Shi Jingzhi barely slept that night.

The Luan River was dry and cold, and the inn was old. When the door closed, the windows rattled in the cold wind. Shi Jingzhi's nose was filled with the smell of dry straw and soil, and the old quilt on his body was heavy as death. He straightened his body and had a vague illusion of being buried on the spot.

Yin Ci was lying quietly with his back to him, breathing evenly. The scene was no different from the previous days, but Shi Jingzhi felt that there was an extra human-shaped lump of iron beside him, and he couldn't lie down comfortably no matter how he tried. He had given the bed to the patient, and the floor was only so big.

Even if Sect Leader Shi slept vertically, it was inevitable to touch and lean against each other. Yin Ci's long hair seemed to have truly become the troublesome silk of demons, and Shi Jingzhi didn't dare to touch it, wishing he could quietly coil it up.

Shi Zhongyu had left, and Shen Zhu was sleeping in the next room. The four men of the Ku Mountain Sect were crowded in one room, and it would inevitably look suspicious if he moved out alone. He thought everything was ready except for the east wind, but before the east wind arrived, the everything he had just prepared stirred up shocking waves.

Sect Leader Shi tossed and turned like a pancake, half of his mind on serious matters and half on wild thoughts. He first thought about what exactly the National Masters' century-old great cause was, and then he thought, Yin Ci had lived for probably hundreds of years, what had he experienced before he rescued him and raised him as a fool?

At this point, Shi Jingzhi didn't even want to continue the partnership. He just wanted Yin Ci to stand safely behind him, to be that eternally at ease mysterious mountain dweller again, and preferably never to be tainted by blood. It was fine when he was three years old, but now when he thought of Yin Ci's madness in the maple forest, he no longer felt that immortals were powerful, but only felt a heart full of endless bitterness.

The emotions of the Desire Children were originally more intense than ordinary people. After a few hours, the numb and hot feeling behind his head still remained. Shi Jingzhi stared at the slight rise and fall of Yin Ci's body, and an inexplicable frustration arose--

If Yin Ci had no reaction at all when he noticed his embarrassment, he could have put aside his emotions, instead of turning into a sour cabbage pancake in the middle of the night.

He was very good at suppressing desires, but not good at dealing with affection.

In the end, Shi Pancake couldn't bear it anymore. He got up from the bed and went to the courtyard alone to admire the moon - the moon was covered by dark clouds, so he admired the dark clouds, which was fine.

The population in Luan River City was not dense, and there were no idle people wandering around in the middle of the night. The courtyard was as quiet as Shi Jingzhi had expected.

He had just taken a few breaths when he ran into Shen Zhu in the courtyard.

The sparrow demons were eye-catching during the day, so she could only take care of them at night. Shen Zhu was busy feeding those lively fluff balls. Sparrows were sleepy at night, eating in a daze and staggering, as if the millet she fed them had been soaked in alcohol.

Seeing Shi Jingzhi come out, Shen Zhu nodded to him, "Your Highness."

Shi Jingzhi returned the greeting listlessly.

Shen Zhu was not Shi Jingzhi's die-hard follower. Although there was still a difference in status, she had no "loyalty" to Shi Jingzhi in the usual sense. With no one else around, her attitude was very casual, "This person Yin Ci, I couldn't find the truth, please forgive me... His methods of concealing his past are superb. If possible, could you tell me about his background?"

She seemed to have a magical ability, which could be named "bringing up the exact topic that shouldn't be brought up".

Shi Jingzhi mumbled vaguely, "That's his private matter, I can't say... Anyway, don't mind it, it's not a question of your ability."

Across from him was an old hand who had lived for several hundred years, while Shen Zhu was only in her thirties. If she could easily find out Yin Ci's background, Yin Ci would have long been captured during the Immortal Gathering as a rare and exotic creature.

Sure enough, Shen Zhu wasn't really concerned about Yin Ci. She casually scattered a handful of millet on the muddy ground, "What a pity, I even specially delayed for a few days, but didn't get to meet that Senior Chen."

"I heard some clues about what you wanted to know," Shi Jingzhi said. "The phenomenon you discovered before, Senior Chen also noticed. He called the situation 'Heaven's Wrath'."

