Everything was ready.
After days and nights of hard work, Jian Huan's Formation Breaking Talisman was completed three days ago. In these three days, just promoted to Foundation Establishment, she drew a bunch of talismans—some for defense, some for attack, and some for escape.
After all, more talismans never weigh you down, right? It's best if they can be used, but if not, they can always be sold!
The two of them tidied up their equipment and prepared everything before stepping out of the bathhouse.
It was already evening outside. They walked together, passing by a courtyard of puppet people without interfering with each other.
Jian Huan wore a 'new' dress, a fresh lotus pink, like the peach blossoms fluttering in the courtyard.
This dress was taken from Qi Wan's personal maidservant, the one who asked Qi Wan every morning if she wanted a spiritual bath.
Naturally, a personal maidservant's treatment is better than other servants', and the fabric of her clothes is quite good.
She and Jian Huan are about the same age, and the colors of her clothes are very youthful—lotus pink, rouge red, and tender yellow, different from Qi Wan's.
That day at the Jiang residence, it was clear that Qi Wan was a mature and charming beauty, with a wardrobe full of vibrant colors like deep red and royal purple, not matching Jian Huan's style.
Of course, it's not just about style. She knew the maidservant had to wear that dress every day, but she didn't know which one Qi Wan would choose.
Even though 'Qi Wan' wasn't there, if she took the wrong one and something unpredictable happened, it would be a loss.
So Jian Huan had to reluctantly turn to other girls' wardrobes.
Not only that, but she also picked out a lot of jewelry. Now she could wear a golden hairpin and beautiful earrings.
Jian Huan was very satisfied.
So much so that on the eve of using the Formation Breaking Talisman to leave, she felt a faint sense of reluctance.
She turned her head, and the silver thread pendant of the golden hairpin on her bun trembled: "To be honest, I quite like it here."
Although in these nearly twenty days, she could only talk to Shen Jizhi, and Shen Jizhi was a man who seemed to be dying if he spoke more than a few words.
But no matter what, these days were the most comfortable she had experienced since she crossed into the book.
Shen Jizhi, feeling the surging spiritual power in his dantian, gently nodded: "It's indeed quite good."
Jian Huan reached up to touch the hairpin on her head, her eyebrows full of smiles: "Hey, how's your Mustard Seed Pouch? Is it full?"
The good stuff from the alchemy room and the warehouse was divided equally between them.
But for the rest, they searched for their own treasures.
This whole mansion's treasures, as long as they didn't affect the plot, could be taken freely. Hers was already full, full to the brim.
Shen Jizhi, who also had new clothes to wear, modestly nodded: "Almost."
After thinking for a moment, he added: "The most valuable are actually those boxes."
The spirit herbs and flowers in the boxes were not comparable to the gold and silver treasures in the warehouse.
Gold and silver are valuable to ordinary people, but when converted to spirit stones, they are not very cost-effective.
After all, ten taels of gold can only be exchanged for one spirit stone.
For some reason, in this large old mansion, no matter how they searched, they couldn't find a place where spirit stones and spirit artifacts were kept.
Jian Huan guessed: "Jiang Cheng and Qi Wan probably carry them in their Mustard Seed Pouches."
Shen Jizhi sighed silently.
The two of them walked past the ancient and elegant corridors and arrived at the main...
courtyard.
In the main courtyard stood a hundred-year-old ginkgo tree, with a red lantern hanging from its trunk. But inside the red lantern was not a candle flame, but a large night pearl.
At night, the night pearl emitted a soft light, illuminating the surroundings.
But ten days ago, Shen Jizhi took the night pearl away.
Whether the night pearl would light up or not, as long as the path was there, the puppet people could walk with their eyes closed. The night pearl, whether it was there or not, made no difference.
The two of them walked past the ginkgo tree without looking, entering Jiang Cheng and Qi Wan's bedroom.
In front of the bed with the messy quilt, Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi exchanged a glance.
Jian Huan held a talisman between her fingers, she pursed her lips slightly, and whispered: "Are you ready?"
Shen Jizhi nodded, the plain snow sword in his long fingers.
