Mu Nanzhi’s expression changed slightly, her reaction more intense than Xu Qi’an’s: “That stinking monk has chased us here?”

Xu Qi’an frowned slightly and asked, “What’s the situation?”

As he spoke, his gaze turned towards the entrance of the back garden, ready to enter battle mode at the sight of any bald monks.

“I overheard a bit earlier. They’re here for the Demon Slaying Conference. Jingxin and the others were passing through Xiangzhou when they heard about Chai Xian’s patricide. They came specifically to inquire about the situation, intending to intervene. Heh, Buddhist monks always like to play hero, to show off Buddhism’s compassion,” Li Lingsu sneered.

His gaze inevitably fell on the mortar, and he took a deep breath before decisively stepping back.

Highly toxic substances!

But with his Fourth-Rank foundation, ordinary poisons shouldn’t affect him…

This old monster is probably a warrior who started cultivating Gu techniques midway. What’s he trying to do? Dual cultivation of martial arts and Gu?… Li Lingsu secretly speculated.

This kind of operation seemed quite normal to him.

Many masters who hit bottlenecks in a single system and couldn’t break through would try cultivating other systems.

This was rare below the Third Rank, as people’s energy and talent were limited, and life was short. Walking one path was already very difficult.

But among masters in the superhuman realm, “dual cultivation” was relatively common. After reaching the Third Rank, one’s lifespan was long, with plenty of time and energy to explore new paths for breakthroughs.

The combination was usually Gu and martial arts, Taoist and martial arts, shamanic and martial arts, Confucian and martial arts… The reason was simple: the warrior cultivation system was a public resource, easily obtainable.

While other systems’ cultivation methods were fine at middle and low ranks, for Fourth Rank and above (including Fourth Rank), they were basically not circulated outside.

“In that case, we can’t stay at the Chai mansion,” Xu Qi’an’s words interrupted Li Lingsu’s wandering thoughts.

The Buddhist monks should be here for me, to reclaim the Pagoda of Myriad Buddhas and seize the dragon vein. If I’m not mistaken, Dunan Jingang is among them. Although I’m not afraid of Fourth Rank, a Third Rank Vajra could crush me…

Heh, what a coincidence to encounter them in Xiangzhou. It seems I can’t meddle in the Chai family’s affairs, at least not openly…

Thinking this, Xu Qi’an made a decision: “We’ll leave the Chai mansion now. Holy Son, you stay behind as a spy, gather information for us.”

Li Lingsu turned pale: “Me? Stay? If the Buddhist monks recognize me, they’ll send me to the Western Paradise on the spot.”

Xu Qi’an finished the last spoonful of poison and smiled, “Does Chai Xing’er know your identity as the Holy Son of the Celestial Sect?”

Li Lingsu shook his head: “I didn’t reveal it to her.”

“Did Jingxin recognize you when you were eavesdropping in the hall earlier?”

Li Lingsu shook his head again.

“Excellent!”

Xu Qi’an nodded: “Wenren Qianrou has already revealed your identity to the Buddhist sect, as we planned, to avoid implicating her. Since Chai Xing’er doesn’t know your identity, you just need to have her conceal your name.

“In Leizhou, you were just an onlooker, Jingxin barely noticed you, and you were in disguise then. With your real appearance now, the Buddhist people won’t recognize you.”

Li Lingsu still felt it wasn’t secure enough and hesitated: “That’s true, but…”

Xu Qi’an waved his hand: “Don’t you want to investigate Chai Xian’s case? Then you need to keep a close eye on Chai Xing’er.”

The Holy Son’s face changed immediately, and he stared at him intently: “What do you mean?”

“You were present earlier. Let me ask you if there was someone skilled in manipulating corpses and with ample motive to frame Chai Xian, who would that person be?”

Without waiting for the Holy Son to answer, Xu Qi’an said:

“Of course, it’s your little sweetheart. With the Chai family head dead, the entire Chai family belongs to her. And Chai Xian, with his strong cultivation, good talent, and excellent character, would surely have some prestige. To her, he’s a threat.

“Therefore, a plan to kill two birds with one stone by framing him is an excellent method.”

Li Lingsu shook his head with a serious expression: “Xing’er wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Xu Qi’an patted his shoulder: “Then stay and keep a close eye on her.”

…

In the main hall, Li Lingsu returned. Chai Xing’er was still entertaining Jingxin and Jingyuan. Besides the two, there were three other monks in the hall.

Seeing him return, Chai Xing’er only glanced at him before continuing to recount to the Buddhist monks how Chai Xian had committed patricide.

“Amitabha, such an evil person is a menace even if left alive. Don’t worry, Benefactor Chai, this poor monk will lend a hand to the Chai family to eliminate this scourge,” Master Jingxin said with palms together.

“Thank you, Master,” Chai Xing’er bowed with palms together.

Jingxin smiled, his gaze falling on Li Lingsu, and asked, “This benefactor is…?”

