Not taking the main entrance, Meng Qi directly leaped over the courtyard wall, landing silently. With his left hand, he drew out “Ziwu,” an ancient-looking sword with faint black and white patterns interwoven on its blade.
His consciousness extended outward as he activated the Undying Seal Art. Meng Qi detected two people inside the left wing room; their internal energies were rapidly shifting and circulating, clearly indicating a high level of alertness.
“Did my earlier movements alert them?” Meng Qi thought to himself. He kicked a small stone with his right foot, sending it flying toward the window of the room.
At the same time, he inverted his sword and lunged forward, keeping pace with the stone, his movements like a shadow following its form—phantasmal and demonic.
The stone pierced through the window paper, heading straight for the two within. They were none other than the seductive young woman and the frail man.
The young woman had already drawn two short blades. With a gentle flick, she deflected the stone. As she turned to look in the direction of the attack, preparing for a follow-up assault, her vision blurred, and suddenly a black shadow appeared before her, resembling the embodiment of a malevolent ghost from her darkest fears!
Ziwu, already poised for attack, darted forward, effortlessly slipping between the two short blades the woman had just used to deflect the stone, lightly tapping against her throat.
The frail man lunged at Meng Qi from behind, striking his back with both palms—but Meng Qi spun around, his force dissipating without a trace.
A familiar strength surged forth, throwing the frail man off balance. Ziwu struck again with a delicate precision, and the frail man clutched his throat, slowly collapsing to the ground.
Within the span of a single breath, the two disciples of the Su Nu Sect had fallen, utterly unable to resist. Under the combined might of the Undying Seal Art, the Illusionary Demon Steps, and the Solitary Sword of Solitude, Meng Qi had triumphed as effortlessly as a stroll through a quiet garden.
Without wasting any time, Meng Qi scanned the room for anything worth investigating.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. Before him lay a small altar on the floor, but it was dull and lifeless, riddled with cracks. Clearly, something had gone terribly wrong.
“It seems the Disciple of Xuan Nu was truly killed by Gu Xiaosang…” This altar was used to summon the Xuan Nu Disciple’s manifestation. Unless she had perished, there was no way it would fall into such a state without external interference. Meng Qi exhaled deeply, finally feeling at ease.
Even if the Xuan Nu Disciple hadn’t been killed outright by Gu Xiaosang, being pulled into an unknown cycle world by the Heavenly Boundary Tablet and the Wheel Seal meant she could never return—especially without the dominion of the Six Paths’ Wheel Master. Once there, with Gu Xiaosang holding the advantage of terrain and resources, it wouldn’t be hard for her to finish the job.
What Meng Qi had just witnessed confirmed his suspicion: Gu Xiaosang’s true objective was the Immortal Spirit Qi carried by the Xuan Nu Disciple, which appeared to be the key medium for activating the Heavenly Boundary Tablet and opening the gates to the Ninth Heaven.
“The secret she claimed to have discovered in ancient texts must have come from intelligence gathered through the Celestial Chain Missions of the Jade Emperor… Otherwise, how could such a secret, passed down through generations without outsiders ever knowing, be so easily recorded in ancient manuscripts?”
“But still, I managed to trick that enchantress once!”
(Note: “妖女” is translated as “enchantress” to convey the meaning of a seductive or bewitching woman while maintaining a natural flow in English. If a more literal translation is preferred, it could also be rendered as “seductress” or “siren,” depending on the desired tone.)
Although Gu Xiaosang ultimately achieved her goal, Meng Qi was certain it wasn’t the way she had hoped. It was likely only a desperate last resort. After all, the ruins of the Ninth Heaven were a temptation strong enough to draw even Law-realm experts, and those in the Outer Scenery realm would be even more eager. Who would willingly let their private exploration of ancient treasures become public knowledge?
Regardless of whether or not they could locate the ruins of the Ninth Heaven, Gu Xiaosang would inevitably face pursuit from Outer Scenery experts in the future. After all, birds die for food, and men die for wealth!
