That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"I thought you were cute, so I hugged you, and you grabbed my beard and wouldn't let go..."

"oops!!!"

Xie Yunqi pretended to grab his beard again, and Wen Fuxiao raised his sleeve to cover his face, begging for mercy repeatedly.

Chapter 122 Encountering Joy Upon Awakening

As the sun set, the maids brought out the wine and dishes one after another.

Instead of choosing the long table that Fengling City usually uses to entertain guests, Wen Fuxiao spread out a blanket on the spot, placed a round jade plate, and had several people sit around it in a circle.

The dishes were also selected by Wen Fuxiao, removing many of the fancy dishes commonly used in banquets.

"It looks good but isn't practical; it's hardly of any use!"

The dishes that remained were all authentic appetizers to accompany drinks: crispy fried peanuts, roasted lamb leg, pig's ear mixed in chili oil, and a large plate of braised beef.

Wen Fuxiao rolled up her sleeves and tossed the large bag of chili powder onto the plate. The pungent aroma made people involuntarily shiver.

"Jingming, you should be able to eat the chili peppers produced in Shulan City, right?"

"Ah."

Jiang Jingming smiled and nodded.

Living in Mangya, the followers' tastes in food were indeed based on those of Yongzhou.

Extremely spicy and salty, it's perfect to pair with the strongest liquor. One bowl is so refreshing that you forget the raging yellow sand outside.

The young lady clearly couldn't get used to the food; after trying a piece of beef, her face turned bright red from the spiciness.

She subconsciously picked up the glass next to her and took a sip, only to find it was alcohol. She couldn't catch her breath and started coughing incessantly, clutching Jiang Jingming's sleeve.

Jiang Jingming suppressed a laugh, patted her back to help her catch her breath, picked up his wine glass and took a sip; sure enough, it was another "Heart's Delight" drink.

"Don't drink anymore, ask someone to bring some tea."

"No, I'll drink this!"

Hearing him say that, Xie Yunqi held his breath and shook his head, clearly unconvinced.

Jiang Jingming shrugged and handed over the wine glass in his hand.

Xie Yunqi pretended to accept it, but didn't drink it. Instead, he picked up the peanuts on the other side with his chopsticks and ate them.

Lu Zhao also held a wine glass, looking troubled.

"Brother Lu, what's wrong?"

Jiang Jingming tilted his head and asked curiously.

"The smell of this wine reminds me of bad things."

Lu Zhao's expression was serious.

Jiang Jingming thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized.

"You mean that seductive dancer from the banquet that night...?"

"Keep your voice down! Is this something to be proud of?!"

Lu Zhao quickly crawled over and covered his mouth.

This incident is truly etched on the pillar of shame for him. If it were to reach the capital, his colleagues would undoubtedly ridicule him and make fun of him.

"The dancers are cunning, and their seductive arts are hard to guard against. It's not Brother Lu's fault."

Jiang Jingming clinked glasses with him, his expression indifferent.

"The more you talk, the more ashamed I feel..."

Lu Zhao, in a fit of despair, drank the wine in one gulp.

Although they were sitting in a circle, Aqing still chose the most inconspicuous spot, with most of her body hidden in the shadow of the candlelight, making it impossible to see her expression.

"Aqing."

Jiang Jingming got up and sat down next to her, leaning closer.

"Ok?"

Aqing raised her eyes and met his gaze in the shadows.

Jiang Jingming looked at her, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"Don't be too vigilant tonight, relax and get some rest."

Before Aqing could speak, he continued talking to himself:

“You haven’t had a moment’s rest since we left home. You must be exhausted.”

"Aqing isn't tired."

Aqing shook her head, looking serious.

Jiang Jingming casually poked her cheek and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Aqing, you are the person I trust most in this world, and I hope you trust me in the same way. At least tonight, entrust everything you are worried about to me."

"..."

Aqing seemed surprised by his words, staring blankly at the swirling liquid in her glass.

After a long pause, she still didn't speak, but simply lowered her head, took his wine glass, and took a small sip.

Jiang Jingming was taken aback. Thanks to Shen Zhuo's teachings, A Qing had never touched a drop of alcohol since she was a child.

By doing this, she was probably silently indicating that she knew.

Jiang Jingming chuckled for a moment and reached out to rub her head.

Aqing looked up, her gaze still clear and calm, but her ears had turned a little red, a faint pink.

"Don't drink too much, this liquor is very strong, you see."

Jiang Jingming raised his chin, gesturing for her to look at the young lady on the other side, whose face was flushed.

Xie Yunqi had only drunk a cup with Wen Fuxiao out of bravado, and now her face was flushed red. She picked up a wine jar with great bravado, which frightened Wen Fuxiao so much that she begged her to stop making trouble.

"Ah."

Aqing responded softly, her eyes lowered, reflecting the clear light of the candlelight and wine.

Jiang Jingming couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, always feeling that this girl had been hiding something on her mind ever since she left home.

But if Aqing wanted him to know, she would have told him long ago; if she didn't want him to know, no matter how much he asked, it would be useless.

