Chapter 918: The Unbeatable Treasure for Winning Hearts

On that note, before Lu Ye arrived at Blazing Flame Pass, the area was often left unguarded. That's because Nian Yuxian couldn't stay here permanently. Every now and then, she would make a trip to Solitary Mountain City, and during those times, Blazing Flame Pass would also be empty. Therefore, in any case, the likelihood of Blazing Flame Pass being captured was low, unless the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge was preparing for a major offensive.

They sped along.

Half an hour later, Lu Ye strained his eyes, looking ahead. "My Lord," he said, "we're almost there. I'll go make contact with the person shortly; you don't need to say anything."

"Alright."

Nian Yuxian assented and descended. Lu Ye again left a Mimicry Spirit Pattern on her to conceal her Divine Sea Realm aura.

"My Lord, do you have a facial mask?" Lu Ye asked.

While auras could be concealed with Mimicry, facial disguise could only be achieved with a facial mask. Of course, if Nian Yuxian had a treasure that allowed her to change her appearance, that would be even better.

"Yes," Nian Yuxian nodded.

When traveling, how could one not have a facial mask? It was an essential item for clandestine operations. In the Heavenly Mystery Treasury and Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, the best-selling items were undoubtedly spirit pills and spirit artifacts, but facial masks also consistently had high sales.

"Then, My Lord, act as you see fit later," Lu Ye instructed, turning to head towards the agreed location.

After Lu Ye left, Nian Yuxian flipped her hand, and an old-looking facial mask appeared in her palm. Looking at the mask, old memories couldn't help but surface in her mind. She had once worn this mask and done many unknown things. As if recalling something amusing, Nian Yuxian's lips curved slightly upward.

Three hundred li northeast of Solitary Mountain City.

Lu Ye, wearing a facial mask, appeared at this location and made no effort to conceal his whereabouts. However, regarding his cultivation, he only displayed the first stage of the True Lake Realm; he had obviously activated the Mimicry Spirit Pattern on himself. Although this Spirit Pattern offered no help in combat, it had one advantage: maintaining it without continuously injecting spiritual power consumed little energy.

Lu Ye had merely disguised his cultivation from the third stage to the first stage; the energy required to maintain the Spirit Pattern was insignificant to him. His main consideration was that consecutive advancements of two minor stages in such a short time would be too shocking. To avoid alarming Ying Wuji, it was better to be somewhat reserved.

The terrain here was a sparse forest. Lu Ye flashed onto the crown of a large tree. His gaze swept around, but he didn't find Ying Wuji's figure. Given the situation, either Ying Wuji hadn't arrived, or he had arrived but was hidden. Lu Ye thought the latter was more likely! He subtly activated his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings but found nothing.

He wasn't in a hurry and stood openly, waiting. If Ying Wuji had indeed come, he would surely have noticed Lu Ye. Sure enough, after about the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, when Lu Ye activated his spiritual sense again, he detected a faint, indistinct life force about a hundred zhang away.

Ying Wuji had suffered greatly at Lu Ye's hands, so he knew Lu Ye's perception was far superior to that of ordinary cultivators. He dared not get too close. A hundred zhang away, he felt quite safe. There was no way that guy, Lu Yiye, could discover him. He didn't even dare to look too much in Lu Ye's direction, fearing his gaze might alert Lu Ye. So, he remained quietly hidden.

He had considered completely ignoring Lu Ye, because he knew that no matter what Lu Ye wanted to do, getting involved would never lead to anything good. But he was also afraid that Lu Ye might go to Solitary Mountain City and say something reckless, making it impossible for him to clear his name. It was with such mixed feelings that he arrived at the appointed time. He had already decided that no matter what Lu Yiye wanted him to do, he would firmly refuse, cut ties with him, and never interact with him again in the future.

With his mind made up, Ying Wuji's body and mind immediately relaxed. But then, he suddenly saw Lu Ye move swiftly, flying towards him, and then... Lu Ye landed directly three zhang away from him and stared directly in his direction.

Exposed? Impossible! Ying Wuji's heart churned with turmoil. Though he was unwilling to admit it, the spot Lu Ye was looking at was indeed his hiding place. How could he have been exposed? He wasn't exposed! It must be a coincidence!

Just as he was thinking this, Lu Ye suddenly spoke, "Let's go!"

Three breaths later, Ying Wuji dropped his stealth, revealing himself, and declared resolutely, "Lu Yiye, I didn't come here to agree to anything. I just came to tell you one thing..."

"This trip won't involve anything difficult for you," Lu Ye said. "Here, take this. You might find it useful later."

"What is it?" Ying Wuji took it and instinctively asked, but quickly realized his blunder. "I was talking to you, did you hear me..."

"Three drops of Soul Cleansing Water!"

Ying Wuji instantly fell silent, almost doubting if he'd misheard. Meeting Lu Ye's serious gaze and confirming he hadn't misheard, he quickly opened the jade bottle Lu Ye had just given him and examined it carefully. His face showed profound shock! It really was Soul Cleansing Water! Although he had never seen actual Soul Cleansing Water, he had at least heard elders speak of such a divine object, and all the rumors he had heard perfectly matched the item in his hand.

