Chapter 132: Heartache

Apex!

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang likely didn't know that the canyon they were busy with was actually their "blessed land." As soon as they came here to stir up trouble, they would be discovered by the outside world.

It wasn't necessary to clear all the fallen rocks in the canyon; they just needed to dig a hole where the entrance was buried. Although the landslide was massive, it wasn't a huge task for these cultivators once they started. In less than half an hour, the buried entrance was cleared. The two men, not afraid of getting dirty, squeezed in first.

By the time the two women entered, holding their sandalwood flame aura, Shi Chun had already placed the items that were supposed to be "left" on the ground. Essentially, everything retrieved from Sun Shigang and the other four was laid out. When the two women came in, the two men were already sifting through the items on the ground. Naturally, the two women moved closer to see what they were examining.

After gathering the items that had been scattered into corners, Wu Jinliang winked at Shi Chun, signaling that these items were almost complete. Shi Chun immediately observed Xiang Lan'er's reaction. It wasn't Wu Jinliang's fault for being unobservant; Shi Chun himself couldn't understand what special purpose a pile of miscellaneous items could have. Now it was up to Xiang Lan'er to recognize them.

The result greatly disappointed him. Xiang Lan'er scrutinized the pile of items on the ground but showed no unusual reaction. Was this woman lying? He felt it shouldn't be the case. It would be meaningless to expose Sun Shigang's identity just to test if they were involved in his disappearance. There must be something on Sun Shigang that she was willing to risk exposure to investigate. They couldn't just come all this way for nothing. He quickly thought of a countermeasure.

Bian Weiying, who had been looking around the cave, suddenly spoke up and asked, "Is this where you seclude yourselves? After you entered Xiji and left the group, did you come here for secluded cultivation?"

Hearing this, Shi Chun's gaze flickered. He scoffed, "Otherwise, how could I have broken through to High Martial? After entering Xiji, I felt my cultivation was about to break through, so I left the group for seclusion. Don't blame me; with the attitude of people like Bai Shuchuan, they wouldn't have been charitable towards me. They wouldn't care if I had a breakthrough or not." This also served as an explanation to Bian Weiying for his departure.

Then, he poked the pile of items on the ground with his foot. "Speaking of leaving the group that night, I nearly lost my life. Not long after I left, five guys ambushed the two of us. Luckily, I had just gotten some immobilization talismans from you, or we would have been dead. See, these are the items from those five guys. Sigh, to this day, I still can't figure out why those five guys wanted to kill us." He kept an eye on Xiang Lan'er's reaction as he spoke.

Wu Jinliang blinked, a little surprised. How did Shi Chun expose the fact that they killed Sun Shigang?

This time, Xiang Lan'er's reaction was significant. She suddenly looked up and stared intently at Shi Chun. Shi Chun immediately realized his test had been effective. Sun Shigang's malicious intent, deliberately revealed from the start, was not without reason. This woman truly knew that Sun Shigang intended to attack them. Although he didn't know the reason for the attack, his objective had been achieved. He let her know that these items belonged to Sun Shigang and his group, but she couldn't pursue the matter of them killing Sun Shigang. Otherwise, she would first have to explain why Sun Shigang and his group wanted to kill them.

Xiang Lan'er's lips thinned. Her gaze returned to the small pile of miscellaneous items. She squatted down and slowly began to sort through them. This was exactly the effect Shi Chun wanted: "I know whose items you're looking at, and you know who killed Sun Shigang and his group, but we both have to pretend we don't know, and no one can say it out loud." From Xiang Lan'er's actions, Wu Jinliang also slowly caught on, grinning broadly.

Shi Chun also saw that Xiang Lan'er had been bluffing earlier. The so-called items might exist, but she probably didn't recognize what they were. He immediately spoke up, "Jinliang, don't just scatter things around anymore. It's a hassle to keep running back and forth, isn't it? Hurry up and put them away!"

"Alright!" Wu Jinliang responded, squatting down and quickly packing up the pile of items. He even snatched back the bottles and jars Xiang Lan'er was holding and examining. In front of Bian Weiying, Xiang Lan'er hesitated to speak, unable to react outwardly. She could only watch helplessly as Wu Jinliang packed up all the items and took them away.

The group emerged from the cave and flew up to the cliff. Wu Jinliang handed the packed items to Shi Chun, pulled his knife from the cliff face with one hand, and with the other, pulled out a wind scale. He asked, "Where to?"

Shi Chun looked at Bian Weiying. "First, let's take Senior Sister back to where she's recuperating."

"No problem," Wu Jinliang said cheerfully, activating the wind scale. It quickly enveloped the group and carried them into the sky. They quickly transported them to the previous gully; it was already close by.

After landing, Bian Weiying pressed, "Where are you going?" Shi Chun chuckled, "We're not content with mediocrity. We're going to seize first place!"

"Hahahaha!" Wu Jinliang, carrying his saber, threw his head back and laughed wildly—a laugh full of self-confidence. He swung his hand again, cast a spell with the wind scale, and carried the group into the sky once more. Bian Weiying watched them leave, thinking Shi Chun was just being evasive again. How could they possibly go for first place? The top spot in the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly would never fall to them, no matter who competed.

Just like last night, when she asked which force they belonged to, the few of them adamantly claimed they had no backing. With so many hidden maneuvers, how could she dare to act recklessly? And there was Xiang Lan'er. She also felt something wasn't right. Xiang Lan'er had lost her previous timid, subservient demeanor. After flying for a while, Xiang Lan'er suddenly said, "Let's find a hidden place on the way and re-examine those items." She didn't need to say more; she knew the other party would understand her intention.

