Wife is hell

Chapter 107 The Beautiful Assassin (8200)

The next morning, Jiang Mu arrived at the patrol office.

He skillfully bypassed the screen wall, passed through the ceremonial gate, and headed straight for Tang Jinxian's private courtyard where she conducted her daily affairs.

Seeing this, Xiuxiu did not stop her.

Upon entering the office, one could see Tang Jinxian hunched over her desk, engrossed in processing the piles of documents.

The woman was still not wearing her official uniform today, but only a light blue cross-collar narrow-sleeved short shirt, with a light red gauze half-sleeved garment over it. The fabric at her chest was bulging due to her bending over.

Even the desk shared a significant portion of the burden.

"cough."

Jiang Mu coughed lightly.

Tang Jinxian looked up at the sound and saw Jiang Mu. A hint of apology and embarrassment immediately appeared on her bright and pretty face.

After all, just a few days ago she had vowed to protect the other party, but in the blink of an eye, Ke Linyue had taken the person away with the help of the prince.

Upon seeing each other now, the Grand Master felt he was losing face.

She put down her pen, feigning composure, and casually gathered the official documents on the table to her chest, saying:

"I actually tried my best to persuade the prince, but unfortunately Ke Linyue still managed to take advantage of the prince's impatience and transferred you there."

Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I'll protect you and make sure you don't suffer any injustice over there.

Jiang Mu didn't seem to care much about this, and waved his hand, saying:

“These trivial matters are nothing. I have come today to inform the steward of something else.”

He then recounted in detail how You Xin'er, the inspector of the Spirit Pavilion of the Floating Pagoda, had come yesterday and taken away the Ghost God Spear under the pretext of a routine inspection.

Tang Jinxian frowned slightly, her fingertips lightly tapping the table, making a crisp "tap-tap" sound:

"The Spirit Item Pavilion does indeed have this rule: for spirit items issued, especially those undergoing initial fusion or those with questionable aspects, they have the right to conduct retrospective verification. However..."

Normally, as long as the spirit object is functioning normally and has not shown any abnormalities, they rarely come to collect it in person.

A flicker of doubt crossed the woman's eyes as she looked at Jiang Mu.

"Could it be that something went wrong when you fused with the Ghost God Spear? Or did you leave behind some unusual traces?"

Jiang Mu secretly rolled his eyes.

I didn't follow your method of fusion at all, who knew that the Spirit Item Pavilion had this after-sales follow-up rule.

He remained expressionless.
"I'm puzzled too. But Inspector You has been so confident, saying it will be returned within four or five days. Do you think this magical object... can be returned?"

You can rest assured about that.

Tang Jinxian smiled and comforted him.
“There is very little precedent for a spirit object that has been formally approved and registered by the Spirit Object Pavilion and has been successfully integrated into the spirit.

Besides, with me here, they'll have to give me some face. As for You Xin'er, I'll write to inquire and make sure she returns the items as soon as possible.

Tang Jinxian regained her protective and confident demeanor.

Hearing her say that, Jiang Mu stopped talking about it.

But he wasn't worried either.

Whether it's sent back or not is actually not important.

He had already secretly prepared a backup plan. If the Spirit Pavilion dared to embezzle his Ghost God Spear, he wouldn't mind causing a "spirit out of control" incident to break out in the Floating Pagoda.

We'll see who has the harder time getting out of this situation.

With the matter of the spirit object temporarily put aside, Tang Jinxian steered the conversation back to the main issue:
"By the way, do you have any leads on the case of the Princess's disappearance at the Prince's residence?"

Jiang Mu took out a small notebook containing clues that he always carried with him, flipped through a few pages, and his expression became more serious:

"I have a bold guess. Based on the clues we have so far, this Princess Yang is very likely the real culprit in the apple disappearance case."

"what?!"

Tang Jinxian was taken aback.

"Let's go through all the clues and timelines first."

Jiang Mu said,

"First of all, the murderer absorbed the life force of several young women in succession, with the core purpose of maintaining his own youth."

Then, she deliberately instigated Wenxiuniang to hang herself in order to take over Wenxiuniang's body, which shows that the murderer's own body had reached the critical point where it needed to be replaced.

