Chapter 143: Qingting Senior Sister

"Qin Sang pays his respects to Senior Brother Yu."

Qin Sang, thinking about the transmission talisman, stood up and cupped his hands.

Yu Daiyue walked over and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Qin is truly elusive. In the past two years, I've left several transmission talismans and even personally visited Huilong Temple, but I couldn't meet you. If I hadn't happened to hear from a Jianmenguan disciple that you had just returned to the mountain, I'm afraid we would have missed each other again."

Qin Sang's face showed surprise when he heard this, and he asked doubtfully, "Those transmission talismans were left by Senior Brother Yu?"

Yu Daiyue furrowed his brow, realizing something was amiss. "Junior Brother Qin doesn't know me?"

Qin Sang looked embarrassed and turned to glance at Senior Brother Wen.

Senior Brother Wen, who had already understood the situation, smiled and shook his head upon seeing Qin Sang's discomfort. Pointing at Yu Daiyue, he said, "Junior Brother Yu, I told you to come to Daomen Peak to preach more often, but you disliked the small amount of spirit stones you'd earn. Junior Brother Qin might genuinely not know you. He only joined the sect with a Sword Intent decree when he was almost at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and since then, he's been diligently cultivating in the Earth Sinking Cavern. He only returns to the mountain when a few junior brothers come to Daomen Peak to give lectures. If I weren't the manager of Daomen Peak, I wouldn't see him even once a year. After he broke through to Foundation Establishment five years ago, it got even worse; he's spent five years cultivating in his cave dwelling and hasn't returned to the main gate even once. The Cloud Mist Tea I left for him is almost moldy."

"I see. It must be because Junior Brother Qin can endure loneliness and dedicate himself solely to rigorous cultivation that he was able to pass the test of the Mortal World Gourd during the Qi Refining stage. With such a temperament, Junior Brother Qin's future prospects are truly boundless!"

Yu Daiyue, filled with admiration, cupped his hands at Qin Sang. Remembering the name he had deliberately left on the transmission talismans earlier, he couldn't help but chuckle wryly. "It's alright if we didn't know each other before; it's not too late to know each other now. Junior Brother Qin already knows my name. My purpose in coming to find you this time is for the matter mentioned in the transmission talismans. I wonder if Junior Brother Qin has some free time to come to my cave dwelling for a cup of tea, allowing me to fulfill my duty as a host."

Since he had come directly to him, and as he was a fellow senior brother, it would be impolite to refuse him outright.

Qin Sang did not refuse directly. He bid farewell to Senior Brother Wen and followed Yu Daiyue, flying towards his cave dwelling.

On the way, Qin Sang recalled the transmission talismans Yu Daiyue had left. Their content was largely similar, all inviting him to explore an ancient cultivator's ruins in the Cloud Cang Great Marsh. Two years had passed; had they still not departed?

He wondered why Senior Brother Yu had chosen him and was so persistent.

Although Yu Daiyue was also in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he had managed to pass the Treasure Gourd illusion by himself, and he seemed to have extensive connections, indicating his strength should not be low.

Even this person needed to invite help, had been preparing for so long, and hesitated to act, suggesting that the ancient cultivator's ruins were likely not simple.

Qin Sang believed he had some life-saving methods, but his cultivation was far inferior to those veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators. If a crisis arose in the ancient cultivator's ruins, he would be in the most danger.

Moreover, even if treasures were indeed found in the ancient cultivator's ruins, they might not necessarily fall to him.

His current mission was clear: five years was long enough. The correct path was to quickly engrave the first kill talisman and begin cultivation. Everything else was secondary.

Having decided to refuse Yu Daiyue, Qin Sang's mood relaxed, and he surveyed Yu Daiyue's cave dwelling.

Yu Daiyue's cave dwelling was on an inconspicuous peak within the sect, but it was very close to Shaohua Mountain. From the front of his dwelling, one could vaguely see the archway on Shaohua Mountain.

The cave dwelling itself had no spiritual eye, and while it couldn't compare to White Cat's dwelling, it was no worse than other spiritual eye cave dwellings outside. This showed how astonishing the spiritual veins beneath Shaohua Mountain were.

