“Jialan City——”

He Zhizhou walked on the road, feeling bored, so he roughly glanced at the commission letter again. From the bottom of his heart, he couldn’t help but question, “Is there really a city built underwater?”

His unreliable master was always elusive, and his disciples became helpless orphans.

Other elders, seeing this, couldn’t bear it in their hearts and often helped discreetly. This time, Tian Xianzi took the commission to go down the mountain, allowing him to come and see the world.

Although Tian Xianzi always made some sarcastic remarks, in reality, among all of Li Wangsheng’s disciples, Tian Xianzi liked him the most. His textbook-level, sharp tongue concealed a tender heart; that was the way it was.

At this moment, he was walking in the woods with Ning Ning, Zheng Weiqi, and Pei Ji. The tree trunks, untrimmed, cast dense shadows.

Ning Ning played with the tassel on her sword and said thoughtfully, “It seems that the entire city was submerged in a flood three hundred years ago.”

She thought for a moment and added, “What I’m more concerned about is why ordinary people, once inside a desolate ancient city under the lake, can breathe freely?”

According to the rules of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, disciples were allowed to leave the mountain for training and demon-slaying after reaching the Golden Core stage.

Now that the demonic race had disappeared, there were still many monsters causing trouble in the world, either flagrantly committing crimes or lurking in some corner to recuperate. Occasionally, they would cause trouble, making people uneasy.

For example, in Jialan City, they were about to enter.

Jialan City sank underwater a hundred years ago and has disappeared since then.

A few days ago, a woodcutter passed by this place and accidentally fell into a lake. He thought he was going to die, but after falling for a moment in the icy lake water, his body suddenly lightened, and he felt no longer enveloped by water—

It turned out that beneath the lake, there was an ancient city standing miraculously in the void.

An invisible barrier separated the ancient city from the lake, making it indistinguishable from the land. Even though it was under the lake, one could breathe freely.

The woodcutter was astonished. In a panic and fear, he burst into a survival instinct. While part of his body was still in the water, he hurriedly swam back.

Most people, when falling into the water, desperately try to escape the surface. Running towards the water like him was probably a first.

In short, the woodcutter dog-paddled and finally reached the shore. After returning home, he described this inexplicable experience to his wife and children.

However, before this story could spread among the neighbors, something even more bizarre happened.

—The people in the city became extremely abnormal, like mindless zombies. Besides mindlessly attacking others indiscriminately, they couldn’t do anything else.

When a Taoist was called in, it was discovered that the three souls and seven spirits had been lost, and the soul had been secretly stolen at some unknown time.

“There must be a monster hiding under the water.”

Zheng Weiqi calmly analyzed, “Not only is it not easily discovered, but it can also go to the city outside the forest at any time to devour human souls, killing two birds with one stone.”

He Zhizhou nodded and praised extravagantly, “Indeed, Sister Zheng! I heard that Sister Zheng often descends the mountain to eliminate demons, and she must have accumulated a lot of experience.”

Zheng Weiqi glanced at him with a faint expression.

She belonged to the naturally elegant type, with features as clear as distant mountains. Now, in male attire, she exuded even more heroic charm, making it hard for people to look away.

However, in the next moment, the beauty made a low chuckle and said, “Damn it. If it weren’t for avoiding the academy’s coursework, who would willingly leave the sect and wander outside? Exams, exams, exams—what the heck is his mother’s problem with them! Every time I see those elders, my head hurts. Is it my fault that I sleep in class!”

… A perfectly fine girl, and yet why does she have to open her mouth?

Zheng Weiqi was a bottom-tier student, the kind of trash that didn’t even have a bit of residue left, equivalent to a middle-aged and elderly college entrance examinee who faced repeated failures.

This heroic spirit, both moving and tearful, resonated with He Zhizhou, also a bottom-tier student. After listening, he sighed solemnly,”It’s definitely not our problem! As we all know, the reason we are so sleepy when we study is because school is where dreams begin.”

“Profound!”

Ning Ning nodded. “One class is longer than six, and the remaining battery can still last a class. Children who have experienced it all cry.”

Zheng Weiqi empathized: “One person’s revelry is a group’s loneliness.”

