The door to the cave dwelling at No. 1312 Dao Mountain opened.
Dao Xi walked ahead, followed by Lin Shuang and the other two.
Inside the cave dwelling, three rooms resembling a farmer’s home were revealed, with swords, straw cloaks, fishing nets, and other items hanging on the walls.
It surprisingly did not resemble the dwelling of a cultivation disciple.
Lin Shuang couldn’t help but glance at Dao Xi.
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan stood between her and Dao Xi, their eyes shifting back and forth.
“What are you looking at—was I not allowed to fish back then!”
Dao Xi complained unhappily, clearly feeling Lin Shuang’s gaze was offensive.
But Lin Shuang nodded, “Although you lack insight into the quadrants,
your habit of organizing tools is great. Everything is placed in visible spots. When needed, you can grab them immediately without searching, saving time. I appreciate that about you.”
“…?”
Standing beside the wall of straw cloaks, Dao Xi’s temple twitched.
She didn’t think his habits were strange, or that he was an idle cultivator—wait, did she just say she appreciated him?
He was the senior apprentice, for crying out loud!
Dao Xi slapped the sword onto the tea table, “You guys pour your own tea!”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan had already sat down.
Dao Xi suspiciously looked at Lin Shuang, who was still admiring the fishing nets by the wall.
“I once heard that some injured elders in the inner sect hide their identities, pretending to be ordinary caretakers or common attendants within the sect.”
“They occasionally teach disciples a lesson when they are offended, treating it as a form of amusement.”
Meng Zi opened his mouth, looking at Lin Shuang’s innocent face.
“Lin Shuang, were you previously part of the inner sect?” Dao Xi thought about it and felt something was off, “My Nine Serpent Sword Technique was exchanged from the inner sect’s Transmission Hall. Even Zhen Chuan doesn’t have this sword manual.”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan turned their heads simultaneously, looking at Lin Shuang with complex expressions.
Lin Shuang also looked at them with a complex expression, “What about basic trust between people?”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan pondered silently.
“Do we even have that?” Meng Zi crossed his arms.
Huangpu Yuan turned his head away.
Lin Shuang: “…”
Lin Shuang looked at Dao Xi with pity.
“I don’t know the Serpent Sword Technique at all.”
But when encountering unfamiliar characters and not knowing how to pronounce them, what’s wrong with just copying them once?
“?! Liar! Every sword manual and cultivation method is completely different!”
Dao Xi slammed the table.
Lin Shuang looked at him even more pityingly, “Then surely you don’t know that parabolas follow fixed formulas.”
“?”
“A sword moving like a winding snake, hitting the opponent, is essentially a parabolic equation-solving problem.”
“What?”
Lin Shuang shook her head.
Slope, distance from focus to directrix, angle of inclination, upward or downward opening of the parabola…
Plus knowing her own spiritual energy mass, gravitational acceleration, no wind today, air resistance negligible…
The snake sword draws this parabola in the air, hitting the mountain wall behind Dao Xi and then bouncing back to him. Question: When her spiritual energy is released from the sword, approximately what is the speed… Well, she wasn’t going to waste time explaining.
Dao Xi looked suspicious.
Meng Zi looked blank.
Huangpu Yuan’s phoenix eyes slightly widened, “Senior apprentice sister is truly talented. It seems she has a unique and fast way of mastering swords.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Shuang nodded.
She casually glanced at the thick twelve volumes inside her spatial pouch.
“Compilation of 169 Sword Manual Problems from the Outer Sect of Qing Shui Sect,”
“Classification of Formulas for Straight Lines, Hyperbolas, Parabolas, Conic Sections, etc., Formed by Sword Qi from Outer Sect Sword Manuals,”
“Ultimate Six Categories of Sword Qi Based on Meridian Circulation,”
“Summary of Twelve Types of Sword Qi Formulas,”
Looking at Huangpu Yuan’s inquisitive gaze, she modestly waved her hand.
She walked to the tea table, sat down, and poured a cup of spiritual tea to moisten her throat.
“It’s nothing, just something I learned from the gaokao all those years.”
Huangpu Yuan narrowed his eyes.
How come she stayed in the outer sect for ten years if she was so talented?
He had never heard of her name before, except from Xiao Bai.
Meng Zi turned his empty teacup upside down three times before finally coming to his senses.
Dao Xi looked as if he were dreaming, “So you really are exceptionally gifted… not only in formations, but also in mastering sword manuals at an incredibly fast rate?”
