Chapter 1435: Finding a Way to Survive Scattering Beans to Create Soldiers, the True Self Mirror Has Nowhere to Hide

"Ahhh, that feels great!"

In the hallway on the second floor of the inn, Zhu Yike stretched lazily, fully replenishing the energy he had expended the night before.

Now looking every bit like a spoiled young master with red lips and white teeth, Zhu Yike turned and pushed open the door to the adjacent room.

Three unfamiliar women were huddled together on a bed.

Different from when they first met, the three now had very ordinary appearances, even their figures had changed.

At first glance…

They were completely average, with nothing memorable about them.

If you didn’t know in advance, no one would recognize them as Xiang Yi, Dongdong, and A Yao.

"It's time to set out."

Zhu Yike sat down at the tea table, looking at the three women who had already freshened up.

He didn’t care at all whether they had slept the night before or if their sleep had been restless.

After all, he hadn't slept a wink, keeping watch over their room all night without detecting any abnormalities.

"The whole city is searching for someone named 'Zhu Yike.' Li Xiong, do you know about this?"

After a night of adjustment, Dongdong’s tone had become much gentler, and her gaze toward their savior was now extremely kind.

After all, if this man had been a lecher, they would have been defenceless last night, and he could have done whatever he wanted.

But even A Yao, despite his teasing remarks, he hadn't actually made a move.

Zhu Yike glanced at her sideways.

He recalled that earlier, the inn’s waiter had knocked on the door to deliver breakfast.

In just a few words, this woman had extracted all the intelligence that had spread overnight outside.

She’s got some skills.

"I know!"

Zhu Yike nodded casually, picking up his teacup. "I also know they’re looking for a flower-robbing thief and three women."

A Yao could hardly hold back: "Zhu… Li Xiong, didn’t you say you left no traces at all?"

Back in Lin Shan, the way this Li fellow had handled the minor details was almost obsessively cautious.

A Yao had truly believed no clues were left behind.

Yet, after just one night, she learned from the Sheng Shen Hall's wanted notice that their savior wasn't surnamed Li, but Zhu.

It was a bit amusing.

Zhu Yike himself was baffled by this.

He had done his best, thinking it was flawless.

But his disguise had only lasted one night before it was exposed to everyone—utterly humiliating.

Still, there was no way he’d admit it.

He’d never confess in front of these three that he was Zhu Yike.

"The Yi Bu are just a bunch of useless drunks. Though they haven’t figured out my real identity yet, at least their intel on the ‘three women’ is accurate and reliable…"

After pouring himself a cup of tea, Zhu Yike looked at Xiang Yi. "Where do you want to go?"

Dongdong stifled a laugh, and A Yao smiled faintly, but both silently chose not to expose the man's pretense, turning together to look at Xiang Yi.

Xiang Yi fiddled with her braided pigtail, pondering. "Nowhere is safe. I can only be safe if the Jin Wu Order is lifted."

"I can’t help with that." Zhu Yike drained his cup in one gulp, then spread his hands.

He had tried.

But the Jin Wu Order was more mysterious than he imagined.

Even when his techniques approached it, the power dissipated into nothing, making it impossible to unravel its secrets.

Zhu Yike thought he could steal anything from Xiang Yi, even her internal organs.

But the only thing he couldn’t swap out was that token hung around her neck on a thin string, with no protection at all.

Xiang Yi, of course, didn’t expect Zhu Yike to be powerful enough to lift the Jin Wu Order.

What she had in mind was someone else, and it aligned perfectly with their planned destination.

"The Jin Wu Order—besides the Dao Dian Zhu, there might be one other person in Zhong Yu who can lift it."

"Oh?" Zhu Yike perked up. "Who?"

"Kui Lei Han."

These three short words seemed to carry a tremendous weight, leaving the other three in the room speechless.

Kui Lei Han?

The so-called first of the Ten Zun Seats?

Zhu Yike was briefly stunned. His feeling was that…

This figure was so distant, like someone from another world, even more mysterious than the Eighth Sword Immortal—at least the Ba Zun An had some connection to his master.

A person like Kui Lei Han—if they even found him, why would he bother with insignificant people like them?

Then he thought again.

Wait, no!

Xiang Yi is also one of the Ten Zun Seats; they’re from the same era, so maybe they have some acquaintance!

But then, Zhu Yike fell even more silent…

Among the Ten Zun Seats, the gap between Kui Lei Han and Xiang Yi was like that between Ba Zun An and Bi Xiao Tian.

Don’t know Bi Xiao Tian?

That’s normal; Zhu Yike had almost forgotten him too.

He was a playmate from Zhu Yike’s village when he was six, who drowned in a summer river accident.

Xiang Yi quickly noticed the strange atmosphere in the room.

Zhu Yike clearly wanted to say something but seemed intimidated and hesitant, at a loss for words.