However, to complete this bizarre body replacement, an extremely yin place where yin energy gathers must be found.

Tang Jinxian nodded.

Jiang Mu had analyzed these points with her before.

"but,"

Jiang Mu looked at her,
"You have already sent people to investigate Yancheng and its surrounding areas, and no such place has been found. Only the Prince Cheng's residence is inaccessible for detailed investigation due to its special status."

Yesterday, I entered the Prince's mansion and, under the guise of reconnaissance, discovered an array in the garden made of exotic flowers and stones. Unfortunately, I couldn't explore it further.

"Array?"

Tang Jinxian rested her chin on her fingertips, her sleeve slipping slightly to reveal a section of her snow-white wrist.
"The Prince Cheng's mansion contains spiritual objects. I heard that the prince lent one of his treasured items to Elder Zhao of Divine Phoenix Island some time ago. It wouldn't be surprising if there were a formation inside the mansion."

However… without His Majesty's personal decree, we have no right to enter the residence to search, which is truly a troublesome matter.”

"Leaving aside the formation for now,"

Jiang Mu continued,

"Let's examine the murderer's actions. She used the promise of helping Mu Qingshan's deceased wife resurrect as bait to lure Mu Qingshan into secretly breaking the seal on the forbidden area of ​​Chongtian Temple."

He then used his identity as the Left Protector of the Lingjiao sect to deceive Tong Geda and other remnants of the Lingjiao sect, making them act as pawns to forcibly break into the forbidden area and create chaos.

During the chaos, the murderer took the opportunity to sneak into the depths of the forbidden area and steal an ancient painting, as well as another item.

I initially thought it was that 'apple' spirit object that could absorb people's lifespan, but now it seems that the apple was always in the murderer's own hands; it was her very essence.

Tang Jinxian was shocked:
"In that case, the murderer must be connected to the Spirit Cult!"

"Do not."

Jiang Mu shook his head. "On the contrary, I think the murderer is not a true member of the Spirit Cult. The Spirit Cult is just a useful pawn in her hands, an identity that is easy to disguise."

"It was only because she had a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the Spirit Cult that she was able to successfully impersonate the Left Protector without arousing suspicion from Tong Geda and the others."

Tang Jinxian gasped.

"If that's true, the murderer's cunning and methods are truly astonishing. To manipulate Mu Qingshan, the remnants of the Spirit Cult, and even the Prince all at will..."

She recalled An Chenghu's speculation and added,
"Your Uncle An thinks that the princess's disappearance may not be a kidnapping, but a play she directed and acted out herself."

"Directed and acted by himself..."

Jiang Mu fell into deep thought, his fingertips lightly tapping the booklet.

He recalled the fiery illusion array and the trap of mass slaughter on Wolf Head Mountain yesterday, and his doubts deepened.

It seems necessary to go to Wolf Head Mountain again.

Yesterday's scene was chaotic, and perhaps some crucial clues were overlooked.

Upon hearing that Jiang Mu was going to Wolf Head Mountain, Tang Jinxian immediately offered to go with him.

Now that Jiang Mu's Ghost God Spear has been taken away by the Spirit Item Pavilion, he has lost a powerful weapon for self-defense, and she is really worried about him going to such a dangerous place alone again.

Jiang Mu did not refuse.

-

The morning mist, like a newly woven white veil, enveloped Wolf Head Mountain in the early morning.

Despite yesterday's fiery illusion, the mountains and forests remained tranquil in the morning light, as if nothing had happened.

The ground was covered with the marks left by the search of the mountain.

Jiang Mu and Tang Jinxian walked side by side through the woods.

Jiang Mu first retraced the approximate locations of those strange fire circles from yesterday, relying on his memory.

Tang Jinxian followed behind, acting as a bodyguard.

As Jiang Mu walked, he suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing slightly: "Strange, that red dress hanging on the tree branch yesterday..."

"what happened?"

Tang Jinxian turned her head to look at him.

The morning mist condensed into tiny water droplets on her thick eyelashes.

"I remember there was a red dress hanging on this branch."

Jiang Mu pointed to the location in his memory, "The situation was critical at the time, and I didn't have time to look closely, but now it's gone."

"It was probably blown away by the wind," Tang Jinxian said.

