Chapter 1818: Suspicious

Ping’er had no idea why she remembered when the others didn't.

"Speak if you know. Don't speak if you don't."

It never occurred to her that trying to impress Young Master Li would only get her into trouble and make her a suspect.

"I..." Ping’er's small face flushed with anxiety, and she stammered for ages, unable to utter a single word.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you." Yue Gongli had been so spooked by Xu Xiaoshou. After regaining his composure, he scoffed at himself for yelling at a young maid, realizing it was beneath him.

"I didn't scare you, did I?" He gently pinched little Ping’er's cheek. Her delicate body trembled, and she shook her head slightly.

Yue Gongli offered a dimly glowing pill, saying, "Bear with it for a moment. I need to search your soul, but there won't be any side effects."

Ping’er tremblingly took the pill but swallowed it without hesitation. For serious matters, Yue Gongli showed no mercy, immediately placing a palm on Ping’er's crown and searching her memories for everything that had just happened in the Listening Rain Pavilion.

"Games, illusions, the Mourning Star, the Dry Beginning..." Scene after scene, memories were rapidly accessed. Yue Gongli saw "himself" appearing in the Listening Rain Pavilion, asking questions about everything, clearly Xu Xiaoshou probing for information about each family.

The maids of the Listening Rain Pavilion naturally had no defenses against "himself" and told him everything. Among them, Shuangshuang, who played the zither, and Huan'er, who played the flute, revealed the most information, including the Greater and Lesser Northern Locust of the Mourning Star, and the Path of Stars of the Dry Beginning.

As for Ping’er, Dai'er, and others like them, they were rather conventional. Their interpretations of each family were superficial, and their words contained nothing excessive, rendering their statements virtually useless.

"You two, come here." Yue Gongli called out their names publicly, like the King of Hell summoning souls.

Shuangshuang and Huan'er, whose names were called, felt their legs go weak instantly; it was difficult just to stand, let alone walk over to face Young Master Li.

Yue Gongli walked over himself and smiled gently, "There's no need to be afraid, this is just routine. Even if you are all transformations of Xu Xiaoshou, I won't harm you. My relationship with him is actually quite good; we haven't reached the point of outright hostility."

He took out pills, handing one to Shuangshuang and one to Huan'er, and placed both hands on the two girls' heads, continuing the soul search.

"Quite good relationship..." Hua Changdeng stood to one side, expressionless. He found himself somewhat unable to understand the meaning of these words.

Was he stating the position of his Cold Palace Imperial Realm—that even after the incident with the ancestral stone tablet, private matters were private and public matters were public, and he would absolutely not interfere between Yunshan and Xu Xiaoshou?

Or was he showing weakness and goodwill to Xu Xiaoshou, who might be "present," telling them to fight their own battles and not involve the Cold Palace Imperial Realm?

Hua Changdeng remained silent. He was too lazy to guess the mind of this devious person.

Regarding Xu Xiaoshou himself, Hua Changdeng didn't need Yue Gongli to act; as long as the person could be found, everything else was manageable.

The waiting time wasn't long. Yue Gongli's soul power was impressive, and he quickly finished reading Shuangshuang and Huan'er's memories. The two girls collapsed to the ground but were unharmed due to the pill's protection.

Yue Gongli's expression was grim; the experience of soul-searching was unpleasant, as one would inevitably be affected by others' past memories.

"Well?" Hua Changdeng looked over. Yue Gongli shook his head: "It's exactly as they said. They know nothing, and their memories are blurred, clearly influenced by Xu Xiaoshou's Grand Dao of Intent."

"Clearly..." Hua Changdeng was now extremely cautious. His earlier impression of Xu Xiaoshou was still at the level of "Little Shi Tan Ji" from the Eight Palaces, at most adding the "Fame of the Rising Tide."

Having traveled all the way from Yunshan to the Cold Palace Imperial Realm and listened to Yue Gongli recount some events that he and a few others experienced in the Divine Relic, Hua Changdeng knew that he hadn't merely underestimated Xu Xiaoshou, but had vastly underestimated this young man.

