Chapter 89: The Holy Maiden’s Protector
“Sima… Shangguan…”
Luo Xue frowned slightly upon hearing these two surnames.
Whether in her past or present life, she had never encountered cultivators with these surnames, or even cultivators with double surnames.
Why were they suddenly looking for her…
The man in the bamboo hat, played by the Sha sisters, nodded slightly and led Luo Xue inside.
After they entered the restaurant, the curious gazes outside dispersed—after all, compared to this strange duo, the outcome of the conflict between the Tianhai Gang and the Medicine Gang was more interesting.
Upon entering the restaurant, Luo Xue was immediately stunned by the surroundings.
Clear and pleasant music seemed to drift through the antique-styled building. Even though Luo Xue didn’t know much about music, she could tell that the person playing the zither wasn’t ordinary.
Every pluck of the strings seemed to tug at the listener’s heartstrings.
A faint, lingering fragrance filled the air, complementing the melodious music, creating a calming and refreshing effect.
The Youxiang Restaurant must have used some kind of spatial divine ability. The space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
Waitresses, similar in appearance to the one who had led them in, moved about in an orderly fashion, bowing slightly whenever they passed each other.
There was no main hall in the restaurant, only private rooms arranged around the perimeter, each with a tight barrier to prevent information leakage.
As they walked further in, the zither music became clearer, and Luo Xue finally saw the musician.
A cold and elegant woman in white sat in the open space in the center of the private rooms. She had her eyes closed, her fingers deftly plucking the strings, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.
“It’s actually the ‘Zither Witch’! Now I believe the rumors that the Youxiang Restaurant is backed by the former Holy Maiden of the Temple of the Nether Spirit…”
Sha Yiyi’s voice transmission rang in Luo Xue’s ear, filled with unconcealed surprise.
“How so?”
Luo Xue never missed a chance for gossip.
Especially since it concerned the Holy Maiden of the Temple of the Nether Spirit… even if it was the former Holy Maiden.
Luo Xue had heard too many rumors about the Temple of the Nether Spirit and the Holy Maiden on her way from the Peerless Summit Sect.
The more she heard, the more uneasy she felt…
If Xiao Yao had survived the Mount Fengyin conspiracy, she hoped she hadn’t encountered that terrifying Holy Maiden.
“It’s said that the ‘Zither Witch’ was the former Holy Maiden’s protector. The current Holy Maiden was discovered and reported to the Temple of the Nether Spirit by her.” Even through voice transmission, Sha Yiyi subconsciously lowered her voice. “If I wasn’t so well-informed, I wouldn’t have recognized this grand madam…”
“She’s a Nascent Soul expert… not many people have seen her!”
You still dare to gossip about a Nascent Soul expert through voice transmission?
Luo Xue was instantly nervous and quickly focused her attention on the Zither Witch.
Fortunately, the Zither Witch didn’t seem to notice their whispers, still calmly plucking the strings, the melodious music gently soothing everyone’s hearts.
It was hard to associate such a woman with the title “witch.” If she wasn’t here, she would probably be mistaken for a celestial maiden from some Immortal Domain sect.
Luo Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about it carefully, perhaps she simply didn’t care about a few insignificant people who hadn’t even reached Spirit Condensation.
“This way, please.”
The waitress raised her hand and led Luo Xue and the Sha sisters upstairs.
The man in the bamboo hat walked towards the stairs silently, but his voice transmission chattered excitedly.
“Wow, the client is so rich? They can even afford the upper floor!”
“We could barely afford the first floor even if we sold the inn…”
“Just the deposit for a private room on the upper floor is enough to buy our inn, not to mention the ridiculously expensive food inside!”
Sha Keke gritted her teeth and said,
“I told you Big Sis wasn’t reliable, we should have asked for more… and she even lowered the price herself!”
“How could I know they were so rich…” Sha Yiyi said aggrievedly.
“Stop it, stop it,” Luo Xue’s head was spinning. “Let’s go up and see who it is first!”
In this situation, she could only adapt as things unfolded.
As the waitress led Luo Xue and the others away, the Zither Witch, who had been playing the zither on the platform, stopped.
She turned her head towards Luo Xue’s direction and opened her eyes slightly.
They were colorless eyes, pure white, without even pupils.
“A disciple of the Peerless Summit Sect…” The Zither Witch frowned. “But why is her aura so similar to the one the Holy Maiden gave me?”
She slowly opened her palm, revealing a withered, gray strand of hair.
It emanated the aura of death, its owner long gone.
