Meanwhile, on a street on the other side of the market---
Because of the martial law decreed in the market, no one was allowed to walk in the streets. Although the shops were still open, the merchants and customers who were previously wandering around the shops were forced to stay indoors to avoid being detained and interrogated by the disciples of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-
Accompanied by the sound of a wooden fish drum* beating, Yun Xi, dressed in the sect's golden and white attire, walked toward the Sword Pavilion , preparing to check the situation there.
It was said that the sound of this wooden fish drum would bring peace of mind, but right now, she felt like the veins in her temples were about to burst.
After a while, she really couldn't take it anymore, so she kicked Zhang Yihe in the ass. "Damn it!! Zhang Yihe!! Can you stop beating that broken wooden drum of yours?!"
"Ah..."
Zhang Yihe staggered two steps forward before stabilizing himself and turned to look at his Young Lady and Pei Lianxue, who were scanning the surroundings. "But Young Lady... oh no, Third Lady, didn't you say you want to accumulate merits? This wooden fish drum helps accumulate merits."
"..."
Yun Xi's eyes suddenly twitched. She now highly suspected that this person named Zhang was a spy planted by her second or eldest sister by her side. He just wouldn't stop until he pissed her off completely.
Also, not only did she not get anything done when she left for the Dragon House last year, but eleven outstanding disciples in the Foundation Building stage died. Many of them were from aristocratic families, so after returning to the sect a few days ago, she spent all of her energy just dealing with the aftermath, writing letters of apology, and making reparations.
But that wasn't all. Because the Elders concluded that, as a leader, she failed to foresee the events in the Dragon House , she bore full responsibility. Therefore, not only did they deduct her Night Tide Peak 's merit points but also deprived her of her title of "Young Lady of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect".
Thinking of this, Yun Xi's cheeks turned red, and she breathed heavily while glaring at this "Zhang".
"Zhang Yihe!!! You...!"
"Third Miss, please don't be angry. This anger will affect your merits and luck. We should smile instead. Look at me! Hehe..."
Ta-da-
After saying that, Zhang Yihe knocked the wooden fish twice more and said, "Come on, Third Miss, laugh! Then take a deep breath!... Breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out..."
"...You..."
Yun Xi couldn't hold it anymore. She sniffed and leaned on Pei Lianxue's shoulder, crying. "Woaaaaaaah--- Sister Pei, what kind of sins did I commit in my previous life to encounter this thing..."
Pei Lianxue froze, then she quickly rubbed her head with a smile and comforted her. "It's okay. The more merits you accumulate in this life, the better you will be in the next life."
?
Stunned, Yun Xi raised her head and looked at Pei Lianxue's innocent and indifferent face. She couldn't even curse or get angry.
"Arrgh..."
She straightened up and rubbed her face, forcing a smile.
"One trouble after another..."
She didn't even get to talk to her eldest sister about the matter of marrying their younger brother, and now such a big incident had happened in the market.
In this murder case, Yun Yiyi would definitely compete with her for credit. As for Yun Jiujiu, she could be ignored because she was brainless and wouldn't be able to investigate anything.
Thinking about competing with Yun Yiyi while finding the culprit, Yun Xi felt a headache, and then she asked with a fake smile, "Zhang Yihe, do you have any ideas about the Sword Pavilion matter? Why would someone kill so many inner disciples?"
"I've no idea." Zhang Yihe shrugged and replied, "But it's okay, I beat the wooden fish drum all night, and I also asked my senior brother to read our fortune when I woke up this morning. He said we would have great luck today. Who knows, maybe as we walk on the street like this, the main culprit will actually bump into us and be caught by the three of us?"
"Right."
Yun Xi rolled her eyes without saying anything else, then stretched and looked around.
As she was casually looking around, her gaze swept past a small alley next to a restaurant in front of her, and she suddenly noticed that a wooden box placed outside the restaurant moved.
"Eh?"
Yun Xi rubbed her eyes, thinking that she might have seen it wrong. Just to be sure, she pointed at the wooden box and asked, "Zhang Yihe, did you see that box move just now?"
"What box?" Zhang Yihe looked confused. "Did it move?"
Yun Xi felt that she had asked the wrong person, so she looked at Pei Lianxue and repeated the question. "Sister Pei, did you see it?"
"Yep... It moved."
"...Then, why didn't you say so right away?"
Pei Lianxue pouted and tilted her head, answering her. "You didn't ask?"
Yun Xi took a deep breath, feeling a bit tired but recovered quickly, then took out her sword from the storage bag and rushed toward the box.
"You, the one hiding inside the box, I'll count down to three. If you come out on your own, I will show you mercy. Otherwise, bear the consequences."
"..."
"One!"
Boom---
As Yun Xi started counting, the wooden box instantly exploded, and a long sword shot out from the inside, stabbing directly toward her neck.
Hey, why don't you follow the routine?! Yun Xi's eyes widened, and she subconsciously flinched back.
But the next moment---
An ice-blue sword light flashed past the incoming sword.
Ding---
Sparks flew!
Pei Lianxue impassively used her sword to strike down the man's sword onto the ground.
It was only then that Yun Xi finally saw the attacker's clothes and face.
It was a man with blond hair wearing the golden-white uniform of a Moon Shadow Sword Sect disciple. Even if Yun Xi could not recognize his name, she could tell from these two details that he was a disciple of the inner sect.
"Hey!"
"Tsk..."
The man looked at his sword being pressed to the ground while clicking his tongue, then immediately took out two talismans from his storage bag. He pointed with his sword-fingers...
Swish---
The ice-blue sword light directly swept across the talismans, splitting them in half, while a streak of blood flew through the air.
In one move, Pei Lianxue's sword sliced off four fingers of the man's left hand.
"Ah-- tsk..."
However, the man didn't falter. He quickly kicked some eggs and fruits from the stall next to him toward Yun Xi and the others, seizing the opportunity to turn around and flee into a nearby alley.
Pei Lianxue frowned slightly, turned her head to avoid the incoming eggs, and was about to chase after him and chop him into pieces.
But Yun Xi quickly grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. "Sister Pei, let him go."
"Huh?" Pei Lianxue turned her head with a puzzled face and froze when she saw the yolk and egg white on Yun Xi's face. "We're not chasing after him?"
Yun Xi wiped the egg off her face, shook her hands, then glanced after the attacker who had already disappeared. "That guy is only at the Qi Refining Perfection stage, so I feel he's just a small pawn. It's easy to catch him now that the market is under martial law. Instead, let's see where he plans to escape."
"Oh... okay!"
Then, Yun Xi turned her head and looked at Zhang Yihe, who was holding the wooden fish drum in his hand and had an egg wedged into his mouth. She said, "Zhang Yihe, go tell the disciples of the Sword Sect to send enough manpower to surround a five-block perimeter. Have some people check the area from above."
"Woo! Woo...Woo?"
"Spit out the egg before you speak."
"Bah---! Alright, what about you, Third Miss?"
"Sister Pei and I will go after him."