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It was said that the Sacred Moon Sect was merely a small, insignificant sect that dealt in poisons and powders, making a little money on the side. It wasn’t worth putting much thought into.
All it would take was a few people to gather some evidence of their crimes, apply a little pressure to the local officials, and such a small sect would crumble in a matter of days.
But this Sacred Moon Sect was actually involved with the Liu family…
Feng Ping’s face was grave. “Master, according to Siyun’s confession, the young Master Liu sent those sisters and younger sisters to the mansions of influential families in various prefectures, all of whom were trained by the Sacred Moon Sect.”
When they were investigating the iron mine, Tianshu Pavilion had already looked into the Liu residence.
They had risen to prominence very quickly, first appearing in Suizhou, Lianzhou, and Chongzhou four years ago. In just four years, the young Master Liu had sent out nearly twenty women, involving officials ranging from the Provincial Intendant and Commander-in-Chief, who oversaw the administration and military of a prefecture, to the county magistrates.
The Sacred Moon Sect must have been established long ago to have been able to cultivate a Liu residence four years ago.
Though they didn’t know what they were ultimately aiming for, Qi Xu sensed danger.
If the Sacred Moon Sect could cultivate a Liu residence today, they could cultivate a Li residence or a princely residence tomorrow, using this roundabout method to gradually erode local power.
The Sacred Moon Sect’s ambitions were far-reaching!
The personnel from the Pavilion who had previously supported the Lianzhou iron mine were currently stationed in Suizhou, and could be dispatched to investigate the Sacred Moon Sect.
Qi Xu was pondering this when he heard Wei Yunlan’s voice from inside the carriage. “Is something wrong?”
When Feng Ping reported Siyun’s matter, he had deliberately lowered his voice, avoiding anyone else.
It was impossible for a third person to have heard.
How did Miss Wei know something was wrong?
Qi Xu turned his head in confusion, only to see a white, slender hand reaching out from the lifted carriage curtain. And next to that hand, perched on the window frame, was none other than the Hai Dongqing, the messenger hawk specifically used by Tianshu Pavilion.
Strange things happen every year, but this year was particularly extraordinary.
Even Hai Dongqing was starting to become fond of people!
Miss Wei was truly a remarkable person.
Qi Xu suppressed the surprise in his eyes and rode his horse to the side of the carriage. It was Miss Wei’s reminder that had prompted him to investigate Siyun’s matter, so there was no harm in telling her.
“The Sacred Moon Sect is connected to Siyun?”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yunlan was startled at first, then her expression turned serious. “Mr. Xiao, you must thoroughly investigate the Sacred Moon Sect.”
Qi Xu looked up, his deep gaze meeting Wei Yunlan’s eyes.
Catching the seriousness in her eyes, Qi Xu nodded.
“Thank you for the reminder, Miss Wei,” he replied earnestly.
The group continued to move forward, and Feng Ping, somewhat puzzled, asked, “Master, why do I feel like Miss Wei has been telling you everything these past two days?” Weren’t they supposed to be the guards under Seventh Lady Yu’s command now?
Qi Xu glanced at the carriage. “Miss Wei is a perceptive person; she has already noticed.”
It was simply a matter of seeing through it without stating it outright.
Xingzhou was not as prosperous as the previous states they passed through; even Liangzhou, which had suffered from the upheaval of the Earth Dragon Turns, was more developed.
Once they entered Xingzhou, the group could no longer find inns to stay at every day and sometimes had to camp out in the wilderness.
Fortunately, with the weather gradually turning colder, the mosquitoes, snakes, and ants in the wild had decreased significantly. Additionally, with the medicinal powders prepared by Old Doctor Yu, even sleeping outdoors at night had become bearable.
This was their third day since leaving the Cursed Land.
It had been more than two days since they had interrogated Dong Enbo and left the county town adjacent to the Cursed Land.
On the road these days, Old Doctor Yu had been studying the medicinal powders obtained from Dong Enbo.
He had already figured out the poison he had given to Manager Dong, but he was still unable to determine what specific herbs were used in the powder meant for the Wei family, which was said to only induce hallucinations and fainting.
“Do you smell that? Isn’t this medicinal powder a bit pungent?” Old Doctor Yu approached Wei Yunlan and the others with the powder.
Wei Mingxuan was startled and quickly pushed the paper package containing the powder away. “Please don’t get too close; what if you get poisoned?”
“Not that easy,” Old Doctor Yu said, stroking his graying beard. “I’ve identified five types of herbs in here; there’s only one main ingredient I can’t distinguish. But it feels somewhat familiar. Perhaps I’m getting old, and my nose isn’t as useful anymore. Could you help me smell it?”
“I’ll take a whiff.” Wei Yunlan took the package and brought it close to her nose.
It had a scent reminiscent of something burning, with a faintly charred smell.
It was somewhat pungent and foul, akin to overcooked, rotten vegetable leaves.
Wei Yunlan had never known what rotten vegetable leaves smelled like until she embarked on this journey of exile and passed through Suizhou, where many refugees were gathered.
“This scent does seem somewhat familiar.” Could it be from the rotten vegetable leaves she had smelled before?
Just as she was pondering, Heiyun suddenly came over to sniff, then squatted down, vigorously scratching his nose with his hind leg before sticking his head into the bedding that Wei Mingxuan had yet to unroll.
Wei Yunlan, upon witnessing this, exclaimed, “I know what this smell is!”
“It’s the scent we smelled when we passed through the Cursed Land.”
So that was it.
Old Doctor Yu, having guessed some of the details, said, “The herb I couldn’t identify in this powder must be from the Cursed Land.”
If that’s the case, the Sacred Moon Sect’s headquarters might be near the Cursed Land.
No wonder their earliest targets had been Suizhou, Lianzhou, and Chongzhou, not far from Xingzhou.
Just as Wei Yunlan had suggested that they might search for the Sacred Moon Sect around the Cursed Land in Xingzhou, and before Tianshu Pavilion could take any action, those three words, “Sacred Moon Sect,” rang in their ears again.
“I heard that the Holy Maiden has been praying for blessings in Xiqi Village these past two days. We need to hurry; perhaps Little Yuan still has a chance!” The woman sitting on the carriage, holding her young daughter in her arms, urged the driver to go faster.
“I’m going as fast as I can. Even if we were to use a horse-drawn carriage, it wouldn’t be faster than theirs!” The driver, seeing several horse-drawn carriages passing by, turned his head and said, noticing the woman’s anxious expression. He no longer urged her on, but softened his tone and inquired, “Sister Wang, is this Sacred Moon Sect Holy Maiden really that divine?”
“Suihe, slow down.” Having heard the name “Sacred Moon Sect” repeatedly, Wei Yunlan was now extremely sensitive to those three words.
The horses accompanying the carriage slowed down as well.
Wei Yunlan lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. The woman was looking down at her daughter in her arms, but her mouth never stopped. “Of course, she’s divine.”
“No matter what sickness or disaster you have, as long as you receive the Holy Maiden’s blessings, it will disappear!”
“I heard that those with bad fortune might not be able to withstand such great blessings and could be backlashed. But our Little Yuan looks so beautiful, it’s obvious she’s blessed. She can definitely handle the Holy Maiden’s blessings. Maybe she’ll even be chosen to be a celestial child under the Holy Maiden!”
Through the lifted curtain, Wei Yunlan and Qi Xu exchanged a glance.
Almost simultaneously, they mouthed the same words:
“Heretical sect!”