"According to the War God of The Liao Yin Immortal Realm, someone from my Wuming Demon Mountain went to the alchemy room in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm to cause trouble and even killed the Medicine King?"
Li Minghan asked, seated on the high throne of the Demon Lord's hall.
"Indeed," Qingyuan responded.
"Absurd! We demons and you immortals have always minded our own business. Besides, most of my demon clan live peacefully and contentedly in Fanli Valley. Why would they go to your Liao Yin Immortal Realm to cause trouble for no reason? Are your immortal soldiers so bored that they come to Wuming Demon Mountain to find something to do?" Li Minghan retorted sharply.
"Lord Shentu, there's no need to speak so harshly. The innocent are always innocent. If you have nothing to hide, let us search, and the truth will be revealed," Qingyuan replied.
"Outrageous! This is the territory of the demon clan. Do you think you can search it as you please? Guards!" Li Minghan shouted, and the demon soldiers around drew their swords, ready for a fight.
Seeing this, the War God Qingyuan ordered his immortal soldiers not to act rashly.
"Lord Shentu, I mean no offense. However, the Medicine King of the Liao Yin Immortal Realm indeed died from demonic energy. I am here to represent the Immortal Lord to seek an explanation. If you refuse to cooperate, I will have to report this truthfully to the Immortal Lord, who will decide the next steps," Qingyuan said calmly.
"What? Are you threatening me with your Immortal Lord? Do you think bringing him up will scare me? Go back and tell SiTu Fanzhi that if he wants me to hand over someone, he should bring that pharmacist Li Luoning and his little disciple here. Otherwise, there is nothing to discuss." Li Minghan left these words and dismissed the guest with a flick of his sleeve.
---
In The Flatland,
Hua Ruoying returned to Nan Zhe's residence exhausted, having searched all day without finding Qingping.
She walked into the hall, dejected, and slumped into a chair.
Nan Zhe put down his book, his voice tinged with concern, "Couldn't find him?"
"The Flatland isn't that big. I don't know where Qingping could have gone." Hua Ruoying's voice was filled with fatigue and disappointment.
"Should I send some men to help you search?"
Hua Ruoying shook her head, "Qingping is timid by nature. Your ghost soldiers might scare him. I'll keep looking myself."
At this moment, a ghost soldier entered and whispered something in Nan Zhe's ear.
"I understand. You may go." Nan Zhe acknowledged with a nod and waved the ghost soldier away.
Nan Zhe approached Hua Ruoying, took something out of his sleeve, and placed it on the table, pushing it towards her.
"A random purchase." Nan Zhe said coldly, then left.
Hua Ruoying slowly unwrapped the silk covering to reveal a beautifully crafted earring.
---
In the cave behind the residence,
Countless chains clanged wildly, and the low roars made the nearby ghost soldiers tremble. The fierce struggle caused many small rocks to fall from the cave walls. The creature chained at the end was none other than the long-missing spirit beast, Bingo, the Huang.
Nan Zhe stood on a high ledge, looking down with satisfaction. He nodded to the ghost soldiers around him. Upon receiving his signal, the ghost soldiers pulled the chains, forcing Bingo to crawl down.
"I've long heard that the Huang is a rare and auspicious beast, but it seems rather ordinary now. I know you have intelligence, so you can understand me. Surrender to me, and you won't suffer as much." Nan Zhe said, looking down at Bingo.
Bingo roared angrily at Nan Zhe, the sound shaking the cave, causing more rocks to fall.
"A beast is just a beast, so ungrateful." Nan Zhe waved his hand disdainfully.
"Sir, we have found the whereabouts of that person," reported a ghost soldier.
"Good, I understand."
Separated from Hua Ruoying, Qingping had been running aimlessly and found himself near Jiuling, sitting by the river, feeling sad and heartbroken.
"How disobedient, running all the way here alone. Your sister Ruoying has been looking for you everywhere." Nan Zhe's voice suddenly came from behind.
Qingping had always been wary of Nan Zhe, especially since Nan Zhe frequently used him to threaten Hua Ruoying while at his residence. Hearing Nan Zhe's voice, Qingping immediately tried to run.
"Ha, where do you think you're going?"
Nan Zhe chuckled and threw out a golden rope, which wrapped around Qingping's ankle. With a light pull, Qingping was thrown to the ground.
Nan Zhe raised his hand again, and the golden rope quickly bound Qingping. The binding caused Qingping excruciating pain, feeling as though he was being burned all over.
"This is... the Immortal Binding Rope! This is a celestial artifact. How do you have this?" Qingping asked in a pained voice, looking down at the rope binding him.
"Why shouldn't I have it?" Nan Zhe replied, walking up to Qingping and grabbing his jaw, lifting him from the ground.
