•••
Chapter 2081:- Trick
The one who was with Bai Mei Gui was indeed the City Lord of Wu Xiang City. His aura was unsteady as he had just advanced a level.
"Young Lady, should you not give us an explanation as to why you killed Nan Yu Miao and Nan Yu Zhi?" Bai Mei Gui looked at Sima You Yue derisively as if he was looking at a dead person.
Sima You Yue was slightly stumped for words but came back to her senses quickly and laughed.
These people came to say that she murdered others. It seemed like they didn't care about what happened.
Nan Yu Zhi was already dead to them, so it didn't matter if he was dead or not.
It seemed like they were going to make her the scapegoat. She just wondered whether or not they had that capability.
"Explanation? What kind of explanation do you want?" She looked at them indifferently.
"Nan Yu Zhi was a capable person of the Commander's, we won't kill you casually just because you killed him. Come with us to see the Commander." City Lord said.
"Come with you? Do you think I'll be able to stay alive?" Sima You Yue didn't believe their words, "You won't kill me as there are thousands of staring eyes now, but who knows if you will kill me when we are on the way?"
"We want to bring you to see the Commander, why would we kill you?"
"Pfft--" Sima You Yue sneered, "Have you heard of the saying?"
"What?"
"You want to be a ***** but want to maintain a good reputation!"
"Impudent!"
"Am I wrong?" Sima You Yue sneered, "You came to me and accused me of killing Nan Yu Zhi, aren't you just trying to put the blame on me? Then you'll just kill me on the way while giving ridiculous excuses since no one will know anyway. Aren't you being a ****** while trying to maintain a good reputation?"
"Hahaha-- Well said, Young Lady!" Someone who brought an army and was donned in different clothes and came over. They could tell that he was one of the Commander's men with a single look, "That's not what they thought. They were foes of Nan Yu Zhi and were troubled as they didn't have any idea on how to kill him! You will die if you follow them. Why don't you follow me instead?"
Sima You Yue looked at the army which filled half the street, but she didn't believe his words. He wouldn't bring so many men if he really thought that way.
Actually, she might really have used this opportunity to look for Hua Wu Xiang if Old Man Li didn't tell her that information earlier on.
But for now, she was definitely going to the ore vein before looking for Hua Wu Xiang.
Hence, she wouldn't go with anyone now.
She smiled to that person, "I want to go with you, but I'm afraid they wouldn't allow me to."
She looked at Bai Mei Gui helplessly as if she would really go with them.
"You don't have to bother them, we're from the Commander's Manor and have nothing against Nan Yu Zhi, so we can send you back safely." The man from the Commander's Manor said.
"Alright, I'll go with you only if they don't disagree." Sima You Yue responded.
"Sure!"
"Lai Cheng Ping, how dare you try to snatch them?" Bai Mei Gui didn't expect that the men from Commander's Manor would arrive early and listened to Sima You Yue. The Commander's Manor and City Lord's Manor were already on bad terms, if Lai Cheng Ping told this to Hua Wu Xiang, nothing would happen but his status as a friend of City Lord's would be at stake.
"Bai Mei Gui, it's better that you wash your hands off this." Lai Cheng Ping said, "You're the Commander's envoy, not his envoy. You should consider the Commander."
"I don't need you to tell me what to do." Bai Mei Gui continued, "We found this person first, so can you not cut this queue?"
"We have to respect the party's opinion. She is willing to go with us, not you." Lai Cheng Ping said.
Sima You Yue brought Wu Lingyu and went over to Commander's Manor side at this time. She glanced at Old Man Li as she stood still. Old Man Li hesitated for a while and walked to her side.
They already saw that he was with her and saw what happened today. He might be able to escape if he followed her. If he didn't, he might be killed anytime.
Seeing Sima You Yue standing at his side, Lai Cheng Ping laughed and looked at her proudly, "See, she has already decided."
"Lai Cheng Ping, it seems like you want to defy us all the way." The expression on Wu Xiang City Lord didn't look good.
There was no way to settle this amicably, but he mustn't let Sima You Yue see Hua Wu Xiang. If she spilled everything in front of Hua Wu Xiang, all their hard work from past years would be ruined. As long as she died, whatever happened earlier on would be counted as a slander of Commander's Manor.
He looked at Sima You Yue as he waved his hand and the City Lord Manor's men went ahead to attack the Commander Manor's men.
Lai Cheng Ping had already thought about this so he wanted to protect Sima You Yue's safety even more.
"Protect her!" He yelled as the Commander Manor's men joined in the fight.
It wasn't the first time that the members of Commander's Manor and City Lord's Manor fought. Hence, it was no surprise for the people in the City.
The City Lord Manor's men were very enthusiastic this time as the City Lord was present. If they could get on his good side, their status in the City Lord Manor would be high.
Although the Commander Manor came a little late, their power wasn't as good as compared to City Lord Manor's but they had more men. So both of them were tied.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "They're missing!"
The battle stopped, they looked at where Sima You Yue were, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" Lai Cheng Ping asked flusteredly and exasperatedly.
"They were here just a while ago!" The one who was responsible to look after them went pale. She was just right beside him, how did he not notice that they left?
When did they leave?!
Everyone was flustered and exchanged glances. Were they going to continue the fight when the one they were fighting over had gone missing?
Wu Xiang City Lord and Lai Cheng Ping were silent. Both of them exchanged glances from the battleground, then ordered their own men to search for them.
Sima You Yue, Wu Lingyu and Old Man Li came out from the spatial area. Old Man Li patted his own chest, sighing in fear as he was in disbelief that they actually escaped.
However, he was more afraid of both of them. He didn't expect that they would cause so much trouble and would still be able to escape in that situation. It seemed like it was a wise decision to choose them. He was sure that she wouldn't have brought him along if he didn't choose her earlier.
"Miss You Yue, is it true that the Happiness City's City Lord is in your hands?" He asked.
"That's right." Sima You Yue continued, "He wanted to kill me, so I captured him. I'd kill him if I wasn't afraid of trouble."
Old Man Li was speechless upon hearing that.. Wouldn't it still create trouble if she captured him? If that was true, then she wouldn't have gotten into that situation just now, right?
.
.
.
Chapter 2082:- Looking Back
It was different from other flat lands. Once one entered the Great Bridge City area, there were endless mountains . Even Great Bridge City was built at the foot of the mountain, similar to any mountain city.
Sima You Yue and the others came to a summit within the deep mountains.
Sima You Yue looked at the long mountain range far away and asked, "Is that the ore vein you talked about?"
"That's right." Old Man Li was still trembling when he saw that mountain, "We'll be in that area in a few more kilometres."
Sima You Yue noticed his reaction and said, "Wait for us here, you don't have to go."
Old Man Li sighed a huge relief after hearing that. He nodded and said, "I'll wait for you here then."
Sima You Yue and Wu Lingyu went down from the mountains as they approached the ore vein slowly. They stopped a few metres away from the area of the ore vein.
"There are strong troops keeping watch." Wu Lingyu sensed many auras from the foot of the mountain.
Sima You Yue was at a safe distance from the ore vein when she sensed that there were a few soldiers. They would need a bit of time if they just went ahead with it. Also, the noise would attract Great Bridge City's attention.
"It seems like we need to come up with a plan." She rubbed her chin as she quickly thought of an idea to deal with the situation.
At the foot of the ore vein, the soldiers were in groups of three or five while keeping watch on the district.
"How long do we need to keep watch here? We've kept watch the whole day and haven't been able to step away or cultivate. We're wasting our lives here!" A soldier whined.
"That's right! There's nothing here, we can't even go for a drink."
"Both of you should stop whining. You'll be dead if the higher ups heard what you said." Another soldier stopped them.
