"Madam is right." Meng Shuying smiled faintly, showing no sign that she had just taken a life moments ago.
In truth, she hadn't intended to kill the guard, despite his disrespect. She had only planned to teach him a small lesson. However, when her spiritual sense enveloped him, she sensed a trace of demonic energy within him. The man they called Old Li was no longer fully human; he had been possessed by a demon before they arrived. Once the sun set, the demon would have shed its human disguise and begun wreaking havoc.
After entering the city, they didn't encounter many people. Meng Shuying instructed the driver to stop the carriage at the largest inn in the city, and she was the first to step out.
She moved gracefully, lifting the hem of her green robe with one hand and stepping onto the ground in just two steps.
Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao lifted the carriage curtain from either side. A delicate hand emerged from within, and Meng Shuying's smile widened. She reached out to support her sister's hand with her palm, wrapped her other arm around her waist, and gently helped her out of the carriage.
To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, Su Luowei had donned a conical hat before stepping out, with Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao covering their faces with veils.
Though their faces were concealed, their graceful figures made it clear that these three were young and beautiful women.
Once Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao had disembarked, Meng Shuying turned back to pay the driver double the agreed-upon fare, instructing him to leave the city immediately.
Along the way, she had sensed that Nanyi City was not as peaceful as it seemed.
The driver weighed the silver in his hand, a trace of hesitation crossing his face. Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he quietly said to Meng Shuying, "You folks don't seem like bad people, so forgive my boldness, but I must warn you: once night falls in Nanyi City, be sure to lock your doors and windows tightly and don't step outside."
"Hmm? Why is that?" Su Luowei asked, "Before we came here, we heard that Nanyi City is the most prosperous place under the Danyang Alliance's rule, bustling with activity throughout the night. It's even known as the city that never sleeps. We were really looking forward to seeing it."
The driver looked around cautiously before sighing. In a low voice, he said, "Madam, you might not know this, but Nanyi City used to be lively indeed. But ever since that demoness wreaked havoc in Danyang Alliance over twenty years ago, the city has never recovered."
Meng Shuying suddenly coughed, "But as far as I know, that demoness only attacked Danyang Alliance and didn't touch Nanyi City. How could there be any connection?"
"You don't understand…" The driver waved his hand dismissively, lowering his voice further. "Danyang Alliance used to be one of the Five Great Sects, with countless small sects under its wing. They didn't just ignore the tribute from Nanyi City, but also supplemented it generously due to its proximity.
But after the demoness from Qingxu Sect caused a ruckus and killed many powerful elders, the small sects saw that Danyang Alliance could barely protect itself, let alone anyone else. So, they stopped trying to curry favor.
Although Danyang Alliance is full of cultivators, even cultivators need food and resources. With the small sects no longer providing, they had to find another source, and they set their sights on Nanyi City. Over the years, the tribute demanded from Nanyi City has only increased. The city lord had no choice but to pass the burden onto the common folk, and that's how Nanyi City ended up like this."
While Su Luowei wasn't familiar with Danyang Alliance, Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao were.
Xie Hanzhu shot the driver a sharp glance, "How can you spout such nonsense? Apart from Danyang Alliance, none of the Five Great Sects resorts to extorting their subordinates. The cultivators of Danyang Alliance live in luxury and idleness, contributing nothing but demanding everything from others. If Nanyi City has fallen into decline, you should blame those who exploit you, not outsiders."
"Oh, my lady!" The driver was alarmed, stomping his feet anxiously. "You can't say such things! If someone from the city lord's mansion hears you, you'll be thrown into jail!"
Realizing that these four outsiders held no reverence for Danyang Alliance or cultivators, and fearing the consequences of their words, the driver quickly mounted his carriage and hurried away.
After settling into the inn, they found it unusually quiet. Despite it being mealtime, only a few tables were occupied, and even the tea master was slumped in a corner, puffing absently on a pipe.
The four of them took a seat at an empty table and ordered some of the inn's signature dishes. Unable to sit still while waiting, Xie Hanzhu wandered around, eventually striking up a conversation with the tea master.
She returned shortly afterward, bringing the tea master with her.
"He says he's lived in Nanyi City for forty years and knows everything about this place. We can ask him if we have any questions."
Wen Miaomiao gestured for another set of utensils to be brought over, but the tea master shook his head. "There's no need for that. I make my living with this mouth of mine. Just ask me whatever you want to know."
Understanding, Meng Shuying took a small silver piece from her sleeve and placed it before the tea master.
"When we were preparing to come here, we heard that Nanyi City was beautiful, with a pleasant climate and a bustling nightlife."
She paused, continuing, "But now that we're here, it seems…"
The tea master quickly understood her meaning, stroking his goatee. "All of that… started about twenty years ago."