"My humble abode is rather crude; please excuse it, Junior Brother Qin."

Yu Daiyue opened the entrance to his cave dwelling and invited Qin Sang inside.

Qin Sang's own cave dwelling was as simple as a mountain cave, whereas Yu Daiyue's was much more elaborately furnished, with tables, chairs, incense altars, screens, calligraphy, and paintings, all exceptionally elegant.

Yu Daiyue took out fragrant tea and brewed it. After exchanging a few casual words, Yu Daiyue finally got to the point.

"Regarding the matter mentioned in the transmission talismans, Junior Brother Qin, what are your thoughts?"

Qin Sang set down his teacup and asked doubtfully, "Senior Brother Yu, it's not that I'm belittling myself. After the Mortal World Gourd illusion that day, you were also present, so you must know that my foundation was damaged, and my strength is far inferior to yours. There are many Foundation Establishment cultivators in Shaohua Mountain, and each of them is far stronger than me. I wonder why Senior Brother chose me?"

"Inviting Junior Brother Qin is, of course, because you possess exceptional qualities."

Yu Daiyue pointed to his sea of consciousness. "The reason I value Junior Brother Qin is your temperament, as demonstrated by your ability to pass the Mortal World Gourd test. Junior Brother Qin may not know this, but there's a layer of 'yin wind' barrier around the ancient cultivator's ruins. Inside, demonic sounds constantly assault one's consciousness. These demonic sounds are extremely peculiar, seeming to resonate directly within the sea of consciousness, impacting the soul. Ordinary magical artifacts have no effect on them whatsoever. Because of this, anyone with an unsteady mind absolutely cannot pass through this barrier."

Such a strange barrier existed?

Qin Sang thought to himself, 'No wonder he came to me.' He then said, "I remember there were three other senior brothers that day, Gong, Zhao, and others. I wonder why Senior Brother Yu didn't approach them? There are also many other fellow disciples who didn't participate in the Mortal World Gourd illusion test."

"I've already approached all of them," Yu Daiyue said with a wry smile.

Yu Daiyue gave a bitter laugh. "Beyond that layer of demonic sound barrier, there's another formation restriction at the ancient cultivator's ruins, and it's exceptionally sturdy, not something one person can break. Not just Junior Brother Qin, but I've also contacted several others, including Senior Sister Qingting. Junior Brother Zhang was conscripted by the sect and has already gone to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Senior Brother Gong claimed he was too old and had given up on the path of cultivation, decisively rejecting my invitation. As for Senior Brother Zhao, he 'retired to his fields,' returning to his hometown to live as a wealthy man, and I can't reach him. While there are quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators among our fellow disciples, most of them, like Junior Brother Qin, are elusive; for those I'm not familiar with, I don't know their temperament. I've already invited Junior Brother Wu Yuesheng, but the number of people is still insufficient."

"Senior Sister Qingting is going too?"

Hearing that name, Qin Sang's expression shifted; he knew who that was.

When he was in the Qi Refining stage, listening to lectures at Daomen Peak, she was one of the senior uncles he most enjoyed listening to, though he used to call her Senior Uncle Qingting.

Although Senior Sister Qingting had an ordinary appearance, her amiable and approachable nature made her very well-liked.

It was said that Senior Sister Qingting was also a tragic figure; her dual cultivation partner had died unexpectedly.

However, which Foundation Establishment cultivator doesn't have a story?

Yu Daiyue nodded and said, "To be frank, Junior Brother Qin, I acquired the clue to that ancient cultivator's ruins at an auction in Tianhen Tower, located in Wen Yue Marketplace. Senior Sister Qingting was also there at the time, and we both recognized the potential in the clue. So, we each contributed half of the spirit stones and jointly ventured into the Cloud Cang Great Marsh to investigate for over a year before pinpointing its location. We just didn't expect the outer restrictions of the ruins to be so troublesome, forcing us to return and devise a plan. Now, Senior Sister Qingting is preparing the items needed to break the formation, and the task of finding more people has fallen to me."