"Stop pretending. I don't believe that you don't miss that close friend of yours."
The first soldier who spoke laughed teasingly.
"I won't say it even if I do miss him. The patrols will be here anytime soon, I won't be able to save your lives if they hear you." The one who got teased said.
"Do you think there's really an ore vein inside this abnormal place?"
"I haven't seen any ore vein, but I've seen many corpses."
"Every single one who has gone in has died, and I haven't seen a single person bring out an ore? I count myself unlucky to have to keep watch at this kind of place."
"Alright, stop whining."
"Did you hear that?"
"What's there?"
"I think I heard something."
"Stop joking. Even underworld beasts don't come to such a weird place, what could there be."
"I really heard something, it seemed to have come from the forest in front."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Then go over and take a look!"
"I don't want to! Go by yourself if you want to!"
"The patrols are coming. The three of us wouldn't be able to make a difference if something happened here. Let's just take a look."
The one who got teased earlier carefully walked over. Very quickly, his shadows were covered by the dense bushes.
"Oh...."
A low groan was heard from the trees.
"Hey, what's happening over there?" The two who kept watch there asked.
"Nothing, I accidentally banged into the trees." That person responded.
The other two laughed, how could he be so clumsy to bang into the trees at his age.
After a while, he came back.
Both of them wanted to tease him, but before they even talked, they saw the patrols walking over. The three of them immediately stood in position.
A few patrols came over and asked them, "Did anything strange happen here?"
"In response to Envoy, nothing is out of the normal for now." The one who was teased replied.
"Mm." Envoy nodded, "They are here to change shifts with you, follow me."
Three of them smiled happily, it had finally come to an end!
They changed shifts, and three of them followed the Envoy at the back to change others' shifts at another spot as they prepared to go back.
Someone came before they got out of the area.
"Envoy You, what brings you here?"
"Commander has invited Great Master Liu to take a look at the ore vein." Envoy You responded, "Let's go together since you are free."
They were stunned. He wanted them to follow them there? Would they still be able to come out alive then? However, Envoy You had higher rights than any average Envoys, so they couldn't reject even if they wanted to. They had no choice but to follow him obediently.
"Hahaha, there's no need to worry, all the strange things that happened at the ore vein were actually caused by the power inside, it was just causing mischief. Once I expose this power, you won't have to be afraid anymore." Great Master Liu said confidently.
They thought to themselves that the people that Commander Hua found were extraordinary people. There was nothing to be afraid of with him here!
With that thought, everyone became braver.
Envoy You brought them into the mountain. Sima You Yue, who impersonated as a soldier could sense the chill shrouding all over her body, like what Old Man Li said.
"Great Master Liu, can you feel it?" Envoy You asked.
"Mm, I feel it. This is the chill that the force has released, it's normal." Great Master Liu said.
"Great Master Liu, are you confident?"
"Judging by the chill, the force is indeed very strong. We'll have to get closer to see if this can be solved." At this point, Great Master Liu had to change the plan that he had come up with in advance before entering the place.
Initially, Sima You Yue thought that Great Master Liu just had a smattering of knowledge and was overconfident, but it seemed like he actually had some skills. It seemed true that not just anyone could catch Commander's eyes.
Envoy You didn't reproach him after hearing what he said. He had been here twice and, both times, he had barely escaped. Hence, he knew how strange and powerful it was here.
"Let's take a look around." He told Great Master Liu.
"Sure."
The atmosphere in the group became heavier after seeing how unconfident Great Master Liu was. Everyone became careful as they were afraid something would suddenly happen.
Sima You Yue slowly joined the group at the back. She looked around to appraise the situation and even asked Mi Er to leave secretly.
Envoy You could sense something so he turned around to take a look at the back of the group. He didn't seem to find anything strange apart from everyone's nervous looks, so he slightly frowned without saying anything.
"Ah--"
The one walking in the middle suddenly shouted as he fell to the ground. In a short moment, he died and dissipated into black smoke.
The men around him cried out as they ran away. All of them looked around their surroundings anxiously. How did he die when there was nothing at all?
Envoy You came back and asked them, "What happened?"
"He suddenly died, but we didn't catch a glimpse of anything at all!" Someone replied.
"Did he die suddenly?"
"Yes, he was walking in the middle, but we didn't see anyone at all.."
.
.
.
Chapter 2083:- Terrified
After they said this, everyone was terrified.
"You can save us all, right?" They looked at Great Master Liu, hoping that he would be able to answer them.
Terror grew in Great Master Liu's heart as well, but he thought of his identity and did not show it too obviously. However, Sima You Yue could tell that his expression was a little off.
"Envoy You, is this the unexplained death that you were talking about?" He looked at Evoy Liu. Who knew what kind of answer he was expecting to receive.
"It is." Envoy You said, "This is the unexplained death that I had told you about before. It's the same as it was before. Great Master Liu, is this due to the force?"
Envoy Liu nodded, "Although I have not seen the force, at this moment, the chill in the air has intensified."
Sima You Yue raised her eyebrows. She had sensed it earlier as well. It was clear that the others could not sense that minute difference.
"So it is because of the force! But why did it only kill one of us?" Someone asked.
"Because it wants to frighten us." Great Master LIu said, "It was to instil a sense of terror in us. It loves to see us afraid."
Sima You Yue agreed with his view. It was obvious that this force had already formed its own sense of intellect, and it wasn't low either. However, it was obviously not as powerful as Mi Er was. Mi Er should have no problem dealing with it.
"Everyone please pay attention to what happens next." Great Master Liu said to everyone.
Obviously, he still had no plans to return.
"We will continue to head forwards. We will reach the area of the ore vein in a few kilometres." Envoy You said.
The soldiers really didn't want to go, but they had no place to speak here. If they voiced out their desire to retreat, they would not have to wait for the force to kill them. Envoy You would do it himself.
That was why, regardless of how the journey ahead was like, they had to toughen their hearts and soldier on.
This time, something happened to the two men who were walking in front of Sima You Yue.
"Ah-" Someone walking in front of her cried out.
"What's wrong?" The others turned around to look, dissatisfaction laced with terror.
Because of his cry, it indicated that something had happened again.
"He- He's gone." That person gulped as he said with a mask of horror, "He suddenly disappeared!"
At this time, Envoy You's expression turned even uglier. Every time they entered, they would experience this. If not because his heart was strong enough, even he would have fallen apart.
"Great Master Li, is this due to the force as well?" He asked.
"It is possible, but I cannot be certain. I have never seen such a powerful force before." Great Master Li said honestly.
"Is it really that powerful?" Envoy You asked with a tremble.
"Yes. I don't know how it managed to cause someone to disappear so quietly, but it is precisely because I don't know how it happened that I know it is powerful." Great Master Liu said.
At this point, Sima You Yue's impression of Great Master Liu increased by two points. In an environment like this, it was rare to find someone who dared to admit that he was lacking. However, he admitted that he did not know rather quickly, which proved that his character wasn't bad.
Great Master Liu did not know how that person had disappeared so soundlessly, but she knew. To be more accurate, it was because of her contract with Mi Er that she was even more sensitive towards the force. She vaguely sensed something had appeared in front of that person, and then he disappeared.
That was why, based on her guess, the person who had disappeared had been eaten by the force.
It was no wonder Old Man Li had said that it was impossible that it was a disruption of the spatial area. He did not sense the fluctuations in space. That was because they were just being eaten!
She contacted Mi Er, who told her that he had already entered the mine. However, the intelligence of the force was pretty high, and it was also slippery. To say nothing of hiding, it was even setting up a maze, and Mi Er was unable to locate it for quite a while.
"Do you want me to return?" Mi Er asked after he knew that another person had dier.
