Chapter 87.1 Shigui Sect
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Pei Jing was searching for a restaurant, merely seeking a place to settle down. Tianyan City was in chaos, with dangers lurking everywhere. Moreover, even before his arrival, he had a notorious reputation in the outer city. It was wise for him to be cautious and careful.
Inside the room, Qiao Mucai’s eyes gleamed whenever he looked at him, as if he wanted to reveal his heartfelt sincerity. He would address him as “Brother” at every chance, saying things like, “Brother Zhang, do you want some water?” “Brother Zhang, do you want me to fetch your sword?” “Brother Zhang, should I sleep on this side of the floor or the other?” He was overly obedient, trying his best to please.
The Qiao family of the Plum Blossom Pavilion was considered a prominent clan in the world of cultivation. It was unknown from which ancestor this stingy and money-loving trait was inherited.
Pei Jing surprisingly appreciated such extravagant flattery. He sat on the chair like a dignified gentleman and said, “I’m not thirsty, don’t need anything. Do as you wish. Oh, it’s a bit windy. Could you help me close the window?”
Qiao Mucai didn’t find it strange at all. After all, money was truly influential. Their brotherhood meant nothing in the face of wealth.
Qiao Mucai hastened to close the window, peeking outside. The rumors about Tianyan City, a gathering place for criminals, turned out to be true. The nights were eerie, resembling a hellish scene, and with every gust of wind, a scent of blood filled the air. Goosebumps covered his body as he closed the window and quickly returned to sit across from Pei Jing at the table.
“Brother Zhang, do you have any more instructions?”
Pei Jing was happy inside, but he decided to tell him the truth. “Actually, I wanted to say that in Tianyan City, life is much more important than money.”
Qiao Mucai was taken aback, feeling like a bucket of cold water had been poured on him, instantly losing his enthusiasm.
Pei Jing suggested, “Why don’t we discuss how to find the person first?”
Qiao Mucai drooped his head weakly. “There is very little news that makes its way out of Tianyan City. It’s tough.”
Pei Jing: “What do you think about how your brother will survive in the city?”
Qiao Mucai scratched his head. “How would I know about that?”
His scratching motion suddenly froze, and his face turned pale as he rigidly put his hand down. His sleeve slid back, revealing a white jade bracelet on the young man’s wrist. At that moment, the bracelet emitted a faint warmth and a red light. Qiao Mucai was left dumbstruck.
Pei Jing furrowed his brow. “What’s the matter?”
Qiao Mucai, nearly scared out of his wits, trembled and pointed with his finger, whispering, “Up… up… above.”
Pei Jing used his spiritual sense to probe and only then discovered that there seemed to be something above their room’s ceiling.
“I understand.”
Pei Jing nodded.
Pei Jing got up and walked to the window, reaching out to push it open. Qiao Mucai’s eyes widened, curious about what he was going to do. Suddenly, Pei Jing curved his finger and grasped something on the roof, which made a whimpering sound before rolling down the tiles. Pei Jing grabbed the thing by its hair and flung it directly into the room.
A dark, swirling mass rolled to Qiao Mucai’s feet. It was a person, or rather, a puppet.
Qiao Mucai’s eyes bulged, startled as he jumped up. “What is this thing?”
Pei Jing clapped his hands and said, “Ask, and you’ll find out.”
However, this puppet was originally crafted from a dead body. In the moment it was captured, the necromancer sensed something was amiss and immediately severed the corpse’s soul.
The body emitted a foul stench, lying motionless on the ground as a pool of dark liquid spread beneath it.
Qiao Mucai was on the verge of vomiting, pinching his nose. “Ew, it stinks.”
Pei Jing, on the other hand, showed great interest. He bent down and used his hands to move aside the dead body’s hair, looking at the black mark behind its ear. His eyes curved into a smile as he exclaimed, “This is quite remarkable. It’s my old friend.”
Qiao Mucai was left dumbfounded. “What?”
Pei Jing sat back at the table, pondered for a moment, and then said to him, “Have you heard of the Four Sects and Five Schools, with Shigui Sect being one of them?”
Qiao Mucai, after all, was from the Plum Blossom Pavilion. He swallowed nervously and nodded stiffly.
Pei Jing: “I have a feud with Shigui Sect.”
Clang! Qiao Mucai tumbled off the chair.
Pei Jing silently watched him.
