Face slap

“Who was it?”

Lian Qiao looked around, but there was no movement.

Looking closer, she found that the arrow that pierced his throat was condensed with a thick demonic aura, and she quickly chased in the direction the arrow came from.

However, the wilderness was vast under the low sky, the river clear and the moon near. In the vast night, not a single shadow could be seen.

Even the Taotie couldn’t find a trace.

“Even you can’t find anything?” Lian Qiao was puzzled.

The Taotie scratched its head: “Either this demon is too powerful, far beyond my strength, or he is extremely skilled at hiding.”

Lu Wu Jiu pulled out the demonic arrow, staring at the swirling black demonic energy on it, and said coldly: “I’m afraid it may not be a demon.”

The Taotie was surprised: “Not a demon? But this arrow clearly has demonic energy, and it’s very thick!”

At this moment, Lian Qiao coolly interjected: “Just because there’s demonic energy doesn’t mean a demon did it.”

The Taotie was clearly even more confused.

Lian Qiao took the arrow, looking thoughtful: “Demons are unruly. If they steal, they steal; if they kill, they kill. The demon world and the cultivation world have never been on good terms; they can’t even be bothered to cover their tracks, let alone kill someone to silence them. The only explanation is that the Kongtong Seal was not stolen by the demon world, but by a traitor from within. This traitor probably didn’t expect a mantis to be stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He was seen by a junior disciple and had to come and silence him. So he deliberately tainted the arrow with demonic energy to frame the demons. Unfortunately, it was an over-elaboration that revealed the truth.”

The Taotie pouted, unable to refute for a moment: “Alright, I didn’t expect you to be so smart today!”

Lian Qiao raised her eyebrows threateningly: “What do you mean by that? When am I not smart?”

Seeing the two about to argue again, Lu Wu Jiu rubbed the space between his eyebrows. The Taotie immediately shut its mouth, turned its head to the side, and snorted.

Lian Qiao then turned to Lu Wu Jiu: “Hey, the clue is broken again. Who do you think the traitor is?”

Lu Wu Jiu said coldly: “I don’t know.”

Lian Qiao’s thoughts spun. ‘It’s not that you don’t know, you probably know all too well. Maybe… it’s you thieves crying “stop thief!”’

This was a long story.

Since the fall of the God Palace, although the cultivation world was dominated by the four great families, over time, some families grew stronger, like the Tian Yu royal family, which now occupied most of the mortal realm. Other families, however, declined, like the Qi Shan Lian family. Qi Shan was remote and bitterly cold year-round, falling far behind the other families.

If it weren’t for Lian Qiao’s father happening to be on duty as the head of the Wu Xiang Sect for these ten years, it would be hard to say if they could even maintain their status as one of the four great families. So the relationship between their two families could be summed up in four words—worlds apart.

As for the remaining two families, the Jiang family of Kuaiji and the Zhou family of Qiaoming, they could also be summed up in four words—unbridled, wolf-like ambition.

From this, it was clear that although the four great families appeared harmonious on the surface, there were undercurrents and complex entanglements behind the scenes, no less troublesome than the demon race.

With differences came disputes, especially regarding the enshrinement of the Kongtong Seal.

The Kongtong Seal was an ancient divine artifact, originally held by the Kunlun God Palace. It was said that this item could not only break all barriers but also contained the purest spiritual energy. If one could cultivate with it, they could ascend to godhood and live as long as the heavens in no time. For a thousand years, two cultivators had ascended in this way. Thus, there was a saying in the cultivation world: “He who obtains the Kongtong Seal obtains ascension.”

Unfortunately, a thousand years ago, when the consort Li Ji went mad and massacred the God Palace, the Kongtong Seal was also destroyed in the chaos, shattering into five pieces. One piece was enshrined in the Wu Xiang Sect, while the other four were lost.

Over the years, the major families, while not speaking of it openly, had secretly been sending out disciples to search for the fragments of the divine artifact under the pretext of slaying demons and devils.

