Blood dripped from Xue Xinghai's severed left arm, but his expression was calm and content as if he had become indifferent to life and death. His gaze shifted back and forth between Yun Yiyi and Ye Anping.
He was very familiar with Yun Yiyi but not with Ye Anping, who stood beside her.
After staring at him for a while, Xue Xinghai sensed an unexpected composure that didn't match his young appearance. Then, his gaze moved downward and caught sight of a tassel jade pendant hanging from Ye Anping's waist, causing him to show a fleeting hint of alarm.
?!
He had been forging swords and refining tools for hundreds of years. He had seen almost all the universally recognized artifacts in the world, but this was the first time he had seen an *Illusory Form Pendant* with such a particular aura.
This *Illusory Form Pendant* should be capable of allowing a cultivator in the late stage of *Deification* to pose as a *Qi Refining* stage cultivator and make it impossible for others to see through it.
If the young man hadn't hung the pendant on his belt, he might never have been able to realize that he was hiding his cultivation. Even his appearance might not be real.
But at the same time, Xue Xinghai was also wondering. If this young man wanted to hide his cultivation, then logically, he should put the jade pendant in his clothes or conceal it with magic instead of wearing it in such an obvious place.
--- Maybe he didn't know the purpose of this jade pendant...
Just as Xue Xinghai was pondering over this question, he saw Ye Anping expressionlessly wave his hand in front of his waist. With that, the jade ornament disappeared into his sleeve.
?!
Did he let me see it on purpose?... Xue Xinghai frowned deeply, feeling very frustrated that this young man seemed to see right through him.
Although he was now restrained by the *Immortal Binding Chains*, as far as he was concerned, these things could not bind him at all. Originally, he wanted to buy some time while talking with Yun Yiyi and gather his Qi to break free from the restraints of these dozens of *Foundation Building* stage disciples. But now...
This young man deliberately let him know that he was hiding his cultivation. No doubt he was warning him as if saying: *You better not do anything stupid, or I can easily kill you.*
Xue Xinghai hesitated now because he couldn't clearly see this young man's true cultivation level. If Ye Anping was indeed a wolf hiding his big tail, once he broke free from the *Immortal Binding Chains*, he was afraid this young man would leave him no way out.
At this time, several flying swords arrived from the direction of the **Middle Peak**. The leader was a fat cultivator with a round face wearing a golden robe. Behind him were another two *Core Formation* stage disciples.
As soon as the three men's swords landed, Yun Yiyi stepped forward and cupped her hands. "Elder Zhuang."
--- The fat cultivator's name was Zhuang Yan, and he was a middle-stage *Nascent Soul* elder of the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect.
Zhuang Yan glanced at Xue Xinghai, locked by the *Immortal Binding Chains* and then looked around. His eyes swept over Yun Jiujiu, Yun Xi, and Ye Anping, and he finally asked, "So, Miss, is there a conclusion to the matter of the twenty-seven inner disciples at the *Sword Pavilion*?"
"Yes." Yun Yiyi nodded. "Master Xue just admitted that he was responsible for the murder of twenty-seven inner disciples. Everyone present heard it. Now, he only needs to be taken to the sect's *Heavenly Prison* for interrogation.
"That's good..." Zhuang Yan hesitated for a moment and asked, "It was your disciple from the **Flowing Water Peak** who caught the murderer. I will credit you with the achievements in this case. Do Second Miss and Third Miss have any objections?"
"Of course they do!!"
Yun Jiujiu, propped on the giant sword, stood up, and despite being a little unsteady on her feet, she forcefully strode forward and said, "This person was found by me and Yun Xi first. She was the last one at the scene. Why should she get the credit??! I don't agree!!"
Yun Yiyi glanced at her. "Second sister, if it weren't for me and my husband's intervention in the end, you would have died at Master Xue's hands."
"You're just making assumptions. How do you know I would have died at his hands?"
"You two, stop arguing!!!" Yun Xi also came forward, interrupting them. Then, she turned to Zhuang Yan. "Elder Zhuang, this matter has not been concluded yet. Master Xue has been in charge of the *Sword Pavilion* for hundreds of years. His motive for killing disciples from our sect is unclear. If we want to conclude the case..."