"Not for now." Sima You yue replied, "You can go ahead and look for it, only then will this problem be solved."
Mi Er hesitated for a second and said, "Be careful, then."
"Don't worry." Sima You Yue felt like she shouldn't have a problem dealing with it. Even if she couldn't see it, she would be able to anticipate it, so hiding wouldn't be a problem.
"Envoy You, are we going to continue on?" Someone still asked.
"Continue on." Envoy You was unwilling as well, but Great Master Liu was the most powerful Great Master that they could invite right now. If even he was unable to solve this problem, then this mountain would never be excavated, "Great Master Liu, what do you think?"
Great Master Liu was cursing in his heart, regretting his overconfidence. He had also regretted doing something so dangerous for the sake of money. Right now, he was unable to advance but even more unable to retreat. If he was unable to solve this, Hua Wu Xiang would definitely not hold back once they returned.
It was a path of no return!
"We continue on." He had no other choice.
When the others heard him say this, they felt dead inside. If they carried on, most of them would die right here.
"Envoy You, can we not continue onwards?" The one who had teased the other person said in a small voice.
"What did you say?" Envoy You looked at the person, his eyes chilling over. He did not wait for him to speak and directly took out a blade and killed him. He looked over at the remaining people and asked, "Is there anyone else who wants to return?"
Everyone was stunned. They had already been scared beyond their wits, and now that this had happened, it was beyond what they could bear.
When they heard the question that Envoy You had posed, everyone shook their heads.
He must have been joking! Who would willingly send themselves to death!
"Then we will carry on." He knew that he had them under control with this move, so he kept his sword away, turned around and left."
Sima You Yue allowed herself to walk at the back. The moment a dense chill crept close to her from the back, she directly condensed her spirit energy, turned around and attacked.
"Scree-"
A piercing cry and wave of spirit energy attracted the attention of those in front. However, when they turned around, they only saw Sima You Yue on guard.
"What happened?"
"I just felt like there was something attacking me, so I subconsciously fought back." Sima You Yue replied.
"You managed to hit it?" Envoy You did not overlook that piercing cry.
"I think so." Sima You Yue was uncertain as well, "But I seemed to have scared it off."
"You were actually able to strike that thing?" The others did not believe it.
"How did you do it?" Envoy You asked. He looked at Sima You Yue with a gaze that seemed to examine her but was also filled with suspicion. Nobody else realised it, but she did. There was something strange about her.
"I don't know either." Sima You Yue looked at him innocently, "I suddenly felt a burst of cold air, and recalled how Great Master Liu said earlier that the chill had intensified. I got scared so I attacked."
As she spoke, she looked towards Great Master LIu and waited for him to agree. The hidden meaning in her eyes was something only the two of them understood.
.
.
.
Chapter 2084:- A Small Favour
What did she mean that she suddenly reacted to the chill? These words were only good enough to fool those who had no idea what was going on. To Great Master Liu, who was well versed in the seeker spirit arts, there was no way this kind of excuse would hold any water.
That was why he immediately knew that Sima You Yue was an expert as well when he heard her. Especially since Sima You Yue looked at him with a gaze that concealed nothing, instead looking at him bluntly. It looked like it had been because he had said those words, but he knew that she was just waiting for his answer.
Should he tell Envoy You about this? He struggled internally, but he still chose Sima You Yue.
Since Sima You Yue was able to discover the force that he was personally unable to, it proved that she was more powerful than he was. If he chose to keep her secret, perhaps she would take this into account and rescue him if there was danger.
When he thought it through, he smiled at her, "You were actually able to save yourself based on what I said earlier. Truly a difficult feat."
Sima You Yue smiled as well as she cupped her hands at him gratefully, "It is all thanks to your pointers, Great Master."
"This is due to your own ability." Great Master Liu said, "You all heard it as well. If you sense any chill coming close to you, do not hesitate and act immediately. You might even be able to save your little life."
"Yes, thank you for your pointer, Great Master." Everyone had more hope to live once they heard what he said. Initially, they thought that they would definitely die if they encountered that thing, but there was at least something they could try now.
Sima You Yue's smile deepened as she grinned brilliantly at him. It could be considered as a successful alliance.
"You are actually so sensitive towards the force. Come over and join us. See if you are able to help Great Master Liu." Envoy You said.
"This subordinate accepts the order." Sima You Yue walked forward and came beside Great Master Liu and Envoy You. She secretly disdained the man beside her even more.
He might have said that it was to help Great Master Liu, but it was just so that she could sense it and protect him. In the end, he was just a selfish man.
Great Master Liu was very satisfied with this decision. He really wanted Sima You Yue to come to his side, but he was hard pressed to speak. Since Envoy You did this, it happened to coincide with his wishes.
They continued forward, and perhaps it was because Sima You Yue's attack just now had controlled the other party, they managed to journey forwards without any more incidents.
Their group carefully climbed up the ore mountain. Even Sima You Yue had been on high alert, thinking that something would happen. However, the entire journey was smooth.
As they stood on the peak of the ore mountain, Envoy You smiled. He had never gone in so deep before. They had managed to reach here, so as long as they were able to excavate the place, then they were considered to have been able to seize this mine.
"Great Master Liu, can you see which direction the force is headed towards?" He looked at Great Master Liu extremely expectantly.
Great Master Liu stood at the highest point of the mountain range and looked towards the direction of two mountain ranges, saying, "If we had been here in the early years, I might have been able to see which direction the force headed in. However, it has already formed a spirit and it is impossible to determine anymore."
"Even you don't have a way?"
"It's not that I am completely stumped. I have to research it carefully. If the force is opened erroneously, the entire mine will shatter. We have to be more prudent." Great Master Liu said.
Envoy You felt that he was right. These kinds of things could not be rushed. Especially at a time like this.
"Envoy You, I will be heading somewhere else to take a look. It should be safe here, so you can stay here and wait for me."
"You want to go by yourself? How can I let you? What if something harms you?" Envoy You did not agree.
"But if you follow me, then I will not be able to focus on researching it. There's no way I can determine anything by staying here." Great Master Liu said with difficulty.
"But that's just too dangerous." Envoy You did not agree.
Great Master Liu frowned and spoke as if he was in a difficult position, "Envoy You, if you are really worried for me, then let this brat come with me."
Envoy You looked at who he was pointing at and his expression changed. However, he still forced himself to agree.
"You. Go with Great Master Liu." He pointed at Sima You Yue.
"Understood." Sima You Yue obediently walked behind Great Master Liu and followed him and flew to another mountain peak.
Once they left everyone, the row of mountains just happened to block them from everyone's line of sight.
At this moment, Great Master Liu stopped and said while looking at Sima You Yue, "Senior, are you confident in dealing with this force?"
Sima You Yue smiled, "Great Master Liu, your words are heavy. I'm not your Senior."
"People like us who walk in the light do not speak in riddles." Great Master Liu said, "You are able to see what I cannot with regards to the force. It proves that you are stronger than me. I even chose to mask it for you from the beginning, and had no plans to rat you out."
"I have to thank you, great Master Liu, for what happened before. However, I am no great master." Sima You Yue said.
Great Master Liu saw that Sima You Yue was not willing to admit it, so he did not force this term of address on her. Instead, he asked, "What do you think about this?"
"The force here has actually formed a soul, so it will not be easy to deal with. However, it's not like we have no way to deal with it." Sima You Yue said.
Great Master Liu's eyes shone when he heard what she said, "Do you have a plan?"
"Let's talk about that in a moment. Right now, we should wonder what those people are going to do?" Sima You Yue said.
"What do you mean?" Great Master Liu was stunned.
"Do you not feel it?" Sima You Yue looked over in that direction.
