Chapter 43: Ghost Phoenix Lady...

"Are you certain this is the place, My Lord?"

The Provincial Education Commissioner's procession had traveled all the way from Yunzhou, escorted by the Azure Cloud Guard, the elite force of Yunzhou. Leading them was the Yunzhou Martial Shepherd, Qin Xiang.

"The Divine Falcon's scouting points here, so there shouldn't be any mistake." The Education Commissioner spoke to Qin Xiang with relative courtesy—far more courtesy, in fact, than he had previously shown the Provincial Governor.

The Martial Shepherd was the highest-ranking military post established by the imperial court in each province. Once every three years, the top ten fighters from the Grand Martial Tournament were given the opportunity to selectively challenge the incumbent. If successful, the challenger would replace the current Martial Shepherd and govern the region for three years; if defeated, the original Martial Shepherd would retain the post.

The privileges of a Martial Shepherd were immense. Locally, they possessed the authority to summon martial artists from various sects to assist in official duties. Resources distributed by the court were allocated through them, and they also served as the bridge connecting Jianghu sects to official government positions. Only with a recommendation letter written by the Martial Shepherd could sect disciples have the opportunity to enter local garrisons or yamen to perform meritorious service in exchange for imperial resources.

Qin Xiang had served as the Martial Shepherd in Yunzhou for nine years, remaining undefeated across three consecutive terms. This was a remarkable feat in such a fiercely competitive and prosperous region, and his formidable strength was widely renowned among Martial Shepherds throughout the realm.

The Education Commissioner's politeness was born of respect for Qin Xiang's strength and the powerful Jianghu factions backing him. With his genuine assistance, dealing with many malevolent spiritual phenomena would be far easier.

"However, according to the county annals, this place was abandoned fifteen years ago," the accompanying county magistrate hurriedly chimed in.

"What do the annals say?" the Education Commissioner asked, looking ahead.

Indeed, the area appeared desolate, completely devoid of human habitation for a hundred miles around.

"The annals record that fifteen years ago, there was a Ma Family Village nestled within these mountains. The villagers were adept at climbing and frequently ventured deep into the mountains to harvest wild ginseng, making it a renowned ginseng-gatherers' settlement. Many apothecary shops in the city used to purchase ginseng from them, and the quality was exceptionally fine. But fifteen years ago, a massive blizzard struck, seemingly triggering a landslide. The entire village vanished without a trace, and even their bodies were never found."

"Did your county government simply ignore such a tragedy?" the Education Commissioner asked, frowning.

"The magistrate at the time, Lord Feng, personally led the county constables here to search for survivors. After all, quite a few women from that village had married into the city, and many had come to the yamen weeping and pleading, leaving Lord Feng unable to refuse. Yet the records state that they searched three times consecutively, and not only were there no survivors, but the village of the Ma family itself could no longer be found anywhere."

"Where is the magistrate from that era serving now?"

"Uh......"

"What is it?" The Education Commissioner turned back, frowning at the man's hesitation.

"Lord Feng passed away from illness while still in office. His successor, Lord Luo, was transferred from a neighboring county, and he never bothered with the matter again."

"Dead?" The Education Commissioner narrowed his eyes slightly. "And the county constable from back then?"

"He died as well," said Qin Xiang, who now spoke up. "Come to think of it, I still have some recollection of that."

"Oh?" The Education Commissioner looked curiously at the enduring Martial Shepherd.

"When I first arrived in Yunzhou to assume the post of Martial Shepherd, county constables were required by rule to report local security conditions to me every six months. Yet only the constable of Yunshan County, Ma Zhong, sent subordinates twice in his stead. At the time, I felt he was showing me disrespect, so I sent my men to reprimand him. To my surprise, my men returned to report that the constable had already died. I went to inspect the body myself..."

"And?"

"His death was highly suspicious..." Qin Xiang frowned as he recalled the past. "His family claimed he had only died a few days prior, yet his body was stiff as a board, covered in a growth of beast-like white hair. His lips were pitch black, and his facial skin had withered like old tree bark, his flesh shrunken away. It was deeply unnatural."

"That clearly wasn't a death by illness. Did you not investigate at the time?"

"We did..." Qin Xiang sighed. "Yet Yunshan County was exceptionally peaceful back then. The five-year records showed no cases of malevolent activity whatsoever, leaving entirely no traces. Then his family disappeared as well, leaving us with even fewer clues."

"His entire family disappeared?"

"Vanished into thin air..." Qin Xiang recalled the circumstances. "Not only his family, but the magistrate's family, as well as the women who had married out from Ma Family Village—one after another, they all met with disaster in the six years following the village's disappearance."

"Such an event occurred, why was it never reported?"

"It was reported..." Qin Xiang looked at him. "You should be familiar with the sorcerer sent by the capital at the time—Lord Yuan Hai."

"Lord Yuan Hai?" The Education Commissioner's pupils constricted. "Even he failed to resolve it?"

"No clues could be found, and in the end, the matter was simply dropped without a conclusion," Qin Xiang shook his part.

"I see..." The Education Commissioner sighed. It wasn't that the imperial court hadn't tried; dispatching someone of Yuan Hai's stature showed how seriously they took it. But some cases simply defied investigation, and one could not afford to drag them out indefinitely. Qin Xiang had taken office nine years ago, right around the time Master Yi appeared. The entire court's attention had been drawn to that monumental event, so the disappearance of an ordinary county magistrate's family naturally failed to attract much lasting concern.