The other two women had equally odd expressions.

Xiang Yi was used to it and didn’t realize she had somehow become like Bi Xiao Tian in someone’s eyes. She continued, "I know where Kui Lei Han is."

Zhu Yike suddenly reached out to stop her, forcing a smile at Dongdong and A Yao:

"Would you two mind waiting in my room for a bit?"

The two women were startled but got up without saying more, acting like proper attendants. They bid farewell to Xiang Yi and left the room.

"Qing Yuan Shan, Chang De Zhen?"

As soon as they were gone, Zhu Yike got straight to the point.

Xiang Yi was surprised. "You know?"

Zhu Yike rubbed his nose and chuckled bitterly: "The task I received had only three possible destinations: Chang De Zhen, Si Fu Tu City, and Ban Yue Wan."

These were the safe places given to him by Li Fugui.

Of course, this "safety" was relative.

Since the Dao Dian Zhu had already seen through his identity, there must be precautions in place, possibly even ambushes on the routes to these destinations.

Of course, Zhu Yike hadn’t said everything.

With people in his hands, at critical moments, he had the autonomy to abandon Li Fugui's suggested destinations and change plans on the fly.

Xiang Yi’s eyes flickered, and she soon shook her head: "Si Fu Tu City is out—it’s my base, and since the old Dao let me out, he won’t let me return easily. There are probably many interceptors along the way."

"Ban Yue Wan is in Nan Yu; getting there from Zhong Yu requires a cross-domain teleportation array, and the core of domain-level arrays is Tian Ji Shu. Our identities could be exposed in that process."

"So that leaves only Qing Yuan Shan?" Zhu Yike frowned.

That was what Xiang Yi had originally thought, but now she disagreed, her voice serious and laced with deep wariness:

"We can’t go."

"When you first think of this place and I do too, the old Dao would certainly think of it as well."

"He might even plan more thoroughly than us, possibly already having countermeasures in place once we enter Qing Yuan Shan’s territory."

Zhu Yike’s face turned extremely complicated.

He had been quite relaxed before; he’d rescued the people, and Zhong Yu was so vast—they could just hide in some cave, and who could find them?

But after this analysis, it felt like the world was too small, with nowhere to hide.

Could that Dao Qiong Cang really push open a door and pinpoint exactly where they were discussing their next move?

Zhu Yike suddenly felt a chill on his back and whipped around to look toward the room door.

Fortunately, it hadn't opened.

"Based on what you’re saying, maybe it’s better if we don’t go anywhere and just hide here?" he asked hesitantly.

Xiang Yi shook her head: "That would be waiting for death."

The room fell into a brief silence.

"I don’t believe it!" Zhu Yike suddenly stood up.

"Don’t believe what?"

"I don’t believe that pompous old Dao can have eyes and ears everywhere to find me!" Zhu Yike hurriedly rummaged through his pockets.

Xiang Yi had a bad feeling and stood up too: "Don’t act rashly; let’s stay put for now…"

Her words cut off abruptly.

She had just said that not going out would be waiting for death.

Zhu Yike wasn’t one to sit and wait for doom, but he wasn’t foolish enough to blindly charge out with the three women to wander the streets.

He quickly pulled out a handful of roasted peanuts from his pocket.

"This…"

"Want some?" Zhu Yike offered the peanuts.

Xiang Yi was stunned. After all that, you’re just pulling out a handful of beans and asking if I want some?

I thought you were about to burst through the door and challenge Dao Qiong Cang’s deadly trap!

Are all you people from Tian Shang First Tower just crazy?

"Forget it if you don’t want any; they’re actually pretty tasty…"

Zhu Yike popped them into his mouth, stuffing his cheeks full, and left four peanuts in his palm.

Once he swallowed the remnants in his mouth, the four peanuts in his palm began to glow.

"Go."

With a flick of his wrist, the four peanuts flew out and transformed in mid-air into three women and one man, exactly resembling Zhu Yike as the wealthy young master with his three mediocre-looking attendants.

"My lord."

"Good morning, my lord."

"Mmm, my lord looks so refreshed today. Did you sleep well last night?"

The three women curtsied charmingly, their words sickeningly sweet.

It was as if their necks were being forcibly gripped; their voices made even Xiang Yi get goosebumps.

"Hehehe, you little vixens, I didn’t sleep a wink last night—exhausted me!"

The peanut version of Zhu Yike rubbed his hands together, his demeanor extremely lecherous yet spot-on.

Xiang Yi was astonished.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe these four were originally just peanuts.

Is this also a technique from Nan Yu?

"Sa Dou Cheng Bing."

Zhu Yike turned back and explained briefly, then added: "I’ll test first if he can really find me!"

He paused.

Xiang Yi was thinking it over and didn’t stop him.

Another four pebbles appeared in Zhu Yike’s palm, which he tucked into his pocket.

