bookbashuk Chapter 128 Breaking Free from Restraint
Chapter 128 Breaking Free from Restraint
Zhou Huai-ren did not answer.
This is the most unsettling part: the immortal ship has the Zhou family's tracking runes and identification seals. No matter who it falls into, the Zhou family can track it down within three days and even control it remotely.
But three days passed, and the tracking rune remained unreachable, no matter how they tried to connect.
This means that either the Immortal Ship was completely destroyed, or all the restrictions on the Immortal Ship were broken in a short period of time.
The former is fine, but as for the latter, Zhou Huai-ren didn't want to think about it.
He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the threshold of the council chamber.
Outside the gate is the courtyard of the Zhou family's ancestral home, where a century-old locust tree stands, its branches and leaves lush and casting a dense shade under the midday sun.
Several young disciples from collateral branches were meditating and practicing their inner energy under the corridor, their faces focused, completely unaware of the solemn atmosphere in the council hall.
"I'm going to see Mingxuan," Zhou Huai-ren finally spoke. "He's an inner disciple, and he can mobilize just as many resources within the sect as I, an elder."
"Have him check if Zhang Lin's life tablet is still there. Once we find him, we can confirm whether he was the one who did it."
"What if Zhang Lin's life tablet also breaks?" Zhou Huaiyi asked.
Zhou Huai-ren was silent for a moment, then casually uttered four words.
"Then find the person behind this and make them pay for their crimes in blood."
The people in the council hall echoed each other's opinions. Some suggested immediately sending Foundation Establishment cultivators to White Stone Town to search for and arrest the suspect. Others suggested using their connections in the Patrol Division to issue an arrest warrant. Still others advocated joining forces with the Du and Chen families to petition the Danxia Sect's Criminal Law Hall.
The simultaneous deaths of members of three clans are a serious matter that even Lu Yuanshan would struggle to contain if things escalated.
Amidst the murmurs and discussions, Zhou Mingxuan remained silent, sitting alone in the corner.
She was the only woman in the council chamber, and the only one present who had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
Her mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation was inconspicuous in the hall filled with elders, but no one could ignore her presence because she was Zhou Mingyuan's younger sister and the most talented member of the Zhou family's direct lineage besides Zhou Mingxuan.
Zhou Mingxuan is nineteen years old this year. She has a beautiful face, with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and clear almond eyes. Her long hair is tied up with a jade hairpin. She wears a plain white dress and looks elegant and dignified. She is a typical lady from a prestigious family.
But if you look closely at her eyes, you'll find a deep, calculating look hidden in the depths of her eyes that seems out of place for her age.
She didn't react with righteous indignation like the others in the clan, nor did she wail and cry like the aunts in the backyard.
She simply sat quietly, her hands folded on her knees, her eyes lowered, as if she were mourning for her brother.
But what was churning in her mind was a different plan.
Zhou Huai-ren noticed her silence.
"Mingxuan." He turned around, his gaze falling on her. "Do you have something to say?"
Zhou Mingxuan raised her head, her eyes glistening with a thin layer of tears, her voice trembling slightly: "Third Uncle, I want to go to Danxia Sect."
Upon hearing this, the discussions in the council chamber immediately quieted down.
The elders exchanged glances. Although Zhou Mingxuan was the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, she had never expressed any desire to join the sect before.
The Zhou family already has Zhou Mingxuan in the Danxia Sect, so they have no shortage of resources and connections. She, a woman, can stay in Qingxuan City and cultivate peacefully. Why should she go all the way to the sect?
Zhou Huai-ren, however, sensed a deeper meaning in her words: "What are you going to Danxia Sect for?"
"My brother ran the outer sect of Danxia Sect for several months. Now that he's gone, someone has to take over those shops, connections, and spiritual material stores."
Zhou Mingxuan's voice gradually calmed down, and the tears in her eyes were perfectly concealed, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor.
