Li Ze was a ghost cultivator. He loathed Buddhist cultivators and thunder spiritual root cultivators most of all. The female cultivator before him possessed both, and he sensed something else on her that he disliked, though he could not place it for the moment. He shifted his sitting posture and said,
"Ran Xiaoyou, you are too polite. This Lord met Hao Ran Zhēnzūn once and holds him in high regard."
Yunxi studied City Lord Li Ze. He wore a purple robe, with fine features that leaned feminine, and his aura was distinctly yin. The ghostly qi he exuded had brushed against Yunxi the moment she crossed the threshold.
City Lord Li Ze's soul force was not weak. With a single glance he probed her bone age. Yunxi was displeased, yet she did not show it. She was here to gather information and form ties, so she offered the customary compliments.
"City Lord, you are gracious. When Ancestor Hao Ran learned that you were guarding Haoran City, he was relieved. He specifically asked me to pay a visit and to request that you look after the lower-stage cultivators remaining here."
Li Ze nodded perfunctorily. "Rest assured. With this City Lord here, Haoran City will not descend into chaos."
Yunxi kept smiling. "In that case, I must trouble City Lord Li Ze. The Wei Clan is my own kin and has decided to relocate the entire clan. Before leaving, we reached terms with Chunfeng Gate to lease the clan grounds to them. Once the problem in Yunxiao Sea is resolved, we intend to return."
Her wording was gentle, but Li Ze understood at once. The land could be lent, yet it would be reclaimed in time, so Chunfeng Gate had better not overreach.
Li Ze recalled the tribute he had received from Chunfeng Gate. As he remembered it, they had planned to seize the place, not lease it. His narrow eyes swept over Yunxi, and he guessed the outline. Chunfeng Gate had been outmatched and had obediently paid spirit stones.
He had already taken his benefits and ensured that the Wei Clan's grounds would serve as a temporary garrison for Chunfeng Gate. The process did not concern him. He simply nodded."Be at ease. As City Lord, this Lord will preserve Haoran City's stability."
He lifted his gaze to Yunxi in a manner that clearly suggested the audience was over.
Yunxi acted as if she had not seen it and asked with an easy smile, "City Lord, before and after the start of the righteous versus evil war, did a large number of wicked souls and ferocious ghosts enter the Weiling Realm?"
Li Ze looked at Yunxi, surprised by the abrupt question. "Ran Xiaoyou, why do you ask?"
"To be frank, by a twist of fate I went to the underworld. I accepted a mission from the Ten Yama Kings to recapture the wicked souls and ferocious ghosts who escaped from the Eighteen Hells with the aid of evil souls.
In order to break the seal over Yunxiao Sea, a group of wicked souls and ferocious ghosts were sent into the Weiyu Realm. My friends and I detected them and forcibly captured many. However, the numbers do not match the tally of those who fled the underworld. As I approached the City Lord's Manor just now, my Soul-Capturing Mirror reacted, so I ventured to ask."
Li Ze heard Yunxi's explanation and had no idea what expression a ghost should wear.
Yunxi looked entirely sincere. She flicked her sleeve and produced the Soul-Capturing Mirror, letting it hover between them. The mirror's surface quivered faintly. "Please look, City Lord. Ever since I entered your manor, the Soul-Capturing Mirror has been warning me."
When Li Ze saw the mirror, he knew at once it was a tool from the underworld. Only underworld officials could carry such a soul artifact. He drew a deep breath. "Ran Xiaoyou, are you certain there are escaped wicked souls or ferocious ghosts within the City Lord's Manor?"
Yunxi hesitated slightly. "The Soul-Capturing Mirror has not been wrong before. If there are truly evil souls hiding in the manor, only the aura of a powerful ghost cultivator like yourself could shield them.
Of course, if City Lord Li Ze is sure that those by your side are trustworthy, I will not offend you. I can leave now. Tomorrow our clan will depart for the new territory. What do you think?"
Yunxi placed the choice in Li Ze's hands. The mirror's reaction had been real. Her original plan was to spend some soul stones to inquire about the Ghost Region's situation and seek a chance to go there.
She had not been merely flattering Li Ze earlier. They had indeed failed to capture all the wicked souls and ferocious ghosts that escaped from the Eighteen Hells. Yunxi suspected some were hidden in the Weiling Realm, and the Ghost Region, with its throngs of ghost cultivators, was the perfect place to hide. She wanted to build rapport with Li Ze to make future travel in the Ghost Region easier. Entering the manor had yielded an unexpected bonus.
Li Ze stared at the hovering mirror, rubbed his brow, and said, "Ran Xiaoyou, since you possess a soul artifact that can confirm their trail, why not investigate? This Lord does not wish to make enemies of the underworld, nor to have traitors at my side. If you truly catch them, this Lord will remember the favor and offer proper thanks."
Yunxi smiled. She could hear the faint grind in his voice, but that did not hinder her from completing the task. The light of merit was beckoning.
She let a relieved, trusted smile show and flicked a strand of soul force into the mirror. The Soul-Capturing Mirror shuddered, then slowly drifted out of the guest hall.
Li Ze's gaze grew stranger. He felt this young woman cultivated far too many paths. She even practiced soul refinement. He suppressed his curiosity and followed the mirror out.
The mirror flew straight toward the rear courtyard. Yunxi halted and looked to Li Ze. That was the City Lord's private grounds; it would not do to enter rashly. At that moment, a sharp scream rose from the rear, with a plea woven into it. "City Lord, help!"
Li Ze vanished in a flicker. Yunxi narrowed her almond eyes and did not follow. Yunxi waited outside with Zhang Lingrui and Zhou Lingchuan.
Zhou Lingchuan's gossip-loving heart caught fire. He whispered, "Ran Xi Zūnzhǔ, did this city lord really harbor wicked souls and ferocious ghosts?"
Zhang Lingrui shot Zhou Lingchuan a look. "If he were harboring them, do you think we would have walked through the gates? Are the Weiling Realm's great powers just for show, appointing a suspected traitor to guard Haoran City?"
Zhou Lingchuan nodded, then glanced at Yunxi and muttered, "With Ran Xi Zūnzhǔ here, even if it comes to a fight, City Lord Li Ze may not come out on top."
Everyone knew that Ran Xi Zūnzhǔ had refined Mystic Thunder Violet Flame, the bane of evil cultivators and ferocious ghosts.
Yunxi resisted the urge to retort. She was not here to start fights and forge grudges. Would they not need to return to Haoran City later?
Zhang Lingrui felt that Haoran Sect's second disciple really was a bit dense. There was no need to say things like that out loud.
Just as the air among the three turned awkward, the Soul-Capturing Mirror dragged a ghost cultivator toward Yunxi. It had failed to absorb him into the mirror because of Li Ze's interference, so it had simply hauled him along to find its master.
Yunxi arched a brow at the ghost cultivator trapped beneath the mirror's light. The face looked familiar.
Li Ze noticed Yunxi's expression. His narrow eyes narrowed further. "You know him?"
Yunxi nodded. "More than know him. We are 'old friends'."
She bit down on the words "old friends."