Shen Zhu snorted coldly, showing a disgust for those two words. She lowered her eyes, "Your Highness is thoughtful."

Shi Jingzhi looked at her listlessly for a while, then mustered up his energy, "Miss Shen has been investigating the Immortal Gathering for a long time, have you found any information related to the 'century-old great cause' or 'Desire Children'?"

"No, but this time when I go to the Ling Sect, I have other matters to investigate. Since your disciple already knows..."

"Since I already know?"

A gentle voice interjected.

Shi Jingzhi wasn't doing anything wrong, but he inexplicably felt a moment of guilt. He had never realized that living was such a thrilling thing. His whole body exploded a little on the spot, and the hairs on his arms all stood up, "Ah Ci, you're awake?"

Yin Ci's eyes flashed, and he firmly ignored this question. He leaned against the doorframe and asked straightforwardly, "What century-old great cause, what Desire Children? Now that we're cooperating, you haven't told me yet."

Judging from his tone, Yin Ci seemed to have recovered his leisurely and unrestrained sage-like demeanor. If he weren't staring at Shen Zhu vigilantly, it would be even more like it.

Shi Jingzhi understood his subtext and quickly spoke up, "Miss Shen and I have consistent interests, she can be trusted."

Then he let out a long sigh and briefly introduced this subordinate of his.

Shen Zhu had an almost bone-deep hatred for the Immortal Gathering, but when Shi Jingzhi first approached Shen Zhu, it had nothing to do with her personal love and hate. He just saw an extremely strong obsession in this person - finding a helper with a clear purpose was always better than finding a fool obsessed with fame and fortune.

The Yueshui Bureau was similar to the Taiheng Sect, with silver taels from the court behind it, and branch pavilions all over Dayun.

It was divided into three departments: Heaven, Earth, and Human, and was not focused on collecting jianghu intelligence.

The "Human Department" was in charge of investigating jianghu anecdotes and interesting folk stories, as well as observing public opinion, and was also willing to take on some investigation jobs to help people.

The "Earth Department" collected ingenious methods and strange devices for farming and weaving, and searched for new crops, livestock, and even mineral deposits.

The "Heaven Department" had the fewest people, all of whom were dreamers and madmen. No matter how useful the world's unsolved mysteries were to the human world, they had to go and explore them.

Although the "Heaven Department" occasionally made world-shaking discoveries, ninety percent of its members usually accomplished nothing in their lives, and had to travel to the most dangerous places and endure hardships that ordinary people were unwilling to endure. Apart from enjoying the highest information access rights in the Yueshui Bureau, the Heaven Department could be said to be the most laborious and thankless department, but those who entered mostly consider themselves to be high and mighty, with an extremely high threshold.

Shen Zhu was one of the members of the Heaven Department. To be able to squeeze into the Heaven Department, which looked down on everyone else, as a mere woman, she had to have the deep obsession that beat the Compassion Stone Sword.

Yin Ci let out an "oh", "Interesting."

Along the way, he hadn't seen a single energy-saving lamp around the Ku Mountain Sect.

Shen Zhu reacted very swiftly. Seeing that Yin Ci's reaction was not like that of an ordinary person's surprise, her tone changed, and the flippancy from when they first met was nowhere to be seen.

Her voice was much more sincere: "I have been investigating the Immortal Gathering, and inevitably had to explore some mysterious clues. When Sect Leader Shi was seeking the method of immortality, we split up. I gave him legends of immortality, and he gave me strange tales of immortals and Buddhas. We each got what we needed."

Yin Ci understood.

Shi Jingzhi no longer intended to conceal anything, and wanted to share all information with him. His own investigation of the flesh god statue happened to have a subtle overlap with what Shen Zhu was investigating.

Perhaps he could obtain some useful clues - after all, in the eyes of mortals, the members of the Immortal Gathering were no different from semi-immortals, inextricably linked to the legends of deities.

The "Immortal Gathering" was not only an event held once every ten years in the capital, but also the governing body of the imperial temples and shrines throughout the land. On the surface, every ten years, it would invite a group of talented individuals or prodigies to join, handing out immortal wine to win over hearts. In addition, it would pretentiously hold deity invitation ceremonies and festivals.

In recent decades, the National Teacher's lineage had lost favor, and the Immortal Gathering had stopped holding deity invitation ceremonies, emphasizing keeping a low profile.