Lin Shuang smiled and waved her hand, “Admiring me is a trivial and non-urgent matter—you can keep it in your heart, no need to say it out loud.”
“?”
“Hurry up and tell your story, Senior Dao Xi.”
“!”
Lin Shuang glanced at Xiao Ai’s Pomodoro timer plan.
She pressed the head of Xiao Ai’s lion dog, starting the next Pomodoro timer—reading cultivation stories, twenty-five minutes countdown!
“Keep it concise, Senior Dao Xi. Ideally, finish within one incense stick’s time.”
Lin Shuang blinked.
Dao Xi, Meng Zi, and Huangpu Yuan all fell silent.
After a while, Dao Xi finally spoke, “My Dinyuan Needle was stolen right here in this cave dwelling.”
In an instant, all attention was drawn.
The two most valuable lost treasures both occurred in this cave dwelling.
“Good thing I didn’t buy a cave dwelling on Zhen Chuan Mountain this time. That old woman was such a fraud!” Meng Zi was relieved.
“…”
Dao Xi expressionlessly placed his teacup down, “How many outstanding cultivators have come from Dao Mountain? You can’t even buy my Dao Mountain cave dwelling if you wanted to.”
“You still treat this financial loss like a treasure—”
“You!”
Huangpu Yuan helplessly interrupted them, “The ten disciples of Dao Mountain—East, West, South, North, Middle, Fa, Bai… we met in our humble beginnings. Even after cultivating and moving away from Dao Mountain, none of us sold our old cave dwellings.”
“That’s right, isn’t it, Junior Dao Xi?”
Dao Xi’s mouth twitched.
Hearing others recite their ten Daoist titles, no matter how many times, still felt a bit embarrassing.
“That’s correct. My seven senior apprentices have all reached high ranks and moved to mountains with richer spiritual energy.”
“Seven out of ten are ranked highly in the inner sect. Our Dao Mountain is considered a place of outstanding talents and rich spiritual energy.
Over time, new disciples even have a legend: staying on Dao Mountain for ten years, and you will surely ascend to godhood.” Dao Xi said proudly.
“Nowadays, it’s hard to find an empty cave dwelling on Dao Mountain. There are prices, but none for sale.”
Isn’t that just like the concept of a Gaokao top-scorer’s house?
Lin Shuang instantly understood.
Meng Zi shook his head, thinking people were foolish with money.
“Alright, back to the main topic.”
Dao Xi turned serious.
“You guys came here, surely not just to listen to Dao Mountain stories.”
Lin Shuang showed a hint of guilt and glanced at Xiao Ai’s Pomodoro timer—reading cultivation biographies.
She was in the middle of listening to the story…
“Then tell us how you lost the Dinyuan Needle that day.”
Lin Shuang asked curiously.
“According to what you said, most seniors have moved away, and Dao Mountain is now sparsely populated. If outsiders arrived, you should have easily noticed.”
Whether it was winter snow or spring mud, Dao Mountain had few residents. Any outsider coming would leave traces—sword marks or footprints.
The owner could immediately tell if it was their own traces or those of a stranger.
Even if deliberately erased, it was easy to leave behind unnoticed criminal traces.
“That day—”
Dao Xi fell into thought,
“About two months ago, late October. My senior apprentice brother Dong was living in the cave dwelling below mine on the mountainside. He had just achieved an insight and mastered the Five Steps to Kill Formation.”
As he spoke, he shot Lin Shuang a resentful look.
“The Five Steps to Kill Formation is one of the most difficult third-tier ancient formations to learn.”
“Dong senior apprentice spent a whole year to fully master it. I was very happy for him, so I suggested we celebrate.
Originally, we ten were going to drink on Dao Mountain, but coincidentally, Fa senior apprentice had just acquired a third-tier ink painting of ‘Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers,’ which none of us had seen before.”
“So that night, we went to Fa senior apprentice’s new cave dwelling to view the painting, drink, and celebrate Dong senior apprentice.”
Because it was such a rare occasion, Dao Xi still remembers clearly to this day.
That night, Senior Apprentice Dong was overjoyed. He didn’t use his spiritual energy to dispel the effects of the divine wine and soon became heavily intoxicated. I was also influenced and drank until I was somewhat dazed.
“When I woke up—”
Dao Xi looked up, gazing at the straw cloak on the wall with a bitter smile.
“I was already lying in my own cave dwelling bed.”
