Chapter 214

“So, back then, Miss Song and Luan Niang were dressed as men and traveling together at night when they were discovered. It was mistakenly believed that she was involved with an unknown man.”

Lin Xun was very serious, lying on the table drawing and writing, his gleaming white dragon horns reflecting a warm jade-like glow under the lamp: “The noble family, concerned about their reputation, hurriedly married her off to Luo Yuanming. Later, perhaps by chance, she discovered Luo Yuanming’s ugly practice of soul refining.”

He Zhizhou was so hungry that he ate the buns like sharpening a pencil. He devoured them in one gulp. He continued while eating: “So Luo Yuanming placed a restriction on her, preventing her from revealing anything related to it—why didn’t he just kill Song Xianning?”

Ning Ning responded: “The sudden death of the city lord’s wife would certainly make him highly suspicious. Luo Yuanming might have wanted to temporarily appease Song Xianning with this method, not expecting her to be so enraged that she not only had a huge argument with him but also moved into another courtyard.”

Others only thought the couple had a rocky relationship and couldn’t imagine Song Xianning’s anger and helplessness back then.

She was separated from her only friend, ruthlessly pushed away by her family as a tool for marriage, and her emotionless husband had blood on his hands, but she couldn’t tell anyone a word.

So when she and Pei Ji went to Song Xianning’s courtyard, they found the book “Ziwei Spell Record” particularly new.

Song Xianning had learned talismans but, coming from a prestigious and upright background, had no interest in evil arts. She bought the book after noticing something off about her husband, just to understand what “soul refining” was.

Ning Ning twisted a strand of hair around her finger, staring at the flickering candlelight by the window, frowning slightly:

“Strange, the case of missing girls in Luan City should have happened not long ago, but Song Xianning married Luo Yuanming years ago… Could it be that he has been sacrificing girls to refine souls all this time without being discovered?”

“Could he have been targeting orphaned girls with no family?”

He Zhizhou sighed: “This incident came to light because a farm girl from the suburbs suddenly disappeared. I visited her home, which was in complete poverty, with only a sick mother bedridden—her mother noticed her daughter’s disappearance and, despite her illness, dragged herself step by step for two hours to Luan City to report it to the authorities.”

Ning Ning nodded.

From what she knew, there were five or six girls who had gone missing, most of them orphaned and of low social standing, so even if they disappeared, few would pursue the matter.

Luo Yuanming’s cultivation had progressed rapidly from a poor state to reaching the Nascent Soul stage over many years. If he had indeed been using soul refining to boost his cultivation…

How many girls have lost their lives over the years?

“I had been wondering why the Luan bird statues at the city lord’s mansion kept moving around, and now I realize it was to create blind spots in the surveillance.”

He Zhizhou was indignant: “Back then, the case of the missing girls hadn’t come to light yet, and Song Xianning had always been frail. When she defied him, Luo Yuanming must have planned her death to appear as a natural illness.”

“Miss Song often communicated with Luan Niang before her death. Although she couldn’t directly reveal the secrets of the city lord’s mansion, her tone must have indicated something was wrong.”

Lin Xun shook his brush: “Later, Luan Niang learned from Miss Song about the evil arts shop, and connecting it to Luo Yuanming’s sudden boost in cultivation, she asked if there were ways to reshape bones and nurture spiritual energy. That was when she first learned about soul refining and suspected the city lord had a significant problem.”

Then came Song Xianning’s mysterious illness and death, and Luan Niang’s drastic change in behavior, starting her plan to approach Luo Yuanming step by step. But—

“Wait!”

Ning Ning poked Pei Ji’s arm and silently smiled: “Do you remember? When we sneaked into the city lord’s mansion and saw Luan Niang walking out alone at night, she looked even more beautiful than before?”

Pei Ji, who had been leaning against the wall in a corner, was pulled to the table to participate in the discussion.

He recalled and nodded: “Yes.”

“I felt at that time that she seemed to have been nourished in a place with very strong spiritual energy. And when Luan Niang and Luo Yuanming returned to their room, she said, ‘Tonight was exhausting.'”

Ning Ning spoke softly: “To uncover the truth, Luan Niang had to find out where Luo Yuanming was imprisoning the girls. But without any power or clues, isolated in Luan City, what could she do? The only way was to make Luo Yuanming take her there himself.”

“So, the reason they left the room at midnight was to absorb the spiritual energy refined from those girls?”

