Chapter 385: Red Confidante

The entire block was sealed off. City Defense soldiers gathered in large numbers to prevent powerful demon cultivators from silencing witnesses.

Half an hour later, the sky gradually darkened.

Taishi Bai arrived, having already learned what had happened on the way. His face grim, he said nothing and quickly ascended to the inn. Entering the room, he saw the severely injured Long Xiangcen lying on the floor in the center of the room. A complex, unreadable expression flickered in his eyes before he looked towards Taishi Yu, who was standing by the window.

Taishi Yu had already washed off the bloodstains and changed into new, luxurious clothes, appearing noble and aloof. "What are you looking at me for? The person you brought to Lingxiao City almost got me killed. Letting you off with a breath is already a display of brotherly loyalty."

Taishi Bai crouched down and placed a finger on Long Xiangcen's spiritual core, breaking the seal. Once Long Xiangcen could circulate her vital energy, her complexion gradually recovered, no longer as weak as before. But she couldn't stand up; her legs had been broken by Taishi Yu.

Tears welled in her eyes, making her look pitiful. "Cousin, I'm sorry... they implanted a Death Spirit Fire in me. If I don't follow their orders, I'll self-immolate and die... But I swear, I would never do anything to betray you or harm the Taishi family... never... not even if it means death..."

Taishi Yu couldn't stand it. "It's come to this, and you're still playing coy? If you don't tell the truth, forget Taishi Bai; even if General Taishi and Long Shexin come, you're still going to die."

Taishi Bai looked at Long Xiangcen. "This matter is already known throughout the city. All government offices want to question you. After tonight, I won't be able to save your life. So, you must quickly tell me everything you know. Only by capturing Luansheng Linyou as soon as possible can you atone for your mistakes and seize a sliver of hope."

Taishi Yu added, "Which other Departed Spirit masters are there? What are their origins and objectives? How many are hidden in Lingxiao City? Don't say you don't know, and don't try to lie or play innocent again, or I'll throw you into a brothel to entertain clients..."

"Don't you think I know how to ask? You go out first, give me half an hour," Taishi Bai said in a deep voice.

"If you can't get anything useful out of her in half an hour, don't blame me for using unsavory methods." Taishi Yu grumbled as he walked out of the room and went downstairs.

The last rays of the setting sun faded. In the small courtyard on the first floor, lanterns lit up, and imperial martial arts experts guarded everywhere. Under the eaves, on the steps, Li Weiyi and Jiang Ning stood five steps apart, by two pillars, looking at the warm teal sky in the twilight, communicating via vital energy transmission.

Li Weiyi said, "The cover has been blown. Many people saw Jiang Ning fighting Long Xiangcen. How did you respond when Luan Terrace questioned you?"

"Naturally, I responded truthfully! I wasn't there at the time and knew nothing. Covering for Zuoqiu Hongting would only expose countless loopholes."

Jiang Ning's face was veiled, her body adorned with wisps of spiritual radiance, standing gracefully. Her skin glowed even more captivatingly in the night, a striking contrast to the mundane world before her. She shouldn't be entangled in court affairs; she belonged above the nine heavens.

She said, "Luansheng Linyou and Song Muchuan have been exposed. We can use this opportunity to eliminate all thirty powerful Departed Spirit cultivators who infiltrated, and it won't affect you."

"After I received the information from you, I've actually been quite tormented these days. Without clearing these hidden dangers beforehand, it feels like the entire city is full of enemies."

Li Weiyi looked at her soft, fairy-like appearance, yet her heart was filled with worldly concerns. He couldn't help but jest, "Honestly, a peerless beauty like Lady Jiang should be enshrined, made an immortal or a saint, living untouched by worldly concerns like a goddess in a temple. For you to be troubled by the nation's worries, everyone in the world bears a share of the blame."

Jiang Ning frowned slightly, her expression serious. "One should fulfill their duties in their position. Why are you making fun of me? I think simply: the current chaos in the world is truly suffocating. With our cultivation and abilities, we should do as much as we can."