Great Master Liu followed where she was looking and he was completely stunned.
"Those- those..." He looked at the formeless things in the sky and wanted to speak out to warn them, but found that he was unable to speak at all."
"It's useless." Sima You Yue's clear voice allowed him to slowly come back to his senses, "These guys have not yet attacked, but they can do so fairly quickly. Even if you warned them, they would not survive."
"But- but..."
"I do have a way to stay alive. Since you did not expose me just now, I can ensure your safety. However, how are you going to explain yourself to Hua Wu Xiang once you return?" Sima You Yue continued, "All of his men died, and one of them is even one of his capable subordinates. If you are the only one to return, then what will he think?"
"Every life saved is one more life preserved." Great Master Liu said.
"Will they let you go?" Sima You Yue looked at him, "You want to return, but has Envoy You given you the power to choose? They don't care about your survival at all, so why would you put your life on the line for them?"
Great Master Li fell silent and only said after a moment, "I'll listen to you. Tell me, what should I do?"
"I'm not a good person, but I don't kill people for no reason either. What you did just now can be considered as a small favour to me. I can ensure that you can leave this place safely, but I'm afraid that you will no longer be able to live in the Vermillion Soul region anymore.
All the men that Envoy You had brought would die, which meant that he would no longer be able to appear before Hua Wu Xiang.
"However, you will not have to hide for long. You will be able to regain your freedom next time." Sima You Yue added on.
.
.
.
Chapter 2085:- Annihiliated
Great Master Liu did not know why she spoke so quickly. However, when he saw how confident she was, he believed her from the bottom of his heart.
That was why he chose to live with her instead of dying with them.
Envoy You sensed his hair stand on end, as if something was staring at him. The temperature around them fell lower and lower, and he knew that the force was definitely coming closer. He was on guard, but he could not find that force at all.
At this time, he felt like he shouldn't have let Sima You Yue leave with Great Master Liu.this way, she would have been able to help him find out where the force was.
"Ah-"
A soldier cried out, but his voice was cut off before he could finish his scream. They looked over and realised that only half of him remained. The other half had disappeared.
"He- did someone eat him?" The others were terrified by what happened.
"Ah-"
Before the others had a chance to react, another person was killed.
The bone-chilling cold caused the terror in their hearts to intensify, and the two corpses on the ground were utterly trampled. At this time, Envoy You's threats were completely useless against them. They fled like headless chickens and scattered in all directions.
"Ah-"
"Ah-"
Their wretched cries came from everywhere. This person broke an arm while another broke a leg. That person lost the bottom half of his body, while the other person lost the top half. In a moment, the entire mountain was filled with mangled limbs.
Sima You Yue and Great Master Liu watched from the side. They saw the massacre happening over here and Great Master Liu's legs went weak as he fell to the floor.
If he had returned just now, he would have ended up like the rest of them. Even Envoy You was unable to resist that power, much less himself, who was not powerful.
It was lucky that he had chosen Sima You Yue.
At this time, the chill beside them intensified as well. He gulped and looked at Sima You Yue in terror.
"Little- Little brother..." He felt like he was physically unable to speak.
"Relax, you will be fine." Sima You Yue said calmly.
She was still looking over there. When she had ascertained that everyone was dead, she looked away. She could also feel that the temperature had plummeted, but she had no reaction at all.
Great Master Liu saw how calm she was and his panic abated quite a bit. However, he still looked at her hopefully, wanting to see what she would do.
However, Sima You Yue merely stood there. She did not plan to move at all. He wanted to ask her something and opened his mouth only to find that he was so terrified that he was unable to speak.
After a moment, he felt the chill around them dissipate by quite a fair amount.knowing that the force had left, the anxiety that kept him high strung disappeared, and it almost sapped him of all of his strength. He couldn't even sit up straight as he lay on the ground panthing.
Sima You Yue did not push him. She looked here and there, as if she didn't have a sense of danger at all. After he was almost done recovering, she walked over and said, "You can go now."
"You want to chase me away?" Great Master Liu was about to cry, "Just let me follow you. I'll be one of your men from now on."
"You want to be one of my men, but someone won't agree." Sima You Yue laughed, "Go out, and take this with you. That force will not attack you. Walk in the opposite direction. There will not be many guards there. After you exit this place, leave Azure Dragon Soul Region as quickly as you can. If we are fated, then we will meet again in the future."
Great Master Liu saw that Sima You Yue had already made her decision and took the blank block of wood from her hand, stood up and left.
Wu LIngyu appeared beside Sima You Yue and they watched as Great Master Liu frantically escaped the place.
"Are you not worried that he will expose your secret once he leaves this place?"
"What is there to worry about? Even if he reveals it, the one who he has seen is not me. So what if those on the outside know? If they had a way to deal with this place, then why would this mine be waiting for us?" Sima You Yue was not worried at all.
"What are you going to do next? Are you going to move this mine away?"
Sima You Yue saw the teasing in his eyes and knew that he was making fun of the time back at Heavenly Academy, where she had completely moved someone else's mine away during her mission.
"That was the past. The new me doesn't do that anymore. I won't touch their mine." Her smile was devious and Wu Lingyu could guess what she was thinking. He touched her hair lovingly.
At that time, they had nobody and no power. If they wanted a way to excavate the mine, it was something that would never happen. Right now, she had the power and, most importantly, she had Mi Er. Hence, that problem wasn't a problem anymore.
Mi Er finally found that slippery force. It had actually already formed its own intelligence. If the time was right, it was not impossibile for it to have been able to become like Mi Er. it was just a pity that it had encountered Mi Er at this time.
Under Mi Er's pressure, it unwillingly broke down the inside of the entire mine. It had to watch with eyes wide open as Sima You Yue moved away every single ore.
When it saw that all of its things were gone, it was filled with hatred! However, it was suppressed by Mi Er and was completely unable to resist. Not only that, but Mi Er eventually ate it up as well.
Sima You Yue felt that this force was rather tragic. It clearly had a great future but just had to encounter Mi Er and Sima You Yue, its antithesis. Not only did they end its cultivation, they ended its life as well.
After Mi Er ate it, he patted his belly with satisfaction. He even burped without holding back, "It really has been a long time since I've eaten something so good. You're not nice to me either. You don't find food for me. I have to do it on my own."
Sima You Yue rolled her eyes and could not be bothered to deal with him. She left with Wu Lingyu.
If someone stood on the outside, they were completely unable to tell that the mine had already been completely emptied. Thinking about Hua Wu Xiang's reaction once he arrived at this place, she couldn't help but smile. She thought about the ores in her Spirit Pagoda and wrapped herself around Wu Lingyu's arm with satisfaction, "Let's go back."
Old Man Li waited at the mountain peak anxiously. Heh didn't know how they were doing at this moment. After waiting for ten days, they still did not return, so he did not know if he was supposed to continue waiting.
He realised that another group had come over and he hurriedly hid himself. Once they passed, he left his hiding place.
He had no idea how many groups had already passed him by, and he did not know what happened over there. For the past few days, there were many soldiers who went that direction.
"Lady You Yue, you have to hurry back. Otherwise, I may not even be able to preserve my little Old Man Life!" He muttered as he stood on the mountain peak.
"Why aren't you able to preserve your life?" Sima You Yue asked as she heard him mumbling to himself the moment she returned.
Old Man Li was shocked by her voice that suddenly appeared. Heh turned around and saw the two of them in perfect condition.. He heaved a sigh of relief and said as he patted his chest, "Lady You Yue, did you both really come out from inside? Were you the ones who caused the commotion over there?"
.
.
.
Chapter 2086:- Gone!
"What commotion?" Sima You Yue pretended as if she didn't know.
"Do you not know about it?" Old Man Li asked puzzledly.