Jiang Mu felt somewhat regretful.

The two then returned to the secluded mountain hollow where Zhang Huan had discovered the core of the formation the day before.

The terrain here is low-lying, and the vegetation is particularly lush.

The air was filled with an earthy smell, different from the surrounding mountains and forests.

Jiang Mu stood on a high boulder, carefully observing the surrounding terrain. At the same time, he took out his notebook and flipped to the sketch of the formation he had drawn in the Prince's Garden yesterday, comparing it with the original.

He gestured with his fingers between the blueprints and the actual terrain, occasionally adding a few marks to his notebook.

The more he looked, the more serious his expression became.

"Sir, please come and see."

Upon hearing this, Tang Jinxian bent down to look at the blueprints, a strand of black hair falling down, the tip brushing against Jiang Mu's hand.

"Look here,"

Jiang Mu pointed to a spot on the sketch,
"The formation layout in the Prince's Garden is basically the same as the fire formation on Wolf Head Mountain yesterday. Both use the terrain and objects to guide and gather a certain kind of energy."

However, the array here possesses a heavier malevolent aura and a more brutal structure; its function... is more like a 'sacrifice' array that uses living people as offerings!

Tang Jinxian's heart sank, and she said:

"Therefore, it can now be almost concluded that Princess Yang is indeed problematic."

Under the guise of building a garden in the Prince's mansion, she secretly set up a formation to gather yin and evil spirits. She also orchestrated a kidnapping, deliberately leaving behind a magical bellyband as bait to draw the attention of the patrol officers and many others to Wolf Head Mountain...

Their true purpose was to perform some kind of sacrificial ritual here, using the intruders as sacrifices!

"should be."

Jiang Mu nodded. "However, she probably didn't succeed."

If she successfully obtains Wenxiuniang's body, or achieves other goals, she will surely find a reasonable excuse to return to the palace and continue her status as a princess.

Her current disappearance suggests that the ritual may have been interrupted, or... not entirely successful.

Tang Jinxian thought of something and asked:

"If she really succeeds in replacing Wenxiuniang's body, will she become exactly the same as Wenxiuniang?"

Jiang Mu shook his head:

"Such advanced soul-transferring sorcery usually requires the caster to possess a certain degree of ability to reshape the physical body and adjust facial features, and may not completely retain the original appearance. All she wants is that 'vessel'."

"That……"

Tang Jinxian asked curiously, "Is the baby in her belly real or fake?"

Jiang Mu pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say for sure."

It's possible that it's true. After all, if a prince has a son late in life, he would definitely send many highly skilled doctors to examine him repeatedly. It would be extremely difficult to completely fake pregnancy signs and deceive all the professional doctors.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that she used some unknown and mysterious method to create the illusion of a false pregnancy.

"call out--"

Just as the two were talking, a sharp whistling sound suddenly tore through the fog.

Tang Jinxian and Jiang Mu sensed the danger almost simultaneously.

Out of instinct to protect each other, the two instinctively reached out to pull each other behind them for cover.

The result was that their arms crossed, and they ended up embracing each other.

Their bodies pressed close together instantly, and both were taken aback.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Mu reacted faster.

Before he could think, he suddenly exerted force in his arms, tightly gripping Tang Jinxian's slender waist. He shifted his feet and forcefully spun to the side with her in his arms to dodge.

"laugh!"

A cold glint brushed past Tang Jinxian's flowing hair, lifting a few strands.

However, the cold light seemed to be alive, drawing an arc in mid-air before turning around and shooting towards the two of them again.

Tang Jinxian flipped her jade-like hand, her slender fingers gripping her waist, and gently pulled it away.

A long rope, about the thickness of a thumb, flew out.

As she trembled her fair wrist, the rope spun out in circles, instantly weaving a semi-transparent air shield in front of the two of them. The mist was shattered, forming a vacuum screen.

Jiang Mu was stunned.

I thought this giant gummy bear was only good for binding people.

"Ding--"

The cold light crashed into the air wall, vibrating and buzzing.

Only then did the two realize that it was a short sword made entirely of white bone.

The bone sword was covered with fine, dark red runes.

"call out!"

The stalemate lasted only a moment. The bone sword seemed to realize that it could not break through, and with a "whoosh," it burrowed into the ground.