He Zhizhou tactfully joined in, “Give me dreams and give me a quick awakening. Close my eyes and open them, and a day has passed.”

Seeing that the originally righteous demon-slaying mission had turned into a discussion among underachievers, Pei Ji looked expressionless at the group beside him and subconsciously pursed his lips.

Then he caught Ning Ning’s gaze unexpectedly, and his throat twitched slightly.

“Why so nervous?”

Ning Ning smiled and said, “I won’t make it difficult for my junior brother to continue. I heard that you used to be at the top of the academy.”

The original host and Pei Ji joined the sect in the same year, but the inner and outer disciples didn’t attend classes together. The reason she knew about his good grades was because the novel mentioned it briefly.

The outer sect had a large number of people, gathering individuals from all walks of life. It wasn’t easy for Pei Ji to consistently top the written exams every year.

He was momentarily stunned at the words, shifted his gaze slightly, and his long lashes trembled gently in the sunlight, concealing a shadow in his eyes. “Not as good as Junior Sister.”

Cheng Ying started making noise again. “How does she know your grades from back then? Maybe, since that time, Ning Ning has been paying attention—”

Pei Ji felt a bit restless inside. “Quiet.”

However, Cheng Ying completely ignored him, and hearing this, he chuckled like an octogenarian father seeing his daughter off to marriage: “Don’t be shy, let’s stick to the facts.”

“Younger junior brother is unexpectedly so talented!”

Zheng Weiqi’s eyes sparkled, and she said something shocking: “Junior brother, saving a life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda! You don’t know, the senior sister here broke her head in her childhood, and half of her brain stopped growing directly. This poorly developed little brain can’t handle the mountains of books and seas of questions. How about—”

The more she spoke, the more excited she became, and her smile deepened. “How about you cross-dress and answer a question for me! See junior brother captivating the crowd like a peerless beauty; deceiving those old fogeys is definitely a piece of cake!”

He Zhizhou, originally tired and drinking water, sprayed it all out halfway through. When she finished that last paragraph, he choked on all the water in his throat and couldn’t stop coughing.

Ning Ning gave him a sympathetic look, but before she could speak, she heard Zheng Weiqi shout, “We’re here!”

Lifting her eyes, she indeed saw an immensely broad lake.

This lake is named “Tianhe.” It is said that even if the sword is flying far away in mid-air, you can see its shadow if you lower your head. The lake’s surface is extremely clear and vast. Viewed from a distance during the day, it looks like a deep crack embedded in the horizon.

All around was calm, and there were very few ripples on the lake surface. It looked like a huge, round mirror. The sun descended into the water, shattering into tiny silver-white glimmers, like elusive and ever-changing spirits, swaying gently in all directions.

Just looking at this scene, one could not imagine the turbulent undercurrents and ghostly ancient city beneath the lake.

As the senior sister with the highest seniority, Zheng Weiqi naturally took up the command responsibility, “Form a water-repelling spell, and let’s all dive in together.”

Everyone followed suit. Ning Ning remained composed, her mind as clear as a mirror.

She had read the original work, so naturally, she understood what would happen underwater.

Zheng Weiqi guessed correctly for the most part. There were indeed demons lurking underwater, but not just one—it was a group.

Jialan City used to be a gathering place for demons to come and go. Due to the sudden and unstoppable flood, it was only able to form a barrier underwater thanks to the young city lord using all his cultivation at the time to protect the entire city with spiritual energy.

Afterward, the young city lord exhaustedly fell into a coma, and due to the impact of the surging spiritual energy, the demons in the city also fell into a deep sleep. In recent years, they had gradually awakened and wanted to find a way to wake him up.

The solution was, naturally, to take the souls of humans in the city to nourish the spiritual energy.

Exploring the ancient city of the demon tribe and stopping the theft of souls might sound ordinary at first, seemingly not a very difficult task.

However, Ning Ning knew that this commission was destined not to be simple.

After casting the water-repelling spell, the four of them entered Tianhe Lake.

The water-repelling spell could form a transparent bubble underwater, enveloping the cultivator’s body, keeping their clothes dry, and allowing for simple breathing.

