Chronicles of Celestial Origins

In Xuanyu County, inside the nameless rice shop, a man hurriedly came outside the house, bowed and said, "Disciple Guan Xun has met Uncle Tang."

Tang Ning waved her hand and the door opened: "Guan Xun, I called you to inquire about something."

"Master, please give me some instructions."

"You are in charge of the South China West Intelligence Station. Do you know that there are demon sect monks who have sneaked into Xuanyu County recently?"

"Disciple doesn't know."

"Is the Yang family within your monitoring range?"

"The disciple has some sources of information about the Yang family, but he does not directly monitor the Yang family."

"Have there been any changes in the Yang family recently?"

"Never smelled it. But..."

"What? Tell the truth."

"A few days ago, a member of the Yang family disappeared and was killed for no reason. The Yang family sent people to search vigorously, but found nothing."

"Oh? Who was the person who was killed? Do you know the specific circumstances?"

"The victim is Yang Siqi. The specific circumstances are not known yet. I heard that he was not the only one who was killed, but a member of the Qi family was also killed."

"What exactly happened? Tell me in detail what you know."

"Disciple only heard about it. About six or seven days ago, the two of them disappeared together. Both the Yang family and the Qi family sent people to search, but nothing was found. I heard that the two of them were gambling in Cuihua Pavilion that day, and they were killed after going out. The Qi family That child’s name is Qi Yun, and his sister is married to Yang Siqi’s brother.”

"What kind of cultivation level do these two people have?"

"Yang Siqi is at the eighth level of Qi refining, and Qi Yun is at the seventh level of Qi refining."

Tang Ning was silent for a while, thoughts racing in her mind. The Yang family and the Qi family were both wealthy families in South China. The local monks in South China were not so bold as to kill their children. Moreover, the two people were not weak in cultivation and had a certain ability to protect themselves, but they disappeared for no reason. This matter might be related to the two foundation-building monks of the Corpse Puppet Sect.

"Go find out about this quickly, the more detailed the better."

"Yes." Guan Xun responded, followed the order and left.

………………

Cuihua Pavilion is located on the Wocan Peak. It is decorated with carved beams and jade, and is resplendent. At the door, there are monks in twos and threes coming down with swords, striding forward with high morale, and there are also the satisfied monks who come out with their heads held high.

This place is one of the largest gambling houses in South China. It is specially designed for cultivators. Gambling games are divided into many forms, which are similar to those in the mortal world.

There are sieve throwing, gambling, chess, various chess and cards, etc. These gambling tools are all made of special materials, which can block the prying eyes of the monks' spiritual consciousness.

Cuihua Pavilion occupies a large area. The entire 300-foot radius of the top of Wocan Peak was cut to flat ground to build this pavilion.

The owner behind it is the Liu family, the largest family in South China.

The attic has three floors. The first floor is an open hall with many gambling tables and people in groups in front of the tables.

There are multiple private rooms on the second floor for monks to play games alone.

The third floor is the residence of the monk in charge of this pavilion.

Tang Ning and Guan Xunfang entered the cabinet and were immediately greeted by a woman with a good appearance.

"Fellow Daoist Guan, you are here. Fellow Daoist Tian is also in Room 3 upstairs. Are you and him..." Only then did the woman notice Tang Ning behind Guan Xun. She paused slightly and said, "May I ask who this senior is?"

"We want to see Senior Liu, please let me know." Guan Xun said.

"Oh, okay, please come with me." The woman led the two of them to the second floor of the attic, and stopped at a corner: "Please wait a moment, let me call my uncle."

Tangning nodded.

The woman went up to the third floor of the attic, came to a house, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." An old and deep voice came from inside.

The woman pushed the door open and walked in, Yingying bowed: "Third uncle, Guan Xun of the Qianyi Sect is here, and he also brought a foundation-building monk, saying he wants to see you."

The old man sitting cross-legged on the futon frowned slightly: "Want to see me? Invite them to come!"

"Yes." The woman responded, exited the room, and came to Tang Ning: "Uncle, please come in."

The two of them followed her into a room. Just as the woman was about to speak, the old man waved his hand, stood up and said, "Old Liu Mian is the head of this pavilion. What do these two Taoist friends want from me?"

"Senior Liu, this is Senior Uncle Tang Ning of our sect." Guan Xun said.

Tang Ning said: "Fellow Daoist Liu, I have taken the liberty to come here this time because I have a small matter to ask for help from."

"Fellow Taoist, please speak frankly. I will do my best to help Liu as long as I can."

"A few days ago, Yang Siqi, a descendant of the Yang family, and Qi Yun, a descendant of the Qi family, disappeared and were killed after gambling in your pavilion. We would like to ask the personnel of your pavilion to understand the specific situation at that time."

Liu Mian asked suspiciously: "The two younger members of the Yang family and the Qi family are missing. How can I bother to go to fellow Taoist Tang to personally intervene?"

Tang Ning said: "To be honest, I am investigating a case of demon sect monks. I suspect that this matter is related to them, so I came here to bother you."

