Just as the head of the Zhang family was deep in thought, a white-robed person pushed open the door and walked in. He was dressed in a scholar’s uniform and had a sparse beard under his chin. There was a faint smile on his face.
“This humble one happened to pass by the door and heard a little. I wonder if the two of you are interested in listening to me?”
Seeing this person, the head of the Zhang family was delighted. He invited the white-robed scholar to sit down and cupped his hands, “May I know what Mister Fan has to teach me?”
This white-robed scholar was called Fan Ji. After failing repeatedly in the Imperial Examinations, he went out to explore the world and relax. Currently, he was living in the Zhang family’s residence and was one of the guests the Zhang family was providing for.
Fan Ji stroked his beard and said with a smile, “This matter is not complicated. After some sorting out, it will be clear. That Ling Fengzi used the Ye family’s power to criticize us. Because our Zhang family is related to this female Daoist, we also got into trouble and were framed. What we have to do now is to clear our relationship with this female Daoist and claim that we were only deceived and did not know her background.
We can paint it as just that this person took a fancy to our Zhang family’s generosity and took the initiative to come to our house to seek help. The second is to show that our Zhang family has never intended to harm others and make the other nobles believe us.”
“That’s right.” Patriarch Zhang nodded.
Fan Ji said slowly, “There are only a few methods. One is to watch this woman and let her fight in public after three days. The second is to directly kidnap her and hand her over. The third is to kill her to silence her, and the fourth is to let her escape. What the family head is worried about is the consequences of these four methods.”
“That’s right.” The head of the Zhang family nodded.
Fan Ji smiled and extended a finger, “I’ll speak for the head of the family… If we take the first method and let her go on stage to fight, her victory and defeat will be meaningless to us. Most importantly, we don’t know if she really knows evil techniques. If she doesn’t, it’s naturally good. We don’t have to do anything. However, if she really has knowledge of such techniques and it’s revealed in public, the Zhang family will also suffer. Even if we explain that we are unaware and apologize to everyone, the effect will be limited.
The people might believe it, but which noble family or high-ranking official wouldn’t put on a show? If an apology can clear one’s suspicion, then things in this world are too simple. And that Ling Fengzi has the cultivation to back it up, so he won’t speak nonsense. Therefore, there’s no need for us to bet on whether this female Daoist has been wronged. I am guessing what she is being accused of is true.”
The head of the Zhang family nodded repeatedly, “I think so too.”
Fan Ji then continued, “If we use the second method, we’ll strike first and tie up the female Daoist to hand her over. We’ll claim that we’ve been deceived. It might seem like we’ve made our attitude clear, but it’ll seem deliberate. They have only just finished accusing her, so if we capture her, it will seem as if we already knew about it. It’ll make people think that we want to break our tails to survive…
And this is only a small matter. What we’re most afraid of is that the female Daoist will bear a grudge and slander that our Zhang family has indeed colluded with her to harm others. That will be really hard to explain, so it’s not appropriate for us to capture her.
It’s the same for the third method. Although we’re not afraid of being slandered, others will only think that we silenced the other party because we’re guilty. Instead, it will seem like we’re really harming others, causing them to be afraid.”
Zhang Wentao’s eyes lit up, “In that case, Mr. Fan also agrees to let this female Daoist leave?”
“Not entirely.” Fan Ji smiled faintly, “You’re in the middle of the situation and only consider the Zhang family’s involvement, but you’ve forgotten that the most anxious person now is that female Daoist… If she’s really a demonic cultivator, she definitely won’t sit back and wait for death. Even if we don’t let her escape, she will definitely plan something in the next three days.”
The head of the Zhang family asked, “But that Ling Fengzi wants our Zhang family to watch that person closely… I wonder what plan you have?”
“It’s not a plan. It’s just some simple methods.”
Fan Ji waved his hand and smiled,
“Patriarch, you don’t have to worry about Ling Fengzi holding you accountable, because we’re not putting on a show to let that female Daoist go. In my opinion, as long as we don’t send anyone to watch over that female Daoist, she will naturally find an opportunity to escape.
We just need to be relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside and force this female Daoist into a dangerous situation. We’ll let her attack us to escape and injure someone. The moment someone dies as a result of her escape, the ‘fake show’ will be turned into reality and this matter will blow up.
