I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 40

Before Xuan Shuang arrived, neither the City Lord nor Mo Xiao and her group made any significant moves, limiting their investigation to a certain area to screen for any Demon Race collaborators within the city.

This investigation truly did uncover a few collaborators, but their cultivation levels were very low, and they did not reveal any valuable information.

On the fifth day after sending the message, Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi planned, as usual, to go to the woods to observe the changes in the demon beasts and, incidentally, to stake out the area to see if anyone like the Black Boss appeared nearby.

Not long after they left the city on their swords, they sensed a powerful and familiar aura approaching them.

“Mo Xiao, it seems Master has arrived,” Zuo Wuyi said with a slight hint of joy. Her spiritual sense was cheat-level, allowing her to detect Xuan Shuang’s aura from a great distance.

Before Mo Xiao could respond, Zuo Wuyi’s face suddenly fell. “Why did he come too…”

“It’s alright. He wouldn’t dare do anything to you,” Mo Xiao firmly grasped Zuo Wuyi’s hand. “Don’t worry.”

Zuo Wuyi nodded, but her mood was inevitably affected. If only Master had come alone, even if the manpower was insufficient, she still didn’t want Xuan Min to come along.

Xuan Shuang’s cultivation was higher than Xuan Min’s, allowing her to sense Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi’s presence a step earlier. Thinking about the issues between her Little Disciple and Xuan Min, Xuan Shuang felt a headache coming on.

If it weren’t for the Sect Master’s sincere attitude and the fact that Xuan Min was the only elder with both time and strength, Xuan Shuang wouldn’t have wanted to travel with him.

“Senior Sister, why did you stop? Did you find something?” Xuan Min’s face was mostly expressionless when he wasn’t around Zuo Wuyi, making him seem aloof.

“Nothing,” Xuan Shuang hesitated slightly. Although Xuan Min would inevitably meet her disciple, it would be better to postpone it for one day if possible. Wuyi certainly wouldn’t be happy to see Xuan Min.

Having made up her mind, Xuan Shuang deliberately took a detour. Without Xuan Min noticing Zuo Wuyi, she led him directly into Nanfeng City.

Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi had both prepared to greet their Master, only to realize that she merely passed by their vicinity and then flew straight away.

“Master must have noticed us, right? The distance between us just now wasn’t far. Given Master’s cultivation, there’s no reason she wouldn’t see us,” Zuo Wuyi said, confused.

Mo Xiao pondered for a moment. “Master should have discovered us. Perhaps, considering Xuan Min was also present, Master didn’t want him to meet you. Master should be aware of the conflict between you and Xuan Min.”

“Xuan Min… I get annoyed just seeing him. Why did he have to follow?” Zuo Wuyi no longer concealed her disgust for Xuan Min in front of Mo Xiao. Anyway, she had already confessed everything, the things she could say and the things she couldn’t. Having revealed all, she was fearless.

“He hasn’t done anything yet. You should avoid him for now. We don’t have a reason to attack him,” Mo Xiao said, unable to help but recall what the Heavenly Dao had told her.

Avoid him if you can. If you really can’t avoid him, as long as one of the world’s pillars remains, the sky won’t fall.

After bypassing Mo Xiao’s location, Xuan Shuang led Xuan Min directly to land at the city gate. After hesitating, she chose to send a message to Yun Yu, asking her to take them to see the City Lord.

When Yun Yu received the message, her expression instantly changed, and the joy in her eyes was impossible to suppress.

“Fellow Daoist Yun Yu, did you receive good news?” Qiu Wu, who was nearby, was curious. It was the first time she had seen Fellow Daoist Yun Yu so happy.

“My Master has arrived. I might have to excuse myself for a while,” Yun Yu’s lips curved upward uncontrollably. “Fellow Daoist Qiu, the task of collecting the Gold Scale Ore is left to you alone. Please be careful not to get too close to the ore to avoid being affected.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already figured out a box that can isolate the aura these past few days. I will put all the Gold Scale Ore inside when the time comes,” Qiu Wu said. “Fellow Daoist Yun Yu, please go ahead. I can handle things here alone.”

Yun Yu nodded, then straightened her collar and chose a fast horse, rushing toward Xuan Shuang’s location. If flying with a sword wasn’t forbidden inside the city, Yun Yu would have definitely drawn her sword and charged.

After about fifteen minutes, Yun Yu arrived near the city gate on horseback. Her gaze casually swept the surroundings, and she quickly spotted Xuan Shuang, who was wearing a dark-colored robe and standing in front of the notice board.

You wouldn’t feel oppressive pressure from Xuan Shuang, but upon seeing her, one would subconsciously become more serious, not daring to act carelessly.

“Master,” Yun Yu’s face was filled with delight. She rarely saw her Master wear robes of this color. In the dark-colored robe, her Master had an unusual air of severity.

“Mm, you’ve arrived,” Xuan Shuang’s expression appeared calm, but seeing the smile on Yun Yu’s face still caused her thoughts to be momentarily flustered.

“Master, Martial Uncle, the City Lord’s Mansion is over there. I’ll take you,” seeing Xuan Min behind her, Yun Yu politely greeted him.

“No need. Leave the meeting with the City Lord to Senior Sister,” Xuan Min said, pausing. His gaze kept looking in the direction Yun Yu had come from. “You’re not here alone, are you? Where are your Junior Sisters?”

