Conspiracy

As Jia Nan’s thoughts wandered and Shangguan Xue diligently cultivated, a peculiar sound suddenly echoed from the street.

Within Jia Nan’s spiritual perception, three large birds materialized.

Their feathers were a dark grey, their hooked beaks and massive talons were as white as snow, and their wings beat with a grating screech, their eyes glowing like phosphorescent green.

“Oh?” Jia Nan murmured, a hint of surprise in her voice. “Are there Nightmares around here?”

The Nightmare race, also known as Bird Nightmares or Rakshasa Birds, initially appeared in this form, lying dormant by day and emerging at night.

Only by devouring a sufficient number of souls could they transform into human form, cultivate spiritual arts, and shed their fear of sunlight.

Yet, this area was home to the Grand Spirit Academy and a branch temple of the Sun Palace.

For Nightmares to appear in this region was nothing short of courting death.

The three Nightmares let out strange cries, spreading their wings as they lunged towards Shangguan Xue’s location.

In their perception, Shangguan Xue’s soul, having originated from another realm and once achieved the pinnacle of the Creation Realm, was akin to a white truffle, its intoxicating aroma wafting irresistibly.

Then, they simply dissipated.

Given Jia Nan’s power, she didn’t even need to summon her fox fire; merely focusing her spiritual consciousness was enough to crush this group of Nightmares.

“What happened?” Shangguan Xue, startled from her cultivation, asked through the door. “I sensed the presence of Nightmares.”

“You’re quite sensitive, aren’t you?” Jia Nan teased before getting to the point. “Are they not afraid of death? How dare they show themselves here?” A genuine astonishment colored her voice.

Shangguan Xue pondered for a moment, then uttered a seemingly nonsensical remark.

“Cheap rent implies something fishy…”

Yet, Jia Nan understood her meaning perfectly.

‘You suspect they’re connected to the landlord?’ The fox pondered for a moment. ‘I’ll go talk to him.’

“Wait until dawn,” Shangguan Xue replied, then fell silent, resuming her cultivation.

Jia Nan leaned against the door, a smile playing on her lips.

“Are you hoping I’ll protect you?”

Receiving no reply, she merely sighed and retreated to her own bedroom to rest.

****

Soon, the sun rose high, marking the start of a new day.

Shangguan Xue emerged into the small courtyard and began her exercises.

Jia Nan, too lazy to cook, went out to buy some pan-fried buns and white porridge.

While cultivators weren’t obligated to eat, many still indulged in gastronomic pleasures, leading to a surprisingly well-developed culinary scene.

“Can you still locate the landlord?” Shangguan Xue asked between bites. As she wasn’t yet a cultivator, eating was still a necessity for her.

“You’re underestimating me a little.” Jia Nan raised a hand and lightly tapped Shangguan Xue’s head. “Eat quickly; I’ll take you to him once you’re done.”

‘Hmm, Elder Sister Dong would simply answer “Yes,” Qingmei would say something like “Yes, I’ve marked the landlord,” and Yanzi would probably lazily chime in with “Of course I can~”‘

Shangguan Xue’s thoughts drifted to the others as she quickly finished her buns and porridge, then gestured for Jia Nan to lead the way.

“Oh, you…” Jia Nan gently wiped Shangguan Xue’s face before embracing her and soaring into the air.

In a flash, the two of them appeared outside a small shop.

According to their spiritual senses, the landlord was inside, having breakfast.

They approached the landlord’s table and sat down.

Upon seeing the two women, the landlord’s eyes widened in shock, nearly choking on his noodle soup.

Cold killing intent flowed within Jia Nan’s crimson eyes. “What is your connection to those three Nightmares?”

“…Cough, cough, cough.” It took him a moment to regain his breath. “I…”

“Speak.” Jia Nan’s single word, simple yet potent, emanated an astonishing pressure that only he could perceive.

The man’s legs buckled, and he collapsed onto his knees before them.

Under the concealment of Jia Nan’s spiritual consciousness, no one else in the vicinity could see what was happening, otherwise, a crowd would have gathered long ago.

“My ladies…” he wailed, his face contorted in distress. “They forced me!”

Jia Nan watched him with a cold, impassive expression, offering no response.

“They made me rent out the house, or else they’d kill me!” he cried, tears welling in his eyes. “I swear, I don’t know anything else!”

“Oh?” Jia Nan uttered a questioning sound.

“Oh, right, they told me to rent it to someone who clearly looked like they were going to the Grand Spirit Academy for schooling! And the rent had to be paid in Spiritlight Elixir!” The man quickly added, “I truly don’t know anything else!”

“Who are ‘they’?” Shangguan Xue inquired from the side.

“They… I don’t know.” He shivered involuntarily. “I—I couldn’t even see their faces clearly.”

‘Couldn’t see clearly…’ Jia Nan silently communicated with Shangguan Xue through spiritual consciousness.

‘Transformed Nightmares?’

‘Most likely,’ Shangguan Xue replied through her own spiritual sense.

‘What should we do with him?’

‘If we let him go, I suspect he’ll be silenced,’ Shangguan Xue mused. ‘Send him to the Sun Palace.’

Jia Nan nodded, meeting the landlord’s gaze.

“Go to the Sun Palace branch temple and tell them you were threatened by what appeared to be human-transformed Nightmares.”

“I will go to the Sun Palace branch temple and tell them I was threatened by what appeared to be human-transformed Nightmares.”

The landlord repeated the words blankly, then rose from the ground and walked out of the restaurant.

This was the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox’s mental enthrallment ability, which, in Jia Nan’s hands, could silently control others, even implanting false notions into a target’s mind, making them believe these thoughts originated from their own hearts.

As for what would happen to the landlord once he arrived at the Sun Palace branch temple, it was of no concern to them.

They were both in the Creation Realm, not his bodyguards; having gone this far, they had already shown more than enough benevolence.

Shangguan Xue and Jia Nan had no intention of monopolizing the restaurant table for a lengthy discussion, so they too rose and returned home to deliberate further.