Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 1000 - 618: Misunderstanding

Chapter 1000: Chapter 618: Misunderstanding

"This is natural."

This time, the resolute young man named Cang Bei did not hesitate and respectfully bowed to Xu Yuan:

"May I borrow ink and brush? I will sketch out the location of the Commandery Princess for you."

Sketch?

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment and asked in return:

"You can, but why sketch the location instead of directly taking me there?"

Cang Bei glanced up at the sky, not to look at the vast stars scattered across the night, but at the Great Formation that enveloped the entire Zhenxi Prefecture City, and said in a low voice:

"The incident of you calling people at dusk may have caught some people’s attention. Tonight, the city’s defense level has been raised significantly."

Saying this,

Cang Bei reached into his pocket and took out a completely black token inscribed with the word ’West’:

"And this token can only protect one person under the formation."

The human heart is unpredictable; only the pre-set formation will always perform its duty diligently.

Xu Yuan stared at the token for a few moments and suddenly glanced at Zhou Chen.

Seeing this, Zhou Chen quickly took out a similar token from his pocket and laughed heartily:

"Master, after being reassigned to Zhenxi Prefecture City, I’ve done some practical work. This token is....."

"Alright."

Doing work unseen by those above is equivalent to not doing it at all. This Grandmaster Zhou really wants to make progress.

Xu Yuan smiled and interrupted the other’s attempt to claim credit, exchanging a look with Cang Bei beside him.

Although Cang Bei was a military officer, he was well-versed in human affairs. A trace of self-deprecating sorrow flickered in his eyes, and he said softly:

"The gentleman here is holding the Zhenxi Mansion Qujiang Command Token, which has significant limitations. Given tonight’s level of city defense, the risk of exposure is considerable, so we can’t take risks."

Cang Bei’s intention was clear.

He came with Zhou Chen at the risk of exposure, but he must never bring danger back to the Commandery Princess.

Understanding it all, Xu Yuan turned and began to walk toward the hall, murmuring softly:

"Indeed, at this critical time, any movement will attract attention. Come in with me."

The hall was brightly lit and faintly scented. A graceful maiden in court attire was visible behind the desk.

The girl was reclining lazily on a soft chair, propping her chin with one hand while browsing a scroll with the other.

Her demeanor was regal, but her figure failed to match that regal aura.

As the three of them entered, Tian Ye lowered the scroll slightly, revealing those bright golden eyes that swept over them, then continued reading without further acknowledgment.

Approaching the desk, Xu Yuan glanced at this enchantress.

Their location was the central hub of the Black Scale Guards in Zhenxi Prefecture, housing many confidential documents. Tian Ye had spent an entire afternoon here, bored out of her mind, reading dossiers.

She, from twenty thousand years ago, needed to understand every aspect of the current era.

Taking ink and brush from the Sumeru Ring and placing it on the desk, Xu Yuan whispered a sentence to Cang Bei standing to the side:

"Much obliged."

"..."

The military’s swift and decisive approach meant Cang Bei wasted no words, picking up the fine brush and promptly starting to sketch on the rice paper.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Xu Yuan glanced at Tian Ye and frowned, transmitting his thoughts:

"Aren’t you going to disguise your appearance?"

"Didn’t you realize these two can’t see me?"

"...."

Raising an eyebrow, Xu Yuan glanced at the other two in the room, seeing that, as Tian Ye said, Zhou Chen and the others indeed had not noticed the fourth person’s presence.

Tian Ye chuckled softly and casually placed the scroll on the case records, gently laughing:

"I had beforehand hidden my aura using the ’Invisibility’ incantation. Shall I accompany you to meet Li Junwu, the Commandery Princess, later on?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, then softly hummed:

"You should be aware of the power of the Protective City Formation."

Without invoking Ranming, no matter how strong Tian Ye was, she was ultimately limited by Tianyan’s cultivation. In a border fortress like Zhenxi Prefecture City, the protective city formation’s sensing capabilities were akin to a Saint’s.

With the protection of the Yushu Ring, it was best for Tian Ye not to take risks. However, if the enchantress would obediently listen, she wouldn’t be called an enchantress.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan sighed softly:

"But if I say you shouldn’t go, will you really not go?"

Upon hearing this,

Tian Ye voiced a hint of dissatisfaction, letting out a couple of tsks:

"Tsk... you got the Yushu Ring, and now you think less of me, huh? Fickle creature."

She then suddenly curled her eyes into a smile, with a teasing tone:

"Moreover, aren’t you avoiding being seen by Tianyan with the Commandery Princess?"

With her words dropped, the girl giggled lightly twice, giving Xu Yuan no chance to retort as she lifted the scroll to cover her face.

Xu Yuan wanted to say more, but Cang Bei had already completed the map.

...

...

...

The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse.

The hiding place of Li Junwu was not far from Xu Yuan’s courtyard, only about four or five liens in a straight line. Even with the need to detour due to checkpoints, it was just seven or eight liens away.

For Xu Yuan’s usual speed, this was merely a half-stick of incense time, but because of Zhenxi Prefecture’s strict curfew, it took him a full quarter-hour to reach the inn marked on the map.

The long street was desolate, doors shut tight, and moonlight spread like it was a ghost street.

Standing alone at the inn’s entrance, Xu Yuan confirmed the name for a moment before using Origin Qi to pick open the locked wooden door and stepped inside.

Due to the curfew policy, except for inns and brothels with significant backgrounds, the taverns and inns near the Hai hour were forced to clear the main hall, compelling everyone to return to their rooms.

