Ruan Hongling just took a brief glance for only a moment. When she looked carefully again, she found that the man had disappeared without a trace.
Li Yundong walked ahead for a while and saw that Ruan Hongling was missing. He looked back and saw her looking back behind her.
Li Yundong asked curiously, “Ruan Hongling, what are you looking at?”
She turned her head and said with a look of uncertainty, “I seem to have seen someone just now.”
Li Yundong smiled. “How rare, don’t you see many people here?”
The little foxes by Li Yundong’s side burst out laughing. Ruan Hongling said anxiously, “No, I think I saw Cao Yi from the Fox Zen School just now!”
“What?” This time, the little foxes couldn’t laugh anymore. All of them widened their eyes. “Shibo Cao Yi? Where is she?”
Li Yundong frowned and asked in a deep voice, “Are you sure?”
Ruan Hongling hesitated for a moment before saying, “The figure passed quickly just now. Maybe I didn’t see him clearly. But I feel that it resembled Zhuang Yating. Oh, anyway, the figures of both of them are very similar!”
Zi Yuan knew that this was not a trivial matter. Yan Fang was hiding in the darkness and peeping at the Fox Zen School, which was already a thorn in Li Yundong’s heart, making him sleepless and uncomfortable.
Zi Yuan asked seriously, “Hongling, you can’t say you are not sure about this. Have you seen who she really is?”
Ruan Hongling thought about it seriously and said, “In fact, I didn’t see her clearly, but when I saw this person, she seemed to be hiding from me deliberately. Then I looked at her back, and the name ‘Cao Yi’ came to my mind subconsciously.”
After hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their backs, as if Yan Fang was peeping at them from a dark corner.
Su Chan pulled Li Yundong’s sleeve with a look of horror on her face and said, “Yundong, did Yan Fang sneak into the Taoist assembly?”
Zhou Qin was lying on Li Yundong’s back, and she whispered, “Master, I have always felt that this Taoist assembly is a trap…”
Upon hearing this, the little foxes were so scared that they looked around as if they couldn’t wait to escape the area.
After thinking for a while, Zi Yuan frowned slightly and said, “Isn’t Wan Zhenyuan crazy to use the Taoist assembly as bait? You have to know that most of the people who come here are masters from the younger generation. Even if all of them die here, the foundation of the sects will not be shaken. Because the lifespan of cultivators is almost limitless, if their disciples die, they can cultivate others, but if Wan Zhenyuan does so, it will only lead to the crazy revenge of those Qianbei Masters. The Gezao Sect will suffer. Although he is ambitious, he is not that stupid!”
Li Yundong also nodded. “Zi Yuan’s right. Zhou Qin, I know what you’re thinking. If Wan Zhenyuan wants to use this Taoist assembly to balance the strength in the cultivation world and suppress the various sects, making them fight each other, so his Gezao Sect will reap the benefits, then I believe that he has the intention. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have instigated the cultivators of various sects. Besides, I believe that not all of the cultivators in the world are fools. They’ll keep their guard up.”
Zi Yuan smiled in agreement. “Exactly. I don’t believe that Wan Zhenyuan will have the guts to set up such a huge trap.”
Li Yundong patted Su Chan’s head and said with a smile, “I’m here. Don’t worry. Even if it’s a trap, they won’t be able to do anything to me!”
Su Chan was obsessed with the boy in front of her. When she had first met him, he had just been a little boy who knew nothing about cultivation, but now he had grown into an indomitable master. As long as he was there, she wouldn’t need to be afraid even if the sky fell down!
Su Chan nodded heavily and looked at Li Yundong with great dependence. She said with a smile, “Yes, my Yundong is now a great master. Even if there are intrigues, you won’t be afraid, right?”
Li Yundong laughed. “This is how one person can beat ten people! In the face of strength, intrigues and trickery can’t stand firm! It’s okay if Yan Fang doesn’t come, but if she does, I’ll make sure she can’t come back!”
When the little foxes of the Fox Zen School heard this, their anxious hearts immediately relaxed, and they chattered, “That’s right, we have our leader here, there’s no need to be afraid!”
Li Yundong smiled and said, “Let’s go. Don’t waste any more time here. We just need to pay more attention later.”
The group of people passed through the long corridor and followed the sound of Pingtan. After walking about ten meters, they stopped in front of a two-floor building.
Li Yundong looked at it and found that it was an ancient building with black roof tiles and white walls. There were four spirit beasts standing on the flying eaves of the first and second floors: the Azure Dragon, Baihui, Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise. There was a bell hanging under the four spirit beasts. When the breeze blew, it caused bursts of crisp sounds, which were particularly pleasant to listen to with the soft and pleasant sound of Pingtan.
Li Yundong looked around and saw that although the courtyard in front of the building was not big, the lakes and rockeries were all available. Moreover, the shape was realistic, the structure was rigorous, the layout had the main part and a second area, so the level was clear. As long as one looked at it, they would know that it was from the mind of a big designer. The most unusual thing was that Li Yundong did not see any identical bits of scenery along the way. It was true that these rockery roads, caves, ravines, valleys, dangerous roads, and cliffs were all over the place. It really gave a feeling of “walking in the mountains, every side of the mountain is different, and the scenery seen with each step is different.”
Li Yundong couldn’t help but praise it with a smile. “Even if there is a trap here, the person who designed it must be elegant.”
After that, he walked inside with the girls. As soon as he got through the door, he saw two pieces of couplets jumping into his eyes. The first one read: “The hills and ravines are in the chest, looking at the thin stones and springs, there is a natural painting book.” The next one read: “The Landscape Architecture here is the best in Wudong City, people are willing to carry the zither and the wine, and be an out-of-the-world traveler.”
Li Yundong couldn’t help but cheer, “This is so well written!”