Sima You Yue shook her head, "We couldn't find the place, so we left after heading a little deeper. I sensed that chill you told me about so we returned. In order to avoid running into those people, we had to walk via a more deserted place."
"It's lucky that that's the case. Otherwise, you might have been discovered." Old Man Li said.
"Just what is going on?"
"I don't know what happened there either. However, there have been many people rushing in there over the past two days. Although they did not wear soldier uniforms, they should belong to the commander." Old Man Li said, "There were suddenly so many people, so I thought of asking, did something happen over there?"
Of course Sima You Yue knew what happened over there. They probably found out that Envoy You had died, so they sent men to investigate.
"I see. Since there are so many people, we will have to hurry."
"Alright."
Although she really wanted to stay behind and see their reactions when they found out that there was nothing left in the mines, in order to avoid getting involved in this entire situation, they could not appear here. Even her scarlet bees could not be left behind.
The three of them dispersed stealthily and did not encounter the people who kept on coming in. It was a good thing that Sima You Yue and Wu Lingyu had particularly strong divine senses and were able to hide before they were discovered.
However, it was because of this that she felt like her initial guess was wrong. If it was really just because Envoy You had died, it shouldn't have caused such a huge commotion. It was normal for people to die on this mountain. He would not comb through the entire mountain to seek revenge because he died. Would that just end up sending more people to death along with him?
That was why these people had definitely entered because they had discovered that something was wrong with this mountain. Perhaps, they had already discovered that they were able to enter it, which was why they notified those above to send this number of people down.
Old Man Li looked at those people rushing over with puzzlement, "Why do these people look so anxious and excited? It couldn't be that the situation over at the mine has already been dealt with, right? Or could it be that they have already figured out a way to enter?"
"Who knows?" Sima You Yue shrugged and pretended as if she really didn't know, "Even if that really is the case, it has nothing to do with us. It's not like we can participate in this."
The excitement on Old Man Li's face immediately disappeared. It seemed like he had been defeated by her words.
"You're right. This really has nothing to do with us. We're unable to go back and snatch it from them now. To lone cultivators like us, it's incredibly difficult to encounter such a good opportunity. It's a pity that it's been stolen by the Commander." He sighed deeply.
Sima You Yue smiled, as if she was agreeing with him. Actually, she was laughing about what she had done.
Those people were running over so excitedly, but once they found out that it was just an empty mountain,she wondered how brilliant their expressions would be.
"Let's continue one. We still have a few days before we'll reach Great Bridge City!"
Just as Sima You Yue had guessed, those people who recently rushed over were those who had just obtained the news.
"Envoy Zuo." The soldier who was standing guard bowed to the man in front.
"How are things going here?" Envoy Zuo asked.
"The chill started to lessen here two days ago, so we hurriedly reported the news." The guard said.
"What about Envoy You?"
"Envoy You left ten days ago with Great Master Liu. He has yet to emerge." The guard replied.
Those who were with Envoy Zuo guessed, "Envoy Zuo, could it be that Envoy You and Great Master Liu managed to solve the situation here together?"
"It is possible." Envoy Zuo said, "However, they have not sent back any news yet. We do not know the situation for now."
"Since the situation here accompanied the chill, now that the chill has dissipated, it proves that the situation has also stabilised."
"Envoy Zuo, since Envoy Han has said this, why don't we let Envoy Han go in to check out the situation before continuing?" Someone suggested.
This person, Envoy Han, ordinarily didn't have much of a relationship with the others. Since someone suggested this, the others agreed successively.
Envoy Zuo naturally knew what they were thinking, but it was not outside of his line of duty, so he was not able to reprimand them for it either.
"Envoy Han, I will have to trouble you to take this one." He instructed Envoy Han as he ignored the constipated look on his face.
"Envoy Han, Envoy Zuo has already spoken, so you should hurry up. We'll wait here for you to return." The one who first suggested this spoke up again.
Envoy Han's expression was extremely dark, but he dared not disobey Envoy Zuo. He could only toughen his heart and lead his subordinates inside.
He hoped that his earlier guess was right, and that the mountain valley was now safe.
When they saw Envoy Han enter, those on the outside smiled. This guy wasn't strong, and only knew how to kiss ass all day. This would be a good lesson for him. If he was able to survive, then that would just be his good luck. If he was unable to return, then it would fulfil everyone's wishes.
Actually, everyone honestly wished that the second outcome would happen.
However, the outcome disappointed everyone greatly. Once two days passed, he came back without any man missing.
"How is the situation inside?" Envoy Zuo asked.
"In response to Envoy Zuo, we walked all the way to the top of the mine, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred." Envoy Han replied, "I think that the danger inside has already been dealt with."
"Then, did you meet Envoy You or anyone else?"
"No. There was not a single person inside."
"That is strange. Could it be that they have already gone inside the mountain?"
"Earlier on, the seeker spirit master guessed that that force was making mischief. If his guess was right, then it is very likely that Great master Liu managed to excavate the area. It also explains why this place is safe now."
Envoy You felt like his guess was logical, "Since the place is already safe, then send my orders that we will enter the mountain now."
"Yes, Envoy Zuo!" Everyone there was excited. It was such a huge mine, which meant that there would definitely be many ores. Those of a higher position would definitely receive a share of it. That was why every single person was in a good mood and couldn't wait to charge into the mine. At the same time, they were imagining just how much treasure they would be able to find.
However, while they were all full of smiles, the moment they saw the empty shell of a mountain, they were crestfallen. Everyone was filled with disbelief. They rubbed their eyes with all their might, but there was absolutely nothing left on the mountain.
"What- what is going on?" Envoy Zuo's voice trembled, "Why is there nothing in this mountain?"
"Envoy Zuo, it's not that there's no mountain, but that the mine in this mountain is empty." It was unknown whose small voice pointed it out, but the atmosphere at the foot of the mountain immediately intensified.
"Hurry, hurry and report this to Commander!" Envoy Zuo came back to his senses and cried out anxiously.
.
.
.
Chapter 2087:- The Empty Ore Vein
When Sima You Yue and the others entered the city, they saw a group of people speeding out of the city. Old Man Li pulled Sima You Yue and they hid in the crowd, then he whispered: "That's Commander Hua."
Sima You Yue looked up and saw the person in front of the crowd.
Hua Wu Xiang was handsome, but the evil-foreboding air around him greatly reduced his image. The people behind him stepped back automatically because of the low pressure that surrounded him.
"Commander Hua seems to be in a bad mood. Could something have happened?" Old Man Li murmured. "Could it be because of what's happened at the Ore vein?"
"Who knows? Since he is the Commander, naturally there are many things that he has to do. He could be worried about something else." Although this was what Sima You Yue had said, she was certain in her heart that he was worried about the Ore vein. She wasn't able to see his expression when he saw the Ore vein, but it was not bad that she was able to see him like that now.
When Xiao He and Xu Yu attacked the Soul Region, they had the support of many Financial Counselors. Therefore, she was very happy at having caused them to be in a bad mood.
"That makes sense."
"Let's go into the city to look for your friend."
"Alright."
Hua Wu Xiang had brought men to the Ore vein and went directly to the place that Envoy Zuo had mentioned. When Envoy Zuo saw Hua Wu Xiang approaching, he stepped forward and said: "Commander."
"What's the situation? You said the Ore vein is empty, what do you mean by that?" Hua Wu Xiang asked as he strode inside.
"This... Commander, you should see for yourself." Envoy Zuo really didn't know how to describe what he had seen.
Hua Wu Xiang understood his subordinates well, when he saw him in this way, he knew that there was something strange with the situation. His heart sank and his footsteps sped up. When he entered the Ore vein and saw the situation inside, he couldn't help but froze.
