After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 234 Behind the Mission

Because Shen Xu and Guan Bi had stayed in the library for too long, Li Xiaoyi and Bai Lu had to come to the library to find them. When Bai Lu saw that Guan Bi and Shen Xu were keeping a safe distance, she breathed a sigh of relief and then rolled her eyes at Li Xiaoyi.

"Why are you two here? Have Guanbi and I been staying here too long?" Shen Xu asked, looking at the sun that hadn't yet started to set, putting his books back down.

“We didn’t find any valuable information there, so we thought we’d come here to see you,” Bai Lu replied.

"Since you're all here, I'll go back with you! It's pretty boring here. But how did you know Guanbi and I were here? This place looks quite big."

Shen Xu took a book out of the bookshelf and placed it next to the book "An Outline of the Meaning of the Dao".

“Guanbi comes here often! Almost all the managers here know her, and they can easily find out where you are by asking around,” Bai Lu said with a smile.

"In that case, I think it's a real waste of Guanbi's talents to have her as your maid," Shen Xu said with some regret.

"I've never treated Guanbi as my maid. Guanbi is my best sister." Bailu smiled and took Guanbi's arm.

However, upon hearing Bai Lu's heartfelt words, Guan Bi's smile appeared somewhat unnatural.

"Didn't you find any useful information?" Shen Xu asked from Bai Lu's flying shuttle. He had a feeling that the mission the Sword Alliance had given them was not as simple as an ordinary mission.

"The main problem is that the mission description is too unclear. It only says that an anomaly has occurred, but we haven't found any similar missions. However, the mission's objective is to investigate, and finding out the cause of the anomaly is our task. So, we can only investigate the specifics after we get there," Bai Lu explained.

“Only cultivators below the Qi Condensation Realm will be affected by the anomaly, which I think is why the Sword Alliance asked us to investigate,” Li Xiaoyi guessed.

“Xiao Yi and I both think we should play the role of explorers. There should be experts from the Sword Alliance following us. Shuanghe Village probably hides a big secret.”

"When are you planning to leave?" Shen Xu asked after listening to their story.

"Let's wait a few days! After all, it's an unknown place, so it's best to prepare in advance," Bai Lu replied.

"I thought you were going to say 'now'! After all, you were very decisive when you asked me to take you to Qinghu!" Shen Xu said with a smile.

Thinking of Shen Xu's encounter during the Sword Selection, Bai Lu and Guan Bi couldn't help but laugh, while Li Xiaoyi frowned upon seeing this.

"Xiao Yi, do you know how everyone else has been doing these past few days?" Shen Xu suddenly asked.

"I thought you didn't care about their situation at all!" Li Xiaoyi said coldly.

"How could that be? I don't care about others, but I do care about Qingyun. After all, a large part of her situation is my fault. She trusted me so much, and I lied to her for so long," Shen Xu said with a sigh.

“Qingyun has changed a lot. She’s not the same person she used to be, but she still asked me to thank you,” Li Xiaoyi replied.

"She's not angry with me?" Shen Xu asked, somewhat surprised.

"That's why I said she's changed a lot. She's learned to keep her true thoughts to herself. After receiving the title, the five flowers on her mask have always remained unchanged. She said each flower represents one of us. Who do you think the missing flower represents?" Li Xiaoyi said with a cold smile.

Shen Xu fell silent. It seemed he had achieved his goal, successfully making Qing Yun hate him. Who would be next? Shen Xu couldn't help but look at Li Xiaoyi.

"Is what you're saying something we can understand?" Bai Lu asked hesitantly.

"Miss Xiao Yi, are you really the Golden-Faced Goddess?" Guan Bi asked, slightly excited.

"Didn't they say that everyone except me attended Qingyun's investiture ceremony?" Shen Xu asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Indeed, everyone except you went, but they all wore masks. The Sword Alliance’s higher-ups also allowed them to wear masks on stage, so there’s still no consensus on the identities of some of you,” Bai Lu explained.

"Xiao Yi, could I borrow your golden mask for a moment?" Bai Lu sat down next to Li Xiao Yi, her big eyes full of longing.

"No way!" Li Xiaoyi refused without hesitation.

"You're such a cheapskate!" Bai Lu pouted.

"Miss Xiao Yi, your battle at the Red Jade Society's base was truly spectacular. Every sword light was accompanied by a teleportation flash; no one could survive your sword strike," Guan Bi exclaimed.

“Is it really that amazing? I can do it too,” Bai Lu said defiantly.

“Of course you can do it too, Miss,” Guan Bi agreed with a smile.

The Sword Alliance allowed Wentian's people to wear masks on stage, and Shen Xu felt there must be a deeper meaning behind it. Was it Qingyun's request? Or Zuo Chen's request? And why wasn't he invited to attend? Even if he was unconscious at the time, he wasn't someone who wouldn't wake up.

Is Zuo Chen trying to eliminate his influence in Wentian? No! It should be eliminating his influence on Qingyun. From Zuo Chen's perspective, he has indeed affected his control over Qingyun.

Shen Xu felt a pang of guilt towards Qing Yun, but he couldn't possibly ruin Zuo Chen's plan because of that guilt. Besides, this outcome was already very good for Qing Yun, as she had fulfilled her initial wish.

……

“Wang Rong, the situation in Shuanghe Village is too complicated. It’s not something the five of them can handle right now. Why are you in such a hurry?” In the top-floor room of the Heavenly Sword Battle Hall, a man shrouded in a black robe slowly said to Wang Rong.

“That secret realm has already shown signs of moving out of the vicinity of Shuanghe Village. If we miss this opportunity, we may never find it again. The fact that they are coming to me with such a good team at this time feels like destiny,” Wang Rong replied respectfully.

"The personnel configuration is indeed excellent, the best it can be! Relatives of two councilors, plus the future disciple of the Sword Saint. If the five of them were to fall into this trap, do you know how much of a shock it would cause to the Sword Alliance?" the black-robed man questioned sharply.

“Saplings in a greenhouse are destined not to grow into towering trees, and the speaker and the two members of parliament have already agreed to this.”

"Straying ahead of your superiors! It seems you're increasingly disregarding me. How's your preparation going?" The man in black robes sighed softly.

"Foolproof!"

"Nothing is foolproof. If anything goes wrong, immediately sever the connection between Shuanghe Village and that secret realm, and then immediately activate the interdimensional teleportation devices on them. Saving their lives is the top priority!" the black-robed man said coldly.

"Understood!" Wang Rong replied respectfully.