Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 27

“Yes, only those two died. The others have all been confined within the estate, and I’ve set up a formation to ensure they can’t escape for now.”

“Have you considered why only those two died?” Ji Weining pondered before asking, then listed her doubts: “And why was the Linghuo Formation of Qingheng Mountain used?”

The Linghuo Formation was a technique developed step by step based on the Linghuo Art. Like the Linghuo Art, the most challenging aspect of this technique lay in its precision.

“That’s precisely why I asked you to come, Senior Sister.” The matter was full of unanswered questions, and the more Yu Qing looked into it, the less she knew where to begin.

Ji Weining continued with her inquiries: “Aside from visiting my courtyard yesterday, did he go anywhere else? And at what hour did he die?”

“I’ve already sent people to investigate. Please wait a moment, Senior Sister Weining.” Before arriving, Yu Qing had known nothing and couldn’t provide the answers Ji Weining sought.

“Let’s go examine the bodies first,” Ji Weining suggested, turning to Su Jin’an beside her and asking, “Would you like to come along, Junior Sister?”

“Let’s go.” Su Jin’an had no objections and was also curious to see the difference between the Linghuo Formation and the Linghuo Art.

It wasn’t the first time she had brought her junior sister along for such matters, so Ji Weining didn’t shy away from including her. Since her junior sister wanted to see, she might as well take a look, it would be good for her to learn more. Ji Weining recalled that her junior sister seemed to have some understanding of this field before.

Currently, there weren’t many cultivators in Taoyuan Town, and even fewer were familiar with one another. After the events of the previous night, Ji Weining still felt a lingering fear. “If you stay here with me, Junior Sister, there might still be risks. Are you still willing to continue?”

“Is Senior Sister worried she can’t protect me?” Su Jin’an asked.

Ji Weining sighed helplessly. “Junior Sister, I’m afraid.”

Afraid she couldn’t protect her well enough, shield her from all harm and grievances. Afraid she might never find her junior sister again, afraid that her two hundred years of cultivation would be in vain, and she would be unable to protect anything.

Until she had fully investigated these matters, she didn’t dare to disappear without a trace.

“So even Senior Sister can be afraid.”

Su Jin’an knew of Ji Weining’s strength, her unparalleled prowess in the path of cultivation, she was what everyone called a genius.

“Yes, I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you, Junior Sister.” Ji Weining’s hand still held Su Jin’an’s, unwilling to let go, fearing that if she did, she might never see or hold her again.

“Don’t be afraid, Senior Sister. I’ll strive to stand by your side.” Su Jin’an rose on her tiptoes and whispered softly into Ji Weining’s ear.

But Su Jin’an didn’t know how long it would take, just as the gap in their ages seemed like an insurmountable chasm to mortals.

Her tender words struck directly at Ji Weining’s heart. Everyone wanted her to climb higher, to ascend to immortality, but here was someone who wanted to stand beside her. Joy surged within Ji Weining as she replied, “Alright, then I’ll wait for you, Junior Sister.”

Hearing this, Su Jin’an smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons. “There’s no need for Senior Sister to wait. I’ll catch up to you.”

Having reached the Golden Core stage after just a few days of cultivation, wasn’t that a testament to her ability? Though she had started late, Ji Weining believed there was nothing her junior sister couldn’t accomplish.

Su Jin’an reminded her, “Let’s examine the bodies first.”

Yu Qing stood by, at a loss for words. She had long heard that Ji Weining was waiting for someone, but she never expected her judgment to be like this. She could tell that Su Jin’an was only at the Golden Core stage and couldn’t decide whether it was good or bad luck.

Yu Qing lifted the white cloth covering the body. The corpse had not been completely incinerated by the spiritual fire, only the outer skin was burned, with all the flesh covered in a layer of black char.

“Are you certain the cause of death is this spiritual fire?” Ji Weining frowned upon seeing the body.

Yu Qing shook her head, how would she understand such intricacies? “The county magistrate brought in a coroner who said the cause of death was the fire.”

She couldn’t confirm the cause of death herself. She could only recognize that it was a spiritual fire array, but not the actual cause. Ordinary mortals wouldn’t even know it was spiritual fire.

Ji Weining sighed. “The spiritual fire array is likely just a cover-up.”

Su Jin’an stepped closer for a look and clearly noticed a peculiar spiritual energy lingering on the surface. It was indeed spiritual fire, but why was it referred to as the Qingheng Mountain spiritual fire array? What was the connection between this array and spiritual fire techniques?

“Perhaps someone is trying to send a warning to Qingheng Mountain,” Yu Qing realized the issue upon hearing Ji Weining’s words and spoke calmly.

Su Jin’an was now certain as well. “Senior Sister Weining, you’re being targeted.”

Ji Weining had no rebuttal. Over the years, many had kept an eye on her, but finding her in Taoyuan Town was no easy feat. Moreover, for someone to locate her so swiftly, it was likely this person had been lying in wait here all along.

“I see.”

Now that she knew the threat was aimed at her, Ji Weining could no longer stand idly by.

“Though it might not necessarily be a warning to Qingheng Mountain,” Su Jin’an reminded again. To mortals, what difference did these fires make?

“A mere local gentry, if Qingheng Mountain killed him, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir.”

What could it possibly signify that a local gentry seeking entry into Qingheng Mountain was murdered the very next day?

“It’s truly hard to pinpoint the exact reason,” Ji Weining felt a headache coming on whenever she encountered such matters. She was only skilled in combat, her spiritual power with no outlet, and these complexities left her baffled.

Ji Weining finally released Su Jin’an’s hand and summoned a trace of spiritual energy to examine the corpse. Aside from the burns from the spiritual fire, there were also traces of poisoning.