There was nothing at all in the whole Ore vein!
The people behind him were also shocked. They stared at the empty Ore vein, speechless.
"This is what it looked like when we came in." Envoy Zuo said, "At first we thought that it was just an empty mountain. But over the past two days, we have discovered some clues. There are traces of new excavation everywhere. Judging from the excavations, they can't have been more than half a month old. And..."
"And what?"
Envoy Zuo pursed his lips and told him about the discovery that he was still in disbelief about: "All the chisel marks in the whole Ore vein are the same."
"You're saying that in half a month, someone broke through all layers of our defenses and excavated the whole Ore vein?" Hua Wu Xiang looked at him faintly.
Envoy Zuo's scalp felt numb from Hua Wu Xiang's stare, he knew that Hua Wu Xiang didn't believe him. Even when he had first come to this conclusion based on all the facts and discoveries, he hadn't believed it either.
However, the facts were the facts, they don't change just because they didn't believe them.
He didn't dare to say this to Hua Wu Xiang and had to find a more tactful way of speaking: "Subordinate also finds this conclusion unbelievable, that's why I am waiting for Commander to confirm my findings."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wu Xiang knew that this was probably true.
"Let's go and have a look." He let Envoy Zuo lead the way from the beginning to the end. Because of Envoy Zuo's reminder, as everyone walked along, they took note of the chisel marks. The more they saw, the more alarmed they were, they were exactly the same!
All the chisel marks, whether they were old or new, were exactly the same!
In other words, the entire Ore vein had been dug up at the same time!
"How, how is this possible?"
Even if a large number of people had come to dig up such a large Ore vein, it would have been impossible to be done in such a short period of time. The chisel marks were bound to be different.
Therefore, it was even more unbelievable when they looked at the chisel marks.
They didn't want to believe it, but they also couldn't help but believe it.
Hua Wu Xiang slowly accepted the fact, then he sneered: "It seems that we have met a talented person."
Everyone knew that he was in a bad mood, hence, no one dared to answer him.
Hua Wu Xiang hadn't expected them to answer him. After a while, he calmed down. The matter had already happened, it was useless to think about it anymore. What he had to do was investigate.
Envoy Zuo had followed him for the longest period of time and understood his thoughts the best. Without waiting for his order, he said: "I've already sent men to investigate. As long as there are traces of outsiders, they will definitely find it."
"Where are Envoy You and Great Master Liu?"
"Envoy You is dead, as for Great Master Liu... if the news is accurate, he has run away."
"Ran away?"
"Yes, besides him, another person has survived. I don't know who it is yet."
"Great Master Liu is too bold!" Hua Wu Xiang revealed a bloodthirsty smile.
"I have already sent men to capture them. Once they have been captured, we will be able to find out what happened here."
"If things don't go well this time then bring your heads to me next time!" After Hua Wu Xiang had finished speaking, he left the Ore vein and returned to Great Bridge City.
Sima You Yue's entourage of three entered the city and went directly to Old Man Li's friend.
Old Man Li's friend's surname was Du. Old Man Li called him Old Du, and his friend called him Old Li.
After some introduction, the four of them sat down in Old Du's dilapidated hut. "It's been so many years since we last met. I didn't expect that we would have the chance to see each other again in this lifetime." Old Du said with emotion.
"Yes! But we really nearly didn't get to see each other." Old Man Li smiled bitterly.
"What happened?" Old Du asked.
"Hai." Old Man Li sighed and told him how he had no money to enter the city and had wanted to serve one year of conscripted labor. "If I hadn't met this kind-hearted Young Mistress You Yue when I was entering the city, we probably wouldn't have met each other again in this lifetime."
"Old Li, don't say that. We have an agreement." Sima You Yue laughed.
"What agreement?"
"It's just that she pays for my entrance fee into the city and will be responsible for my expenses for one year, and in exchange, I will show her around." Old Man Li said.
"Then you have really met an honorable person." Old Du said enviously, "But why did you think of coming here? Wu Xiang City is not close to here."
"It's because the Talent Trials are being held here. Young Mistress You Yue wants to come and take a look."
"Then you're not in luck. The Talent Trials ended this morning."
"It has ended?"
"Yes. I heard that Commander Hua left during the final stage of selection, but I don't know why."
"I didn't expect for us to rush over here and it's over." Sima You Yue looked disappointed.
"When we were entering the city, we saw the Commander leaving. I didn't realize it at that time, but the Talent Trials had ended then."
At this time, a loud noise came from outside, as if something major had happened. Old Du told them to rest while he went out to inquire about the news. When he returned, the expression on his face was a little imposing.
.
.
.
Chapter 2088:- Great Bridge City Closure
When Old Man Li saw his expression, he knew something had happened: "What's happened?"
"Hai!" Old Du sighed before he could speak. When Old Man Li saw him like this, he knew that whatever had happened was serious.
"Don't just sigh, tell us what you have heard!"
"Something has happened at Great Bridge Mountain." Old Du said.
Old Man Li thought it was something else that had happened. When he heard this, he said: "Why are you so worried that something has happened at Great Bridge Mountain? You can't go into the mountains now, but you will be able to after some time. Besides, you don't have to go there, you can get useful things from other places."
As a loose cultivator, one had to constantly look for cultivation resources. When one couldn't find something, one had to buy them. In order to be able to cultivate, they had to spend a lot of money. The best and most direct way was for them to enter the mountains. If they were lucky, they would be able to get a lot of resources for cultivation in the mountains. If they were unlucky, then they would only be able to find a few things. They could get money if they brought them into the city and sold the things they found.
That was why Old Man Li advised him when he heard that something had happened in the mountains.
"If that was the only reason, it would have been fine." Old Du sighed heavily, "Because there has been an incident at Great Bridge Mountain, so Great Bridge City is closed. You are only allowed to enter but not allowed to go out! I won't be able to go anywhere!"
"What?" Old Man Li was astonished, "Why has Great Bridge City been sealed off just because there has been an incident at Great Bridge Mountain?"
"Hai..." Old Du was very worried. He was on the verge of advancing recently and had originally planned to go to Great Bridge Mountain to search for some treasures over the next two days. Because of this, he would miss his opportunity to advance this time. He may also not have the chance to advance next time.
Sima You Yue saw that he was extremely distressed, and said: "The city closure won't be long-term. You don't have to pay for daily expenses, why are you so worried?"
Old Du explained his current situation and everyone understood why he had such a big reaction when he heard the news.
Sima You Yue was silent for a while, then she said to Old Du: "Old Du, I can provide you with the resources you need to advance."
"What do you want me to do?" Old Du asked.
Sima You Yue smiled, they were on the same page.
"You don't have to be so anxious, I won't ask you to do anything dangerous." She saw that Old Du had jumped up and she comforted him, "I just want you to go out and inquire about news when you are free. See what's going on here, and pay attention to Hua Wu Xiang's movements. These things are only trivial things for you. Even without us, you would still inquire about the news."
"Alright." Old Du hesitated for a while before he agreed. The provision of resources for him to advance was too tempting, he simply couldn't refuse. Even if it wasn't to inquire about news but to do dangerous things, he still wouldn't refuse.
Sima You Yue picked a spirit stone and gave it to him. It would be better to advance using this. After she gave it to him, she and Wu Lingyu went to look for a room to rest.
After they had left, Old Du looked at the spirit stone in his hand and gulped. Even Old Man Li was beyond envious when he looked at the spirit stone.
Old Du noticed his gaze and quickly put the spirit stone away, then asked: "Old Li, what are the identities of those two people? She just picked one spirit stone out of so many and gave it to me, it seems they have powerful backing."
"I don't know their background and identities." Old Man Li looked a little embarrassed.