Therefore, Yin Ci had little interest and did not continue to investigate further. The National Teacher, as the head of the Immortal Gathering, still had a mortal lifespan and would die when it was time, which was of no use to him. Now, with the Yuanxian Village ahead and the imperial temple's flesh god statue behind, the Immortal Gathering was hiding such a huge secret. He should pick up this matter and investigate it thoroughly.

It's just that Shen Zhu did not seem to be a simple person, and it was hard to guarantee that she didn't have any hidden moves or bring any spies.

Yin Ci pondered for a moment: "This time and place are not very suitable. Since you want to follow us, why don't we find a quiet place for you to explain in detail."

...As soon as the words left his mouth, Yin Ci felt a bit uncomfortable.

Previously, he wouldn't have cared about any Shen Zhu or Shen Mo. Shi Jingzhi chose them himself, and Yin Ci was too lazy to interfere. When problems arose, he would just drag Shi Jingzhi away.

Now, he had developed an extremely heavy suspicion out of nowhere, and almost wanted to investigate Shen Zhu's ancestry thoroughly.

Shi Jingzhi couldn't resist imprinting on him, and his desires were too strong to be human. Yin Ci considered it a momentary misplaced affection. This person was only three years old when they met, and it should have been impossible for him to be involved in romance.

Now, with a matter of life and death ahead, once this three-incense-stick heat passed, Shi Jingzhi would be able to figure it out himself.

So Yin Ci was certain that his own problem was more troublesome - he had always been a clever moth, only taking warmth and not throwing himself into the fire. As a result, his wings were now accidentally burned, and the smoke made him a little dizzy.

But he had no way to let go.

Yin Ci had indeed been the Demon Sect Leader, but he still had some face to save. So he brought out his proud self-control and said with a look of calm as if nothing had happened: "We may have to rush on the road next, so it's best to rest today."

"So Ah Ci was woken up by me just now?" Shi Jingzhi's eyes turned on his face, asking persistently and carefully.

Yin Ci: "..." It was a pity that they had talked about a lot of serious matters, yet this kid hadn't forgotten the topic that was brushed aside.

Yin Ci glanced at Shen Zhu beside him, smiling without reaching his eyes: "Thinking of you in my sleep, tossing and turning. Is this what Master wants to hear?"

Shi Jingzhi immediately stood there, tongue-tied, his whole body slowly turning red, as if steamed by the night.

"Anyway, it's just 'trivial matters'. Master, don't take it to heart." Yin Ci added with a smile.

Since a certain Sect Leader Shi was determined not to be his son, how could he not tease him? If he was evasive now, it would be more troublesome in the future. With Shi Jingzhi's restraints initially broken, his own emotions were unstable. If they were to openly make a fuss like this, this subtle affection would naturally dissipate.

Yin Ci successfully convinced himself, then turned around leisurely, leaving Shi Jingzhi with an innocent back view.

--

Near Yi City.

Shi Zhongyu, covered in injuries, nearly ran the horse to death. By the time she rushed back to the Taiheng headquarters, the night had not yet dispersed.

The Sect Master's room had the lights on all night, and Sect Master Qi was still lying sick in bed, his waxen complexion taking on a deathly grayish hue. He was running a high fever, his once-sturdy body shriveled to just a skeleton.

Jin Lan held a bowl of Life and Death Soup, his eyes swollen like peaches. He took on the most troublesome task, insisting on feeding the old man once every two hours, cleaning his excrement, turning him over, and wiping his body.

Incense was burned in the room to clear the mind and calm the spirit, but the elegant fragrance could not suppress the rotting smell of the dying patient.

Shi Zhongyu did not rest. She pursed her lips at the empty Sect Master's room. After a moment, she gave Jin Lan a few simple instructions and activated the Disaster-Blocking Talisman with one breath.

A surge of heat swept over her, and she felt as if she had fallen into a pool of fire. Half of the remaining Life and Death Soup went down Shi Zhongyu's throat.

When she woke up again, it was already bright, and she didn't know how many days had passed. Shi Zhongyu groggily sat up, only to find that she was not in her bedroom, but in the Taiheng Hall - the Taiheng Hall was very spacious, with elegant and solemn decorations. She had seen it for more than a decade and was extremely familiar with it.

