Volume 3, Chapter 193 – With Sister Behind Me, It’s Like Having a Hundred People Protecting Me

Chi Xiyan looked at Chi Zhong outside the carriage window, her expression slightly cold.

Just then, the girl beside her tugged at her sleeve.

Chi Xiyan turned her head and saw the farm girl before her shaking her head.

“Sister, I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me.”

Chi Xiyan frowned. “Zhizhi, you don’t need to do this. The crowd outside is chaotic right now, a mix of all kinds of people. The assassins from Sin Moon Tower might very well be hiding in the crowd. You haven’t cultivated and don’t have any cultivation level. Going out like this will be very dangerous!”

“This carriage has defensive talismans on it. Staying in this carriage is your safest choice.”

“Sister, it’s fine.” The farm girl shook her head once more. “I know Sister is worried about my safety, but I don’t want to make things difficult for you.”

“Didn’t that Chi Zhong say everyone must submit to inspection? Even Chi family members are no exception.”

Lu Zhuxin lowered her head slightly. “And I… right now, I can’t even be considered a Chi family member yet.”

“So… it doesn’t matter. Sister, let me go out.”

Chi Xiyan looked at the girl before her and said with a serious expression, “Outside, without the protection of the carriage’s defensive talismans, even with two Fifth Realm cultivators, there’s no way to absolutely guarantee your safety.”

Lu Zhuxin smiled lightly and said to Chi Xiyan, “Sister, I trust you. You’ll protect me, won’t you?”

Chi Xiyan lowered her eyes slightly. After a moment of silence, she continued, “I’ll do my best.”

The smile on Lu Zhuxin’s face remained sweet. “That’s enough, Sister.”

The two of them descended from the carriage together.

As her feet touched the ground, Lu Zhuxin could feel various gazes shooting toward her from all directions.

Among the family disciples present, quite a few were familiar with Chi Xiyan. These people hadn’t expected that on the Chi family carriage, besides Chi Xiyan, there would be another unfamiliar girl.

Who was this girl?

Chi Xiyan actually allowed someone else to ride in the same carriage with her?

Chi Zhong wore a slight smile on his face as he looked at the girl beside Chi Xiyan.

The girl had a pure and sweet appearance, with innocence and simplicity filling her smiling face. Her eyes were full of clear stupidity.

A very pretty girl. Was this really a girl that could be raised by a farming family?

Where had Chi Xiyan found this girl?

Chi Zhong slowly approached and said in a low voice, “This must be the young lady Elder Sister Xiyan has been keeping at the manor…”

As Chi Zhong spoke, his face took on a smile full of malicious amusement. “Then should I first address her as Sister-in-la—”

“Chi Zhong!” Chi Xiyan cut off Chi Zhong’s words.

She said coldly, transmitting her voice to Chi Zhong, “She is your legitimate elder sister. You should address her as Sister.”

The outside world didn’t know about the disappearance of the Chi family’s legitimate daughter.

Therefore, Yu Lizhi’s identity couldn’t be exposed in front of outsiders yet.

When Chi Zhong heard Chi Xiyan’s voice transmission, the smile disappeared from his face, and a trace of gloom couldn’t help but surge in his eyes.

Usually, Chi Xiyan, this wild girl adopted by Old Master Chi, using the name of legitimate daughter to lord it over these branch disciples was already bad enough.

How was it that now, a country girl who appeared from who knows where also wanted to climb above their heads?

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Chi Zhong said coldly, also transmitting his voice to Chi Xiyan, “Sister? This young lady hasn’t passed the Chi family’s blood recognition ceremony. Having me address her as sister now is a bit premature.”

“This also doesn’t conform to family rules.”

Chi Xiyan laughed derisively. “So you do know about family rules, Chi Zhong.”

Chi family rules had never allowed branch disciples to make things difficult for direct bloodline members in public.

However, Chi Xiyan didn’t want to quibble with Chi Zhong in this place right now.