"Okay," Jian Huan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, no longer joking, showing a serious expression, "Then let's go?"
Shen Jizhi: "Mm."
Just as he was about to raise his guard to the highest level, Jian Huan suddenly said: "Hey, wait!"
Shen Jizhi was startled by her, his heartbeat quickened: "What is it?"
Jian Huan reached up, took off the golden hairpin and earrings from her head, and put them in her Mustard Seed Pouch, explaining to him: "Nothing, I'm just afraid they might get lost."
Shen Jizhi: "……"
Ten days had passed since Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi disappeared, and Baili Dao felt he was becoming more and more like a night soil worker.
He had become very familiar with this area.
So much so that he knew that the Wang family next door might be suffering from constipation recently, the Zhou family on another street had diarrhea, and the Yang family on another street had eaten corn today...
In the quiet midnight, Baili Dao pulled a full cart of night soil and walked on the empty streets.
Leaving the city still required passing the Spirit Testing Stone, and every night he encountered several patrols of guards.
How come ten days had passed and the Jiang residence hadn't relaxed their vigilance?
Baili Dao couldn't help but feel anxious, thinking of what Jian Huan had told him.
It was the night before the wedding banquet, in Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi's inn room.
"If Shen Jizhi and I haven't come out of the Jiang residence in three days, then we're in trouble, you should leave as soon as possible and find Elder Yu Qing," Jian Huan said as she drew talismans, "If the Jiang residence reacts slowly, you can naturally slip away, but if they react quickly and block you in Yujiang City, don't rush to leave."
Baili Dao sat next to Jian Huan, seriously asking: "Why? If I leave early to get help, wouldn't I be able to save you and Shen Jizhi?"
Jian Huan hesitated, gave Baili Dao a subtle look, and said: "I'm not asking you to get help."
She still felt that asking Baili Dao to get help was unrealistic.
Baili Dao was confused: "Ah?"
Jian Huan said seriously: "Your goal is not to get help for us. You should first save your own life, then leave, and then tell Elder Yu Qing about this incident, so that Elder Yu Qing can take revenge. Most importantly, you should burn paper money for me during festivals."
She counted on her fingers: "New Year's, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, and even May Day..."
Shen Jizhi, who was wiping his snow sword by the window, suddenly spoke: "May Day for what?"
Jian Huan was interrupted and looked at him unhappily: "Labor Day."
"?" Shen Jizhi, "You made that up?"
Jian Huan nodded perfunctorily and continued: "And Children's Day, Qixi Festival..."
Shen Jizhi paused again: "Qixi Festival?"
...
Repeatedly interrupted, Jian Huan glanced over impatiently: "What, can't I celebrate Qixi Festival in the underworld?"
Shen Jizhi: "。"
Jian Huan listed all the festivals throughout the year and then asked Baili Dao: "Do you understand? My meaning is, you should first save yourself, don't rush to get help for me. So if the city gate is tightly guarded, you should be patient in Yujiang City, waiting for a year or half a year if necessary. Okay?"
Baili Dao suddenly raised his head, his lips trembling slightly, his bronze face full of gratitude: "Okay, I understand, Jian Huan, you're worried about me."
Jian Huan paused for a moment, wanting to say that she was actually worried that he would rush to leave the city and end up caught, leaving her with no one to burn paper money for her after her death.
But eventually, she could only say: "Yes, I'm worried about you... In short, don't rush to leave the city, look for an opportunity, look for an opportunity!"
Baili Dao nodded seriously.
Jian Huan was also worried that the opportunity Baili Dao found would be a death trap, so she decided to cut it short: "In this way, if the city gate is tightly guarded, you should stay in Yujiang City for at least three months. After three months, you can think about leaving, okay?"
At that time, Baili Dao agreed.
But now, he thought about it and felt he couldn't do that.
If he really stayed in Yujiang City for three months, everything would be too late.
He couldn't let Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi be in danger.
He had to find an opportunity to leave early.
Baili Dao sold a cart of night soil to a farmer, pulled the empty cart back, and on the way, he ran into Zhao Shi.
