Chapter Seventy-Four: The Sorcerer's Mischief

Long San noticed the three of them staring at him with wide eyes. He smiled and cut straight to the point: “My thoughts differ from Long Jiu’s. The elders of the three great families have lived for at least a century; not one of them yields to another, and all are exceedingly cunning and sly. Things are far from as simple as they appear on the surface. The evidence we have gathered could very well be something they set up in advance. It’s possible that the Ouyang and Chen families conspired together to frame the Xuanyuan family. After all, the Xuanyuan family has always been the foremost among the three great families and being envied is only natural. Of course, this is only a possibility, since we haven’t found any relevant evidence.”

“One of you says it’s the Xuanyuan family, another says it’s the Ouyang and Chen families—just what evidence did you find? Who is connected to what in this matter? Hurry up and tell us, I’m completely lost,” Tang Wei interjected, utterly confused as to why all three families were now implicated.

“I suspect all three families are up to tricks behind the scenes,” Zi Xuan speculated.

“I think so too,” Long San nodded in agreement. “I’ve read all the evidence Long Jiu uncovered, but I also found a different lead.”

“What is it?” Long Jiu asked in surprise.

Long San smiled, taking a white thread from his storage pouch. “Guess what this is?”

Zi Xuan took it, inspecting it closely and giving it a firm tug. “It looks like a hair, but it can’t be—hair isn’t this strong.”

Long Jiu took it and also gave it a pull, his face turning pale with alarm. “This... could it be...?”

What could it be, to surprise them so much? Tang Wei, curious, also went over and tugged the thread. She looked up at Long San expectantly, hoping he’d explain.

Long San’s brow twitched, but he remained calm. “Long Jiu, your guess is correct. This belongs to the notorious fugitive, the White-Browed Demon Taoist.”

“The White-Browed Demon Taoist? Why are you after him, and what has he done?” At the mention of the name, Tang Wei instantly knew this was no good person. If Yaya had fallen into his hands, would she still be safe? Her heart began to race with anxiety. She twisted Zi Xuan’s wrist nervously and looked up at Long San, urging him to continue.

Before Long San could reply, Long Jiu interjected, “He calls himself the White-Browed Taoist. Though he claims to be a Taoist, he specializes in capturing boys and girls to practice sinister and forbidden arts, making him extremely dangerous. That’s why we call him the White-Browed Demon Taoist.”

Long San continued, “We once mobilized our entire sect to capture him, besieging him multiple times, but he always managed to escape. He’s so dangerous that even rogue cultivators don’t dare provoke him.”

The more Tang Wei listened, the wider her eyes grew. By the time Long San finished, her legs gave way and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Zi Xuan had been watching her closely and caught her in time, reassuring her, “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. Didn’t you say you’d rely on me? Yaya is different from other children—she’ll be fine.”

“Senior, you…” Long San seemed about to ask something.

Zi Xuan quickly cut him off, “Go on, how are you sure that man is the White-Browed Demon Taoist?” He then lowered his head and spoke softly to Tang Wei, “Don’t worry, I will find Yaya. Rest for a moment, and I’ll speak with you again later.” He helped Tang Wei to sit aside before turning back to Long San and Long Jiu, signaling them to continue.

Understanding that the two did not wish to discuss private matters, Long San answered Zi Xuan’s question, “The White-Browed Demon Taoist always carries a horsetail whisk made from the silk of the celestial silkworm, which is resistant to water and impervious to blades—a formidable weapon. I examined this thread; it must have fallen from that whisk.”

“But if that horsetail whisk is so powerful, how could a strand of silk come loose?” Zi Xuan questioned skeptically.

Long San was puzzled as well and shook his head. “I’m not sure. Last time we fought him, our leader borrowed the Xuanyuan family’s ancestral treasure—the Xuanyuan Sword—to counter his whisk. Even then, the result was less than satisfactory. I don’t know why a strand fell off this time.”

“The Xuanyuan Sword? Isn’t that one of the ten legendary artifacts from ancient times? Even that couldn’t counter his whisk?” Zi Xuan was incredulous. In the past, cultivators at the Tribulation Crossing stage were as common as millionaires today. Any artifact passed down from antiquity should be immensely powerful. Yet even that couldn’t overcome the whisk—could the whisk itself be an artifact?

Long San, seeing Zi Xuan’s confusion, explained with some embarrassment, “Actually, the true ancient Xuanyuan Sword has been lost for ages. This one was forged by the Xuanyuan family in recent years, using the original as a model. It’s much weaker, but still powerful enough that no cultivator below the Fasting stage can wield it. We only borrowed it to deal with the Demon Taoist’s whisk, treating it as a sharp sword.”

“If it’s the Xuanyuan family’s treasured heirloom, why would they lend it out?” Zi Xuan asked further.

“Oh, that seems to stem from a personal debt between our leader and the head of the Xuanyuan family. We’re not entirely sure, but apparently, the Xuanyuan patriarch owes our leader a huge favor.” Long San’s tone made it clear he didn’t wish to discuss this further.

Zi Xuan didn’t press him, instead changing the topic. “Where did you find the whisk strand? And how many were there?”

“There were two. I found them on the body of the elder of the Twin Fiends of Tianshan. Their garments were nearly white, so I almost missed it. It fell to the ground when I turned his body over,” Long San answered with more care and respect than before.

Long San had been raised to value loyalty and love for his country and people. At first, he’d assumed Zi Xuan and his companion were like members of the three great families—arrogant and unscrupulous due to their cultivation, willing to do anything for their own ends. And with Yaya’s disappearance, he’d blamed them for the recent chaos, looking down on them in his heart. But after this conversation, he realized they were different—driven only by the urgent search for someone dear. They’d even helped him greatly. With this shift in perception, his attitude softened, and his words became more cordial.

Zi Xuan fell silent for a moment, actually communicating with Little Ling in his spiritual space about whether there was a way to track the Demon Taoist. After deciding, he said to Long San, “Could you give me one of those silkworm threads? I’ll try to find a way to track him.”

“Senior, you have a method?” Long San asked in surprise.

“I need to think it through. For now, I’m not certain. You two should go wrap things up with the others first, then come back here. I’ll wait for you,” Zi Xuan replied, not wishing to reveal more just yet.

“You two won’t come?” Long San handed over the silkworm thread as he asked.

“No, we won’t. In fact, I owe you an apology—making you clean up our mess. I thought I was dealing with tigers and had my own ways to handle them. Who would have guessed we’d walked into a den of wolves instead, surrounded by a hungry pack, barely able to look after ourselves,” Zi Xuan said, accepting the silkworm thread and laughing at his own expense.

“You’re too modest, Senior. You just haven’t dealt with them before and don’t know their nature,” Long San replied earnestly.

Zi Xuan nodded. “Go on ahead. Let them know we’re going our separate ways. But our previous promise stands: whoever brings Yaya back safely will be handsomely rewarded! Within twenty years, we’ll help their family gain a Fasting-stage cultivator! The same goes for you—consider the pills a gift.” He was determined to make it clear he wouldn’t be used, thinking to himself as he spoke.

Long San and Long Jiu gasped at the generosity of the offer. Calming themselves, they cupped their hands in salute, “Then, we’ll take our leave.”

As they were about to disappear from sight, Zi Xuan added, “Come back alone in an hour.”

Long San’s figure paused. “Alright,” he replied, then vanished into the distance.