Zhuang Yan interrupted with a question. "But didn't he admit it? I will use the soul search method to check later and find out if anything is unclear."
"Yes... but..."
Yun Xi had this nagging feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint it at the moment.
She and Pei Lianxue had just chased the *Qi Refining* stage disciple Yun Shulong, who said that he was sent to the *Sword Pavilion* by his own father Yun Kun and that he escaped, only to be attacked by several of his brothers...
In other words, a father sent his son to die, but the son escaped only to be hunted down by his older brothers...
No matter how you thought about it, there was a problem with this situation.
Why did Yun Kun send Yun Shulong to the *Sword Pavilion*? Why was Yun Shulong chased by his older brothers? And why did Xue Xinghai intervene and kill him just when he wanted to say something at the end...?
Yun Xi had a premonition in her heart that this water was both muddy and deep.
"Elder Zhuang, I think that this matter is definitely not..."
Elder Zhuang shook his head and waved his hand, interrupting her again. "You three fighting for merits is understandable, but finding reasons to slander others is not the right way. This matter has been concluded, and we will find out the reason by interrogating Xue Xinghai in prison."
With that, he signaled to the two *Core Formation* disciples behind him. The two of them took out their swords, approached Xue Xinghai, and used some stronger magical tools to restrain him. Then, they took him on their flying swords and headed for the **Middle Peak**.
After they left, Zhuang Yan glanced at Ye Anping again and asked, "Is this the Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect? His demeanor is quite graceful, and his qualifications and merits are good, he is already in the early stage of the *Foundation Building*."
Ye Anping cupped his hands and replied, "Greetings, Elder Zhuang."
"Well... after marrying into the Yun family, you will become a member of the family. In a few days, I will have someone give you an identity badge so that you can enter and exit the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect freely."
"Thank you, Elder Zhuang."
--- "Wait!!"
Yun Xi hurriedly stepped forward and interrupted again. "Elder Zhuang, it is inappropriate for Young Master Ye to marry into our family!!"
"Eh?" Yun Yiyi frowned and asked, "Why is it inappropriate?"
Yun Xi glanced at Ye Anping and hesitated whether or not to mention the matter of him being an illegitimate child in front of the elder. But before she could speak, Zhuang Yan said, "Third Miss, it's not up to you to make decisions about Young Master Ye's marriage with the Eldest Lady. The elders have all agreed on this matter. You'd better think about how to compensate for the eleven disciples who died in the ***Dragon House***."
Saying that, Zhuang Yan glanced at Ye Anping again, stepped on the flying sword, and left.
After Zhuang Yan flew far away, Yun Xi frowned and looked at Ye Anping. She walked up to him and said, "Young Master Ye!! Do you remember me?!"
Ye Anping pretended to recall for a while before replying, "I seem to have some impression, but this should be my first time meeting you, Third Miss Yun."
"The ***Dragon House***!! Don't you remember? You saved me."
"I was indeed present during the incident with the demonic cultivators at the ***Dragon House***, but I have saved too many people, so please forgive me, Third Miss, I really don't remember."
"But..." Yun Xi bit her lip and finally pointed to Yun Yiyi, saying, "Anyway, you can't marry her!!"
Yun Yiyi frowned and immediately came over, glaring at her. "Third sister, what do you mean? You think you can dictate what happens between me and Young Master Ye?"
"No, he... He is our younger brother!! How could he possibly marry you?!"
?
Yun Yiyi was stunned, but then her frown deepened. "Third sister, this is not a joke. Do you have any evidence?"
"He's practicing the *Interrogation Sword* technique! Isn't this evidence enough?"
Yun Yiyi's eyes widened in shock, but she recovered soon. She didn't believe Yun Xi's words. *Interrogation Sword* was a secret technique that was only passed down to men, not women.
However, all the male heirs of the Yun family had died, and their father had not passed it on to anyone.
In other words, Yun Xi had no way to have seen someone using the *Interrogation Sword* technique. And since she hadn't personally witnessed it, there was no way for her to recognize someone else's sword technique as the *Interrogation Sword* technique.
"Have you ever seen the *Interrogation Sword* technique?"
"Ah..." Yun Xi was caught off guard by the question. After a pause, she said, "But Dad taught me the *Leaf Shadow Sword* technique, which is related to the *Interrogation Sword*. I can recognize it!"