"Since the puppet control technique was banned, your Shadow Demon clan has also disappeared. I heard that the soul of a Shadow Demon can tame all beasts. I wonder if it's true." Nan Zhe said.
Bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, Qingping endured the pain, sweat dripping from his forehead. This celestial artifact was known to be a nemesis of demons, tightening more the harder one struggled. Qingping could clearly feel the burning pain as the rope dug deeper into his flesh.
"Who... exactly... are you?" Qingping asked through gritted teeth, enduring the pain.
"After spending some time with Hua Ruoying, you've gotten smarter." Nan Zhe sneered.
"Very well, I'll let you die knowing."
With that, Nan Zhe slowly removed his mask.
"It's you!" Qingping's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the face before him.
### Continuation of the Translation:
In Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning was trying to piece together the events of the past few days in his mind.
*Why did that person want to kill the Medicine King? Why does he look identical to me but always opposes me? Where did the stone that my senior brother found come from? Why did the Dragon King visit Mirror Cloud Residence that day?*
Li Luoning was deep in thought when Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe walked in together.
"This one isn't as pretty as my original one," Mi Xingzhe complained.
"You'll have to make do for now. You insisted on covering the spot on the cabinet. This is the best I could find in a short time," Yun Qingyi comforted him.
"What happened?" Li Luoning asked, noticing Mi Xingzhe's discontent.
"Master, Xingzhe's original Void Valley Immortal Flower was taken by the Immortal Lord. He's been saying the crack on the cabinet is ugly and asked me to find a flower to cover it. Void Valley Immortal Flowers aren't common, so I found a golden lantern flower for him." Yun Qingyi explained, pointing to the flower nearby.
"But this one is really ugly. It's not as pretty as the Blue Snow Flower you have in your garden," Mi Xingzhe grumbled.
"Do you think Void Valley Immortal Flowers are common wildflowers that can be found anywhere? I think you're upset not because of the flower, but because of who gave it to you," Yun Qingyi said helplessly.
"No, I'm not!" Mi Xingzhe retorted.
"Alright, stop arguing. Xingzhe, the Void Valley Immortal Flower is indeed rare. If you don't like the golden lantern flower, you can find a Blue Snow Flower from the garden. But it hasn't rained recently, so why does your cabinet have cracks?" Li Luoning asked.
"I don't know when it happened. When I came back, I saw cracks where the Void Valley Immortal Flower used to be. Sometimes it even glows at night. It's terrifying!" Mi Xingzhe said.
Li Luoning suddenly remembered the half petal of the Void Valley Immortal Flower that the Medicine King had and rushed to Mi Xingzhe's room.
"Where is it?" Li Luoning asked.
"Over there." Mi Xingzhe pointed to the low table where the Void Valley Immortal Flower used to sit.
Li Luoning approached, placing his hand on the table. With a few movements of his fingers and a murmured incantation, a bronze mirror slowly emerged, and the cracks disappeared.
"The cracks were caused by this bronze mirror? Who would hide a mirror here?" Mi Xingzhe asked, puzzled.
"This is the Sound Summoning Mirror left by the Medicine King. It seems he anticipated his fate and left a message. This might also be why the Dragon King came to Mirror Cloud Residence." Li Luoning explained.
"But there's a seal on this Sound Summoning Mirror. We can't open it. How can we find the Medicine King's message?" Yun Qingyi asked.
Li Luoning suddenly recalled the dragon scales sent by the Dragon King's people and understood their significance. He took the Sound Summoning Mirror back to his study, placed the other dragon scale above the mirror, and infused it with his power.
As his power flowed through the dragon scale into the mirror, the Medicine King's message appeared.
"Nanzi colludes with demons, violating the celestial order. Born of flowers, blood turns to beasts. Beware of future murderous plots."
---
In the Shangqing Palace,
"Immortal Xie Yi, you say this Sound Summoning Mirror was left by the Medicine King. Do you have any evidence?" SiTu Fanzhi asked.
"On the day the Medicine King was killed, the half petal in his hand hinted at something, but it wasn't to identify the killer. It was a clue. And the Dragon King was likely killed near Mirror Cloud Residence because of this mirror, to silence him." Li Luoning explained, glancing down.
As they conversed, O Shinan walked in slowly.
"Greetings, Immortal Lord." O Shinan saluted.
"Immortal O, do you have any objections to the content on this Sound Summoning Mirror?" SiTu Fanzhi asked.
O Shinan glanced at the Sound Summoning Mirror, his expression calm and unhurried as he read the message. After a moment of contemplation, he asked,
"Immortal Xie Yi, where did you get this mirror?"
"This Sound Summoning Mirror was left in my disciple's room by the Medicine King before his death," Li Luoning replied.
"In Yun Wan Nian's room?" SiTu Fanzhi asked.
