Gu Qiansi clenched her fists in anger.
By now, the group had already walked a good distance away, and had to employ spiritual sense to continue observing the situation.
"Just watch for now," Zhao Yunxiao said, causing Gu Qiansi to exhale deeply.
She, too, knew that for the couple to truly find their standing in the city, they had to stop interfering in the couple's life.
"Hmm? Hmm? What are they talking about?" Lu Zhiying asked in hushed but eager whispers. "Come on, tell me!"
Of the group, she was the only one who was incapable of using spiritual sense, and thus had no way of continuing to spy on Wen Guoping and Jue Qishi. And being the only one who did not know what was going on... that was really driving her crazy!
Jue Qishi fell silent for a moment, clenching her fists to suppress her urge to spit words of insult. No matter what, this was still a senior of the theatre group. If she were to offend him, then it was not just her, but Wen Guoping might also end up losing his job.
"My apologies, Senior, but I am not interested in such an arrangement," Jue Qishi finally said after taking a few moments to calm herself down. "Guoping and I prefer to earn our coins through our own ability and hard work. If things get difficult, we don't mind taking on other jobs at the same time to provide for ourselves. Basically, we do not want to do anything that we might regret in the future, especially things that go against our conscience and love for each other."
"I see. You just came to the city, so I understand that your resolve is still firm and idealistic. But when you change your mind, which I believe you definitely will, know that my offer still stands," the senior smirked.
"Thank you for your understanding," Jue Qishi answered through gritted teeth.
From around the corner, Wen Guoping could not help but feel a mix of emotions as he watched this play out from the shadows.
There was relief.
There was rage.
But most of all, there was guilt.
He had known that Jue Qishi was a beautiful girl and trusted that she would remain loyal to him. However, he had neglected the fact that others would continue to badger her regardless of her choice.
Such propositions were unlikely to stop in the future, which meant that Jue Qishi would have to go through round after round of insults – all because the partner she had chosen was an incompetent man like him.
If he were rich or influential, how would these people still have the confidence to speak to her like that?
He had planned to first find a stable footing in the city before slowly working his way up, but was that really fair to Jue Qishi?
"Senior," Wen Guoping said solemnly. "Taking on the role of Sir Lei He... how much would I get for that?"
The senior smiled. "Come, let's continue our discussion elsewhere."
"Let's go," Zhao Yunxiao said, an indirect warning to Gu Qiansi not to interfere in others' decisions.
Yes, it was a disgusting way to get Wen Guoping to consider taking on the role. However, it was ultimately still Wen Guoping's choice. As was the case with Jue Qishi, he had the option to reject the shortcut that had been placed in front of him.
But unlike Jue Qishi, it would appear that he had failed to resist the temptation.
Perhaps it was due to the male instinct to protect and provide, but it was still a choice that he had made.
From the beginning, their seniors from the Good Luck Theatre Group had never forced anything upon the couple. Even if they wanted to interfere, there was little that they could do except to throw other shortcuts in front of the couple, such as either threatening the theatre group to treat the couple better or directly granting the couple vast amounts of wealth.
Unfortunately, that would probably only end up warping the couple's world view, doing more harm than good in the long run.
Gu Qiansi could only let out a helpless sigh before leaving along with Zhao Yunxiao and the rest.
Yet despite all that had happened, the one who had the most restless night was not Wen Guoping, not Jue Qishi, and also not Gu Qiansi.
Instead, it was Xi Hei – the actor who had just taken on Ling Jiping's mantle to play the role of Lei He.
This was his second night acting as Lei He, and, for the first time in his life, he heard voices in his sleep.
A low, haunting whisper that felt like someone was constantly by his bedside.
A screeching, banshee-like scream that felt like a murder was happening right in his room.
He could not make out a single word, but that was not important. What mattered was how real they sounded and how persistently it lasted throughout the night, making it impossible to dismiss as a mere nightmare.
There were even a few moments when he caught glimpses of dark silhouettes in the corners of his room, causing him to jolt up from his bed.
In the end, he barely slept the entire night, choosing to stay up and protect his own safety instead!
In another corner of the city, there was another group of people who did not go to bed until late at night. But unlike Xi Hei, this time it was by choice.
In the Lan Clan Residence, City Lord Lan Huolian and Lan Guyue sat at the head of a long chamber, watching the many individuals who had gathered before them.
These were all prominent figures of Demonfall. Albeit considered to be beneath the behemoths that were the Lan Clan and Chang Clan, each one of them still headed powerful factions in the city. With a single word, they could easily bankrupt small businesses or even determine the fates of commoners.
It was not too much of an exaggeration to say that they alone could dictate what happened within the city!
A knock came from the door, followed by the announcement from the Lan Clan's servants. "He is here."