“I don’t remember how I got back. Later, I asked my seniors and found out that that day, I and Dong senior apprentice returned to Dao Mountain, both completely drunk, swaying unsteadily on our flying swords.”
“The next day after waking up, I noticed nothing unusual.
Since I missed a day of cultivation, I focused on sword practice until the third day, when I realized my personal spatial pouch was missing!”
Dao Xi slammed the table.
“I originally thought it was something I had carelessly thrown somewhere in the cave dwelling or at Fa senior apprentice’s place after getting drunk.”
“But I couldn’t find it anywhere—it vanished without a trace!”
Lin Shuang looked puzzled, “It might also be that you were drunk and driving, and things fell along the way.”
Drunk driving causes trouble; efficient travel must be avoided.
“…!”
Dao Xi gritted his teeth, “Later, I offered a reward of ten thousand spiritual stones for my spatial pouch, but no disciple returned it to me.”
By saying this, he clearly wasn’t sure whether it had been dropped on the way back while flying.
Huangpu Yuan leaned on his forehead, his phoenix eyes scanning outside the cave dwelling toward the mountaintop.
“Two months ago was autumn, with leaves falling.
Dao Mountain doesn’t have daily cleaning by young apprentices. Even if a thief came while you were sleeping, the traces would quickly be covered by a night’s worth of fallen leaves.
And the next day, you practiced your sword, your snake-like sword weaving back and forth. At the Foundation Building stage, your sword qi flows continuously, washing over the mountaintop, erasing all traces.”
“So in the end, you found no clues and could only report the loss to the management office?”
Dao Xi helplessly nodded.
Lin Shuang was filled with conflicting thoughts.
During the day, traces outside the cave dwelling would be visible at a glance.
But at night, with falling leaves, and the next day’s thousand sword qi strokes, all traces were coincidentally destroyed.
How could it be so convenient?
Another unconscious return home at night, autumn leaves, a day of sword practice—everything just happened to erase all traces?
“Do you usually not go to the Transmission Hall but practice swords on Dao Mountain?”
Lin Shuang asked suspiciously.
Dao Xi bared his teeth, “I do go to the Transmission Hall to practice swords now!”
That meant he used to practice on the mountain.
Meng Zi looked at him, eyes full of disapproval.
Inner sect cave dwellings are leased to disciples according to schedule.
According to sect rules, disciples aren’t allowed to practice attack-related techniques in their dwellings.
Damaging the cave dwelling or spiritual streams would affect future disciples’ occupancy.
If caught by the patrol team, it’s 500 spiritual stones.
Meng Zi’s eyes were flashing, “Dao Xi, you should call me when you practice swords in the future.”
Dao Xi: “…”
“You have this inefficient habit of not practicing in class. Do your fellow apprentices know about it?” Lin Shuang asked curiously.
Dao Xi: “…”
“It’s not just me.”
Lin Shuang stroked her chin, “It seems this is a common management issue in the inner sect.”
The Transmission Hall is far from the low-numbered cave dwellings.
Most disciples secretly practice their techniques in their dwellings.
“So, autumn leaves at night, no young apprentices cleaning, and you not going to the Transmission Hall to practice swords.”
“These many coincidences are well known to many disciples. To be honest, everyone had the opportunity to commit the crime.”
Lin Shuang closed her eyes.
“Actually, that makes sense. The Dinyuan Needle you obtained ten years ago should have had less than half of its attack arrays left?” Huangpu Yuan put down his teacup.
Dao Xi coughed uncomfortably, “I used most of it, only about one-sixth or one-seventh remains.”
Lin Shuang and Meng Zi simultaneously showed expressions of “no wonder you weren’t too worried.”
So two months ago, it seemed like the thief acted on impulse.
Dao Xi’s Dinyuan Needle, after ten years, was practically worthless, not worth the effort of lying in wait.
“Did Senior Dong lose anything that day when he returned drunk to Dao Mountain with you?” Lin Shuang found it strange.
“No, just my bad luck.”
Dao Xi sighed.
Although the Dinyuan Needle wasn’t worth much, replacing items like disciple identity tablets and the spatial pouch itself still cost spiritual stones.
“Senior Dong should have many formation disks, which are probably quite valuable, right?”
Dao Xi suspiciously glared at Lin Shuang, “Why are you asking this? Formation masters are definitely richer than me.”
As everyone knows, sword cultivators are the poorest.
