Chapter 39 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

Despite harboring their own thoughts, Bai Lian and Mu Jian Li both understood that this was no place for reminiscing. The situation with the cult in Suzhou City had greatly caught them off guard. It felt as though ever since they stepped foot in Suzhou City, everything had veered off its original course. Bai Lian formed a hand seal, and a small messaging sword floated up. Soon, a miniature figure of Tang Chu Huan appeared before them. "Immortal Bai, such arcane techniques are truly unheard of for someone like me. If an army could use this convenient method of communication, their combat effectiveness might improve significantly," the chibi version of Tang Chu Huan said with curiosity, as she examined her tiny hands and feet in surprise. At the moment, she was being projected through spiritual power by the messaging sword in front of Bai Lian and Mu Jian Li, allowing her to communicate with them, even though she was still physically in the Tang family estate while they were at the Taixu Mountain Villa. In her past life, having always been a mortal, she had admired Bai Lian and thus learned much about the cultivation world. Yet, despite her knowledge, the messaging sword still greatly astonished her. She was well aware that in an era with extremely rudimentary communication means, having a way to converse face-to-face while ignoring physical distance could have terrifying consequences. "The praise is undeserved, Tang Gongzi. This is merely a minor spell passed down from my Taihua Sword Sect, nothing worth mentioning," Bai Lian replied. In the game, the messaging sword functioned like a mailbox, unlocking only after completing Mu Jian Li's storyline. After all, players couldn't realistically wait for several days for NPC responses, and to prevent modern UI from causing players to feel out of character, the official solution was the messaging sword, akin to how the quest system became “Heavenly Guidance.” Now that the game had become reality, many unexplained settings were filled in by the "Way of Heaven," naturally granting the messaging sword its role as a unique spell of the Taihua Sword Sect. Perhaps due to its powerful functionality, the crafting process was extremely complex. The usage conditions were also quite stringent; even now while communicating with Tang Chu Huan, the spiritual power consumption was enormous. Even though they weren’t particularly far from each other, she couldn't maintain it for too long. "The life of a cultivator is indeed richer than that of a mortal. I must admit my ignorance," Tang Chu Huan said with a wry smile. However, she did not linger in her emotions for long and quickly moved on to the main subject. "Regarding the matter of Taixu Mountain Villa which Immortal Bai asked me to investigate," she began, "I have made some progress." "Before my Tang family settled in Suzhou City, Taixu Mountain Villa was already the local power." "It's said the founder of Taixu Mountain Villa was a monk who was expelled from his sect for violating its rules, and eventually established Taixu Mountain Villa in Binhe Town." "A monk?" Bai Lian was somewhat bewildered. She only knew about the cultists at Temple of Joy masquerading as monks to deceive others, yet didn't expect the founder of Taixu Mountain Villa to also be a monk. And according to Tang Chu Huan, he was an authentic monk, not like those pretentious rogue cultists at Temple of Joy! But on the surface, Taixu Mountain Villa showed no signs of adhering to Buddhism? "Do you know which sect Taixu Mountain Villa's founder came from?" she asked, frowning. Tang Chu Huan shook her head, "Taixu Mountain Villa has never mentioned it. They seem to have completely secularized." "However, when researching Suzhou City's records, I stumbled upon a sect marked only by name, with no other details." "What’s the name?" Bai Lian asked urgently. "Tantric Sect," replied Tang Chu Huan. Hearing this name, Mu Jian Li was bewildered. Clearly, she had never heard of it. However, Bai Lian's pupils contracted slightly. The name was all too familiar to her! The dual cultivation technique she had acquired at Temple of Joy, titled "The Great Bliss Canon," was an extremely high-level method from the cultivation world, and it originated from the Tantric Sect! But wasn't the Tantric Sect supposedly annihilated in the joint crusade against cults by righteous and demonic sects two hundred years ago? Why is it surfacing in this small Suzhou City? Two hundred years ago… Indeed, Taixu Mountain Villa appeared in Suzhou City two hundred years ago as well. This timeline is no coincidence; what secret is hidden here? Bai Lian kept recalling the game's plot, but apart from the Great Bliss Canon, she couldn’t find any trace of the Tantric Sect in Suzhou City. Was it that she overlooked it while playing, or did the setting get completed when the game became reality? "Immortal Bai knows of this Tantric Sect?" Tang Chu Huan seemed to notice Bai Lian's change and narrowed her eyes slightly. "I don't know," Bai Lian shook her head. The Tantric Sect involved too much. Even if she knew, it was hard to explain all at once; it was better to just claim ignorance. After all, given her current cultivation and status, she could hardly touch such a colossal force as the great cult that was the Tantric Sect. "Is that so…" Tang Chu Huan smiled slightly, not pressing further and subtly shifted the topic. "Additionally, about what you asked me to investigate concerning Binhe Town." At this, Tang Chu Huan's expression became much more serious. "Indeed, as Immortal Bai has said, many people have gone missing in Binhe Town over the past few years, all virgins under the age of twenty." "According to my investigation, these incidents started two years ago. Although the Tang family noticed something, Binhe Town is Taixu Mountain Villa's stronghold, with locals under their sway, so we couldn't find any evidence." "And regarding the whereabouts and usage of these virgins…" Tang Chu Huan shook her head, "I couldn’t find any information, and must rely on you two immortals." "If you can find evidence of Taixu Mountain Villa's secret abduction of young women, I can make that my pretext to act." At this, a fierce determination flickered in Tang Chu Huan's eyes, "When the time comes, no one from Taixu Mountain Villa will be able to escape!" Bai Lian nodded; having chosen to risk infiltrating Taixu Mountain Villa, she was definitely not merely seeking out the Tang family traitor. The anomalies in Binhe Town, the appearance of the Tantric Sect, and the massacre of the Tang family in her past life, Taixu Mountain Villa undoubtedly had a shadow in these events. No matter what, she had to thoroughly investigate this force she once dismissed as mere small fry. "Oh, right, during my investigation on Taixu Mountain Villa, I heard a rumor." "I’m not sure if I should share it with you two immortals." Bai Lian paused, "What news? Feel free to say." "Well, after the incidents of missing girls in Binhe Town, a dashing immortal once arrived and noticed the anomaly, preparing to investigate." "But for some reason, that immortal suddenly vanished without a trace." "Some say... it's because that immortal strayed into a death array set up by Taixu Mountain Villa and perished." "Of course, these are merely hearsay, the truth uncertain." "You two immortals are in peril; please exercise extreme caution. I take my leave." Tang Chu Huan's chibi form disappeared, and the messaging sword returned to Bai Lian's hand. But her thoughts were long elsewhere. The vanished immortal who fell into a death array... Her pupils contracted slightly as she thought of Xie Cai, who practiced orthodox cultivation methods, and... the array beneath their feet.