"You've been following them for so long and yet you don't know?"
"They didn't reveal it to me so I didn't ask." Old Man Li said, "Although I don't know their identities, I do know that they shouldn't be offended. That is my advice to you."
"Don't be so vague. Tell me in more detail how powerful they are?"
"Do you know about Happiness City's City Lord being captured?"
"This is a big matter, of course I know about it!" Old Du answered, then he realised that he wouldn't have brought this matter up for no reason, "Did they have something to do with this matter?"
"That's right!"
"They..." Old Du was shocked by the news. When he was chatting with the others in the teahouse, they were saying that they wondered who would be so bold and dared to do such a thing. Unexpectedly, those people had come to his house.
"Not only have they captured the City Lord of Happiness City, when Wu Xiang City was surrounded, they also escaped unscathed. I have never seen them make a move, but I know that they must be very powerful. When they do make a move, I'm afraid that the ending will be something that you and I have never seen before."
Upon hearing Old Man Li's words, Old Du was understood. No wonder they had wanted him to inquire about the news, they didn't dare to go out and inquire themselves. He suddenly regretted making a deal with such a person.
"Since the deal has been agreed upon, don't dwell on it so much. Although they are a little troublesome, they are nice people. As long as you don't betray them, they won't do anything to you. But once they find out that you plan to betray them, the consequences will not be something you can bear." Old Man Li reminded him.
"But these people are too dangerous!"
"Aren't our lives filled with danger? If you don't like it, give me the spirit stone and I will inquire about the news." Old Man Li looked at him like he was a man who didn't appreciate what he had.
This was such a good thing, it was something that one couldn't even beg for and obtain, yet, he was having doubts.
Old Man Li's words brought Old Du to his senses. He was right, as loose cultivars, their lives were filled with danger daily. So why did he overthink things? His increase in strength was his own.
He bowed to Old Man Li and said: "Thank you for reminding me."
"It's good that you have come to your senses."
"Looking at it now, I think the Talent Trial was just an excuse of theirs. I wonder what they are going to do."
"That's out of our control. Anway, remember this, the more you know, the faster you will die."
"Yes." Old Du understood this principle. "Look after them these few days, I will be advancing."
"Alright."
A few days later, in Great Bridge City City Lord's Manor.
Great Master Liu came back here again, the atmosphere was very different compared to the last time he was here. He didn't know if he would be able to leave this place alive. When he heard the Commander's voice outside, he trembled with fright.
Hua Wu Xiang walked in and walked past him. With just one look, it was as if the God of Death was beckoning to him.
"Great Master Liu, I didn't expect us to meet again."
Great Master Liu knelt down without making a sound and cried to Hua Wu Xiang: "Commander Hua, I didn't do it, it has nothing to do with me!"
Hua Wu Xiang glanced at him coldly: "Speak, where is the ore?"
.
.
.
Chapter 2089:- Betrayal
Great Master Liu was confused: "Ore, what ore?"
Hua Wu Xiang realised that he didn't seem to be lying, and his eyes darkened.
"The ore in Great Bridge Mountain, where did you take it?" Envoy Zuo asked.
"The ore in Great Bridge Mountain? I didn't take the ore!" Great Master Liu said, "When I left, the mining hadn't started!"
"Then why did you run away?"
"Aren't Envoy You and the others dead? So many people have died but I am still alive, that makes me look guilty!" Great Master Liu said.
Envoy You was indeed dead. Envoy Zuo felt a trace of sadness in his heart for a second, then he continued to interrogate him: "How did Envoy You and the others die? Why are they all dead and you're still alive?"
"They were killed by forces!" When he recalled the scene of their deaths, Great Master Liu's face showed deep fear, "Dead, dead, they're all dead! None of them died with a complete corpse, they all died so tragically."
Envoy Zuo glanced at Hua Wu Xiang, he knew that Hua Wu Xiang also believed Great Master Liu's words.
"Tell me what happened from the beginning to the end, if you dare to tell me anything false..."
"I'll speak, I'll speak." There was no need for threats to make an impact.
Great Master Liu told them everything that happened after he entered the mountain and didn't leave out a single detail. It wasn't the first time anyone in the room had heard of those things, so they weren't shocked. What shocked them was the person Great Master Liu mentioned.
According to Great Master Liu, when he left, the mining hadn't started, so the ore in the mountain should still be there. It took three or four days from that time to when the soldiers reported that the chill had weakened and disappeared. Therefore, that meant that the big mountain was evacuated in three or four days!
This news was so shocking that no matter who it was, or what method the person had used, was just too incredulous!
If this person was their enemy, then the consequences were unimaginable!
After Envoy Zuo had finished the interrogation, he had someone take him away, then he said to Hua Wu Xiang: "If what he said is true, then that soldier is probably not our soldier."
"Of course not. We can't afford to maintain such a powerful soldier." Hua Wu Xiang sneered, "Tell him to draw a portrait of that person, he is wanted all over the world."
"Yes!" Envoy Zuo replied: "Commander, can the closure of the city be lifted? It's been many days and quite a number of people are starting to voice their opinions. Some umbrella loose cultivators are starting to cause trouble."
"Let the city lord here deal with it, get rid of those who cause trouble." Hua Wu Xiang said with indifference.
"Yes, Commander." Envoy Zuo indicated with his eyes at the person beside him and the person went out and made the arrangements.
"No news from Nan Yu Miao yet?"
"No. They have appeared in Wu Xiang City previously, but for some reason, they were able to escape."
Hua Wu Xiang glanced at him faintly: "Tell them to come over here to receive their punishment. If it happens again, they won't keep their lives."
"Yes."
A lot of people have died in Great Bridge City over the past few days. All of a sudden, the commoners in the city were panicking and afraid that it was their turn next. Later, someone spread the news about what had happened at Great Bridge Mountain.
At Old Du's house, he told them the news that he had heard: "You don't know how crazy the rumours spreading outside are, I don't know who the mysterious person is and what background he has."
Old Man Li was startled. He recalled the days that this news had happened, wasn't it when they were in Great Bridge Mountain? They also went to the mines at that time. Did they do this?
If it was really them, and they had emptied the entire Ore vein in three to four days, then their strength...
He glanced at Sima You Yue who was drinking tea calmly and didn't seem to care about this matter at all.
"By the way, I brought back a portrait of that person, you can take a look." Old Du took out a portrait, the person on the portrait was exactly as Sima You Yue's disguise.
It seemed that Hua Wu Xiang had captured Great Master Liu. Sima You Yue was silent for a while, but she was not worried. Based on this portrait, no one would suspect her.
Old Man Li also looked at the portrait. He had never seen that person in the portrait before, and the person bore no resemblance to Sima You Yue. However, in his heart, he still felt that she was somehow involved in this matter.
Sima You Yue took the portrait and looked at it. She pouted and said: "This person looks so uncough. Has his identity been announced?"
"It's said that he is someone within the army, but upon checking, it seems that the army doesn't have such a powerful person. Everyone said that it must be a disguise."
Old Man Li disagreed, he thought that the person must have been swapped. Only if a person had been swapped could there be such a big change.
Once this idea took root in his heart, it began to grow wildly and he was unable to suppress it. He looked at her, he wondered what he would do if it was really her. If they were discovered, would they be able to keep their lives? The last time they had only faced those people, however, this time, it was Hua Wu Xiang.
"I don't know why Hua Wu Xiang is staying here for such a long time this time. The Talent Trials are over and the person who stole the ore is not here. What is he still doing here?" Old Du complained. "If he doesn't leave, the city closure won't end and we can't go out. It's so annoying."
Old Man Li glanced at Sima You Yue and thought, why would Hua Wu Xiang leave when she was still here?