Lin Shuang found it illogical. Either the thief was stupid, or there was some flaw in the reasoning.
Why target Dao Xi and not the wealthy formation master, Senior Dong?
They were both Foundation Building stage three or four cultivators that day, both drunk.
“Senior Dong’s cave dwelling probably has many defensive formations,” Huangpu Yuan guessed.
Meng Zi nodded, “Everyone knows formation masters are not easy to mess with. His cave dwelling is harder to break into than others.”
“That suggests the person knows Senior Dong and Senior Dao Xi’s strengths and weaknesses in their cultivation techniques.”
Lin Shuang pointed out sharply.
“It’s likely they knew Senior Dong had mastered an ancient formation technique and chose to avoid confrontation.”
Dao Xi cried out, “You think it was someone we know?”
Lin Shuang flipped through Xiao Ai’s talisman-recorded notes.
Leng Qianqian: Obtained a treasure from Rongbaozhai; her cave dwelling was robbed during a breakthrough in the Sealed Pavilion.
Dao Xi: Obtained a treasure at Zhen Chuan; ten years later, after a celebratory gathering, he claimed he was drunk and his cave dwelling was robbed.
These two cases looked somewhat similar.
But there was still too little data.
It was also possible the two thefts were committed by different people.
Looking up, she gazed at the inner sect, occasionally seeing disciples flying past on swords or immortal cranes soaring overhead.
After a moment of thought.
“I have a bold idea.”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go listen to the next story first.”
“?!
Are you being polite!”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan accompanied her as they bid Dao Xi farewell and quickly left.
Back on the ‘vehicle,’ Lin Shuang pressed Xiao Ai’s auto-reply.
Instantly, Xiao Ai turned to Dao Xi, “Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll notify you if we have further updates.”
“You’re busy. We’ll contact you next time.”
Dao Xi: “…”
Too formal!
But it was still somewhat fruitful.
The parabolic sword technique…?
Dao Xi pondered deeply as he returned to his cave dwelling.
Soon, Huangpu Yuan took over the driving. He swallowed three spirit-replenishing pills before reaching the required speed, landing in front of the third most tragic victim disciple.
“Tell us your story—”
As Lin Shuang began speaking, Meng Zi almost blocked her mouth with his sword sheath.
The third victim before them was also very familiar.
“You?”
“Are you the ones?”
Both sides were stunned.
Chen Sheng, a second-level Ningyuan disciple who had once given Lin Shuang a shoulder massage in Zhenchuan, stood with his sword strapped to his back, taking a deep breath. “I only have the time for one cup of tea.”
“Hmph, what a temper you have! I haven’t even asked you for the medicinal pill fees you owe for injuring Senior Brother Huangpu!” Meng Zi spat.
Huangpu Yuan’s eyelashes trembled.
Chen Sheng: “???”
“What medical expenses? Meng Zi, don’t try to cheat me! You snatched my position as chamber lord, forcing me to spend an extra six thousand spirit stones just to rent a cave dwelling!”
Another penniless swordsman.
Lin Shuang listened and slightly raised her eyebrows.
It was indeed strange. Everyone knew that alchemists were clearly the wealthiest.
For example, the wealthy young master from Rongbao Studio who many considered frail and helpless—Huangpu Yuan—was beside her.
Yet, they didn’t target such weak alchemists, deliberately picking on poor and fierce swordsmen and blademasters.
It was truly odd—
As an efficiency expert, Lin Shuang completely failed to understand the thief’s logic.
Robbing Huangpu Yuan would equal a hundred Chen Shengs.
This thief was truly inefficient!
“Did you lose a Flowing Cloud Wine Cup?” Meng Zi asked routinely. “How did you acquire it?”
“Ah, my godfather, cough, Elder Chen lent it to me.” Chen Sheng coughed lightly.
“…”
So Chen Sheng was also a well-connected individual. Oh well, that explains it.
Lin Shuang’s expression was complicated.
“My godfather specially lent me the Flowing Cloud Wine Cup because I was going to practice the Thousand Layer Water Wave Sword. The cup can surge with water for an entire day.”
“Drawing my sword to sever flowing water, I could practice daily.”
This wine cup was a cultivation artifact, ranked second-tier superior.
“Who would’ve thought it would be stolen before a month had even passed.”
Chen Sheng’s face showed pain at the loss.
Even though he had backing, there were many Chen family disciples in the sect, and his godfather might support others.
