met free Chapter 69 Be careful, he might take advantage of you completely.
Chapter 69 Be careful, he might take advantage of you completely.
Inside the quiet room, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood incense, and the light was soft.
Mei Qianqian gestured for Xu Changqing to sit down, then poured a cup of light green tea into her delicate hands and gently pushed it in front of him.
"Master, do you know that thirty miles southeast of Minghai County, there is an ancient place called 'Luoxia'ao'? Ordinary cultivators think it is just a barren mountain with little spiritual energy, but when I read through the ancient books, I found that the ruins of Ziyang Temple are located at the foot of Luoxia'ao."
"I see." Xu Changqing picked up the teacup, feeling the warmth of the cup with his fingertips. His mind raced, but his face remained calm as he tentatively followed her words.
"Does Steward Mei mean that someone has discovered the location of the ruins and is trying to force open the entrance using a blood sacrifice?"
"Most likely." Mei Qianqian nodded. "The restrictions on the ruins of Ziyang Temple are profound and difficult to open using ordinary methods. Blood sacrifice is one of them. If it weren't for the Blood Apricot Banquet at Black Wind Mountain, and if the master hadn't intervened, someone would probably have already tried to break the restrictions back then..."
As the conversation progressed to this point, Xu Changqing realized that his identity was no longer a secret to the other party. He simply dropped his disguise and revealed his true self.
He put down his teacup, looked directly at Mei Qianqian, and asked calmly, "I wonder how Steward Mei found out?"
Seeing his frankness, Mei Qianqian's eyes flashed with admiration, and she smiled faintly, "Fellow Daoist's transformation techniques are truly divine, but people always leave traces in the world. After the Black Wind Mountain incident, the Four Seas Pavilion naturally needs to collect information from all sides. I am merely good at analyzing and summarizing."
Xu Changqing nodded slightly, no longer dwelling on the matter, and cut straight to the point: "Manager Mei informed me of this matter because you intend to join forces with me?"
"Indeed," Mei Qianqian said frankly, her eyes clear. "Fellow Daoist Xuming's cultivation is remarkable, and his temperament and methods are even more outstanding. If the ruins are opened, the dangers within are unknown, but the opportunities are also immense. I am willing to provide detailed information about the terrain and other details within the ruins. The opportunities gained can be distributed according to the amount of effort contributed."
"Cooperation is certainly possible." Xu Changqing pondered for a moment, then asked the crucial question, "But I don't understand, Steward Mei's cultivation is not weak, and he should have many capable and extraordinary people under his command. Why would he want to cooperate with me?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Qianqian smiled with a hint of helplessness and sincerity: "Fellow Daoist, you are wise. Although my cultivation in the business world is passable, when it comes to combat, I am far less ruthless and fierce than you."
Having said that, Xu Changqing bowed and said, "In that case, it's a pleasure to cooperate. But I wonder, how did Minghai come to be defeated?"
Mei Qianqian's expression turned solemn, and she said in a low voice, "To be honest, although Minghai County is protected by the imperial court's fortune formation, it is still vulnerable to attacks from within and without. There were spies lurking in the city, and they launched their attacks simultaneously at midnight last night. Fortunately, Li Yuanqing, the Daoist disciple of the Taiyi Dao and the Jinghai Boy, happened to be nearby. He noticed the disturbance and acted swiftly, which temporarily stabilized the situation and prevented the blood sacrifice from spreading throughout the city immediately. However..."
She paused, her tone heavy: "The great formation has been broken, and those who breached the city have been plotting for a long time. Although Jinghai Boy is strong, he cannot hold the line alone. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before Minghai falls completely."
"Is it the Zhen family?" Xu Changqing's heart was filled with murderous intent. After all, how could two powerful forces be plotting to break into the city in such a small place as Xiangzhou?
"Indeed." Mei Qianqian nodded, confirming his guess. "Although you disrupted their plans at Black Wind Mountain, the powerful clans are deeply entrenched and have many spies. They will surely return and succeed. The ruins of Ziyang Temple at Luoxia Pass are probably the same for them."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Changqing suddenly felt a sense of unease and asked coldly, "Who is spying on me?"
A dragon shadow suddenly appeared behind him, and a stream of evil energy swept towards the void to the side.
"Huh?" came a short exclamation.
The light and shadow twisted, and a snow-white fox with fluffy fur was pushed out of the void by the demonic dragon.
"Master, please calm down." Mei Qianqian quickly spoke up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She secretly sighed, "Such keen spiritual sense, such a ferocious clone..."
Before she could finish speaking, the white fox flashed with light and transformed into a beautiful and slender young woman. She wore a pale yellow dress, and her fluffy red fox ears trembled slightly with nervousness. Her bushy tail stretched taut unconsciously, and a faint blush lingered on her cheeks. Her eyes darted away, avoiding Xu Changqing's gaze.
"This is my younger sister, Ali. She has a lively personality and must have been eavesdropping earlier. She was rude, and I hope you will forgive her," Mei Qianqian introduced, gently nudging Ali.
Ah Li then raised her head, glanced quickly at Xu Changqing, then lowered her head again, her voice barely audible: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I was just curious."
She twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, the palpitation from the menacing aura she had just felt had not completely dissipated.
"Hiss... Such a pure and refreshing aura." Xu Changqing sighed inwardly, and the killing intent in his heart subsided slightly.
The fox spirit girl before him, though an anomaly, possessed a clear and vibrant aura, like a mountain spring or morning dew on a treetop. She was the purest and most natural aura he had ever encountered since embarking on his cultivation journey. This was more in line with his ideal of what a cultivator should be like.
Although he was quite curious about the fox woman, he didn't rudely ask her anything, as he had more important things to do at the moment.
"It's alright. Since she's Steward Mei's sister, she's probably someone I can trust." Xu Changqing didn't press the matter further. "In that case, I'll take my leave and head to Minghai first..."
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden chill ran through him, and he swallowed the rest of his sentence.
No, while he intended to stop Minghai's blood sacrifice and did not want to see the people suffer, he was by no means a pushover. This matter was fraught with unknown dangers, and given his cautious nature, even if he decided to intervene, he would do so only after careful consideration. He would never make a promise based solely on Mei Qianqian's word, nor would he so eagerly take on the responsibility without knowing the specific circumstances on the ground.
Upon realizing this, he suddenly felt as if some unseen force was secretly guiding his thoughts. He slowly opened his palm and saw that the blue-green jade bead, which he should have thrown into the Rong River to drift away with the current, was now lying quietly in his hand.
"Sure enough, this thing... has stuck with me." He muttered to himself, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.
"Fellow Daoist is very kind," Mei Qianqian said sincerely, handing over a jade slip.
Xu Changqing suppressed his aversion to the jade bead, took the jade slip, bowed, and said, "In that case, this humble Taoist will take his leave."
Xu Changqing's figure swayed, the blood lotus phantom beneath his feet flickered slightly, and he had already swept out like a wisp of smoke, merging into the deep night outside the market.
In the quiet room, the candlelight stabilized again.
Ah Li finally breathed a long sigh of relief, patted her chest, and let her fox ears droop limply: "That scared me to death... Sister Qian, this Daoist Xuming's aura is terrifying. Just now, I thought I was going to be eaten."
Mei Qianqian gazed in the direction where Xu Changqing had disappeared and warned, "This person is unpredictable. Don't spy on him in the future, or he might take advantage of you."
Ahri stuck out her tongue and swayed her tail gently: "Okay..."