Zhao Shi was also a night soil collector, and the two had met seven days ago and got along well.
The peasant who bought Baili Dao's night soil was introduced by Zhao Shi.
In the early morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten, far away there was a house with two large lanterns hanging in front. The candles inside the lanterns had been burning for some time, now slightly dim.
Two men pulled a night soil cart, walking side by side towards the direction of the lanterns.
"How was your night? How many buckets of night soil did you collect?" Zhao Shi asked, having finished his own work, he chatted with Baili Dao, "I did pretty well tonight, collected a total of twenty-three buckets."
Baili Dao replied, "I collected a bit more than you, forty-one buckets."
"You're strong, running back and forth through several streets doesn't tire you out," the slender Zhao Shi said, patting his own waist, "I'm not like that, my back and legs are sore."
Baili Dao sincerely advised, "After you wake up in the afternoon, do some more running around, stretch your muscles, and you'll feel much better."
Zhao Shi waved his hand, "Forget it, I can't do that. By the way, do you want to go to Azure Dragon City with me to try our luck?"
Baili Dao's heart skipped a beat.
He had just been thinking about finding a chance to leave the city, could this be the opportunity?
Zhao Shi had been thinking about this for a long time, but being unfamiliar with the place, he didn't dare to go alone.
If he could bring along Baili Dao, Zhao Shi wouldn't be afraid.
Baili Dao was sturdy and big, no one would dare to bully him.
"I heard that in Azure Dragon City, you only need to run through one street at night to collect over thirty buckets of night soil. If you run two streets, that's over sixty buckets!" Zhao Shi compared, "Look at Yujiang City, the city is big, but there aren't that many people living here, just a few in one street."
"There's no hope," he said, "Why don't we go to Azure Dragon City together? They pay more for collecting night soil than in Yujiang City."
Baili Dao held his breath: "How do we go?"
"Isn't it simple?" Zhao Shi said matter-of-factly, "Tomorrow afternoon, we just throw our bundles over our shoulders, pull the night soil cart, and head straight out of the city gate towards Azure Dragon City."
Baili Dao hesitated: "But the city gate is under strict surveillance lately, everyone has to pass through the Spirit Testing Stone..."
Zhao Shi shrugged: "What does that broken stone have to do with us? Those people are noble, they look down on people like us... If we accidentally get splashed with night soil, those people would want us to scram as soon as possible, let alone let us touch that stone..."
In the darkness, Baili Dao's big eyes, like copper bells, gradually lit up.
Compared to leaving the city with Zhao Shi, he thought of a better method.
He wanted Zhao Shi to take him out.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
A sound of flowing water came from deep within, one beat after another, inexplicably making one's heart flutter.
After using a Talisman that combined a teleportation charm with old runes, Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi appeared here.
Shen Jizhi's sword control was steady, Jian Huan lightly jumped off the sword, while sticking an Invisibility Talisman on herself, she whispered very softly: "You're quite good at controlling the sword."
"Not bad," Shen Jizhi said indifferently, not taking it to heart, giving off an air of a hermit.
He stuck an Invisibility Talisman on himself while thinking.
During those meditation sessions, he didn't have much to circulate inside him, most of the time he was reciting various incantations.
The Sword Control Incantation, he could recite it from front to back, from back to front, from the middle to the sides, from the sides to the middle.
So really, there was nothing difficult about it.
Jian Huan glanced at him, feeling he was showing off.
She shook her head, gathered her thoughts, and looked around.
This place should be an underground palace, they were currently in the middle platform between the front and back sections of stone steps.
Surrounding them were tightly sealed stone walls, the lamp brackets on the walls flickered with blue flames.
Below each lamp bracket stood a skeleton, dressed in dusty armor, some holding swords, some carrying knives, some bare-handed, guarding here.
The sound of water came from far below the underground palace.
Jian Huan: "Shall we go down?"
Shen Jizhi: "Yes."
After a pause, Jian Huan said: "You go first, I'll cover the rear."
Hearing this, Shen Jizhi started to walk down.
In invisible state, there was no sound of footsteps.