"Yes."
"That's strange. My adoptive father rarely interacted with Yun Wan Nian. Moreover, Yun Wan Nian caused a commotion in the alchemy room before my adoptive father's death, damaging many precious herbs. Why would my adoptive father leave such an important message in his room?" O Shinan questioned.
Li Luoning remained silent.
Seeing Li Luoning's silence, a trace of disdain flashed in O Shinan's eyes. He continued with a slight smile, "Since this Sound Summoning Mirror came from Yun Wan Nian's room and the Dragon King died near Mirror Cloud Residence, it seems this matter is closely related to Immortal Xie Yi. Why is it being blamed on me based on a single message?" O Shinan implied.
Li Luoning understood the insinuation and quickly explained,
"Immortal Lord, the Medicine King treated me like a friend, and the Dragon King cared for Xie Yi as his own. No one from Mirror Cloud Residence could commit such a heinous act."
"Then how do you explain the connection between these two incidents and Mirror Cloud Residence?" O Shinan pressed.
"Mirror Cloud Residence has nothing to do with this matter. Besides..." Li Luoning began to argue but was interrupted by SiTu Fanzhi.
"Enough. A single Sound Summoning Mirror can't prove anything. The identity of the Medicine King's murderer is clear, but the Dragon King's death remains unresolved. We can't accuse Immortal O based on a single mirror." SiTu Fanzhi said, stopping the argument.
"Immortal Lord is wise," O Shinan replied with a slight smile.
Just as SiTu Fanzhi decided to end the discussion, Qingyuan entered the hall.
"Immortal Lord," Qingyuan saluted.
"Qingyuan, weren't you leading troops to Wuming Demon Mountain? Why have you returned so soon?" SiTu Fanzhi asked.
"Immortal Lord, Lord Shentu refused to let us search for the murderer. He said..." Qingyuan hesitated, glancing around.
"Speak freely," SiTu Fanzhi urged, sensing Qingyuan's hesitation.
"Lord Shentu said that if we want to know the truth, we should send Immortal Xie Yi and Yun Wan Nian to investigate. Otherwise, he won't cooperate with anyone else," Qingyuan said, looking at Li Luoning.
"Why does he want Xie Yi to go?" SiTu Fanzhi asked, puzzled.
"It seems Mirror Cloud Residence and the demons are quite connected," O Shinan remarked confidently.
"Lord Shentu didn't explain the reason," Qingyuan replied.
"Immortal Lord, I am willing to go and uncover the truth," Li Luoning volunteered without hesitation.
"Very well. Although Lord Shentu is irritable, he is not unreasonable. Since he asked for you, there must be a reason. Xie Yi, please take on this task," SiTu Fanzhi agreed.
"Yes," Li Luoning accepted.
"Immortal Lord, Lord Shentu's behavior has been erratic since he emerged from seclusion. He was ready to fight over a few words. Immortal Xie Yi is a pharmacist. It's not safe for him to go alone. I suggest he take a team of immortal soldiers as a precaution," Qingyuan suggested.
After some thought, SiTu Fanzhi nodded, "Very well. Qingyuan, take three hundred celestial soldiers with you. If Lord Shentu acts rashly, you are authorized to force your way in, but do not harm the innocent."
"Qingyuan obeys," Qingyuan responded.
As the meeting concluded and everyone was about to leave the hall, O Shinan, the last to leave, glanced back at SiTu Fanzhi, and they exchanged a subtle nod.
---
In Mirror Cloud Residence,
"What! Master and Xingzhe have to go get the person?" Yun Qingyi exclaimed, jumping up from his chair in disbelief, accidentally pulling at his wound, "Ahh!"
"Brother Qingyi, sit down. Be careful of your wound," Mi Xingzhe hurriedly tried to soothe him.
"Yes, I suppose it's because of the incident when we saved Xingzhe. Just as well, I can use this trip to investigate the Qian..." Li Luoning began, but seeing Mi Xingzhe present, he didn't finish.
"Investigate what?" Mi Xingzhe asked curiously.
"Nothing," Li Luoning evaded.
"Master has been so secretive lately. What can't I know?" Mi Xingzhe pouted, complaining.
"To find out why they kept abducting you!" Yun Qingyi interjected, trying to defuse the situation.
"Alright, Xingzhe, go to the storeroom and pick some emergency medicines to take with you. This trip might involve confrontations, so it's best to be prepared," Li Luoning said, finding an excuse to send Mi Xingzhe away.
Once Mi Xingzhe left, Li Luoning turned to Yun Qingyi,
"Qingyi, I have something to ask you."
"Please ask, Master. I will answer truthfully," Yun Qingyi replied.
"Do you have any siblings in the mortal world?" Li Luoning asked slowly.