

Zhou Yin: "..."

The two passed by a stall selling snacks, and Zhou Yin paused for a moment.

Yun Zong: "What's wrong?"

He saw Zhou Yin's gaze fall on the plum blossom cakes and couldn't help raising an eyebrow. "You like to eat this?"

"No." Zhou Yin shifted his gaze. "I once kept a chicken that really liked to eat this."

This person would keep chickens?

Chickens eat plum blossom cakes?

The corner of Yun Zong's mouth twitched, and a scene immediately appeared in his mind: Zhou Yin squatting on the ground, throwing food crumbs on the ground, saying to the chicken expressionlessly, "Eat, eat, eat..."

The barrier was jointly set up by ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and three Core Formation cultivators from the Yongning Marquis Mansion. It surrounded the entire city of Luzhou along the city wall. Water could not penetrate it, needles could not pierce it, and it was difficult to fly over it.

The cultivators who came to participate in the treasure appraisal conference were either rogue cultivators who could not break through the barrier by relying on their own strength, or they did not want to offend Qinggu Sect or Nanju imperial court and were willing to wait a few more days before leaving.

Standing at the foot of the city wall, one could see a layer of barrier that was almost imperceptible, as thin and nearly transparent as a water curtain, reflecting a faint sky blue color under the sunlight.

"If I were not injured and at the peak of my spiritual power, it would not be impossible for me to break through this kind of barrier." Yun Zong's hand stroked the bricks on the city wall, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile. He did not regard this barrier as anything significant.

"If we break it open, this barrier will directly trigger the senses of the people who set up the prohibition. At that time, with so many people chasing after us, we won't be able to handle it."

Yun Zong pondered, "Do you know the Earth Traversal Technique?"

"No, but it's not easy for thirteen people to maintain such a large barrier. In some places, the defense will inevitably be very weak, which can be used to break through and buy us more time to escape after leaving the city."

"I've observed that this barrier only works on people, not on birds, fish, or insects. We can go out through the inner city river, which will be much easier. We must strive to get out in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, my injuries won't be able to sustain too much spiritual power consumption."

Zhou Yin made an affirmative sound and also pointed out some things to pay attention to when breaking through the barrier. The two walked back together.

The inn where they were staying was quite far from the city gate, and they needed to pass through the bustling market. So Yun Zong had to once again face those burning gazes on him.

Zhou Yin did not walk shoulder to shoulder with him but deliberately fell half a step behind and slightly lowered his head.

In the eyes of others, Zhou Yin was handsome and elegant, looking like one of Yun Zong's admirers. Yun Zong didn't even pay attention to him, so he really didn't have much competitive edge to speak of.

"Could it be that this young lady wishes to leave the city but has been unable to? Now that the city gates are sealed, it's useless to be anxious. Why not find a place to sit down and rest slowly? How about I treat you?" A middle-aged cultivator at the early Core Formation stage walked over, blocking the path with his hands clasped, polite and courteous, his gaze sweeping over Yun Zong's gauze hat, as if trying to see the face underneath.

Although the status of female cultivators is not as high as male cultivators, beautiful female cultivators still have many people fawning over them, willing to flatter and please them, let alone this white-robed woman being a rare female cultivator at the Core Formation stage. If they could form a dual cultivation couple, it would not be a bad thing.

Such obvious flirting made Yun Zong's face completely darken, the chilling killing intent almost shooting out through the gauze hat, making the smile on that person's face almost impossible to maintain.

He naturally could not speak, as speaking would expose him, and he could not hurt others either, otherwise it would startle the snake in the grass. He could only endure his anger, listen but not hear, and continue walking forward.

Seeing that he did not speak, that person wanted to step forward again. Zhou Yin, having seen enough of the show, finally spoke up: "She is my Dao companion. If you have anything to say, fellow Daoist, you might as well say it to me."

That person sneered: "You, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, do you think she would take a fancy to you?"

Zhou Yin said: "Maybe it's because I'm good-looking."

Yun Zong could not bear it any longer. He grabbed Zhou Yin's arm and used a bit of magic. The two disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"You've gone too far. Don't think I don't dare to do anything to you."

In the inn's room, Yun Zong tore off the gauze hat, his face slightly ferocious with killing intent.

Zhou Yin glanced at him and even rarely smiled: "I was just helping you cover up the lie."

Yun Zong sneered coldly and reached out to grab his back.

Zhou Yin dodged slightly.

The spiritual power rolled out from the sleeve wrapped around his waist, and the other hand pulled his shoulder, bringing him over.

Zhou Yin reached out and slapped his wrist.

The two pulled and tugged, and fell onto the bed behind them. Yun Zong flipped over and pressed him underneath.

Zhou Yin said: "Don't make such misleading movements in broad daylight."

Yun Zong's face was distorted: "I'm warning you..."

Before he could finish, there was a knock on the door.

"Dear guest, your hot water is here."

Yun Zong had no time to stop it, and heard Zhou Yin say, "Come in."

The inn's waiter pushed the door open, his bright smile freezing when he saw the situation of the two.

"Dear, dear, dear guest..."

"Put the things down. You may leave."

Zhou Yin instructed expressionlessly, and said to Yun Zong, "I told you not to do this kind of thing in broad daylight."

Yun Zong's face was distorted.

The waiter forced a smile: "Then, then I'll leave. Dear guests, please continue, continue!"

...

That night.

There was an inner river in Luzhou City, running through the entire city and flowing out of the city to join the Willow River.

Under the moonlight, the river water was like shattered snow and fish scales, flowing gently. The grass and trees by the river were lush, swaying endlessly in the night breeze.

The two people in the water, surrounded by spiritual power, did not get their clothes wet. They swam east along the water, which was the direction out of the city.

Sure enough, the power of the underwater barrier was much weaker than the one on the ground.

Yun Zong drew the Wuchang Blade from the seal on his palm. He lightly slashed at the barrier. The blade was straight and narrow like a sword, the blade edge seeming to have a red glow. When the water flow touched the tip of the blade, it split in half instantly. The barrier trembled slightly, about to break but not yet broken.

Without a word, Zhou Yin thrust the Lingyin Sword into the opening he had just slashed, and sliced downward. Where the sword edge passed, the barrier finally completely cracked open, no longer able to stop the two.

"Go!" Yun Zong let out a low shout and swam out first.

Zhou Yin followed closely behind. The two did not speak all the way until they left the city, then left the waterway and changed to the land route.

Yun Zong said, "Just now when the barrier was broken, someone followed us out."

Zhou Yin: "Who is it?"

Yun Zong: "I don't know. It should also be someone who wants to leave the city. As long as it has nothing to do with us, we don't need to bother."

The two had used a lot of spiritual power to break through the barrier just now, and at this time they were unable to use flying magic tools. They could only pick a nearby forest to rest and take turns meditating to recover their strength.

A sound came from not far away, quickly getting closer and closer, as if it would be right in front of them in the blink of an eye.

Yun Zong's face changed slightly: "The person just now has been discovered."

As he spoke, the other party, one in front and one behind, were in hot pursuit and had already come very close.