… Li Lingsu, preempting Chai Xing’er, transmitted: “Don’t say my name.”

Chai Xing’er smiled coolly: “He’s an old friend who came to visit after hearing about our family’s misfortune.”

Monk Jingxin nodded.

Chai Xing’er continued: “You’ve come from the Western Regions, Masters. Why not stay at our mansion? It’s better than lodging at an inn.”

“Then we thank Benefactor Chai,” Jingxin said.

Buddhist people like to freeload, be it food, lodging, or money. If they can get it for free, they will.

In Buddhist philosophy, wealth is external. Caring too much about it can corrupt one’s state of mind. So, even though the Buddhist sect isn’t short of money, they still prefer to freeload.

After settling the Buddhist monks, Chai Xing’er led Li Lingsu to her boudoir and frowned:

“Do you have a grudge against these monks?”

“Sort of. We had a conflict before,” Li Lingsu didn’t mention Xu Qian’s matter.

Chai Xing’er nodded.

“Senior Xu had some business to attend to and left first,” Li Lingsu added.

“What about you?” Chai Xing’er stared at him.

“Of course, I’m staying to help you.”

Chai Xing’er’s cool face gradually softened, and she gave a soft “Mm.”

…

Meanwhile, Jingyuan sat at the table, took a sip of warm tea, and said:

“Master told us to meet in Yongzhou ten days later. We need to resolve this matter quickly, or it will delay our journey.”

Jingxin, sitting cross-legged on the bed, responded: “That Chai Xian is a Fifth Rank Energy Condensation stage. Even with four iron corpses assisting him, his combat power is still inferior to Fourth Rank. If he dares to appear, we can eliminate him easily, it won’t affect much.”

After a pause, he continued in a deep voice:

“I also find this matter quite suspicious. If Chai Xian is the real culprit, why would he keep claiming he’s wronged and linger within Zhangzhou’s borders? But if he’s truly wrong, there were many witnesses to his crime at the Chai mansion. Afterward, frequent murders occurred in Xiangzhou, with people witnessing him killing and refining corpses.

“These are irrefutable evidence, leaving no room for his quibbles. Strange, strange indeed.”

Jingyuan said indifferently: “What’s so strange about it? Catch him, and one questioning will reveal the truth.”

The Buddhist sect had precept abilities. Making someone tell the truth was too easy.

Jingxin nodded: “Benefactor Chai said the Demon Slaying Conference is in two days. Given Chai Xian’s style, he might appear on that day.”

At this moment, a monk came in from outside, holding a wooden basin, puzzled:

“Why does it feel like Xiangzhou’s weather is even colder than the Western Regions?”

…

In the best inn in Xiangzhou, in a first-class private room.

A small fire stove sat on the round table, its flames licking the bottom of a ceramic wine pot.

Xu Qi’an stood by the window, looking at the sparsely populated street, and sighed:

“My ‘intuition’ tells me this winter will be very cold, colder than ever before.”

The intuition came from the Heaven Gu’s ability.

In the Gu clan, the Heaven Gu branch could create almanacs and observe celestial phenomena, being the authority in the Gu clan’s agricultural field.

Mu Nanzhi also had a clear feeling, but she didn’t understand the principle. She said in a delicate voice: “Why would it be especially cold this year?”

If it were in my previous life, I would say it’s because of the greenhouse effect, melting glaciers… Xu Qi’an shook his head:

“When a country is about to perish, natural and man-made disasters abound.”

The topic was a bit heavy, so Mu Nanzhi didn’t ask further. She didn’t want to think about these unhappy things and focused her attention on the steaming wine.

After drinking, Xu Qi’an lay down on the small couch and fell into a deep sleep. He woke up at dusk to see Mu Nanzhi sitting against the bedhead, engrossed in reading a leisure book.

Truly worthy of being the Great Daofeng’s number-one beauty. Although her appearance was ordinary, this elegant temperament far surpassed ordinary women.

Xu Qi’an closed his eyes again.

In the back courtyard of the inn, the innkeeper’s orange tabby cat nimbly leaped onto the wall and left the inn.

It ran swiftly through the streets, stopping and starting, and after about half an hour, arrived outside the Chai mansion’s main gate.

Night had fallen, and the Chai mansion’s main gate was tightly closed.

The orange cat circled the wall once, found a dog hole, and squeezed through.

Xu Qi’an controlled the orange cat with his Heart Gu, preparing to explore the Chai mansion at night.

Some things are difficult for humans to investigate, but animals can do so without restrictions.

Some words won’t be said in front of outsiders but can be spoken freely in front of animals.

He always felt there was something strange about Chai Xian’s case. Following normal logic, Chai Xing’er was more suspicious.

Moreover, he needed to eavesdrop on the Buddhist monks’ conversations to understand their goals and plans. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.

“I hope I won’t develop a bad habit of riding cats like Daoist Jin Lian…” he muttered, purposefully heading towards Chai Xing’er’s room.