His voice was so loud that Wan Zhenyuan heard him and went downstairs. He cupped his hands and said with a smile, “Zhenren Li, there are better ones upstairs. Please come in!”
Li Yundong chuckled, then made an obeisance by cupping his hands at Wan Zhenyuan and said, “Master Wan, your aesthetic is so good. Why didn’t you pick this place for the Taoist assembly before?”
Master Wan chuckled, then he lowered his voice and said, “We’re always hiding the good treasures and refusing to take them out!”
After that, he winked at Li Yundong and said, “You’ll know the real reason when you go upstairs.”
Li Yundong was curious in his heart. When he stepped upstairs, he saw that the upper floor was already full of people, cultivators from all sects who had been on the ship.
These cultivators were focused in one direction. Some of them closed their eyes and shook their heads with enchanted expressions. Others nodded slightly with smiles on their faces. Unexpectedly, none of them were looking at Li Yundong.
Li Yundong was curious, he looked up and saw two women sitting there. One of them was about thirty years old, wearing a purple cheongsam with a golden hem and holding a three-stringed instrument in her hand. She had a beautiful face. Sitting next to her was a young woman whose face was concealed. She was wearing a crisp cyan floral cheongsam, holding a pipa in her arms, and was strumming it slowly.
Li Yundong heard that her voice was clear and soft. Her Suzhou dialect was sweet and pleasant to listen to, the sound was as crisp as the larks in an empty valley screaming in the mountains, as if it could continue for three consecutive days, and when it was soft, it was like making wine with honey, so sweet that every pore seemed to ooze sweet and soft feelings.
Li Yundong was stunned upon hearing this. He turned and saw that Zi Yuan, Zhou Qin, and the others were all in a daze as they listened to this song. No one was actually urging him to go forward.
Li Yundong couldn’t help wondering in his heart, “Which famous artist is singing the Pingtan? The song is so beautiful. Although I don’t understand Suzhou Dialect, I can feel a kind of bone-chilling charm when she sings. I wonder what the woman with such a beautiful voice looks like.”
He couldn’t help but quickly walk up the stairs and crane his neck to take a look.
He saw that the girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old and extremely beautiful. Her appearance was not inferior to that of Su Chan, Zi Yuan, or Zhou Qin. What was even rarer was that her lips were red, her teeth were white, and she was extremely delicate. Her eyes were like Foshan mountain streams flowing down, making people feel comfortable like they were drinking wine, but there was no evil intention in her heart.
Seeing this, Li Yundong secretly felt amazed. He turned to Su Chan and the others, who were listening in a daze, and said, “Hey, how long are you going to stand on the stairs?”
Su Chan and the others, as if awakening from a dream, followed Li Yundong up and sat down on their seats.
At this moment, the cultivators at the neighboring table finally noticed the arrival of Li Yundong and the others. However, they only took a few glances at him before quickly looking away. They then focused on listening to the girl’s continued singing.
Li Yundong sat down and looked seriously at the two women singing. He saw that the woman with the three-stringed instrument in her arms had heavy makeup on her face, and her eyebrows were full of charm. The girl next to her was wearing a pair of bright pearl earrings on her ears, and a pair of jade bracelets on her hands. Her fingers plucked the strings, and the bracelets were clinking brightly, like faint green shadows, looking really beautiful.
Li Yundong listened for a while and suddenly found that Su Chan and the other little foxes of the Fox Zen School didn’t look well. He whispered to Su Chan, “What’s wrong with you?”
Su Chan said to Li Yundong in a low voice with an unhappy face, “I don’t like to hear that sound!”
Li Yundong smiled and said, “Why? Is it because she is beautiful and sings well?”
Suchan said angrily, “No, she sang The Legend of Deification, which happens to be about Jiang Taigong conquering Daji and eliminating demons and monsters!”
Li Yundong said, “What? Really? This is quite suitable for the scene! It just so happens that there are you little fox spirits here!”
Su Chan made a face at Li Yundong. “You’re so annoying. I don’t like people calling me a fox spirit! We are wronged, and we don’t seduce anyone. Why should we bear this bad reputation?”
Li Yundong leaned over to her ear and whispered with a smile, “But you are such a fascinating little fox spirit and I love you so much.”
Su Chan’s ears itched from Li Yundong’s breath. She giggled and said, “You’re so annoying. Just now, you acted like a great cultivator, but now you’re acting like a hooligan. Don’t you see what place this is and who is around? How embarrassed will you be if you are seen by others?”
Li Yundong laughed. “Sweetie, I just want you not to make blind and disorderly conjectures. I’m here, you don’t have to think about what others think. If someone dares to get rid of you, I’ll get rid of him first!”
Su Chan’s heart warmed when she heard that. She smiled sweetly at Li Yundong.
The two of them talked as if there was no one else around. Suddenly, they heard the cheers and applause in the small building. It turned out that the girl had finished singing.
Li Yundong then looked at the stage and saw a young girl standing up with a pipa in her arms. She was really graceful and beautiful. She smiled at the crowd shyly and then turned into the back room.
After the girl entered the dressing room of the back room, the smile on her face immediately disappeared. She looked around alertly, then turned and went out through the back door. She came to a remote corner and whispered, “Master, are you here? They have come!”
At this time, a person walked out of the corner. Her figure was hidden in the shadows, and her appearance could not be seen clearly, but when she opened her mouth, it was a woman’s voice. She said coldly, “Have they all come?”
The girl nodded, and there was some fear in her eyes. She said softly, “Yes, all of them!”
The woman snorted and said, “Perfect. I’ve been planning for nine years and this day has finally come! Today, I’m going to wipe out the entire Fox Zen School and let all the cultivators in the world know the true colors of these fox spirits!”