Sima You Yue had noticed Old Man Li's glances for a while, but she didn't pay any attention to it. She handed the portrait over to Old Du and said: "We have stayed here for quite some time, we shan't bother you in the future."
Although Old Du had been looking forward to her leaving since he had advanced, he hadn't expected her to leave. It caught him a little off guard.
Sima You Yue said to Old Man Li: "Uncle Li, let's part here too. You don't have to come with us in the days to follow."
"Young Miss You Yue?" Old Man Li looked at her in surprise, he hadn't expected her to leave so soon.
Had she realised what he had been thinking?
"I think that Hua Wu Xiang will discover that I am here soon. If you continue to follow me, I'm afraid you will be in danger. It's better if we part here." Sima You Yue insisted, and Old Man Li didn't refuse.
However, he actually breathed a sigh of relief silently from the bottom of his heart.
Sima You Yue and Wu Lingyu left Old Du's house and went to stay at an inn. There was no way for them to conceal their whereabouts, and that night, the inn was surrounded.
When Sima You Yue saw Old Du standing behind the soldiers, she was utterly disappointed: "I thought that as we were once acquainted, we would meet and part on good terms. If you insist on courting death, then you can't blame me. Where's Uncle Li?"
.
.
.
Chapter 2090:- Nan Yu Miao's Secret
"Old Li doesn't know how to change with the tides and take advantage of such a good opportunity." Old Du said with a smile.
These people had already agreed to let him join the army once they had captured Sima You Yue. As long as he entered the army, he would have a regular supply of resources in the future.
"You killed him?"
"Not quite, I've just trapped him in my house. After all, we have known each other for many years, and he's even saved my life once before." Old Du said.
"I have to say, Uncle Li is smarter than you." Sima You Yue said, "He has always understood that though wealth is good, you have to be alive to be able to enjoy it!"
"You want my life? I am a member of the army now, if you want to kill me, you will provoke the whole of Great Bridge City!" Old Du knew that Sima You Yue was powerful, but he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Even though Old Li had warned him, he still didn't think that she could be a match against the entire army.
Sima You Yue laughed, she hadn't realised that he had some intelligence and knew how to raise matters to the level of Great Bridge City. It was a pity that he had underestimated her.
"Have you not felt any discomfort after your advancement?" She reminded him.
"What did you do to me?" Old Du was shocked. He really had felt that ever since he had advanced his body felt a little weak and he was unable to exert strength. He thought that it was from the exertion of the advancement and that he would feel better after a few days.
Now that he had heard what she said, he knew that it was definitely not because of this.
"It's nothing much, I just added some poison. If you hadn't caused me any trouble, I would have given you the antidote before I left. It's a pity that you chose a dead end for yourself!"
Old Du looked at her in horror and he clutched his chest and said: "Impossible! How could I have possibly been poisoned?"
"You'll soon find out. I am a kind person, so I will let you die knowing why." Sima You Yue waved her hand after she had finished speaking and Old Du grabbed his throat and screamed twice with difficulty, then he fell to the ground and twitched twice before he turned into black smoke and dissipated.
From the start to finish, the soldiers didn't say or do anything to stop her. They didn't have any respect for Old Du, and they didn't care about his life or death.
After Old Du died, the Captain in charge said to Sima You Yue: "Are you coming with us willingly, or are you going to put up a struggle and we have to take you away?"
"Since you are so sincere, we can't make things difficult for you. Naturally, we will come with you." Wu Lingyu said.
The Captain was very satisfied with their attitude and stepped aside: "Then please!"
The soldiers stood on either side and made way for them. Sima You Yue and Wu Lingyu left just like that and followed the soldiers to the place where Hua Wu Xiang lived.
As the two of them were being cooperative, coupled by the fact that they knew that they were very powerful people before they came and they were ordered to try not to provoke them, they didn't tie them up. This way, it didn't look like they had been captured, but more like they were invited.
When Sima You Yue saw Hua Wu Xiang, he was talking to Envoy Zuo about something. However, when they entered, they stopped talking.
"Commander, we have brought them."
Hua Wu Xiang gave him a look and the Captain retreated.
"You are the ones who have captured Nan Yu Miao?" Hua Wu Xiang said faintly, not revealing his emotions.
"Yes." Wu Lingyu admitted openly.
Sima You Yue felt that she had to keep a low profile and decided to let him handle the matter.
"Why did you capture him?"
"He provoked us." The simple and powerful reason made it impossible to refute.
"Where is he?"
"I can't hand him over to you now. What if you do something to us once we hand him over?" Wu Lingyu shook his head.
"What do you want?"
"It's very simple. Let us go and we will give him to you." Wu Lingyu said.
"You captured my man and you think you can settle the matter so easily?" Hu Wu Xiang narrowed his eyes as he looked at them.
"We didn't want to capture him, but we discovered his secret so he tried to have us killed. If he didn't provoke us, we wouldn't have captured him. After all, we don't want to cause trouble." Wu Lingyu hesitated for a moment and continued: "He is your subordinate, that's why you want to protect him. But what if he has betrayed you? Is it still worth it?"
"What do you mean by that?" Envoy Zuo shouted, "Don't think you can get away with punishment like that."
Envoy Zuo and Nan Yu Miao had a good relationship, hence, he spoke out and defended him.
"It's up to you whether you believe it or not." Wu Lingyu said, "We have only just arrived in the Azure Dragon Soul Region, why else would Nan Yu Miao be chasing us to kill us? Besides, I don't care about your relationship with him. You want your man and we want to live, it's that simple."
"What secret did you discover?" Hua Wu Xiang asked.
"When we were training in the mountains we saw him with a man. At first, we didn't know why he wanted to kill us, but later on, we realised that he probably didn't want anyone seeing him with that person. In that case, their relationship cannot be exposed."
"Who is that person you are talking about?"
"How would we know his identity? But based on Nan Yu Miao's respectful demeanor, I think his position is now one of a low level." Wu Lingyu said.
"Draw a portrait of the person." Hua Wu Xiang instructed, and someone immediately prepared paper, brush, ink and inkstone.
Wu Lingyu didn't start immediately, but stared at the paper, brush, ink and inkstone and said: "What about the freedom we want?"
"If what you say is true, it's not impossible to let you leave. It all depends on the value of the information you provide." Hua Wu Xiang made an insincere promise.
As if there was no other way, Wu Lingyu picked up the brush and drew Mu Luo Feng's appearance.
When he saw the portrait slowly taking shape, Hua Wu Xiang's body became colder and colder. Envoy Zuo had wanted to say something, but after some thought, he decided to keep quiet.
"Are you sure it's this person? Or were you sent here to let me know about this person?" Hua Wu Xiang held back his anger and stared at them with bloodthirsty eyes. If it was any ordinary person, they wouldn't have been able to bear his gaze and would have confessed.
Wu Lingyu's face didn't change. He looked back at him: "If you don't believe us, we can swear. Before we arrived in Azure Dragon Soul Region, we didn't know Nan Yu Miao, nor did we know about your relationship with him."
Sima You Yue was unhappy, she pulled his hand: "Even if you don't want to stir up trouble, you don't have to aggrieve yourself. Commander Hua, you can investigate this matter and you'll know whether we have made this up. Just because we don't want to stir up trouble, it doesn't mean that we don't have strength. We just don't want to cause trouble to the Sect."
"What Sect do you belong to?"
"Secret. Before we left, we were reminded that we cannot reveal our Sect. It's up to you whether you believe it or not. If you don't believe us, then we will just fight it out!" Sima You Yue snorted coldly.
"We can't just take your word for it on such an important matter. Tell you what, stay here first. Once I have investigated the matter, naturally, I will let you leave."
•••