The group stopped speaking and carefully traversed through the mist.
Zhou Li also heightened his vigilance. He initially thought You Su was much stronger than him, but being blind would undoubtedly limit him in places where divine sense couldn’t extend. However, he overlooked a blind person’s sensitivity to other senses like sound and sll. After this realization, he dared not underestimate You Su again after expressing his gratitude.
Before long, they reached the side of the City Lord’s Mansion, shrouded in mist, only the faint outline of the ancient mansion visible.
"Who goes there?"
Soone shouted loudly from within the mist, and the sound of swords and knives being drawn was heard imdiately.
Zhou Li replied, "Mr. Lv! It’s , Zhou Li!"
Soon, the sound of weapons being sheathed followed, as six composed cultivators erged from the mist, led by Lv Yang, who had been entrusted by Lv Muchun to be the sect leader earlier that morning.
His deanor had completely changed. What was once a scholarly and gentle figure had transford into a cold-faced sect leader.
"Are all these people brought back by you?" Lv Yang asked coldly, supporting his sword with one hand.
"Yes, there are sixteen of us."
"Good, you’ve worked hard these days. After bringing them in, report your nas to the mansion staff, and then you and your brothers can rest while Liang Hong takes your shift," Lv Yang instructed thodically.
Zhou Li nodded, saluted, and led the group forward.
Beyond the dense mist was a side door. Zhou Li reminded everyone to enter quickly and orderly after opening the door to prevent excessive mist from entering; the group followed his instructions.
Inside the door, cultivators were still patrolling the mansion. Zhou Li greeted each as he passed, then walked to a flowerbed. After twisting so chanism, the koi pond in front of him rotated out of thin air, revealing a sizable tunnel. He quickly directed the group to jump down one by one. Then, the koi pond magically returned to its place, blocking the spreading mist.
You Su couldn’t help but admire the City Lord’s Mansion’s well-prepared ergency asures.
They descended along a slope, and You Su extended his divine sense, discovering it was a giant underground cavern already densely seated with many people.
Several of the mansion staff stepped forward to inquire about everyone’s na, and after taking a record, they were led to a designated area to receive water and food before finding an empty spot to settle the group of sixteen. Zhou Li inford You Su of his rest area before leaving.
The group felt much more at ease, seeing so many civilians in the Lucky Cave and occasionally stuck their heads out, searching for familiar faces among the various groups of people.
You Su and Ji Lingruo sat huddled together in a corner where no one noticed. You Su, seeing Ji Lingruo still silent, naturally reached over and gently held the young girl’s slender hand.
"How are you feeling, junior sister?"
"I’m good," Ji Lingruo nodded and leaned slightly closer to You Su.
The two had nothing to say; only their close shoulders spoke volus.
...
It was now the end of the second watch, and the moonlight couldn’t compare to daylight, making the dark mist even more profound.
Every two hours, representatives from the six major sects would take turns, guarding the side door as the first line of defense for the Lucky Cave.
Lv Yang’s dayti shift was over, but he didn’t go to rest.
Although like other sects, he divided his sect’s strength into two or three teams for rotation, whenever it was his sect’s turn, he would accompany them, taking the lead himself.
His grandfather’s life and death were still unknown, and before leaving, his grandfather entrusted him with the position of sect leader, which sparked so dissent within the sect. He thus took action in every matter, hoping to prove himself through his actions.
The night was deep, and eyes could hardly see anything, only the breathing of others was extrely clear. And the benefit of the sightless night was that those foul things appeared particularly vivid.
The evil spirits within the mist differed from those he’d read about in books because the ones he discovered thus far mostly emitted a fluorescent glow, like anglerfish using light to lure prey in the deep sea.
His sword rose and fell swiftly, and an evil spider with a belly emitting an eerie green light lay dead at his feet.
"Sect Leader, the second watch is over; it’s ti to let Shouxi Sect take over," a subordinate reminded him.
"Alright."
Lv Yang sheathed his sword, feeling a bit helpless. There were very few willing to stand here guarding others’ safety voluntarily, most doing so under compulsion. They were likely both worried about sudden evil spirit attacks and eagerly monitoring the ti, wishing for a swift change of guard.
Yet, even when shifts changed promptly, Lv Yang remained vigilant. As he scanned his surroundings, a slight sound of a leaf being stepped on was like a stone dropped into a pond, shattering the silence.
"Who goes there!"
Lv Yang bellowed, and the few subordinates by his side imdiately unsheathed their swords.
In the direction from which the sound ca, there was no light at all, and Lv Yang felt suspicious: could it be not an evil spirit? But today’s rescue patrol had no casualties and had all returned, so how could anyone be outside at this hour?
"Lv Yang, it’s , Wu Cheng."
Lv Yang was familiar with Wu Cheng, recognizing his voice imdiately. As the distance closed, he also heard faint footsteps... it wasn’t just one person!
"Who else is there?"
"Wu Ping and my master."
Lv Yang didn’t order anyone to sheath their swords; instead, he ford a fire spell to light the torch in his hand imdiately.
The torchlight illuminated three figures erging from the mist—it was indeed Qi Daodong and the brothers Wu Cheng and Wu Ping, who had been missing for four days.
Wu Cheng limped in front, his expression calm and steady, undisturbed by his tattered clothes.
Wu Ping walked alongside his brother, looking terrified, trembling all over as if still unable to shake off the fear from his perilous journey.
Following the two was Qi Daodong, his white hair partially obscuring his face, his shattered robe stained with blood, clearly having encountered nurous fierce battles along the way.
Everyone was overjoyed to see these three individuals. Qi Daodong, being one of the city’s top fighters, had his return akin to a strong stimulant, likely bringing much comfort to everyone.
"It really is Mr. Qi!" Guards at the gate were quite excited.
Qi Daodong remained silent, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Seeing Lv Yang still holding his sword, Wu Cheng weakly said:
"My master has slain countless evils on the way and is utterly exhausted. Please, Mr. Lv, let us pass; I urgently need to take my master for treatnt."
The guard disciples dared not defy, so they sheathed their swords, preparing to step aside. Wu Cheng pursed his lips, reached back to support Qi Daodong’s arm, and led him forward.
"Hold it!"
Lv Yang’s voice was thunderous, halting the three in their tracks. Wu Cheng frowned, asking coldly:
"What do you an, Mr. Lv?"
Lv Yang remained unmoved, choosing not to answer imdiately but instead took a step to block Wu Cheng’s path. His sharp eyes roved over Qi Daodong behind the brothers, sensing sothing indescribably odd.
Seeing him approach, Wu Ping trembled more violently, nervously sneaking glances at Lv Yang with his narrow eyes filled with righteousness. Unable to contain himself, he let out a terrified scream, dashing into the crowd while shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Help ! This old man is an evil spirit!"
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