This way, it will appear our Zhang family hasn’t neglected their protection, it’s just that we didn’t expect this female Daoist to be so outstanding and actually break through and escape. At that time, the Zhang family will immediately send someone to the Ye family to apologize to Ling Fengzi. We might lose a few lives, but Ling Fengzi can’t be aggressive anymore. At the same time, these few lives can help us to properly cut our ties with that female Daoist, indicating that we’re not the same kind of people.”
Hearing this, the two of them looked at each other.
“But… if someone dies, my Zhang family…” The head of the Zhang family hesitated.
“Haha, Patriarch, you’re thinking too much. I’m not referring to the Zhang family’s relatives, but those servants and guards. It’s best if one or two butler with the surname of Zhang die. That will make us more trustworthy.” Fan Ji smiled.
Zhang Wentao couldn’t help but say, “What Mister said sounds good at first, but it’s just that you’re taking it for granted. How can we ensure that this female Daoist kills someone? What if this female Daoist doesn’t escape?”
“It’s enough to make some simple arrangements… If that female Daoist really doesn’t escape in the end, it will show that the Zhang family has done a good job in taking care of her. With this, even if she reveals her evil techniques, our Zhang family will have a way to explain ourselves. We already have the right to gain the trust of others and won’t be as passive as now… Remember, as long as this female Daoist takes the initiative and kills someone, the Zhang family will be able to get rid of most of the blame.”
Fan Ji’s tone was neither fast nor slow as he laid the cards out.
The head of the Zhang family and Zhang Wentao looked at each other and saw the joy in each other’s eyes. They lowered their heads and started discussing.
In a place where no one could see, a demonic ghost in the form of a baby girl lingered at Zhang Wentao’s feet, listening to their conversation.
After listening for a while, the ghost quietly passed through the wall and returned to the bamboo hut.
Mei Zhanqing opened her eyes when she sensed the ghost, taking out a sachet.
This sachet was black and red in color, and there was a pile of strange tadpoles drawn on it. There was also a pile of talisman paper that looked like a ghost drawing. This was a spirit bag used to raise ghosts.
She opened the spirit bag and sucked the ghost back. As she rubbed the bag, her eyes flickered,
“So that’s the plan… Hmph, it’s beneficial to me. I can take the opportunity to act.”
…
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
The news that Wei Zifu and Scholar Xuan Xin were about to go on stage to fight had already spread throughout the city, attracting the interest of the people of Ning Tian Prefecture. There was no one on the streets who did not know of this matter.
A wooden platform was built in the city as a place to fight. Countless citizens were waiting to watch the show tomorrow.
However, the day before the battle, something happened.
The guards of the Zhang family rushed out and suddenly start to search for Scholar Iron Heart on the streets. Only then did the people on the streets realize that the female Daoist had actually fled at the last minute. She had killed and injured many of the Zhang family’s servants who were chasing after her. At this moment, she was escaping from the city.
After the Zhang family reported this issue to the officials, the officials immediately assigned guards to arrest her.
This change caused an uproar in the city. Many people felt threatened and quickly closed their doors, afraid that they would be implicated.
At the same time, Zhang Wentao brought a group of servants to visit Zhou Jing. This immediately alarmed the Ye family.
In the hall, Zhou Jing, Wei Zifu, Great Grandfather Ye, Ye Shunzhong, and the others were gathered. They watched as the Zhang family servants moved in more than ten terrified and black-faced corpses.
“Perfected One! You have to uphold justice for us! We listened to your instructions and strictly watched over Scholar Iron Heart, but we didn’t expect her to actually injure someone and use an evil technique to kill many of our Zhang family’s guards. Our Zhang family chased and intercepted her, but in the end, she still broke through and escaped.
Only then did we know that Scholar Iron Heart was indeed a demonic cultivator. In a moment of carelessness, we were actually deceived by her. We thought that she was an expert. Otherwise, how could we let her stay in our Zhang family’s mansion?”
Zhang Wentao’s expression was agitated, and tears flowed down his face. He sounded regretful and heartbroken.
Wei Zifu frowned and went forward to look at the dozen or so corpses.
“These people have all been attacked by the Yin spirits and ghosts, and they’ve been planted with corpse poison. Hurry up and burn them. Otherwise, they’ll become zombies… Damn it, that demoness actually dares to harm others!”