“Fine, I’ve done as you wished. Whatever process you need to follow, hurry up and finish it.”

Family shame shouldn’t be aired publicly. Every extra minute they stayed here was another loss of Chi family face.

And another increase in the danger Yu Lizhi might face.

Chi Zhong’s face was cold. Chi Xiyan had already done as he said. If he continued to find reasons to make things difficult for Chi Xiyan, then he would be the one with the problem.

So, although unwilling in his heart, Chi Zhong still cleared a path for Chi Xiyan.

“The sword sect’s pheromone detection stone is over there.”

Chi Xiyan’s gaze looked over and indeed saw in the distance a spirit stone being protected by a group of people in black.

“Sister.” At this moment, Lu Zhuxin suddenly pulled on Chi Xiyan’s sleeve again. “Let me go first.”

“You first?” Chi Xiyan was puzzled.

“How can I let Sister go first in this kind of thing?” Lu Zhuxin said.

Chi Zhong said from the side with sarcastic overtones, “What’s there to be modest about? It’s the same whoever goes first. You two have such good feelings for each other, you can go together too.”

“Two people together is also fine?”

So Chi Xiyan said to Lu Zhuxin, “Zhizhi, let me go with you. That way I can protect you too.”

Lu Zhuxin blinked slightly.

That way also seemed workable.

Or rather, having Chi Xiyan following behind her was actually more beneficial to her plan.

“Sister.” Lu Zhuxin’s sweet little face was now full of emotion, and those dark, bright eyes even welled up with moisture. “Having Sister by my side is like having a hundred people protecting me.”

Chi Xiyan laughed. “Where did you learn such nonsense?”

Lu Zhuxin and Chi Xiyan walked forward together.

Behind her, the martial artist Lin Xiu and Chi residence’s Steward Liu prepared to follow.

But Chi Zhong stepped forward to stop them.

“You two, the pheromone detection stone’s effectiveness is limited. Inspecting two people simultaneously is already the limit. If there are more people, it will affect the detection results.”

The martial artist Lin Xiu immediately frowned. “But… what if the Miss encounters danger?”

If Chi Xiyan and Yu Lizhi didn’t have powerful experts protecting them closely and encountered an assassin attack again, they couldn’t be as lucky as last time.

Whether Yu Lizhi lived or died had nothing to do with Lin Xiu, but Lin Xiu was very worried that Chi Xiyan would be drawn into danger because of her relationship with Yu Lizhi.

“Elder Sister Xiyan, look at what your bodyguard is saying,” Chi Zhong said with a light laugh. “We have so many people here.”

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“There’s the garrison troops, there are officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau, there are elite disciples from the sword sect.”

“With so many people watching, Elder Sister Xiyan isn’t some child who needs looking after. How could she possibly encounter danger?”

Lin Xiu frowned. He looked at Chi Xiyan, then at Yu Lizhi beside Chi Xiyan, wanting to speak but holding back.

“Lin Xiu, it’s fine,” Chi Xiyan said. “It’ll just be a moment.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiu could only give up.

He had just seen it too. Chi Zhong wasn’t wrong. Earlier, people who went forward to accept inspection by the pheromone-detection stone had at most 2 at a time.

Chi Zhong hadn’t deliberately caused trouble on this matter.

Seeing this, Lu Zhuxin laughed lightly in her heart.

Everything was as she had predicted.

Having the martial artist Lin Xiu and Chi residence’s Steward Liu not follow behind them actually made things more convenient for Lu Zhuxin.

Lu Zhuxin quietly transmitted her voice to Hu Mei’er who was hiding in the shadows.

“Mei’er, we need to change our previous plan.”

“We need to move up the timing of the plan.”

“Now, you need to follow my arrangements.”

Hu Mei’er had already infiltrated the crowd long ago.

Lu Zhuxin, this novice, didn’t know illusion techniques, but Hu Mei’er’s illusion skills were maxed out.