"Are you going to say it was because of that female cultivator from Qingxu?" Xie Hanzhu cast a sidelong glance at Meng Shuying, her tone laced with sarcasm. "We've heard that excuse already. We want to know the real reason."
She pressed her fingers down on the silver piece, slowly sliding it toward herself. "The real… reason."
The tea master chuckled, unfazed, and said, "The real reason… I can't say for sure, and I wouldn't dare speak recklessly." His fingers subtly made a rubbing gesture.
Meng Shuying understood, raised an eyebrow at him, and pulled out a silver ingot from her sleeve.
The tea master's eyes lit up, and with a quick flick of his sleeve, the ingot vanished. "Please wait a moment while I brew some tea for you."
He scurried off, returning shortly with a long-spouted kettle. As he placed it on the stove to heat the water, he crushed the tea leaves and spoke in a low voice, just loud enough for the four of them to hear, "I'm just an old man rambling, and you're just listening. Don't take it to heart, and don't tell anyone that you heard this from me."
He sighed, "You're not from Nanyi City, so if anything happens, you can just leave. But I have my whole family here."
He handed the crushed tea leaves to Meng Shuying with a polite gesture.
Meng Shuying took the cup and sniffed it, her voice low and steady. "Rest assured, sir, if anything happens, we won't drag you into it."
"Over twenty years ago, when that female cultivator from Qingxu Sect attacked Danyang Alliance, it weakened them significantly. But that's not the main reason for Nanyi City's decline. The real reason is… about ten years ago, Danyang Alliance's leader, Nanyang Zhenren, got married to a rogue cultivator."
As he poured the tea, he quickly added in a hushed tone, "Rumor has it that the woman is a demon."
"That can't be…" Xie Hanzhu mused, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Nanyang Zhenren may be old and a bit senile, but he shouldn't be so far gone that he can't tell if his wife is a demon. How could he, a leader of one of the Five Great Sects, dare to marry a demon? And what does his marriage have to do with Nanyi City's decline?"
"Who are we to speculate on the affairs of immortals?" The tea master said, but after a moment, he couldn't help but add, "But ever since that rogue cultivator moved into Danyang Alliance, young girls have been disappearing from Nanyi City every now and then."
As more and more girls vanished, families with daughters began to panic, moving away at the first opportunity. Even though the city lord issued multiple decrees forbidding residents from leaving, it was no use.
And it wasn't just Nanyi City; the same thing was happening in several nearby cities.
Logically, since these cities were under Danyang Alliance's jurisdiction, the Alliance should have investigated the disappearances. But no matter how many times the city lord appealed to them, Danyang Alliance's only response was that their elders had been injured in the battle over twenty years ago and were still recovering, leaving them with no resources to spare.
Young girls disappearing…
The four of them exchanged glances, understanding each other without words.
This plot… sounded all too familiar.
Old Demon Ning sacrificed maidens to open the evil altar. The sacrificial brides at Chuntan were used to craft the Soul-Summoning Banner to revive a lover. Both incidents had connections to the demonic clan.
And here, at Danyang Alliance, the sect leader's new wife was directly tied to the demonic clan, and girls had started disappearing soon after her arrival.
Su Luowei lowered her gaze in thought. There had to be a connection between these three events.
Wishing to avoid trouble, the tea master left promptly after brewing the tea. But as he departed, he urged them again, "I can tell that you're not ordinary folks, but outsiders shouldn't meddle in Danyang Alliance's affairs. My advice to you is to leave Nanyi City as soon as possible."
He hesitated for a moment before sighing, "I won't lie to you. Some other cultivators came to Nanyi City recently to investigate, but they disappeared shortly after arriving. This city… it's like a monster with a mouth that swallows people whole…"
Meng Shuying cupped her hands respectfully. "Thank you for the warning, sir."
As the tea master left, Xie Hanzhu leaned in closer to the table, her eyes fixed on Meng Shuying. She winked mischievously, "They say outsiders shouldn't meddle in Danyang Alliance's affairs, but you, Meng Shuying…"
She covered her mouth, laughing, "You're hardly an outsider."
Wen Miaomiao added, "It seems that ever since your visit, Danyang Alliance has been using you as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong."
Su Luowei had heard rumors of Meng Shuying's solo assault on Danyang Alliance before but had never had the chance to ask about it in detail. Now, hearing Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao's words, she could tell that the true story was more complicated than the rumors suggested.
She lifted a corner of the white veil hanging from her hat and whispered playfully in Meng Shuying's ear, "It seems you've been through a lot while I was away."
Her warm breath and soft voice tickled Meng Shuying's ear, making her heart flutter. Under the table, where no one could see, Meng Shuying reached out and took her sister's hand, gently squeezing it. Outwardly, she remained composed as she replied, "When Madam has some time, I'll tell you all about it in detail."