Shi Chun looked around. "There's no one else in this area. Let's just do it down there."

Just as Wu Jinliang was about to comply, Xiang Lan'er immediately stopped him. "No, we need to find a place that can't be overlooked from above."

Shi Chun was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Xiang Lan'er turned her head to look at him, a little surprised. "Are you genuinely unaware, or are you pretending not to know?"

Shi Chun replied, "Know what? You explain it first."

Xiang Lan'er's eyes flickered. She found it strange how these two had managed to kill Sun Shigang. Sun Shigang, operating under the name of Wukang Mountain, would surely be wary of immobilization talismans, especially against five individuals, none of whom were weak. She didn't believe Shi Chun and his companion could have subdued Sun Shigang and the others without an accomplice. And this wind scale was clearly provided by the power behind them. That's why she found it strange. If their supporting power had already intervened, why wouldn't they inform them about something as crucial as the Sky-Gazing Mirror? Weren't they afraid of exposing their demonic identity?

Seeing their genuinely bewildered expressions, she felt she had to explain, fearing she'd be implicated. "This Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly is utilizing the supreme treasure, the Sky-Gazing Mirror." She showed them the chain on her wrist. "This is the corresponding magical artifact that pinpoints our location. As long as the Sky-Gazing Mirror wants to observe us, it can see us anytime we're not concealed."

Shi Chun and the other man were both dumbfounded. "There's such a thing?"

Wu Jinliang tentatively asked, "Can our current flight also be seen?"

"Oh no!" Wu Jinliang yelped, suddenly retracting the wind scale. Consequently, all three plummeted from high in the sky towards the ground. Xiang Lan'er cursed, "Wu Jinliang, what's gotten into you?!"

With their cultivation reaching High Martial, they wouldn't die from falling. After casting a slow-fall spell, they landed without incident. Shi Chun could understand Wu Jinliang's feelings; his own mood was also heavy, as the matter involved him too. He immediately explained to Xiang Lan'er, "To be honest, this wind scale was something we stole. Wasn't our robbery seen?"

"The wind scale was stolen?" Xiang Lan'er was stunned, but then she explained, "Who do you think you are? Who would constantly be staring at you? There's no name written on this wind scale..." She then explained the function of the Sky-Gazing Mirror. Shi Chun was concerned about their entries and exits from the Moon Sea. Upon learning that the Sky-Gazing Mirror, like the Mother-Child Talismans, was ineffective against the Moon Sea, the two men breathed a heavy sigh of relief. If that was the case, then their process of stealing the wind scale certainly hadn't been discovered either.

"Then why bother looking for another place?" Shi Chun said, dropping the bundle in his hand. "Your cloak will be enough if you take it off. We'll hold it up for you, right here." Now that he knew the trick to avoiding the Sky-Gazing Mirror, he couldn't be bothered with the trouble of finding another spot. Xiang Lan'er found the two men's method of operation rather peculiar, or perhaps, simply crude and direct. Never mind, the important thing was to get the job done. She didn't fuss over it. She untied her cloak and tossed it to the two men, then squatted down herself and opened the package to examine its contents.

Wu Jinliang, who had put down his saber, and Shi Chun also pulled open the cloak and squatted down, both raising their hands to hold up the cloak, shielding them from above. No wonder Xiang Lan'er felt uneasy; their posture was indeed too crude, like squatting to defecate.

As the two men watched Xiang Lan'er meticulously sorting through the items, Wu Jinliang suddenly mumbled, "Shi Chun, our posture reminds me of someone." Shi Chun looked at their raised hands, unable to think of anyone it might relate to. He asked, "Who?"

Wu Jinliang replied, "In the Land of Exile, the legendary one who holds an umbrella."

Shi Chun paused. "That jailer?"

Wu Jinliang said, "Yes, him. Could his holding an umbrella be to guard against the Sky-Gazing Mirror's prying eyes?"

Hearing this, Xiang Lan'er looked up and asked, "That jailer is quite remarkable. Do you two know him?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "We'd certainly like to know him, but we've only heard his name, never met him. Shi Chun, what do you think? If we take first place at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly, would it bring glory to the Living Prison? Would the jailer notice us?"

Shi Chun nearly shuddered at his words. He glared and said, "Are you crazy? Why would we want him to notice us? Do you want to be dragged back? It's best if he completely forgets about us!" That last sentence also reminded Wu Jinliang that they were different from others. Their case at the Living Prison hadn't been completely closed, and they could be dragged back at any time. He was instantly frightened himself. Having experienced the good life outside, they absolutely did not want to return to that wretched place, the Living Prison.

Xiang Lan'er, who was examining the items, scoffed coldly, "Don't worry. Once released from the Living Prison, you're no longer under its jurisdiction. No official has the right to re-arrest you unless you commit some heinous crime outside and are sent back in. Constantly talking about taking first place at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly—aren't you thinking too much? Even if you take first place, it's not worth that jailer even glancing at you. In his eyes, you're nothing."

"Sigh." Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, surprisingly, sighed in unison. Only the two of them knew the full extent of their criminal records from the Living Prison; it was truly a huge burden on their minds. Shi Chun practically glared at Wu Jinliang. He had already forgotten about it, but this idiot had brought it up again. Wu Jinliang felt ashamed. Due to the sound of their sighs, Xiang Lan'er, who had slightly raised her eyes, suddenly...