"Alright, as you wish. But we have to wait for Long Xiangcen to confess everything. She's the one who leaked the secrets," Li Weiyi said.

Jiang Ning was reserved and always carried an air of aloofness. "Zhuang Yue's list contains a total of 212 people. In the past month, I've eliminated most of them, with 92 having the highest suspicion. To precisely find those thirty among 92 is not easy."

"I'm a bit better; I've narrowed the suspects down to within fifty people. We can apprehend all fifty of them." Li Weiyi secretly pulled a page from his sleeve and handed it to her. "Just say you received a secret report a month ago, and Luan Terrace had already noticed some clues, and you've been secretly investigating... The credit will be yours."

Jiang Ning accepted it. She felt that given her friendship with Li Weiyi, there was no need for thanks; they were like comrades-in-arms, pursuing the same goal with perfect understanding. She was eager to leave immediately. "After what happened today, these people must have gone into hiding. We need to act fast; perhaps we can still catch some of them."

"No rush. The Jiuli Hidden Gate members have been watching them. If they've hidden, you can get updated information from Chen Chuan," Li Weiyi said.

Many of Jiang Ning's worries lifted, and her beautiful eyes lit up, a rare, world-beautifying smile gracing her face. "Is this why you summoned a large number of Hidden Gate experts to Lingxiao City? You make fun of me for worrying about the nation, but aren't you the same? You're just like before, refusing to admit it! I fulfill my duties in my position. But you? It's not your responsibility, yet you take it on?"

Li Weiyi stood tall, his gaze sincere. "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world. As you said, we should do as much as we can. Perhaps it won't change anything, but at least we'll have a clear conscience."

"Well said, 'Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.' This is indeed the responsibility martial cultivators across the world should bear." Jiang Ning looked at him, her beautiful eyes gazing for a long time. "Two years ago, your phrase, 'The azure sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise,' truly infuriated me. It sounded utterly rebellious. I will do my best to help you break free from the control of the evil cult."

"Oh, right, the imperial court is almost certain that the evil cult's main altar is in the Underground Immortal Manor. The Second Palace Master has already left the city to persuade various factions to launch an offensive and destroy it, lest the 'Yin Corpse Rice Planting' takes hold in the future, leading to all twenty-eight prefectures falling and becoming a land overrun by walking dead."

Jiang Ning noticed that Li Weiyi's eyes showed no joy; instead, they were filled with greater solemnity. Sensing his inner thoughts, she asked in confusion, "What are you worried about?"

If the Second Palace Master leaves the city, Lingxiao City will certainly be vulnerable. The Second Palace Master persuading various factions to attack the Rice Cult's main altar might force the Rice Cult to launch its offensive prematurely. What the demon race has been doing all along is forcing the Rice Cult to act quickly. The secret that the Rice Cult's main altar is in the Underground Immortal Manor was, in fact, leaked by them.

Li Weiyi had originally thought there were at least two more months, but looking at the current situation, war could break out at any moment. When a storm approaches, even insects sense it first.

He said, "I've heard that some ghost cities and bone palaces in the Nether Realm of the Deceased, as well as the demon race, are assembling large armies, targeting the Western Region. Battles have also erupted in the East Sea. At this critical juncture, does the imperial court have the capability to fight on three fronts while attacking the Rice Cult's main altar?"

Jiang Ning looked up at the constantly appearing stars and sighed softly. "This kind of grand strategy for the world is a contest among the transcendents, not something we juniors can fully comprehend or assist with. What we can interfere with is only the small situation before us."

"The transcendents stand at the peaks, able to see the undulating mountains and the colors of the vegetation at a glance. In the grand scheme, there are no blind spots for them. But they cannot see the hidden dangers beneath the dense forests, nor do they have the energy to search every single corner. Disaster is like a spark igniting in dry grass. By the time a mountain fire erupts and people try to extinguish it, it might already be too late. What's more terrifying is that the mountain fires aren't confined to one place but are breaking out all over the world. In such a scenario, even the transcendents would be exhausted running around, ultimately powerless, forced to watch everything turn to ashes."