Now she was half-sitting in the center of the hall, her body drenched in sweat, her brain boiled into a muddled state by the high fever.

Was it a dream? This kind of setup was usually used for accountability.

Shi Zhongyu looked around in confusion and saw familiar faces. The Taiheng elders all had solemn expressions, while the young disciples stood with their heads lowered. Only Qu Duanyun looked at her, his gaze complex, with a hint of faint regret.

Only then did Shi Zhongyu raise her head. On the Taiheng Sect Master's seat sat Qi Xundao, who was as thin as a skeleton. He clutched the unsightly Disaster-Blocking Talisman in one hand, his face full of bitterness and fatigue.

"Absurd." After a moment of silence in the hall, Sect Master Qi sighed clearly.

The high fever did not cover the chill behind Shi Zhongyu's back. She had imagined many possibilities, but they did not include such a serious punishment. The wounds on her body were still aching dully, and the smell of the medicinal paste was so strong that it was pungent, unlike any good medicine - she clearly did not receive the treatment she deserved.

"I heard about the Jianchen Temple Tragedy. The Ku Mountain Sect killed the two eminent monks, Juefei and Juehui, in order to monopolize the clues of the Shi Rou, causing Jianchen Temple to be sealed to this day... Yesterday, the Mi Mountain Sect also sent an urgent secret letter, saying that you colluded with the Ku Mountain Sect to destroy the Mi Mountain's Secret Scripture. Not only that, but you also allowed the Ku Mountain Sect to steal the core secrets of the magic weapon, and silenced Chen Qianfan and Wei Chun. Zhongyu, is this true?"

Shi Zhongyu opened her mouth but couldn't speak. The servant beside her handed her half a cup of cold tea, and only then could she barely clear her throat: "...That secret scripture had its seal unlocked by someone unknown and suddenly attacked us. This disciple had no choice but to fight back. As for Senior Chen and Granny Wei... have they passed away? This disciple was not aware!"

She fought back the dizziness and continued resolutely: "Sect Leader Shi went to seek medical treatment this time, with no intention of obtaining the secret scriptures. He got along very well with Senior Chen and is a person who knows gratitude... He even took the initiative to exchange map rubbings with others and would not harm others' lives over a small clue."

"Did you see it through to the end?" Qi Xundao said with a bitter smile.

"Disciple..." Shi Zhongyu was at a loss for words. After the intense battle with the secret scriptures, she had almost lost consciousness and indeed did not retain many memories. When she woke up, she was in River Luan and had no idea of the whereabouts of Chen Qianfan and Wei Chun.

"Mi Mountain Sect also lost an elder who rushed to help. I believe it was not you who killed him, and the only recent visitors were you and Ku Mountain Sect. Zhongyu, if you say you were tricked by villains from Ku Mountain Sect, Taiheng can still protect you..."

For some reason, when saying this, there was an inexplicable sadness in Qi Xundao's eyes.

Supporting her aching body, Shi Zhongyu said word by word: "Master once taught me to see things with my own eyes and think for myself. Before entering Mi Mountain Sect, Shi Jingzhi had the opportunity to get rid of me. If he had ill intentions, he definitely would not have done that."

The restrictions on the secret scriptures required a highly skilled person to unlock, Shi Zhongyu thought groggily. Chen Qianfan happened to also be a highly skilled person. To blame the activation of the secret scriptures on Ku Mountain Sect, only "discovering Shi Jingzhi's ill intentions and Chen Qianfan activating the scriptures to kill him" would make sense.

But she did not see such a thing. She was an eyewitness, the only eyewitness not from Ku Mountain Sect. If she lied here to protect herself, Ku Mountain Sect would definitely have to take the blame.

"This disciple was not deceived by villains. The situation is unclear, and the suspect is presumed innocent. This disciple will not speak nonsense."

Qi Xundao was silent for a long time. His face was expressionless, his breath suddenly weakened, and his whole person seemed to have aged ten years, but also as if he had obtained some kind of relief.

"This old man's serious illness is not caused by demons or villains, but simply because my destiny has come to an end. The sect is in a time of turmoil, yet you led people to forcibly extend this old man's life, consuming manpower and countless silver. You personally shielded this old man from disaster, with deep affection and loyalty, but because of this, you strayed from the right path and joined hands with villains, having lost the original intent of our Taiheng."

