bookcurios Chapter 172 Smuggling
Chapter 172 Smuggling
Tianji withdrew the heavy power of the stars, but the demonic energy surged forth, once again enveloping the motionless Ning Xiaoxi.
Ning Xiaoxi frowned slightly. They'd examined her so thoroughly, yet they still didn't trust her? Leaving aside her Spirit Crystal Heart Armor, even the pink bead on her left wrist could completely conceal her aura. She could even fool Tuanzi; where did Tianji get the confidence to examine her cave dwelling?
Tianji didn't detect anything unusual about Ning Xiaoxi, so it seemed he was overthinking it. However, he also couldn't detect any special space, only a formation space for containing demonic pets, not a place that could house demons. So where was her space? Where were the Black Dragon and Bingyi's souls?
Ning Xiaoxi looked at Tianji openly, as if she hadn't noticed his deliberate detection.
Tianji nodded to her, indicating that there was nothing unusual.
Ning Xiaoxi turned to look at the unchanged, decaying thorn demons ahead and asked Tianji, "My lord, since Chaos is asleep in the cave and all the half-demons have turned to dust, does that mean the border will no longer be attacked by half-demons?"
“You’ve done your best, so just go back and wait.” Tianji wasn’t fixated on that. “Your next task is to get your space sorted out and prepare our escape route.” That was his real obsession.
"Will you come back to Fufang County with me, or will you go to see Sister Qingli?"
"It's inconvenient for me to go back to Fu Fang's place with you. You go back and have your brother work for Di Kui. After a year, he can leave with Di Kui." Tianji said, explaining the arrangements.
Ning Xiaoxi looked unconvinced. "Why let my brother follow Di Kui? I don't trust him."
"You still don't trust him? You made him lose face so badly, and the hush money you gave Diwen alone is enough to break his heart. If you don't show some sincerity, how are you going to get past him? He still has to stay there for a year. He's under someone else's roof, you know?"
"But you can't use my brother to show sincerity, can you?"
"Don't worry, he's from a branch of the Mo family. With me here, he won't dare to bully your brother. I've already told him that I'll find a chance to make up for what he has."
Ning Xiaoxi narrowed her eyes. What the Earthly Lord cherished was nothing to the Heavenly Master! She asked slyly, "My lord, to be honest, how many people has your Mo family planted in the Heavenly Master Pavilion?"
"There are only three or four elders, four or five Heavenly Generals, and eight or nine Earthly Fiends."
"That's all? This king is ruthless! Your Mo family has so many members, there must be others too, right? Is the king going to wipe out the Celestial Master Pavilion in one fell swoop?" Ning Xiaoxi was truly impressed by these people, her eyes darting around: "The Pavilion Master and the Deputy Pavilion Master don't have any close relationship with your family?"
Tianji said rather casually, "The wife of the Left Vice Pavilion Master is the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the Mo family."
Ning Xiaoxi pursed her lips. So this is how they arrange marriages.
"The royal court is in chaos right now. Be careful not to get involved. Just focus on your demon-slaying mission." Tianji advised, "The Third Prince was exiled to Youdu. He's not exactly a peaceful fellow; he wasn't just banished easily. Remember, don't get involved with him."
"He's in Youdu, and I'm hiding in Fufang, not going out. I'll talk to Di Kui about demons, and I'll talk to the county magistrate about the royal court. I'm just an official under you, sir, and there's nothing about me that anyone would want to mess with." Ning Xiaoxi cleverly cleared herself of any wrongdoing.
Following Tianji, we passed through the Corrupted Thorn Demon Passage and arrived at the Black Ice Plains.
Tianji casually asked, "There aren't any powerful demon lords left in the north. My patrol mission in the north is almost over, and I'll be patrolling the west next. How about I transfer you there?"
Ning Xiaoxi had no intention of staying with Tianji. "My family has just settled down here, and I want to spend some time with them!" Besides, she suspected that Houqing might be nearby. Originally, she thought that the Blood Soul Demon General and the Dream Demoness appeared here to collect blood food to awaken Houqing after the battle, but all those souls had been absorbed by the Corrupted Thorn Demon. Blood food without souls would be useless, right? But their appearance here one after another could not be a coincidence.
Tianji didn't care whether Ning Xiaoxi went with him or not. "Then you should be careful during this time. If something happens while I'm not around, I won't be able to save you in time."
"I understand." Ning Xiaoxi's smile was genuine, a rare display of sincerity.
Tianji glanced at Ning Xiaoxi again, said nothing more, turned around, and disappeared in a flash.
Ning Xiaoxi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. As expected, they were not of her kind!
She shook the armor off her body. It was fine, so why was she still clinging to it? But no matter how much she shook, she wouldn't get off.
Ning Xiaoxi glanced curiously at the cave dwelling, then suddenly stared at the furry little nest under the towering mulberry tree, her face turning grim. Was this for real? How did this thing sneak in? How did it get in without its owner's permission? And why didn't it explode?
The black bead circled the small nest once, its light flashing, indicating that it had no other choice.
The armor formed from the Spirit Crystal Heart was as if it were embedded in her body; she absolutely refused to go inside.
The dragon vein lowered its head so low that it was hard to tell it was a dragon without careful observation; it looked more like a snake.
A bluish light rippled, forming a bluish barrier around the small nest, separating it from the cave.
The little animal rolled over, revealing its furry little belly, which bulged up and down.
Ning Xiaoxi sighed and helplessly pulled the cloak over it. It really was like carrying an ancestor with her! But as expected of Chaos, even the Nine-Headed Serpent didn't notice that it had followed her out.
With a swift turn of events, one step landed lightly, and two steps brought him to the city wall of Fufang County. This path was familiar to him after a few tries.
The guards were alerted again and surrounded her. After seeing her face clearly, they returned to their positions, and no one drew their swords again.
Standing on the city wall, one can clearly see the county magistrate's office in the east, the Tianshi Pavilion and barracks in the north, the western market district which is gradually beginning to recover its prosperity, and the embers of fire in the brazier at the square monument in the center of the county town, flickering in the wind.
Looking at Ning Xiaoxi, who was standing alone by the battlements and watching the city, he could smell the lingering stench of decay and the smell of smoke on her body, as well as a strong stench of blood. The smell was quite overpowering.
"Ning, my sir!" Shang Wu called out softly, as if afraid of startling her.
Ning Xiaoxi turned her head and glanced at him. She was so startled that she took two steps back and almost sat down on the ground. The killing intent in her empty and cold eyes was almost tangible.
"Ning, Ning is an official!"
Ning Xiaoxi snapped out of her daze, smiled at Shang Wu, and said, "Captain Shang, I need to rest for a few days. If Lord Liao asks, just say I've gone home." With that, she took a step and disappeared from the city wall.
Before I could even take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart, I realized for the first time that a Taoist priest was a terrifying existence.