"not good!"

Their expressions changed simultaneously.

"hold me!"

Tang Jinxian gave a low shout, her voice cold and sharp.

Jiang Mu was about to take out the Eastern Emperor Primordial Bell, but at that moment, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a dense forest on his right...

Jiang Mu's heart stirred, and he changed his mind, embracing Tang Jinxian's soft and fragrant body.

The fragrance of her body, so delicate and sweet, instantly enveloped his sense of smell.

However, since the two had already shared a bed, this level of intimacy was nothing special.

With a light tap of her toes, Tang Jinxian and the two of them rose into the air, hovering about ten feet above the ground.

"Pfft!"

Almost simultaneously, the bone sword burst forth from the ground where they had stood, its tip kicking up a cloud of gravel and wet mud.

If it had been a fraction later, it would have pierced through the instep.

"court death!"

While suspended in mid-air, Tang Jinxian's eyes sharpened, and she swung out the long rope in her hand.

The rope snapped in mid-air with a sharp "crack," striking the bone sword precisely.

It knocked him off balance.

Before the bone sword could adjust itself again, the long rope, like a serpent, coiled around it, wrapping around and around, binding it tightly.

Tang Jinxian flicked her wrist.

The bone sword, bound by the long rope, trembled violently, as if struggling and wailing, but after only a moment, a faint "crack" sound was heard.

The bone sword shattered inch by inch.

In the end, it turned into a cloud of pale bone dust, which drifted away.

Before Tang Jinxian could even catch her breath, she heard soft footsteps coming from deep within the mist.

The fog moves first, and then the people appear.

What was first revealed was a section of purple skirt, the color of twilight smoke, so thin it was almost translucent.

Further up, there is a narrow waist.

As the distance closed, the fog dissipated slightly, and the appearance of the newcomer gradually became clear.

Jiang Mu's breath hitched involuntarily.

Even though he was used to Shi Yuhua's gentleness, Tang Jinxian's radiance, and Su Meixin's allure, he couldn't help but lose his composure at this moment.

She was an extremely beautiful woman.

She could even be described as... the most beautiful woman Jiang Mu has ever seen.

Her nose was as smooth as goose fat, and her lips were cherry-colored but not gaudy.

The jawline is as if it were measured and perfected by a jade craftsman.

Her figure is also impeccable.

Her shoulders were sculpted, her waist was slender, and her long legs were partially visible through her skirt; her figure was perfectly proportioned.

A little more and she'd be too plump; a little less and she'd be too thin.

However, what was completely out of place with her stunning beauty were her eyes.

Her eyes were beautifully shaped, like peach blossoms, but they were empty inside, lacking the necessary sparkle and focus.

Like two exquisite glass beads inlaid on her face.

It showed no trace of emotion.

Even Tang Jinxian, who was always proud of her appearance, was somewhat taken aback when she saw this woman.

"How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world? Is she a fairy descended from heaven?"

she murmured.

But Jiang Mu frowned.

He noticed that the other person's walking posture was also strange.

Although every step was perfectly timed and her movements were as graceful as a cat's, a closer look revealed a stiff, formulaic quality.

The mysterious woman stopped about three zhang away from the two of them.

Her slender, jade-like hand slowly rose. Two bone swords were now firmly grasped in her palm.

This bone sword was longer than the one used in the previous sneak attack, about three feet long, and its entire body had a warm, ivory-white color.

"Such a heavy aura of malevolence!"

Tang Jinxian's expression hardened, and she instinctively shielded Jiang Mu behind her.

She was about to ask him a question when she suddenly felt a breeze behind her. When she turned around, Jiang Mu had disappeared.

Almost at the same instant, the shadowy figure behind the woman in purple swayed.

Jiang Mu appeared like a ghost, his Five Animal Tiger Fist carrying the force of wind and thunder, striking straight at her spine.

"Peng——"

There was no cracking sound as expected.

The woman transformed into a wisp of white smoke, which dissipated in all directions.

It left behind only a faint, strange smell, similar to sandalwood but also mixed with a musty odor.

phantom?!
"Qingyi!"

Jiang Mu gripped the Donghuang Taichu Bell tightly and said in a deep voice, "There's someone hiding in the woods on the right. They shouldn't be with this assassin. Go and see who it is!"