He had lost this artifact and couldn’t ask his godfather for another in the short term.
Otherwise, the other adopted sons would be dissatisfied.
“Oh, I lost it when I returned from a mission.”
“I finally completed a Class B mission, was exhausted, but still went to the management office to report it…”
Chen Sheng frowned.
“You left the wine cup in your cave dwelling?”
Meng Zi guessed.
Another case of theft from a cave dwelling.
“Impossible!”
Chen Sheng retorted, embarrassed. “Am I that stupid? A three-thousand spirit stone artifact, not carrying it on me, leaving it in my cave dwelling. My cave dwelling doesn’t even have a defensive formation.”
Meng Zi was stunned, and Huangpu Yuan even stopped rotating his teacup with his finger.
Chen Sheng was different from the previous two cases.
So it was stolen elsewhere?
Lin Shuang raised her eyebrows. “Then was it lost at the management office?”
“No, after I submitted my mission at the management office, I went to the Transmission Hall to exchange for a cultivation manual. I met a few junior brothers and sisters who invited me to chat about the mission’s dangers.
We went to the cafeteria for a bit, and after I got thirsty, I even went to a teahouse near Rongbao Studio. Around sunset, I went to the Hydrotherapy Pavilion to treat my injuries…”
“…”
Lin Shuang’s eyebrows twitched.
He sure was busy.
These places were all over the place.
It was practically covering every corner of the inner sect’s map.
Chen Sheng finally caught his breath and continued. “When I left the Hydrotherapy Pavilion on my way back to my cave dwelling, I felt someone pat my shoulder.
But when I turned around, several disciples were behind me, none of whom seemed to have touched me.”
Chen Sheng frowned.
“At the time, I thought it was strange, so I checked my spatial pouch and the wine cup was gone!”
“I suspect someone followed me from the management office entrance all the way, finally finding an opportunity to strike.”
Lin Shuang held her forehead. Then this stalker must have been quite tired, following him across most of the inner sect map.
If it were her, she would have already used a sack to carry him off entirely!
Annoying, no planning at all.
So many detours.
As Chen Sheng spoke, he felt a chilling gaze land on the back of his head.
Confused, he turned to look at Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang smiled, revealing her standard eight-teeth grin. “So, who knew you had this wine cup artifact? And that you had just returned from a mission and were very tired?”
“That’s a lot, my junior brothers, and many people at the management office, cafeteria, teahouse, Transmission Hall, and Hydrotherapy Pavilion that day!”
“…”
Lin Shuang closed her eyes.
“So basically, you walked around showing off your artifact and boasting about completing a Class B mission!”
Meng Zi got it now, exasperated with Chen Sheng.
“I understand now, within a hundred miles, there’s probably no one who doesn’t know about these things of yours!”
This person was a classic example of inviting thieves by boasting.
“Alright, do you have any more questions?”
Feeling his sore spot exposed by Meng Zi, Chen Sheng stood up awkwardly, trying to end the conversation.
“I have to go to Zhenchuan, and the cafeteria boy will bring lunch soon. I don’t have time to chat with you anymore.”
Before he even finished speaking, Lin Shuang had already stood up.
Clearly, she had already decided Chen Sheng wasn’t worth much communication.
Before leaving, she played her Xiao Ai recorder again. “…Notify you when there’s news.”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan were already used to it, both mounting their swords and flying up.
Lin Shuang stepped on, just in time to tuck Xiao Ai into her sleeve.
“He wasn’t robbed in his cave dwelling.”
Meng Zi tried to analyze as they flew.
“It’s different from Dao Xi and the others. It seems he was too showy, got envied, and had his artifact stolen. It might not be those thieves.”
Huangpu Yuan nodded.
Among the demon clans, the same principle applied. In a wolf pack, only the alpha could flaunt its status. Any others who dared to show off would inevitably meet their demise.
They flew away from the cave dwellings numbered five hundred.
Chen Sheng watched for a moment, and several people entered from outside the cave dwelling entrance.
“Senior Brother.” Chen Sheng quickly stood up.
Chen Xingchuan walked in with a smile, sword on his back, a string of cave dwelling jade keys hanging at his waist.
Chen Sheng looked enviously.
“That Lin Shuang from the outer sect asked you what questions?” Chen Xingchuan sat down and asked directly.
Chen Sheng immediately told everything. “Senior Brother, you must defeat them. In the Zhenchuan trial, whoever wins first gets the most rewards.”