Li Weiyi naturally understood this principle. He secretly pondered, what were Kirin Zang and Qingluan doing at this very moment? And what open and secret struggles were the world's transcendents and longevity-realm titans engaged in? Clearly, the imperial court alone could not be a match for the demon race. With the need to protect the East Sea and defend the Western Region, how many transcendents would be left in Lingxiao City? This was an unsolvable dilemma! Even if Li Weiyi revealed the danger to Lingxiao City and all imperial experts rushed back, the outcome would only be the preservation of Lingxiao City, while the Eastern and Western Regions would be completely lost. It would merely transform a sudden collapse into a gradual defeat. The outcome was difficult to change. Turning the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain into a meat grinder for the demon race and the evil cult was humanity's only chance to turn the tide.

*Thump! Thump...*

Taishi Yu entered the courtyard, his gaze shifting between the two of them. Noticing something, he chuckled, "Everyone says that Feather Immortaless is the confidante of the Jiuli Divine Hermit, and that you two had an extraordinary experience in Lizhou and Qiuzhou. One wields the Startling Feather Sword to kill enemies, while the other can control the opponent's seven strange insects."

"Li Weiyi, Feather Immortaless is quite aloof; she doesn't give face to anyone. Even a handsome and dashing figure like me has never received a glance of favor from her. Yet, someone as business-like as her didn't even tie you up and throw you into Luan Terrace's prison. It shows you're different in her eyes. Why not cancel your engagement with the Zuoqiu clan, join the imperial court, and I'll ask my father to go to the Jiang family to propose on your behalf?"

Li Weiyi chuckled, "My spiritual core is ruined, and my martial path is a dead end. I doubt the Jiang family would approve."

"If you want to talk about romance, don't involve me," Jiang Ning moved away to the door of the small courtyard, leaving the space to the two of them.

Taishi Yu asked via vital energy transmission, "Was it Tang Wanzhou who attacked?"

Li Weiyi knew he was asking about the daytime assassination. There had to be a plausible explanation. "It was her! But I assure you, her purpose in entering the city was not to sow chaos in the imperial court."

Taishi Yu nodded. "I believe it! I've met her once; she's a woman of extreme charisma, broad-minded, with a sense of right and wrong and a strategic vision that few men can match. You're quite something, you know. Tang Wanzhou is another unapproachable type, and yet she looks at you with new eyes. It almost makes me jealous."

"Don't misunderstand, Young Lord is fully devoted to the martial path," Li Weiyi said.

*Thump! Thump...*

Taishi Bai came downstairs, his brows tightly furrowed. He looked at Taishi Yu. "She doesn't know much, but she confessed two things. First, thirty Undead experts, using a soul-fusion secret technique, have infiltrated Lingxiao City, hidden within the bodies of thirty imperial Dao Seed realm masters. They intend to create chaos at a critical moment."

Taishi Yu's face changed abruptly, and his scalp tingled. "Thirty... How can there be so many? And with the soul-fusion secret technique, it's impossible to detect them in a short time."

Taishi Bai continued, "Second, the demon army and Departed Spirit army will attack the Western Region around the Lantern Festival. This timing is similar to what the imperial court estimated. She doesn't know the specific deployments; with her cultivation level, it's impossible for her to know."

"Brother Yu, can you help me save her life? This time I was wrong; I misjudged people and brought trouble to the Taishi family."

Taishi Yu found it hard to refuse the address "Brother Yu." He said, "If you can quickly clean up this mess, arresting those who should be arrested and killing those who should be killed, that would be a great service. Then, when you make a request, those in power might grant the Taishi family some face. But how do we find thirty Undead experts, all hidden away? And by now, they've likely hidden themselves even deeper."

Jiang Ning walked over, glanced at Li Weiyi, and took out a list. "A month ago, I received a secret report and began investigating this matter. Currently, I've narrowed it down to fifty people, but further screening is needed."