Scanning the area, from Xu Yuan’s perspective, the inn where his good brother stayed was indeed shabby.

The hall was pitch-dark, quiet, with the crude smell of alcohol and leftover food mixed with merchants’ sweat permeating the air, which was quite unpleasant.

This should be an inn for mundane merchants.

The interior was somewhat reminiscent of the Inn Tongfu Xu Yuan had seen in his previous life.

Li Junwu chose to hide in such a place, which surprised Xu Yuan a bit.

Although it’s said that the greatest hiding is in the crowd, that’s in a non-supernatural world. In such mundane-populated places, cultivators are not restrained, and a strong cultivator could pinpoint you with a mere scan.

Ironically, places where cultivators gather are relatively safer. Large brothel residences have formations for sound-proofing and soul evasion, and there might be hidden powerhouses that would deter others from probing directly with Will-spirit.

With these doubts in mind, Xu Yuan effortlessly vaulted over the wooden stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was not large, with a corridor and several guest rooms on either side. Some rooms were lit, with light streaming through the oil-papered wooden doors.

Just as Xu Yuan was about to take a step, a low hum of song flowed from the gap of a lit guest room nearby.

With a flash of something peculiar in his eyes, Xu Yuan casually glanced at the lamp-lit guest room.

Then,

he saw four or five human figures through the door gap.

Four men and one woman.

Judging from the clothing scattered on the floor, these five seemed to respect the woman.

Because the woman’s attire was made of silk while the men’s were all coarse cloth.

"Hah...."

Chuckling and shaking his head, Xu Yuan gave a cursory glance and withdrew his gaze, heading directly towards the end of the corridor where Cang Bei mentioned the dwellings.

Ordinary merchant folk usually live with heads hanging by a thread, especially on the Dayan Border, where they could meet a terrible end at any moment, so indulging in pleasure was understandable; social conventions couldn’t bind them.

Having travelled so much, he was long accustomed to such scenes.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan had already arrived at a guest room door.

The wooden door to this guest room was tightly shut, with no gaps, and no light permeated from the oil paper on windows; the occupants seemed to be resting.

The superb hearing from Integration Body allowed Xu Yuan to hear the occupant’s heartbeat, yet he vaguely sensed something amiss.

After pondering for a moment,

in the plain and dark corridor, Xu Yuan glanced at the adjacent room.

Got it.

The heartbeat here and next door were identical.

Synchronised like a one-to-one replica.

Li Junwu’s spellcraft?

No wonder this fellow chose to stay here; it indeed had some complexity.

With this thought, Xu Yuan reached into the Sumeru Ring and drew a dagger, thin as a cicada’s wings, inserting it into the door, prying it to unbolt the interior latch.

"Creak—"

Pushing open the door, Xu Yuan smiled a little seeing the scene inside.

As expected, the interior was different from the prior darkness; a lamp on the desk was burning brightly, exuding a gentle glow.

The room’s layout was not far from Xu Yuan’s expectations.

A canopy-draped wooden bed, two chairs, a wardrobe, with a lamp and porcelain cups quietly on the desk, simple yet complete.

However,

Xu Yuan did not spot any sign of Li Junwu.

Glancing at the closed bed curtains, Xu Yuan extended his Spiritual Vision while softly smiling, leisurely stepping inside.

And just as he set foot inside,

"Whoosh!"

Amidst the nocturnal silence,

"Buzz—"

A sword’s chant echoed throughout the room, yet outside remained silent as a longsword suddenly pierced the oil paper on the wooden door, aiming directly at Xu Yuan’s head!

"..." Xu Yuan.

In this brief instant,

A sudden gust lifted Xu Yuan’s unbound black hair, and the gleam on the blade vanished instantly.

Two fingers halted the sudden sword thrust, and Xu Yuan, somewhat amused, glanced behind the wooden door:

"Come on, it’s been so long, and you greet me with such intensity?"

"Jia Yi!"

Li Junwu’s familiar voice arose, "Move, we’ve been tricked. Prepare to escape!"

With those words,

A menacing desolate aura enveloped Xu Yuan, within which he perceived a pair of ghostly cold wolf eyes glinting.

Great Desert Qilin Wolf.

"....." Xu Yuan.

After a brief moment of surprise, Xu Yuan suddenly gasped.

Oh no, he seemed to have forgotten to remove the human skin mask.

As the thought swiftly crossed his mind, Xu Yuan had no time to ponder further.

Step Void Slash!

His figure vanished on the spot, and reappearing shortly, Xu Yuan had temporarily evaded the Qilin Wolf’s aura lock-on, now behind Li Junwu.

Li Junwu seemingly sensed this, pupils contracting sharply, spinning to deliver a swift roundhouse kick towards Xu Yuan, slashing through the air and leaving an afterimage.

Xu Yuan’s eyes flickered with blood light, deadly blood energy emerging from his palm, grasping Li Junwu’s ankle as he sidestepped and pulled back forcibly.

In an instant, off-balance, Li Junwu fell forward, his long, bare legs executing a perfect split in mid-air.

Biting his lip, Li Junwu glared at the unfamiliar face before him, swinging the sword-holding hand in an arc, yet it was seized by the man’s grip.

Locking eyes at this resolute-faced good brother up close, Xu Yuan’s gaze bore amusement as he switched to his original voice, smiling as he said:

"Really, sis? It’s been so long, and you can’t recognize me anymore?"