The underwater scene was a clear and azure expanse. Waves and fish glided past closely, and sunlight poured down, creating a peaceful atmosphere. Above, below, left, and right were all silent, while underfoot was a pitch-black abyss.

like the eyes of a looming behemoth.

Suddenly, Zheng Weiqi’s voice sounded in their minds. Unlike her previous calm and indifferent tone, it was now full of panic and astonishment: “Not good; what’s surging up from the bottom of the lake… is it a whirlpool?!”

The scene couldn’t be described as beautiful at all, and Ning Ning dared only to glance at it briefly.

It was as if the colossal beast beneath their feet had been lurking for a long time and finally couldn’t wait to open its eyes. Water foam gathered into one after another snow-white rings, swiftly rushing towards them like thunder.

A deep rumble echoed in their ears as Ning Ning tightened her grip on the Xinghe Sword at her waist.

This commission was destined not to be simple.

Thanks to the protection of spiritual energy and the life-preserving water-repelling spell, Ning Ning did not drown or get knocked unconscious by the huge waves.

The whirlpool, carrying waves, rushed towards her face, actually accelerating her descent to the bottom of the lake. In no time, she arrived at the vast barrier that shrouded the city.

This formation also applied a sight-obscuring technique. If observed only from the water, one would not see the slightest shadow of Jialan City. Only by approaching the barrier could one catch a glimpse of the hidden old cityscape in the lake.

As they passed through the barrier, the bubbles surrounding their bodies burst open.

At the same time, the slumbering Jialan Ancient City, dormant for hundreds of years, slowly unveiled its mysterious veil.

The sunlight was difficult to see at the bottom of the lake, and the barrier itself seemed to replace the role of sunlight, emitting a lustrous and pure white glow. Mist pervaded, and the sparkling water on the barrier reflected the streets and houses, resembling countless shattered pieces of glass and jade, dreamlike and indescribable.

Buildings in the ancient city stood tall, and bright lights adorned a dazzling river like a starry sky. The sky-blue water, gray-tiled white walls, and the trees beside the streets had stopped growing, with dried-up and twisted branches casting black shadows on the walls, reminding her of grotesque and menacing finger joints.

The formation had a certain buffering effect, and as Ning Ning slowly descended, when her toes collided with the ground, there was not the slightest sound.

The original work described the protagonist ,Pei Ji’s experiences, but it didn’t focus on others. She remained vigilant against hidden dangers while raising her head, admiring the scenery of Jialan City with a hint of astonishment.

Everything retained the appearance of a hundred years ago, with no sign of other figures around, like a ghost town untouched by anyone. Ning Ning looked around without any guard when suddenly, she faintly heard a desperate cry for help: “Help! Young Master!”

—Young Master?

The voice wasn’t calling her; it was likely one of the two men who came with her. Since Pei Ji should not have encountered her in the early stages, it could only be—

Ning Ning’s heart stirred, and following the sound of the female voice, she walked a few steps and indeed saw the familiar figure of He Zhizhou not far away.

He seemed to be enchanted by the world of flowers, his eyes still holding a touch of amazement. And, standing very close to the young man, were two people she had not met before.

The woman pleading for help was extremely charming, being held in front by a man with a small knife against her neck. She cried with tearful eyes, truly pitiful. She cried and shouted, “Young Master, save me!”

The middle-aged man behind her looked fierce and evil, with empty eyes like two inferior black stones.

His movements were clumsy, seemingly leaving him with very little sanity. His words were unclear and mumbled, making it difficult to discern the content: “Don’t… come over! Otherwise.. I’ll, I’ll kill her!”

In this situation, Ning Ning immediately thought of the appearance of those whose souls were sucked in the nearby city.

With an unclear mind and a chilling intent, he had a strong aggressiveness towards anyone. However…

He Zhizhou obviously hadn’t encountered such a situation before. Relying only on the negotiating expert routines he had seen on TV dramas, he tried to persuade gently, “Calm down, brother! Think about your parents at home. If you do something foolish, they—”

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a faint sound of transmission in his ear: “Don’t believe them; it’s fake.”

Surprised, he turned his head and saw Ning Ning.

