Senior Sister Bai Yueguang is incredibly strong.

Chapter 78 Falling to Earth (21)

"Miss Luo, we have to wait until dawn before the city gates can be opened."

Shen Yan wiped the sweat from his brow, secretly glancing at Luo Zai Shui, who was wearing a veil, and thought to himself, "As expected of a cultivator, her stamina is indeed unmatched by ordinary people."

Are you afraid of heights?

"Huh?" Before Shen Yan could react, he was grabbed by the collar and dragged onto the city gate. "Ahhhhh!"

Still shaken after landing, Shen Yan asked, "Do you cultivators fly around like this every day?"

Luo patted him on the shoulder to comfort him: "Special cases require special handling."

After all, she couldn't fly on a sword yet; she only knew some simple ways of controlling her qi to fly.

"So what do we do now? Go find your senior brothers and the others?"

Shen Yan stood on the city gate, gazing at the few sparse lights in the distance, feeling somewhat lost.

Luo Zai Shui took out a compass, a gentle breeze blowing through her hair: "No, I am in the light, the enemy is in the dark. Now, the roles have been reversed."

Shen Yan asked, puzzled, "Didn't you just say you were going to find your senior brother?"

"It's alright, I have spiritual power now." Luo Zai Shui shook the red string tied to her wrist. "Let's split up now."

"Huh?" Shen Yan asked, puzzled. "Then where do we go now?"

Luo looked around the water, her gaze finally settling on the northwest direction where the pointer had stopped. She casually pointed and said, "There."

"Let's go, you might have a hard time tonight."

After saying that, Luo Zai Shui grabbed Shen Yan's collar again and disappeared into the night.

……

"Hey, have you guys heard?"

Shi Ming and his companions sat by a tea stall, listening intently to the words of several traveling merchants nearby.

"Is that what you're talking about? I've heard about it too, it's terrifying."

"It's best not to go to Jizhou these next few days; it's too dangerous."

"You think it's safe here in Chizhou? Let me tell you, last night..."

The man lowered his voice: "The night watchman said he saw a female ghost last night, over at the mass grave in the northwest. She seemed to be sucking the life force of a man, screaming terribly."

Shi Ming and Chu Yeli exchanged a glance, then each took a sip of tea and looked away.

The younger generation found it intriguing. Jian Muyi nudged Xue Xin and asked, "Are there really female ghosts? I've never seen one before!"

Xue Xin had never seen him before, so he turned his gaze to his senior brother.

Shi Ming's lips twitched: "After we finish eating, let's pack up and go to the government office."

Xue Xin vaguely sensed something was amiss: "Senior Brother, isn't this a bit too much of a blunder?"

Shi Ming stroked the red string on his wrist. He could clearly sense that Luo Zai Shui was in the northwest. Although the two did not communicate directly, they understood each other's intentions.

"Don't worry, what we need now is to lure the snake out of its hole."

……

Exhausted from a night of work, Shen Yan ignored the filthy mud and collapsed onto the ground. He had dug at least seven graves that night.

Luo covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and carefully examined each corpse.

Shen Yan's nose seemed to have lost its function; he asked in a hoarse voice, "So, did you find anything?"

Luo Zai Shui frowned, walked up to him, and stuffed a water bag into his hand: "The situation is not good, but it's not too late."

Shen Yan gulped down most of a bag of water before he came to his senses: "What do you mean?"

Luo Zai Shui pointed to the wrist of one of the corpses: "These corpses all clearly show signs of being bound, and they were all abused before they died."

Shen Yan stood up. The woman in the coffin seemed to have endless grievances to express. Her eyes were bulging, and her body was covered with wounds of all sizes, as well as lingering swelling. She looked truly pitiful.

"So..." Shen Yan swallowed hard, a thought that sent chills down his spine, "was this man-made?"

Luo Zai Shui felt a headache coming on. If that was the case, it would be really difficult to handle. The only way now was to first destroy the formation they had set up and then find out who was behind it. But humans were far more cunning than ghosts. Where should he even begin his investigation?

Well, this matter can only be left to my senior brothers for now.

……

"Senior Sister Nie, where did my senior sister go?"

When Su Wusi woke up, she found that her senior sister was gone, and a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart.

Ji Tinghan, who had spent the entire morning trying to contact Luo Zaishui, was also feeling uneasy.

Nie Xushuang was in a difficult position when she was pressed for answers. She had repeatedly instructed her junior brothers and sisters not to be put in danger when she left the water.

She had to explain, "She went to investigate something and should be back tonight."

"What did she investigate? Why didn't she tell us? Why can't I contact my senior sister?"

Ji Tinghan's words left Nie Xushuang speechless. Everyone was smart enough to guess where Luo Zai Shui had gone.

"Wait, you said you can't get in touch with them?"

Nie Xushuang grasped the key point of the last sentence.

Ji Tinghan nodded, his brows furrowed with anxiety: "Not only senior sister, but I can't contact senior brother either. It seems the talismans I sent out have vanished without a trace."

"Is it because the distance is too far and your spiritual power is insufficient, so they didn't receive it?"

Nie Xushuang knew this possibility was too low. Could it be that something had happened on their side in just one night?

"I'm going to find them!"

Su Wusi turned to leave, but Nie Xushuang quickly grabbed her.

"Now is not the time to act impulsively."

The man's eyes were bloodshot: "But my senior sister and the others... I can't let my senior sister be in danger again!"

After saying that, Su Wusi actually had the strength to break free from her grasp, picked up his sword, and rushed towards Chizhou.

Nie Xushuang felt a little tired: "You're going too?"

Ji Tinghan was prepared for Senior Sister Nie to stop her, but the talisman in her hand was interrupted before it could even fly out.

"Never mind." Nie Xushuang rubbed her throbbing temples. "You should go help too. The situation with Shui and the others is unknown. If there is any danger, you can lend a hand. Your master should be able to arrive tonight, and we will come to pick you up then. Be careful."

"it is good."

Looking at the gloomy sky not far away, Nie Xushuang murmured, "It looks like it's going to rain heavily."

A soft sound came from inside the room. Nie Xushuang hurriedly went in and saw Liu Lan sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a quilt. Her eyes seemed to have changed slightly from before.

Nie Xushuang was overjoyed. It seemed that this girl was lucky and had actually regained consciousness.

When Liu Lan saw someone coming, she was so frightened that she shrank to the corner of the bed, hugged the quilt tightly, and trembled involuntarily.

Nie Xushuang lowered her voice: "Little sister, don't be afraid, everything is alright now."

Liu Lan covered most of her face with the blanket, glanced around, and remained vigilant.

"It's safe here. Your brother will be here soon." Nie Xushuang poured her a glass of warm water. "Would you like some water?"

Upon hearing the word "brother," Liu Lan's expression changed. She suddenly grabbed Nie Xushuang's hem, shaking her violently, causing a lot of warm water in the cup to spill. But Liu Lan didn't care about that; she just spoke in a hoarse voice, "Brother...brother..."

"Yes, your brother will be here to see you soon." Nie Xushuang gently comforted her. "Drink this glass of water first, then lie down and rest for a while. You are still very weak."

Liu Lan stared at the water glass in her hand for a long time before taking the now-cold glass and gulping it down. After drinking a glass of water with a slightly sweet aftertaste, she felt like she had come back to life.