"Consider this your reward for this trip," Lu Ye added. Just as he had told Gan Wudang, if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. Lu Ye could imagine Ying Wuji's attitude towards him without even thinking. For him to sincerely work for Lu Ye, mere threats would be meaningless; a combination of stick and carrot was the best policy. If he could give three drops of Soul Cleansing Water to Shen Xiaomao, what was Ying Wuji's case?

After a moment of silence, Ying Wuji made his decision, put away the jade bottle containing the Soul Cleansing Water, and waved at Lu Ye. "Let's go!"

First Shen Xiaomao, now Ying Wuji. Soul Cleansing Water truly was an unparalleled treasure for winning people over.

Lu Ye, however, remained standing.

"Is there anything else?" Ying Wuji asked, puzzled.

"Don't you need to ask for leave?" Lu Ye asked.

Ying Wuji looked a bit awkward. "I've already taken leave," he said. "But let me make one thing clear: no matter what you're doing this time, if it crosses my bottom line, I'll withdraw immediately. Also, I'm helping you this time not because of the Soul Cleansing Water. After all, you saved my life more than once on the Peerless Continent back then. Although I, Ying Wuji, am a ghost cultivator, I am also someone who repays kindness!"

He spoke with such righteous indignation that Lu Ye kept nodding. Then he raised his hand and tapped his battlefield mark. With a flick of his finger, a speck of blue light drifted towards Ying Wuji.

Ying Wuji instantly covered his battlefield mark defensively. "You... what do you want to do?"

"Adding a mark will make it easier for you to continue repaying your kindness in the future."

Ying Wuji's face soured. Previously, they hadn't added each other's mark imprints. So, when Lu Ye wanted to find him, he had to rely on Shen Xiaomao as an intermediary to relay messages. But if they added the mark imprint, Lu Ye could find him anytime, anywhere in the future. This kind of thing...

Ying Wuji was about to refuse, but noticed Lu Ye's subtle gesture of rubbing his finger on his saber hilt. That fellow wants to stab me again! Since he was at a disadvantage, Ying Wuji could only relax his hand and allow the speck of blue light to drift into his battlefield mark.

Lu Ye tried sending a message to Ying Wuji. After confirming the mark had been successfully added, he called out, "Let's go."

Ying Wuji followed with heavy steps.

A moment later, Ying Wuji, walking beside Lu Ye, looked ahead and saw Nian Yuxian, who was wearing a facial mask. He couldn't help but frown. "Why is there someone else?" he asked. "Who is she?"

After all, being with Lu Ye wasn't exactly an honorable thing. If possible, he didn't want a third person to know. Who would have thought that there was actually another person waiting here, and a female cultivator at that.

This question stumped Lu Ye. He hadn't thought beforehand how he should address Nian Yuxian in front of Ying Wuji or how to explain their relationship. Just as he was about to warn Ying Wuji not to ask unnecessary questions, Nian Yuxian had already come forward and called out crisply, "Senior Brother!"

Lu Ye stumbled, almost falling from the air. Ying Wuji, quick-witted, supported him. Completely puzzled, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"My recent cultivation went a bit awry..." Lu Ye casually explained.

"Senior Brother"? What the hell? He never imagined Nian Yuxian would call him that. And that tone... it wasn't Nian Yuxian's usual tone at all. He had been at Blazing Flame Pass for so many days, and the Nian Yuxian in his impression was always icy cold and spoke sparingly, not lively and sweetly calling someone 'Senior Brother.'

As she drew closer, a fragrant breeze brushed his face. Nian Yuxian's gaze swept over Ying Wuji, and she said, "Senior Brother, so this is the mighty friend you mentioned. His demeanor is indeed extraordinary."

"Uh... yes, that's him," Lu Ye said, feeling extremely awkward. If he weren't certain that Nian Yuxian would be waiting for him here, he would definitely suspect that the person in front of him wasn't Nian Yuxian at all. Not only had her speaking tone become bewitchingly sweet, but Lu Ye could also see Nian Yuxian's crescent-shaped eyes under the facial mask. She was even smiling while speaking...

Ying Wuji was flattered. He had never imagined that scoundrel Lu Yiye would think of him in such a way behind his back. He immediately puffed out his chest and cupped his fists, saying, "Ying Wuji!" Although he couldn't see the woman's face clearly, judging by her voice and figure alone, she was undoubtedly a rare beauty. Praise from a beauty always lifted one's spirits. Some of his dissatisfaction with Lu Ye instantly dissipated.

However... this woman seemed quite intimate with Lu Yiye. Their relationship must be close. She might even be Lu Ye's woman! As the saying goes, 'a friend's wife is not to be touched'... Well, he and Lu Yiye weren't exactly friends either. But regardless, he harbored no improper thoughts towards the woman in front of him. She was from the Haotian Alliance, after all.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Ying," Nian Yuxian curtsied gracefully. "Senior Brother Ying can just call me Shuixian."

"Junior Sister Shuixian, truly your name reflects your person." He turned to Lu Ye. "Lu... Brother, you are truly blessed."

Lu Ye forced a smile uglier than a grimace. "Heh heh."