Qi Xundao's pair of withered eyes stared intently at Shi Zhongyu: "Zhongyu, do you have anything to say?"

Shi Zhongyu propped up her sick body and half-knelt on the ground, her back straight as a pen.

"This disciple has no regrets."

Qi Xundao looked around. Some disciples' faces showed anger or sorrow, but in the end, they did not dare to make a sound. He sighed and said again: "As the sect leader, considering your original intention to protect your master, I will temporarily expel you from Taiheng, only keeping your name. If you want to step through this door again, you better think it through."

Shi Zhongyu maintained her half-kneeling posture, stubbornly silent.

"As an ordinary old man, to be able to live a few more days, I have indeed received grace. That pot of white orchid in my room, take it out with you - oh, remember to change the pot, the pot is Taiheng property."

Towards the end, Qi Xundao's voice became softer and softer, and it was hard to tell if it was disappointment or a sigh.

"Master..."

"Go quickly." Qi Xundao said lightly, "I, a person bound to die, cannot ungratefully consume the disciples' life force. Recently the wind and rain have not stopped, and you have also been dragged down by this old man's illness. Remember to add more clothes."

Shi Zhongyu was supported by Jin Lan as she left the main hall. As soon as she stepped on the first step, the heat on her body suddenly disappeared. Shi Zhongyu froze in place. After the extreme heat came extreme cold.

The days of running around, pain, and worry all turned into a pile of ridiculous ashes at this moment. For the first time, she could not keep her back straight, her whole body seeming to be emptied of something and refilled with the cold wind of the northern glaciers.

Once activated, the disaster-shielding talisman would not be easily destroyed. With the disappearance of the shielding effect, there was only one possibility left.

Qi Xundao had severed his meridians and died.

Half an hour later, in front of the main gate of Taiheng.

"Senior Sister, you... don't be too sad. The Sect Leader didn't completely remove your name from Taiheng. When this chaos passes, you will definitely be able to come back." Jin Lan sniffled and handed her the pot of orchids - according to Sect Leader Qi's instructions, that was the only thing she could take away.

With the Sect Leader's recent passing, there were countless internal affairs to handle in Taiheng. Except for Jin Lan, no one came to see her off.

Shi Zhongyu stretched out both hands and carefully inserted them into the flower pot, removing the orchid together with the soil in the pot.

"I..." As soon as she spoke, her heart suddenly jumped violently.

At the bottom of the pot of soil, she felt something hard and cold.

Shi Zhongyu pondered for a moment: "Jin Lan, return the pot first. There are many things to handle in the sect now, don't mind me... I won't go far for the time being. We'll meet again another day."

Jin Lan walked away, looking back every three steps, his swollen eyes not only not getting better but looking more and more swollen. With no one around, Shi Zhongyu wrapped up the orchid and soil, then quietly wiped clean that cold object with her sleeve -

The moment she saw clearly what that thing was, her eyes turned sour and she almost bit through her lip.

The Taiheng Reverse Yang Token.

The Taiheng Sect Leader personally carried the Positive Yang Token, while the Reverse Yang Token was managed by the person second only to the Sect Leader in position. The holder of the Reverse Yang Token could use this token to command the Taiheng members in the event that the Sect Leader lost virtue, to correct his words and deeds, or...

Simply remove the Sect Leader.

Qi Xundao had led the Taiheng Sect for decades and was highly respected. As a sign of respect, the token holder had long returned this token to be kept by Qi Xundao alone. Taiheng had been stable for too long, and they had almost forgotten that this thing existed.

The Sect Leader... no, her master was wise, she thought. Qi Xundao might have seen through something, but he was extremely weak, and there were countless people around him, the only thing lacking was the opportunity and time.

Jianchen Temple had been sealed for a long time, strange things had happened with Mi Mountain Sect, and now Taiheng Sect had no choice but to change Sect Leaders at this time.

The storm was coming, and the hundred-year-long peace in Dayun's jianghu probably could not be maintained for much longer.

The author has something to say:

...I have to say that it seems like a lot of people have died in this book (...

I didn't mean to!

Today's dish at the Ku Mountain Sect is pickled cabbage flavor.