"The Buddhist Sect has been getting rather casual in their affairs lately."
Before the pavilion, a woman dressed in fox fur gently stroked a turbid yellow bead in her hand.
Meng Li turned her gaze back, those eyes full of allure shifting toward the steady-looking young man beside her.
"I thought that after the Buddhist Sect finally won their place among the eighteen immortal sects, they'd be more diligent. But as time passes, they've grown lax. Or perhaps... that's just how people are."
Meng Li tossed the bead in her hand and continued, "Jiang Yuan, what do you think? Do you suppose there are rats that have caught the scent and come crawling in?"
Jiang Yuan looked out the window, his tone steady. "This matter should be reported to the Buddhist Sect. Let them handle it, let them investigate. The time isn't right yet—we must remain loyal."
"Is that so..." Meng Li gazed absently at the bead in her hand, then slowly inhaled. A yellow mist drifted from the bead and was drawn into her nostrils.
After taking a breath, Meng Li remained silent for a long moment before speaking:
"The taste of this wish power is truly nauseating. Even stray dogs would turn their noses up at it. After all these years, have you really gotten used to eating this stuff?"
Jiang Yuan's expression suddenly turned solemn as he issued a warning:
"We had no choice before, and we still have no choice now."
Meng Li scoffed at his words, flipping her hand to toss the bead toward Jiang Yuan:
"If the Buddhist Sect doesn't hire you as a watchdog, it's truly their loss. Since that's the case, you good dog—go catch those rats."
Jiang Yuan caught the bead. "The Chief put you in charge here out of trust. Don't betray the Chief's trust."
"Stop being a meddlesome dog." Meng Li closed her eyes, waving dismissively as if shooing him away. "If you knew how to handle things, you'd be the one in charge. You can't wrap your head around things, so stop giving advice—it just makes you look foolish."
Jiang Yuan didn't take offense. After all these years, this wasn't the first time he'd been scolded.
He stood up, looking at Meng Li's indifferent expression, wanting to say something but ultimately closing his mouth.
Looking down at the bead in his hand, he rubbed it for a moment before turning to leave.
Jiang Yuan naturally knew that this so-called investigation was likely just an excuse Meng Li used to dismiss him. If she could really trace it, this bead would never have ended up in his hands.
But...
Someone still had to play the fool, or else even this one bead wouldn't have reached him.
"Wait for my news." Jiang Yuan pocketed the bead, left these words behind, and departed.
Meng Li didn't open her eyes. Only after hearing the door open and close did she softly murmur:
"What a fool."
Jiang Yuan might be a competent fighter, but unfortunately, all he had were fists the size of sandbags.
The Buddhist temples in the Western Ox Continent were mostly under the nominal jurisdiction of the Central Continent Buddhist Sect, but this kind of core Buddhist temple that directly supplied wish power wasn't under nominal jurisdiction—it was under direct control.
And the Buddhist Sect had been collecting wish power for so many years. When had any sect ever dared to come trace the flow of this wish power?
This was just how lax the Buddhist Sect had become—they didn't even know their wish power had been tainted with something else.
Too long a period of peace and safety had made them forget the cost of being discovered.
Every time this happened, it didn't mean it would always continue to happen.
The Buddhist Sect had been collecting wish power for so many years. Now that someone was investigating the wish power, naturally the Buddhist Sect was suspected in some matter, and the method of using wish power was also under suspicion.
Combined with current events—the recent discovery of traces of demons—while the world still appeared peaceful, the heavens above had long since undergone a tremendous change.
The Buddhist Sect was definitely under suspicion, and there was likely some evidence.
Otherwise, who would dare risk the great taboo of causing trouble for the Buddhist Sect? And investigate so accurately at that?
Moreover, those who could and dared to investigate the Buddhist Sect were likely down to the remaining seventeen immortal sects.
But among those bold enough to seek out the Buddhist Sect at such an early stage, there was probably only one—the Mystic Clear Heavenly Sect.
So what if they traced it?
Kill the people from the Mystic Clear Heavenly Sect? Then deal with the even more threatening people the Mystic Clear Heavenly Sect would send next?