Chen Xingchuan nodded with a smile, then quickly handed the note titled ‘Questions asked by Lin Shuang and the three others’ to the two junior disciples behind him.
All three of them were at the peak of the fourth level of Ningyuan, having accepted this “your treasure was lost” mission.
Regardless of cultivation, in terms of inner sect connections, they far surpassed Lin Shuang.
They couldn’t possibly let her get ahead again!
Otherwise, wouldn’t the middle and lower-level disciples of the inner sect’s Condensing Yuan stage become a laughingstock for the outer sect!
Can’t they even beat an outer sect disciple!
“So that’s Lin Shuang’s questioning?”
“Some we didn’t think of, some overlap with our own.”
Chen Xingchuan held the communication stone. “Brother Xu Xiang provided a list of lost treasures, with information on two hundred and sixteen disciples. Let’s divide them among us.”
“Wow, Senior Brother, each of us has to question everyone? That’s way too many…”
“Yeah, and most disciples are inside Zhenchuan, not necessarily findable.”
“Don’t you both have junior brothers and sisters?”
Chen Xingchuan smiled at them.
On the first day of the Zhenchuan trial, many lower-level junior brothers and sisters had already reached their limits.
Today was a rest day.
“The same questions, the same clues, two hundred victim disciples. As long as we question faster than Lin Shuang and her three companions, I don’t believe this time she’ll get ahead again!”
*
“Still over a hundred disciples left to question. When will this cursed mission end?”
Meng Zi felt annoyed even while flying on his sword.
Their list also had over two hundred victim disciples.
But after excluding those who lost less than three hundred spirit stones, only about one hundred twenty remained.
Still a lot.
“Why don’t we split up?” Meng Zi suggested. “Each person takes forty?”
Each disciple’s situation was different; it might not be the same thief.
The more lost items recovered, the more spirit stones rewarded by the management hall.
“No need to split up.”
Lin Shuang glanced at her schedule.
Her tomato timer for listening to legends, stories, and novels had ended.
“It’s time to show real speed.”
“?”
Lin Shuang looked at Huangpu Yuan. “Senior Brother, does your Rongbao Studio sell messenger paper cranes?”
Paper crane messages were a low-end version of sword message delivery.
They could carry text messages and some light small items.
As long as you didn’t mind losing them, they were very convenient.
Rongbao Studio’s cranes were all top-grade, cooperating with the inner sect of Qing Shui Sect.
Each was like having memorized the inner sect disciples’ spiritual consciousness directory.
Within a hundred miles, they could track disciples’ spiritual consciousness and deliver messages.
And it wasn’t expensive.
The cheapest, without defensive formations, cost one spirit stone for ten cranes.
But a cheapskate like Meng Zi would never think of using them.
“Just the cheapest?” Huangpu Yuan entered Rongbao Studio and took a thick stack of paper cranes from the first D-grade cabinet on his right.
“Okay.”
Lin Shuang nodded.
“Junior Sister, why didn’t you say earlier? We wouldn’t have had to go find Chen Sheng and Dao Xi.”
Huangpu Yuan spoke, earning praise from Lin Shuang.
“Senior Brother’s efficient thinking truly coincides with mine.”
“…”
Monkeys can use tools now?
Huangpu Yuan’s mouth twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.
“But we questioned three disciples earlier to establish a unified investigation question template.”
Huangpu Yuan raised his eyebrows.
Meng Zi didn’t understand but refused. “Why waste money? Writing on over a hundred paper cranes would be very tiring! It’s more convenient to use communication stones, and we don’t carry any items.”
But Lin Shuang’s next move shut him up.
Suddenly, Xiao Ai talisman lion dogs flew out of her sleeve.
One, two, three…
Actually twelve in total!
Meng Zi: “!”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Never expected she had so many of these.
“Xiao Ai No. 1 to No. 12, listen to my command, mass message template as follows:”
“!”
“Stolen case reward survey, Question 1: When did you lose your treasure; Question 2…”
Instantly, as she spoke.
Twelve Xiao Ai talismans flew to twelve rows of paper cranes.
Click, click, click… like a black-and-white ink printer, printing the same questions on the small notes attached to the paper cranes.
Lin Shuang closed her eyes.
Instantly, the paper cranes were activated by her one hundred and eight spiritual consciousness threads, flying out from Rongbao Studio.
“This way is fast.”
Lin Shuang opened her eyes, retracting her one hundred and eight spiritual threads like spider silk.