Therefore, if the Kongtong Seal fragment enshrined in the Wu Xiang Sect was truly stolen by a traitor, it was really hard to say who it was. The royal family was powerful and naturally wanted to rise higher. The families of Kuaiji and Qiaoming were certainly not willing to be left behind. All three had a motive.

It might not even be one of those three families. What if… it was her father, guarding the treasure only to steal it himself?

Lian Qiao speculated on the possibility and, tactfully, also shut her mouth.

After returning, Lian Qiao told her father everything about Xie Mingran’s death.

Of course, when reporting to her father, she deliberately concealed the matter of the Love Gu, only saying that it had been destroyed.

Sect Master Lian did not doubt this point. He had someone call Jiang Li over to give the Kuaiji family an explanation.

After all, although Xie Mingran was dead, the empty Gu box could still be found on his body.

The matter of the Gu was self-evident, and Jiang Li had to swallow her grievance, unable to take it out on Lian Qiao any further.

It was just that Xie Mingran’s assassination was too sudden. He hadn’t had time to describe the person he saw that night. As such, there were still no leads as to who stole the Kongtong Seal.

That being said, this was only the official explanation.

After everyone else had left, Lian Qiao pulled her old father aside and privately questioned him at length about whether he was the one who did it.

Sect Master Lian denied it righteously.

Lian Qiao rested her chin on her hand: “Then who could it be?”

Their Lian family lacked the power of the royal family, the numbers of the Jiang family, and the wealth of the Zhou family. They had only managed to avoid true collapse by being on duty as the sect master.

Now, the ten-year term was approaching its end, this being the final year. Once the Lian family stepped down as sect master, it was feared that the house would collapse and the monkeys would scatter.

Lian Qiao couldn’t help but fantasize: “It would be great if we were the ones who stole it…”

Her father immediately frowned and chided: “Qiaoqiao, what are you saying? Our Lian family has always prided itself on being upright and pure, cultivating the path of supreme good like water. How can we entertain such crooked thoughts?”

Then came a long lecture. Lian Qiao quickly covered her ears: “I was wrong, father, I was just saying. But—father, since this person could make a move on the Wu Xiang Sect, does that mean the other four scattered fragments have also been located?”

“Correct.” Sect Master Lian furrowed his brow. “The fragments have a connection to each other. On the night the Wu Xiang Sect’s fragment was stolen, I used an astrolabe for divination and found that strange phenomena occurred in many places. I believe the fallen fragments should be in these locations.”

With that, he took out a map, on which four or five locations were marked.

Lian Qiao felt even worse. Once the Kongtong Seal fragments were gathered, the four great families would immediately have to reshuffle. At that time, it was feared that armed conflict and bloodshed would be unavoidable. She asked with concern: “Then who is the traitor? Does father have any suspicions?”

Sect Master Lian shook his head: “This person could silently break through eighteen layers of restrictions. There are only a few living people with such profound strength. On the night of the incident, I and your several uncles from the other families had already met to discuss how to retrieve the divine artifact.”

“Did the discussion yield any results?”

A hint of anger showed on Sect Master Lian’s brow: “Results? It was just an excuse. Now that the Wu Xiang Sect’s fragment is lost, they are using the excuse of our sect’s inadequate protection to decide to intervene themselves. So in the end, they decided that there are no more restrictions on the Kongtong Seal. Whoever finds the fragments first gets to keep them. It seems the reappearance of the divine artifact is only a matter of time.”

Lian Qiao understood. No wonder Lu Wu Jiu knew about the loss of the Kongtong Seal. The Tian Yu family had probably already intervened.

“What about us? Should I go?”

Sect Master Lian frowned: “The divine artifact fragments possess immense spiritual power, and they have been scattered in the mortal world for a thousand years. Their aura is no longer pure, and who knows what evil things they have nourished. That night, I observed the stars and saw that these places with strange phenomena were all filled with demonic energy that blotted out the clouds and moon.

This journey is too dangerous. It’s not suitable for you.”

“If I don’t go, then who will?”

