Chapter 59
Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao followed the sound and saw Steward Xie standing beside the wine vat, gripping a wine ladle with a face full of fury as he glared at the completely empty container.
Ling Yunxiao's expression paused for a moment. The last time he came here, there had still been half a vat left.
Steward Xie angrily smacked the vat with the ladle and gritted out, "I specifically set up a small defensive array here to stop people from stealing my spirit wine, but..."
But the moment he activated the array, the wine inside had already vanished cleanly, leaving behind nothing but an empty vat.
Even after all his precautions, he still hadn't managed to stop the thief.
Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao instantly understood what he meant.
Steward Xie looked utterly wronged as he said bitterly, "I don't know what shameless trick that little thief used to steal the wine without even triggering the defensive array."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have only discovered it now.
Spirit wine was extremely difficult to brew. The process was complicated and exhausting, and Steward Xie treasured it dearly.
He guarded it like his life, only allowing himself one drink every ten days with strict discipline.
Originally, he hadn't even installed a defensive array around the vat. But more than ten years ago, someone had stolen every last drop of his spirit wine.
Even after reporting it to the Enforcement Hall, the culprit was never found.
After suffering once, he'd learned his lesson. He spent spirit stones specifically to create this defensive array, and for all these years, nothing had gone wrong.
Who would've thought history would repeat itself anyway?
Steward Xie slammed the array plate onto the floor and viciously rubbed at his hair. "Useless thing," he cursed. "Couldn't even warn me in advance."
The array plate remained silently indifferent.
Seeing how agitated he was, Lou Yuqing guessed the vat of spirit wine must've been incredibly valuable.
After hesitating briefly, she suggested, "Steward Xie, maybe you should report this to the Enforcement Hall. They'll investigate it."
"They can't investigate shit."
Steward Xie collapsed onto a stool and waved helplessly at her. "Last time my spirit wine got stolen, the Enforcement Hall didn't find anything either."
Lou Yuqing froze.
"You forgot? There's already a ready-made enforcement disciple right here." Ling Yunxiao suddenly spoke when the atmosphere went quiet.
Lou Yuqing immediately reacted, surprised. "You..."
She paused halfway through the sentence, catching the confidence in his eyes.
Realizing he already had an idea, she quickly turned back to Steward Xie.
"That's right. Ling Yunxiao can help investigate now. That thief definitely left behind clues."
Steward Xie hesitated. "Xiao Ling, you only just became an enforcement disciple. Do you even know how to investigate cases?"
It wasn't that he distrusted him, but investigations required experience. Anyone would feel skeptical hearing a newcomer confidently volunteer.
Ling Yunxiao pretended not to notice the doubt in his tone and calmly replied, "I can't guarantee I'll definitely catch the thief who stole your spirit wine... but I've already found a clue."
Steward Xie's eyes widened. "What clue?"
Could this brat actually know what he was doing?
Ling Yunxiao pointed toward the ground beside the wine vat and said meaningfully, "Look there. There's a drop of liquid on the floor. Judging by the mark, it was left not long ago."
Steward Xie bent down to inspect it, but at first glance it looked like an ordinary water droplet. He even suspected he might've accidentally splashed it himself.
Then something clicked.
His expression abruptly changed. He leaned down closer and inhaled sharply.
"It's wine!"
The spirit wine he brewed carried an extremely subtle fragrance. Normally, it was almost impossible to notice unless you deliberately smelled for it. But once it touched the tongue, the flavor would explode instantly, creating an unforgettable sensation.
The moment Lou Yuqing heard that, she immediately understood.
The thief must have accidentally spilled some wine while stealing it-or more accurately, it was a wine stain.
Steward Xie's face finally eased slightly as he said, "Xiao Ling, you mean the thief didn't steal the wine long ago? As long as we figure out who entered the back hall during that period, we can interrogate them."
Ling Yunxiao slowly scanned the room and smiled faintly.
"There's no need to rush. Maybe the thief only just committed the crime... and hasn't had time to leave yet."
The instant his words fell, a crisp clatter suddenly rang out from a nearby corner, like porcelain lightly striking porcelain.
It sounded eerily guilty.
Steward Xie narrowed his eyes and strode toward the stacked bowls and plates.
"You're right. The wine stain hasn't even evaporated yet, which means the thief can't have gone far." His expression darkened viciously. "Once I catch the bastard, I'll make sure they regret it."
Part of that was intimidation—to pressure the culprit into revealing flaws.
But most of it was sincere rage.
He had painstakingly brewed that entire vat of spirit wine, only for someone to drink every last drop cleanly dry. Not even a mouthful remained.