Earlier, to avoid drawing attention, she had transformed into an ordinary red fox and followed behind everyone.

When the Chi family convoy approached the commandery city, Lu Zhuxin had her change back to human form and blend into the crowd.

And now, Hu Mei’er was hiding in the crowd not far from the pheromone detection stone.

When Lu Zhuxin was still at Lin Family Manor, she had already learned from Hu Mei’er about the news that the Demon Suppression Bureau and sword sect disciples were working together to investigate fox demon spies.

In fact, the Demon Suppression Bureau and sword sect disciples weren’t conducting such investigations of demon clan spies for the first time.

As usual, the fox clan internally had a set of contingency plans to deal with this.

But this time was a bit different from usual.

The appearance of the pheromone detection stone disrupted Lu Zhuxin’s plan.

The fox clan had long known of the sword sects’ possession of pheromone detection stones, but this type of spirit stone was extremely rare. Even among the great sword sects, there weren’t many in stock.

The human empire’s Nine Heavens and Twelve Commanderies covered vast territory.

With just the sword sects’ few pheromone detection stones, wanting to thoroughly investigate the entire human empire was nearly impossible.

Moreover, fox demons had hands and feet. Upon discovering dangerous things, they would naturally run.

Therefore, the seven great sword sects rarely used pheromone detection stones for large-scale fox demon investigations.

But now, the sudden appearance of a pheromone detection stone in this place had completely exceeded Lu Zhuxin’s expectations.

Chi Zhong had used the Chi family’s reputation to bind Chi Xiyan, forcing Chi Xiyan and the Chi family convoy to accept inspection by the sword sect and Demon Suppression Bureau.

Otherwise, Chi Xiyan wouldn’t just damage the Chi family’s reputation. She might even provoke public outrage here.

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This way, Lu Zhuxin couldn’t avoid this inspection.

If Lu Zhuxin’s fox demon identity was exposed here, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Unable to avoid inspection, yet unable to expose her identity.

Then now, the solution Lu Zhuxin could think of was only one.

Lu Zhuxin and Chi Xiyan slowly walked toward that pheromone detection stone.

Around the pheromone detection stone, several cultivators wearing black official robes were also gathered.

They weren’t sword sect disciples but officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau.

As Chi Xiyan and Lu Zhuxin approached, these officials’ gazes also coldly swept over.

While these Demon Suppression Bureau officials scrutinized Lu Zhuxin and Chi Xiyan with cold, sharp gazes, Lu Zhuxin was also estimating the strength of everyone present.

These sword sect disciples were actually just a group of outer sect disciples from the sword sect. There were none of the inner sect elites like Little Shiyuan.

The Demon Suppression Bureau officials were the same. The leader was only at early Fifth Realm.

As the court’s lackeys, the Demon Suppression Bureau naturally had quite a few powerful experts.

But cultivators above the Fifth Realm wouldn’t come to this kind of place to do this kind of time-consuming, laborious errand work.

Lu Zhuxin’s Eighth Realm spiritual consciousness spread out faintly. Not a single person present could sense the existence of Lu Zhuxin’s spiritual consciousness.

Although Lu Zhuxin was completely hopeless when it came to combat experience and combat techniques, she had realm!

Eighth Realm cultivators were extremely rare even in human nations.

With the support of her powerful realm, Lu Zhuxin’s cultivation and spiritual consciousness were practically at a crushing level in this place.

After simply investigating the cultivation realms of the people around her with her powerful spiritual consciousness, Lu Zhuxin confirmed one thing.

There were no powerful experts here who could threaten Hu Mei’er, a seven-tailed fox demon.

This way, Lu Zhuxin could confidently arrange for Hu Mei’er to carry out her plan.

The Demon Suppression Bureau official said expressionlessly to Lu Zhuxin and Chi Xiyan, “One person come forward, place your hand on the pheromone detection stone, silently recite the spiritual incantation written in the book to the side. After five breaths, infuse spiritual power, and the results will appear.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhuxin laughed secretly in her heart.

