Chapter 111 - 111 111 Crimson Blazes in the Night

111: Chapter 111: Crimson Blazes in the Night 111: Chapter 111: Crimson Blazes in the Night From Jiachen’s tone, it seemed that the three of them had also specifically come for this matter. And seeing that gaze which perceived all contingencies, Li Jiujiu actually had the illusion that she could soon unearth the truth from these three people. “How could this young monk possibly know of such matters is not the point,” Jiachen said, “Miss Li need not look at me with such eyes. I am not omniscient, at least… there are still many things I need to learn from the people here.” Jiachen picked up an empty bowl from the table, and leisurely poured from the jar of aged wine into the bowl. Fragrant and refreshing, the night’s chill was reflected in the wine within the bowl. Li Jiujiu, just from observing the appearance of the wine, knew it to be a fine liquor, her eyes slightly brightened as she caught a glimpse of a moving white figure beside her. “I don’t have the time to watch your performance here, I only want results.” The woman, who had been swapped by Ye Lian for Jing, stepped forward, her voice clear and melodious, directly ignoring Jiachen and Ye Lian, and went straight into the back hall. The back hall connected to the rear door, outside which there was an old alley, and across from the alley was the wine merchant’s mansion where Li Jiujiu was temporarily residing, also the owner of this tavern. Sniffing the faint sandalwood fragrance that drifted away, Li Jiujiu’s expression faltered slightly: “What does this lady intend to do?” With that, she felt an inexplicable anxiety and was about to follow. But who would know that the white-clothed woman Ye Lian’s figure swayed gently, her beautiful face adorned with a warm smile: “Miss Jing is in a very bad mood today, Miss Li it would be best not to disturb her at this time.” Li Jiujiu was speechless. It was as if Miss Jing’s bad mood was entirely caused by her. But before today, she didn’t even know these three people. At this moment, her Senior Sister, whose experience far surpassed her own, showed a solemn expression and tugged at her sleeve, saying, “Junior Sister…” Li Jiujiu’s expression shifted, leaning in to listen as she whispered, “Do not act rashly. Just now… I recognized the skill of that woman, the Red Lotus Karma Fire. It’s a high-level secret technique that only Inner Disciples of the Taixuan Sect are qualified to learn. Today’s matters might be better handled by those three.” Upon hearing this, Li Jiujiu’s eyes widened in shock, and a pang of fear clenched her heart; she could never have imagined that a mere jaunt down the mountain for cultivation would bring her face-to-face with such a formidable force. That was the Taixuan Sect, one of the Three Sects of the world! And she was one of their Inner Disciples! One must know that with the power of the Taixuan Sect, even a mere Inner Disciple could overturn their entire Lihe Sect. The Taixuan Sect, being a righteous major sect, certainly had no need to clash with them, and it could even be said that if there was an opportunity to forge a connection, it would be an immensely beneficial lifelong affair. But this slim chance was never meant for the Lihe Sect. Because two hundred years ago, her father had very forcefully provoked a significant figure, and in the end, sacrificed their town-guarding Divine Sword, leading the Lihe Sect to decline year by year, falling into its current state of decay. Her father’s oft-repeated advice was: Guard against fire, guard against theft, guard against Taixuan. Li Jiujiu’s mouth twitched, thinking that the woman just now must also have an unresolved grudge with her father, right? No wonder there was a faint and indistinct hostility towards her. Li Jiujiu and her companion Huang Ying were contemplating whether to leave when the storm outside had ceased. The cessation of the storm, however, was not a natural occurrence but the work of the woman named Ye Lian, who gestured towards the rainy night with a light flick of her hand. And the rain… stopped. Li Jiujiu was once again impressed by the supernatural ability of Taixuan. She saw the monk Jiachen move towards the door, holding a bowl containing alcohol, first lifting his head to glance at the endless night sky, and softly said, “The moon.” Ye Lian smiled faintly, and with a gentle sway of her arm, she demonstrated a Divine Skill that parted the clouds to reveal the moon. The clouds dispersed, leaving the full moon hanging high. The nearby tavern boy, upon seeing this scene, went weak at the knees, collapsing onto the ground. Jiachen shifted his gaze from the sky to focus on a dilapidated little house across the street from the tavern. Drenched by the rain, the house’s eastern and western walls were riddled with desolate holes, an image of ruin incongruous with the bustling success of the tavern across from it, and it was unclear why it had not been demolished. Thus, Jiachen asked: “Tavern boy, what was the purpose of that abandoned house across the street?” The tavern boy’s complexion changed slightly, his gaze following the question and swiftly returning, seemingly reluctant to respond. Yet the unique magnetic voice of Jiachen contained a compelling force that made the boy stutter unwillingly: “That… that place used to be a tavern too, but… it was small, just… just run by a father and daughter. Three years ago, the tavern keeper passed away due to illness, and not… not long after, his daughter hung herself in the shop, and it… fell into decline.” Huang Ying looked at the small house across the street with a sympathetic gaze: “That’s indeed a sad story.” The monk, who should have been overcome with compassion, instead licked his lips at that moment. A simple act somehow rendered him into a figure of boundless fascination, as he casually said, “I bet their daughter’s red wine must have been delicious, too bad I can’t taste it now.” The tavern boy’s face turned extremely unsightly. Li Jiujiu also looked at the indifferent monk with a peculiar expression. Jiachen placed the wine bowl he was holding onto the table without looking into the bowl as he passed it. He sighed slightly, turned his head and smiled at Li Jiujiu, saying: “Tonight… let’s leave it at that, shall we?” Although she felt that leaving all this chaos for the people of the Taixuan Sect to handle would definitely lead to an excellent resolution, Li Jiujiu couldn’t shake the feeling that her rare outing for cultivation had amounted to little more than her usual drinking and investigating disappearances and she felt somewhat dissatisfied. Seeing the hesitation on her face, Jiachen said meaningfully: “If the lady insists on staying here, she may attract disasters.” Li Jiujiu blinked, looking at him and asked: “Are you trying to intimidate me, little master?” Jiachen laughed, “A monk does not intimidate, this was predicted by me.” Li Jiujiu frowned, but still compromised under the continual persuasion of her Senior Sister, and prepared to leave the tavern. After all, the name of Taixuan was truly the nightmare of every disciple of the Lihe Sect. Exiting onto the long street and waiting until there was no one around, Li Jiujiu and Huang Ying were just about to use Sword Control to depart. But their swords were not yet drawn when they caught a glimpse of several flickers of starfire. “What is this…” Li Jiujiu’s gaze shifted, following the starfire and the night wind, she peered into the distance. Her dark pupils suddenly dilated! Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned into the corner of the street, her expression solemn, she whispered hoarsely, “Trouble at the Zhang Family!” At this moment, within the vast and deserted tavern, only the tavern boy remained, his head bowed, staring blankly at the cup of wine left by Jiachen. In the mournful moonlight, the wine in the bowl was no longer clear, but was tinged with a bloody red! … …