Thieving Demon
Inside the Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning was quietly reading a book, while Yun Qingyi was gently grinding ink beside him. Mi Xingzhe leaned his head on one hand, holding a brush in the other, lost in thought.
Noticing his distraction, Li Luoning asked, "Have you finished copying the scripture?"
"Don't bother me, I'm thinking," Mi Xingzhe, assuming it was Yun Qingyi prompting him, responded absentmindedly, then suddenly realized who had spoken.
Mi Xingzhe quickly straightened up and whispered, "Master, I... I haven't finished yet."
Li Luoning shook his head helplessly, stood up, walked over to Mi Xingzhe, picked up the paper on the desk to check it, and then looked at Mi Xingzhe.
"Xingzhe, is there something you need to discuss with your master?" Li Luoning asked, sensing that Mi Xingzhe seemed troubled.
"No, nothing," Mi Xingzhe stammered, his eyes darting away.
Knowing Mi Xingzhe's tendency to stutter when lying, Li Luoning, accustomed to his ways, raised an eyebrow in feigned seriousness and said, "You've only copied five elements since this morning. Qingyi, bring the ruler."
Yun Qingyi, understanding the situation, played along with Li Luoning's intention to scare his junior brother a little.
"Alright, Master, I'll get it right now," Yun Qingyi loudly announced, stealing a glance at Mi Xingzhe.
Startled, Mi Xingzhe looked up to see Yun Qingyi already holding the ruler, walking towards him.
"Stop, stop, Qingyi, don't come over. Master, I'll speak, I'll speak," Mi Xingzhe quickly begged for mercy.
Li Luoning suppressed a smile, exchanging a knowing look with Yun Qingyi.
At that moment, Yun Qingyi stepped forward, arms crossed, tucking the ruler under his arm.
Before Mi Xingzhe could speak, Li Luoning put on a serious face as if nothing had happened and looked sternly at Mi Xingzhe.
"Master, yesterday I asked Qingping, and he said that the two people meeting secretly in the peach blossom forest were discussing a golden pill," Mi Xingzhe slowly revealed, his voice filled with concern.
He had thought that perhaps the golden pill they were discussing wasn't his, but it still seemed strange, so he couldn't help but dwell on it.
"A golden pill?" Hearing this, Li Luoning suddenly remembered that during a visit to Nan Zhe's residence, he had also heard someone mention this matter.
While discussions about golden pills are not unusual, the particular nature of Mi Xingzhe's golden pill meant that the mention of these two words could not be overlooked.
"Could there be someone in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm who has connections with people from The Flatland?"
"I was wondering if the matter of the golden pill inside me has become known. But I have no proof, and I thought maybe I was just worrying too much," Mi Xingzhe said.
"Is that why you've been so distracted all morning?" Yun Qingyi asked.
Mi Xingzhe nodded slightly.
"Until we clarify things, try not to worry unnecessarily," Li Luoning comforted.
"Xingzhe, don't scare yourself. Although there are not many in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm who possess a golden pill, there are indeed many who aspire to obtain one. Perhaps they were just casually discussing the topic; don't frighten yourself," Yun Qingyi reassured him.
"Master, just because Lady Ruoying heard two words, they attacked her so cruelly. If they find out Lady Ruoying isn't dead, will they go back to the peach blossom forest to cause her trouble?" Mi Xingzhe expressed his concerns.
In the Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning was quietly reading, and Yun Qingyi was gently preparing ink. Mi Xingzhe, resting his head on one hand, was absent-mindedly holding a brush in the other.
Noticing his distraction, Li Luoning asked, "Have you finished copying the scripture?"
"Don't bother me, I'm thinking," Mi Xingzhe thought it was Yun Qingyi nudging him and responded absently, then realized his mistake.
Mi Xingzhe quickly sat up straight and whispered, "Master... I haven't finished yet."
Li Luoning shook his head in resignation, stood up, walked over to Mi Xingzhe, checked the paper on the desk, and then looked at him.
"Xingzhe, do you have something you need to tell your master?" Li Luoning, sensing Mi Xingzhe's unease, inquired.
"No, nothing," Mi Xingzhe stammered, avoiding eye contact.
Li Luoning, familiar with Mi Xingzhe's tendency to stutter when lying, raised an eyebrow in feigned seriousness and said, "You've only copied the five elements so far. Qingyi, bring the ruler."
Yun Qingyi, in sync with his master's intention to scare the junior disciple a little, responded loudly, "Right away, Master," while sneakily glancing at Mi Xingzhe.
Mi Xingzhe jolted at the mention of the ruler, and upon seeing Yun Qingyi approaching with it, he quickly begged, "No, no, no, Qingyi, don't come over. Master, I'll speak, I'll speak."
Li Luoning suppressed a smile and exchanged a knowing look with Yun Qingyi.
Yun Qingyi, catching the cue, stepped forward, arms crossed, tucking the ruler under his arm.
Before Mi Xingzhe could speak further, Li Luoning maintained a stern expression as if nothing had happened and looked seriously at Mi Xingzhe.
"Master, yesterday I asked Qingping, and he mentioned that the two people meeting secretly in the peach blossom forest were discussing a golden pill," Mi Xingzhe slowly revealed, his voice filled with concern.
He had initially thought that the golden pill discussed by those two might not be the one within him, but the coincidence seemed strange, so he couldn't help but dwell on it.
"A golden pill?" At this mention, Li Luoning suddenly remembered overhearing a similar conversation during a visit to Nan Zhe's residence.
Although discussions about golden pills were not uncommon, the particular nature of Mi Xingzhe's golden pill warranted caution at the mention of these words.