She wore a moon-white long dress, and the Xinghe Sword at her waist emitted a faint light. The bright light on the barrier reflected in the water shimmered, falling on the delicate face of the young girl.

“The woman doesn’t feel any spiritual energy on her; she shouldn’t be a cultivator. Since she’s not a cultivator, she can’t possibly use a water-repelling spell.”

Yet her hair and clothes were as neat as new, not only without water stains but also as clean as if she had just put them on. She didn’t look like an ordinary person struggling in the lake.

“The original work mentioned this trick.”

Ning Ning continued, “The demons in this city sense when a cultivator enters. Due to their limited strength, they dare not directly confront them. So, they transform into the appearance of innocent humans and attach themselves to the protagonist’s group, occasionally poisoning and backstabbing—being backstabbed is me.”

Saying this, she couldn’t help but curse silently in her heart.

Only by enduring hardships can one become a servant. “The Devotion of Tool Man” is really not a cover; it’s both bad and unlucky.

Ning Ning is right; this man and woman are the recently awakened Jialan demon tribe, wholeheartedly pursuing their dreams in the entertainment industry.

The woman’s name is Meng Jiaqi, belonging to the fox clan; the man is called Qin Chuan, appearing robust but is actually a rabbit.

Upon learning that a cultivator had broken through the barrier, the elders in the city, who were addicted to pretending, showed signs of panic uncommon for them. After some discussion, they decided to send them to infiltrate as humans and act as undercover agents.

And the most convincing way to do so is to stage a cliché but classic hero rescuing the beauty.

When Qin Chuan saw her, his sense of crisis skyrocketed. The fierceness in his eyes became more apparent, and he shouted hoarsely, “Don’t come over! Otherwise, I—”

At this point, the remaining lines got stuck in his throat.

The new girl in the white dress gave a faint smile and formed a hand seal with one hand.

Then a sword wind directly struck the head of the hostage he was holding, causing Meng Jiaqi to roll her eyes and faint on the spot, unconscious.

“Alright.”

He heard her say, “The hostage has been killed by me, and you have no chips left. Surrender obediently.”

Qin Chuan: ???

Qin Chuan was stunned, and myriad emotions surged in his chest.

To avoid being threatened, she directly killed the person who posed a threat. Is this the style of your righteous and upright sects? It shouldn’t be, right? It can’t be, right?

What happened to understanding righteousness? What happened to saving the beauty? You directly killed the beautiful woman. Do you have some kind of psychological illness?!

Meng Jiaqi, in his arms, fell softly.

His heart also fell with her softness.

This group of people is not right.

He dared not imagine what his fate would be if he fell into the hands of that girl.

Qin Chuan, who was assigned the role of a villain but survived by chance, decisively took the opportunity and ran away. He immediately transformed into the appearance of a snow-white big rabbit and turned around to escape. Unfortunately, due to his short legs, he was caught by He Zhizhou by the ear. “Kid, an undercover plan, huh?”

…Damn.

It turns out these two saw through it long ago.

The big rabbit widened his eyes, embarrassedly smiled, and, in a voice that sounded middle-aged and strong, said, “It’s all a misunderstanding. Uh, I didn’t come to ruin your plans, but to join you.. haha.”

Ning Ning didn’t waste words and went straight to the point: “Uncle, what are your plans? Where is the Young Master, and where is the Elder in charge?”

The rabbit shook his head tremblingly. He didn’t expect the other party not to continue questioning but casually glanced at He Zhizhou. Pointing at Qin Chuan’s chubby body, he grinned, “Haha, rabbit meat.”

“No, no, no!” The rabbit struggled hard. “I’m already hundreds of years old, and the meat has dried up. It’s not tasty!”

“Naturally air-dried old cured meat!” Ning Ning’s eyes lit up. “There’s such a good thing!”

Qin Chuan:…

Ever since witnessing her take down the hostage, he had no doubt that this girl could do anything.

So the deep male voice resonated again, “The Elder and the Young Master are both in the Lord’s Mansion. Go west, and you’ll find it. As for other plans, I really don’t know. Bunny Bunny is so cute. Why eat Bunny Bunny? Please, brothers and sisters, spare me. Thank you, thank you.”