The Zither Witch had initially thought that the Holy Maiden was just clinging to an impossible obsession and delusion, but she never expected to encounter a little girl with an almost identical aura today.
“The Holy Maiden instructed me that no matter what, I must inform her as soon as I have any news.” The Zither Witch hesitated. “But now, the Heavenly Cluster Sword Tomb is about to open, and the Temple of the Nether Spirit cannot lose to the other three forbidden areas this time.”
“At such a critical moment, if the Holy Maiden is distracted…”
The Holy Master would be furious.
After all, although the Zither Witch was the protector of every Holy Maiden of the Temple, she ultimately belonged to the Temple of the Nether Spirit.
The actions of the protector were for the sake of the Temple, not just the Holy Maiden.
“Forget it, I’ll give her the information and let the Holy Maiden decide for herself.”
The Zither Witch put away the white hair, closed her eyes again, and continued playing the zither.
As for forcibly taking Luo Xue away…
In Ghost Demon Pass, countless eyes were watching the Youxiang Restaurant, watching her.
Who said there were only Nascent Soul old monsters from the three major gangs in Ghost Demon Pass?
This was the border between the Immortal Domain and the Demon Abyss. The eyes and ears of the major sects had never disappeared, their networks intertwined everywhere.
The reason the Zither Witch was here was also to deter the Nascent Soul old monsters from other sects who were hiding here.
…Everyone knew that the Immortal-Demon War would eventually reignite, and no one wanted to be caught off guard and at a disadvantage.
At this crucial moment, any action could trigger a chain reaction.
Just like the conflict between the Medicine Gang and the Tianhai Gang, any action by the Zither Witch could become the spark that ignited the war.
At least for now, she hadn’t received any orders from the Holy Master.
…
The waitress led Luo Xue and the Sha sisters to the door of the private room, then bowed and left.
Sha Yiyi couldn’t help but gulp. She recognized this room as one of the four most luxurious private rooms in the Youxiang Restaurant.
Even with money, it was difficult to book them. One had to have status.
This was it. The other party definitely knew that Miss Luo Xue wasn’t an ordinary cauldron slave. This was a deliberate attempt to use a low price to lure a scapegoat…
Sha Yiyi could only be thankful that she had already revealed her identity to Luo Xue. If they were discovered to have tricked her, they would definitely be in trouble.
But why would such a powerful figure want Miss Luo Xue?
Sha Yiyi reached out her hand, but hesitated.
“Come in directly, the door isn’t locked.”
A lazy, gentle voice came from inside, seemingly carrying a hint of amusement.
Sha Yiyi’s hand trembled, but having come this far, she could only push open the door.
Inside, a man and a woman sat facing each other across a small table.
A small pot of wine simmered on the table, emitting an alluring fragrance.
Luo Xue’s nose twitched slightly, finding the scent somewhat familiar.
However, her gaze fell on the unfamiliar man and woman, a hint of confusion flashing through her mind.
She had never seen them before…
And their auras were also unfamiliar. Although they carried a hint of demonic intent, they weren’t disciples of the Temple of the Nether Spirit.
Because Luo Xue didn’t sense any Yin energy from them. This was the most distinctive characteristic of the Temple of the Nether Spirit, like the sword intent of the Peerless Summit Sect, recognizable at a glance.
“Heh, just as Shangguan Lengyan said, the Shadow Gang does have some skills.” Sima Ye looked at the man in the bamboo hat, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Even her Mystic Dark Eyes couldn’t see through your disguise… Ghost Demon Pass is truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.”
Shangguan Lengyan’s Mystic Dark Eyes could even see through the restrictions of the Youxiang Restaurant, but they couldn’t pierce the disguise of the man in the bamboo hat.
She vaguely sensed that the man’s life form was somewhat different. His aura seemed to be around the Spirit Condensation Realm, but it was erratic, perhaps just a facade.
But this asking price…
It could only be considered a quirk.
Of course, Shangguan Lengyan didn’t expect that the true identity of the man in the bamboo hat was a pair of twin sisters, possessing a talent that allowed them to merge.
She hadn’t considered this possibility, which was why she couldn’t see through it, not because the Sha sisters’ talent was particularly powerful.
“We… have brought the person.” The man in the bamboo hat still spoke in a sharp voice, extending his hand slightly. “Where’s the rest of the payment?”
Sha Keke suppressed the urge to ask for a exorbitant price, and Sha Yiyi, her heart bleeding, said,
“O-, one Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pill…”
Heavens, why only one Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pill!
This couple could afford such a high-class private room, they must be very rich!