That was downright tragic.
Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao followed behind Steward Xie. Six eyes carefully swept over the transparent cabinet before them.
Inside sat rows upon rows of spotless white porcelain bowls, neatly arranged with obsessive precision.
The only imperfection was in the upper right corner, where two bowls had shifted slightly and bumped together.
That was clearly the source of the noise.
Steward Xie's gaze swept across the surrounding area.
Maybe the thief was hiding nearby.
Without hesitation, he released a burst of spiritual energy.
The energy shot through the air like a serpent, violently piercing through every inch of the room. But after circulating through the entire space, it still failed to uncover any trace of a living being.
Steward Xie frowned.
"Open the cabinet and look inside," Ling Yunxiao suddenly said, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.
Lou Yuqing looked at him in confusion.
Surely the thief couldn't actually be hiding inside the cabinet?
Ling Yunxiao glanced at her and said mysteriously, "Who says the thing stealing spirit wine has to be human?"
Lou Yuqing instantly understood.
Right.
Her thinking had been too narrow. Humans weren't the only things capable of stealing wine.
At that thought, she forcibly suppressed the urge to check the answer through the system. After all, her gossip points had doubled in cost now—she needed to save them where she could.
Steward Xie yanked the cabinet doors open with a bang and blasted spiritual energy toward the two shifted bowls.
The energy circled around the porcelain and dispersed into the air.
Still nothing.
Seeing this, Ling Yunxiao reached inside and removed the two bowls, carefully examining the cabinet's interior.
The cabinet itself was crafted from blackwood, its inner walls dark as ink.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
Steward Xie muttered uncertainly, "Could it really just be a coincidence...?"
Lou Yuqing glanced at him but silently disagreed.
Too many coincidences stopped being coincidences.
She trusted Ling Yunxiao's judgment more. The thief was definitely hiding somehow.
Then Ling Yunxiao suddenly reached out and grabbed something from the cabinet wall.
When he opened his palm, a section of pitch-black vine lay there quietly.
"Ink Vine?"
Steward Xie looked baffled.
Ink Vine was an extremely common low-grade spiritual material in the cultivation world. Because it was flexible and durable, people often used it to make low-level rope-type artifacts.
Aside from that, it had no special value whatsoever.
But how did it end up inside the cabinet?
Could someone have accidentally left it behind while cleaning?
The more Steward Xie thought about it, the more reasonable that explanation sounded. The vine was the exact same color as the cabinet interior—easy to overlook entirely.
He casually reached out, intending to toss it aside.
"Wait."
Ling Yunxiao stopped him.
Steward Xie paused. "What's wrong?"
Ling Yunxiao turned toward Lou Yuqing with a strange look.
"What does Junior Sister Yuqing think?"
Both men looked at her simultaneously.
Lou Yuqing coughed lightly before saying, "I think I roughly understand what's going on. This Ink Vine is most likely the little thief that stole the wine."
She poked the vine and laughed. "How long are you planning to keep pretending?"
The Ink Vine remained completely motionless, stubbornly acting dead.
"Don't be fooled by how still it looks. We're probably under an illusion right now, which is why we can't see its true form," Lou Yuqing explained.
"Illusion..."
Ling Yunxiao's eyes lit up instantly.
So that was it.
No wonder.
He smiled faintly at Lou Yuqing. "Junior Sister Yuqing, your insight is truly impressive. You've enlightened me."
Lou Yuqing replied modestly, "I just happened to have encountered it before."
As she spoke, she briefly explained the matter involving the spirit beast merchant before continuing, "The Ink Vine's true form is the Silver Moon Azure Wolf, Yuan Chenxing's contracted spirit beast. Yuan Chenxing was introduced into Wendao Sect by Elder Shi Hua, so he should still be somewhere in the inner sect. "
Yuan Chenxing had entered the sect with Foundation Establishment cultivation, which was why he'd directly become an inner sect disciple.
"Fine. I won't argue with the wolf itself." Steward Xie grabbed the Ink Vine and snorted. "Its master can pay the debt instead."
Then he stormed off aggressively toward Yuan Chenxing's residence to collect compensation.
Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao exchanged glances before following after him.
Qishan.
A streak of cyan light drifted through the air.
"You're here."
Lingzhu Zhenren sat cross-legged atop a cloud, suspended above the valley. Sensing the familiar aura approaching, she weakly lifted her head toward the woman in green robes nearby.
Shi Hua frowned slightly. "Why do you look so exhausted?"
"You have no idea how terrifying raising a child is." Lingzhu Zhenren looked utterly drained. "Zaomo only just took the brat away today. I finally managed to breathe."