"Could what you perceive as 'clear' also be his guidance? You said his Grand Dao of Intent surpasses Dao Transformation," Hua Changdeng said.

Yue Gongli suddenly realized, as if the clouds had parted to reveal a clear sky. Was what he had obtained precisely what Xu Xiaoshou wanted him to see?

Besides Shuangshuang, Huan'er, and others whose information was superficial and obvious, could Ping’er, Dai'er, and those who seemed unremarkable actually be more suspicious?

Yue Gongli's gaze grew cold as he swept his eyes across the remaining maids. The maids were all frozen in fear, each trembling, their reactions ordinary, with no one showing any particular anomaly.

"Search them one by one!" Yue Gongli's eyes turned cold. When dealing with cunning individuals like Xu Dao, the enumeration method was never the most time-consuming or labor-intensive, but the most realistic and practical.

His gaze swept around, finally settling. Guided by his "fox's" sixth sense, he pointed a finger, selecting the person his intuition deemed most suspicious: "Dai'er, come here."

Dai'er's face froze, her delicate body stiffened in place, her feet felt like lead, unable to move.

"Come here!"

The girl's lips turned pale as she tremblingly walked forward. Yue Gongli took out a pill, about to hand it to her.

Beside him, Hua Changdeng's thoughts stirred, and he suddenly understood, letting out a long sigh: "I fear we're falling into his guidance again..."

"What do you mean?" Yue Gongli frowned, looking at him. Hua Changdeng said: "Since he can blur the memories of the maids and even allow one of them to remember a few things to confuse us, then even if soul-searching yields the result you want, it's likely also what he wants you to see."

Yue Gongli opened his mouth, but ultimately had no words. Hua Changdeng was right; Xu Xiaoshou's unpredictability was no less than that of Dao Qiongcang. Continuing to dwell on the matters of the Listening Rain Pavilion was essentially being led by the nose, and the results obtained would certainly be completely inaccurate, like blind men trying to describe an elephant.

"Perhaps, we should consider what Xu Xiaoshou truly intends to do?" Yue Gongli stepped out of the situation, observing Xu Xiaoshou's absurd actions in the Five Great Sacred Lands from an outsider's perspective.

Xu Xiaoshou was never truly absurd. Beneath the seemingly absurd surface, he always had a deeper meaning.

Surely, he didn't go to Yunshan just to move the Hua family's ancestral stone tablet, and come to the Listening Rain Pavilion merely to tease maids while gathering information? That's too shallow!

Above the obvious layer, there must be a hidden one. So, what exactly was Xu Xiaoshou doing in this unseen layer?

Yue Gongli held the pill in his hand, staring intently at the nervous Dai'er in front of him, yet his mind was on a man. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what Xu Xiaoshou intended or was doing.

He spread his spiritual sense, sweeping across the entire Cold Palace Imperial Realm, yet everything seemed normal, with no trace of Xu Xiaoshou. But at that moment, inexplicably, Yue Gongli's hair stood on end. He felt countless invisible eyes slowly rising from all directions within the Cold Palace Imperial Realm – they were Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. They stared at him with playful, mocking gazes, mocking his incompetence!

"Bang." Yue Gongli tightened his grip, crushing the jade bottle containing the Soul Protection Saint Pill, the pill turning to dust. Dai'er, who was right in front of him, flinched in fright, pulled her hands to her chest, and looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

"Young Master Li..." she murmured, her eyes already teary. It would have been better to have taken the pill earlier and had her soul searched; at least after collapsing to the ground like Ping’er, she wouldn't have to endure this excruciating torment of being unable to advance or retreat.

Yue Gongli snapped back to reality, looking at Dai'er with renewed apology: "I'm sorry, I scared you."

He turned to Hua Changdeng, his thoughts now settled: "You're right, we can't let him manipulate us anymore. Looking at it from outside, he's clearly trying to make a move on the Five Great Saint Emperor Families, perhaps scouting them out beforehand."