"Lord Deng's Divine Falcon technique is infallible. It stands to reason that the Ghost King Sect's followers are connected to the disappearance of the villagers from Ma Family Village back then..." Qin Xiang unfolded a map to carefully verify their location before continuing. "According to intelligence, the examination candidates who have gone missing in recent years all originated from the Youyun region. If their journey to the capital followed this Xiangyun route, it is entirely possible they were lured here. However... there isn't even a shelter against the wind and snow in this place. How could they possibly lure those scholars here? Who goes there?!"

Qin Xiang's movements were blindingly fast. Amidst the swirling snow, before anyone else could react, only a snow-veiled afterimage remained where he had stood. Thanks to his own esoteric arts, the Education Commissioner possessed an exceptionally wide field of vision; recovering his composure instantly, he located Qin Xiang, only to find him already ten feet away.

In the blink of an eye, he hadn't even clearly perceived how the man had crossed that distance, causing a cold shiver to run down his spine.

These top-tier martial artists remained terrifyingly dangerous. If the man had suddenly turned hostile and attacked him, ten of him would already be dead...

Yet Qin Xiang was even more shocked. Fast as he was, his opponent was faster still. The instant he closed the distance, a surge of sword intent washed over him, forcing him to a sudden, rigid halt.

Qin Xiang touched his neck. A hair-thin scratch was continuously oozing blood, which instantly froze into blood-ice in the heavy snow.

He hadn't seen how the other party drew their sword; he had stopped purely on instinct. A fraction of a moment slower, and he would have been a headless corpse.

The crucial point was that the person responsible for this was merely a little girl of eight or nine years old...

"Oh?" The little girl raised her head to look at him. "Fine footwork. What is your name?"

That was my line!

Qin Xiang drew a sharp breath and said in a low voice, "I am Qin Xiang, Martial Shepherd of Yunzhou. Might I ask who Senior is?"

He refused to believe she was just a toddler; she was most likely some ancient monster in disguise.

"Martial Shepherd... Ah, I've heard of that," the girl nodded. "The Martial Shepherd is the strongest fighter in any given region, right?"

Qin Xiang twitched his mouth slightly, then cupped his fists in a salute. "You flatter me... The world is full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; not everyone chooses to challenge the Martial Shepherd."

"Indeed, I've heard that too. One can only challenge the Martial Shepherd after gaining merit in the Grand Martial Tournament," the girl nodded. "According to the rules here, I suppose I must wait until after this year's tournament to fight you. Zhang Rui said I have to follow the rules and cannot kill people indiscriminately."

Hearing this, Qin Xiang's pupils shrank. This little creature intended to enter the Grand Martial Tournament?

"Senior, the Grand Martial Tournament is restricted to those under thirty years of age..."

"Can't you tell I'm only eight?"

Qin Xiang: "........"

Are you kidding me?

"Lord Qin?" In the distance, the Education Commissioner, Deng Lingfeng, noticed something was amiss and began walking over.

"Lord Deng, do not come over!" Qin Xiang hurriedly barked out a warning.

Given this person's skill, if Lord Deng hadn't prepared his esoteric arts in advance, he would be killed in the blink of an eye at this distance!

Hearing this, Deng Lingfeng instantly grasped the situation and secretly began preparing a spell.

"You'd best not do that..." Murong Yunji's gaze shifted directly to the old man secretly channeling magic. "The malevolent entity clinging to you is rather dangerous. If you don't stop right now, I'll have no choice but to kill you."

Deng Lingfeng's entire body tensed. Though she was still ten feet away, the moment her gaze locked onto him, he felt as if a cold sword blade was already pressed against his throat.

No wonder Qin Xiang was so wary. How could a child so young possess such terrifying capability?

"May I ask what Senior is doing here?" Qin Xiang asked hurriedly, while simultaneously gesturing with his hand for Deng Lingfeng not to act rashly.

"I lost my family."

"Your family?" Qin Xiang paused. "Might I ask who your family member is..."

"Lord Zhang, the Magistrate of Fuchuan County. He is my uncle," Murong Yunji stated with a twitch of her lips.

This was the identity she had agreed upon with that man. Since she wanted to enter the tournament, she had no choice but to let him take advantage of her seniority.

"The Magistrate of Fuchuan?" The Education Commissioner in the distance caught up. "Could it be the Magistrate of Fuchuan who rescued the Crown Prince in the North Sea?"

"I suppose so..."

"Ah, so you're one of us," Deng Lingfeng said, maintaining his internal guard while putting on a smile. "Might I ask where Lord Zhang is now?"

"After entering that temple last night, he vanished." Murong Yunji pointed toward an empty patch of ground not far away, then briefly recounted the events of the previous day.

Hearing the entire sequence of events, the group fell silent in astonishment. A divine temple had simply vanished into thin air?

It sounded utterly spine-chilling.

"A Ghost Gate..." Deng Lingfeng rubbed his fingers, his eyes heavy with gravity. "Did you hear clearly? The scholar named Yang杰—did he truly refer to her as the Ghost Phoenix Consort?"

"I certainly didn't mishear," Murong Yunji looked at him. "Is there a problem?"

Qin Xiang also looked on curiously. "What is it, Lord Deng?"

"Ghost Phoenix..." Deng Lingfeng drew a deep breath. "In the north, they worship the Azure Phoenix Consort, who governs the winds and rains of the four seasons and is a righteous deity of the Dao. However, according to ancient texts, before the Great Jin's founding Emperor established the orthodox Daoist deities, this Azure Phoenix was originally known as the Ghost Phoenix Consort..."

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"My Lords, why have you returned?"

Back at the divine temple, before the group had even departed, they noticed Zhang Rui and his companions walking back toward the temple entrance.

The group of scholars instantly grew tense once more.

Zhang Rui, however, merely cast a cold glance at the sneering Yang Jie behind them. "It seems... none of us will be leaving anytime soon..."