"Yes, young man."

The woman in green responded and floated away.

At the same time, Jiang Mu secretly activated his wife's severed hand, causing it to lurk in the nearby shadows.

"Lord Tang,"

Jiang Mu glanced at the mist that had begun to flow again around them and said to Tang Jinxian,
"This woman's true form is hiding nearby, using an illusion to deceive us. I'll find a way to force her true form out. When the time is right, use your magical artifact to bind her!"

Don't worry about me, I have a protective talisman on me.

Although Tang Jinxian was full of doubts, she knew that this was not the time to ask too many questions, so she nodded emphatically.

"Okay, be very careful!"

Jiang Mu no longer hesitated and shook the bell in his hand!

The invisible sound waves spread out like ripples on water, sweeping across the surrounding mist.

"Shh!"

The fog on the left suddenly parted, and the mysterious woman reappeared.

She moved with ghostly speed, skimming the ground and leaving afterimages in her wake. Her two swords clashed and thrust out, turning into countless cold stars, aiming straight for Jiang Mu's vital points.

Jiang Mu didn't flinch or dodge; he just stood there motionless.

"careful!"

Tang Jinxian exclaimed in surprise.

"Buzz!"

With a soft hum, a golden light suddenly burst forth from Jiang Mu's arms, forming a solid protective shield.

Golden light clashed with sword energy, sparks flying everywhere.

A strong wind whipped the woman's hair back, revealing her stunningly beautiful face, devoid of any expression.

The golden shield held for only a moment before shattering under the sharp piercing of the bone sword, turning into streaks of light and dissipating.

The powerful impact caused Jiang Mu to stumble back two steps.

So strong!

Jiang Mu was greatly alarmed.

This woman is incredibly strong. Although she can't compare to someone like Ke Linyue, she's far stronger than Gan Yuanyuan.

"Take action!"

Jiang Mudi shouted.

Without him even having to shout, Tang Jinxian had already made her move!

The rope shot out with a "whoosh," but the woman vanished into smoke once more.

The rope only bound a wisp of mist.

"That does not work!"

Jiang Mu frowned. "Her illusory form changes too quickly between reality and illusion. We can't keep up with her speed and can't detect her true form at all."

Tang Jin thought for a moment, then suddenly bit her fingertip and let a drop of bright red blood fall onto the rope.

In an instant, the hemp rope split into millions.

It spread out like silver threads into a ten-foot-long net.

"Try to seduce her again!"

Tang Jinxian closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on the rope, sensing the subtle changes in the surrounding energy. "Lure her to within five zhang of me, and I will lock onto her true form!"

Seeing this, Jiang Mu rang the bell again.

The sound waves consciously avoided the area where Tang Jinxian was located, and continued to spread and vibrate in all directions.

After several times in a row—

"Shh!"

The mist on the right side rippled again, and the mysterious woman appeared for the third time.

But this time, she didn't attack; she just stood there quietly.

The long purple dress moved without wind, its ribbons fluttering.

This further accentuated her slender waist and stunning beauty, yet it also carried a kind of eerie, deathly beauty.

She sensed danger!
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to approach, Jiang Mu's heart sank.

He glanced at Tang Jinxian, who was covered in sweat from the burden of the spirit, and no longer hesitated.

"Shifting Heaven and Earth!"

Jiang Mu shook the bell, his figure vanished from the spot, and he teleported to the woman in purple.

At the same time, he punched her in the face!
Sure enough, once she was out of Tang Jinxian's sensing range, the woman immediately "came back to life," brandishing her twin swords like a viper spitting its tongue, and swiftly stabbed Jiang Mu in the chest.

Faster than before!
The moment she drew her sword, the severed hand that had been lurking in the shadows of the branches above suddenly appeared.

Her slender, jade-like fingers swiftly formed a magic seal.

As the incantation took shape, the air within a ten-foot radius of the mysterious woman seemed to instantly solidify into amber.

The light was slightly distorted.

All movements were briefly slowed down.

Although this delay might be less than half a breath, it was enough for Jiang Mu.

It's now!

Jiang Mu grabbed the hilts of the two bone swords, and the bells rang again.