Moreover, Gu Xiaosang had clearly hidden this matter from the Luo Sect. Once exposed, it would surely create a rift between her and the Dharma King and Divine Envoys. Such a massive treasure, tied to the secrets of an ancient relic, was not something she could keep to herself. When the time came, would she choose to share this secret or keep it hidden? And if she did share it, would that involve revealing the existence of the Six Paths’ Wheel Master?
Just thinking about it made Meng Qi feel a headache on Gu Xiaosang’s behalf, and his mood lifted accordingly.
Besides, the ruins of the Ninth Heaven were something Gu Xiaosang was currently incapable of fully exploring. That meant her chain of missions must have further steps yet to unfold. In other words, she had gained little benefit but was already attracting a great deal of trouble.
Meng Qi surmised that Gu Xiaosang’s original plan had been to kill Shan Xiumei first, then swiftly seize a small amount of Immortal Spirit Qi before anyone could react, and calmly make her escape. With that, she would track down the true form of the Xuan Nu Disciple, eliminate her, obtain a sufficient quantity of Immortal Spirit Qi, and then disappear without a trace. She would retreat to a secluded place to quietly open the “door” using the Wheel Seal, the Heavenly Boundary Tablet, and the Immortal Spirit Qi—all without drawing any attention.
But Meng Qi had secretly informed the Six Gates, summoning both Outer Scenery and Half-Step Outer Scenery experts to closely monitor her. Forced into a corner, she had no choice but to use the Heavenly Boundary Tablet and the Wheel Seal on the spot to escape.
As far as Meng Qi was concerned, the ruins of the Ninth Heaven were somewhat related to him, but not significantly. Even if there were treasures that made people drool, he neither knew nor understood them, so he couldn’t benefit from them. Therefore, even if the news spread, he felt no regret or sorrow. His true goals were the mystery behind the fall of the True Martial Emperor and the matter of the Thunder God’s Disciple!
As for Gu Xiaosang, being pursued by the righteous sects and other evil factions was already a familiar routine. The bigger issue lay within the Luo Sect itself. As for how deeply Meng Qi had managed to entangle her, even he couldn’t predict. Perhaps she would generously share the secret after all?
After quickly inspecting the courtyard, Meng Qi found no other clues that could harm him. He promptly dragged the seductive young woman and the frail man onto the bed, poured oil and alcohol over them, and doused every room in the house.
Then, he lit a torch made from clothing in a spot untouched by oil, attaching a rope that extended to the bed where the two corpses lay. When the flame slowly reached them, the entire room would erupt into a fierce fire, erasing all traces.
To prevent the fire from accidentally extinguishing, Meng Qi prepared several torches and ropes, igniting them all before leaping over the wall and leaving. He circled around and returned directly to the Myriad Flowers Pavilion.
No sooner had Meng Qi entered the Myriad Flowers Pavilion than he saw Kong Yu, Wang Ce, and others returning, empty-handed, seemingly having found nothing.
Just then, a fire suddenly broke out at the far end of Jade Bridge Street, lighting up the sky in red. Without a word, the group instinctively rushed toward it.
By the time the fire had reached such an intensity, the room was likely already unrecognizable. After extinguishing the flames, Kong Yu searched briefly and concluded, “There was a Su Nu Sect altar inside. This must have been one of their hideouts. The two corpses in the room were burned after death, and the fatal wounds were to the center of their throats. It’s likely the Luo Sect silenced them.”
Since the Great Luo Enchantress had just slain the manifestation of the Xuan Nu Disciple, Wang Zai and the others harbored no doubts about this conclusion.
(Note: I’ve translated “妖女” as “Enchantress” to convey the seductive and dangerous nature implied in the original term, while “化身” is rendered as “manifestation” to maintain the mystical context. Names like “Xuan Nu Disciple” and “Wang Zai” are kept in pinyin as per the instruction.)
Seizing the opportunity, Meng Qi asked, “Chief Inspector Kong, Master Wang, I lost track of them earlier. Did you discover anything?”
Because the “Majestic Gate” had scattered into beams of light, many people assumed it was a chance for fortune and pursued different directions. Hence, Meng Qi made this inquiry.