“Junior Sister, three inches below the abdomen, test for poison with a silver needle,” Ji Weining instructed immediately after withdrawing her spiritual energy.

She took out a packet of silver needles from her Qiankun pouch and handed it to Su Jin’an to proceed. The needles had been specially treated by Ji Weining. As soon as Su Jin’an opened the packet, she drew a needle and pierced the charred corpse. Upon withdrawing it, she watched as the needle gradually turned black and confirmed, “There is indeed poison.”

Su Jin’an shared her assessment. “He must have ingested something unclean. Just bring in another coroner and have them perform an autopsy to verify.”

“That’s it?” Yu Qing was utterly incredulous. She had thought they would need to investigate the cause of death further, but it turned out to be so straightforward.

Ji Weining stated, “The spiritual fire array is merely a diversion. Focus on the poisoning angle. The coroner in Taoyuan Town needs to be investigated.”

The previous coroner was undoubtedly problematic. Although the face was charred black, declaring the cause of death without examining other areas was highly suspicious.

“Alright.” Yu Qing conceded, unable to produce more evidence linking her to Qingheng Mountain. It was merely her anxiety clouding her judgment, making her wish to suppress such information.

Ji Weining reminded her, “If they intend to target Qingheng Mountain, the news has likely already spread. We should prepare to face it.”

“Then, are you planning to leave Taoyuan Town?” With the enemy in the shadows and Ji Weining in the open, it would be inconvenient for her to stay. Leaving temporarily might be the most suitable option.

Ji Weining shook her head. “Not in a hurry. Taoyuan Town is rich in spiritual energy, but I will create the illusion that I have left.”

Su Jin’an needed to stabilize her Golden Core in Taoyuan Town, but the opposing side did not want her to succeed and even hoped they would leave quickly.

Yu Qing approved of her plan, as staying alone would likely make it difficult to handle the situation. “Alright.”

A trace of bitterness flashed in her eyes. She hadn’t expected that after all these years, she still couldn’t protect them.

“Then my junior sister and I will stay at the Hua family in Taoyuan Town for now.” Ji Weining had no other residence in Taoyuan Town and had only set up her previous manor.

Over the years, Yu Qing had become familiar with the Hua family. The family had started some businesses and moved into a new house, making a short stay there quite appropriate. “Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Take my junior sister to meet the people I know,” Ji Weining whispered to Su Jin’an.

“Alright.” Su Jin’an had initially wanted to refuse, but after hearing her conversation with Yu Qing, it seemed they could no longer stay in that courtyard.

Yu Qing asked, “Have you set up any arrays in the courtyard?”

Since the intentions of the person behind this were still unclear, it was necessary to guard against anything that could become a target.

“Don’t worry. If you have time, come visit the Hua family for a while.” Ji Weining waved her hand dismissively. She didn’t need Yu Qing to remind her; she had already set up countless arrays in the courtyard.

Ji Weining took Su Jin’an’s hand and bid farewell to Yu Qing. “We’ll take our leave now.”

“Go ahead.”

Yu Qing didn’t want to watch them holding hands while examining the corpse.

It was truly unbearable to watch.

“Some of the food I know how to make was taught to me by Elder Hua Linian, but she has passed away. What remains now are her daughter, Hua Xi, and her granddaughter, Hua Rong, whose nickname is Xiao Rong.”

In the blink of an eye, her granddaughter already had a child. Recalling how her granddaughter had nearly lost her life at Yu Qing’s hands back then, Yu Qing now wanted to repay the kindness by taking in her child.

Returning to the courtyard, they packed up, bringing along the items Ji Weining could teach Su Jin’an in the coming days into the Qiankun Bag. For now, it was enough for Su Jin’an to memorize these arrays. With the addition of some magical artifacts, there shouldn’t be any major issues. Ji Weining shared her plans with Su Jin’an.

Su Jin’an raised an eyebrow slightly. “Senior Sister is so confident?”

“That’s because I have confidence in you, Junior Sister.” Ji Weining believed in her and in the spells her junior sister had memorized over the past few days. Being able to master spiritual techniques to this level in such a short time showed her talent was far from ordinary.

“What kind of array has Senior Sister set up here?” Su Jin’an faintly sensed the changes in spiritual energy, finding it peculiar.

Ji Weining explained, “This is an array I created myself. I’ll teach it to you someday, Junior Sister.”

Most of the formations Ji Weining currently used were her own creations. She had learned the core principles of formations from a young age, never strictly following the teachings in books, and she still didn’t adhere to them now.

She had no idea how many formations she had devised over the years they were as numerous as the inedible dishes she had cooked.

“Once you grasp the core principles of these formations over the next few days, you’ll pretty much understand them, Junior Sister.”

Su Jin’an looked at the thick stack of books, her brow furrowing slightly. “Senior Sister, you overestimate me.”

She couldn’t possibly master all of this so quickly.

“With your ability to read ten lines at a glance and your photographic memory, you’ll learn fast. We’ll deal with the rest after you’ve finished studying.”

“Alright, I’ll follow your arrangements, Senior Sister.”

“Is there any part of your body that still feels uncomfortable now?” Ji Weining asked.

“I’m feeling much better already.”

The ginger soup Ji Weining had made for her that morning likely contained many nourishing ingredients. Though she couldn’t discern the exact flavors, she knew it was far more than just ginger soup.

After organizing and preparing the necessary items to bring along, Ji Weining felt reassured seeing that Su Jin’an was now in good health. “That’s good. Just act naturally when we go to the Hua family. I’ll now erase our auras.”

“Mm.”

With a wave of Ji Weining’s hand, the two arrived at the entrance of Taoyuan Town. Su Jin’an had never been here before.

“This is the place where I first came to Taoyuan Town,” Ji Weining said.

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