"Since he inquired about the Mourning Star and the Dry Beginning, and then successively visited your Yunshan and my Cold Palace, his next stop must be the Boundless Imperial Realm."

Hua Changdeng's brow twitched. He had just returned from staking out the Boundless Imperial Realm, waiting in vain for a chance.

"I know you've been there." Yue Gongli gently pinched Dai'er's cheek to comfort her, while imagining himself as Dao Qiongcang, thinking like Dao Qiongcang, and he reached a conclusion: "He's just toying with us." "Regarding the Mourning Star and the Dry Beginning, he always has reservations, and any further visit would likely be a last resort, at the cost of using an external incarnation."

"As for the Boundless Imperial Realm, Elder Yu fell there, so he absolutely needs to see it beforehand. Anyway, we just need to stake him out... Time is short, let's leave now!" As soon as Yue Gongli finished speaking, he wanted to leave.

Hua Changdeng didn't move: "Why?" "There's no why!" Yue Gongli grew anxious, "When dealing with people like them, you can't ask why. Act on instinct!"

"Instinct..." How absurd! Under his guidance, you still talk about instinct?

Hua Changdeng had once carried a lantern to the Mourning Star and knew its formidable nature; he vaguely guessed Xu Xiaoshou's destination: "The Dry Beginning Imperial Realm." Yue Gongli: "The Boundless Imperial Realm!"

"We'll split up. I'll go to the Dry Beginning, you go to the Boundless," Hua Changdeng said. "Then I'm not going." Yue Gongli sobered up. No way! This was Hua Changdeng and Xu Xiaoshou's matter; why should he get involved? What benefit would he get from finding Xu Xiaoshou? Would Xu Xiaoshou give him candy?

Hua Changdeng's eagle eyes narrowed, a cold glint in them; he stared at Yue Gongli without saying a word. Only then did Yue Gongli remember that he was the one who had shattered the other's ancestral stone tablet.

"Ugh..." He buried his face in his hands, letting out an extremely frustrated sound: "Fine, fine, fine! But listen to me, go to the Boundless Imperial Realm! Don't doubt me. Your understanding of Xu Xiaoshou is less than one ten-thousandth of what you think it is—he's not even human!"

Hua Changdeng was momentarily confused but finally nodded: "Alright."

The two were about to set off. The maids of the Listening Rain Pavilion all collectively felt a wave of relief; they were finally leaving.

Just then, they saw the troublesome Young Master Li stop again, suddenly turn around, and fix his gaze back on the maids: "I've always trusted my intuition..."

"Still searching?" Hua Changdeng could barely stand it. Yue Gongli ignored him, and after observing the maids' reactions after being released, finding them still normal, he could only sigh inwardly.

He had done his best. Fighting Xu Xiaoshou was mentally and spiritually exhausting; he didn't even know if Xu Xiaoshou was truly present or not.

But Yue Gongli didn't give up, his gaze finally falling back on Dai'er. "I'll just search this last one..." He walked over, offering the pill again.

"Young Master Li..." No one liked having their soul searched. All their little secrets would be exposed to others, even if they were secrets to themselves!

Yue Gongli knew what the little maids were thinking, but hearing her call, he remained determined. Dai'er was nervous, yet at that moment, her resolve seemed to have solidified; she grabbed the pill bottle, poured out the pill, and swallowed it.

Then she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her long eyelashes trembling, as if about to be executed under a guillotine. Yue Gongli found her endearing.

"What are you afraid of?" Yet, expressionless, he extended a palm, about to strike Dai'er's head.

Just then, several figures descended from afar, landing outside the Listening Rain Pavilion, and the voice of the elder leading them rang out: "Young Master Li, Xu Xiaoshou has been found! He's in the Boundless Imperial Realm, not concealing his form, but openly showing himself—it's a blatant provocation!"

Hua Changdeng's pupils constricted; he gripped his lantern and his sword, about to depart, but stopped before leaving, glancing at Yue Gongli: "Follow me!"