"If you haven't seen it before, how can you recognize it?"
After listening to this conversation, Ye Anping interrupted them. "Third Miss Yun, the sword skill that I cultivate is the sword skill of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect. I have never heard of the *Interrogation Sword* technique."
"How is that possible... What about Sister Pei?"
Yun Yiyi frowned slightly. "Sister Pei? Who is that?"
"It's his younger sister, Pei Lianxue! I saw her with my own eyes practicing the *Leaf Shadow Sword* technique, and she's already up to the fifth level."
Pretending to be surprised, Ye Anping asked, "What about my little sister? How do you know her?"
"I met her earlier on the way. She heard that you were going to marry Miss Yun of the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect, so she followed you."
Yun Xi was silent for a while, thinking that no matter what, she had to break off the engagement between Yun Yiyi and Ye Anping first. As for other problems, she could solve them later, so she said, "Young Master Ye, your sister has liked you for a long time, but she never said it out loud. Haven't you grown up together since childhood? You don't need to marry into the Yun family for Yun Yiyi."
Ye Anping raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "What did you say?"
Yun Yiyi couldn't hold back anymore. She stepped forward, grabbing Yun Xi's collar and questioning her. "Yun Xi, are you jealous or what?"
"I just want Young Master Ye to think clearly. Obviously, there is such a good girl beside him, but he wants to marry someone rotten like you. Young Master Ye will definitely regret it in the future!"
Yun Xi raised her eyes to meet Yun Yiyi's gaze, then reached out and poked Yun Yiyi's chest in a spiteful manner, saying, "Furthermore, Young Master Ye and Sister Pei grew up together. Apart from the fact that your boobs are bigger than Sister Pei's, how else can you compare to her?"
"..."
"How about this: if you can withstand one move of Sister Pei's sword, I'll count you as the winner? Do you want to give it a try?"
*Boom---*
As they were talking, a loud noise came from a house on the side of the street, and several bricks flew out of the hole in the wall.
Pei Lianxue walked out of the wall with a frown. Although she was not injured, her aqua-blue dress was covered in dust, and her hair was a little messy.
Holding her sword, she looked around, and after seeing Ye Anping, she rushed over, opening her arms to hug him. "Brother!"
Seeing her running over, Ye Anping formed a hand seal with his right hand and scolded her with a frown. "Sister, why didn't you stay in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect instead of coming after me?"
Pei Lianxue saw Ye Anping's gesture and stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on the rhythm of his index finger and thumb signals. She slowly said, "I... don't want... big brother... to marry... I... want to... marry... big brother?"
Ye Anping shook his head slightly, and while still moving his fingers, he said, "Sister, this is a matter between two sects. Although you and I grew up together, we are not cultivation partners. Go back quickly, this is not a place you should be. The marriage between Miss Yun and I will not be annulled."
Pei Lianxue read Ye Anping's hand movements: *"I'm lying, I won't marry Yun Yiyi, don't worry."*
She was a little relieved now but still felt very uncomfortable in her heart. She looked at Yun Yiyi with a frown and tightened her grip on the sword.
Ye Anping turned his head and said to Yun Yiyi, "Miss Yun, now that we've clarified the situation, let's return to the **Flowing Water Peak**."
Yun Yiyi only came back to her senses after Ye Anping called her. She glanced at Pei Lianxue with mixed feelings in her heart. But after Ye Anping held her hand, that restless feeling disappeared. She tilted her head and smiled at Ye Anping, showing a hint of complacency toward Pei Lianxue as she said, "Husband, let's go back then."
"Mm."
Ye Anping gave Pei Lianxue a final signal with his hand: *"See you tomorrow night."*
"Um..."
Pei Lianxue looked at her brother and Yun Yiyi holding hands together. Although she knew it was just an act, she still felt upset. She vowed to kiss her brother's lips until they swelled tomorrow night!! Hmph!!
After watching Ye Anping and Yun Yiyi fly away on their swords, escorted by the disciples of the **Flowing Water Peak**, Yun Xi awkwardly approached and comforted her. "Sister Pei, are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine."
"You're really okay? You're not going back to the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect because of what your brother said, right?"