As he spoke, he took out a stack of talismans from his pocket and pasted them on the heads of these corpses one by one. He chanted the mantra to ferry their souls to the afterlife. He was quite familiar with the job.
Zhou Jing looked at the corpses and then at Zhang Wentao, who was complaining excitedly. His gaze was subtle.
However, in the end, he did not say anything else. He nodded and said, “You didn’t believe what I said earlier, which is why this calamity happened. It really hurts me.”
“We regret not listening to you, Perfected One! You have sharp eyes. We are very ashamed of ourselves. We specially came to apologize this time and ask for your punishment!” Zhang Wentao pounded his chest and stomped his feet.
“Your Zhang family has done its best, and there are many casualties. How can there be a punishment?” Zhou Jing shook his head, then looked at Old Master Ye and asked, “What does Old Master think?”
Old Master Ye sighed, “Sigh… Looks like the Zhang family has been deceived. The most important thing now is to find this demoness.”
When Zhang Wentao heard this, he quickly replied, “That’s right. I came to ask Perfected Master Windwalker to help my Zhang family and the Ye family capture the demoness!”
At the side, Wei Zifu raised his head and anxiously suggested, “She is probably wandering somewhere in the city. In order to escape, I don’t know what will happen. We have to capture her as soon as possible. Perfected One, please help.”
Hearing this, Zhou Jing stood up and nodded, “That makes sense. I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I originally wanted the two of you to fight in public and let the people of Ning Tian Prefecture see that this person is indeed a demon. I didn’t expect her to be unable to hold back and reveal her evil technique. She has already proven her background, so I’ll capture her now.”
“Thank you, Perfected One. It’s truly a blessing for Ning Tian Prefecture to have you around.”
Zhang Wentao quickly flattered him.
Zhou Jing’s expression did not change, but his mind was racing quickly at this moment.
There was most likely something fishy going on behind the scenes, but after thinking about it, he decided to turn a blind eye and not pursue the matter further.
The Zhang family took the initiative to show the evidence of the evil spell he wanted to expose. At the same time, they threw down the life of their members and even came to apologize in public. Regardless of whether it was true or not, their attitude was enough.
He was not doing this to deal with the Zhang family. It was just a reason to take the opportunity to cause trouble. Now that his goal had been achieved, if he, an outsider, continued to be aggressive, he would only be causing trouble for himself for no reason. After all, he had only been in Ning Tian Prefecture for less than a month. He was not qualified to make an example out of the local wealthy families.
At his current position, Bill still had to follow some rules… Unlike Chen Feng, who was lawless and could flip tables just like that.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jing did not delay and left the Ye family with everyone.
Wei Zifu activated his Qi Divination Technique, only to discover that there were many traces of evil qi around. It was difficult to distinguish them, and he gritted his teeth in anger.
“This Mei Zhanqing is vicious. She must have used her evil methods on ordinary people to confuse us. The streets and alleys in the city are complicated, making it impossible for me to track her for a while! She has escaped from me many times before because of this plan!”
“Then what should we do?” Whether Zhang Wentao understood or not, he quickly replied.
“I can only check the streets one by one…”
Wei Zifu had no choice.
Zhou Jing however shook his head.
“There’s no need to go through so much trouble.”
With that, he rose into the air with the wind and flew higher and higher. He looked down from the sky and activated his Elemental Vision.
Black evil aura appeared everywhere, as his eyes took in the whole city.
Zhou Jing was like a kite, flying across the sky of Ning Tian Prefecture. After a simple screening, he eliminated most of the options and predicted where Mei Zhanqing could have gone.
Mei Zhanqing route taken was naturally to leave the city. It was thus unlikely that she would specially take a long detour, which would delay her time. Therefore, most of the aura of the evil technique that confused the crowd was done on the way. This way, he could see Mei Zhanqing’s escape traces.
These traces were like an arrow pointing straight at West Gate Dock, which was situated outside Ning Tian Prefecture. It was the exact same crossing where Zhou Jing had stepped into Ning Tian Prefecture initially.
This demon probably wanted to flee by water, taking a boat down the river. It was difficult to track her from there.
italics “Found you…”
Zhou Jing’s eyes flashed as he locked onto one of the evil auras and shot through the air.
Below, Wei Zifu and the others hurriedly chased after Zhou Jing.