"That's it." Liu Mian nodded and said, "The Demon Sect is really hateful. I don't know how you want me to cooperate?"

"I want to know what Yang Siqi and Qi Yun said when they were gambling in your pavilion that day, and whether there was anything unusual, including when they came, when they left, and who else was with them."

"Fan Rou, go and ask who entertained them that day and ask him to come up to see me."

"Yes." The woman took the order and left.

"Fellow Taoist Tang, Chunqiu Shangfu, is already a monk in the middle stage of foundation building. It really puts this old man to shame!"

"It's just a fluke. I have low qualifications, but luck has come my way, so I can do this."

"Fellow Taoist Tang should also be a monk of your sect's Information Department!"

"That's right."

"I have a nephew who also works in your department."

"Oh? I wonder who it is?"

Guan Xun interjected: "This is Junior Brother Liu Yuan, a disciple of the seventh team."

Liu Mian said: "My nephew is stupid. He has practiced in your sect for more than thirty years and is only at the eighth level of Qi refining. He has no name. My Taoist friends must not know who he is."

"Every palace and courtyard in the sect performs its own duties no matter what status or level of cultivation it is. The same goes for the departments. Each manager has his or her own duties. I have never known the disciples of the action teams under me in detail."

"If there is a chance, I will bring my nephew to visit fellow Taoist one day." Liu Mian said. Seeing that Tang Ning was already in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment at a young age, he thought that she must be a very important person in the Qianyi Sect, so he was interested. Make good friends, so there is such a saying.

Tang Ning smiled and said nothing and did not agree.

While the two were talking, the woman arrived with a fair-faced man: "Third uncle, he was the one who entertained Yang Siqi and Qi Yun that day."

The man saluted: "Junior Zhang Heng has met senior Liu."

"Let me ask you, what did Yang Siqi and Qi Yun say during the gambling scene that day? Was there anything unusual? When did they come, when did they leave, and who else was with them?" Liu Mian asked

"This..." Zhang Heng paused for a moment: "It took too long, and I can't remember it clearly."

“Don’t be in a hurry, think slowly, and say whatever comes to mind, the more detailed the better.

"Yes." Zhang Heng was silent for a while and slowly said: "That day was the sixth day of March. They were in room four. They came together and went to the gambling table around Youshi. The rest of the people were from this pavilion. Regular customers, after playing for two or three hours, they were very lucky. I remember they won several hundred spirit stones! Around midnight, the two of them left talking and laughing. "

"That's it, nothing else? Did the two of them walk alone or with someone else?" Tangning asked

"Walked alone."

"How many people are there at the gambling table? Who are they?"

"There are six people in total. Apart from them, the other four people also come here often. One is Xue Lin of the Xue family, one is Kong Zhenxiu of the Kong family, the other is Mei Xun, a casual cultivator, and the other is Chen, the chief minister of South China. joyous."

"Didn't they say anything?"

Zhang Heng thought for a while: "I remember when they left, they seemed to say they were going to Qinchuan and Wang Xichuan to play."

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Confirmed. It should be right. I remembered it. When Qi Yun came to the table, he told Kong Zhenxiu that he wanted to win his spirit stone and go to Wang Xichuan for fun."

"When was it specifically? Can you remember the specific time they left this pavilion?"

"It should be between 3:00 and 4:00 pm, because every time it comes to midnight, we have to take turns. I remember that I took a break not long after they left, and it was Cao Yin who took over my shift."

"I understand, go ahead! Call Cao Yin here." Tang Ning said

"Yes." Zhang Heng responded and exited the room. Not long after, a tall and thin man came over and saluted Liu Mian: "Junior Cao Yin pays homage to Senior Liu."

Tang Ning asked: "Cao Yin, you took over Zhang Heng's shift on March 7th. Were you in Room 4 when Yang Siqi and Qi Yun were at the gambling table? Think about it before answering."

Cao Yin thought for a while: "No, there were only four people at the gambling table at that time, Xue Lin, Kong Zhenxiu, Mei Xun, and Chen Huan."

Tangning nodded: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Liu, for your help. I'll take my leave now."

"It's just a trivial matter. What's the big deal? Fellow Taoist Tang, is this really the work of the Demon Sect? What did they want to do by killing two juniors?"

"You don't need to worry too much, Daoyou Liu. It's unclear whether it was the Demon Sect's monks who did it. I can't say what other reasons it may have been. Even if it was done by the Demon Sect, they are just a few clowns who can't stir up any trouble. By the way, this matter I hope fellow Taoists won’t spread the word.”

"I know."

"Farewell." The two of them left the attic, and Guan Xun asked, "Uncle Master, is this really related to the Demon Sect?"

"It's just a possibility. Whether it's related to them still needs to be investigated."

"Who is the other party? What is the purpose of coming to South China? And why did you kill Yang Siqi and Qi Yun?"

"We don't know yet," Tang Ning said.

"What's next?"

"Go to the Yang family and Qi family."