Probably a Fool

Lin Qianshuang picked up the soul-locking rope Xiao Lanle had thrown at her feet. The magic woven into the rope burned fiercely, and its material was extraordinary, strong enough to withstand any force. If it were tied to a mortal, it would cause severe, corrosive damage.

“Senior sister! What are you hesitating for? She… she’s almost out!”

Xiao Lanle pressed a hand to her head, where veins throbbed visibly. Her usually gentle and elegant face contorted in pain. One hand lashed out at Lin Qianshuang, while the other gripped her sword so tightly that it cut her palm open, blood welling up.

Fearing Xiao Lanle might hurt herself, Lin Qianshuang no longer hesitated. She released a strand of demonic energy, activating the soul-locking rope.

The rope transformed into a blinding light, enveloping Xiao Lanle completely. When the light faded, she was bound to the ground, her body immobilized. Her natal spirit sword lay discarded, its energy absorbed back into her dantian.

Lin Qianshuang lifted Xiao Lanle, who was now bound like a chrysalis. Her eyes had turned a deep, menacing red. She directed threats at Lin Qianshuang, her words laced with vulgarity, clearly trying to provoke her into releasing her.

Lin Qianshuang ignored her completely.

Ignoring the person in her arms who was struggling violently, Lin Qianshuang pressed Xiao Lanle’s mute point. Silencing her gave Lin Qianshuang some peace and quiet.

She simply stepped onto the wind and flew towards the horizon. The demonic energy she used to levitate condensed into the shape of a sword, and she flew towards Tianshu City in a purple streak of light.

The two figures vanished into the sky in an instant.

_

Chen Shangqing walked down the corridor of the library, his sword in hand. He was scheduled to meet with Master Qingyun today and, remembering that Xiao Lanle was still being punished by copying scriptures, he decided to check on her and see if she had finished copying the five hundred sect rules.

As soon as he stepped into the library, Chen Shangqing detected a lingering scent of calming incense, though something about it felt off, as if an unfamiliar element had been added.

A bad feeling settled in his stomach. He hurried into the library and found books scattered across the table by the window, a chair overturned on the floor, and neither Xiao Lanle nor Lin Qianshuang in sight.

He approached the table. The books Xiao Lanle had been copying were neatly stacked, not strewn across the floor. A folded piece of paper seemed to be tucked between the pages of one of the books.

Gently unfolding the note, Chen Shangqing saw Xiao Lanle’s elegant handwriting. The words she wrote, “There is a beautiful woman, whom one cannot forget upon seeing her. A day without seeing her, and one misses her like madness,” revealed her joyful state of mind. His hand clenched, crumpling the note into a ball, then crushing it to dust.

“Help me, I’m so hot, beauty, you’re so beautiful, let me kiss you!” Liang Jingxuan, his body burning, clung to Chen Shangqing’s legs, his face rubbing against them. He stared obsessively at Chen Shangqing, his features blurred, but vaguely recognizable as someone with a dignified and delicate face. Driven by an overwhelming urge, he felt a familiarity with this person, though he couldn’t place it. But their beauty was enough, and he was determined to have them.

Chen Shangqing watched in disgust as Liang Jingxuan, clearly under the influence of something, clung to him. His mind raced, piecing together the clues: Liang Jingxuan’s presence in the library, the lingering scent of altered calming incense, the overturned furniture, and Xiao Lanle’s affectionate words… Something was terribly wrong.

Chen Shangqing’s eyes flashed with icy coldness. He used the sword scabbard to pry the man clinging to his legs away. Grasping Liang Jingxuan’s collar, he disregarded the man’s lewd attempt to touch his face by pulling at his sleeve. In a blur of movement, he vanished, reappearing behind the pigsty in the dining room.

With a resounding plop, a figure was thrown into the pigsty, landing with a heavy thud. The man, grabbing a sow, pressed her against him and kissed her wildly. The whole pigsty erupted in chaos – chickens flew, dogs barked, and several boars, pushing and shoving, forced the half-naked man out of the pig herd. The startled sow, squealing in fear, scrambled away.

Several disciples who were sneaking food in the dining room heard the commotion in the pigsty. They peeked out the window and were stunned by what they saw.

A handsome man, stark naked, was chasing a sow. After catching her, he eagerly kissed her, biting at her bristles. The sight was utterly comical.

A disciple recognized the man’s face and was so astonished that the half-eaten bun in his mouth fell to the ground. He stammered, “Brother Zheng, I’m not mistaken, right? That’s the young master of the Beiling Liang family, isn’t it? Why… is he chasing after a sow?”

Startled by the scene, Zheng Mingxuan quickly left the dining room and headed towards the pigsty. He caught a glimpse of Chen Shangqing departing, and he wondered how Senior Brother Chen, a highly skilled sword cultivator who had already left the valley, ended up in this place.

He dragged Liang Jingxuan out of the pigsty, finding him covered in sticky filth and spitting out pig hair, a sign that he had regained his senses.

Zheng Mingxuan hastily helped Liang Jingxuan to his feet, only to be met with a wave of uproarious laughter. Unbeknownst to them, a crowd of disciples had gathered.

“Am I seeing things? Isn’t that the Sect Leader’s son-in-law? Why is he so desperate that he’s in the pigsty, molesting the sow?”