As she spoke, she flicked out a strand of spiritual energy toward the waterfall below, venting her frustration.
Shi Hua glanced at her irritably. "That's your own child. Stop trying to dump responsibility onto others. When Zaomo comes back, the two of you can raise him together."
"Please spare me."
Lingzhu Zhenren sighed like someone who had already seen through the cruelty of life.
"What's the difference between teaching children and torture? I'd rather go fight someone right now than stay here disciplining that little demon."
Shi Hua looked toward the valley below, as though she could already see the disciples laboring in the spirit fields.
Then she said leisurely, "Your life really isn't easy. Since that's the case, let me find you something else to do."
Lingzhu Zhenren narrowed her eyes.
"So you came prepared." She tilted her head lazily. "If you need help, just say it directly. Stop pretending to care first."
As one of the sect's guardian spirit beasts, she never involved herself in sect affairs, nor did she take orders from anyone. If people wanted her help, they had to negotiate properly.
Shi Hua smiled gently. "A while ago, I suggested to Senior Brother Sect Leader that we conduct character screenings for the disciples. But because there are too many people, the plan couldn't be implemented."
She paused before continuing. "However, Senior Brother later proposed another solution."
"Strengthening the Heart-Testing Array?" Lingzhu Zhenren guessed immediately.
Shi Hua nodded.
"We can strengthen the illusion component and let disciples voluntarily challenge it. Anyone mentally unqualified can then be filtered out naturally." She looked directly at Lingzhu Zhenren. "What do you think?"
Lingzhu Zhenren rested her chin on her hand. "That's fine, but what does it have to do with me? I don't know anything about arrays."
"Of course it concerns you." Shi Hua smiled faintly. "Your illusion techniques are exactly what we need. Since you and Zaomo aren't leaving the sect anytime soon, you might as well contribute."
Lingzhu Zhenren clicked her tongue twice. "You're even dragging Zaomo into this?"
After thinking for a moment, she finally waved her hand. "Fine. I agree—but on one condition."
Shi Hua looked at her.
"You help us take care of the child."
Lingzhu Zhenren stared at her expectantly, clearly desperate to throw the burden elsewhere.
"Deal." Shi Hua agreed immediately without hesitation.
Lingzhu Zhenren instantly looked visibly relieved. Stretching lazily, she said, "Then I'll call Zaomo back right away and leave the little brat to you."
"No problem."
Shi Hua wasn't worried at all.
The little monkey might torment its biological parents endlessly, but it behaved reasonably well around everyone else.
Besides...
Shi Hua calmly believed she possessed an ultimate weapon.
Honey milk.
A sweet-loving little monkey wouldn't possibly resist that temptation.
"Yuqing is here."
Shi Hua's divine sense swept outward, and surprise flickered across her face.
Lingzhu Zhenren lazily asked, "I heard she's Senior Zixiao's last disciple?"
Shi Hua nodded. "Yes."
She herself had only recently learned this truth. She'd always assumed Lou Yuqing was merely an ordinary disciple. Who would've thought she was actually Zixiao Immortal Venerable's disciple?
And then there was that miraculous inner voice ability.
After discussing matters with the Sect Leader and the others, Shi Hua gradually realized just how many people Lou Yuqing had unknowingly saved.
Wei Houming. Wei Tu. Song Li. The Sect Leader himself...
Even Lingzhu Zhenren and the little monkey had been saved because of her.
Shi Hua unconsciously glanced toward Lingzhu Zhenren.
But Lingzhu Zhenren was completely unaware of her thoughts.
Something in the distance seemed to catch her attention instead.
"Looks like something interesting is happening over there." She raised her chin eagerly. "Let's go take a look."
Her tone carried unmistakable excitement for gossip.
The moment they approached, they heard Lou Yuqing's inner voice explode—
[Shocking! Yuan Chenxing actually became someone's male concubine for love!]
Lingzhu Zhenren: "..."
She immediately turned toward Shi Hua. "Are all the disciples in your sect this wild?"
Shi Hua: "..."
"No. Wendao Sect is a proper and respectable sect."
After a long silence, she added stiffly, "Yuan Chenxing only joined recently. He... probably went astray before entering the sect."
Lingzhu Zhenren sighed emotionally.
"Still, he's pretty brave."
Shi Hua's forehead twitched.
Yuan Chenxing had been a talented disciple she personally discovered. News like this absolutely did not help his reputation.
She suddenly wondered...
Had Yuan Chenxing heard Lou Yuqing's thoughts just now?
Yuan Chenxing: "..."
Yes.
Yes, he had.
But he swore things were not what they sounded like.