The only seed that could sprout and grow vigorously without any nourishment was one kind—the seed of suspicion.
Meng Li sighed softly. Lowly people could only do lowly things.
Turning a deaf ear and peacefully awaiting death might be the only choice.
The Buddhist Sect might not be a good patron anymore. What was rotting wasn't just the other immortal sects—the Buddhist Sect was the same.
But the most troublesome, the most persistent, was still the Mystic Clear Heavenly Sect.
Meng Li understood that she was a chess player on a small board, but on the large board, she was a lone stone that could be sacrificed at any time for the greater dragon.
But she wanted to live. She had eaten this garbage-like wish power for so many years, endured so much, precisely because... she wanted to live.
"Master, important news."
Outside the door, an extremely obsequious yet soft voice rang out. "There's someone claiming to be the grand-nephew of Daoist Yuyang of the Grand Dao Sect. The one in charge received the news and decided to report to you."
Meng Li opened her eyes, a smile appearing on her face. "See them... Invite those two distinguished guests to my room."
"Yes..."
Despite the obsequious tone, the voice outside couldn't conceal a slight trembling of surprise.
Meng Li smoothed her fox fur coat. Her slender, jade-like fingers brushed past her cheek as she gazed迷离ly toward the door.
She maintained this position for a while.
Only when the door was pushed open did that misty gaze begin to shift.
Then even that misty gaze froze in surprise. Two people entered—the one leading wore an inexplicable silly grin, his mouth corners still twitching.
There was a strange feeling of someone pretending to be foolish yet appearing genuinely foolish.
The other walked behind the grinning man like a servant, wearing an expression of lofty arrogance.
Neither spoke after entering, both looking at Meng Li as if waiting for her to speak first.
Meng Li's smile remained unchanged. She actively poured tea, her gaze admiring as she looked at Xu Jin with his silly grin:
"You must be the young master, the relative of Daoist Yuyang, I presume?"
Xu Jin didn't answer, maintaining that same grin on his face.
If Chu Xingchen wanted him to play the fool, then he would play the fool. The two of them had met by chance and were jointly investigating matters related to demons.
It could be called a collaboration between the two of them, or rather, a collaboration between the Mystic Clear Heavenly Sect and the Heavenly Derivation Sect.
Previously, the Mystic Clear Heavenly Sect had made concessions to the Heavenly Derivation Sect regarding the matter of spirits and demons.
If they were purely here to cause trouble and toy with him, then Chu Xingchen would have to be genuinely mentally ill.
If things went awry and Chu Xingchen was just stringing him along, Xu Jin would naturally part ways with him.
Moreover, regarding the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple incident, Chu Xingchen had voluntarily stayed behind to cover the retreat, preventing Xu Jin from being exposed.
Xu Jin had also heard from Daoist Yuyang that Chu Xingchen was reliable in critical moments—this was the reason he befriended him.
Their interests aligned, there were no conflicts, and Daoist Yuyang vouched for him. Naturally, Xu Jin chose to trust him first.
So at this moment, Xu Jin smiled quite dutifully.
Chu Xingchen's gaze turned toward Meng Li, but his smile wasn't as dutiful as Xu Jin's.
[Target: Meng Li]
[Cultivation: Nascent Soul Peak]
[Purple Tag: Brilliant Mind]
[Blue Tag: Superb Acting]
[Blue Tag: Average Talent]
[Black Tag: Wish Power Infestation]
[Special Tag: Demonic Heart]
[Does not meet disciple recruitment requirements]
Demonic Heart...?
Chu Xingchen looked at Meng Li's enchantingly beautiful face, at her gazing up at him.
This didn't look anything like the demons described in ancient texts. How did she manage to appear human?
Or perhaps... was this some other method?
Chu Xingchen withdrew his gaze. Since he'd found his target, he would begin with the first direct probe:
"You're beautiful. This young master has taken a liking to you. Warm his bed tonight."
Xu Jin didn't look at Meng Li's expression. He turned his head slightly toward Chu Xingchen with that vacant, foolish grin still plastered on his face.
[
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