Sect Master Lian sighed: “This is something that can’t be helped. The world is about to fall into chaos. It’s better to protect ourselves.”

But Lian Qiao was unwilling: “Father, I disagree. That may not necessarily be the case. If we don’t fight, others may not let us go. What if we find them all? We can defy fate and change our destiny. There are a hundred benefits and no harm. Why not try?”

Besides, she had a little selfish thought. This divine artifact could break all barriers, so a small Gu poison would surely be no match for it.

If she could gather all the fragments, the Gu on her body could also be cured.

Sect Master Lian still didn’t agree, but he couldn’t stand Lian Qiao’s pestering.

After a long silence, he sighed deeply: “Your temperament is unsettled. It would be good for you to gain some experience. However, this journey is perilous, and the fragments are scattered in all directions. It would be difficult for one person alone. It’s best to travel with a companion. I hear the Jiang family intends to join forces with the royal family. What do you think? I think Lu Wu Jiu is indeed quite good. Although his personality is a bit cold, he is not a bad person.”

The Tian Yu royal family controlled the central plains, the largest territory with the greatest power. If she could travel with Lu Wu Jiu, it would naturally save a lot of trouble.

More importantly, Lian Qiao was afflicted with the Love Gu with him. It would act up from time to time, so they had to travel together.

But Lu Wu Jiu had been with her all day today and hadn’t mentioned this matter at all. Was she supposed to take the initiative to ask him?

Heh, impossible!

Lian Qiao pursed her lips, very arrogantly: “Him? I’ll think about it.”

Sect Master Lian sighed, unable to persuade her further.

Thus, Lian Qiao began a secret contest with Lu Wu Jiu over who would speak first.

On the first day, Lu Wu Jiu made no move at all, not coming to find her. Lian Qiao was also very patient. Anyway, she wasn’t the only one with the Gu. The worst that could happen was they would die together.

On the second day, Lu Wu Jiu still made no move. Lian Qiao was getting a little restless. Could it be that what he said before was true, that the Gu really had no effect on him? Didn’t that mean she was the only one being controlled?

On the third day, Lu Wu Jiu still made no move. Lian Qiao was on pins and needles. She pretended to be on patrol, occasionally wandering over to Piao Miao Peak where Lu Wu Jiu was staying, but this person showed no abnormality at all, not even looking at her.

Lian Qiao was completely panicked. No way, did she really have to take the initiative?

For three consecutive days, Lian Qiao was so troubled she couldn’t sleep well at night. The dark circles under her eyes were about to reach the floor.

But she really couldn’t bring herself to lower her pride and go find Lu Wu Jiu. She just slept particularly badly at night.

It was the same this night. She woke up in a daze in the middle of the night, extremely thirsty. She stumbled out of bed in a half-dream state to get some water from the outer room.

Who knew that before she could even pick up the cup, she looked up and saw a dark figure standing by the window—

Lian Qiao, half-awake, thought it was a thief and subconsciously grabbed the sword by her side and thrust it forward.

However, before the sword could even touch him, with a slight clank, it was caught between two fingers, and her mouth was subsequently covered.

A cold voice came from the darkness.

“—It’s me.”

Through the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, Lian Qiao looked up. The silver light streamed down his neckline, like a collapsing jade mountain, a glimpse of spring light, disappearing into his slightly open collar.

She was dazed for a moment before she recognized the person as Lu Wu Jiu.

Instantly, her heart bloomed with joy.

‘Heh, so what if you’re stubborn? Didn’t you still come?’

Just as Lian Qiao was about to utter a taunt, she noticed that Lu Wu Jiu’s hand covering her mouth was slightly hot.

And, she didn’t know if it was an illusion, but she felt that Lu Wu Jiu’s breath on the side of her neck was also extremely hot.

It seemed even more severe than her last time.

‘No way!’ Lian Qiao’s joy turned to sorrow as a rather unpleasant guess emerged in her mind—

‘Could it be that this Gu gets stronger day by day? Then this time… surely he isn’t going to hold me, is he?’