Jiang Yin and Tang Muxi, along with their group, didn’t hesitate any longer and immediately set off for the Xia family in the city.
They departed just after dawn.
Snow had fallen on the mountain peak, and the trees that had once been revitalized by Tang Muxi’s breakthrough spiritual rain had mostly shed their leaves, turning back into dry branches.
The spiritual plants were buried in the snow, forming small bulges in the pristine white ground.
At this rate, they would likely be completely submerged in a few days.
The mountain top was chilly, with cold winds and flurries of snow.
Although Tang Muxi wasn’t afraid of the cold, she habitually added layers to her clothing when she saw the winter scenery.
“Senior Sister, where is the Xia family?”
She had clearly been angry just moments ago, but now, having just descended the mountain and not yet entered the city, she had already left her annoyance behind.
Wen Fei found this quite remarkable.
No wonder Jiang Yin liked this girl—she was easy to bully, but would forget it in no time, naive and without malice.
Who wouldn’t like someone like that?
After sighing, Wen Fei felt a pang of jealousy.
Having a Dao companion must be nice.
Jiang Yin didn’t know what Wen Fei was thinking, but if she did, she would surely mock her.
Seeing Tang Muxi wagging her tail and coming over, the tension in her brows eased a bit, and she smiled lightly, saying, “The Xia family lives near the city center, not far from the Jubao Pavilion auction house, so once we enter the city, just head towards the Jubao Pavilion.”
Jubao Pavilion?
She was familiar with that.
Last time she went to fleece them, she wondered if there were any new prizes added to the pool after so many days…
Jiang Yin saw her eyes darting around and immediately understood her thoughts, flicking her forehead lightly, “Don’t overdo it, or you’ll make enemies.”
With her way of fleecing, who could withstand it?
Fortunately, the master of Jubao Pavilion was an acquaintance, and rich enough not to care.
If it were someone else, they would have kicked her out long ago.
Tang Muxi winced, covering her head, and pouted, letting out a soft hum, releasing a puff of warm breath, “Fine, I won’t draw, it’s not like I care that much.”
“Saying one thing and meaning another,” Jiang Yin thought, seeing her clearly upset.
She slightly furrowed her brows, wondering when her junior sister developed such a love for money, thinking she needed to teach her properly someday.
A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it righteously.
However, she forgot her own ugly face when extorting others.
When it came to robbing, the former Demon Lord was the best.
They passed through the main street of the city and arrived in front of Jubao Pavilion.
The three of them didn’t go inside, but even so, they unexpectedly ran into Wen Mingyu at the entrance.
Wen Mingyu had anticipated they would visit the Xia family and had been waiting there early.
Seeing them approach, he greeted them with a bright smile.
“Miss Jiang, little junior sister, and aunt, what a coincidence to meet you here.”
Coincidence?
Tang Muxi rolled her eyes internally.
“Mingyu, are you also planning to visit the Xia family?”
Wen Fei was a bit surprised.
“Yes, since we’re investigating the situation, I can’t miss it. There might be new clues.”
“That’s good,” Wen Fei nodded.
“Then let me lead the way,” Wen Mingyu offered, joining the group.
The Xia family was very close to Jubao Pavilion, just across the street.
However, the Xia family hadn’t been peaceful lately, with strange occurrences happening frequently at night.
Although the people in the city didn’t know what was happening, they still consciously avoided the Xia family.
When Jiang Yin and her group arrived, the Xia family’s gate was tightly shut, with no one in sight.
Snow had fallen in front of the gate for half a month without being cleared, forming a thick layer.
There were stone statues of beasts on either side, but no guards, making it look quite desolate.
The Nine Fiends Hall is ruled by royal authority, merging the sect and the court into one.
The Xia family has a close relationship with the central royal family and holds a high position, so they can have a large mansion in the city center.
If it were someone else, they might be stunned by the luxurious decor on their first visit, but Tang Muxi, who owns an entire Floating Immortal Island comparable to a paradise on earth, naturally doesn’t find it extravagant.
In fact, seeing the unattended entrance, she might even think the family has fallen on hard times and feel a bit of pity for a moment.
As they approached, before they could knock, the guardian statues on either side suddenly activated, flashing with silver light, and two beasts appeared before them.
One was a snake demon, the other a bird demon, both recognizing their master, with cultivation at the peak of the Golden Core stage.
For guardian spirit pets to have such cultivation is quite impressive.
In other sects, a peak Golden Core would be enough to serve as an elder.
The beasts, sensitive to the hierarchy of bloodlines, sensed the pressure from Wen Fei and Wen Mingyu’s bloodlines and immediately prostrated themselves on the ground.
They recognized Wen Mingyu, but it was Wen Fei’s first visit, and with her high cultivation, the two guardian spirit pets dared not let her in without permission, saying, “Please, honorable one, wait here while we report.”
Wen Mingyu didn’t make things difficult for them and nodded, “Be quick.”
The snake demon swiftly slipped inside, and after a while, the door opened, and a man hurried out.
The man was tall and handsome, with a clean appearance and a bit of stubble on his chin.
Upon seeing Wen Mingyu and Wen Fei, he immediately bowed in greeting.
“Junior Xia Qing, greets the lord.”
Wen Mingyu nodded, “This is a relative from my clan, Wen Fei.”