A young girl's thoughts are truly hard to understand.

Jiang Jingming sighed, tilted his head back to drink, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fang Zhiyi secretly moving the wine jar that the young lady had just put down to her side.

I almost forgot about this drunkard.

I wonder what the fervent believers below the stage would think if they saw the ethereal Rain Master of the daytime now drinking himself into a stupor.

As Jiang Jingming was thinking this, Fang Zhiyi held the wine glass in both hands and glanced at him with a smile.

A small wine glass, no bigger than a palm, covered most of her face, leaving only her fox-like eyes visible, glistening with the smudges of alcohol.

"..."

Jiang Jingming looked away and silently drank his wine.

Well, a beautiful woman drunk has a unique charm.

Come on! Come on!

Xie Yunqi knelt on the ground, chanting the commands for a drinking game.

"Two brothers, sworn brothers! Three sworn brothers! Four lucky benefactors! Five champions!"

I don't know where she learned that from, but this dignified young lady of the Divine Capital Guard looks like a complete hooligan or hoodlum right now.

"Stop serving drinks! Everyone, get out of here."

Wen Fuxiao couldn't stand Xie Yunqi's drunken antics any longer, so she quickly stood up and waved her hand, dismissing the maids who were still carrying jars of wine up to the table.

Upon hearing the noise, the maids all withdrew, leaving only a few of them on the top floor of the pavilion.

Jiang Jingming turned to look out and saw that the long street below was brightly lit.

People sat along the riverbank, clinking glasses and laughing merrily.

This joyous rain festival seems to have truly washed away the heavy atmosphere that had been hanging over Fengling City recently. The massacre of the entire family and the Duyue Sect were like a layer of gloom lingering over the city, but now that the rain has stopped, the gloom has dissipated.

"Young friend Jingming."

Jiang Jingming turned around and saw Wen Fuxiao smiling and raising her glass to him, so he quickly raised his glass in response.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Xie Xiaoya these days."

"No, it was actually Miss who helped a lot with the investigation."

Jiang Jingming shook his head.

The young lady is actually a very strong-willed person. Although she occasionally complained along the way, she never fell behind.

Upon hearing this, Wen Fuxiao, using her wine glass as cover, glanced around to make sure there was nothing amiss before slowly speaking:

"Did you make any unexpected discoveries at Tingpu Villa?"

"Quite a few."

Jiang Jingming mentally reviewed all the clues before briefly recounting them to him.

"Raising Gu... The Shun family has truly gone mad."

Wen Fuxiao stroked his beard and sighed deeply:

“The sacred objects that the people of Cenzhou believe in are evil objects in the hands of us outsiders. They can cause you to become possessed or even die. You must never touch them.”

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming nodded, agreeing with his statement, and then brought up another matter:

"Besides, the purpose of the Shun family raising Gu seems to be related to the Corpse Demon Technique."

"Corpse Demon Technique?"

Wen Fuxiao was shocked upon hearing this, and spilled all the wine in her cup.

Seeing this, Jiang Jingming exchanged a silent glance with Fang Zhiyi, who continued to drink with a smile, seemingly not listening to what they were saying at all.

Jiang Jingming had no choice but to press the matter on his own:

"Could it be that Master Wen has also heard of the art of corpse demons?"

"I have only heard of such evil arts from thousands of years ago in ancient books hidden deep in the palace."

After saying this, Wen Fuxiao remained silent for a long time, then looked at Jiang Jingming with a deep gaze.

“Young friend Jingming, actually, when I was still in the capital, I vaguely sensed that the royal family was quite interested in the Shun family’s puppetry. And the Corpse Demon Technique can be said to be the pinnacle of puppetry.”

"!"

Jiang Jingming was slightly taken aback.

It seems reasonable, but upon closer inspection, if puppets were to replace soldiers in forming an army, their lethality would far surpass that of ordinary troops.

The reigning emperor had always tried to connect the martial arts world with the imperial court, as evidenced by his dispatch of Xie Jichuan to the Xiquan Sword Sect to observe the Eight Desolate Sword Formation.

Could it be that Master Wen is trying to tell him that the Shun family might have received help from the royal family?

If that's the case, then the situation is getting increasingly complicated.

Why did the Divine Capital Guards mobilize so quickly this time? Is it because this massacre not only challenges the authority of the Righteous Alliance, but also the imperial power?

Jiang Jingming grew increasingly alarmed as he thought about it, and silently lowered his head to drink.

"Thinking about it this way, the reason why the Shun family moved to such a remote and secluded place as Cuiwei Mountain was probably to make it easier for them to study these evil arts."

Wen Fuxiao shook his head and sighed, lamenting their misfortune and angering at their lack of resistance.

"After years of painstaking planning, he made many enemies and infamy, all for the sake of climbing the social ladder. In the end, his entire family was wiped out, and his efforts were in vain. It is truly a case of fate being hard to defy."

"Speaking of which, hasn't the news of the city lord's disappearance spread yet? The people in the city seem to be completely unaware."