Qiao Mucai: …Is it still possible for us to sever ties and part ways now?
But this Zhang Yiming was really wealthy.
Qiao Mucai found himself in a dilemma.
Finally, under Pei Jing’s gaze, he coughed, suppressing his astonishment and stood up. “I know that most members of Shigui Sect are ghost cultivators.”
Pei Jing saw through his thoughts, feeling delighted inside but wore a bitter expression on his face. “Ah, I knew there was something terrifying about their appearances. What should we do if the people from Shigui Sect find out about me? What can I do?”
Qiao Mucai was stunned for a moment. “Shouldn’t we leave the city first?”
Pei Jing had never seen someone so cowardly before, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Qiao Mucai’s face drooped as he whimpered, “But if we leave the city now, we won’t be able to come back again, wuwuwu.”
Pei Jing had to console him, “Actually, there’s no need to be afraid. Tianyan City is vast, and Shigui Sect doesn’t have complete control over it. We’ll leave tonight, and they won’t be able to find us.”
Qiao Mucai sniffed and asked, “Then where should we hide?”
Pei Jing suddenly smiled with a deep meaning, reaching out to take the oil lamp from the table. He spoke slowly, “First, we’ll hide—” His voice abruptly trailed off.
Bang!
He swung his hand and smashed the oil lamp directly against the adjacent wall.
With tremendous force, the wooden partition of the restaurant shattered instantly, followed by a loud cry from the neighboring room. Wood debris piled up, and a woman holding her bleeding ear looked at them with a vicious gaze.
Qiao Mucai was frightened, his eyes wide open.
The walls have ears!
Pei Jing stood up and walked forward, dressed in a brown garment with an air of elegance and a faint smile. “Miss, our lamp broke. Could we borrow some light?”
The woman, almost deaf from the impact, glared at the oil lamp at his feet, seething with anger and pain.
Meanwhile.
Shigui Sect in Tianyan City.
In a gloomy hall, blue ghost flames spewed from the skull’s mouth. The head of Shigui Sect touched the head of his mount. His finger had been severed by someone, and what grew back was only dry bones without flesh, appearing exceptionally horrifying.
Below are two Elders from the Shigui Sect, their faces dark and gloomy.
Elder Feng said, “Another group of newcomers has entered the city. I have already sent someone to track their movements.”
The Sect Master seemed formless, hiding within a cluster of black mist, his voice hoarse. “In ten days, Tianyan City will be completely sealed off. You must diligently investigate the people who have arrived in these past few days.”
Elder Feng nodded and said, “Yes.”
However, Elder Yu wore a slightly troubled expression. “Sect Master, that person is Pei Yuzhi. Are we really going to make an enemy out of him?”
The Sect Master let out an extremely sinister and cold laugh. “What of Pei Yuzhi? Just a brat who has recently reached the Nascent Soul stage. Do you think I can’t handle him here? I will seek revenge for Di Feng!”
Elder Feng nodded and said, “Indeed, I refuse to believe that with the combined efforts of our Shigui Sect, we cannot kill him! Think about it, who is Pei Yuzhi? He is the future Sect Master of Yunxiao, and he must possess many valuable treasures. Moreover,” a covetous gleam appeared in the old man’s eyes, “after his death, I will refine his body into a puppet that will be a rarity for millions of years.”
Elder Yu shook his head and said, “I still feel uneasy about this.”
The Sect Master coldly snorted, “What is there to fear? In this city, he is just one person.”
Elder Yu sighed and said, “But if we kill him, we may not gain any benefits. Let’s not forget that Yunxiao still has the Grandmaster from the Institute of Celestial Ascension.”
The senior cultivator from the Institute of Celestial Ascension, in the Nascent Soul stage, weighed heavily on their hearts like a mountain.
The Sect Master’s hand moved slightly, but he shook his head, his eyes filled with resolute killing intent. “There’s no need to fear. That person from the Institute of Celestial Ascension won’t be able to enter even after ten days. Don’t forget who made the decision to seal off the city.”
Elder Yu was stunned.
However, Elder Feng’s eyes immediately lit up. “Yes, yes, you’re right!”
Although they didn’t know what the person inside the inner city was thinking, with their presence, even the Grandmaster from Yunxiao wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.
When the time cane, they woyld erase all traces of Pei Yuzhi’s existence, causing him to die silently, so that no one would know it was their doing.