Even ten Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills, they could definitely afford it, right?
Sima Ye looked deeply at the man in the bamboo hat, making the Sha sisters’ scalps tingle, before smiling again.
“Master of the Shadow Gang, you jest. I, Shangguan, also have some status. How can I offer just one Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pill?”
He waved his hand, and Shangguan Lengyan took out a small pouch and tossed it to the man in the bamboo hat.
“There are three Mystic-rank Qi Condensation Pills here. We just hope the Shadow Gang won’t reveal this matter.” Sima Ye said gently. “I can tell you that my identity is Sima Ye, a prodigy of the Evil Ghost lineage of the Demonic Ghost City.”
“The reason the reward for the commission was only five Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills was because we were worried about alerting those we shouldn’t provoke in Ghost Demon Pass.”
“But I didn’t expect Brother Shadow Gang to be so understanding, even lowering the price on your own initiative. I, Shangguan, admire you. These three Mystic-rank Qi Condensation Pills are a token of our friendship.”
Three Mystic-rank Qi Condensation Pills…
Sha Keke’s breathing became labored. She had never even seen a Mystic-rank Qi Condensation Pill before.
Their usual expenses were all in basic Qi Condensation Pills. Yellow-rank pills were already considered a fortune.
Sha Yiyi, as the older sister, was calmer. She silently took the pouch and put it away.
“You’re too kind.”
She said faintly, suppressing her excitement.
Sima Ye just smiled and slowly turned his gaze to Luo Xue.
At the same time, Shangguan Lengyan used her Mystic Dark Eyes, trying to find any tricks Master Wumu might have left on Luo Xue.
Master Wumu’s combat power wasn’t top-tier among prodigies, but his actions were always unpredictable.
The disciples of the Evil Ghost lineage had suffered many losses at his hands, including Sima Ye and Shangguan Lengyan, which was why they were so cautious.
This check wasn’t in vain. Shangguan Lengyan immediately saw through Luo Xue’s half-baked Thousand Faces Cultivation Art.
As her pupils focused, the weak cauldron slave disappeared, replaced by a white-haired girl whose tattered clothes couldn’t conceal her extraordinary aura.
“What!”
Sima Ye’s expression froze, and Shangguan Lengyan immediately drew her dagger, both of them pointing at the man in the bamboo hat.
Their first reaction was that the man in the bamboo hat had randomly found a girl to disguise as the bounty target.
On the other side, Luo Xue, now revealed, was also dumbfounded. She patted her clothes, sighing inwardly,
“As expected, the incomplete Thousand Faces Cultivation Art is useless…”
If it were Li Guijiao, even Miss Shangguan’s pupil technique wouldn’t be able to see through her disguise.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t recognize Li Guijiao’s true form without careful examination.
Luo Xue had only learned the basics, and her disguise was easily broken.
The Sha sisters, pointed at by two peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, almost separated from their merged state and stumbled back a few steps.
A sharp glint flashed through Sima Ye’s eyes, and a ghostly hand slowly extended from behind him, reaching towards the Sha sisters.
Seeing this, Luo Xue could only step forward. After all, the Sha sisters were now working for her, and she would need them to gather information later.
“Calm down, you two, I am indeed the person you’re looking for.” Luo Xue sighed.
“Hmm?”
Sima Ye’s ghostly hand retracted, and he looked at Luo Xue intently.
He then turned his gaze to the man in the bamboo hat and saw that the man seemed to show a hint of respect towards the white-haired girl.
This definitely wasn’t an act.
“Do you know who we’re looking for?” Sima Ye sneered.
“I don’t know, but I know that the person you’re looking for is me.” Luo Xue said. “The portrait you gave him was of me in disguise.”
Sima Ye and Shangguan Lengyan were silent for a moment, then Shangguan Lengyan asked,
“Have you met Master Wumu?”
“How did you know?” Luo Xue blurted out, then suddenly realized, “It’s about the incident at the city gate? Could it be that you captured me because of Master Wumu?”
Sima Ye hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“…Indeed.”
“But I only met him once,” Luo Xue couldn’t help but laugh. “If you want to seek revenge on him, just go find him directly. What does it have to do with me?”
“Master Wumu’s actions and schemes are unpredictable. Even a casual encounter could be a part of his plan.” Sima Ye looked at Luo Xue, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “And my judgment was indeed correct. He wasn’t just being kind and helping someone randomly.”
“You see, we thought she was just an ordinary cauldron slave, but she’s actually… an Immortal Domain prodigy.”
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