"Nope, I'm not going back."
"That's good! Don't worry... I'm on your side."
Yun Xi pursed her lips. Although Ye Anping and Sister Pei were also siblings, they needed to solve one problem at a time. First, they had to cancel the marriage between Ye Anping and Yun Yiyi.
But then again, why did Ye Anping lie just now?
She saw with her own eyes that Ye Anping had used the *Interrogation Sword* technique back in the ***Dragon House***. Could it be that Ye Anping knew that he was Yun Tianchong's son a long time ago, but still deliberately intended to marry into the Yun family?
What the hell was he thinking?!
Yun Xi felt that there were more and more questions in her head now, and there were also a lot of doubts about the murder case in the *Sword Pavilion*...
She pinched her nose bridge and let out a heavy sigh, muttering to herself. "Alright, let's take things one step at a time. Anyway, I have to find Yun Kun first and ask what's the deal with Yun Shulong."
At this very moment, Yun Jiujiu's shouts came from the building across the street.
"Hey!! Yun Xi!! Come and help me!! My brother Yu is stuck in the wall!!"
"Brother Yu..."
Hearing this, Yun Xi was slightly stunned and suddenly realized that Yun Jiujiu had not said anything all this while. She turned around and saw her waving to them in front of the stone wall that Feng Yu Die had broken through.
It seemed that just now, while they were talking, Yun Jiujiu went to dig someone out.
It had to be said that the movement and sword skills displayed by "Brother Yu" when he faced Xue Xinghai just now were extremely exquisite, not to mention that rare silver hair.
The situation unfolded so suddenly that she didn't have time to react yet, but now she remembered that half a year ago, when she and Zhang Yihe were wandering the streets of the ***Dragon House***, they saw a girl who had been kicked out of a gambling house.
That girl also had silver hair and excellent fighting skills.
But the person from earlier was dressed as a scholar...
With her mind full of questions, Yun Xi also walked over and looked into the wall of the residence that Feng Yu Die had crashed through. She saw a person whose upper body was stuck vertically inside the masonry.
After a short hesitation, she took out a talisman from her storage bag, threw it onto the wall with a wave of her hand, and commanded, "Rise!"
*Boom---*
A hexagonal hole was dug out of the wall, and the bricks fell down.
Feng Yu Die landed on her feet, and Yun Jiujiu hurriedly went up to help her remove the stones from her body, asking, "Brother Yu?! Are you hurt?!"
"No... just, my head is buzzing a little..." Feng Yu Die pouted and saw that Pei Lianxue was also covered in dust. She quickly wiped her hair and asked, "Miss Pei, are you okay? Just now, we were together..."
"I'm fine."
"Oh... that's good." Feng Yu Die glanced at Yun Xi beside her and asked, "I am Feng Yu. May we be introduced to each other?"
Pei Lianxue tilted her head and responded. "Pei Lianxue."
At this time, Yun Jiujiu, who was watching from the side, rushed forward in front of Pei Lianxue, separated her from Feng Yu Die, and then said to Yun Xi, "Thanks!!!"
Yun Xi, who was sprayed with saliva, looked confused and pouted. "You're welcome?"
After that, Yun Jiujiu grabbed Feng Yu Die's wrist and dragged her out. "Let's go!! Brother Yu, I'll find a doctor to look at you."
"Ah..."
Watching the two of them run away, Yun Xi was stunned for a long time before she came back to her senses. What was going on?
Was her second sister jealous just now? Because Brother Yu and Sister Pei were too close?
What was this mess?
Also, why did this Brother Yu look a bit like a woman disguised as a man?
"..."
Yun Xi rubbed her temples. She was already having trouble dealing with the current situation. Although it was always chaotic within the Yun family, this mess had become even more troublesome.
"Sister Pei, let's go back to **Night Tide Peak**. I'll ask the doctor to take a look at you. It would be bad if there were any internal injuries."
"Alright..."
Just as they were leaving the area, Zhang Yihe suddenly rushed over with a few disciples from the **Night Tide Peak**.
"Third Miss! I've brought people to help!"
"..."
Seeing the look on Yun Xi's face as if she were looking at a complete idiot, Zhang Yihe shrank his neck and quickly struck the wooden fish drum in his hand again.
*Ta--da---*
