Chapter 72

Mu Yi went back to the city to get some rest for the remainder of the night . His mind strength would be almost refilled after a rest . Nian Nuer was stored in the Ghost King Banner .

Mu Yi felt like he had even better control over the Ghost King Banner . Also, now that Xugui was dead Mu Yi didn’t need to worry about his connection to the banner or anything he may have done to it . Nian Nuer wasn’t worried either and went inside .

If Nian Nuer absorbed the ghosts that were inside the Ghost King Banner, even if she didn’t rise a level, at least, her cultivation would become more stable . In the morning the next day, Xie Miao came back with news from Ghost Village . There had been a huge fire the night before and nothing was left of Ghost Village .

Mu Yi wasn’t confused when he heard that . He already knew it was going to happen . The old woman, the spirit protector, had obviously set Ghost Village on fire . Mu Yi didn’t have much hope for Xie Miao from the beginning . The news wasn’t something outside his deductions .

The problem was that the spirit protector was gone . Where could she be? He didn’t have a deep-seated hatred of the woman . The relationship between the spirit protector and Xugui was shallow as well . They couldn’t have been close to each other, otherwise, she wouldn’t have run away . She would have stayed and done all she could to kill him .

If she had done that, who would have died and who would have won? That was something uncertain . After all, Mu Yi had used up all his mind strength and he was out of charms . Nian Nuer alone couldn’t defeat the old woman .

Nian Nuer wouldn’t have been able to do much if the old woman had wanted to kill Mu Yi . Fortunately, she was scared after realizing Mu Yi had survived . She just ran away . She couldn’t know that Mu Yi was like an arrow at the end of its flight . He didn’t have any more strength at that time .

Maybe she realized it later but by that time Mu Yi and Nian Nuer had already left . They had gone back to the city . She had probably been furious after and set the ghost town on fire . She knew that Mu Yi wasn’t going to let her off easily . Mu Yi had also ruined her plan and stolen her weapon .

Under such circumstances, she would have been really stupid, if she had waited for Mu Yi to come back . Mu Yi would soon reach the second difficulty . It was bound to happen sooner or later . The spirit protector wouldn’t be able to get her revenge then because Mu Yi wouldn’t take her seriously .

Mu Yi wanted to find Su Jinlun more than anything now . If he wasn’t mistaken, Su Jinlun was probably hidden away in Little Frost’s fortified village . Xugui used Su Jinlun as bait to attract Mu Yi . It was different for Little Frost’s fortified village and Li Hu . Su Jinlun was the Su Clan’s descendant . He was an important person in the Su Clan, that was obvious .

Li Hu joined hands with Xugui to steal the wealth of seven families . It proved that they needed lots of money . Looking from the outside, the Su Clan seemed to be hiding something . People who understood a bit about the Su Clan knew that even though they continued to live in Funiu Village they had plans to do other things . It was wise not to underestimate them .

Li Hu was paying close attention to the Su Clan . It was perfectly normal . Li Hu and Xugui captured Su Jinlun . They had already offended the Su Clan by doing so . After they had already offended them, they could put aside all considerations for the Su Clan’s reputation and use the opportunity to become wealthier .

If Xugui was able to destroy the Su Clan, they would have saved some time . However, even if he tried and failed, at least, they still had Su Jinlun as a hostage . Li Hu had those kinds of thoughts so they decided to keep Su Jinlun in the fortified village .

Li Hu wasn’t stupid . He probably already knew what happened to the people they sent to Ghost Village . The old woman hadn’t retreated to Little Frost Mountain . Therefore, he didn’t have anyone to confirm or deny the information . He didn’t know if Mu Yi was dead or alive either .

Mu Yi understood that he couldn’t waste any time, otherwise, they would kill Su Jinlun . He decided to go and see Lin’an County’s Magistrate, Gu Yaosen, before going to rescue him . Mu Yi was sure that, as the leader of the county, he knew about the Ghost Village’s situation . He would be able to tell him more information about what was going on .

He probably knew that Su Jinlun had been captured and that Mu Yi was working the case . If he didn’t know those basic things, then he wasn’t qualified to be the leader of the county . Mu Yi was convinced that Gu Yaosen wasn’t a stupid person . He was doing all he could to rescue Su Jinlun . He was also working hard for the sake of the seven wealthy families who were robbed .

In the county’s yamen, Mu Yi didn’t have to wait, when he arrived someone led him inside . Gu Yaosen had given the staff the order to do so . When Mu Yi was brought to the backyard of the yamen, he noticed Gu Yaosen wasn’t alone . According to basic principles, it was a breach of etiquette .

Mu Yi and the Su Clan had an excellent relationship . Peng Songlai also had to show gratitude to Mu Yi . Mu Yi had come here specifically to help, but he wasn’t the only who needed to see Mu Yi . There were three people in the backyard, one man, and two women .

Mu Yi had seen one of them previously, and he could guess the other’s social status . The man seemed to be around 30-40 years old . His face was fair and clear of blemishes . His eyes were bright and piercing . He stared at Mu Yi after he arrived .

He looked powerful and influential . If he was staring at someone ordinary, that person would have been trembling in fear . Mu Yi wasn’t afraid of him . He looked perfectly calm and serene in the situation . He just continued walking toward them confidently at a steady pace .

People of the newer generation were less strict than the previous, but they still attached importance to principles . This included the Confucian moral injunctions, namely the three obediences and four virtues . When seeing a stranger, especially a man, high officials had to pay attention to their behavior . They also oppressed women . (editor’s note: I’m not too sure what they meant by this last sentence, but I thought I’d leave it in to maintain some of the author’s original writing . If you have any thoughts, reach out to us through discord!)

Gu Yaosen was a scholar . His wife was a well-bred girl . He shouldn’t have made such a careless mistake . Mu Yi’s social status was unique and he was young . Gu Yaosen wasn’t afraid to touch a potential nerve .

At Mu Yi’s age, being a Taoist priest was a privilege . Nobody would really talk about principles when a young Taoist priest was involved, even if there were women .

“You must be Master Mu? As expected, you have an excellent disposition . You don’t look ordinary at all,” Gu Yaosen said .

He was a bit bewildered by Mu Yi, but he still complimented him . He had met Taoist priests in the past but they worked for the government . They were anxious when they saw government officials . They were always hyper-vigilant . Mu Yi had traveled the world, such things wouldn’t influence him .

Mu Yi was the only one who didn’t look afraid when meeting him . It was enough to make Gu Yaosen respect him . After that, the woman next to him took a step forward and greeted him . She had a soft and gentle voice .

“Master, we meet again,” the woman said .

The woman was Peng Song Lai’s daughter, Peng Mi . She was Gu Yaosen’s sister-in-law . The other woman was Gu Yaosen’s wife .