"Shifting Heaven and Earth!"

The space fluctuated, and he forcibly dragged the woman in purple and teleported back to within five zhang of Tang Jinxian.

Tang Jinxian suddenly opened her tightly closed eyes, her gaze sharpening.
In an instant, hundreds and thousands of fine threads, like living silkworm threads, surged from all directions, binding the woman in purple into a luminous white cocoon.

Only a hollow, stunningly beautiful face was revealed.

Jiang Mu dared not be careless and continued to shake the bell.

Invisible sound waves continuously assaulted the bound woman.

The woman's face remained expressionless, her numb eyes staring blankly ahead, but the strength of her struggle gradually weakened with the impact of the sound waves.

Finally, her head slumped down, and she stopped moving.

"call……"

Jiang Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously stepped forward.

"This is... a dead person?!"

Tang Jinxian pulled back the rope and stared in astonishment at the lifeless, stunningly beautiful woman.

Jiang Mu did not answer, but squatted down and directly reached out to tear open the woman's clothes.

"you!"

Tang Jinxian was startled.

But when she saw what was under the clothes, she gasped in shock.

The woman's body was not as beautiful as it appeared; instead, it was covered with large patches of bluish-purple marks, like lividity.

Jiang Mu took out a dagger and plunged it into the other man's heart.

There was no gushing blood, only a dull, stabbing sensation, like piercing rotten wood.

Jiang Mu twisted his wrist a few times, then actually put his hand into the open wound and began to feel around.

Tang Jinxian frowned.

At that moment, she suddenly noticed the bell in Jiang Mu's hand, her phoenix eyes flickered a few times, and she seemed to be deep in thought.

scoff-

Jiang Mu pulled his hand out of the ruptured chest cavity.

They ripped out her heart.

But upon closer inspection—

That's not a heart at all!
It was clearly a bright red apple, stained with sticky blood!

As the "heart" was removed, the woman's body seemed to lose its core support, and countless cracks spread across her delicate features and fair skin.

The once flawless exterior now clearly shows signs of patchwork.

Like a piece of porcelain that was carefully fired but ultimately shattered.

Immediately afterwards, the body softened and collapsed rapidly, eventually turning into a pile of rotting flesh that emitted a putrid smell, completely unrecognizable from its former beauty.

Tang Jinxian's beautiful eyes widened, and she covered her mouth and nose: "This is a spiritual object?!"

"Do not."

Jiang Mu shook the sticky liquid off his hands and slowly shook his head:
"It is not a spiritual object in itself, but a product that has been modified by some special spiritual power."

He handed the apple's heart to Tang Jinxian.
"This thing still retains the aura of that spiritual entity's origin. You can use your patrol office's 'Tracing Compass' to track it; perhaps you can find some clues."

Tang Jinxian took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wrapped the apple's heart inside.

She looked up, seemingly wanting to ask Jiang Mu something, but after thinking about it, she swallowed her words.

At this moment, the female ghost in green robes drifted back.

She described the figure and appearance of the person who had been spying in the dense forest and told Jiang Mu that the person had already left.

is her?

A hint of surprise flashed across Jiang Mu's eyes, which then turned cold.

-

After the two parted ways, Tang Jinxian immediately returned to the patrol office and organized a team to investigate the "apple heart".

Jiang Mu returned home, stuffed all the golden amulets into his pocket, and then went to Shi Yuzhu's house.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, I saw Shi Xueying's figure as expected.

He didn't go inside; he just stood outside the courtyard gate and waved to the girl.

Shi Xueying was taken aback, put down her work, and came out.

The two walked into the depths of the alley, where the afternoon sun was cut off by the high walls, casting patches of shadow.

The alleyway seemed rather deserted.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing the girl's pale white skirt to flutter, making her appear somewhat thin and delicate.

The girl didn't know why Jiang Mu had suddenly called her out.

She simply lowered her head and remained silent.

"Snowy Tassel,"

Jiang Mu spoke calmly, "Did your master tell you when you planned to go to Divine Phoenix Island?"

Shi Xueying was taken aback by his question and hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Master didn't say. Maybe...maybe it will happen in the next day or two."

Jiang Mu nodded, then asked, "Where does your master live now?"

