This statement carried some weight, and Mo Qi looked at Xing Mian carefully for a few moments, trying to discern if there was any jest in his words.
However, Xing Mian appeared quite serious. "There is an opportunity right before us. Our tier has two chances to gain experience in Bei Luzhou. If we perform well, we can ascend to the Divine Realm."
No way?
Mo Qi felt as though he were dreaming. He had already planned to visit Bei Luzhou, and now there was a bonus gift. This was an unexpected delight!
Recently, he had experienced pain within his body. Using his divine sense to probe internally, he had indeed discovered the presence of the Gu. It was causing turmoil in his sea of consciousness, inflicting agonizing pain. He had tried to hunt it down with his Earth Arrow, but the thing suddenly vanished again.
This made him extremely annoyed and also very worried.
After much thought, he decided he had to go to Bei Luzhou.
"Are you going?" Seeing Mo Qi's long silence, Xing Mian pressed.
"Yes, such a good opportunity, of course, I must try. So, after I get there, what will I need to do?" Mo Qi asked.
"That is for you to decide. Your choice is your future. Or rather, once you arrive, your heart will guide your direction," Xing Mian said enigmatically.
Mo Qi pouted. Every time they parted, he played the deep and mysterious card with him!
"You can also recommend one more person to go," Xing Mian continued.
"Are there any conditions?" Mo Qi immediately inquired.
"There are no conditions. It's just that the teleportation array can only send two people at a time."
This put Mo Qi in a difficult position. If there were conditions, he could specify someone based on them.
But without conditions, there were too many potential candidates.
After a round of complex screening, two people remained in his mind: Lu Xiaoyue and Xue Nu.
Who should he choose?
After Xing Mian finished his instructions, he left.
Just then, Xue Nu arrived. Recently, she had been coming almost every day.
She would always bring with her problems, big or small, that couldn't be solved – perhaps a neighbor's cat had gone missing, or a family was being troubled by a demon, or two people, Zhang San and Li Si, were fighting and couldn't resolve their dispute...
Mo Qi would always offer her solutions or refer the matters to other tiers for handling.
And today, Xue Nu had come to him to report a very, very troublesome situation.
A family in Xinshan City had reported that their house was being haunted by a demon.
Xue Nu had immediately taken a group of people there.
After understanding the situation, they learned that the family had a son named Yun Dong. Yun Dong had brought a woman back from outside, and they spent their days together. A few days later, Yun Dong fell gravely ill.
The woman, named Xiao Rou, did not idle around when Yun Dong fell ill. She then approached another son of the Yun family, Yun Long, who also fell ill a few days later.
Xiao Rou then went after Yun Hu...
The Yun family believed this Xiao Rou to be a fox spirit and requested the tier to help eliminate the demon.
However, when Xue Nu and her companions arrived, Xiao Rou appeared to be just a delicate young woman.
Her demeanor was also very good, and she was quite cooperative with the investigation. At times, she would cry pitifully, "I am just a helpless young woman who has nowhere to go. They insist on calling me a fox spirit. If you cannot tolerate me, then I will leave..."
The Yun family members looked at her expectantly, wishing she would leave.
But Yun Dong, Yun Long, and Yun Hu, the three young masters, managed to climb out of their beds, their hearts filled with despair, and pleaded, "Don't go."
As a result, Xiao Rou did not leave.
Xue Nu and her group were at a loss as to what to do. The Yun family insisted Xiao Rou was a demon, but Xue Nu and the others could not detect any demonic aura from her.
Helpless, Xue Nu had no choice but to report the matter to Mo Qi.
Mo Qi felt a sense of disdain. Why did every minor issue become a thorny problem when it reached her?
He couldn't openly say it, fearing he might hurt her pride.
"How about this? Your brother is now the leader of the Fifth Tier. I'll have your brother, Zhao Xiyun, accompany you to handle this matter," Mo Qi said, sitting on his chair and nonchalantly sipping his tea.
Xue Nu remained noncommittal and changed the subject. "I have a very strong feeling that she is a powerful demon. She hasn't exposed herself, and we should feel fortunate. Because if she were cornered, we would be no match for her, and no matter how many people went, they would be sent to their deaths."
"Trust your brother. He can definitely handle it," Mo Qi said with a smile.
Xue Nu's eyes were filled with disappointment. "Are you only capable of giving orders now?"
Mo Qi's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Who told us we are all members of the tiers? I wish I could only work for you, but my energy is limited."
"Fine, you just wait here for good news," Xue Nu said, biting her lip lightly, and stormed out.
Mo Qi immediately issued an order, instructing Zhao Xiyun to lead his men to assist in capturing the demon.