"Moreover, if the revenge for my brother was truly done by Zhang Lin, then that person is most likely still outside the sect to avoid trouble and is unlikely to return to Danxia Sect."
"I can keep an eye on things at Cuiping Peak from within the sect. As long as his master, Lu Yuanshan, is still alive, it's impossible for him to never return to the sect."
She paused, then added, "Furthermore, the Du and Chen families have also suffered losses this time. The three families are closely connected, so someone has to step in to mediate."
"With my elder brother gone, and my cousin Mingxuan being in the inner sect and unable to personally manage the affairs of the outer sect, it's just right for me to go."
Zhou Huai-ren pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "What you said makes sense, but the outer sect of Danxia Sect is not the backyard of aristocratic families. If you want to enter, you have to go through the proper channels."
"The outer sect of Danxia Sect holds an entrance examination for registered disciples every quarter. The next outer sect Qixia Peak examination will be in twenty days." Zhou Mingxuan had obviously done her homework in advance. "Although my cultivation is not as good as my brother's, my aptitude is more than enough to pass the examination."
"As for alchemy, Third Uncle, don't worry. Although I can't compare to my elder brother, I've been exposed to it since I was a child, and refining a few batches of first-grade pills is not difficult for me."
Zhou Huai-ren looked at her for a moment, then suddenly nodded: "Okay, go ahead."
"However, Danxia Sect is not like home. You should consult with Mingxuan more often when you encounter problems, and you should not act on your own."
"Thank you, Third Uncle." Zhou Mingxuan stood up, bowed, and sat down again.
The discussions in the council hall resumed as the elders began to deliberate on how to communicate with the Du and Chen families, how to report to the patrol headquarters, and how to track down the whereabouts of the immortal ship.
Zhou Mingxuan listened quietly, maintaining a perfectly appropriate expression of sorrow and obedience, while inwardly taking stock of the Zhou family's hidden agents and manpower within the outer sect of Danxia Sect.
Manager Wang of the funeral supplies store has been detained by the criminal justice department, but three others have not yet been exposed.
Among the outer disciples, there were also seven or eight old disciples who were attached to the Zhou family. Although their combat strength was mediocre, they had the advantage of being numerous and having many eyes.
More importantly, Mingxuan's status in the inner sect's Crimson Cloud Peak was enough to deter most outer sect disciples from provoking the Zhou family.
These resources originally belonged to my elder brother.
It was only natural for her to take over, and this opportunity to leave Qingxuan City was also a good one for her.
In the quiet of the night, she had thought countless times about her future and whether she would follow in her mother's footsteps.
She will be introduced to another powerful family's heir in a situation involving an exchange of benefits. The two people who have never met will be tied together. If the other party is of good character, they will have children and treat each other with respect. Her cultivation will most likely remain stuck at the Qi Refining stage forever.
Because the Foundation Establishment Pills were to be used by her husband, and the best cultivation techniques were to be reserved for the eldest son of the family, the resources she could get were always just scraps.
Decades later, she will become another middle-aged woman sitting in a secluded mansion, counting pills and passing her days. Occasionally, she will see her increasingly dim face in the bronze mirror, and then continue to lower her head to sew her son's Taoist robe.
If the other person is not a good person, she will become like her mother and aunt, a tool for their spiritual practice, like a caged canary, never free for life.
That wasn't the life she wanted, and she didn't dare to gamble on it.
What she wanted was to be like Zhou Ruyan, a prominent figure in a prestigious family, the pride of the nation, rather than simply following her husband wherever he pleased.
And then there's that woman who followed Zhang Lin, also from a poor family. She clearly had no connections or support, but with a bit of luck, she managed to escape her fate. Why should she, being a woman, have to obey her family's arrangements?
Yu Youwei met Zhang Lin, but Zhou Mingxuan was not so lucky.
Sometimes she wondered if, when she first met Zhang Lin, she wasn't a member of the Zhou family, and if she could have replaced Yu Youwei and walked a different path with him.