In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 26 Lord Tiangang

Seeing the seal start functioning again, Ning Xiaoxi breathed a sigh of relief, a tired but relieved smile on her face: "It's finally stabilized for now."

Ning Ziqing stared blankly at her, thinking to herself, "Is this still my gentle and quiet younger sister?" She murmured softly, "Sister, you are really amazing."

Ning Xiaoxi shook her head slightly: "This is just a temporary measure. We still need the Celestial Master to handle this matter thoroughly." Ning Xiaoxi circled the sealing stone platform again to confirm that the sealing runes were already working.

Then, after thinking for a moment, he took out another spirit crystal from his robes to replenish his depleted spiritual energy. He then added a layer of cursed cages outside the seal. The seal only locked the remnants of the deer-like creature here; it couldn't destroy it. If the seal loosened or failed, it could escape. The cursed cages had the function of eroding demonic energy. If all the demonic energy was exhausted, the remnants would be truly dead, and there would be no possibility of it escaping to harm anyone.

The moment the cursed cage took effect, the sealed remains of the deer-like creature trembled slightly. Then, the faint aura surrounding it began to sway gently, losing its stability. The sealing runes seemed to respond to the cage she had created; the light flowed faster, and the eerie blue flames within the four bronze cauldrons around it seemed to become much more vibrant.

After doing all this, Ning Xiaoxi returned to the camp with her brother, satisfied.

Given the sheer volume of the noise coming from deep within the forest, it was impossible for the people in the camp outside not to hear it. However, when Ning Xiaoxi returned to the camp, it seemed as if no one had ever seen her leave. They remained in their usual places, waiting for the officers' instructions.

At midday, the sun was blazing.

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, and Wu Dayong hurried over with two officials dressed in black robes. The two officials had serious expressions and their eyes exuded an air of authority, but they did not linger at the camp and quickly entered the woods.

Wu Dayong did not follow them inside; everyone remained where they were.

The camp was now fully prepared, and once the two officers took over the matter, they could continue their journey.

Not long after, an official hurriedly came out, said a few words to Wu Dayong, and then rode away in a hurry.

Wu Dayong quickly gathered the constables and prisoners, "Let's go!"

The exiles set off again.

Wu Dayong lagged behind and walked to Ning Xiaoxi's side. "Young lady, I have already reported to the Celestial Master Pavilion about your talisman-drawing assistance last night, but neither of the two officials mentioned it today."

Ning Xiaoxi nodded slightly. The events of yesterday and today had caused too much of a stir. Wu Dayong was merely a guard escort; if anything happened to him, he would also be implicated. Moreover, as her abilities continued to grow and given her fatally unpredictable "Tang Sanzang" physique, she would encounter such situations more and more often, making cover-ups impossible. She just wondered what level of celestial master had been sent to investigate her.

When the group had traveled about ten miles, a troop of cavalry blocked their way. After a subordinate officer in a dark blue official robe whispered a few words to Wu Dayong, Wu Dayong came to Ning Xiaoxi.

"Young lady, Lord Tiangang requests your presence."

Ning Xiaoxi put down her basket. They actually mobilized Lord Tiangang. It seems they really think highly of her!

"Lord Ning, please don't put me in a difficult position." Wu Dayong reached out to stop Ning Shi, who was about to follow.

Ning Xiaoxi turned to Ning Shi and said, "Father, it's alright, I'll go take a look."

Ning Shi and the other two stood together, staring intently at Ning Xiaoxi, who smiled slightly.

About fifty meters away from the group, in an open space, Ning Xiaoxi followed Wu Dayong with her head down. After Wu Dayong stopped, he whispered to Ning Xiaoxi, "Young lady, just tell the truth." After saying that, he turned and left.

"So you're the Ning family lady?" A bright voice spoke, with a slight upward slant at the end of each sentence, making it pleasant to listen to. "Raise your head."

Ning Xiaoxi looked up, and a bright, sun-like face was almost pressed against hers. "Ah!" Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but exclaim.

"Haha, did I scare you?" The opening and closing of his thin lips and the smile that curved his phoenix eyes created a strange harmony.

Ning Xiaoxi steadied herself, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

"As expected of a daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites, her manners are impeccable." Lord Tiangang chuckled and asked, "Where did you study under?"

Ning Xiaoxi lowered her head slightly. "Your Excellency, my father is an official in charge of rites, and our family has many rare and unique sacrificial texts. I enjoy reading these, and I happened to see some talisman-drawing cultivation techniques in a miscellaneous book. I was very interested, so I practiced them. I didn't expect to gain any great abilities; I just happened to learn the basics."

"You're quite modest," Lord Tiangang chuckled. "Would you be willing to join my ranks?"

Ning Xiaoxi bit her lip. "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I am still young and incapable. I only wish to stay by my parents' side. The journey of exile is long. If the same thing happens again, I will do my best to help within my power."

Silence is Cambridge at this moment.

Suddenly, an immense and suffocating surge of spiritual energy swept over Ning Xiaoxi, freezing her in place before she could even react.

Suddenly, everything went dark, and a sky full of stars surrounded her. Ning Xiaoxi felt like an ant gazing at the sky, sensing the heavy power of the stars. A star above her emitted a bright light, sweeping over her from head to toe.

Just as Ning Xiaoxi felt as if she had been X-rayed, the darkness vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

"Hahaha, what a fine young lady from the Ning family." Lord Tiangang laughed again, handing over a white jade token. "Keep this safe. Although you are under my command, you will not be restricted or required to report to me. If you encounter anything similar to last night, you can record it in your merit book without any need to cover it up. Furthermore, if there is an emergency, you can use your spiritual power to request assistance from the Tiangang and Disha within a hundred miles."

Ning Xiaoxi looked up at Tian Gang, "My lord?"

"Don't feel burdened. Just like you said, do what you can and be obliged to do it." The bright smile and pleasant voice had a captivating charm. "Remember, I am Tiangang Tianji Star. We will have a chance to meet again."

Ning Xiaoxi accepted the token with both hands, bowed, and said, "Thank you, sir. I will remember your teachings. I will take my leave now."

Looking at Ning Xiaoxi's thin and frail figure and her firm steps, Lord Tianji couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

"Sir, why did you let her leave?" an official asked, looking at the official's smiling face with a puzzled expression.

"Jiao, what is the duty of our Celestial Master Pavilion? To slay demons and eliminate evil. A little girl of twelve or thirteen years old can make a promise within her power and without hesitation, so what difference does it make whether she is a subject of the Celestial Master Pavilion or not?" Lord Tianjixing explained to his subordinate in a rare good mood, "If the number of subordinates is insufficient, there is nothing that can be done. As long as one's conscience is clear, that is enough. Jiao, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I was narrow-minded."