Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

In Beixuan City, there is a small courtyard.

Two people are facing off.

"Are you really going to try and steal the treasure?"

An old man stood in the middle of the courtyard. His clothes fluttered without wind, and countless talismans floated around him. A faint orange-yellow light appeared, and his body emanated a subtle Taoist aura.

In front of him stood a woman facing the wind, holding a curved knife, half-squatting on the eaves, her lips curled and her eyebrows raised.

Under the moonlight, the woman's brows held a hint of fierceness, making her stunning beauty appear both righteous and wicked.

"Pah, you old thief, you stole my things and now you're trying to play the victim."

"I advise you to stop now. Since it's posted on the wall, it's meant for someone else to get it!"

This old man was none other than Ji Daoting.

The person opposite him was Ye Xiaozhou, who had come looking for the notice. Upon hearing this, she glared at him and said coldly:

“Old man, the picture on that notice is of me, so it’s naturally mine.”

"Is this how you teach at the Star-Picking Tower? Disrespecting elders and seizing by trickery and force!"

"Hmph, if you give that notice back to me, I'll call you grandpa right here and now, regardless of any respect."

"If it is not returned, I, an old man, will be delighted and will certainly add this notice to my collection."

"Then don't blame me for taking it by force!"

Before he finished speaking, Ye Xiaozhou leaped lightly like a wildcat, the curved blade in his hand gleaming with a chilling light, slashing down from above.

She stirred up her protective spiritual energy and pushed it an inch closer to the sky full of talismans.

The bright yellow light flickered, and as Ji Daoting made a hand seal, the talisman floating in mid-air formed an array on its own, instantly stirring up a gale that swept backward and forced Ye Xiaozhou back.

As soon as he stomped his foot, Ye Xiaozhou immediately created countless real and fake clones, which attacked from different directions.

The two fought with extreme restraint, their magical attacks confined to the small courtyard.

Inside the room, Ji Yuezhang peered through the window, her face filled with excitement.

Since neither of them intended to kill her, nor even harbored any hostility, she wasn't worried at all. Instead, she watched the two fight with unusual excitement.

How exciting!

I shall take his place!

------

Zhu Wuyao was unaware of these matters.

After kicking open the door, she glanced coldly at everyone in the inn, shielding Shen Anzhi behind her, and raised an eyebrow to ask:

"What, do you all just want the two of us to leave this matter aside and face that heart-ripping villain yourselves?"

The people in the inn fell silent for a moment, keeping their mouths shut and not saying a word.

The farce that had just unfolded was interrupted in this way, and everyone seemed to realize that things had gone a bit too far.

Just as he was stammering, trying to explain something, the young man in white who had been sitting and watching from the side of the crowd stood up, bowed, and said:

"Master Wuyan, please don't be offended. They meant no harm. They were just too worried about their own safety, so they spoke a little hastily."

Zhu Wuyao looked up without saying a word.

She always felt there was something wrong with this person. Putting aside the fact that her attitude towards her was different from others, the fact that she lived in the room next to the deceased and deliberately made a big fuss about the matter was enough to arouse suspicion.

But his actions just now left Zhu Wuyao somewhat puzzled.

If he really were the murderer, he would be happy to see her and Shen Anzhi leave, and wouldn't try to stop them.

She carefully examined what had just been said and confirmed that there was no ambiguity.

"May I ask your name, sir?"

"My name is Wei Gui. I have long admired the great Daoist Wuyan."

Just as she was about to say something, Shen Anzhi tugged at her sleeve and said, "Miss Zhu, it's alright. I'm just not very good at handling these kinds of situations."

Zhu Wuyao glanced at him helplessly, then took the opportunity to back down.

With no help yet and no idea when Ye Xiaozhou would arrive, she didn't want to be the first to cause trouble, lest she endanger her life.

She nodded and said to everyone, "I was a little too hasty and misunderstood just now. Master Shen and I will go and make some preparations for the exorcism."

After saying this, she ignored everyone's reactions and went upstairs first.

As she passed the innkeeper's house, she frowned slightly, then casually walked past and returned to her room.

The chaotic scene just now would have driven away anyone with a bit of pride. The innkeeper knew Shen Anzhi was from Zhaixinglou, but he didn't help him out.

Were we too worried and overlooked this issue?

Zhu Wuyao didn't think about it in detail. In her opinion, there was an even simpler way—to gather people and catch the demon in the act.

night.

There were no invitations or gifts, and everyone in the inn was exceptionally polite.

It seems that not only are kind people bullied, but even cultivators who are kind are easily taken advantage of.

The night passed peacefully, and Ye Xiaozhou did not appear. He was probably lurking nearby, ready to help if there was any danger, and otherwise enjoying his freedom.

As dawn broke, Zhu Wuyao glanced with satisfaction at the inn, not a single head missing, and went back to his room to sleep.

When she woke up again, she opened her eyes to the sound of geese calling.

?

Pushing open the door and looking down from the second-floor railing, Zhu Wuyao saw large white geese running around everywhere.

Her brow twitched, wondering if she was still half asleep. Then she remembered that Shen Anzhi had mentioned a junior brother of his, whose divination method seemed to involve herding geese.

As he walked downstairs, Shen Anzhi greeted her, "Miss Zhu, I'm here!"

Brother Shen, are you alright?

Shen Anzhi was forced into a corner, struggling with the white goose for the ribbon on his clothes. The innkeeper looked worried, unsure of what to do with the goose in the room. The cook... well, the cook's eyes were shining.

I deliberately stayed up very late yesterday, and there weren't many people awake in the inn. Besides these few familiar faces, there was also a young man with a very serious expression on his face on the first floor.

He was holding a white cloth strip, preparing to blindfold himself.

Upon hearing Shen Anzhi speak, he stopped what he was doing, looked at Zhu Wuyao, and took a few steps forward to stand in front of her.

"Miss Zhu, thank you for taking my senior brother in these past few days. I've heard that Ye Xiaozhou has ulterior motives towards you—"

The disciple from the Star-Picking Pavilion suddenly stepped forward, flicked his robes, and continued speaking with his head held high:

"I, Zhang Zhihan, hereby swear that I will bring this scoundrel to justice!"

Seeing his cold, arrogant gaze, Zhu Wuyao slowed her movements as she bent down to herd the goose. She gently moved the goose aside, looked at Shen Anzhi, and asked with her eyes—

Is this normal?

Shen Anzhi truly lived up to his reputation as a genius in the cultivation world; his comprehension was exceptional. He nodded firmly, indicating that it was perfectly normal.

such……

Zhu Wuyao's confused expression vanished, replaced by a genuine smile, and he said:

"This is a righteous act!"

She noticed that in some areas, there were extra plants and mounds of earth, making the already ill-fated inn even more unpredictable.

Zhu Wuyao seemed to be deep in thought; these things probably symbolize the elements of wood and earth.

"Master Zhang, there is no time to lose. Let's quickly perform divination and bring the culprit to justice."

"That's how it should be!"

Then, Zhang Zhihan blindfolded himself, put his hands behind his back in a leisurely stroll, and then—suddenly raised his right hand and shouted:

"Arrange the troops!"

The big white geese were running around everywhere.

Zhang Zhihan suddenly clenched his raised right hand, swung it to the side, and shouted again:

"Form ranks—"

The big white geese were running around everywhere.

After saying this, Zhang Zhihan walked forward, like a wolf entering a flock of geese, startling a flurry of goose feathers.

The white geese were flapping their wings wildly in the sky.

This scene made Zhu Wuyao gasp for breath.

She looked at the scene before her with a blank expression, and suddenly understood what magical realism was.