At that moment, Elder Yu’s ring finger twitched.
He raised his hand, and the red string tied around his finger snapped.
His eyes widened suddenly. “…The puppet is dead.”
The Sect Master paused in stroking his mount.
Elder Feng’s face revealed a hint of madness. “To detect the puppet’s presence and kill it, one’s cultivation must be above the Nascent Soul stage. Hahaha! How many Nascent Soul cultivators are there in the world, and how many would come at this time? It must be him! It must be him!”
He had recently obtained a forbidden technique, but he couldn’t find a suitable puppet. Now, unexpectedly, one had been delivered to him, something he had never dared to imagine before.
Pei Yuzhi, a Golden Core cultivator at age 100, was famous throughout the world as the number one on the Wentian Rankings.
Elder Feng’s heart swelled with intense jealousy and hostility. He couldn’t wait and said, “Sect Master, I’ll go and capture him right away.”
The Sect Master cast a cold glance at him, full of mockery.
Even Elder Yu couldn’t help but curse him as a fool in his heart.
Was Pei Yuzhi so easy to capture and provoke?
He had already killed people across realms when he was in the Golden Core stage, slaughtering mountains with a single sword. Now that he had reached the Nascent Soul stage, it was even more unimaginable. Were they rushing to their own deaths?
Elder Feng observed the expressions of the two and also realized it. He felt somewhat embarrassed, but his hatred grew stronger — once Pei Yuzhi was captured, he would humiliate him thoroughly, trampling him underfoot.
The Sect Master emerged from the black mist, cloaked in a blood-red robe, and spoke hoarsely, “Go, deliver the orders to the masters of Hanya Sect and Zhuanri Sect.”
One Palace, Three Sects, and Five Schools. One palace stood as the leader, while three sects stood side by side.
The Zhuihun Palace had a connection to the inner city and was always shrouded in mystery.
The remaining three sects resided in this outer city!
It could be said that now Pei Yuzhi was being hunted by the entire outer city.
Elder Ning finally felt at ease, with no more worries in his mind, and he began to calculate. He was currently in need of a medicinal herb.
The Sect Master of Shigui Sect grinned maliciously. “I want to see whether he lives or dies.”
The mount beneath him awakened and slowly lifted its head—it was a Three-Headed Bird of Flames.
“Let’s go, to the city gate.”
He went personally!
When borrowing light, one must borrow it completely.
Pei Jing simply pulled Qiao Mucai along and directly entered the room of that girl. Upon entering, a strange fragrance filled the air, reminiscent of a woman’s makeup and also some kind of aphrodisiac.
To be honest, the scent made Pei Jing quite uncomfortable.
Qiao Mucai also sneezed several times in succession.
The girl, covering her blood-drenched ear, stared at the two intruders and kept retreating.
Pei Jing smiled, his eyes narrowing. “Eavesdropping on people’s conversations is not proper.”
The girl’s voice trembled in fear. “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to!”
Pei Jing paid no attention to whether or not she did it intentionally and calmly drew his sword.
The girl immediately let out a loud scream, “No, no, no! You can’t kill me, wuwuwu! I’m from the Meixiang School! You can’t kill me!”
How coincidental. Pei Jing approached and, with a voice only the two of them could hear, laughed. “That sounds familiar. The Elder from the Shigui Sect said the same thing last time.”
The girl suddenly fell silent, and when she looked up again, she saw the bright smile of the young man before her.
It felt as if she was looking at a terrifying demon from hell. A profound chill gripped her heart.
Pei Jing said, “Explain why you were eavesdropping.”
The girl from the Meixiang School burst into loud sobs, “Wuwuwu, I just wanted to hear if you were resting, I just wanted to steal something valuable from you.”
Qiao Mucai almost immediately understood and complained with a pained expression, “Look at how much you spent on those hundred pieces of top-grade spiritual stones. Do you realize you shouldn’t flaunt your wealth?”
Pei Jing slowly retracted his sword, but his ears suddenly twitched. He swiftly turned around, his gaze sharp like lightning, and looked downstairs.
Someone was coming this way.
Qiao Mucai was taken aback. “What’s wrong?”
Pei Jing walked straight to the window and looked out onto the desolate and silent street. A group of people was approaching. The night was dark, and the aura of corpse spirit permeated the air. Leading the group were three Nascent Soul cultivators!
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