He Zhizhou shivered and calmed himself, trying to think: “Yes. Luo Yuanming’s love for Luan Niang didn’t seem fake. She was just an ordinary person with no cultivation, destined to age, and he wanted to be with her forever. So if Luan Niang pretended to be sad a few times, Luo Yuanming would certainly take her to that place to keep her youthful.”

At this point, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried: “Luan Niang is a thorough undercover agent. Do you think she will be dazzled by this glamorous world and unwilling to give up her eternal beauty, so she will turn against us and form a united front with Luo Yuanming?”

“If she had intended to betray us, how could we have come to this point?”

Ning Ning raised her eyes and smiled: “Don’t you find it strange? Why did she persuade us to drink the Jiuzhou Spring Return, and why did Senior Sister disappear afterward? Why did Pei Ji and I encounter Ah Hui being harassed, and Senior Brother Meng Jue fell in front of her house, and most coincidentally, why did the painting-selling grandma keep a painting related to them?”

She propped her right cheek with one hand, her pupils reflecting the candlelight beautifully in orange-yellow, her voice soft yet firm:

“Although she couldn’t speak, she arranged for people to guide us to discover the truth step by step. When Pei Ji and I saw her sending messages tonight, her satisfied expression showed that her people had completed their tasks.”

He Zhizhou was stunned.

He was dumbfounded for a moment and continued to ask in a tone of disbelief: “Senior Sister Zheng’s disappearance may be related to her?”

“Think about it; Luo Yuanming was always cautious, targeting orphaned girls and leaving no trace. After being so careful for so long, how could he intentionally abduct a true disciple of the Xuanxu Sword Sect during the Ten Methods Assembly? Wouldn’t that be exposing himself too quickly? The only one who could orchestrate this is Luan Niang.”

Lin Xun was horrified, and his eyes were dazed when he heard this.

Is this how women’s minds work? It’s really terrifying, truly terrifying.

“She was isolated in Luan City with no trustworthy allies. To expose Luo Yuanming, the best way was to use the Ten Methods Assembly and the power of various sects.”

She really was as ruthless as the rumors said, using any means to achieve her goals.

Ning Ning felt admiration but also an indescribable sense of loss in her heart. After sorting out her thoughts, she continued, “She made us drink the Jiuzhou Spring Return because she was weak and could only abduct Senior Sister when she was unconscious. And the reason for abducting Senior Sister—”

He Zhizhou suddenly realized: “It was to force us to uncover the truth! Then guide us step by step to find the painting, the shop, and her real name, revealing the truth!”

“This… this is too—too brilliant.”

Everything that happened before seemed loose and chaotic, but now it all connected, layer by layer. Lin Xun had his mouth open the whole time, finally letting out a sigh: “Luan Niang must have valued Miss Song greatly.”

It’s a pity that now, apart from Luan Niang, no one knows what happened between them.

“Having discussed the cause, let’s talk about the ‘effect’.”

Zheng Weiqi should be safe for now, Ning Ning sighed in relief: “Since the city lord and his wife could visit the soul refining place without fear at midnight, it means that the place must be—start answering!”

He thought of the answer!

He Zhizhou’s eyes lit up immediately, about to speak excitedly, but Pei Ji quickly said, “Inside the city lord’s mansion.”

He actually used a very serious tone, and his tongue moved quickly like it was coated with soap, as if he were the top student in the class in kindergarten. He was afraid that someone else would take away the right to answer, so he had to perform well in front of the teacher.

Damn, was this kid always like this? We shouldn’t compare ourselves to others too much, Ji.

Ning Ning nodded.

The disappearance case has caused panic in recent days, and the whole city has stepped up its vigilance. If Luo Yuanming frequently enters and leaves the mansion late at night at this time, he will definitely be suspected. The safest way is to build the soul refining place in the city lord’s mansion.

“But that place must be very hidden, or the Jucidial Court wouldn’t have found nothing during the search for Luan Niang.”

Thinking of this, Ning Ning felt a bit of a headache: “But Luan Niang can’t directly tell us—”

Before she finished, there was a sudden, hurried knock on the door.

Someone pushed the door open, and under the candlelight, Ning Ning saw the person’s face clearly.

She looked dispirited and pale, with eyes like black marbles, as if she might shatter at any moment.

Such a familiar face.

Lin Xun exclaimed, “S-Senior Sister!”