The three of them followed the Demonic Energy out of the city.
Around every city, there were considerable amounts of fertile fields and farms to support the massive population, and Qingyun City was no exception.
They followed the Stone Lamp to a farm and were startled to hear joyous music coming from inside.
Was a wedding taking place?
"Senior Brother, is the source of the Demonic Energy here?" Yue Yunqiao asked.
Huo Chongxiao looked down at the Stone Lamp: "Correct. See how the light is even brighter than before?"
The Demonic Energy they had found initially was not much, and burning it all the way here should only make it diminish. The only reason the light was brighter than before was that a denser source of Demonic Energy hidden here had been sensed.
"What should we do?" Bai Mengjin asked, feigning ignorance.
"Let's go in and investigate," Huo Chongxiao sighed. "There are quite a few people in this manor. If something happens, it will be a tragedy."
Yue Yunqiao fully supported him: "Senior Brother is right. We cannot stand by and do nothing."
Bai Mengjin naturally had no objections.
So, Huo Chongxiao blew out the Stone Lamp, tidied up his belongings, and suppressed his Cultivation Level, disguising himself as a Rogue Cultivator from the countryside.
"Junior Sister, did you bring your Jade Talisman?" he asked.
Yue Yunqiao responded, taking out a jade pendant and shaking it: "I'm keeping it safe!"
Huo Chongxiao pondered for a moment, took out three strung-together Copper Coins, and handed them to Miss Bai: "Miss Bai, the situation here is unclear for now. This is an item made by my Master to ward off evil. You must not part with it before we leave the manor, alright?"
Bai Mengjin took them, feeling quite emotional inside. Huo Chongxiao had first warded off her in the past; it felt unreal that she was now enjoying his protection.
After finishing their preparations, the three walked toward the farm.
The people inside soon noticed them. An old man, accompanied by several young people, came forward: "Three esteemed guests, please stop."
Huo Chongxiao put on a smile and stepped forward to salute: "Greetings, elder."
He was well-featured and courteous, easily winning favor. However, this old man was stern and asked matter-of-factly: "Where do you Immortal Guests come from? What business brings you here?"
Huo Chongxiao replied: "My Junior Sister and I are from Yongzhou. We are traveling everywhere on our Master's orders and have fortunately arrived at this blessed place. We accidentally missed our lodging today, so we hoped to ask for a place to stay for the night."
"That is not appropriate." Before the old man could speak, the young man behind him impatiently refused: "As the Immortal Guests can see, we have a joyous occasion in our manor tonight and are not in a position to host guests. Please move further ahead and find another farm."
Huo Chongxiao showed a troubled expression: "This..."
Bai Mengjin suddenly stumbled, looking as if she were about to fall.
Yue Yunqiao quickly supported her: "Junior Sister Bai!"
Huo Chongxiao's mind raced, and he blurted out: "My Junior Sister is ill and probably cannot walk that far. Please grant us this convenience."
Bai Mengjin was still young, and her skin was porcelain white, making her look exceptionally delicate under the dim lamplight.
The group exchanged glances and finally reluctantly agreed: "Fine. We will clear out a room for you. Please do not wander about unnecessarily to avoid disturbing the Bride."
Huo Chongxiao said happily: "Thank you."
The three entered the manor, navigated a few turns, and were finally settled in a secluded courtyard. An elderly couple lived in that courtyard. The old man gave them a few instructions and left.
The Old Woman led them into an empty room and said: "This is my son's room. He is not home, so you Immortal Guests will have to make do for one night."
She then brought hot water and food.
Once the door was closed, Huo Chongxiao immediately inspected the area, confirmed there were no anomalies, planted a Formation Flag to block any potential surveillance, and let out a breath: "We are safe for now."
Yue Yunqiao praised her: "Junior Sister Bai, you were so quick-witted. If you hadn't reacted so fast, we wouldn't have gotten in."
Bai Mengjin smiled shyly: "Actually, I was just hungry and lost my footing..."
"Regardless, it's good that we are inside," Yue Yunqiao turned and asked, "Senior Brother, what's the plan now?"
The joyous music drifted over intermittently, suggesting it was quite far away. The windows of the elderly couple faced their direction, constantly monitoring them. This farm held great hostility toward them.
"Let's eat first," Huo Chongxiao looked over. "You two haven't reached the stage of abstaining from grains; you can't go hungry."
Yue Yunqiao had food in her Qiankun Bag; it was still steaming hot when she took it out, which she and Bai Mengjin ate. The food brought by the Old Woman was fed to the spirit bird Huo Chongxiao kept.
After resting briefly, Huo Chongxiao took out several Puppets: "Let's go take a look at the wedding."
He blew a breath onto them, and the Puppets transformed into the likenesses of the three of them, sitting or leaning in the room. Then he drew a hole in the wall, creating a passage.
Huo Chongxiao went first, stepping through the passage, then helped Yue Yunqiao and Bai Mengjin across.
He then took out paper figures with different disguises and gave one to each of them. The three activated them with their Magic Power, transforming into the appearance of the paper figures.
"This is really useful," Bai Mengjin said, looking like she had never seen anything like it.
Yue Yunqiao replied: "This is Puppet technique. You can learn it once you reach Entry."
Huo Chongxiao's transformed appearance was that of an ordinary-looking man, Yue Yunqiao looked like a delicate young gentleman, and Bai Mengjin became a girl wearing a red top, making them look like a father taking his son and daughter out.
Huo Chongxiao casually broke off a tree branch, transforming it into a gift box, and said teasingly: "Come on, Daddy will take you two out for drinks."
Yue Yunqiao pouted: "Senior Brother is taking advantage of us!"
Huo Chongxiao laughed heartily and headed toward the sound of music first.
Bai Mengjin followed behind, sighing inwardly. Yue Yunqiao had passed away for so long that she almost forgot what a cheerful Huo Chongxiao looked like. In her memory, he was either hunting demons or in Seclusion at the martial arts hall; when they occasionally met, he always looked burdened by deep sorrow.
Huo Chongxiao had not been involved in the Grudges between her and Ning Yanzhi. They didn't have much of a relationship, and when she later defected from her Sect, she naturally wouldn't explain anything to him. Thus, when they met, fighting became the norm, and they became adversaries.
Seeing Huo Chongxiao like this now, she felt a bit of sympathy. Once they left this Illusion, would he be very disappointed?
The pain of loss was already etched into his bones; returning briefly only to lose again would deepen that agony, wouldn't it?
This thought flashed through her mind, and Bai Mengjin scoffed inwardly.
Why was she thinking such things? Shouldn't she be the one deserving of sympathy?
The three arrived ahead. The farmhouse compound was decorated with lanterns and streamers, filled with the sound of gongs and drums. Twenty to thirty banquet tables were set up; it was extremely lively.
Huo Chongxiao led them to the gift reception area and presented the gift box.
The accountant looked at them suspiciously: "The three of you are..."
"Distant relatives," Huo Chongxiao said with a simple, honest smile and a heavy accent. "We live far away and just arrived."
"Is that so?" The accountant turned to ask someone else, but Huo Chongxiao maintained an open and honest expression.
The accountant couldn't confirm, and the auspicious time was approaching quickly, so he hastily accepted the gift box: "There are too many people today; we apologize for the poor reception. Please go over there to observe the ceremony."
"Thank you!" Huo Chongxiao chuckled, leading his "children" into the crowd.