Zhao Xiyun, newly appointed, was particularly enthusiastic. Upon hearing that a mission had been assigned from above, his blood boiled with excitement. He immediately summoned Tao Dachun, the Hall Master of Qingyun Hall, gathered over a dozen people, and set off with the members of the First Tier.
The First Tier only had Xue Nu and Bing Shan Hall Master Jing Lei participating.
Jing Lei had always been unconvinced by Xue Nu. He had joined the tier first, and Xue Nu joined slightly later, but unexpectedly, Xue Nu had risen faster than him.
He had always believed that Xue Nu became the leader of the First Tier solely due to her family background. Relying on strength? Don't be ridiculous. What strength did she have?
Mo Qi sat on his chair, feeling particularly dejected. Why was she throwing a tantrum? Who had offended her?
After a few sips of tea, he found that even the tea no longer tasted fragrant.
Feeling utterly bored, he tossed the teacup aside.
Zhao Xiyun and Xue Nu, along with others, made their way to the Yun family in Xinshan City.
Zhao Xiyun noticed Xue Nu looking worried and preoccupied throughout the journey. With a hint of teasing, he asked, "What's wrong, little sister? Has someone offended you again? Has Lord Mo made you angry again?"
Xue Nu shot him a glance. "I'm worried that if we go, not only will we fail to solve the problem, but we might also face death."
Zhao Xiyun said dismissively, "Are you underestimating your brother? Your brother is now a Tribulation Stage cultivator. Dealing with a mere little demon should be a piece of cake, right?"
Xue Nu sighed softly. "Underestimating the enemy is the greatest taboo in warfare!"
"I'm not underestimating you. I've had contact with that woman. I know she's either a devil or an ordinary person. If she's a devil, she's a fiercely hidden, vicious demon, not someone you or I can handle."
"Then, if I can't handle it, can Mo Qi handle it? His cultivation isn't much higher than ours, is it?" Zhao Xiyun said with a look of disdain.
Suddenly, his expression shifted to one of disappointment. "Alas, women always favor outsiders. I remember before, in your eyes, I was the omnipotent one. As long as I was there, you felt incredibly secure. But when did you stop trusting me? Have you found a more powerful backer?"
Xue Nu frowned slightly. "This isn't about trust or distrust. The people we encountered when we were young were just petty thugs, easy to deal with. But now, every time we face an enemy, they are stronger than us."
Zhao Xiyun said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, little sister. I could shelter you from the wind and rain when we were children, and I still can now."
Xue Nu was speechless and could only continue walking forward.
The high walls and courtyards of the Yun family were already shrouded in swirling black mist. As the group approached, Zhao Xiyun couldn't help but sigh, "Such dense demonic energy!"
Tao Dayang, the Hall Master of the Fifth Tier's Qingyun Hall, also felt a bit uneasy. "Lord, perhaps we should return and report to Lord Mo. This is not an ordinary demon, and we cannot handle it."
"Those who retreat from battle shall be executed!" Zhao Xiyun shouted angrily.
Tao Dayang was struck dumb with fear and dared not speak further.
The group stepped forward. Before they could knock, the Yun family's main gate creaked open slightly.
Old gatekeeper Yun Fu poked his head out from inside. A chilling coldness emanated from his withered face. "You've finally arrived. Please come in quickly."
He then pulled the door open a little wider, turned sideways, and invited everyone in.
As Yun Fu closed the door, a loud bang echoed, causing everyone's hearts to tremble involuntarily.
Then, Yun Fu led everyone through corridors and halls. In the middle, they encountered the family patriarch, Yun Tian.
Yun Fu left, and Yun Tian then led everyone further back.
They walked all the way to the backyard and stopped. At this moment, a chilling wind blew, and a bloody scent spread infinitely.
From a distance, Yun Tian shouted towards a room, "Yun Bao, come out. The immortals are here to see you."
"Father, I told you not to mention immortals, but you just won't listen?" a somewhat weak yet stubborn voice came from inside the room.
"Yun Bao?" Xue Nu felt utterly speechless. "Now it's Yun Bao?"
Yun Tian gave a wry smile and said decisively, "Indeed. My son Yun Hu was also severely injured by that fox spirit."
"Please ask Miss Xiao Rou to come out," Xue Nu said calmly.
As soon as the words fell, a sweet voice echoed from Yun Bao's room, "Oh, are the esteemed immortals here again? Are you all particularly idle?"
With a hint of sarcasm in her tone, Yun Bao's room door opened, and a beautiful woman emerged.
She was clad in a loose robe that clung to her body, revealing glimpses of her form.