Oh my god, this is a bolt from the blue! A true heiress of metaphysics!

Chapter 267 Sneaking Out

"That's more like it." Zhu Chen sat down in the chair, clearly pleased.

He put the food down and said to Shi Xiaxia, "I brought you food today to see if you were being good. It seems you were quite good."

Shi Xiaxia rolled her eyes at Zhu Chen and started eating without caring about anything else.

After that, Zhu Chen didn't say anything more, but just looked down at Shi Xiaxia eating.

After Xiaxia finished eating, Zhu Chen chuckled softly, "You have a good appetite. I thought you wouldn't be able to eat."

Shi Xiaxia: "......"

"You can't make things difficult for yourself, no matter who you're messing with!" Shi Xiaxia, having eaten and drunk her fill, became assertive again and spoke to Zhu Chen less politely.

"Your face changes quickly!" Zhu Chen smirked.

He then stood up and said, "I won't be the one delivering it tomorrow. But whoever comes, I advise you to stay here obediently and not go anywhere! Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Shi Xiaxia looked up at Zhu Chen, her heart tightening at his words.

Zhu Chen noticed Shi Xiaxia's gaze and gave her a gentle smile, but he also confirmed her thoughts: "My Gu worms are everywhere here. If you run around, you might get eaten by them!"

Shi Xiaxia seemed startled by Zhu Chen's words, and took a step back, her pink lips pursed tightly.

Zhu Chen's gaze fell on Shi Xiaxia's lips, then quickly shifted away.

He picked up the food box, waved to Shi Xiaxia, and left the courtyard.

After Zhu Chen left, Shi Xiaxia sat down in a chair and stared blankly at the door.

This is a bit troublesome...

......

From then on, Shi Xiaxia stayed at the Holy Maiden Church.

For the first few days, Shi Xiaxia stayed in the courtyard every day to cultivate and didn't go anywhere else.

After Zhu Chen visited her a few times and found her to be very honest, he stopped visiting her as often.

After a few days of being well-behaved, that night, Shi Xiaxia took out a small figure torn from yellow paper, mixed cinnabar with her own blood, and drew facial features on the figure's face before placing it in front of her.

Shi Xiaxia sat cross-legged on the bed, while her little spider was too busy munching on the honey that was overflowing with spiritual energy to pay any attention to her.

After confirming that there was nothing around her that could affect her, Shi Xiaxia formed hand seals and silently chanted a spell.

Suddenly, the little paper figure placed in front of her moved.

First came two little hands, then the head, and soon the little person struggled to stand up and wiggled his legs.

Time was short, and it's not very well made, but it'll have to do.

Having already possessed the little person's body, Shi Xiaxia looked up at her own body and then jumped off the bed onto the floor.

The little girl was very light. Shi Xiaxia opened her arms and floated down to the ground.

After landing on the ground, Shi Xiaxia slipped through the crack in the door and left the room, heading outside.

It was late at night, and there was hardly anyone outside. Most of the other residences had already turned off their lights, leaving the entire Holy Maiden Church in darkness.

Although Shi Xiaxia was not clear about the specific structure of the Holy Maiden Cult, she had carefully observed it on the day she arrived and still remembered some parts.

Shi Xiaxia carefully followed the flower bushes, heading towards a place she hadn't been before.

The paper figure was still too small, and the speed was really slow. Shi Xiaxia was also afraid that she would make too much noise and disturb the Gu worms that Zhu Chen had placed outside, so she could only slow down and slowly feel her way forward.

About an hour later, Shi Xiaxia followed the flower bushes to the entrance of a cave.

If you listen carefully, you can faintly hear some sounds coming from inside, as if someone is talking.

Hiding behind a rock, Shi Xiaxia hesitated for a moment, but decided to go over and listen to what was going on.

She quietly walked along the stone wall into the cave, looking around as she went.

There are traces of excavation everywhere, but it doesn't seem to be recent. Judging from the structure, it looks a bit like a tomb.

Shi Xiaxia recalled what the Four Protectors had said about the origin of the Holy Maiden Cult and couldn't help but wonder: Could there really be a Holy Maiden's corpse here?

The further in you go, the clearer the voices become.

"Master, the formation flags are not easy to make; it will take at least two or three months."

Shi Xiaxia listened for a moment and recognized the speaker as Bai Wei, a master weapon refiner.

Shi Xiaxia found a hidden spot and peeked inside, discovering a young man she had never seen before.

Judging from Bai Wei's respectful manner towards him, that person must be the leader of the Holy Maiden Cult.

Shi Xiaxia looked away and noticed that Zhu Chen and Luo Rong were also there.

"How long will it take to set up the formation?"

The cult leader looked at Zhu Chen: "Are you sure this array master you found is feasible?"

"feasible!"

Zhu Chen assured him, "But creating two formations is no easy task; it will likely take about a month to complete."

"Three months?"

The cult leader narrowed his eyes, then waved his hand and said, "Very well, let's talk about it again in three months."

After he finished speaking, he turned his head and touched the stone wall on one side, saying with a fascinated expression, "I've waited all these years, what's another three months!"

After he finished speaking, he turned his head slightly, glanced at the group, and said, "You all need to be more careful during this time. Deal with the spies sent by the department as soon as possible. We must not let the department ruin our important plans!"

"Yes!" Bai Wei, Zhu Chen, and Luo Rong all bowed in response.

"Tell the Four Protectors to speed things up; we haven't captured nearly enough Yin spirits."

After the cult leader finished speaking, he waved his hand at the others: "Alright, Luo Rong stays, the rest of you can leave!"

"Yes!" The group bowed again, and then Zhu Chen and Bai Wei walked outside together.

As they walked, Bai Wei said, "I've discovered a few spies sent by the department. I'll give you the list later, and I'll ask the Grand Protector to deal with them."

"Okay," Zhu Chen agreed.

As Shi Xiaxia watched them get closer and closer, she tried to curl up her body to avoid being discovered.

It was too late to run now; they would definitely see us.

Moreover, she needed to see why the cult leader wanted to keep Luo Rong, so she couldn't just leave directly.

Before this, Shi Xiaxia had already felt something was strange. After all, Luo Rong wasn't particularly powerful or had any outstanding abilities, so why was she able to sit in the position of Second Protector?!

Just as Shi Xiaxia was thinking about how to sneak in and eavesdrop, the pebble she was hiding in was suddenly kicked away, and then a big foot landed on her.

Shi Xiaxia: "......"

Good, good! Once this is resolved, she'll kick Zhu Chen a few times, otherwise she won't be able to vent her hatred!

The pebbles were kicked away, and Shi Xiaxia could only cling tightly to Zhu Chen's shoes with her small hands as she followed him out of the cave.

There's no way around it; if we stay any longer, we'll be spotted in an instant.

Zhu Chen and Bai Wei seemed oblivious to anything amiss, continuing their conversation as if nothing was wrong.