"Baiyou Inn".

Which room?

"Room number three in the 'Heaven' section," Shi Xueying answered honestly.

Jiang Mu looked at her, his tone somewhat indifferent:

"You may not be able to go to Divine Phoenix Island for the time being. But it's okay, I will find someone to make arrangements for you, and it won't delay your cultivation future."

"what?"

Shi Xueying was completely bewildered and had no idea what the other person was talking about.

Jiang Mu didn't explain, but just gave her a deep look before turning and leaving.

The figure quickly disappeared at the alley entrance.

Shi Xueying stood alone, repeatedly pondering Jiang Mu's cryptic words, and the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off.

Considering her master Zhao Ling's unusual behavior over the past two days, she bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally followed after her.

-

Baiyou Inn, Room No. 3 (Tianzi).

Zhao Ling sat alone on a chair by the window, her face ashen.

Ever since receiving the note that "the bell is on Mu Jiang," she had been trying to test Jiang Mu, but she had never found an opportunity.

Today, seeing Jiang Mu and Tang Jinxian heading to Wolf Head Mountain together, she secretly followed them.

She wanted to find an opportunity to test the waters, but with Tang Jinxian present, she didn't dare to go too far.

Unexpectedly, before she could find an opportunity to make a move, Jiang Mu and his companion encountered that strange assassin.

She hid in the shadows and witnessed the whole thing.

Zhao Ling slowly clenched her fist.

She repeatedly recalled every detail of Jiang Mu's battle with the assassin, her face growing increasingly cold.

Actually, she was still unsure whether the bell was Zhenzhen's spirit object.

After all, the abilities Jiang Mu displayed were completely different from the effects of Zhenzhen's spiritual objects.

only……

"Dong dong dong."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

Zhao Ling was startled from her reverie, looked warily at the door, and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

A voice she never expected came from outside the door:
"Elder Zhao, it is I, Mu Jiang."

Zhao Ling was taken aback.

Why is he here? !
Zhao Ling's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of astonishment and doubt flashed across her face.

Did he find me at Wolf Head Mountain?
impossible!
He was fighting that woman at the time and had no time to pay attention to me.

After her expression changed several times, Zhao Ling quickly composed herself, took a deep breath to suppress her turbulent emotions, and then got up, walked over, and opened the door.

Sure enough, Jiang Mu was standing outside.

Zhao Ling looked at the lowly yamen runner in front of her with a complicated expression, trying her best to keep her tone gentle:

"So it's Young Master Mu. What brings you here so suddenly?"

Jiang Mu smiled slightly:
"It's about Xueying. I'd like to have a private chat with Elder Zhao. Would you mind if we went inside?"

"it is good."

A hint of wariness flashed in Zhao Ling's eyes. She smiled and stepped aside, "Young Master Mu, please come in."

Jiang Mu entered the house.

Zhao Ling closed the door, turned around and smiled:

"During the Dao Discussion Conference, Young Master Mu truly stole the show, even gaining favor from Consort Yue. This has made me look at him with new respect."

Jiang Mu's gaze swept over the furnishings in the room, finally landing on her face, but he answered a question that didn't address the question:
"Elder Zhao, as an elder of Divine Phoenix Island, must possess unfathomable cultivation. I wonder how he compares to Lord Ke Linyue of the Patrol Division?"

Zhao Ling was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Young Master Mu is joking. Lord Ke is one of the nine national guardian masters appointed by the Great Qian Imperial Palace, and his cultivation is profound. How can my meager cultivation compare with Lord Ke's?"

"That won't work."

Jiang Mu nodded. "Okay, very good. Then I'm relieved."

Zhao Ling frowned, puzzled:

"What do you mean by that, Young Master Mu?"

Jiang Mu countered:

"Is Elder Zhao currently in a dilemma? He desperately wants to know the truth about some things, but he's unsure and doesn't know where to begin?"

Zhao Ling's heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes flickered, her fingers tightened around the whisk, and she forced a smile, saying, "This humble Taoist...does not understand what Young Master Mu means."

"Do not understand?"

Jiang Mu said no more, reached into his robes, and took out the bell.

"Elder Zhao, I found this in the outhouse, do you believe me or not?"

(End of this chapter)