Even though they had already started to move downwards, he asked: "Why?"
Jian Huan stretched out her hand to feel, vaguely touching a person's back, before she felt reassured to move down: "Because I'm more fragile."
Shen Jizhi: "?"
"Shen Jizhi," Jian Huan reminded him, "You have to protect me well, after all, I'm your creditor."
Shen Jizhi: "……"
He was invisible, she couldn't see him, and he didn't speak, Jian Huan couldn't help but ask: "Did you hear me?"
Shen Jizhi: "……I heard."
The skeletons on both sides of the stone steps made people feel uneasy, Jian Huan said again: "Then……"
Shen Jizhi: "I guarantee you'll die after me, okay?"
Jian Huan finally smiled: "Okay!"
After a moment of silence, Jian Huan whispered again: "But let's try not to die, it's a pity to lose the Mustard Seed Pouch that we worked so hard to fill."
Shen Jizhi replied: "Then don't talk."
Jian Huan: "……Oh."
For a long time, there was silence.
These stone steps going downwards seemed to never end.
Jian Huan walked with her head down, and as she walked, she would sometimes walk faster, as she didn't know how far ahead Shen Jizhi was.
But every time she walked faster, she would soon bump into a warm wall.
Knowing it was him, she felt a bit more at ease and walked slower.
In this isolated underground palace, it seemed that even time was cut off from the outside world, making people lose their sense of time.
Jian Huan counted seconds in her heart, but in the end, she got confused.
She had no idea how long they had been in there, was it fifteen minutes? Half an hour?
...
Anyway, it wasn't an hour.
Jian Huan's Talisman technique had improved, the duration of the Invisibility Talisman she drew had increased to an hour.
And now, she and he were still invisible, not having changed the Talisman.
Just as she was thinking this, Jian Huan saw the figure in front of her suddenly appear.
The silver-white snow sword hung at his waist, giving off a cold light.
He wore new clothes 'borrowed' from a male cultivator.
The base was white, with azure patterns embroidered on the collar, cuffs, hem, and waist, and a large bamboo leaf pattern on the back, giving him a scholarly air.
Shen Jizhi took out an Invisibility Talisman from his bosom, finding only three left.
He turned around: "Give me a few more."
They had agreed that in this place, Jian Huan would provide Invisibility Talismans for free, not charging.
This was cooperation.
Jian Huan took out a handful and handed them to him.
Shen Jizhi took them, a bit surprised, glanced at her: "?"
Jian Huan raised her eyebrows, looking inquiring: "??"
Shen Jizhi glanced at her again.
Jian Huan raised her eyebrows again.
Shen Jizhi: "……"
He looked into the depths, his ears twitching slightly, softly reminded: "We should be nearing the bottom soon."
Jian Huan nodded, touched her ears, indicating she had also heard.
Shen Jizhi: "……"
He hesitated to speak: "You……"
Jian Huan put her index finger to her lips, then pinched her tightly closed mouth with her thumb and index finger, and waved her hand, expressing her attitude.
No talking, because, don't want to die.
Shen Jizhi: "……"
He had just found her noisy. But now, he felt like he had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own foot.
The further down they went, the more obvious the sound of dripping water became.
Gradually, the sound of conversation came from far below, still a bit distant, vague and unclear about what was being said.
The two walked more cautiously, and at the final turn, Jian Huan reached out, touched the person's back, and wrote on it: "Wait, listen."
Unable to, the Yuanying stage could transmit sound to the ear, they couldn't speak, so they could only communicate like this.
Because of her action, a slight tingling sensation spread across the back.
This tingling seemed to penetrate into the bones and flesh, wandering through the limbs and body, an indescribable discomfort.
Shen Jizhi's body stiffened instantly.
After a while, he understood what she was writing.
Shen Jizhi also had the same idea as her, it was best to wait until the people below had left before going down, which was safer and more prudent.
So the two stopped here, listening intently.
It was a very gentle female voice, instructing the servants: "Be careful when lifting, don't knock or bump into anything."
Jian Huan frowned, she had heard this voice before.
Sure enough, the next moment someone replied: "Yes, Miss Bing Lian."