Ning Ning was quite satisfied as she patted the rabbit’s head, “Good.”

Then she took out a storage bag and unhesitatingly stuffed it in.

“If we let it go, it will definitely go and inform others.”

Ning Ning said, “The original work didn’t describe this commission much, and I’m not sure if there are unexpected crises… Anyway, let’s take it one step at a time.”

He Zhizhou nodded and pointed to the unfamiliar woman lying nearby. “What about her?”

As fellow sword cultivators, he naturally understood that Ning Ning didn’t kill her; she merely lost consciousness.

“We still need to keep her. In case of future danger, we’ll need the help of internal personnel in this city to resolve it.”

Ning Ning said as she squatted down and tapped her forehead heavily. The woman immediately opened her eyes wide, full of panic and disbelief.

“You’re awake.”

The girl in the white dress beside her smiled innocently and said, “Don’t be afraid; the villain has already been dealt with by us. I’m called Ning Ning, and this is He Zhizhou. We are disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, here to eliminate demons.” Seeing the woman’s face, Meng Jiaqi’s heart trembled.

Hearing that the villain had been dealt with, the trembling in her heart became even more uncontrollable, as if she had already seen her future fate.

“Meng Jiaqi.”

She tried to suppress the tremor and forced a smile. “I was washing clothes by the lake when suddenly that man rushed out and tried to attack me. Helpless, I had to throw myself into the lake. I didn’t expect to end up in such a place… Thank you both for your help. I wonder about the corpse of the criminal…”

He Zhizhou and Ning Ning exchanged glances.

He reacted quickly and immediately smiled. “We felt that he didn’t seem like an ordinary person, possibly poisoned or cursed. So, we dissected his abdomen to check the internal situation. The scene was bloody and has already been taken care of by us.”

Meng Jiaqi almost had a heart attack hearing this, and she nervously asked, “Did..did you find out anything?”

There was a moment of silence on the scene.

Then He Zhizhou scratched his head and smiled shyly, with a tone that was six parts cute and four parts shy and an upward inflection that carried a bit of embarrassment: “Hehe.”

With this smile, Meng Jiaqi felt that something was not quite right.

It was like an octopus, sticky and slimy on her eyes, both terrifying and disgusting.

And He Zhizhou’s voice, after a momentary pause, rang out as expected, each word hitting her eardrums with incredible precision.

Meng Jiaqi heard him say, “It’s such a coincidence; you would never have thought that the cause of his death was just dissection.”

Too. Coincidental.

Cause. Of. Death. Was. Dissection.

Meng Jiaqi: Damn.

Damn!!!

Qin Chuan, you’re so miserable!!!

You, this jerk, what kind of thick-skinned person can say such words with an unchanged expression?!

“Not human.

The Xuanxu Sword Sect, they’re not human!!!

Her mind was in a daze, feeling that her entire demonic self was not in good shape.

As a demon with a good background, Meng Jiaqi had heard so many harsh words and seen so many ruthless people since childhood. Only the man in front of her, with a tongue-out smile, made her feel fear for the first time.

This person, he’s not normal.

And then there’s Ning Ning, who killed the hostage as soon as they met. Her heart is really dirty.

Meng Jiaqi took a deep breath, tilted her head at a 45-degree angle, and gazed at the sky to prevent tears from flowing out of her reddened eyes.

Qin Chuan’s mid-road demise wasn’t the most tragic.

The most tragic thing was that she had to stay with this group of people as an undercover agent, and who knows what morally depraved tricks they might have up their sleeves? Once her true identity is discovered, she might face something more terrifying than live dissection.

What it means to be better off dead is precisely this.

“Why are you crying, Miss Meng? Scared?” Ning Ning noticed the redness in her eyes and comforted her with a serious expression: “Don’t be afraid; I’ll be with you all the way. People in our Xuanxu Sword Sect uphold a benevolent heart, especially Senior Brother He by my side. Because he is as pure-hearted as a blank sheet of paper, people even gave him the nickname ‘He Paper.'”

Meng Jiaqi: Heh.

really pure, really unaffected.

See the cupping mark on my forehead? Well, thank you very much for that.