"Bring him in," City Lord Lan Huolian answered.
The door opened, and Cai Caoyuan was led into the room.
"Greetings, City Lord and various seniors," Cai Caoyuan respectfully clasped his fists to the various people present. "For the most powerful figures in the city to be gathered here tonight, to what do I owe the honour?"
"It is late and we are all busy people, so I won't beat around the bush here," City Lord Lan Huolian said solemnly. "We know that you have been in contact with the cultivators from the Black Tortoise Sect. All we need you to do is to testify that they have been the indirect cause of Ling Jiping's death."
"Eh?" Cai Caoyuan blanked out for a moment before letting out a wry smile. "City Lord Lan, with all due respect, isn't that the same as asking for my death?"
"It is the truth, isn't it?" Lan Guyue interjected angrily. "I have already looked into it. Ling Jiping has been fine all along. But when the cultivators wanted to perform some strange exorcism, he suddenly ended up dead! Are you going to tell me that they aren't at least indirectly responsible for his death? If you are just speaking the truth, there's no need to worry about the Black Tortoise Sect. If they ever come knocking, the entire city will support you!"
"That's right, I don't believe that the Black Tortoise Sect will choose to silence the entire city!"
"That's definitely not what an orthodox cultivation faction would do!"
"I agree! We are in the right after all!"
The other leaders present chimed in without being asked.
"Saying that he has been fine might be a bit of a stretch..." Cai Caoyuan answered hesitantly. "More importantly, may I know the reason behind this? Pardon me, but I just don't see what good could possibly come from antagonising the cultivators."
"So what if they are cultivators? We might not have sufficient strength to go against them in a direct confrontation, but that doesn't mean we have to grovel at their feet!" Lan Guyue retorted. "Those who call themselves orthodox cultivators are bound by societal norms. As long as we have a strong enough case, even they will find their hands tied when trying to take us down!"
"Take you down? Why would they want to do that?" Cai Caoyuan raised an eyebrow.
"Don't dwell on the unimportant details," City Lord Lan Huolian interjected. "Just know that we only need you to cooperate on this one thing – to testify against them. We will handle the rest, and that naturally includes the renumeration that you will be getting for this."
"And if I disagree?" Cai Caoyuan asked in response. "What will happen then?"
"Disagree?" Lan Guyue snorted before gesturing to the rest of the people present. "You see the people gathered here today, and yet you still ask what will happen if you disagree? Well, why don't you try and find out?"
Cai Caoyuan's eyes narrowed, sensing the predatory gazes falling upon him from all around the room.
Well aware of the consequences no matter what decision he made, Cai Caoyuan took a deep breath and organised his thoughts, before finally giving his answer.
***
The sun had only just risen when Zhao Yunxiao slowly made his way down to the inn's dining area from his room. There, a familiar figure awaited anxiously.
Xi Hei – the new actor playing Lei He's character.
"Oh? What a coincidence," Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him.
He was not actually surprised.
Zhao Yunxiao was well aware that Xi Hei had arrived at the inn more than an hour ago, though he either had no idea which rooms belonged to the cultivators or dared not interrupt them at night, judging from how he had chosen to wait at the dining area instead.
If not because he wanted to complete his daily morning practices, Zhao Yunxiao would have come down earlier to see what Xi Hei wanted from them. After all, this was the same person who, just a few hours ago, had just told them not to worry as he had not felt healthier.
"It's not a coincidence, Young Hero," Xi Hei said bitterly. "I came here to seek your help."
"What? Swallowing your words already?" Zhao Yunxiao asked calmly while making his way to an empty table. "Have a seat."
"I know! I was wrong! I see it. I hear it. Everything I said yesterday, I take it back!" Xi Hei quickly took a seat at the table. "I believe everything about the rumours now. Please, do something about it! Save me from this madness!"
Zhao Yunxiao smiled. "Luckily for you, that's exactly what we intend to do."
As the duo waited for the rest of the Black Tortoise Sect members to arrive, Xi Hei told Zhao Yunxiao about everything that he had experienced over the night, not daring to miss a single detail. By the time he was done, the other three members were already seated at the table.
"All right then," Zhao Yunxiao got to his feet. "Shall we go and, hopefully, get this over and done with?"
"Hopefully?" Xi Hei felt the corner of his lips twitch.
"Well, there are always uncertainties," Zhao Yunxiao patted his shoulder lightly. "Don't read too much into it."
"Do you have a plan?" Nie Hanchang asked.
"Trust me, I've got this," Zhao Yunxiao smirked.
Hearing this, Gu Qiansi subconsciously let out a sigh of resignation but did not speak further.
It was still early morning. Just like the previous time, the group of five leisurely made their way to the Good Luck Theatre Group's shophouse, aiming to arrive by noon.