If she wasn’t intimately familiar with the settings of this world, perhaps she really would have been fooled by these Demon Suppression Bureau officials.

The true method of using the pheromone detection stone was known only to sword sect members.

Triggering the pheromone detection stone didn’t require touching that stone with one’s hand at all, nor did it require reciting any spiritual incantation.

In fact, as long as one stepped within ten meters of the pheromone detection stone, the pheromone detection stone would automatically sense the spiritual energy of fox demon pheromones. And after the holder of fox demon pheromones remained within this range for 20 seconds, the pheromone detection stone would issue a warning via talismans prepared in advance by sword sect disciples.

Infusing spiritual power only displayed the results in the form of spiritual energy light.

In the original text Lu Zhuxin had written, there were many pitiful little fox demons with simple hearts who, without receiving warnings from their seniors, were deceived by these cunning sword cultivators. They really believed that as long as they didn’t touch that stone, their identities wouldn’t be exposed.

But in fact, just entering within ten meters of that stone and staying for more than twenty seconds would cause that stone to react.

“Sister, let me go first,” Lu Zhuxin said to Chi Xiyan with a sweet smile. “You stay behind me and be sure to protect me.”

“Mm, I will,” Chi Xiyan answered solemnly.

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And of course, she did exactly that.

Several high-level talismans had already transferred from her storage pouch to her palm.

As soon as she discovered anything unusual, Chi Xiyan would immediately release these talismans in her hand.

Seeing her nervously alert and watching their surroundings, Lu Zhuxin was very satisfied in her heart.

Chi Xiyan thought the danger would come from the surrounding crowd, but she didn’t know that the greatest danger here was right in front of her.

Lu Zhuxin walked forward with a natural expression.

When she entered within ten meters of the pheromone detection stone, she could feel an extremely weak force drawing out the pure yin pheromones within her body.

This was the pheromone detection stone’s ability.

If Lu Zhuxin’s true realm hadn’t already reached the Eighth Realm Mahayana stage, perhaps she would have had difficulty detecting this power as well.

And now, what came next would be simple.

Lu Zhuxin walked toward that stone, quickening her pace.

At the same time, she silently counted the time in her heart.

“Twenty seconds, nineteen seconds, eighteen seconds… sixteen seconds, fifteen seconds, fourteen seconds…”

When she counted down to the tenth second in her heart, her small hand had already pressed on that pheromone detection stone.

This stone that could expose her fox demon body now fell into her control without the slightest effort.

This miraculous spirit stone, nourished by the sword sect’s spiritual energy, seemed to sense something at this moment. It trembled lightly in Lu Zhuxin’s palm.

“Heh… I don’t know what those sword sect masters were thinking, actually having such a group of novices use this incomparably precious stone.”

After mocking the sword sect’s decision-making in her heart, Lu Zhuxin transmitted her voice to Hu Mei’er hidden in the crowd.

“Good Mei’er! Now!”

Chi Xiyan, guarding behind Lu Zhuxin, suddenly felt a sense of unease.

She tightened her grip on the talismans in her hand but noticed that on the ground beneath her feet, under the sunlight, mottled shadows were spread everywhere.

But one of those shadows was much deeper than the others.

“Shadow!” Chi Xiyan’s pupils constricted slightly. She rushed quickly toward Lu Zhuxin.

“Zhizhi! Watch out for the shadow on the ground!”

As she spoke, the talismans in her hand were immediately thrown out.

And at the same time, the countdown in Lu Zhuxin’s heart had just reached “five.”

In that instant, a sudden change occurred. From those mottled shadows, a figure suddenly emerged.

It was a woman in black robes wearing a veil with her hair tied up.

She pulled out a dagger in her hand and stabbed fiercely toward Lu Zhuxin.

In the distance, Ye Xiaoqing, who was still watching the show from under the tea pavilion at the city gate, suddenly widened her eyes.

“What the hell! Is that me?!”