Gu Shi Yi had stayed in Blue Moon City for three days, honestly staying inside the inn without daring to go out. According to her cautious nature previously honed with the Old Taoist Priest in the Itinerant World, she would have fled as far as possible after the incident at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion!
However, she had matters to attend to now and couldn't leave Blue Moon City, so she waited until the appointed time with Sixth Master Huang arrived before she disguised herself in the inn to go to the Huang Residence. Although her disguise was essentially useless against Great cultivators, it was still better than not disguising at all.
What she didn't know was that ever since she left, the Hundred Herbs Pavilion had been closed and not doing business. And today, just as she was sneaking into the Huang Residence to meet with Sixth Master Huang, a man surnamed Shang and a slender woman appeared in front of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion,
"Master, it's here..."
"Hmm... Why is the door closed?"
Both exchanged a glance, showing a hint of confusion and a sense of foreboding,
"Shang San... Open the door!"
The middle-aged man nodded, cast a Magical Incantation on the door, and the double doors creaked open—they were merely locked in the usual way and had not been sealed with an Array. The two were even more startled, and upon entering, they found no one in the front hall or the back hall. In the small building in the backyard, two maids lay on the ground, bodies already showing signs of livor mortis. Inside the inner chamber, a middle-aged woman with burns all over her body had a fist-sized hole in her chest where her heart had been removed; Shang San was shocked,
"Where is the Blood Corrosion Grass?"
The two swept the area with their Divine Sense and sensed the jade box. They looked at each other with dark expressions, and Shang San said coldly,
"Could it be that ordinary person who killed Fifth Madam?"
The woman shook her head,
"Impossible, that ordinary person only knows some Taoist Techniques, and in the eyes of us Great cultivators, she is no more than an ant. I gave the thing to her because she was unlikely to draw attention. Fifth Madam had reached Qi Cultivation Level Seven, and her two maids also had some skills. It's not possible for that ordinary person to do this to Fifth Madam by herself..."
The woman pointed to Fifth Madam Wang's decomposing body,
"Now, we can only search for Fifth Madam's Remnant Soul and see if we can find out the truth and the whereabouts of the Blood Corrosion Grass!"
Shang San nodded, flicked his hand, and several Formation Flags were planted around Fifth Madam Wang's body. He murmured softly, and in a barely audible voice, a faint wisp of white vapor started to rise from the decaying body of the middle-aged woman. The vapor was so thin that it seemed a gentle breeze could blow it away. The woman frowned,
"Her Soul has been extracted, whether we can find the whereabouts of the Blood Corrosion Grass is now a matter of luck!"
She raised her hand, casting a Taoist magic incantation into the almost disappearing white vapor, which then condensed to slowly reveal the blurry figure and appearance of the middle-aged woman. The woman inquired,
"Wang Yun, where is the Blood Corrosion Grass?"
The Soul trembled a few times, staring blankly at the woman. Its mouth moved but did not utter a single word. After the woman repeated her question two more times, the Soul remained dull and unresponsive. Both the woman and Shang San were greatly disappointed,
"It seems we won't get an answer!"
Shang San looked frustrated and annoyed,
"Master, obtaining the Blood Corrosion Grass was a life-threatening venture for you in the Cold Wind Valley. Bringing it back to the sect meant inheriting the Sect Leader's position. To fail at this crucial moment is too vexing!"
The woman was silent for a moment before saying,
"This situation hasn't reached its worst yet, as long as the Blood Corrosion Grass hasn't fallen into my elder sister's hands, we still have a chance to turn this around..."
After thinking, she said,
"That ordinary woman... did you leave a Mark on her? Let's try to find her first, and see if we can get something out of her mouth!"
Shang San nodded,
"When I was enforcing the Prohibition, I had implanted a Mark on her. As long as she is within a hundred miles of me, I will sense it..."
After a pause, he said,
"But if I want the Mark's sensing to be accurate, I need to set up an Array..."
The woman nodded, looked around,
"We can't stay here long. Let's leave!"
After they left, the three bodies in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion also disappeared. Not long after, a lean old man took over the place, and no one ever mentioned the former shopkeeper, Fifth Madam Wang, again.
Meanwhile, in the study of the Huang Residence, Sixth Master Huang was telling Gu Shi Yi,
"The matter has been taken care of for you, Miss. It happens to be quite serendipitous; the Eldest Young Madam of the Sun Family gave birth to two sons and one daughter, the youngest being a frail girl. They hired three wet nurses to take turns attending to her with utmost care. The young Miss Sun has always been raised in Young Madam Sun's courtyard, and one of her wet nurses happens to be a distant relative of our Huang Family. I sent someone to see her, and with some Silver, we've arranged for you to be picked out by her once you enter the Sun Residence. She will personally select you to serve by her side, which will then allow you to enter the courtyard of the Eldest Young Madam of the Sun Family!"