The "Four-Peanut Team" of one man and three women vanished from the room.

"Where did they go?" Xiang Yi asked curiously, her impression of the man before her changing once again.

This person’s abilities were too strong; he was no ordinary individual.

That Sa Dou Cheng Bing technique had a flavor similar to the storyteller’s external incarnation.

Though in terms of combat power, it probably couldn’t even match a half-saint’s incarnation… no, not even a half-saint’s thought projection.

"Si Fu Tu City," Zhu Yike said, "if all goes well."

"But the teleportation array…"

"I know; they’re taking back roads, very discreetly."

Xiang Yi saw this and stopped reminding him.

Clearly, the cautious Zhu Yike had already considered everything.

The room fell into a long, silent wait.

Zhu Yike pulled out another handful of peanuts—who knew how his seemingly empty pockets held so much.

He ate them with tea…

About an hour later, Zhu Yike grunted, nearly spitting his tea in Xiang Yi’s face, but she dodged in time.

"Failed?" Xiang Yi turned to look.

"Mmm…"

Zhu Yike’s face darkened completely.

The Four-Peanut Team had taken mountain paths, changing identities multiple times, and their evasion techniques were incredibly fast.

Dang Xia Guan was the must-pass point to Si Fu Tu City, roughly halfway—assuming no teleportation array.

At the cliff edge, the Four-Peanut Team encountered a group of thirteen white-robed individuals carrying a massive spirit mirror about a yard high.

"Forbidden zone ahead; halt!"

As soon as they heard this, before the white-robed figures even moved, the huge spirit mirror displayed the four’s true forms—four peanuts!

The outcome was predictable…

After a moment of stunned surprise, the thirteen white-robed figures swarmed them.

The peanuts met a gruesome end, utterly destroyed.

"They have a mirror that can see through any disguise, no matter how good—everything’s exposed," Zhu Yike finished recounting the whole event.

"Ben Wo Jing, a creation of the Dao Department." Xiang Yi nodded, recognizing this heavenly mechanism artifact.

"How many are there?"

"Not many, but now that it’s been developed, they can mass-produce them if they want and place them at key checkpoints. As for spirit crystals, that’s no issue for him."

"Damn Dao Qiong… cough." Zhu Yike couldn’t even curse the name properly; he slammed down his teacup in frustration and slapped a spirit shard on the table.

"I cut off the connection in time; after those four peanuts reverted, they self-destructed. The white-robed figures shouldn’t be able to trace me…" Zhu Yike hesitated but said it anyway. "I didn’t leave any traces."

Xiang Yi was silent for a long time: "You said the same thing last night…"

Zhu Yike stood up abruptly: "We can’t stay here!"

He didn’t want to take any more risks.

Clearly, Dao Qiong Cang’s Tian Ji Shu was superior to his Jin Men Theft Technique.

After all, even now, he had no idea where he’d slipped up—everything had been flawless, without a single flaw!

Xiang Yi stood up as well.

Zhu Yike glanced toward the adjacent room and lightly cleared his throat: "My suggestion is to deal with them."

Xiang Yi shook her head without speaking.

If the answer was that dead people were safer, then back at You Gui Ge, her choice wouldn’t have been to give the space ring; it would have been to administer poison.

The path of refining spirits was important, of course.

But how many pursued it single-mindedly?

At least, Xiang Yi wasn’t one of them, and after decades of sisterly bonds that had become like family, how could she sever them so easily?

Zhu Yike sighed: "Bringing them along makes me feel like there’s a knife at my back."

Xiang Yi looked at him steadily: "If you abandon them, I said the old Dao only needs to find one, and he can appear before you anytime."

Zhu Yike felt that Tian Ji Shu masters were truly repulsive, enough to make one sick.

"Why?" He asked the question he hadn’t last night.

"I don’t know." Xiang Yi shook her head firmly. "If I knew, I’d be a Tian Ji Shu master too."

Zhu Yike fell silent again, and after a while, he said: "Can you be sure there’s no traitor among them?"

"Just as you thought you were flawless but the old Dao still found the flaw…" Xiang Yi gazed into the distance. "I don’t know either."

"Then how dare you bring them along!"

"If letting them go doesn’t work, better to keep them close and use them."

"Heh, such womanly compassion! I hope you can keep them in check!"

Zhu Yike sneered, then reached into his sleeve and pulled out two teacups from the adjacent room. After a Theft of Heaven and Earth, the two women appeared dazed.

"Xiang Yi."

"Xiang Yi."

After greeting her one by one, the two looked at the fully prepared Zhu Yike. "Where are we going?"

"To a safe place first."

Xiang Yi also turned to look. Where was safe now?

Zhu Yike said, not entirely confidently: "Li… well, the people inside said that if you’re undecided, you can go there. If you’re lucky, you might even meet someone."

"Who?" the three women asked in unison.