Yue Gongli was sharp-witted, and against cunning individuals like Xu Xiaoshou, having another "fox" by his side was excellent. But he saw that Yue Gongli not only didn't follow but stared at the elder who had delivered the message, falling into thought.

"Elder Hui..." Yue Gonghui, the Hall Master of the Spirit Protection Hall, was stunned. The Boundless Imperial Realm was the area he had been responsible for earlier, and now that he had found traces of Xu Xiaoshou, he immediately came to report. "Young Master Li?"

Yue Gonghui asked for instructions on whether he should approach. Apart from Young Master Li's close confidantes, and unless it was an urgent matter, few people usually dared to approach the Listening Rain Pavilion, as everyone knew it was Young Master Li's private domain.

Yue Gongli remained silent. His hand, suspended over Dai'er's head, remained suspended. He felt something was amiss; the strange thing was that whenever he wanted to search Dai'er's soul, an unexpected event always occurred, as if something was trying to stop him.

Previously, he had fallen under Xu Xiaoshou's guidance. That had been when he was completely unprepared, and therefore, Yue Gongli accepted the incident of slashing the ancestral stone tablet with his sword. But after taking precautions, Yue Gongli was confident that even if both Xu and Dao guided him, he should be able to reclaim some sense of self.

Dai'er's small face crumpled like a steamed bun. If there was anything more painful than death, it was an executioner dawdling, even sharpening his blade on the spot. Young Master Li was too tormenting...

Yue Gongli could read her unspoken frustration from her expression. He remained unmoved by external factors, following his intuition, and brought his palm down—he was going to search her soul today, and no one could stop him!

"Thump." Dai'er's delicate body trembled, and she slowly collapsed to the ground. Yue Gongli lowered his palm, expressionless.

He read her childhood, her struggles, her schemes, her joy at joining the Listening Rain Pavilion, her growing affection for Young Master Li, as well as her inferiority complex, her loneliness, her fragility... A young girl secretly harboring affection, being overlooked was her destiny.

"Well?" Hua Changdeng asked; he didn't know why Yue Gongli had gone to such unnecessary lengths, but presumed he had his reasons. "Nothing much..." Yue Gongli's expression was cold, his thoughts clearly a little wistful, "Was I overly suspicious?"

He remained unmoved, abruptly shifting his gaze to Yue Gonghui. In that instant, he even had an impulse to rush over and slap Yue Gonghui, who seemed to be obstructing his soul-searching, on the head, just to see what he was truly thinking.

Not too early, not too late, yet he chose precisely that moment to come. Was it really a coincidence? There are no coincidences in this world!

But that was the Hall Master of the Spirit Protection Hall, not a maid from the Listening Rain Pavilion; Yue Gongli still had some sense of propriety. He ignored Yue Gonghui and the others, stating decisively: "Hua Changdeng, come with me to the Boundless Imperial Realm. It would be best if we could capture Xu Xiaoshou alive."

"If that's not possible, we must ensure his body, spirit, and intent are completely eradicated within the Five Great Saint Emperor Families; his resurrection ability is too terrifying." Hua Changdeng nodded and turned to leave. Yue Gongli followed.

Yue Gonghui and the others, standing on the pavilion boardwalk, having completed their mission, were also about to leave and return to their duties. "Let's go!" Yue Gonghui waved his hand, and the elders departed.

Just as he was about to rise, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder, pressing him down, then a slightly bitter pill was popped into his mouth. He turned his head... "Young Master Li?"

Yue Gonghui was greatly alarmed, wondering why this was happening. The returning Yue Gongli said nothing and slapped the old man hard on the head: "I refuse to believe it!"

Yue Gonghui's subconscious resistance was shattered by the immense force. After the soul search was complete, he heavily collapsed to the ground, leaving only an expressionless Yue Gongli, silent in the breeze on the pavilion boardwalk.

"Well?" Hua Changdeng stood in the distance, asking again.

Yue Gongli let out a long sigh and spat towards Yue Gonghui: "What a disrespectful, filthy old man! I truly wanted to cut him down with a sword; searching his soul simply defiles my eyes!"