"Could there be someone in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm with connections to people from The Flatland?"
"I was wondering if the information about the golden pill inside me has become known. But I have no proof, and thought I might be worrying unnecessarily," Mi Xingzhe explained.
"Is that why you've been so distracted all morning?" Yun Qingyi asked.
Mi Xingzhe nodded slightly.
"Until we clarify things, try not to worry," Li Luoning comforted.
"Xingzhe, don't frighten yourself. Although there are not many in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm who possess a golden pill, many aspire to obtain one. Perhaps they were merely discussing the topic; don't scare yourself," Yun Qingyi reassured him.
"Master, because Lady Ruoying heard just two words, they attacked her so harshly. If they find out she isn't dead, might they return to the peach blossom forest to trouble her again?" Mi Xingzhe expressed his concerns.
The two clashed fiercely, with Li Luoning and Nan Zhe evenly matched in skill. However, during the exchange, Li Luoning could clearly sense that Nan Zhe was deliberately concealing his techniques, using rather unusual moves that made it impossible to discern his true background.
"Such strange techniques—I can't even determine his cultivation level. Could it be that he truly originates from The Flatland and has developed his own style, hence my inability to identify his moves?"
Hearing the growing noise outside the study, Li Luoning knew he couldn't linger and immediately blew out the candle in the study, seized the letter from Nan Zhe's hand, and escaped through the window.
"No need to chase." When Nan Zhe's ghost guards burst into the study to pursue, Nan Zhe stopped them with a gesture.
Nan Zhe waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave, his eyes gleaming with triumph under his mask.
Meanwhile, at Mirror Cloud Residence, unable to leave the premises, Mi Xingzhe sat on the porch idly playing with a Blue Snow flower.
"Xingzhe, why don't you go play with Bingo for a while? The master won't be long," Yun Qingyi approached and suggested.
"Bingo went out to play early this morning," Mi Xingzhe replied listlessly.
"Come on, don't be upset. The master has his reasons for not letting you out. Just be obedient," Yun Qingyi consoled.
"He just doesn't trust me. Next time he might as well tie a collar around my neck and attach me to the door," Mi Xingzhe grumbled, miming a collar around his neck.
"Wouldn't that really make you a little dog? Come on, I made some Blue Snow jelly; come and try it," Yun Qingyi coaxed him, leading him towards the room.
Before they even stepped inside, they noticed a celestial soldier approaching—a rare sight since celestial servants are common here, but celestial soldiers seldom come.
The two paused and exchanged glances, then walked towards the celestial soldier.
Yun Qingyi greeted with a gesture, then asked, "What brings this celestial soldier here?"
"The Celestial Master commands Yun Wan Nian to accompany us," the celestial soldier replied after returning the greeting.
Hearing that it was a summons from the Celestial Master, Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe exchanged puzzled looks.
"My master has gone out and hasn't returned yet. May I ask why the Celestial Master seeks my junior brother?" Yun Qingyi inquired.
"We don't know the details. Please, Yun Wan Nian, come with us to the Upper Pure Hall," the celestial soldier stated coldly, pulling Mi Xingzhe towards the exit of Mirror Cloud Residence.
"Hey, brother, brother!" Mi Xingzhe called out to Yun Qingyi as he was being dragged away.
Inside the grand hall, SiTu Fanzhi sat aloft on a throne, and in the center, a shadowy figure knelt bound and bruised, hair in disarray.
"What is all this about? Can't you speak properly? Hey, let go, what a way to behave!" Mi Xingzhe complained as he was dragged into the hall by two celestial soldiers.
After the celestial soldiers released Mi Xingzhe, he straightened his clothes and turned around, only to see Qingping, bruised and bound, kneeling at the center of the hall.
"Qingping, what are you doing here? What happened to you?" Mi Xingzhe hurried over, squatting down to examine Qingping's injuries, oblivious to his surroundings.
"Yun Wan Nian, you know this demon?" SiTu Fanzhi's voice boomed from above.
"Sir..." Qingping weakly called out with blood on her lips and visible tears in her clothes from a struggle.
"Yes, I know her. What about it?" Mi Xingzhe responded nonchalantly, straightening his clothes without any sense of wrongdoing.
"Does this mean you conspired with this demon to steal artifacts from Xuan Ming Hall?" SiTu Fanzhi pressed further.
"Conspire? We're just friends, what's all this about conspiring?" Mi Xingzhe, confused by the accusations and unaware of any artifacts, retorted.
A very subtle spell silently floated in and struck Mi Xingzhe from behind.
Mi Xingzhe thought someone had lightly pushed him from behind. Turning to look and seeing no one, he didn't pay it much mind.
"A friend? You, a disciple of Liao Yin Immortal Realm, associate with a demon. This demon appeared uninvited in the peach blossom forest, unaware of her own presence here, and you claim it has nothing to do with the day the artifact went missing?" SiTu Fanzhi's tone was stern.
Suddenly feeling an inexplicable anger boiling inside, Mi Xingzhe found it hard to
suppress.
"So what if she's a demon? Are all demons bad? Can you guarantee that everyone in Liao Yin Immortal Realm is good? Your own negligence in guarding the artifact, and you try to pin the blame on a small demon, what skill is that?" Mi Xingzhe argued back fiercely, unaware that Yue Ruling was frantically signaling him to keep quiet.
"Insolence! A mere disciple dares to speak such audacity. Guards, take him and the demon to the water dungeon for severe interrogation about the artifact," SiTu Fanzhi, infuriated by Mi Xingzhe's defiance, slammed his hand down and ordered his soldiers.
"Wait."