“Use the mass template.”
“!”
“One hundred and eight friends, no fear.”
“…”
“Wait, wait,” Meng Zi took a deep breath. “What’s with your spiritual consciousness…! Also, what if they don’t reply, won’t it waste the paper cranes?!”
One-way trips, ten cranes lost one spirit stone.
How could Lin Shuang have so much spiritual consciousness!
For a moment, he didn’t know which issue to focus on!
Lin Shuang nodded. “That’s why it’s a reward survey.”
*
【Stolen Case Reward Survey】
【After completing, you can spin the following wheel for a reward.】
【1. Tour the 9000-layer cave dwelling for one hour. 2. Tour the 8000-layer cave dwelling for one hour… 7. Thank you for participating. 8. Thank you for participating.】
“!”
In the rest cave dwellings and various trial stages of Zhenchuan, several paper cranes landed on disciples’ shoulders.
At first, they didn’t think much of it. “Why not send a message? When would I have time to write back to her?”
But upon seeing the big prize wheel, they all changed expressions.
“Nine thousand-layer cave dwelling tour?!”
“Free cave dwelling! Oh, only one hour, but one hour is good enough!”
“Ah? 8. Thank you for participating? Ahhh can I fill it out again?!”
*
“Senior, my senior sister is looking for you.”
In the rest cave dwelling at three thousand layers of Zhenchuan, Zhao Keran waved her arms and legs, finding the pink-robed woman.
Passing on her senior sister’s message.
“Senior, the stolen disciples are mostly those with spirit stones, talent, and connections.”
“These are the future important customers of the top cave dwellings.”
“I recommended these expensive cave dwellings to one hundred and twenty-six of them.”
“Senior, you’re so clever, you must know these are important sources of your future real estate sales performance. You’ll definitely reimburse me, right? Senior?”
The pink-robed woman: “!”
Her temples twitched violently, but when she looked down at the list of hundreds of disciples.
She fell silent.
In an instant, ten cave dwelling jade keys flew out from Zhenchuan, carried by paper cranes flying away!
*
“What if we can’t get them back?”
“A total of one hundred and twenty-six, thirteen spirit stones!”
Meng Zi anxiously circled around Rongbao Studio.
He didn’t even care how Lin Shuang had so much spiritual consciousness anymore.
Huangpu Yuan lay on a bamboo wicker chair, his pale forehead covered by his index finger. “Junior Brother, it’s only been a cup of tea’s time.”
“Be patient, you’re making me dizzy.”
“I’m anxious—”
Before the two could finish speaking, suddenly they heard the sound of flapping paper.
Looking up, they focused.
They saw over a hundred palm-sized paper cranes rushing into the first floor of Rongbao Studio from all directions!
From the first-floor windows, from the main entrance, flying down from the second-floor stairs!
Completely engulfing them!
“!”
Lin Shuang smiled. “Truly worthy of being senior brothers and sisters of the inner sect, their typing speed, wow.”
“…”
Meng Zi did a somersault over, and Huangpu Yuan sat up straight.
“One person checks forty replies?”
Lin Shuang shook her head.
“Xiao Ai, use the crawler function!”
“???”
【Ding, Xiao Ai crawler at your service…】
【Stolen time: 134 replies containing ‘after breakthrough’ 38 times, ‘completed mission’ 31 times, ‘celebration’ 20 times, ‘cultivation technique’ 17 times, ‘retreat for cultivation’ 15 times.】
【Stolen location: ‘cave dwelling’ mentioned 115 times, ‘on the way back’ 43 times…】
Meng Zi opened his mouth.
Lin Shuang closed her eyes, counted for a moment, then opened them.
“I think I know who the thief is.”
Huangpu Yuan, sitting upright, smiled. “I think I know the scope of the thief.”
They spoke in unison, paused, then looked at each other.
“Shixiong, you go first?”
“Shixiong, you go first?”
Again, they spoke in unison.
Meng Zi’s eyebrow twitched violently: “???”
What’s going on?
He held his head, tilted the blade sideways, and strained to look up at those paper cranes.
Gazing deeply, they seemed like treasures to him, and a faint blush crept up behind his ears.
“I… um… maybe, probably, possibly also figured it out.”
Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan immediately turned to look at him curiously.
“Meng Shixiong, you go first.”
“Meng Shidi, you go first.”
“…”
Meng Zi held onto his blade.
Oh come on.
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