Wang Zai let out a sigh and said, “Nothing at all. The Great Luo enchantress seemed to have taken the Xuan Nu Disciple with her into the sky.”
“No clues at all?” Meng Qi asked solemnly, though secretly he was wondering whether they had found the celestial stone.
Kong Yu shook his head, “Other than everyday items, the courtyard held nothing unusual.”
“Oh…” Meng Qi feigned disappointment.
Good! That means the celestial stone must have been carried by the Xuan Nu Disciple and taken away by Gu Xiaosang along with her.
As they chatted, they made their way back to the Myriad Flowers Pavilion. Since a seductive girl had committed murder, there must be some traces left behind.
Upon entering the pavilion, Meng Qi was about to fabricate an excuse about a servant girl getting lost during the chaos when he suddenly heard a soft, gentle voice call out, “Master, are you alright? I was so frightened.”
Startled, Meng Qi turned his head and saw a clean-faced maid in a pink robe hurrying toward him. Her appearance was nearly identical to Gu Xiaosang’s maid, with similar makeup that cleverly concealed the differences.
This… Meng Qi was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Kong Yu. He saw Kong gazing forward, eyes fixed ahead, subtly nodding as if responding to a report from another inspector.
The Six Gates truly left no trace behind! Meng Qi inwardly praised them before replying, “Xiao Zi, I’m fine.”
Xiao Zi obediently followed Meng Qi without another word. Wang Zai and the others, accustomed to ignoring a mere maid, didn’t notice that she had already been replaced.
Thus, Meng Qi’s suspicions were greatly alleviated. It now appeared more likely that the “Great Luo Demoness” had seized the opportunity while Meng Qi was distracted during his duel with Huang Zishi to carry out the assassination!
Clattering footsteps approached as Wang Ce ran in, followed by an elderly servant. Seeing Wang Zai, he anxiously asked, “Fourth Brother, have you seen Xiumei? What happened?”
Why did everything change so drastically the moment I returned?
Wang Zai’s expression remained unchanged. In a hushed voice, he explained through secret sound transmission: “How could the affair between a Wang heir and the Xuan Nu Disciple of the Su Nu Sect be allowed to leak? Only the Thunder Blade Mad Monk, Chief Inspector Kong, and the Silver Seal Inspector witnessed the scene inside. The rest were all Wang family members.”
Of course, afterward, a few words of warning to Su Meng and others would ensure their silence, along with a token of Wang family friendship.
After hearing Wang Zai’s explanation, Wang Ce’s face turned pale. Seeking support from the other Wang family members, he received only solemn nods in return.
He looked dazed and lost, his eyes unfocused. If not for the old servant giving him a gentle pat on the back, he might have done something unseemly.
Before long, the investigation concluded: the seductive girl had used dark arts to control Master Xue, compelling him to deliver the diuretic Myriad Flowers Wine. As for the seductive girl’s appearance at the time, the controlled Master Xue had no memory of it.
The Wang family returned to their ancestral home, while Meng Qi, accompanied by the Blue-Seal Inspector Kong Yu, made his way toward his own courtyard.
“Thanks to Master Su’s warning, I wasn’t caught off guard by such a major incident in Ye City, otherwise my superiors might have deemed me an incompetent official,” Kong Yu murmured quietly when no one else was around. “Was Master Su being pursued by the Great Luo Demoness?”
“At first, yes, but later I incurred the wrath of the Xuan Nu Disciple. Thus, I took a risk and allied with her to kill the Xuan Nu Disciple, then lured in you and the others to deal with her. If anything, I should be thanking you,” Meng Qi replied “honestly,” careful not to reveal his earlier possession, which would be too easy to detect.
Kong Yu nodded slightly, his gaze fixed ahead, “We must see this through to the end. Master Su, three days from now, challenge Wang Zai.”
“Very well,” Meng Qi agreed, then feigned hesitation, “But what about the Shaolin Disciplinary Monks…?”
Kong Yu turned to him with a faint smile, not answering but instead asking, “Master Su, would you consider joining the Six Gates?”
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