Yun Yu was startled, then connected this with what she had heard before. Her Martial Uncle seemed to have a complicated relationship with her Little Junior Sister.

“My Junior Sisters are busy with other matters. They are likely somewhere near Nanfeng City. I’m not entirely sure of the exact location,” intuition told Yun Yu that it was best not to give any specific information at this time.

“Nearby? Where is nearby? Is there no specific location?” Xuan Min was very dissatisfied with Yun Yu’s answer. Did I lose all status in the Sword Pavilion now?

“The meaning of ‘nearby’ is precisely ‘in this vicinity.’ Junior Brother, with that tone, are you looking for trouble with my disciple?” Saying this, Xuan Shuang took a step forward, blocking Xuan Min’s view of Yun Yu.

Xuan Min’s brow twitched slightly. “Senior Sister misunderstands. I was merely asking.”

“I hope Junior Brother remembers the purpose of coming here and doesn’t delay important matters because of personal feelings,” Xuan Shuang warned, not too lightly nor too heavily. She then led Yun Yu away, ignoring Xuan Min’s reaction.

The feeling of being protected was somewhat foreign to Yun Yu. After all, in the sect, she was Xuan Shuang’s chief disciple, and her cultivation was decent. Other disciples, while not outright flattering her, all sought to establish good relations with her.

“Master, is the relationship between Martial Uncle Xuan Min and Little Junior Sister not very good?” Yun Yu asked, taking the opportunity to step half a pace forward, closing the distance between herself and Xuan Shuang.

Xuan Shuang didn’t notice such details, or rather, she didn’t feel there was anything wrong with Yun Yu getting closer to her.

“Xuan Min has a somewhat unusual attitude towards Wuyi. I’m not entirely sure why, but I know Wuyi dislikes Xuan Min, and Xuan Min is not approaching Wuyi with the intention of being friendly,” Xuan Shuang didn’t dwell on the conflicts that had occurred between the two.

“From now on, you must remember one thing: do not let Xuan Min and Wuyi be alone together,” Xuan Shuang’s intuition told her that if those two were left alone, something bad was bound to happen.

“Yes, yes,” Yun Yu nodded, then secretly walked half a step faster, ending up shoulder-to-shoulder with Xuan Shuang.

“Master, I’ll take you to the City Lord’s Mansion. The City Lord has been waiting for you for a long time,” saying this, Yun Yu pretended to casually extend her hand, then unintentionally gripped her Master’s hand, speeding up her pace before Xuan Shuang could say anything.

It was as if Yun Yu’s主动 (voluntary) hand-holding was merely to ensure Xuan Shuang could find the correct path, not an intentional act of intimacy.

It must be said that Yun Yu’s subtle act of holding hands was quite effective. Because in this situation, Xuan Shuang couldn’t ascertain Yun Yu’s motive for holding her hand. If Yun Yu was doing it to be closer to her, Xuan Shuang would definitely refuse.

But if Yun Yu was doing it simply to lead the way, and she threw off Yun Yu’s hand, it would make her seem too heartless.

Yun Yu had long understood her Master’s psychology. She was taking advantage of Xuan Shuang’s gentleness toward her disciples, which was why she dared to hold her hand like this and not let go.

Oh, wait, not letting go forever is impossible. To prevent her Master from avoiding her, Yun Yu reluctantly let go of her hand upon reaching the City Lord’s Mansion.

Before she could fully savor the feeling in her palm, the guard at the entrance shouted happily, “True Monarch Yun has arrived! Quick, go inform the City Lord!”

Before long, the City Lord, wearing a red martial suit, appeared at the entrance. She first glanced at Yun Yu, then fixed her gaze on Xuan Shuang.

Discovering that Xuan Shuang’s cultivation was above her own, she immediately bowed in junior etiquette. “I presume this Senior is the Elder from the Dao Inquiry Sect. This junior is Chu Ting, currently in charge of all matters large and small in Nanfeng City.”

“City Lord Chu, perhaps we should go inside to discuss things?” Xuan Shuang suggested.

“I was remiss! Please, the two of you, come inside quickly!” Chu Ting said somewhat awkwardly, hastily clearing the way for them to enter.

On the other side, Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi, who had originally planned to stake out the demon race, were already rushing back. The reason was simple: they had detected an anomaly deep within the woods, where high-grade demon beasts were roaring incessantly, seemingly gathering nearby demon beasts.

If they weren’t mistaken, the Demon Race must have organized another group to act after the Black Boss and his junior disappeared. And this other group chose not to proceed gradually but directly targeted the high-grade demon beasts.

“The Demon Race must have noticed the changes in the city and intends to implement their plan early,” Zuo Wuyi said. “Mo Xiao, do you think there are collaborators inside the city that we failed to find?”

“Most likely, and probably quite a few,” Mo Xiao said. “It’s only been six days since we discovered the black eggs. If there weren’t collaborators, the Demon Race wouldn’t have reacted so quickly.”

To gain time, Mo Xiao and her group deliberately slowed down their movements when they discovered the Demon Race’s plot.

Now it seemed the Demon Race was doing the same. They probably knew their plot was exposed. They might not have done anything openly, but they had secretly accelerated their plans.

“I think I might be able to guess which demon is behind this,” Zuo Wuyi said, stopping in her tracks. “Mo Xiao, I have a bold idea…”