“Look at him, his mouth is full of pig hair! I wonder how fragrant that sow was, he kissed it all over! This is the first time I’ve seen a man behave like that with an animal. Senior Brother Liang really has a taste for the bizarre.”

Humiliated and mortified, Liang Jingxuan hung his head low, unable to face the scornful laughter of the crowd. He left, supported by Zheng Mingxuan.

“Senior Brother Zheng, I clearly remember going to the Library Pavilion to see Junior Sister Xiao. How… how did I end up in the pigsty?”

Liang Jingxuan struggled to utter the word “pigsty”, his face contorted with rage and fear. His veins bulged, making him appear monstrous.

Zheng Mingxuan scratched the back of his head, rubbed his belly, and said, “Junior Brother Liang, I was stealing chicken legs in the dining room when I saw you in the pigsty. I was surprised, and I think I saw Senior Brother Chen nearby.”

“Senior Brother Chen? You mean Chen Shangqing?”

Liang Jingxuan’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and he slammed his hand on the table, shattering it in two. Seeing his anger, Zheng Mingxuan quickly backed away.

“That slut Huaixiang was in cahoots with Chen Shangqing! They set me up to humiliate me in front of everyone. If this gets out, I’ll be ruined!”

Liang Jingxuan cursed Chen Shangqing under his breath, his teeth grinding in fury.

Tianshu City, a unique hub for humans, demons, and spirits, served as the central city for scattered cultivators and housed the largest underground black market in the Three Realms. Notorious figures from all three realms frequented the city, engaging in shady deals. The current city lord, Mu Weiyin, was rumored to have started her business in Tianshu City’s notorious nightlife district. The city’s most famous intelligence agency, Yixiang Tower, held many secrets about her.

Lin Qianshuang, carrying the struggling Xiao Lanle, landed on the crowded street. Both were dressed in the robes of righteous cultivators, their faces young and innocent. They appeared like a pair of sisters arguing, with Xiao Lanle squirming in Lin Qianshuang’s arms, her eyes red with distress.

Their appearance seemed out of place in Tianshu City – neither merchants nor registered casual cultivators. They looked like they had wandered in by mistake, attracting the attention of many suspicious and curious onlookers.

Lin Qianshuang landed gracefully, sword in hand. Before she could take a few steps, a well-dressed young man, looking quite respectable, approached her. He smiled and said, “Fair maiden, are you and your little sister new to the city? Would you like some help?”

Lin Qianshuang remembered Master Tianshu had told her that if Xiao Lanle fell ill, she could find a contact person in Tianshu City to help her.

She looked at the charming young man with suspicion. Could this be the contact person?

Lin Qianshuang smiled at the young man and said, “Fellow Daoist, do you know Master Tianshu?”

The young man was startled for a moment, then quickly plastered a smile on his face. He waved his fan, fanned himself, and said with a suave air, “Of course I know. Why don’t you come with me, fair maiden? You’re dressed so flamboyantly, everyone on the street is staring at you.”

Lin Qianshuang tightened her grip on Xiao Lanle and glanced down the street. Sure enough, many demon cultivators, beast cultivators, and human cultivators were looking at them with curious eyes.

She smiled gratefully at the young man and said, “Thank you for reminding me, fellow Daoist. I would appreciate it if you would lead the way.”

The young man was a jovial fellow, a veritable fountain of gossip. He chattered incessantly, oblivious to Lin Qianshuang’s disinterest.

“Let me tell you, in our Tianshu City, the city lord Mu Weiyin isn’t as mysterious as the rumors say. All that talk about him being tall and mighty, or that his gender is ambiguous, is false. I only heard from a little girl who escaped from Tianshu Palace that the city lord is just a kid who can’t grow up. He worries about it every day and tries everything to find a way to make himself an adult.”

“I’ll tell you again, Tianshu City is overflowing with beauties. There’s one called ‘Young Master’ whose gender is unknown, but she’s definitely a woman. She’s involved with Du Shuang, the deputy Lord of Yixiang Tower. I heard that Du Shuang is also involved with Fairy Jinghua from Penglai Immortal Sect.”

…

Lin Qianshuang’s arms ached from holding Xiao Lanle, but the little girl had calmed down considerably. She seemed to realize struggling was futile, so she lay quietly in Lin Qianshuang’s arms. However, her hands were restless, occasionally pinching Lin Qianshuang’s waist as if to exact revenge for being bound.

The young human cultivator led Lin Qianshuang to a towering attic and stopped. His fan snapped shut, his smile vanished, and his eyes glinted with greed as he looked at them. “Miss, I’ve told you so many gossipy and interesting things. Are you not going to ask where the girl who escaped from Tianshu Palace and met me in the story went, and how I know all this?”

A group of strong men suddenly appeared beside the young man, surrounding them.

Lin Qianshuang looked at the plaque on the main building of Yixiang Tower and twitched the corner of her mouth. This person was not the contact person after all. He was actually a procurer for the Tower, a brothel known for selling people as Cauldrons. She had been kidnapped by her own people, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

But except for Du Shuang, no one really knew her true face.

The young human cultivator closed his fan and tapped his palm, seemingly appraising their worth. He looked down at Lin Qianshuang, a smile plastered on his face, and said, “Miss, there’s no need to worry. Once you’re inside our establishment, we’ll treat you well. And your little sister there, we’ll take good care of her too.”