Xia Qing understood, “Greetings, senior.”
There were four of them in total, with Wen Mingyu and Wen Fei in front, and Tang Muxi and Jiang Yin behind.
After Xia Qing greeted them, he was about to ask for the names of the two behind, but froze when he saw their faces.
At the same time, Tang Muxi widened her eyes in disbelief, pointing at Xia Qing’s face, “It’s the busybody from that day!”
Wen Mingyu was puzzled, “Busybody?”
Her gaze shifted between them, “You know each other?”
Xia Qing was too embarrassed to speak.
Tang Muxi, however, boldly complained, “The day I sold you the pill, I went to the Treasure Pavilion with Senior Sister. I just mentioned that the pill grade was too low on the first floor, and who knew this person would meddle and mock me for not knowing that a profound-grade pill was enough for Nascent Soul use.”
In fact, thinking back, Tang Muxi didn’t really dislike this person, as he didn’t say much after Senior Sister and she mocked him.
But every time she thought of him ruining her mood, she felt displeased.
Jiang Yin, seeing him again, didn’t have a good expression either, giving him a cursory glance before indifferently looking away, letting her junior sister “bully” him.
After understanding the situation, Wen Mingyu found it amusing and explained to Xia Qing, “Remember the earth-grade alchemist I mentioned a few days ago? It’s her, my junior sister Tang Muxi, and the person beside her is her Senior Sister Jiang Yin.”
Xia Qing certainly remembered.
The Soul Dispersing Pill was of high grade, earth-grade top quality, requiring extremely high alchemy skills.
So when Wen Mingyu mentioned it, he held respect in his heart.
An earth-grade alchemist, whose alchemy skills are already at a masterful level, is a revered figure wherever they go, deserving of being called a senior.
If one could receive guidance, it would be invaluable for an alchemist.
Xia Qing didn’t primarily focus on alchemy, and his alchemy skills were quite shallow, barely breaking through the yellow grade and touching the tail of the profound grade.
He never expected to meet such a prestigious earth-grade alchemist and even dared to criticize her.
Recalling his words from that day, his face was filled with shame.
His expression changed several times, quite dramatically, before he finally managed to say a few words, “About that day, I was blind to your greatness, senior… please don’t blame me…”
Heaven knows what kind of feeling he had when he called a girl younger than him “senior.”
Tang Muxi, who didn’t hold grudges, immediately found him more agreeable when he apologized, proudly raising her head, “I forgive you, but don’t call me senior, it sounds like I’m old.”
Almost like she’s in the same generation as her master.
Fortunately, Wen Fei didn’t know what Tang Muxi was thinking, or he would have given this cheeky disciple a good lesson.
Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief, glad he didn’t have to call her senior.
They lingered at the entrance for quite a while, drawing the attention of passersby.
Xia Qing couldn’t say much more and stepped aside to lead the way.
“Please follow me, everyone. My mother has been waiting at Heart Lake for some time.”
Heart Lake was a large body of water in the garden.
The family head, Xia Ci, loved peace and would recuperate there when injured.
However, he never imagined that his favorite place would become his final resting place, where he not only died but was also revealed to be a monstrous figure, neither human nor ghost.
This incident had happened over a month ago, but Xia Qing’s mother often lingered there, overcome with grief.
As they passed through the corridors and around the rockery, they realized the scenery inside was pleasant and the spiritual energy was abundant.
Jiang Yin paid attention along the way and discovered two distinct ominous energies beneath the strands of spiritual power.
One was intertwined with bloodthirstiness, extremely domineering, fierce, and aggressive, likely the remnants of the family head Xia Ci’s transformation into a “Zhan.”
The other was more peaceful yet extremely chilling, and upon careful investigation, it was connected to the Soul Jade Marrow and the Yellow Springs Water.
Jiang Yin was puzzled but didn’t speak up, quietly capturing traces of both energies and sealing them in a storage ring.
The courtyard was vast, and from the outside, it seemed unremarkable, but upon reaching the expansive Heart Lake, they realized just how spacious the estate was.
In the center of the lake stood a small pavilion, rich in spiritual energy, with shimmering water.
An elderly woman stood there, facing away from the morning sun, lost in thought, unaware of the group’s arrival.
Xia Qing slowed his pace, standing by the lake to gaze at the solitary figure for a moment, unable to suppress a sigh.
He turned back to explain, “My mother and father were deeply in love. After my father became an evil spirit and fled, my mother often comes here. Please don’t mind, I’ll go invite her over.”
“Go ahead,” Wen Fei said, knowing that the family would be the most affected by such an event, and gestured for him to proceed.
After a short wait, the middle-aged woman hurried over.
Her lifespan had been greatly consumed, and her cultivation had stagnated for years, making her appear somewhat aged.
However, thanks to good maintenance, it wasn’t too obvious, and she still retained her charm, though her brows carried a hint of melancholy.
“Master Wen,” Xu Qingwan nodded slightly, with a hint of apology.
“Are these your friends? I apologize for not being a good host. Please, come inside.”
Wen Mingyu stopped her.
“No need, I’m just accompanying today. They are the main guests. I mentioned the alchemist to you before, but since this is a serious matter, we wanted to hear from you about the details and inspect the scene before making any decisions.”
Xu Qingwan glanced at everyone, sighed softly, and slowly recounted the recent events.