"Little Wu, put this here. Wang Fu, put yours there." Bing Lian instructed one by one, "Don't put them in the wrong place."
The two men responded, and the sound of water rippling followed, as if something was being placed into the water.
No more conversation below, everyone was doing their own thing, for a while only the sound of rippling water continued.
Until another set of footsteps approached from a distance.
“Miss Bing Lian, you're here!” The man's voice called out, “Madam Qi Wan has sent me to fetch you to her place.”
Shen Jizhi's brows twitched slightly. The speaker was Qing Bai.
Bing Lian: “Alright, I'll head over once I finish here. Do you know why Madam Qi Wan needs me?”
Qing Bai shook his head, then added after a moment’s thought, “But it seems Madam Qi Wan is drunk again.”
Bing Lian didn't say anything more.
Qing Bai approached closer, and his tone carried a hint of flattery: “Oh, this year's selection has already started?”
Bing Lian: “Yes, everyone has made their choices and paid, I informed Madam Qi Wan last night, and she said to proceed.”
Qing Bai: “This year seems not as good as last year, only six dual-spirit roots. Last year there were more, it seems.”
“Thirteen,” Bing Lian smiled, “Dual-spirit roots are not that common, out of all the children in a city in a year, there are only a few.”
Qing Bai: “Indeed, and families with dual-spirit roots keep a tight watch, not easy to get one. Speaking of which, single-spirit roots are the rarest, I’ve never seen a child with one here.”
“Single-spirit roots are always hard to come by, there have only been a few over the years,” Bing Lian didn't want to dwell on the topic, changing it instead, “By the way, have you found that blade cultivator yet?”
At this, Jian Huan perked up her ears, her heart in her throat.
Qing Bai’s tone turned bitter: “No, I don’t know where this person is hiding, no matter how hard we look, we can’t find him. I’ve been so worried lately that I can’t sleep.”
Bing Lian consoled: “Keep looking carefully, as long as he’s in the city, you’ll find him.”
“I know, I lead the patrols personally every day,” Qing Bai said, “Speaking of which, I’ve always been worried that Madam Qi Wan would blame me for this. But she didn’t say anything, just told me to leave, and I didn’t dare to ask more. I feel like…”
He spoke very softly, only for the two of them to hear: “Madam Qi Wan doesn’t seem to care much about this matter…”
“Madam Qi Wan’s mental state has been deteriorating over the years, she’s been abusing the Love Potion, affecting others and herself,” Bing Lian hesitated, but finally said, “This is not something we can discuss, our task is to assist Madam Qi Wan, let’s not bring this up again.”
Qing Bai: “I understand.”
The conversation shifted to normal, Bing Lian said, “It’s about time, let’s go… This way, I’ll head to Madam Qi Wan’s, it’s closer.”
With these words, Bing Lian led a group of people away, their footsteps getting closer and closer.
Jian Huan, who had been scratching her head wondering what would come after ‘I feel like,’ felt her heart skip a beat.
She touched Shen Jizhi’s back, writing a sharp, hasty word: “Go!”
The corridor here was not wide, if they met Bing Lian’s group head-on, physical contact would be inevitable, and they would be discovered!
They had to descend before Bing Lian arrived, to hide nearby.
Almost as soon as Jian Huan finished writing the word ‘Go,’ Shen Jizhi reached out lightning-fast, grabbing her slender wrist.
His fingertips were cold, like ice that had been held for a long time.
Jian Huan was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and didn’t pull away.
She was afraid of accidentally touching something around them.
Shen Jizhi applied force with his hand, pulling her behind him.
He bent down, his other hand gripping her knee, lifting Jian Huan onto his back.
Shen Jizhi didn’t linger, leaping down three stone steps at once, quickly reaching the bottom.
His eyes scanned the surroundings, and he hid Jian Huan in a concealed spot.
Jian Huan looked around the layout of the hall, her pupils unconsciously widening.
She didn’t want to look anymore, quickly closing her eyes and burying her face in Shen Jizhi’s broad back, waiting quietly for Bing Lian’s group to leave.
