Chapter 47

After everyone finished inspecting Zheng Weiqi’s storage bag, it was already half an hour later.

Jialan City had been dormant for more than three hundred years. For the residents of the city, many things that were commonplace now were considered quite novel. Qin Chuan and Meng Jiaqi were eagerly interested, frequently asking questions with shining eyes. After roughly going through everything, they were not satisfied and took out a few small items to examine closely.

“Oh, right,” Meng Jiaqi remembered something, suddenly placing the watercolor box in her hand aside. She looked up at Zheng Weiqi and asked, “If we find traces of Xuan Ye, what do you all plan to do?”

Zheng Weiqi, being a shrewd businessperson, showed great insight and self-awareness in important matters: “Xuan Ye is a demon cultivator in the Great Ascension Stage. Even if he was exhausted in the battle years ago, he is by no means an easy target. With our current strength, it’s probably difficult to contend with him. I have already informed the sect using a spirit pigeon and am waiting for the sect leader’s response.”

This was a pragmatic strategy after careful consideration.

Most of them were in the Golden Core stage, like ants in front of a Great Ascension Stage powerhouse. Although Xuan Ye was currently heavily injured and weakened, at best he was at the level of a Mahayana. However, the trump card of the Great Ascension stage was still there, and if they confronted him head-on, they didn’t know what might happen.

Hunting down a demon cultivator was not a trivial matter, so Zheng Weiqi decided to inform Tian Xianzi of everything, expecting that upon reading the letter, he would take action promptly.

Zheng Weiqi paused for a moment and, speaking seriously, finally showed some demeanor of a prestigious disciple rather than a salesperson who lacked proper conduct: “Now that the Demon Lord is stirring, I wonder how the situation of the young lord of Jialan City is.”

“Young lord—”

Meng Jiaqi’s expression dimmed slightly. He hesitated, remained silent for a while, and then whispered, “Please follow me.”

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Led by Meng Jiaqi, they headed towards the Lord’s Mansion, where the young lord’s body was stored.

The Lord’s Mansion was not luxurious, but it exuded an elegant atmosphere. The high red walls and the flowing light of stone steps gave a sense of refinement. The trees and flowers on both sides of the courtyard had withered, leaving only the thin and rugged black shadows, but one could still imagine the lush and tranquil scene of years ago.

Passing through the long stone steps, they arrived at the end of the mansion—a tower. Meng Jiaqi, with a sense of ceremony, composed his expression, glanced back at everyone, and gently pushed open the door.

With a creaking sound, the lights inside the house flowed like water to the front of the door.

It was a bedroom, containing only simple wooden furniture such as tables, chairs, bookshelves, and a bed. The room owner seemed to be a very serious and decisive person, judging by the extremely simple and neat arrangement.

Curious, Ning Ning followed Meng Jiaqi’s footsteps and entered the room.

On the dark red bed lay a person in silence.

The man looked to be in his early twenties, and if one had to describe his appearance, Ning Ning would call it the “classic template of a domineering CEO in a novel.”

Facial features seemed to be carefully carved, with long, sword-like eyebrows flying into the temples. The slender phoenix eyes were tightly closed, covered by thick shadows created by the jet-black long eyelashes.

The ink-black long hair cascaded down unrestrainedly, with a few strands falling on his face. Against the bloodless pale skin, it highlighted a sense of frailty.

However, even though he was in a deep slumber, it did not give off a sense of decay. The corners of both eyes were adorned with fiery red patterns, resembling bold and vivid strokes of dark ink, slightly tilting upwards, adding a touch of aggressive and cold dominance.

It left people unable to help but wonder what kind of scene would unfold if those eyes were to open.

“The young lord is named ‘Jiang Si,'”

Meng Jiaqi sighed. “He exhausted his spiritual power in the great battle a hundred years ago; combined with the joint attack from Xuan Ye and the elders, he has not awakened since. Fortunately, the elders did not harm him before leaving, or else…”

Zheng Weiqi, curious, asked, “Seeing the red at the corners of his eyes, could the young lord be a member of the Phoenix Clan?”

Meng Jiaqi nodded. “Exactly.”

Unlike ordinary demons, the Dragon and Phoenix clans were undoubtedly aristocrats among demons. Not only were they rarely seen, but their numbers were also scarce, and their strength was naturally of the highest order.

Not to mention that this young lord was a rare genius among demon cultivators, making his strength even more astonishing.

“When the lord was seriously ill, all the major and minor affairs in the city were handled by the young lord. With his intelligence and the assistance of an elder, the city was well managed.”

Meng Jiaqi looked at the man’s sharply defined face, and for some reason, a hint of hostility flashed in her eyes. “Who could have thought that even the elder who grew up with him would later betray him without hesitation… even deceiving the entire city to assist Xuan Ye in restoring his strength.”

She couldn’t help but sneer, her tone full of resentment. “Those old relics who thought they could gain the protection of the Demon Lord and enjoy prosperity and wealth in the future. Little did they know that after the war between Immortals and Demons, the fate of the demon clan is like a mouse crossing the street—no, even the term ‘demon’ has disappeared.”

Her reaction was a bit too intense. Zheng Weiqi, being straightforward, hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Miss Meng, do you have any grievances with that elder?”

There was a brief silence in the room.

Finally, Qin Chuan, who had turned into a rabbit and was held in Meng Jiaqi’s arms, weakly spoke with drooping ears, “That elder… is Miss Qi’s father.”

Such a relationship existed.

Ning Ning was slightly stunned, and she quickly understood. It was because of this reason that Meng Jiaqi initially trusted the elders so much, and after learning the truth, she remained desolate for a long time.

Being deceived and betrayed by her biological father and even becoming a tool at his beck and call—such a feeling was truly unpleasant.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Meng Jiaqi looked away, stiffly changing the topic: “The young lord appears aloof, but he has contributed a lot to Jialan City. However, now we not only failed to help him but also aided the tyrant, nurturing Xuan Ye’s influence… It’s truly shameful.”

“The demon clan has long disappeared, and when the people from the Xuanxu Sword Sect arrive, there shouldn’t be any more problems.”

He Zhizhou crossed his arms, frowned, and muttered to himself, “But where could Xuan Ye be hiding?”