But just as they were about to arrive, the group found themselves surrounded by people, and not in a friendly manner.
It was a mix of city guards and citizens, but most of them were armed with some sort of weapon, even if it was just a rake or a broom. Not just that, but all of them were showing looks of aggression, almost as though they were facing their sworn enemies.
"Release him!" one of the citizens shouted while pointing a broom at the group. "Release him right now!"
"What do you want to do with him? Let him go!"
"Don't think you can do whatever you want here!"
"You are dreaming if you think that we are going to just stand around and watch!"
Zhao Yunxiao exchanged looks of confusion with the rest of the group before turning back towards the crowd. "What do you mean? Is there some sort of misunderstanding here?"
"What misunderstanding can there be? Release Xi Hei right now!"
"So what if you are cultivators? This is not a place that you can just waltz in and act without restraints!"
Xi Hei?
Zhao Yunxiao glanced at the equally confused Xi Hei.
Did the people think they had captured Xi Hei?
And who revealed their identities as cultivators to the masses?
"I think everyone misunderstood. I am the one who sought their help today!" Xi Hei stepped forward and shouted. "Boss Cai can bear witness to this!"
"Don't even try! We know that you cultivators have brainwashing magic!"
"That's right! We are not going to believe that nonsense!"
"If you are truly innocent, release Xi Hei now! We can seek confirmation from Cai Caoyuan later!"
"No harm," Zhao Yunxiao agreed without hesitation. "Xi Hei, join them."
"Me? Now?" Xi Hei looked warily at the armed militia before them. "Is that safe?"
"Didn't you hear them? They are here to save you. How can it be unsafe for you?" Zhao Yunxiao shrugged. "In any case, we are already right in front of the shophouse. The truth will be out when we see Cai Caoyuan."
"All right..." Xi Hei reluctantly walked towards the militia, who quickly shielded him while continuing to glare at the cultivators.
"Shall we keep going then?" Zhao Yunxiao said.
"There's no need for that!" someone shouted from within the crowd – a person whom Zhao Yunxiao remembered as a member of the Good Luck Theatre Group. "Boss Cai is missing! He hasn't been seen since morning!"
"What?" Zhao Yunxiao frowned.
He was not the only one surprised to hear that. The crowd surrounding them broke into a huge commotion, with the volume rapidly rising along with their emotions.
"Damn it, those cultivators must have hidden Cai Caoyuan!"
"That's right, it must be their ploy to hide the truth! No wonder they were so confident earlier!"
"I heard that some cultivators relied on absorbing the life essence of people. Perhaps the deaths have something to do with that!"
"How terrifying! Could Cai Caoyuan have also...?!"
"Silence!" Zhao Yunxiao shouted in anger.
A wave of spiritual pressure spread out in all directions – not strong enough to force everyone to their knees, but more than enough to shut them up in an instant.
"Watch your tongues!" Zhao Yunxiao bellowed. "Insulting members of the Black Tortoise Sect is a crime that your Demonfall City cannot afford to bear!"
"Oh? Are we fighting now?" Lu Zhiying grinned.
"Get ready," Nie Hanchang answered coldly.
"No, we are not fighting!" Gu Qiansi hushed.
"We will definitely get to the bottom of this matter and give everyone an explanation!" Zhao Yunxiao declared. "That includes finding Cai Caoyuan!"
Silence ensued, though not for long.
The sound of horse hooves broke the silence as City Lord Lan Huolian arrived on horseback with his son Lan Guyue.
"City Lord Lan!" the militia opened a way for them to stroll up to Zhao Yunxiao's group, with a dozen city guards trailing behind.
"City Lord Lan, Ling Jiping's corpse has yet to even turn cold, and they are even openly laying their hands on Xi Hei!"
"The evidence is clear. How can they not be involved in the vicious rumours plaguing the performance?"
"Young Heroes," City Lord Lan Huolian clasped his fists towards Zhao Yunxiao's group.
"May I know what you are here for, City Lord Lan?" Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes.
"To be frank, I came after my men informed me of what's happening. I'm sure you can see what the people of the city want. As city lord, I can only act in the interest of my people," City Lord Lan Huolian said with a sigh. "I really don't want to do this, but may I respectfully request for the various young heroes to kindly leave Demonfall City? We will give the Black Tortoise Sect face and not investigate further."
"Otherwise?" Zhao Yunxiao questioned.
"Otherwise, we would have no choice but to bring in the various young heroes for questioning," City Lord Lan Huolian said in reluctance. "...Under the suspicion of murder, defamation, and treasonous conspiracy against the city!"
"In other words, you will be investigated for crimes punishable by death!" Lan Guyue added.